Cloth Diapers

We contemplated using cloth diapers for a long time while I was pregnant. It was unknown territory for us. We were quite nervous to start for a few reasons:
1. Neither of us had any experience with cloth diapers.

2. It would be a lot of "up front" costs...and what if we changed our minds about doing it?
3. Our washer and dryer was old, and I usually had to turn the dryer back 3 times before the clothes were dry.
4. My mom told me not to. I think she had tried with me, and it was a disaster.
5. Would it be a huge inconvenience in comparison to disposables?

(By the way, we are talking here about diapering my son...not Jim!)

After a bunch of research, Jim and I decided to take the plunge! I had a few requirements. I wanted a new washer and dryer, I didn't want to have to dunk Miles' diapers in the toilet with my hands, and I didn't want to have a stinky diaper pail.

So, we bought a new front loading washer and dryer. I love these!! I can go a week without doing laundry, and then do all of our laundry in like 3 loads!

We bought a "mini shower" (pictured below). This put an end to the "swishing a soiled diaper in the toilet" days. It works great. We just hooked it to the toilet, and wah-la!

As far as not wanting a stinky diaper pail, I think we found a pretty great one. It's basically an industrial strength, biohazard bucket...air tight and child resistant. It was super cheap, less than $6.00 + shipping.

I consider myself to be a "fair weathered" cloth diapering mom. If it was going to be too much of a hassle, too gross, too inconvenient, I was not going to do it. You might have noticed one of my favorite websites is www.jilliansdrawers.com. We happened upon this store and found it to be very helpful. They offer a 21 day cloth diaper trial for $10. An assortment of diapers were sent to my doorstep. I was able to sample 7 different diapers. We found that the pocket diapers suited our needs best. I was amazed how well the diapers cleaned up. They have held up quite well to this day (12 months later). I would say there are very light stains now on his diapers, but we didn't have stains until he started eating solids. And they are so light.

Another great article to read if you are interested in cloth diapering your baby is: http://www.stretcher.com/stories/09/09jun15f.cfm. (updated June 15, 2009).

I wash them with an auto soak, super hot normal cycle, and extra rinse. It takes a little over an hour when I wash. We wouldn't need the extra rinse, but Miles has sensitive skin and some eczema, so I find the extra rinse to help him. Also, about once a month (or so) I do a white vinegar wash to clear any odors.

We don't have any more problems than the usual with diaper rash. If he's teething or has had a bunch of citrus fruits, we'll see a little rash start. We use Burt's Bees Diaper Ointment on his bum as needed. I really like Vitamin D Ointment, but the company cautions against using products with petroleum in them, as they can inhibit with absorption.

In the beginning, we had quite a few leaks, but I learned that I needed to change him about every 3 hours to avoid this. We don't have many leaks or blowouts anymore.

One thing I've always meant to do was use cloth wipes. It just seemed to make sense. When I change his diaper, I put the diaper in the pail, and have disposable wipes to throw away separately. Call me lazy, but I've bought the cloth wipes, but have never put them to use with diapering. (I did, however, find them useful as washcloths!)

Needless to say, we are happy with our "nappies" and glad we made the investment. And here is my little guy in his nappy a few months ago when the Aussies paid us a visit. Thanks for taking the photos, Kris!

P.S. I read Mothering magazine, and found a couple of articles from the March-April 2008 issue very helpful. (Photo at the top is from Mothering).