Coth Diapering

It always comes up in conversation (especially with a little girl often in a dress)......are those CLOTH diapers??? 

Yes, yes they are. 

No, I haven't lost my mind.  No, we are not dirt poor.  No, I'm not super mom.  No, it's not really that big of a deal.  No, you don't have to touch poop (or anymore often then you would with a disposable).

Moving on.

I started using cloth diapers when Bear was 4 months old.  I bought my first set from Craig's list for $50 plus $10 shipping.  I bought a few more over the next year (cheaply made - but cheap!).  Yes, they saved us a ton of money.  I used disposable diapers any time we went somewhere and at night but my diaper bill was very low.

What do I do with the "dirty" ones?  Well, the wet diapers get thrown into a medium sized trashcan lined with a pillowcase.  When it is full, I pull the pillowcase and take it to the washing machine.  The "dirty" diapers get taken immediately to the bathroom and dipped in the potty to removed any solids.  Then I wrap the very wet diaper into a towel and set on the top of the dryer.  I never notice a smell in the laundry room. 

Washing:  When it comes time to wash the diapers (usually every other day with my stash) I toss them in the washing machine.  I do 1 cold water rinse, then set the washing machine to hot wash/cold rinse and add the appropriate amount of Rockin Green Diaper Detergent (this stuff works great on clothes also).  When that is done I run another cold water rinse.  Then into the dryer or onto the clothes line they go. 

I only used cloth with Bear until he was about 16 months old.  At that time his bladder was so big that he would leak very quickly.  So we went back to disposables until he was potty trained at his 2nd birthday.

When Abby was born I used disposable diapers until she was about 4 months old.  The diapers I had left from Bear were sized and at 4 months she could finally fit into them.  However, they had been used when I bought them, and then used for Bear so several of them weren't usable anymore.  My stash had gotten quite small.  I made a stop at Mommy and Me boutique in Effingham and over the next 3 months bought 18 BumGenius 4.0 diapers.  I LOVE BumGenius diapers.  I cloth diaper ALL the time now.  I carry a wet bag in my diaper bag.  Diapering while out-and-about is the same as it is when home.  I use cloth at night with no issues at all.  I bought a case of Size 3 Pampers in October and if it wasn't for the washing machine kicking the bucket I would still have almost a full case (I still have half a case).  The BumGenius diapers are all one size.  The 18 diapers I bought in October-December will last Abby until she is potty trained (and they work on a baby as small as 6 lbs).  Since Abby is our last baby I will be selling my stash when she is potty trained so I will make some of my investment back then (most BumGenius diapers can be resold for 50% of new price).

Cloth diapering and using the laundrymat aren't an issue either.  I manage the diapers here at home the same way and then wash them in town with the rest of my laundry.  The diapers don't make a full load in the big machines alone so I wash them with towels or sheets. 

So now that you are properly freaked out, I'll tell you that I also use cloth "women's" products as well.  But that's for another post.  LOL