Cloth Diaper Resources

So if you’ve been following my blog this week you’ve gotten a taste of what our trip down Cloth Diaper Lane has entailed.  There are so many options and new innovations that make cloth diapering parent friendly.  I’ve only really gone into details on the basics of the diapering system we chose but there are others available that you may want to consider.

One little gadget that I didn’t mention before is the Snappi.  This little gizmo eliminates the use of diaper pins and works sort of like the little things that you use to fasten an ace bandage.  You sink the “teeth” into the cloth on either side of the diaper and then in the middle and the diaper stays put.  It’s great, especially on wiggly babies! (Let’s hear it for the cloth diapering dad that came up with this great invention!)



Pocket Diapers: Pocket diapers are a cover with a pocket sewn into the inside.  An insert or a prefold that is folded up is then placed into the diaper for absorbency.  The insert is then removed and washed with the cover.  Once the cover has been soiled, as I understand it, it is headed for the laundry.

All-In-One Diapers: An all-in-one diaper is a one-use-then-wash diaper.  The absorbent layers are sewn right into the cover.  These are great for day-cares and babysitters as they go on baby just like a disposable diaper.

Fitted Diapers: Fitted diapers are the alternative to the prefold diapers.  Usually they are made of super absorbent fabric and are contoured to fit baby and Velcro shut.  Fitted diapers must be covered by a diaper cover.

If you’re interested in checking out the options, go searching on the web and find a retailer somewhere near you.  We ended up going about an hour to Jillian’s Drawers to check out our options and they were super helpful.  They even worked with me over the phone when I was trying to decide on the next size up for GBaby.  (We ended up with the Thirsties Duos – they’re great!)

Looking for even more options?  Check these out:

DiaperPin.com – great reviews from parents on the many diaper options and retailers that are out there

BumGenius.com – major manufacturer of all-in-one and adjustable size diapers

ThirstiesBaby.com – Thirsties makes covers, pocket diapers, and fitted diapers

Etsy.com – carries handmade diapers and covers

Have questions?   Please post here and I’ll see what I can come up with for ya!

Cloth Diapers Tips & Tricks

Processing used cloth diapers is not as difficult or as gross as I had imagined.  When we agreed that we were going to use cloth diapers, I put a condition on it that I wanted diaper sprayers on both our upstairs and downstairs toilets.  I’m so glad I did!  We used the directions from GidgetGoesHome.com and the final product is great and it is about half the cost of the prepackaged kits.

I’ve been told it helped that since I nursed GBaby it saved us from the “formula-diapers”.  I’ve heard they can be pretty bad.  Breastmilk diapers rinse right off and so far all of the real-food diapers have shaken right off into the toilet.  After a quick rinse, our prefolds go into the Rubbermaid until laundry day.

I also wrote Tips for Laundering Cloth Diapers that is published at Helium.com.  Check it out for more great information.

We live in a rurual area where diaper services are not available.  If you live in a more populated area you have the option of letting someone else take care of all the cr... dirty diapers. :)

Thirsties Duo Covers

Updated 10/14/2010: If you're visiting from The Diaper Diaries: Things I Love Thursday - welcome! I posted this over a year ago and these are still my go-to covers as GBaby is showing no interest in potty training yet.  We've had to replace a few due to wear, but that's to be expected and since they're priced so reasonably it's not a big deal!

There have been a number of all-in-one diapers out there that tout fitting a child from newborn to early toddlerhood.  Adjustable with snaps, these diapers offer a “one-size-fits-all” option for parents who wish to invest in all-in-one diapers.  All-In-One diapers are just that, you use them once and the entire diaper heads for the laundry.

We didn’t choose the all-in one diapers.  We chose prefolds (cotton diapers fastened with Snappis) and covers (water-proof, Velcro tabbed covers that work like a regular diaper over the prefold).  There are various brands of said diaper covers and all offer the range of sizes, and until recently, you had to purchase each size as your child grew.

We started with the ProRaps – they were great with the newborn and small sizes for GBaby.  But now, GBaby is a bit of a string bean and doesn’t fit the stereo type for the chubby little breast-fed baby.  The ProRaps aren’t cut so well for skinny kids.  So I called Jillian’s Drawers, my favorite diaper place, to ask what diaper cover fits babies who are long and lean.  They recommended the Thirstie’s covers and pointed me to the new adjustable Thirsties Duo.

The smart people at Thirsties have now made an adjustable cover.  Halleluiah!  I ordered the Size 2 covers that are said to fit infants from 18-40 pounds.  They arrived and I washed one up to make sure it would work for GBaby.  Out of the wash and onto the baby, this diaper cover is a dream.  GBaby is only 16 pounds right now but she is long (27.5 inches) and these covers fit great.

The snaps are placed for an adjustable rise, meaning for the long torso baby, you can use the snaps to adjust the waist height.  The gussets are extra wide allowing for a snug fit around baby’s thighs.  One of my favorite Thristies features is that the Velcro tabs can actually stick to each other so you can fasten them one on top of the other for an extra secure fit around thin little waists.  I am sold!  These covers should last us through the remainder of GBaby’s diapered life and as diaper covers go, these are only $2 more each than the Thirsties sized covers.  If you’re looking at investing in prefolds and covers, I highly recommend considering these for your little one.

TM on Cloth Diapers

When I was pregnant with GBaby, HandyMan and I had many conversations about the diaper options for GBaby.  He was an all-or-nothing cloth diaper side: start from day one, no need for disposables.  I, on the other hand, was a bit more wary because I knew realistically who would be doing the laundry and had been told by veteran mothers to give myself 2-4 weeks to get settled before taking on the task.

Everyone has an argument for or against the cloth diapers. Personally, I like that waste from the diapers would be headed for our septic tank and not the land fill.  We’re on spring water, so the extra laundry wouldn’t add to the water bill.  I have lines in my laundry/bathroom so I wouldn’t have to run the dryer.  I’ve heard that cloth diapered kids potty-train earlier.  That’s a big one!  I was leaning towards it but had to get around HandyMan’s black and white arguments.  It took some convincing, but we got there.

Now that we’re six months in, I’m glad we chose the cloth diapers. We started with the cloth diapers when GBaby was about three weeks old.  We’ve used the Seventh Generation chlorine-free disposables for day-trips and vacations.  Most of the time, GBaby is in cloth.

Once we decided on the cloth, we had to decide which cloth option to go with.  Cloth diapers have made so many advances and become so innovative that it’s not even the same league that my mom was in when my brothers and I were little.  There are covers and pre-folds and all-in-ones and pocket diapers and cotton and hemp and bamboo and the list just keeps going!

We finally decided on cotton pre-folds and covers – it seemed like less laundry in the long run as the covers can get used more than once before they head to the laundry bin.  HandyMan installed diaper sprayers on our toilets which are fantastic and have made clean up oh-so-easy!  HandyMan also gets lots of credit for changing diapers, but as I thought, I’ve ended up doing most of the laundry.  But that’s ok – it’s my job!

One day as I was hanging the diapers I began to think about how much we were actually saving.  It is estimated that the average family spends about $550 for diapers during the first 6 months of an infant’s life and another $450 by the first birthday.  So far we’ve spent $290 on cloth supplies, detergent, and disposable diapers and GBaby will be 6 months old next week.  We did luck out and get some of our supplies hand-me-down at a HUGE price-break.

Are cloth diapers for everyone? No.  Are they working well for us? Yes.  Would I do it again? Absolutely.  It’s been more work, but it’s been much more manageable on our budget.  I’ve chosen to invest time rather than earn money, so it works out well for us.