IT'S AMAZING! I thought we were just going to dabble and cloth part time. We quickly switched to full time and use a disposable at night. I am a little intimidated by cloth diapering overnight, but I've been looking into combinations that will reduce the chance of leaks. Disposables can hold a lot more than a cloth diaper can unless you can figure out a perfect combo. Right now, I'm in no mood to change pjs at 3 am because she leaked through her diaper.. im too tired.
I sold most of my disposables, I kept enough diapers to go a few months in each size if I just use them at night. Letting those diapers go was sooo fucking hard. I cried. I worked so hard couponing and working deals to build that stash and it was spectacular. I now realize I had an unhealthy attachment to my sposies (term used by cloth diaper moms for disposables)
I have had to learn a lot of new lingo in order to understand what the hell everyone was talking about when I started asking questions. It was an insane couple of days when I first started looking into it. I asked questions in mommy groups, watched a million YouTube videos, read some blogs.. I quickly became obsessed.
The hardest part of cloth diapering is figuring out a wash routine to keep your diapers clean, without smell, and so they last until potty training. It's not as simple as just throwing them in the wash. I have had to test my water for hardness (my water is basically rocks) so that I could find a detergent and booster that will get my diapers clean and keep Rowan from getting rashes. Thanks to the help from a "professor" at Fluff Love University my wash routine is easy and simple. Prewash with 1/2 cup borax & line one of Tide powder, main wash 1/2 cup borax & line 3 of Tide. Another tricky part was getting my water- to-cloth ratio correct. It's called a "stew". I need to make sure I don't have too much water and my diapers are swimming (soup) or too little water that the diapers arnt moving (chili). I need a perfect amount of water (stew) so that my diapers are agitating properly and rubbing each other clean. Come to find out I've been over sizing my regular laundry as well and wasting water! Who knew?!
Diaper stew
My favorite type of cloth diapers are prefolds and flats with a cover which are the more traditional or old school type of cloth. I really enjoy the different types of folds and that I can use just 2 covers all day. I can also push a diaper change to 3 hours if she's in a prefold. It holds way more than a pocket diaper. I was really surprised that i like prefolds and flats so much because it is the polar opposite of disposables. I thought for sure I'd prefer a pocket diaper or all in one system. I do really like pockets for quick changes and when leaving the house and they are easy for Josh to change. I have also noticed that there are waaaay more cute prints in pockets than in covers.
I haven't noticed a difference in effectiveness between the brands I have tried. We haven't had any leak issues with bumGenius (high end expensive) or with SunBaby or Alva (China cheapies) I prefer the SunBaby brand because of affordability and they are sooo freaking cute! They also have a strip of PUL on the inside which keeps Rowan's onsies from wicking up pee while she sleeps on her tummy. All of my covers are Alva and I think they are better than the Thirsties brand. They are thicker and the double gusset around the thighs looks more comfortable for Rowan's chunkiness! If you arnt familiar with cloth diapers you probably have no fucking clue what I just said. Haha!
My stash consists of 6 cloth-eez small prefolds, 5 flour sack towels (flats), 5 Alva covers, 3 Alva pockets, 15 SunBaby pockets, and one bumGenius pocket. I have 2 pail liners, 2 wet bags, and a few snappies (modern version of a safety pin for flats and prefolds). I also have extra microfiber/Bambi blended inserts and charcoal inserts.
Just missing a few dirties.
I will need medium prefolds soon and plan to get a few more flats and covers. When Rowan starts solids I'll need a diaper sprayer which i plan on making myself. Right now her breastmilk poo is water soluble and doesn't need to be rinsed before washing. I know it sounds gross but that's what the pre wash is for. It's a light wash with a little detergent to get the pee and poop all rinsed away so that your main wash can be done in clean water. You can't expect your diapers to be clean if you wash them in shitty pee water. Ew.
Sooooo pretty
Overall, I'm kicking myself for not knowing about Facebook groups when pregnant with JJ. I just Googled it and was so overwhelmed with all the information so I just said fuck it. I've always wanted to cloth and after meeting some other mamas who clothed and seemed to really love it I started to think about it again. I reached out and was walked through the process by other cloth diapering mamas. I am so appreciative of all the mamas who have been holding my hand through this transition and making it less scary.
I'm so glad I didn't wait any longer to switch!
The ONLY down side to cloth that I have run into is that it's really hard not to buy all the diapers! They are so cute and I love Rowan's fluff butt! I definitely see how women get addicted and end up with over 100 diapers... which is ridiculous. Totally understandable, but still ridiculous.
Final thoughts. If you're thinking about switching, try it out! You can borrow from a local cloth diaper library if your town has one (tucson does!) Or buy a few used ones. I guarantee you will be hooked in a week!
I'm so glad I didn't wait any longer to switch!
I mean.. look at this!
The ONLY down side to cloth that I have run into is that it's really hard not to buy all the diapers! They are so cute and I love Rowan's fluff butt! I definitely see how women get addicted and end up with over 100 diapers... which is ridiculous. Totally understandable, but still ridiculous.
Final thoughts. If you're thinking about switching, try it out! You can borrow from a local cloth diaper library if your town has one (tucson does!) Or buy a few used ones. I guarantee you will be hooked in a week!
