Cloth Diapers

Anytime I am out and changing Jillian’s diaper, I always get the question, “what type of diapers are those?”

Then the follow up questions/comments:
Do you like them?
Are they easy to take care of?
Oh, I could never do cloth diapers

Believe it or not, I thought the same thing. In fact both of the boys grew up in disposables. So why did I switch to cloth when Jillian arrived?

I had started to order the boys diapers online about once a month and they arrived in a huge box. Then I would take the box of diapers out and then take the diapers out of that box. So, I had one huge box and then 2 box of diapers to throw away. Then every day I would fill up a garbage bag full of dirty diapers. Although our building does have a recycling program, I still felt guilty that trees had been destroyed for shipping/packing my diapers. Secondly, I was contributing to the landfill with all of those diapers. I just couldn’t bear to do it for another child.
So how did I come to choose the diapers I have?

I did a lot of research and asked around town.

First I tried the G diapers on her but she had such chubby legs that they just fit on the side and made marks on her leg. I also didn’t like the Velcro on her belly as well. That made marks because she had a very chubby belly. Also the G diapers come with a liner that is flushable/biodegradable but again, it is made up of paper and I was right back to my guilt feelings about killing trees.

Secondly, I tried the mothereas diapers. You placed an insert on the cloth diaper and then put on the waterproof cover. This was my real first experience with cloth diapers which made me a believer that cloth was the route I wanted to take. But I thought there were too many steps to take to diaper a child.
Thirdly, I was introduced to Fuzzi Bunz diapers via a great friend of mine, Audra. The perfect fit diapers are a pocket diaper. This revelation was so easy and nice. You just stick the insert into the pocket diaper and snap up the sides. When the diaper is soiled you place it in the bag/bucket of your choice. You then take them to the washing machine and wash/dry.

The caveat: You had to balance the number of diapers you have versus how many the child uses. Meaning: how many times do you want to wash and what kind of receptacle do you wish to hold the stinky diapers?

I was sold….Fuzzibunz were for our family.

Better news, Fuzzi bunz designed a new diaper…..one size diaper. Prior to this you had to buy S, M, or L diapers for each stage of your child’s growth. This equates to more money and quite possibly could cost you more than disposables. Now of course if you bought these for baby number 1 and then used them for subsequent babies then you definitely will save tons more than disposables. But for me who has decided to use them on baby #3 instead of 1 or 2, it wouldn’t be worth it.

The one size diapers are incredible! The same concept of adjustable waist clothes are for kids, they’ve taken that idea and used them in their diapers. Not only are they adjustable in the waist but also in the legs. So if you had a smaller baby you can adjust them so they don’t leak.

Another great feature are the prints and different colors. This had me sold because when you have a little girl, you want to dress her up in all the cutest things.
I had no idea how many diapers she would need but I estimated based on what I borrowed from my friend. I ordered 18 diapers and an extra set of inserts. Now I didn’t think I knew that the diapers came with 2 inserts in them but I could always use them if something happened to the other inserts.

Not only did I decide to not to use disposables but I also decided not to use wipes. Yes no wipes. Instead I purchased cloth wipes and have been using them instead.
Now, I’m as surprised as the next person that I am using cloth diapers. Why would I want to add an extra step to my life every day? But when I go back and analyze my decision, I’m not doing any more steps than what I was already doing.

People often ask about the smell or care of these diapers:

The care is very simple. I take the diaper off Jillian, I put them in a bucket in the bathroom and then to the washing machine at night. It isn’t until now that she is eating solids do I have to take an extra step for poopy diapers. When I have a very soiled diaper, I rinse it out in the toilet to dislodge the poo. Then I put them in the bucket with the others to be washed.

Yes it does smell sometimes and I just put the lid on top. Some people have a bag they use as well.

I take really good care of the diapers as I want them to last as long I need them and hopefully pass them on down the family line.

I wash them in hot water with 7th generation soap. I put them on a 2nd rinse cycle. I dry the inserts in the dryer and line dry the diapers (when its warm outside, I dry them both on a clothes line). This process takes me 2 minutes from start to finish (of course the wash cycle takes longer).

There have been a few snags with this new diaper from Fuzzi Bunz. The permeable lining inside the diaper has come off a few of them. I’m guessing this is some flaw that they have and I’ve had to send a few back. I’ve gotten replacements with no hassles.

I really love these diapers and would recommend them to anyone who is interested and aren’t the “type” to do cloth diapers. They certainly are very easy to do and care for as well as they will cost you less in the long run.

Some say that this is the lazy way to do cloth diapers. I say that it’s the new wave to using cloth diapers compared to what our parents/grandparents did for us.
I wash them and hang them up to dry just like my past relatives. So, call me lazy because my baby is a Fuzzi Bunz gal. And I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.