Since we have been using cloth for 8 months now, I thought it would be nice to share my love with everyone else!  I understand that cloth is not for everyone and some of you may not be interested in this post.  But I’ve had a lot of questions recently and I hope to answer them!  I will do several different “topics” over the next few weeks.  This will be the basics.

What kind of cloth diapers do you use?

Left to right: bumGenius 3.0 with velcro, bumGenius 4.0 with snaps, bumGenius Elemental, Smartipants

Most of my stash is bumGenius pockets.  “Pockets” means the diaper has a pocket where you can insert different absorbency.  I also have a few bumGenius Elementals and all in ones.  These diapers are all in ones (AIO) meaning the absorbency is attached to the diaper itself.  They are also all “one size” which means they fit from approximately 12 to 35 lbs.  There are many, many other types of cloth diapers including sized, fitteds, prefolds, and others.  I have a few other brands of pockets: Rumparooz, Smartipants and Kawaii.  I do not care for these diapers much at all, as they leak much more than my bumGenius.

Left to right: infant prefold, Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo Hemp insert, bumGenius infant insert, bumGenius microfiber insert

I use a variety of inserts in my pockets.  When Ethan was younger one infant insert did the trick.  Now I use either 2 infant inserts, 1 regular insert or 1 infant prefold.  For night I use one hemp insert and one infant insert.  His diaper is quite heavy in the morning but he rarely has leaks!

The hemp inserts can be trifolded to fit inside the diaper…

…or folded to add more absorbency to one side of the diaper.  I started folding them like this when Ethan started sleeping on his belly.

Where do you buy cloth diapers?

Unfortunately, there are not any local stores that sell cloth.  I have been lucky enough to visit the Cotton Babies store (the retailer of bumGenius), but most of my shopping is done online.  My favorite places are:

Kelly’s Closet – This is where I have bought most of my diapers.  They have a reward program (you get points that are redeemable for gift certificates) and almost always have a coupon.  They also offer free shipping over $49.

Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo – These hemp inserts are awesome.  Pick up some milk maids nursing pads while you are there!

Cotton Babies – The retail store for Bum Genius.  They also have some great baby products.  Free shipping on almost every order.

More information:

My favorite resource for cloth diapers is Jillian’s Drawers.  It covers everything you’ve ever wanted to know including the cost savings.

I also follow two blogs that have a lot of useful information: The Cloth Diaper Whisperer and Cloth Diapers.

Why did I decide to cloth diaper?

Before I had even thought about having a baby of my own, I bought some disposable diapers for a baby gift for a friend.  I tend to be very sensitive to smell, and the baby powder/chemically smell of the diapers was too much for me!  I also really, really hate to throw things in the trash (I blame my dad – he use to go through our trash and yell at us if we had recyclables in the trash!).  I stumbled upon cloth diapers, but initially thought there was no way in the world I would do that!  I looked at Gdiapers – cloth shells with disposable inserts that could be flushed down the toilet.  Sounded like a good idea, but they are expensive – more expensive than disposables.  So I kept looking, and kept coming back to cloth.  I started researching the different kinds and read a lot of reviews.  It seemed like moms that cloth diapered actually loved it!  The more I researched, the more appealing it became.  Cheaper, better for the environment, and cute fluffy butts.  I was sold!  Like I said before, I know it isn’t for everyone, but I think they are a great option for a lot of people.

One of the biggest questions people ask me: Isn’t the poop in your washing machine gross?

Well, not really.  I will talk about that more in another post, but let me tell you, if you have a baby, you WILL have poop in your washing machine!  One of the best things about cloth diapers is they hold in poop really well.  We’ve rarely had any leaks.  In disposables we have lots of leaks and explosions.  For example, Ethan came home from daycare with a new outfit one day (we have to use disposables at daycare).  I washed his onesie and didn’t think much of it.  When I took it out of the dryer, I found this:

We have never had that happen in cloth!  And proof that you will have poop in your washing machine if you have a baby!

Another great thing about cloth?  It’s so cute!