History Post…Cloth Diapering Update!

Taken from a blog post from August 8, 2012

CLOTH DIAPERING IS AMAZING!

I know , I’m sure some of you out there are doing the dog head turn and are like “really?!”…Really! It is not only great for my baby’s tushy, but it’s awesome for my wallet! I’m in love!

Age Birth-3 months:

I decided to go with pre-folds and shells. I have the Diaper Rite Pre-folds, sizes newborn and medium. I am  using Rumparooz and blueberry (made in USA and don’t charge extra for prints) shells. I’m using the Snappi (holds pre-fold together). Also, using Kangacare fleece inserts. I’m also using Cj’s BUTTer Diaper cream and Penaten (when needed).  I also use reusable cotton wipes. I make the wipe solution with witch hazel, coconut oil, tea tree oil and water. AND YES! I WASH MY OWN DIAPERS & WIPES! My wet bags (for dirty diapers) Planet wise (I have 2 small- good for shopping trips and a quick change-made in USA), Rumparoos (great for traveling- hold 9-10 diapers), and Bummis (medium- holds about 3-4 diapers- good for our trips to the beach or out on a boat).

Here is what I think of them….They are great! When you purchase, you have to prep the diapers by washing them and drying them 4-6 times before using them on baby. There isn’t any tricky folding like with the big square ones. Mostly just folds around your baby. It’s easy to look up tutorials on YouTube. I am lucky enough to be blessed with www.Diaperjunction.com – they have videos and info online and a store that I can visit not too far from my house! Ethan is sensitive to the moisture so I also use kangacare fleece inserts to wick the moisture away from his tushy better. They also help prevent diaper creams such as penaten(German) or desitine from ruining the cotton pre-fold (will create a water resistant spot and then the diaper won’t absorb). Since it has been so hot and humid (and we did a week on Fire Island with no ac), he broke out with a little diaper rash. Quick applying of Penaten and it’s gone after the first application. They do a fantastic job of absorbing and the shells do a great job of holding in the messes.  Overall, I’m completely satisfied with our decision to go this route.

Now the sizes I have. Since Mr. Ethan was 10lb. 3 oz. buying the newborns (even when I knew he was measuring big- but there was the possibility the measurements could be wrong… anyway) was a little bit of a waste. I should have sized up and gone with the small. Ethan grew out of the newborns by the time he was 2 months old. Since he grew so fast, when I went back to the store, I decided on sizing up. I went with the mediums. We just add an extra fold in the back and it’s perfect. I am realizing that this was a smart decision, because this size will last on him a bit longer. Since they were a size up, they took a little getting used to…had a few more blow outs, but once I got the hang of it, it has been wonderful.

Mr. Ethan has been a wonderful sleeper, 4-6 hours, when he first came home from the hospital. Now he’s at 7-9 hours. He’s also a heavy wetter. So I did some research myself and the consensus seems to be pocket diapers are great for heavy wetting at night (The thought of this made me quiver… why you ask, because I was dead against pocket diapers when I first learned of them…you mean I have to stuff them and pull out the inserts when dirty…yuck!…Man was I wrong) I went back to  diaper junction and talked to one of the sales women, (side note, I love going there, because they remember me and are soooooo nice!) and she brought up pocket diapers.  She said since he’s got chunky thighs any of the diapers they have would work. So I was drawn to bumgenius and blueberry. However, they  are kind of pricey ($17 and $23 a diaper). They have this other brand Kawaii Baby.

Kawaii  Baby has two types of diapers at my store- Regular and then overnight (designed to absorb more). I went with the regular ($9.95 each). We figured out that since I will only be using them at night I will only need three. Since I do diapers every other day, I will then always have a clean one available. So there I am buying the diaper I was so afraid of… LOL Man I love them. Yes, I do have to stuff them. No, I don’t have to pull the inserts out, they magically come out of the diaper during the wash…AMAZING!

They have opened my eyes to pocket diapers. I’m thinking that I am going to eventually make the switch to pockets. I think that once little Ethan starts eating food and his poops are a bit grosser, the pockets are going to be easier to deal with.

I am going to pick up another pocket diaper tomorrow just to add to my stash. It’s an Alva pocket diaper. Never heard of them, but it’s cute, black with rainbow snaps. (Yeah I know… “Really because it’s cute?!”-Yup, that’s one “problem” with the diapers… they are so cute you just want more… lol).

Loving my journey with cloth diapering! I’ll keep ya posted!

covers and prefolds

butt creams

snappi

cotton wipes

Links to items I use:

Diapers:

All can be found on www.diaperjunction.com

Shells- http://www.rumparooz.com/

Pre-folds & wipes- http://www.diaperrite.com/

Cj’s BUTTer- www.cjsuniqueboutique.com

Penaten- http://www.dusson.com/penaten/bc121.html

Snappi’s- http://www.snappibaby.com/products/snappidiaperfastener.html

Wet bags:

Planet wise- http://www.planetwiseinc.com/

Bummis- http://www.bummis.com/us/en/fabulous-wet-bags.php

Rumparooz- http://www.rumparooz.com/

Wipes solution:

Coconut oil and tea tree oil- http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=554

Witch hazel- http://www.walmart.com/ip/T.N.-Dickinson-s-Face-Body-Witch-Hazel-Astringent-16-fl-oz/10321470

*Disclosure: This is a self-sponsored review. Writing a review or providing feedback was not required.  This post does contain affiliate links.

**This post was written before Diaper Junction closed storefront. You are still able to go ask questions during business hours. There is no register on premises, so you must order online. It’s beneficial though, you get double points if you pick up your order! Their website again is http://www.diaperjunction.com

A Little More History…Learning About Cloth Diapers

A post from my older blog from January 28, 2012

We actually went to a diaper class this morning. It was at Diaper Junction’s  location and WOW! I feel so much better actually seeing/feeling/and trying them on dolls. Plus, we got real mom and dad critiques on each diaper, plus care (like how often to wash- and how to spray poop off…LOL) and the amount of diapers we would need at different stages of life…This was so helpful, because in all honesty, all the info online was so overwhelming and crazy….

So for newborn we are thinking of going with pre-fold and flats with outer shells (cute designs). They handle breast milk poop well. Plus if we are just at home, I can fold the pre-folds and not even use a shell.  The woman also said that a newborn normally doesn’t fit into the AI2’s even though they have that small size. She said within 2-4 weeks they will. Plus the pre-folds are a great back up if the power goes out. Also, they are similar to the classic diapers, you know just the white with the clothes pin (now they have snappies).

I’m very interested in the AI2’s because they seem to be the easiest to maintain and care for drying time and reusability of the shells (Those pocket diapers kind of freak me out… LOL, and the all in ones take forever to dry). Plus, if they need extra absorbency, I can use the previous pre-folds and add them in there. Great to use for overnight.

We asked what brands she would recommend and she recommended the Grovia AI2’s (because they sit higher for a boy), flip (but criticized the lack of elastic on back flap, since inserts don’t snap in), and their brand Diaper rite (similar to flip, but the back flap has elastic to hold the insert better). Luckily, they have a 30 day test drive available on all those, so we can try them (since all babies are different and I don’t want to commit to a type-particularly if they don’t fit-because they are an investment to start off). She also said that those pre-folds and shells can grow with baby too. Good to know in case the other two don’t work.

Also, the place has all natural diaper rash/prep for babies bottom. I’m also going to go with reusable wipes as well. The stuff about disposable wipes kind of freaked me out…they are actually bad for babies bottom. She gave us tips on how to prep the reusable wipes warm, and clean. They have all the things that I will need for breast feeding (pads, creams, and ice/warm packs). Of course they have the special detergent too.

She told us about the biodegradable inserts (awesome for our long car trips to NY). Plus, I can put them in my compost pile if I cut the elastic out (That’s another of my goals this summer-compost). Then she went into the diaper pail and wet bags (carry around with you when out of home for dirty diapers-they hold smell well).

Overall it was a great experience. I can’t wait to start! I think it’s going to be one of the best choices for baby boy.  Even the potty training a whole year earlier and the money savings is awesome enough :o).

Shout out to http://www.diaperjunction.com and they have the actual place I can go to talk to a human being… but if I order online I get store credit… So the key there is to go into the “store” shop/ask questions, then order online :o)

*This post was written before Diaper Junction closed storefront. You are still able to go ask questions during business hours. There is no register on premises, so you must order online. It’s beneficial though, you get double points if you pick up your order! Their website again is http://www.diaperjunction.com

**Disclosure  This is a self-sponsored review.  Diaper Junction did not ask me to mention them.