Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Cloth Diapering

When my older sister told me that she was planning on using cloth diapers for her first baby, I finally convinced myself that I wanted to give it a shot, also. I've thought about using them for awhile, and just never wanted to take that leap. A friend of mine also uses cloth diapers and told me that the ones she uses are so much more affordable than some of the more popular cloth diaper brands. So, I checked it out. I looked at a lot of different brands, read many articles & blogs with advice & experiences, and in the end, while other brands may be better quality, or more absorbent, I opted for a good product for a great price.
I ordered from Sun Baby Diapers. For my first order, I didn't want to order a bunch of diapers without knowing whether I would like them, or not, so I opted to buy the pack of 6 diapers with 12 microfiber inserts. These are pocket diapers, so they have the waterproof outer shell and a fleece lining that creates a pocket, into which you stuff an absorbent liner. They also have tons of snaps (instead of Velcro) to accommodate many sizes. I was so excited when the diapers finally arrived! The shipping did take awhile as they shipped from China, where the seller lives, but it was also free shipping.

I have been so impressed with these diapers. I've had them for a few weeks now & have never had a problem with leaking. They are simple to snap on, even with my 10 month old squirming all around. They seem super comfortable & I haven't noticed any squeezing on my daughter's legs. As for the "what do I do with the poop" issue, it really hasn't been bad. I give it a quick dunk & swish in the toilet, and then just put the soiled diapers into my washing machine. I don't do laundry every day, so the diapers can sit there until I have enough to do a load. Six diapers is just enough to get me through the day, but I definitely wanted to have more, so I don't have to wash them every day. I recently placed another order, this time for 12 diapers with just 12 microfiber inserts. My two orders totaled $105. So, I've ordered 18 diapers with 24 inserts, which works out to about $5.85 per diaper, with a few extra inserts. That's a whole lot better than between $10 and $20 a diaper!
With cloth diapering, it kind of made sense to just use cloth wipes. Again, I researched a lot to find out the best way. If you want to pay tons of money, there are certainly organic wipes & special sprays you can use. For me, I like to just use a spray bottle filled with water to get her bum clean. I made some wipes by cutting squares of flannel & serging the edges & these work great. I also really like the wipes that I made by just cutting up some thrift-store-bound t-shirts into handy squares. I just stuff them all into a disposable wipes container for easy access.
I did buy a wetbag to use for dirty diapers while on the go, and it works perfectly. We are definitely cloth diaper fans & it certainly doesn't hurt to see those chubby baby legs sticking out of a big, fluffy cloth diaper.
I'm sure if you asked someone else about cloth diapers, you would get completely different advice, but I just wanted to share my experience with this seller because it has been so positive.
I wasn't compensated in any way for this post, I just wanted to share a good product with which I've been very impressed.

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