My Cloth Diaper Journey

 Apparently it's an unspoken rule that if you use cloth diapers and if you keep a blog, you have to blog about your cloth diaper experience.  So, I am fulfilling my unwritten duty to blog about cloth diapering.  (I'm kidding.  I don't feel any obligation to write about my experiences...I'm doing so because I'm excited about my diapers!)

I started using cloth diapers with Elizabeth when she was less than 6 months old.  My number one goal was save a little money on the cost of disposable diapers.  Secondly, I hated running low on diapers and feeling like I needed to run to town if for no other reason than buy diapers, especially when I didn't have the money to spend $20 on diapers at the time. (as an aside for those of you who do use disposables, I discovered that you can order diapers through Amazon.com and have them delivered to your door for less than what you'd buy them for at Walmart.  You have to join AmazonMom for free and then "subscribe" to getting the diapers, say, once every other month, and not only does that give you a discount, but you get them shipped for free.  It's great!  And no more trips to town for diapers!  I did, however, learn this AFTER I made my initial investment on cloth diapers. Oh well.)
So, I decided to see if there was any way I could start using cloth diapers without breaking the bank on buying enough to make it worth while to use them.

For about the cost of one large box of disposables, I was able to buy a 12 pack of Gerber prefolds (pictured above), a 3 pack of Snappis (also picture above....which take the place of diaper pins) and several packages of vinyl diaper covers (NOT pictured above..more about that below).  I was very unhappy with the vinyl covers.  I was only able to find one brand for vinyl covers and they were SUPER cheap.  After less than a dozen uses, there were rips in them, plus they didn't fare well in the dryer.  :) Gerber used to make a decent vinyl cover, which I have a few of that I picked up at a consignment store, but I can't seem to find them sold online anymore.

Realizing that cheap vinyl covers just wasn't going to work, I started looking for a more durable cover I could use with my prefolds and Snappis.  I contacted a relative out of Meridian, MS, with her own business, Wildflower Patch, about making some PUL (polyurathane laminate) covers.   She gladly made me 5 covers which I have been VERY happy with.  They have been quite effective against leakages, and they've survived going through the dryer!  I just hang them out to dry, and with little to no leftover smell, they can be used over and over again before needing to be washed, unless of course they get dirty, then I wash them right away.  Wildflower Patch can be found on Facebook.  She also used to have a couple websites, but they seem to be on hold right now, so contact her through FB if you'd like to see what all she makes.  She makes more than just PUL covers;  she makes several kinds of cloth diapers, bibs, felt toys, reusable paper towels and more.

Elizabeth is looking at the hall light that I had just turned on and is going, "Light?" 

Elizabeth started leaking through just one prefold not long after I started using them, thus making me need to use 2 prefolds at a time in order for her not to leak every. single. time. she she wet.  Using 2 prefolds at a time was just the trick.  However, that meant I had just 6 diaper changes worth of diapers before I had to wash, and that was just not very efficient.  I ended up only being able to cloth diaper for one day before I had to wash, which really translated to only being able to cloth diaper about 1/3 of the time.  Well, I did this for a long time, but I was wishing I had just a few more diapers, so I put an ad out on freecycle for cloth diapers.  I got two responses from people who had old prefolds, but neither have materialized (no pun intended).  One gal responded to me though, telling me about the brand of diapers that she uses and highly recommends, Sunbaby.

Sunbaby diapers are made by a mom of a 2 year old boy in Shanghai China.  They are one size fits all pocket diapers with fleece liners and 2 inserts per diaper.  The diaper has an outer PUL cover with a fleece liner inside that's oh so soft.  There's a pocket where you can insert terry cloth pads to absorb the pee, with enough room to stuff 2 inserts for older babies and heavy wetters.  Her prices are oh, so reasonable, as the most common brands that sell this kind of diaper here in the U.S. range from $15-$20 PER DIAPER!!  Not only can you mix and match your colors and prints for no extra charge, but shipping is also included in the purchase price.  I talked to Aaron about it, and we decided it would be a good idea to order a dozen.  I certainly didn't lose money buying more cloth diapers this late in the game.  If I don't end up saving money this go round,  I'll be all set for a possible future child or be able to resell my whole stash fairly easily.

As with most of my baby related equipment and accessories,  I try to buy gender neutral items so they will be acceptable for girls or boys, but I had to throw in just a couple cute, girlie ones.  There were many more colors and prints to choose from.  Less than three weeks after placing the order, the diapers arrived today via registered mail.  And, being the homeschool mom that I am, I took the opportunity to show the kids what a package looks like that was sent internationally! :) hehe  Sun pei, the lady who makes the diapers, was very nice and corresponded with me frequently throughout the transaction if I had any questions.  So far, I'm very pleased with the experience, and from the limited use I have with the diapers, I'm pleased with them as well!

I'm not sure if Elizabeth is checkin' out her new britches, or if she's just excited to be clothes free, but she sure was happy!!!

All total, for all my cloth diaper supplies, I've spent less than $140.00. That's about 4-5 month's worth of disposable diapers (from the brand I buy which is one of the cheapest!). I think I have enough cloth diapers to easily use cloth diapers 90+% of the time and only have to wash them about every 3 days.  I'm pretty stoked! :)  (it doesn't take much)