cloth diapering so far

"good luck with that"
"yeah, right, call me when you buy your first box of pampers"
"but they leak!"
"but all that laundry!"
but
but
but

6 weeks down and so far little girl's bottom has touched only a few disposables.  Outside of the hospital, we have only used disposable diapers when 1) the cloth covers were all dirty at the same time; and 2) mid-nighttime feeding which sometimes come with 2 diaper changes in 30 minutes.  Yep, looks like we are a cloth diapering family after all!

I've had more than a ton of questions about cloth diapers- how they work, how we launder them, oh my gosh how are there so many kinds?? so I thought I'd give a little review of our experiences cloth diapering an infant.

wearing a Thirsties brand x-small cover over a cotton pre-fold, the night we came home from the hospital

Cloth diapers come in many shapes, sizes, materials, brands- you name it.  Gone are the day of the piece of fabric and rubber pants your mother and grandmother likely used.
I knew I wanted to use cloth diapers for the following 2 simple reasons:

1. cost-savings

2. environmental savings

I recommend that anyone in the Pittsburgh area thinking of trying cloth diapers, to attend a cloth diaper orientation (FREE! and they provide really good homemade cookies!) at Happy Baby Company.  This place is a hidden Pittsburgh GEM and excellent resource.  A few great words about them- free shipping on all US orders, prices the same as Amazon.com (but you don't pay the shipping), you can take your kid to the store and they will help you figure out what type of diapers meet your needs and your kid's build, they are environmentally friendly- won't even print a receipt- it is emailed to you, it is run by a young husband and wife team with 4 kids who are NOT cloth diaper freaks- what I mean is, they state flat out that they use disposables sometimes when its more convenient and they don't care if you do too- they aren't the CD police!  AND they offer weekly specials and deals (like 10% off, etc) on facebook or through their online newsletter.  OK, back to the poop at hand.

There are many types of cloth diapers these days, but to make it easier for me I break them down into 2 basic categories- one integral piece vs diaper with a cover.

Prefolds + Cover:
(See photo above)
We decided to start by using prefolds (unbleached cotton rectangles) and covers.  These are the "old fashioned" diapers.  You fold the fabric, attach it to baby's bottom (gone are the pins, now they attach with basically an ace bandage hooked-tooth thing called a snappi), and cover with a waterproof, breathable cover.  There are many brands of covers, we have tried Thirsties and Bummis and are really happy with both.  They come in sizes just like disposables. The Thirsties are adjustable not only at the waist but also in the "inseam" which is fantastic if your kid's cord doesn't fall off for 5 weeks like ours!

Bummis makes the cheapest cover on the market ($10) and we really like it.
You change the cotton pre-fold with each diaper changing, and the cover like underpants- so at a minimum one for day and one for night. Of course, if the cover gets soiled, change it, too.

One Piece (basically):
We have not used "true" all-in-one diapers.  What we use are technically called "pocket diapers".  These diapers are one-time-wear & wash.  The "cover" is attached to the absorbant cotton (or hemp or fleece) inside.  There is also a built in pocket where you slide an absorbant insert.  These are incredibly easy to use- they are the same as disposables, you just wash them.  Because of this, they are more money. We use BumGenius and FuzziBunz brands- they run about $16-$20 each.  We have been using the one-size fits all BumGenius and it actually fits her. There are so many adjustable pieces that it should grow with her.  Literally, a diaper that a child can wear from birth to potty training.

Mathilda, 2 weeks old, wearing a BumGenius one-size pocket diaper

The nitty-gritty:
We wash diapers every 2 days.  Solid waste is sprayed off into the toilet and then the diaper sits in a trash-can with water and baking soda til wash day.  They are washed on the longest, hottest cycle with a vinegar pre-wash and so far, no staining, no odors, pretty easy actually.  Cloth need to be changed more than disposables because they don't have chemicals in them to better absorb moisture.  So, we change her before naps, and after each feeding, and otherwise whenever there is obviously a load in there!  We also have started to add a doubler for nighttime, and will definitely have to once she sleeps longer than 2-3hrs between feedings.

We have had 5 or 6 leaks with the cloth and the same with disposables. I think we've only used maybe 50 disposables in 6 weeks and over 400 cloth diapers, so the cloth is coming out on top.  Whatever leaks we've had have been from human error with the pre-folds, they have to be completely inside the cover, if any of the cotton sticks out, then when it gets wet it will obviously get the clothes wet, too.(note in the top photo, the cotton is sticking out of the top- we were just getting the hang of it!)

Yes, it takes longer to change a cloth diaper (about 1min), and when you go out you carry a wet/dry bag in the diaper bag because you can't pitch the dirty ones.  I just rinse if in a place I trust (like my mom's house) but if Im out somewhere public, I put a biodegradable disposable liner in the diaper which catches solid waste and you can flush or pitch it, then you don't have to put your hands in a public toilet or carry around poop.

Cost:
The cheapest way to cloth diaper is with pre-folds and covers.  Pre-folds are about $18/dozen, and the cheapest cover is $10.
To break it down- you change an infant about 10-12x/day, so you need a minimum of 3-dozen pre-folds and 12 covers to be safe to use only cloth (somedays she goes a lot and we run out so we swap in a disposable).  That's a total of $174.  Throw in a diaper sprayer to spray off the poop ($40) (btw- also functions as a bidet!), 2 snappis to hold the cloth diaper on ($8) and you can cloth diaper an infant for $222, plus whatever you pay for water.
When we use disposables, we use the chlorine-free 7th Generation brand.  They cost $0.27/diaper x 12/day, x 180 days (assume 6 months at this frequency) = $583.
So, for the first 6 months you have already saved $361.
The costs are broken down more eloquently here.

Environment:
You don't have to be a "tree-hugger" (I loathe those terms anyway) to understand why cloth is preferable. Disposable diapers don't break down.  Every disposable diaper just sits in a landfill...basically forever.  Sure, using chlorine-free, bleach-free, dye-free, perfume-free, etc is better, it still sits in a landfill.  Granted, with cloth you do more laundry. We do 3 more loads per week, so you do have to factor that water use into the environmental impact.  I also have to admit I get annoyed with the green trend.  I hear so often those obsessing over a natural birth and natural, organic foods, etc. Then the child is born and no one seems to notice the pampers.  It does take a bit more work, but so far, perhaps because it's all we've really known, the extra work isn't a big deal at all.

Fashion?
Bottom line- they are actually cute! All of the prints and colors! I pick out the diaper like I pick out her clothes- to match the day, the mood, her outfit. I know that sounds ridiculous and girly, but I admit it.

That concludes my cloth diaper review thus far.  Oh, and I have to note- this post is quite long- don't be fooled, in no way do I have the time for such lengthy musings- it took me three weeks to write!