Cloth Diapers

We use cloth diapers around this place, and believe it or not, we love them.  A few friends have asked me for details about our experience so here they are.

After much searching and researching, we chose to use prefolds from Green Mountain Diapers. While some might say prefolds are old-school, they are the best to use when washing in a laundromat as they are easier to clean and faster to dry.  Diaper pins are no longer necessary, as there are now Snappis.  We also purchased a few workhorse cloth diapers, and I love those.  If I could go back in time, I'd buy a few less prefolds and a few more workhorse,because I've found Helena isn't as patient when we're out and about, and the workhorse diapers require a little bit less time.  

For covers, we've tried Bummis, Bummis Original, Kissaluvs, and Thirsties, and have found Thirsties to be our favorite.  Thirsties doesn't have a cover that fits from newborn to potty-training, but that's okay with us.  (A friend bought all-in-one diapers for her first child and then found out all the leg grommets were too stretched out to use with her second child!)

We dunk and rinse used diapers in the toilet.  I think this is the part that perhaps turns people away from using cloth diapers but it's really not that bad.  Even John would say so.  He does it every day without complaining!  Rather than using a pail (pails are considered dangerous once a child is walking), we have a large wet-dry bag from Planetwise.  There's never been a smell coming from it, and we wash diapers every 4-5 days. Our travel wet-dry bag is a KangaSac.

While cloth diapering does require a little more time than disposables, we're glad we use cloth.  For one thing, we don't have to go buy disposables, which not only saves money but also saves the hassle of watching for sales, getting to the store before the on-sale diapers are gone (everything goes fast around here!), and having to transport them without a car.  Another reason is it feels like we're being more environmentally friendly.  It's been said that disposables and cloth diapers are pretty even when it comes to the environment, but with cloth I'm not taking a bag full of diapers down to the garbage each day, and that feels good.  Last but not least, Helena has only had one diaper rash (and that was my fault because I used too much detergent).

All that to say, cloth diapering is not as scary as it seems.