Cloth, round 2

Warning: a lot of cloth diaper talk in this post!
If you are not interested in that, just enjoy the cute boys!

H was in cloth diapers pretty much since he came home from the hospital, and still is (although we are working on potty training). C has been in cloth pretty much since he came home from the hospital too. We love cloth especially for the ease of use and budget friendliness. I like that it is healthy for their skin and the environment.

We've been using bumGenius 3.0 since H was born and continue to love them! I like the ease of use with pocket diapers, that it is so easy to stuff them to the desired absorbancy - newborn inserts for C, one size inserts for H, and hemp at night for both boys (C is a heavy wetter - we didn't need to use hemp for H until he was over a year old, and C already needs them!) I like the adjustability of aplix (Velcro), but will probably switch to snaps when we need new diapers because snaps won't need to be replaced.

Here are a few of the things that we have learned since cloth diapering.

Harrison at two months


1. Rockin' Green is awesome! We haven't had funk (smell) problems since using it. Just doing an overnight soak every once in awhile keeps this problem under wraps. Their Funk Rock took care of ammonia problems with toddler diapers as well as lightening and brightening the diapers. I did the Funk Rock and an overnight soak before C was born to get them ready.

Charlie at two months

2. Hemp inserts are great for extra absorbancy.

3. A diaper sprayer is a must. I don't think we'd still be cloth diapering if not for this.


4. Tea tree oil has helped us out in more ways than I thought it would - we put a few drops in the wipe solution (we use cloth wipes) and it keeps it smelling fresh. The tea tree oil has also helped with yeast. With H, every summer we have to battle a little yeast, and it helps keep it at bay (we live in the hot, humid south). After C started using these diapers we had a pretty bad case of yeast and I soaked the diapers in about 10 drops of tea tree oil. The combination of TTO in the wipes and the soak seemed to take care of it.

5. We were having problems with overnight and naptime leaking for H, even with the use of hemp inserts. I read somewhere about using the pocket diaper like a diaper cover and just laying the inserts in it (not putting them in the pocket) and it totally took care of the problem!

6. One size diapers are awesome! H has been in the same diapers from birth through the present (he is now 2 1/2), and now C (at two months) is using the same diapers!

Our changing table
(I realized it would need to be more organized, having two in cloth.)


7. Take good care of your diapers so they will last a long time! We have abused these diapers (dried in the dryer, used diaper creams, etc.), and they have lasted us well, but they are showing a little wear (elastic has been replaced, and some build-up has occurred in the diaper making them a little slow to absorb). If we replace these, I will probably hang the covers to dry and will always use a liner when using creams.

8. Wet bags are not necessary, but they sure are great! We don't need to worry about bags leaking en route from changing table to laundry room, they can hold a lot, and are "green".

9. Exclusively breastfed baby diapers don't need to be rinsed. Yay for water soluble poop!

10. They are cute! Especially these two boys in blue!



Some of my favorite cloth diaper resources:
Kelly's Closet
Rockin' Green
Dirty Diaper Laundry