In today’s rocky economy even spending 20 bucks ever two weeks can add up... On average a baby uses 3900 diapers a year. If you break that down in to 96count boxes (using the target brand up & up diapers because those are the best in my opinion and the cheapest) you are spending nearly 600 bucks a year in just diapers. That’s a lot of money, and that’s not even including the disposable wipes! So anyway those numbers alone are enough for anyone to try and save money on diapering... One way to do that is to cloth diaper... I know what you’re thinking. “Gross I’ll have to touch poop and put poopie diapers in the washing machine that I wash my clothes in!” I thought that too, but let’s be serious, just because you are using disposables doesn’t mean that poop won’t go into the washing machine, or that you won’t touch it.. I’m sure we have the entire poop mid change changing... I know I have, and do I even have to mention the newborn blowout? Good lord how do those 9 pound babies make 10 pounds of poop!? You are probably also thinking “But Sooz, I’ve looked at cloth diapers and they are expensive!” and you’re right, some can be but in the long run buying 24 of even the most expensive cloth diapers say 25 bucks each is the same as one year of disposables and you are set for the diapering life of your baby, and any subsequent babies you have.
As it turns out there is not one way to cloth diaper. There are about 101 ways... And really there is no wrong way to do it. There are prefolds, flat folds, contours, pockets, fitted, all in ones, hybrids… Is your head spinning yet?? Mine was... So I took a step back, and started asking questions to senior Google... I researched types, costs, and methods, then two cloth diapers fell into my lap, quite literally, and a friend brought them to me to see if I wanted them because she didn’t. With those two diapers, gPants actually, my journey to cloth started. I cannot tell you what would be the best method for you, I can only tell you what works for us... So here goes...
In the grand scheme of cloth diapering I have the absolute bare minimum of stuff. Here’s what I have:
• 37 Prefolds, $0.00 I lucked into these free off a man on craigslist. ( in know ewe, used; but I’ll get into that later)
• 2 Medium gPants, $0.00 again given to me free from a friend with some of their disposable inserts
• 1 Thirsties Duo pocket diaper, with 1 bamboo insert and 1 microfiber soaker $21.00 (although grandma bought that too )
• 1 Econobum One Size (OS) cover $8.95
• 1KaWaii Cover OS Snap $7.95
• 1 roll of GroVia disposable Liners $9.99 (this is the only thing you will have to buy regularly, but 10 bucks every 200 changings is not that much
• 2 generic Pockets $14.00 total bought in a swap
• 1 Econobum $4.00 also bought in a swap.
• 40+/- cloth wipe $0.00 I just raided the good will bag and cut up a bunch of t-shirts into 8x8 squares.
So add that up, I’ll wait…. That’s right; I’ve been diapering Osiris for the past two months on 65.00 and really only on $44.00 because I didn’t pay for the Thirsties... I’m sure your start up costs might end up being much more but as you can see it can be done cheaply with a little bit of work...
Okay now for the review part of this steal. I’ll do this in order of the above list.
PREFOLDS- Basically prefolds are cotton and multi layers cloth diapers, the kind your mom and grandma used to use to diaper you they were probably fastened with Pins and then covered with plastic pants... The particular ones I have are 8 ply, I think. They are super thick and probably a small size. They don’t fit around Osiris so I fold these into thirds and use them like inserts. When I use them in the covers, after I have the cover on, I spread out the back to cover the bum more. You can buy prefolds from mostly anywhere; they are usually a couple bucks a piece. The most common ones I see besides the Gerber 12 packs are the Indian cotton ones. The more layers the more absorbent they are obviously. Personally if you are going to use prefolds I recommend not cheeping out and buying the super cheap ones, they are probably only 4 layers and you’ll be changing more often, Better to leave those for burp cloths.
GPants- The gPants is a hybrid diaper, meaning that you can use either a cloth insert with a biodegradable/ flushable insert or a cloth insert. They consist of a cotton pant with an elastic and Velcro closure. Then there is a snap in insert that is waterproof. So if the insert gets soiled but the plant is clean you can just switch the insert out. What’s nice about these is that the Velcro in the back so little fingers cant grab it, and the outer layer is soft cotton... These are a bit on the expensive side, you can get a starter pack of 2 for around $26.00 but then you have to get inserts etc... Can get pricy and since they are sized, you will have to rebuy as baby grows. Not a huge deal and still a savings from sposies. Like I said before mine were given to me so I didn’t have to buy at all. She even gave me 5 of the waterproof liners.
Thirsties Duo- This particular one is a Pocket Diaper. That means there is an inner wicking layer and you put an insert in a pocket, kind of like a pillowcase to add the absorbency. This is nice because you can add more inserts for more absorbency. This is great for night time. Also you can use the pocket diaper, without the insert, as just a cover over your prefold. I like the PUL of the thirsties, and I like the fit on Osiris, however I wish I had gotten the snaps because the Velcro does come undone under his onsies and sleepers when he is moving around a bit. They do work fine when he is in pants though. They also come in colors and patterns that are adorable.
Econobum- I have two of these one blue and one green trim. These are one size covers that are only the water proof PUL and elastic banding. The Econobum is great because it is thin, waterproof and the edges are soft and don’t irritate baby skin. I like that it is adjustable and that it is snaps... and those snaps hold... I usually fold a prefold into thirds place it in the center of the diaper then add my liner, then snap it around Osiris adjusting the prefold under as needed. This one is one of my favorites. If only it came in colors and patterns too. And you can’t beat the price, under $10.00 a piece. These will fit from Newborn up, unlike some covers that tend to start at 15 pounds, and offer a newborn size.
KaWaii Cover- I have only one KaWaii cover and I also love it. It, much like the Econobum is an OS cover that is snap. I like this one because it has an interior lip of the PUL to keep the insert from sliding forward. It also fits nicely around Osiris legs. These covers are affordable at under $8.00 a piece and look and feel great. I honestly can’t feel a difference between them and the more expensive Thirsties PUL. These are available in both Velcro and Snap. Again I prefer snap.
GROVIA LINERS- Okay seriously these are the greatest. They are a thin layer of Biodegradable material that you put between the diaper and baby. What it does is wick moisture away from baby and hold solids... That’s right POOP. So you just take the liner to the toilet when it’s poopie and flush the mess away. Some Moms swear by their diaper sprayers, I swear by my liners. I hate the idea of having to take the whole diaper to the toilet, Spray the poop off. Soak the diaper, and then take a bucket of soaking wet diapers to the wash... And considering I work and only wash diapers on Saturdays that would give me more work... Uh no thanks. Sure some staining occurs, but really they are diapers people. You can’t expect them to stay white forever...
CLOTH WIPES- Okay so you can go and spend money on cloth wipes or you can just use what you have, washcloths, old towels, clothes... I used old t-shirts. I must have cut up 8 shirts and got almost 40 wipes. Then I keep a sprayer in the tub of wipes full of wipe solution I made and spray Osiris as needed, or spray the wipe. Usually I spray his bottom for Poop and the wipe for pee... They are so much more absorbent than regular wipes and thicker so I rarely get poo on my hands.
My basic routine is to lay the cover out with the prefold in it topped by a liner and then snap the whole thing around the baby as snugly as possible. When it’s time to change I open the diaper, toss the liner, or flush it, wipe the bum, put the prefold into the diaper pail, and just replace the prefold and liner with new.. It really doesn’t take me much more time than a disposable does. I keep everything right on the changing table in easy reach and it’s simple.
Okay so now that I’ve shown you what I use and how I do it hopefully you will get a little inspiration and give it a go. Now a few tips I’ve learned.
1. Wash often and rinse a lot... you have to get all the residue out or they don’t absorb as much. I use Rockin Green soap right now, but there are many recipes online on how to make your own. I’m doing that next time. I rinse twice on hot, wash on hot cold (use the largest load size you have, the more water, the better the rinse is) then rinse again. Then I toss them all (except the covers) in the dryer and dry them on medium till dry, usually two cycles. When it’s sunny out I will hang them to dry, the sun will zap any lingering ammonia odor and help to bleach out any lingering stains... Isn’t nature great?
2. Buy Used, seriously. I know it sounds gross, but that is the cheapest way to go cloth. I literally stalk Craigslist... you can get whole stashes for like 200 bucks or but one or two here and there. The nice thing about craigslist is you can look at them, and if they are not the condition you want then don’t buy them. There are also many swaps and yard sales on Facebook you can join and those Mom’s sell cheap. And will ship them to you postage paid. Thank God for Flat rate Boxes.
3. If you do choose to buy new, do your research. There are many locally owned shops that don’t charge shipping... Abby’s Lane and Sweet Bottom Baby are two that I have ordered from that offer free shipping and friendly service. You e-mail them a question and they actually respond.
4. Dry in the sun whenever possible... The sun is amazing at bleaching out stains and killing bacteria...
5. Be careful what diaper rash creams you are using, many will clog up the diaper fibers and then they don’t absorb and you get leaks. I don’t use any diaper creams, Osiris has never had a rash in 8 months.
SO that’s it... that’s all I have to say... It really is not that much of a hassle. In fact I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I’m doing something good for Osiris and for the environment. He has never had a diaper rash, and never had a leak or a blowout in these diapers. I will say I didn’t start diapering him in cloth till 4 months. By that time he was eating some purred veggies and his poops were much more solid. He does occasionally get a runny one now, and I have still had no issues...
I guess I didn’t even touch on All in one’s or fitted diaper.. AIO’s are exactly what they sound like, an absorbent layer and waterproof layer in one. These will be most like disposables in terms of putting them on, but take more time to dry and you have to use a new one each time.. These just aren’t for me.. Fitteds are a fitted prefold you have to put a waterproof cover on them too. If your prefolds are big you can easily turn them into a fitted for a fraction of the price of new ones.
Last weekend we did hell of yardwork. Raking, mulching, weeding etc. Osiris was a big help. He put all the leaves in the the wheelbarrow to dump out back. He helped to pull weeds and sweep up dirt etc. He had a great old time, espically when it came time to get the mulch, loved riding in the wheelbarrow. Osiris will be 2 in a month. Hard to believe. I havent even planned his party, although im not going to fuss over it I dont think. If I can get the backyard in order I will probably have it at the house again. Hotdogs and chips again, cheap and delicious. This year I am going to remember to take pictures.. :) 
