Diapering
We have begun a change with diapering. I'm trying out the cloth option. Let me tell you it's not an easy thing to begin doing. All cloth diapers are not alike. That's the tricky part. Finding the right fit is where you need to take the time to experiment. Unfortunately that is not as easy as it sounds. There are so few stores that carry cloth diapers let alone stores that will let you try them on your baby. Thankfully I found a store in my area that has been such a help. They are a local business (non-chain) with many Mamas on hand to provide advice and encouragement. I was so pleased to go there and allowed to experiment with the different products. I loved being able to touch and try everything. It turns out that some I thought would have been good were not and others I've never heard about ended up being for us. Just the talking was worth the trip. Asking those Moms about their choices and getting honest answers was what I wanted. I needed to hear how this diaper is good for this shaped baby or that diaper is best for nights. It made finding the diapers so easy. Plus it meant more savings for me. It allowed me to buy the diapers that best fit my baby without having to guess.
Since we are just starting out I'm only doing cloth during the day. One reason we have a bunch of disposables to use up and at night I'm not quite awake enough to jump right into something new. Eventually I'd like to be 100%. Not that I'm going to be super crazy. I won't do cloth when we travel overnight. Not that it couldn't be done. It's just that having a reliable washing machine and the time required to launder is not easy to guarantee. Small outings will work for me but I hold my tolerance to stashing used diapers in my car to a limit. Besides who wants to do laundry on vacations? Not me.
So you ask what have I selected to use? I have bought 3 different cloth diapers. I have 3 Gen-Y simplicity covers, 2 GroVia hybrids and several BumGenius all in ones. The Gen-Y covers are easy to use but so bulky under clothes that I only use them when Adelynn is wearing pants. It makes her jumpers too snug and often I'm unable to button them completely along the crotch. I do not plan on using these once she has outgrown the 3 we have. They are great to use if you choose to dress your child in separates. They may be a good summer choice with her just wearing a dress but I'm done with them. Covers create a little more skill as you must make sure that the soaker is tucked inside or else there will be leaks. The benefit to using covers is that they are a less expensive choice. You can put just about any kind of soaker inside them so long as you have the proper size. The GroVia diapers are easy to use and are a cross between the economic covers and the easy all in ones. With the GroVias I just snap in the soaker and put it on. Once the soaker has been soiled I snap it out and so long as the cover is not soiled I snap in a fresh soaker. Usually I rotate between the two. I remove the used soaker and allow that cover to air out until the next diaper change. These diapers are also able to have disposable inserts which the company makes. That was a selling point for me. As we will be spending time at soccer practice twice a week I'll be able to use these with the disposable inserts while on the go. That may even work for vacation but still there is the chance that the cover could get soiled. The diapers I really love are the Bumgenius all in ones. They are like disposable diapers in their ease of use. You just strap it on and go. When the diaper is just wet toss it in your pail to wash later. If it is icky you spray it off and toss it in the pail. No need to stuff or snap anything in or out. You have the option to add more soakers to increase absorbency for night use.These all in ones are great for me. They fit under Addies clothes so much better with less bulk. Easy to use is the aspect I love. Even Olivia can diaper the baby without a problem. I was able to get several 3.0 on sale at the store which is awesome since cloth diapers are an investment. Bumgenius is no longer making the 3.0 series so getting them now is quite the savings.
One other thing I have learned about cloth diapering is that snaps are tricky. It's hard enough to diaper a squirmy baby but to try and snap on a diaper, now that's a challenge. At this point I prefer the Velcro tabs. It makes strapping on that diaper so much faster. I do need to take extra care when laundering as those tabs will stick to anything. Yes cloth diapering does mean more laundry but really it's not that significant. I do about two to three diaper loads a week. It all depends on how often she has a BM. If she goes full on blowout then I have to wash more often. That will change as she gets older. I think that every other day there will need to be diapers to wash. I don't mind because with the all in ones there really isn't much to fold. All I do is fold them in half and put them on the diaper table. Done. I think they are easier to wash than anything else. It's the drying that takes more time. These diapers are fantastic at absorbing wetness which means they take longer to dry out. If that's the only negative then I'll take it. In case you'd like to know what I use to wash the diapers I use Rockin Green soap. Boy howdy is this stuff awesome. I have had some doubts about whether those icky diapers would come out stain free. One wash was all it took. No stains! Fresh smells no stink. Love! Now Adelynn is frequently breastfed so her output is much more pleasant. It will change as she ages which will require more soaking/rinsing pre-treatments before washing. I'll let you know as I discover what works. For my washer I only need to use a tablespoon at a time which means that this bag is going to go a very long way. Still it's well worth the price. I like how this product is made to suit your water. If you have hard water you use the Hard Rock line. It makes such a difference to use a detergent that is meant for the type of water you have in your area. Very cool. Also I love the scents. Very mild and very pleasant.
As Adelynn grows our choices may change. Some diapers are best for smaller babies. Once she's a toddler I think that she will be able to wear just about any kind out there. We'll see what comes next but so far it's going quite well.
Since we are just starting out I'm only doing cloth during the day. One reason we have a bunch of disposables to use up and at night I'm not quite awake enough to jump right into something new. Eventually I'd like to be 100%. Not that I'm going to be super crazy. I won't do cloth when we travel overnight. Not that it couldn't be done. It's just that having a reliable washing machine and the time required to launder is not easy to guarantee. Small outings will work for me but I hold my tolerance to stashing used diapers in my car to a limit. Besides who wants to do laundry on vacations? Not me.
So you ask what have I selected to use? I have bought 3 different cloth diapers. I have 3 Gen-Y simplicity covers, 2 GroVia hybrids and several BumGenius all in ones. The Gen-Y covers are easy to use but so bulky under clothes that I only use them when Adelynn is wearing pants. It makes her jumpers too snug and often I'm unable to button them completely along the crotch. I do not plan on using these once she has outgrown the 3 we have. They are great to use if you choose to dress your child in separates. They may be a good summer choice with her just wearing a dress but I'm done with them. Covers create a little more skill as you must make sure that the soaker is tucked inside or else there will be leaks. The benefit to using covers is that they are a less expensive choice. You can put just about any kind of soaker inside them so long as you have the proper size. The GroVia diapers are easy to use and are a cross between the economic covers and the easy all in ones. With the GroVias I just snap in the soaker and put it on. Once the soaker has been soiled I snap it out and so long as the cover is not soiled I snap in a fresh soaker. Usually I rotate between the two. I remove the used soaker and allow that cover to air out until the next diaper change. These diapers are also able to have disposable inserts which the company makes. That was a selling point for me. As we will be spending time at soccer practice twice a week I'll be able to use these with the disposable inserts while on the go. That may even work for vacation but still there is the chance that the cover could get soiled. The diapers I really love are the Bumgenius all in ones. They are like disposable diapers in their ease of use. You just strap it on and go. When the diaper is just wet toss it in your pail to wash later. If it is icky you spray it off and toss it in the pail. No need to stuff or snap anything in or out. You have the option to add more soakers to increase absorbency for night use.These all in ones are great for me. They fit under Addies clothes so much better with less bulk. Easy to use is the aspect I love. Even Olivia can diaper the baby without a problem. I was able to get several 3.0 on sale at the store which is awesome since cloth diapers are an investment. Bumgenius is no longer making the 3.0 series so getting them now is quite the savings.
One other thing I have learned about cloth diapering is that snaps are tricky. It's hard enough to diaper a squirmy baby but to try and snap on a diaper, now that's a challenge. At this point I prefer the Velcro tabs. It makes strapping on that diaper so much faster. I do need to take extra care when laundering as those tabs will stick to anything. Yes cloth diapering does mean more laundry but really it's not that significant. I do about two to three diaper loads a week. It all depends on how often she has a BM. If she goes full on blowout then I have to wash more often. That will change as she gets older. I think that every other day there will need to be diapers to wash. I don't mind because with the all in ones there really isn't much to fold. All I do is fold them in half and put them on the diaper table. Done. I think they are easier to wash than anything else. It's the drying that takes more time. These diapers are fantastic at absorbing wetness which means they take longer to dry out. If that's the only negative then I'll take it. In case you'd like to know what I use to wash the diapers I use Rockin Green soap. Boy howdy is this stuff awesome. I have had some doubts about whether those icky diapers would come out stain free. One wash was all it took. No stains! Fresh smells no stink. Love! Now Adelynn is frequently breastfed so her output is much more pleasant. It will change as she ages which will require more soaking/rinsing pre-treatments before washing. I'll let you know as I discover what works. For my washer I only need to use a tablespoon at a time which means that this bag is going to go a very long way. Still it's well worth the price. I like how this product is made to suit your water. If you have hard water you use the Hard Rock line. It makes such a difference to use a detergent that is meant for the type of water you have in your area. Very cool. Also I love the scents. Very mild and very pleasant.
As Adelynn grows our choices may change. Some diapers are best for smaller babies. Once she's a toddler I think that she will be able to wear just about any kind out there. We'll see what comes next but so far it's going quite well.
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