A Foray Into the World of Cloth Diapering

Our parents all probably used cloth diapers, but yet these days it seems that most people go the way of disposable diapers. We are attempting to cut down on our use of disposable diapers in an effort to save money, be environmentally friendly, and give Clara the benefits of cloth. With cloth diapers there is supposed to be less diaper rash since more air gets to the bottom and potty training is supposed to be easier since cloth diapers don't have the super absorbent gel that wicks away the moisture. And, these days cloth diapering is much easier than it was when we were babies. The diapers themselves are much easier to use....no more diaper pins, just Velcro. So, they are pretty much like reusable disposable diapers. There are even flushable liners to catch the solids.

We're still searching for the perfect cloth diaper or at least the perfect way to wash them so they are absorbent as possible. If the wrong detergent is used then the diapers start repelling instead of absorbing and leaks occur. When leaks occur it is annoying because then the baby's clothes need changed and there is even more laundry. I think we've been having a repelling problem with one of our three types of cloth diapers, so I stripped them tonight by rubbing dish soap on them and then rinsing it out the best I could. Next I'll have to wash them in the washer until there are no more suds in the rinse water. We've usually been line drying the diapers, but further research says it works better if you dry them in the dryer a few times before you start line drying. We also bought a different detergent, one that cloth diapering experts recommend. So, hopefully the leaking issue will go away.


Earlier I mentioned that we have three types of cloth diapers. The Kushies were the cheapest, but they are also the bulkiest. Clara has a tiny little bottom, but these diapers make it look like her bottom is the biggest part of her. These diapers don't seem to have a big problem with leaks, so that is a plus. The leaking problem is primarily with the Drybees. They fit comparable to a disposable and come in cute colors. The third type is from a company called BumGenius, but we haven't used them yet because we just got them. They are well reviewed and one of the biggest benefits with these diapers is that they have a series of snaps that allow you to adjust the size as the baby grows. So, we won't have to keep buying bigger sizes. The other difference with the new diapers is that you have to put the absorbent insert inside of a cover. That means additional steps in using them and laundering them. But, if they work well, it will be worth it.

Right now we only use cloth when we are at home. If we get the leakage problem solved, then I am hoping to use them when we are out and about. Up until our most recent purchase of six diapers, we've only had nine cloth diapers, which is only enough to get through one day. With laundering time, we only use cloth at best every other day. We started with just a few diapers intentionally as we did not want to invest a lot of money into something we might not use. But with the reality of going through about $35 worth of disposable diapers each month, we are more motivated to use the cloth diapers. If we take good care of them, then we can even resale them back to the company for about half of what we paid for them.

Hopefully there aren't too many typos in this as I have been typing with one hand while Clara was eating. Now she is sleeping so I'm going to go put her in bed. She has been sleeping through the night for the most part for the past week. Hopefully this will continue throughout our upcoming trip to Nebraska to visit Brian's family during his short break from classes that starts this Friday.