Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Cloth Diaper Report

Back when we were just parents-to-be, Linda and I made the decision to use cloth diapers. With Linda taking time off work and with us lucky enough to have a washer and drier at home, we figured, “Why not?” We also had friends offering to give us sets of their cloth diapers, so it was an easy decision. Once made, however, the decision led more than one person to say to us, “Let me know how that goes,” or, “Good luck with that.” I even had someone tell me, “Oh, you’ll change your mind after a few weeks of that business.” It left me wondering if they were right. But after 80 days of changing cloth diapers, I have to say that it’s no big deal. We do a few (2-3) extra loads of laundry a week, Linda found an easy, homemade recipe for natural detergent online (10 min. to make, 8 cents(!) a load, and good for grownup clothes, too. The link’s below…), and we don’t even think twice about the whole process. I should point out that today's cloth diapers have come a long way from the thin cloth diapers of the past, and there are no pins to deal with (ours have snaps). It also helps that we installed a sprayer on our toilet (a “personal” cleaner, basically a hand held bidet) that allows us to clean the diapers quickly and easily before putting them into the diaper pail. I never thought I'd be spraying someone's else's poop into the toilet, but here I am and it's fine. It's amazing how quickly you become accustomed to it. I had a mom-to-be ask me about cloth diapers a few weeks ago. It was nice to be able to tell her how it has worked out for us, and another plus? Violet’s diapers won’t be in a landfill when her grandchildren are around.

81 days old
Link to make your own detergent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfEJHb5lfds (Tips: Use a food processor, if you have one, to grate the soap (We used a bar of Dr. Bronner's), and add essential oils if you want it to smell like something besides soap)

6 comments:

  1. THanks for the recipe!
    We are also planning on using cloth for lots of reasons - bought a couple of different brands to find our favourite.

    Do you have a favourite diaper for Violet?

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  2. We use a cloth service, which we really like. I don't know what kind of cloth diapers they are, but I do know that they are 100% cotton and fairly thick. We use the Prorap velcro covers, and they're super easy. My only gripe is that Macie outgrows some clothes faster than she "should" because her butt's so big with all that fabric around her!

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  3. Yay! I agree that cloth is 'no big deal'.

    If I may offer my two cents for Lindsay... I love the One-Size diapers from mother-ease.com. I would recommend a smaller diaper for the first 2-3 months though.

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  4. Lindsay - right now, we're using Fuzzibuns and we like them a lot. They have liners that you have to put back in to the diapers after you wash them - that takes a little time, but it's really not a big deal to us. We have the Perfect Size Fuzzibuns which come in different sizes. Violet has been using the small size since she was born and is getting close to needing a medium (she's almost three months old). Fuzzibuns also makes a one size diaper that supposedly can be used from birth to potty training. Don't know anyone who's used them yet. Bottom line - we would highly recommend Fuzzibuns.

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  5. Amy - I agree! The size of the diapers throws off the sizing on many of her clothes. And we didn't look into the diaper service - we're lucky enough to not have to pay for our water.

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