We have been cloth diapering full-time for about a week now! The rashes seem to be gone; fingers crossed that we found the solution! Hurray for happy baby booty!
We've added 7 diapers to our "stash" since my last post on cloth diapering last week. In the picture below from top left: Fuzzibunz one size, Kawaii minky pocket, Grovia hybrid cover, Grovia All-in-One, wet bag from PiggleDee, cookie fitted dipaer from MonkeySnuggles, cars velour fitted from SquirrelNOwl, skull "rockstar" fitted from PoopsieDoodles, cloth wipes from SweetBobbins, and charcoal bamboo inserts.
I have definitely come to prefer certain brands over others. Here's some of what I have experienced with them all so far, including the rest of the "stash"...
Happy Heinys - Double stuffed for overnight and got 7.5 hours no leaks! We woke to a happy, smiling baby!
Bumgenius 4.0 Pocket - No leaks yet day or night! One of my favorites so far, I tend to reach for these ones. The solid colors are nice when Asher is fully dressed and these are also slim enough to not look silly under clothes.
Charlie Banana - Minimal snaps for sizing, which is nice. No leaks overnight!
FuzziBunz - Extra Slim fit = LOVE Even John commented on how much better this style fits Asher than the others.
Kawaii - This is such a soft diaper and the inserts are so slim and soft and seem to be able to absorb a lot!
Grovia AIO - Some daytime leakage, but it may need to be washed a few more times to "break in" the inserts.
Grovia Hybrid - Velcro laundry tabs STAY DOWN in wash! Hurray! Nice to be able to reuse the cover a few times before throwing in the wash, but sometimes you get spit-up all over it anyways... so I have yet to use that feature, lol!
Velcro is great for quick changes but it's so easy to forget to attach the laundry tabs before washing!! Even if you do remember, sometimes they come apart in the wash anyways and you end up with the velcro sticking the everything. Think torn up inserts, pills on covers...ugghhh! Forget that! Laundry bags can help, but then you have to sort through the dirty diapers... not fun.
Too many snaps are super annoying during changes.
The fitteds I purchased from several shops on Etsy are nice when I want his bum to get some extra air. They would need a cover if you wanted to leave them on for longer than an hour or two. That could get bulky, but they are good for tummy time.
The cloth wipes are working out great, but you definitely need a lot of them! I need like.... 30 more, at least!!!
FAVORITES - Bumgenius 4.0 Pocket Diapers and FuzziBunz One Size Pocket Diapers
LAUNDRY ROUTINE (Every 1-2 days)
I'm happy we recently got an LG HE Top Loader which is supposed to be one of the better options for cloth diaper washing!
- Rinse/Spin Cycle on COLD -- No detergent
- Custom Programmed Cycle - BabyWear, HOT, Water Plus, Extra Rinse -- Detergent (Dreft is OK to use or I just got Mountain Green which is supposed to be one of the best) + BambinoMio Cleanser (every few washes)
And of course, here are some cute pics of Asher in his cloth diaper fashions... :) The majority are from my iPhone, but I a few some nice ones with my Canon, too! There are some where you just see the colorful top poking through and there may even be a few mixed in that don't even show the diapers but are just way too cute to leave out!
All are iPhone pics below...
I'm so glad you posted this, because I have been thinking about switching to cloth and it's nice to hear from someone who's also just beginning! There's so much info out there that its almost overwhelming!
ReplyDeleteCouple of questions: 1) which inserts do you prefer?
2) where did you get your pail liner and are you finding the need for a pail?
3) where did you get that adorable charcoal diaper Asher is wearing in your last CD post?
4) how many total diapers do you have in your stash now and do you find it's enough?
5) one answer I can't find anywhere because it's probably a stupid question, lol, but how can you tell when they've peed? In disposables, the line changes colors! I like that! Lol.
Sorry to bombard you with questions, but I've found these CD posts so informative!
Hi Sarah! Thanks!! I'm happy to know that my posts are helpful!! :) It really is so overwhelming at first; there are just so many options!
DeleteTo answer your questions... (I love this topic right now, so I don't mind at all! CD'ing seems to consume your life when starting out. Haha!)
1. The inserts that come with the pocket diapers work great, i.e. the bumgenius, kawaii, fuzzibunz... For covers or hybrids, I just have the charcoal inserts from Ecoable on Amazon and a set of Alva ones I got from Amazon, so far I like the Alva better because they are slimmer. When the bum gets too fluffy, clothes don't fit right. ;) I did recently discover that you never want microfiber inserts to come into direct contact with the baby's skin because it will dry it out and cause rashes. I also use fleece stay-dry liners between the insert and his skin. Pockets don't need a liner unless you use a barrier cream or something for a rash. I really don't like the few prefolds I have, they are super bulky.
2. I got the pail liner on Amazon. It's the Kanga Pail Liner, Whale Tale. (I can't link in comments, sorry!) I love it!
3. The charcoal diaper Asher is wearing in the lost CD post is a Grovia AIO. I am still on the fence with these... They are so cute, but they leak a lot (maybe I just need to wash them a few times more..?) and the inserts attached to the inside is really hard/rough. It's sad because they look so adorable. :(
4. I have 24 so far (if you don't count 2 fitters that don't velcro or snap.. I haven't used them yet and probably wont). There are a few of the 24 that I don't use at all. I don't like the gDiapers or the Kushies. So technically, I only have 20 that I use. I definitely need more. I think another 6-10 would be good. Too many and I'm afraid I would let the laundry sit too long.
5. As far as I know, you just have to be in the habit of changing them more often, every 3 hours or so during the day. I think you start to recognize a pattern to when they have heavier wetting. At night, he wears one for 8-10 hours (he's a great sleeper) and the rashes have still stayed away. Sometimes, if you pat the front you can feel that it is dense or heavy feeling if it has pee in it. If it fills too much, you'll get a leak. That's my experience so far anyways! :)
Let me know if you have any other questions! It's such a fun topic, as strange as that is. Haha!