A Heart More Focused

Cloth Diapering Is Scary. Why Would Anyone Do It?

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Today’s post was written by my very close friend Diana over at Hormonal Imbalances.  She and I got pregnant around the same time and when she mentioned she was looking into cloth diapering, I was curious.  Obviously, she won me over.  Here is her story of how she got started.
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When I got pregnant, cloth diapering was the furthest thing from my mind. I couldn’t imagine anything more horrifying than having poop waiting to be washed.

At about 20 weeks pregnant, my Dr. needed someone to watch her kids during the week. She mentioned that she cloth diapered, and I vaguely remembered that my mom had used them with my little brother. I thought of big, chunky pins being pushed through layers of cloth, pulling it towards you so you didn’t stab the poor kid, and ended up stabbing yourself instead. I was not thrilled but figured a few weeks of doing that wouldn’t kill me.

But I was in for a surprise, because she pulled out prefolds – which are a rectangular shape of cloth, with a thicker part down the middle, and Snappis, which are 3 teeth like clips for holding the diapers closed in the front. She put them on her son, who at 3 months already weighed 17lbs, and deftly tucked and pulled and twisted. She put a patterned waterproof cover on (enter my love of Thirsties) and that was that. I was amazed, and a little overwhelmed at the different kinds of diapers she had.

As the days went by, I found that it was fairly simple to change him, and unlike the houses with babies I’d worked with before, my house didn’t smell like dirty diapers all day long. I took the diaper off, used a wet cloth and some spray to clean him, and threw all of it into her “wet bag” – a bag with a waterproof lining. It was adorable as well, with little dinos all over it. I was slowly falling in love with cloth diapering.

I started looking online to see what I might need to cloth diaper my not-yet-born daughter Bella. I found so many sites, so many choices, that at times I honestly just thought about giving up. It was madness. I finally stopped by a store with my mom that I had found online. I explained that I didn’t even know where to begin, and they took me through different options.

I settled on 5 Bum Genuis XS, which are as easy to use as disposables because they have the cover and diaper all in one with Velcro attached. Then I went with 2 dozen prefolds, which are great since they are fairly cheap and easy to wash and store. Because prefolds are just cloth, you have to have a waterproof cover to go over them. I bought 2 Thirsties Diaper covers in XS and 2 Thirsties Duo Wraps (which work from 6-18 lbs). I also bought a few fitted diapers, which are diapers premade to fit a baby, they just Velcro or snap on, but still need a cover.

After washing them about 3 times in hot water to prep them, they were ready to go.

Cloth diapering has become something I look forward to doing now. I love to wash them, to fold and put them away all neat and clean. I love seeing new patterns and styles come out. It’s a joy to help people start using them. If you’re considering it – whether for a newborn, infant, or toddler, click on over to my How to Cloth Diaper page for all the info mentioned above, pics, dad favorites, and ideas for traveling, or email me. I’d love to help.

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Comments

  1. Great post! I think I’m going to really go for it soon! I’m still a little overwhelmed by all the options but I think I’m gonna buy a set of Grovia diapers and take the plunge.

    I may be calling for help!
    Rebecca recently posted..Longing For Softness

  3. Yay for cloth!! Not only is it the best for our babies and the Earth but it seems that we’re all trail blazers 😉

    Joann Fabrics is introducing a line of DIY cloth diaper kits including PUL fabric in tons of patterns and colors, elastic, hook-and-loop and snaps. How cool is that?
    Alexia recently posted..On Remembrance…

  6. Isn’t it great when you finally get that last diaper stuffed and you’ve just got a nice, clean basket full of diapers ready to go?

    I have to say, when Isaac was young I didn’t like using the All in Ones or anything other than the prefolds with Thirsties. And, of course, Snappis.

    Now I’m in love with BumGenius 4s.
    Adam recently posted..My New Obligation?

  7. I will love to do it but I’m still a bit scared about the poop cleaning.. I know he’s my son and shouldn’t worry about that but I’m honest, don’t know how to do it.. I want the best for him so why not doing cloth diapers…

    • Honestly, I scrape my sons poop with an 88 cent putty scraper from Lowe’s. It doesn’t get on me and I just swish it around in the toilet to clean it off.

      There are, as Erika mentioned, other ways to do it, but I figured I’d try the cheapest way first and it worked great.
      Adam recently posted..They Just Keep Getting Younger

  8. Never thought i would even be considering using cloth diapers when i have kids. I’m getting a few strange looks from friends and family. I do have to admit, some of the cloth diapers look pretty cute. Very surprised that my husband was all for it when i mentioned it to him. Thanks for all the post of them.

  9. I am definitely going to cloth diaper my next. There are so many choices but I think I am going to go with the Bum Genius 4.0 OS for each of use and amazing reviews.

  10. I have to say that it is a great post. Yeah! That cloth is not only best for our babies and the Earth but it seems that we’re all trail blazers . I’m still a little overwhelmed by all the options but I think I’m gonna buy a set of Grovia diapers and take the plunge.
    Jane recently posted..Five Basic Guidelines for Men to Attract Women