How I started? Am I crazy?When Easton was 4 months old a friend of mine posted a question on Facebook asking if anyone had recommendations of what brand of cloth diapers she should look into. She was a first time mom and wanted to look at what options were out there. My first reaction…like many first reactions….was oh my goodness….good luck with that one. I asked my friend Megan if she had any advice for my mommy-to-be friend, as Megan was an advid cloth diaper user. After Megan responded I decided that I shouldn’t just form opinions about cloth diapering when I really knew absolutely nothing about them—(in today’s time.)
The “olden days” and today’s cloth diapering! Things have changed!
I had images in my head of cloth diapering when I was little—(30 years ago!) you know the old pre-folded cloth diapers…that looked like cleaning rags, that you try to pin on the baby and then put a plastic cover on them. Yes—those are out there still and some mom’s still swear by them. But oh my goodness…things have changed. This is a hot industry now-a- days. They are also kind of stylish depending on what brand you choose. If you decide to go with the older form of pre-folds—you can still use pins, but they have these really handy plastic things called snappies to seal in the diaper. They also have one-size fits all diapers or diapers in particular sizes depending on the weight of the baby. You can get ones that snap on easily or ones that velcro. There are quite a few companies out there that manufacture cloth diapers.
My first try at cloth diapering—finding a good deal!So after researching for myself, I decided that evening that I might just a try a few and see how it goes. How bad can it really be? I searched on Craigslist for some used cloth diapers—the upfront cost is expensive—so I wanted to try used first. A lady down my street was past the cloth diapering stage and had a ton of different brands and sizes listed. I went over to her house and we sat down and went over the basics. I have to admit, it is a little overwhelming at first and I wanted to do everything just right. The part that I was nervous about was what to do with poopy diapers and how to properly wash the diapers. After figuring things out and trying them out at home…I was sold. I was amazed at how my disposable diaper bill went down dramatically, because I wasn’t buying them as often (I was still putting him in disposables at night and when were out).
More Laundry--yikes?
I got myself on a laundry schedule where I would rinse the diapers in the hot water cycle every other night before I went up to get the kids ready for bed. By the time I was done tucking them in, it was time for the regular cold rinse with soap, right before bed I would put them in the dryer on low. The nice thing is—you don’t really have a lot of sorting to do—or folding like regular laundry. This was the easy stuff!
My favorite brand?
Again there are quite a few brands and types to choose from. Because I bought used, I was a bit limited on my selection, however I have found that I liked the Fuzzi Bunz brand the best. Others swear by other brands. I did however find that there are similar ones listed on ebay that are knock-offs. They are made in China/Hong Kong and my guess is that they are ripping off the real guys. Kind of sad…but you can get 5 or 6 new ones for the price of one new “real” one. I actually like the knock-offs just as well as the real ones. They take a few weeks to ship, but I am all about saving money.
So that is my two cents on cloth diapering! I know there are a lot of families out there that are trying to save money and in my opinion this is one way to go. Really not as bad as you are picturing in your head. Don’t be turned off by the upfront start-up—in the long run it does pay off!Search around on the internet to see what is out there.
Here is another bloggers opinion on cloth diapering…it is a bit outdated because she was having a contest…
http://www.mycharmingkids.net/search/label/cloth%20diapers
Here is a website for used cloth diapers and accessories:
http://www.myuseddiapers.com
My favorite brand:
http://www.fuzzibunz.com/
<3 SO glad I could help sway you!!! :)
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