Raegan's Going Green

I'm green??! That doesn't sound good!

I'm certainly no cloth diaper expert, but I'd like to share what I'm doing so far. I started researching cloth diapers about 2 years ago out of curiosity. I have tried to become more earth-friendly in recent years, and I guess that's what sparked my interest... and I probably already had baby fever :) As Raegan's birth approached, I finally decided on a brand called bumGenius. It's an all-in-one diaper which means it mimics a disposable in the way you put it on and change it. I know cloth diapering may not be practical or appealing for everyone, especially moms who work outside the home. Some daycares won't allow cloth diapers, but I've heard that some will allow all-in-ones. Cloth diapering can also be done part-time. I don't judge disposables, but we felt that cloth was the way to go for us, and I don't mind the work that goes into them. It has easily become part of our daily routine.

Before you read on, it's hard to talk about diapers and not mention poop. As a little girl at school reminded me last year, "Everyone has poops." You have been warned.

I mentioned that bG is an all-in-one diaper. I have the one-size version that can expand as the baby grows. Two rows of snaps allow the diaper to expand to fit up to 35 pounds. It is also a pocket diaper which means you put an insert into a pocket in the diaper's cover. Each diaper comes with a newborn insert and a thicker insert. We are still using the newborn insert and will move up when it is no longer enough. You can also use both of them together for nights or long trips.

The blue one is snapped to a small, yellow is medium, and pink is unsnapped to a large

Insert being stuffed inside

A view of the outside and inside

New born insert on the left and thicker adjustable insert on the right

Typically, cloth diapers need to be changed more often than disposables because they cannot hold has much, but it seems that babies don't need to be hanging out in dirty diapers anyways. On average I change her every 2 hours. She's been sleeping through the night lately, so she is still sleeping in a disposable to keep her from waking from a soaked diaper. I can't speak for other brands, but bG is bulkier than a disposable, so this may be an issue for some babies in terms of how clothes fit them. Raegan is still a little small, but long, so it has actually helped some of her clothes fit better. Before cloth diapers we had a hard time getting her 3 month pants to stay on her, but now they fit perfectly. It's just something to keep in mind, especially if you try to buy clothes ahead of time on sale.

BG is one of the priciest diapers, but I have been fortunate to get 21 of my 24 diapers on sale. They are regularly $17.95, but I paid $12 for them as "seconds" at cottonbabies.com. I cannot see any defects and they work as well as the three full price diapers. Cloth diapers are an upfront investment, rather than picking up a couple of packs of diapers a week, but it saves money in the long run. I've seen figures ranging from $1,000 - $2,000 in savings for using cloth diapers and wipes over the course of one child's diapering days. (I guess the range depends on whether you are buying name brand disposables and wipes vs. generic). You really save money when you're able to use them on a second child because you already have your supplies.

We also use cloth wipes which actually makes things easier. When you change a disposable, you put the wipe inside and wrap it all up. You have the same instinct with a cloth diaper, and a cloth wipe can get tossed in the diaper pail with the diapers instead of handling a dirty wipe and having a separate place to throw it away. I use what is called the "wet method" because I keep my cloth wipes wet. Some people use the dry method and either spray the wipe or squirt the solution on it at each use. I prefer to have them ready and pull them out of the container as I was used to doing with disposables. I use baby wash cloths for wipes. I bought a brand called Just Born from Kohl's. They are fairly thin and wash really well without pilling. I tried bumGenius flannel wipes but didn't like them. They were too thick and did not get in all the crevices where things hide :)

I mix wipe solution at home, although you can buy it already made. I bought soap bits from etsy. They melt in warm water to make a wonderful smelling solution. It smells like Burt's Bees baby products. Ryan loves it! He said it's what he always imagined a baby would smell like :) I keep a container of solution in the pantry and dip the wash cloths in it and wring them out. I fill the wipe dispenser at night so it's ready for the next day.

Wipe supplies

Diaper and wipe station in the Pack & Play where we do most diaper changes

So far I've been washing every other day. I wash 2 days' worth of dirty diapers and still have enough to use while doing laundry. I do a cold wash first to fight stains, then a hot wash to sanitize using half of the normal amount of detergent each time. I use a detergent called Country Save that gets great reviews for cloth diapers. It's working great so far because I cannot tell which diapers have been pooped in. It's important to use detergent that is free of dyes, brighteners, enzymes, and whiteners. Cloth diapers do not need fabric softener; it causes build up and makes them less absorbent. I hang the diapers to dry on a folding rack and put the inserts and wipes in the dryer on medium. When everything is dry, it takes about 5 minutes to stuff the inserts back in the diapers, and they are ready to go. I try to rotate them in the drawer so I don't end up using the same ones more than others. My goal is to take really good care of them and use them for baby #2, which is not planned for any time soon, but thank you for asking ;)

When we change her, the whole diaper comes off just like a disposable. You can grab the end of the insert and pull it out or shake it out if you don't want to touch anything. Everything, including the wipe, goes into the diaper pail. If you're like me when I started reasearching, you may be wondering what happens to poop diapers. When I breast fed, I sprayed the diapers off with a mini sprayer that attaches to the toilet. I didn't deal with many bf poops because she was very irregular. Since we switched to formula she poops once a day like clockwork. Most of the poop can be shaken into the toilet. (I hear I'm in for a real treat when she starts solids). The dirty diaper then goes into the pail. We use a step-lid trash can with a Planet Wise waterproof liner. When it's time to do laundry, the whole bag comes out and I dump everything in the washing machine so I don't have to touch anything (although it doesn't bother me to handle the dirty diapers).

Step-lid trash can by Simple Human from Bed Bath and Beyond

I hope this has been helpful. Feel free to ask questions. I learned a lot by asking friends who have been using cloth for a while and reading blogs, products reviews, etc. Also feel free to leave a comment and share any tips you have. Thanks for reading!

Supplies:

• 24 diapers (3 days' worth, but you can have fewer and wash more often)
• baby wash cloths to use as wipes (I have 30 and that's plenty!)
• wipe solution
• diaper pail (nothing fancy, a kitchen trash can with a flip lid)
• pail liner (keeps messes off of the trash can and can be washed with the diapers)
• small water-proof bag for the diaper bag (can also be used for wet swimsuits and clothes)