My Cloth Diaper Experience

I thought I would do a post on my experience with cloth diapers so far. Maybe it will inspire someone else to cloth diaper and show how easy it can be. Mandy was such a huge help to me and made me feel like I could do it and I hope to pass that along to someone else. We started cloth diapering Joslyn when she was about 1 1/2 months. I didn’t do it sooner because she was tiny and her cloth diapers just didn’t work. I did buy some newborn prorap covers and prefolds but they were way too bulky on her. If I could do it again, I would skip buying the newborn sizes and use disposables until she grew into the other ones, which is what we did. Using disposables that first month made me even more determined to make cloth work. We were throwing away bags of diapers almost every day and I could see them piling up in a landfill! We’re still using disposable wipes but maybe one day we’ll switch to cloth. Joslyn had a really bad diaper rash the first couple weeks she was home but since we switched to cloth, her butt looks so much better! She does get the occasional rash but nothing like when we were using disposables. I found a cloth diaper friendly diaper rash cream called Grandma El’s and we use it at every diaper change. Our cloth stash consists mostly of one size diapers because I feel like they give me the most bang for my buck. I also have birdseye flats, indian prefolds and covers. I got these because they were the cheapest option but they aren’t very husband friendly and I needed something simpler for daycare. I convinced John to cloth diaper because of the cost savings so I try to remember that when making my cloth diaper choices. I caught a few good sales and even got 5 diapers for free during promotions. You can find good deals out there if you look! So here’s what my stash consists of and what I think of them.

Thirsties Duo Diaper: LOVE these! They are a pocket diaper with a double insert made of hemp and microfiber terry. The only negative is you have to make sure the insert is not coming out the back when you put them on. But I don’t really think of this as a con since the double opening allows the insert to come out in the wash, my favorite feature! I had a couple leaks the other day but I don’t think it was the diaper’s fault. I think my daughter is just a heavy wetter so I’ve started adding an additional insert and changing her more often. Unlike a one size diaper, these have two different sizes that are supposed to last through potty training. Jos is wearing the size 1 now and these diapers were the first ones she could wear because the leg gussets fit on her skinny legs. I have now moved her up to the second setting but she still has one more to go until she outgrows the size 1 and I need to buy size 2. I still feel like these are an affordable option even if I have to replace the size 1 with size 2’s eventually. They are reasonably priced at around $18.50. I have found them for slightly cheaper and you can get a better deal on some sites if you buy them in bulk.

Thirsties Duo Wrap Diaper Cover : I use these covers with the birdseye flats and indian prefolds. I just trifold them and lay them in the cover, easy peasy. The great thing about these are you can wipe them clean and lay another prefold/flat in it if it’s just a wet diaper. Never had a leak with these and they are the most affordable option at $12.25 each. I thought my stash would consist mostly of these when I first started because we were planning on using a diaper service that would provide the prefolds. But when we decided against the service and John let me know he didn’t like them as much as the others, I got more of the pockets when we had to purchase more. But if I stuff them ahead of time, he doesn’t have a problem using them. Like the Duo Diaper, these also have 2 sizes that fit through potty training.

Birdseye Flat: I bought twelve of these when I decided to forgo the diaper service since I had already bought the Duo Wraps and needed something to put in them. These are VERY affordable (I paid $14.95 for a dozen), easy to use and dry very fast. I’m always running the dryer for extra time to get the inserts dry but these always come out dry the first cycle. I fold them in fourths, trifold them and lay them in the cover. I’ve had no leaks during the day with just one of these in a cover. I haven’t tried them at night yet but if I do, I can add an extra insert or an additonal flat for extra absorbancy.

Unbleached Indian Prefold: I bought twelve of these too when we decided against the diaper service. I found them on special and I got a dozen for $13. I decided to buy the infant size since I planned on trifolding them and placing them in a cover. I find I use the flats more than these but I’m not sure why. These seem more absorbant than the flats.

bumGenius 3.0: I got these on special (buy 5, get 1 free) because a new version (4.0) was coming out and a lot of websites were clearing out their stock. I also got a free one from Kelly’s Closet during a promotion. I never planned on having these in my stash but I saw the special and they looked like a diaper that would be perfect for daycare. They are also talked about often on cloth diapering sites and most people start off with them. These are a one size pocket diaper and come with a microfiber insert and a newborn insert. When I first started using these, I was extremely frustrated because she would always leak. I was ready to sell them on a swap board. But I checked online and read that the newborn insert (she was a newborn at the time so I thought I should just use this one) was not sufficient and you should always use the microfiber insert, no more leaks! I double stuff them with the microfiber insert and the newborn insert at night and even though she’s sleeping longer stretches at night now, we haven’t had a leak. She’s on the first setting now so these should last awhile. We’ll see if they fit through potty training as advertised. These are also reasonably priced at $17.95.

bumGenius All-in-One diaper: I got two of these for free during a promotion. I probably wouldn’t buy them since they are sized like disposables and require you to buy more when the baby outgrows the current size. This doesn’t seem economical to me and takes away the cost savings of using cloth! They do fit more trim than my other diapers, have a pocket so you can add an additional insert if you need more absorbancy and are easy for anyone to use since they are just like a disposable but for me, the cost savings is not there to put these in my stash if I didn’t get them for free. I have 2 small and when she outgrows them, I won’t be buying more. I also hate how long they take to dry, even if I turn them inside out before putting them in the dryer.

Flip One-Size Diaper Cover: I bought two of these and 2 Flip inserts to get the free bumGenius AIO’s. I have yet to use them. I tried to use them when she was smaller and they were too big on her legs because they don’t have the tight leg gussets like the Thirsties. I do need to try these out but for some reason, I’m anti snaps and these have snaps. They just seem more difficult to me than velcro. I'm sure I'll get over this when she gets to the age when she wants to take off her diaper. This baby loves being naked so I'm sure that's in store for me :-) But I do like that you can wipe them clean, lay down another insert and use it again like the Thirsties Duo Wrap. I can also use a flat or prefold with these.

I got 2 other free one-size diapers during promotions. A Tweedle Bugs and a Kawaii, both have snap closures and are pocket diapers. I can’t say anything about them because I haven’t used them but hey, they were free!

My stash, minus a pink bumGenius 3.0 and a green Thirsties Duo diaper.


Close up of the Thirsties, love the colors and prints!


Her first cloth diaper


My routine:
When I change her diaper, I throw it in a regular kitchen trash can that I bought at Target and lined with a Wahmies liner. It’s that simple! No pulling out the inserts or spraying off the poo (of course I’ll have to do this when she starts eating solids). I bought two liners so I have a spare when the other one is being washed. I originally had a large Planet Wise hanging wet/dry bag hanging near the changing table that I used to store the dirty diapers. But it would get heavy towards the end and I worried the hook it was hanging on wouldn’t hold it. I bought it to go to daycare anyway so it’s not going to waste. I also bought a smaller Planet Wise wet/dry bag to carry in the diaper bag. I really like the Wahmies liner. It dries fast and I haven’t had any smell issues so far. When I wash every other day, I grab the bag out of the trash can and throw everything in the washer. I don’t have to worry about taking out the inserts in the Thirsties diapers because they come out in the wash but I do have to remove the liners from the bumGenius. I thought this would gross me out and that’s why I wanted to buy all Thirsties but it’s really not that bad. Mandy told me I would get over the poo factor and I have :-) I used a couple different detergents at first (Rockin’ Green, All Free and Clear) but Mandy sent me a sample of Soap Nuts and I really liked it so I decided to buy some off their website. I love that I can use the same little bag for two cloth diaper loads. My wash routine is one cold prewash and then a hot wash and cold extra rinse (this is the available setting on my washer). If I see any stains when I take the diapers out of the washer, I lay those diapers out to dry in the sun. It’s amazing how a little sun makes the stains go away completely! Otherwise, I throw everything in the dryer. Oh and dryer sheets are a no no with cloth diapers so I purchased wool dryer balls off of Etsy (Similar to these. The seller I bought them from no longer has them on her shop, bummer!). I use them for all our laundry now and I’ve noticed my drying time has shortened. I’m planning on buying 3 more because using 6 is supposed to shorten drying time even more. Of course, I could save more money line drying everything but I just don’t have the time. I stuff the pocket diapers while watching TV and they’re all set! I thought it would be time consuming but I really don’t think it’s that much of an inconvenience. My feeling may change when I go back to work but I’m determined to make it work.

*I linked to Kelly's Closet a lot but I've also found great deals on Cotton Babies and Nell's Natural Baby (her daughter's name is Janelle!).