Cloth is Cool!

A happily cloth diapered boy!

Before Ebenezer was born we decided we wanted to use cloth diapers for most of his diapers needs.  So I set of on the mission to decide what kind of cloth diapers would be best for us.  I knew of two kinds thanks to some of our friends who were using them and started my search there – little did I know how many options are out there!  

I highly recommend checking out Kelly’s Closet if you ever consider cloth diapering.  They have all different kinds of diapers and great explanations for all of them, alogn with advice and trouble shooting for folks who are new to the practice (like us!).  We ultimately went with the ‘Flip’ diapering system because I thought it sounded like the least laundry and most flexible system.  Hypothetically it would take us from a month or so after birth (they recommended he weigh 10 pounds before starting) to potty training.  This system uses an old fashioned, pre-fold cloth diaper (the kind that first pops in your head when you hear ‘cloth diaper’) that is folded and stuffed into a water proof cover.  The end result looks and works very similar to a disposable cloth diaper, but it uses snaps instead of sticky tabs.  I liked this system because you line the cover with the pre-fold and if the diaper is only wet when it’s time to change you can simply wipe out the cover and reuse it with a fresh pre-fold.  Doing this cuts down on the amount of laundry you need to do every round as compared to all-in-one (absorbent layer is sewn into water proof cover) or tunnel diapers (there is a cloth tunnel in the cover that you stuff with extra cloth) where the whole thing needs washed every change.  It also cuts down on the number of pieces that need assembled like in the G-diapers.

These cover have LOTS of snaps that allow you to adjust them to quite small and expand the for a bigger baby.  To adjust the stuffing you just change the way you fold the pre-fold.  These really should work for a normal baby for the time span advertised… what we didn’t count on was having a goliath of a son who might out-grow these diapers well before potty training is even considered!

The empty shell stretched out.

These snaps adjust the rise, allowing for different lengths and thigh sizes.

This is the rise snaps where he needs them now.  Top snaps adjust waist.

These are the Organic cotton pre-folds.

They give you two different lengths depending on how you fold them.

Flaps om the inside of the diaper help hold insert in place.

The microfiber inserts sometimes leak on us...

Now that we are in the thick of it I think I would have preferred another option very similar to the one we currently have which combines ‘fitteds’ and water proof covers.  ‘Fitteds’ would replace the pre-folds in my existing system, the difference is they also have snaps and fit around the baby like a disposable would, they’re just not water proof so they would need to be used in conjunction with a cover.  If we had went this route, we could still reuse the covers like in the ‘Flip’ system, but I think they would be a little easier to use since you wouldn’t be fighting to keep the absorbent part in place while getting the diaper on your little wriggler!  They would also completely prevent the occasion leaks we have experienced due to misplacement of the pre-fold.  I have recently purchased a few of these and am looking forward to their arrival since I am hoping they will extend the period of time we can cloth diaper Eb (in the event he out-grows the current diaper as soon as I fear).

I honestly should have gotten a sample pack of some kind to try before committing to and investing in a single method… but I was in a hurry and thought I could learn enough through my research.  Live and learn, right?

Aside from these small issues we are very pleased with the cloth diapers.  They wash well and the covers are wiping clean as we hoped.  They are also holding in poops that were starting to explode out of the disposables!  Since it is not as easy to tell when he is wet it has taken some retraining to change him more often than I would with disposables – but if he’s dry the diaper just goes back on!  I have been disappointed with their terry insert.  It is trimmer than the traditional pre-fold, and supposed to be just as absorbent, but every time I have had a leak with my cloth dipes it has been with this insert.  I don’t think they are necessarily less absorbent, they just aren’t as wide as the pre-folds, thereby exposing more room for the urine to run before soaking in.  Ultimately that is okay since those are not organic and my pre-folds are (which I’m quite excited about!) so if one couldn’t work I’d prefer it the way it is.

I’m sure several of you are thinking ‘sure, cloth is fine and dandy with a wet, but I’m not touching those dirties!’ – admit it, I know you were thinking it because I was too!  Honestly dirties haven’t been as bad as I feared for two reasons – 1.) Eb doesn’t do number two as often now and 2.) my handy, dandy diaper sprayer!

I use the diaper sprayer, which is attached to the toilet, to spray out the solids.  This helps prevent staining and keeps most of the nasties out of the washing machine.

While we are going to probably need to find something different before potty training just because Eb is growing so fast, I am still super pleased with our choice to go cloth!