5+ Weeks in Cloth

So as some may know, I've hopped on the cloth diapering bandwagon. I'd like to say I'm an advocate of cloth to save the planet or something as equally proactive, but to be honest, I'm all about saving a few bucks! Not having to take out the trash daily is surely an added pro to cloth diapering, but as it is in most cases, its all about the money. The money, and how stinkin cute they are! When thinking of diapers, the words cute, adorable, or soft where never in the same sentence. Usually just eww...but after 5+ weeks into my cloth diaper experiment, I am loving the choice I made. There have been a few bumps in the road, but at this stage, I feel I've generally worked them out and feel pretty happy with myself about that.
When most hear the phrase "cloth diaper", I'm sure images like

are what come to mind. While using prefolds is still a very popular option for many, there are definitely others available for those of us who probably shouldn't be allowed to use pins that close to a baby or themselves. Now there is anything out on the market from pins to snaps to velco! All-In-Ones to pockets, to prefolds, and so many more.

And the best part, you can diaper a child from birth to potty trained for as little $300! They say the average cost for disposables can range from $2,000-$3,000. Worth an extra load of laundry every couple of days? For me, heck yes! Put that extra money in a vacation fund!
Now just to clear the air...
1. No, I don't put poop in my washing machine. That's kind of gross...
There is an amazing tool called a diaper sprayer. You simply connect it to your toilet, and spray it off. No swishing or touching necessary =) We have the Bumgenius diaper sprayer.

However, since we are in England, it isn't compatible with the hardware on British toilets. I always thought toilets where toilets...but apparently they are different country to country. The things we never think to ask...so that brings me to
2. Biodegradable diaper liners.
You just lay them inside the diaper, then when you are changing the diaper, flush it down the toilet.

People have often asked me about staining of the diapers and if they stay clean looking. Not only do the stay clean looking, I promise you, they are actually clean!
There are many ways to wash and clean cloth diapers, sometimes different brands and types require different washing. But I'm a "work smart, not hard" kind of person, so all of Grace's diapers are on a simple 3 cycle wash. Wash cold, wash hot with detergent, wash cold. Then they come out nice, white, and new looking. I have had a couple stain issues, however those stains actually came from browned flour I put in her diapers to help with a diaper rash, and after a day of sitting in direct sunlight, (yes, we do get the occasional sunny day in England) they are good as new!

I mentioned there are a lot of different options to choose from with your diapering. I probably don't know all that is out there, but for now, we primarily use One Size Pocket Diapers with snaps. These are One Size diapers because they have a snap system that allows you to adjust the size, so diaper grows with baby.

They are pockets, because there is literally a pocket that you stuff with an insert for absorbency.

Most of our diapers are from www.sunbaby.com. These all came with a microfiber insert. There are also inserts made up of bamboo, hemp, and different cotton blends. A friend did send me a bamboo insert, and that has been a nighttime saver, since the absorbency of bamboo is higher than microfiber. We call Gracie a supersoaker, so the higher absorbency, the better!

We also have some of the BumGenius brand diapers. 2 are One Size (OS)Pockets and the others are All-In-One (AIO) velco, size Small.

The more fitted where the first for her to try, as her little tummy and legs were (well still are!) so trim, that the others simply wouldn't fir for the first couple of weeks. Grace sure is growing now though! Thankfully the velcro does allow for some growth, so she will be able to wear those 6 or 7 we have for a few more months.

All in all, we have 24 diapers total. Like I mentioned, most of them will fit up until potty training, where as a few are sized and will only fit for a few more months. I'm a bit excited for her to grow out of them so I have an excuse for myself to buy more! I swear, its like buying her an outfit! So there you have it, the start of my cloth diapering adventure. A whole new cloth diapering world!