Cloth Diapers Revisited

I wanted to give you curious folks an update on how we are doing with cloth diapering. I can't say that I love it, because it can be inconvenient and gross at times, but I really don't mind it and it has tons of benefits. It has been super simple and we have even ordered more supplies.

General Use

We use a cover and an insert. No folding or pinning here! When I need to change his diaper, I usually just need to replace the insert unless the cover has gotten dirty. The cover snaps together similar to how a disposable fastens. We deposit the used diapers into the Diaper Dekor (similar to the Diaper Genie) since we had some leftover bags. We have since run out of bags so I ordered a washable liner for the pail. I think it should fit, but if not, then I'll have to buy a plastic trash can. Here's the gross part, if there are any solids in the diaper, then I have to dump those in the toilet and then just place the insert in the diaper pail. Simple, but not always pleasant!

Wipes
This is probably one thing you aren't thinking about. I switched to cloth wipes as well because when I clean him up, I just roll everything together. If I used disposable wipes, I would need to have a garbage can for the wipe and then a separate can for the diaper. I didn't think about the wipes part until I read this. This was a simple change as well and I just made my own wipes. Heck, they're used to wipe someone's booty, they don't need to be perfect!

Initially I purchased a 1/2 yard of fabric (the blue cloud material in the picture), but then figured out that I had plenty of flannel receiving blankets (the cream pattern in the picture). I just cut two of those up. Between both of the materials, I have plenty of two ply wipes. The blue ones were cut so they would fit perfectly into a wipes container. The cream ones are more useful, but have to be folded in half to fit into a container. I put the book in there to give you an idea of the size, they are about 4"x8" and 8"x8".

We initially used water for the wipes, but that didn't seem to work as well. I have since found and easy solution that we use and consists of baby oil (had no idea what I should do with the baby oil until now), baby wash, and water. I use these wipes and solution to clean him up after other messes as well!

Laundry

It is recommended to only have about 2-3 days worth of supplies so I am constantly doing laundry. It really isn't that big of a deal though. Over the past month, I really haven't noticed. I just take the bag and dump it into the washer. I wash it once in cold water and then wash it again in hot water with an extra rinse. It takes 2 or hours to do, but it is easy. Each time, it is recommended to only use 1/4 of the manufacturer's recommended amount of detergent. If there too much detergent, then they can get buildup and not absorb as well. It sounds counterintuitive, but it has worked so far and they smell clean each time. You can imagine that they do get stained so I have used bleach once or twice and that helps to disenfect them as well. We also had to buy special detergent for this since you can't use one that has whiteners or brighteners. I learned that whiteners/brighteners just leave particles on your clothes that make them appear brighter! They do nothing to actually keep the color. These waxes/particles only repel water and make the diapers less absorbent.

Disposables

We haven't completely rid our life of disposables. I do appreciate their convenience when we are out and about and we'll definitely be using them when we travel. Sometimes we'll use them if we have run out of inserts and are doing laundry.

So, I either bored you or answered some of your questions. I am still learning, but this is where we are now!