Disclaimer: There will be mention of poop. This is a post on cloth diapering after all...
A few months ago I bought some gDiapers for Rosie. They appealed to me because I felt like they were a happy medium to disposable and cloth diapering. Let me just say I NEVER thought I would EVER cloth diaper. My environmental engineer husband suggested it before Rosalie was born and I was 100% against it. Too much work. No way. Gross. And here I am...cloth diapering and feeling great satisfaction doing it!
So back to the gDiapers. I heard that they contained poop well (which is big for us because our baby girl is a major blower-outer) and that you can use a disposable/flushable liner inside a washable cover, therefore, not having to deal with poop! Well, we gave it a shot but the liners shifted and bunched and I could tell it wasn't going to be the product for us. It is what started my initial interest in CDing though! From there I researched CDs. And when I say 'researched' I mean literal hours of searching the Internet, Pinteresting, reading blogs, watching YouTube videos, asking advice from experienced cloth diapering mamas and learning ALL about CDing. There really are SO many choices out there (quite possibly too many). The two that I am focusing on are pocket diapers and all-in-twos (also known as AI2). Pocket diapers you shove the absorbent insert (pad) inside the diaper and everything has to be washed with each diaper change. AI2s have a shell that can be used multiple times (if the pee and poop stay on the pad where they are supposed to...) and the absorbent pad snaps in (kinda like a panty liner). All the varieties I have bought are one-size meaning they can be adjusted from about 8-35 pounds, birth to potty training as they say, and are waterproof and don't need an additional cover.
My diaper stash currently contains:
1) 3 FuzziBunz one-size pocket diapers
2) 5 BumGenius one-size pocket diapers
3) 5 Krocket Pocket one-size pocket diapers
4) 4 GroVia one-size AI2 shells, 2 organic cotton soaker pads, and 4 hemp soaker pads
5) GroVia's Tiny Bubbles detergent
6) 2-12 pack GroVia cloth wipes
7) OXO Perfect Pull Wipes Dispenser
8) GroVia Bio Liners
9) GroVia Perfect Pail not pictured)
10) 2 Aliyah's Hope Chest one-size pocket diapers (not pictured)
11) Pat-a-Cake Baby wet bag for the diaper bag (not pictured)
12) GroVia Magic Stick (not pictured)
*Note: All my CDs have snap closures. I have no Velcro/Aplix/Hook&Loop (whatever you wanna call it) in my stash. I chose snaps for longevity.
Pros and Cons/Notes:
1) FuzziBunz http://www.fuzzibunz.com/
Pros:
-love that there aren't snaps on the outside to adjust the rise, cleaner look!
-trimmer CD
-love the inserts. they work well and line dry the fastest!
Cons:
-although the sizing system is unique and cool it definitely takes a little time and fine tuning to get the right fit. once you get it fit though you're good until they start getting too tight again!
-the fleece on the inside of the dipe isn't my fav. not bad but I prefer the suede-like fabric better.
-the pocket opening remains open (doesn't have a flap like others)
-since they are smaller they are a little harder to stuff the insert in. I do the CD laundry but my husband would have a hard time getting the insert in. also, insert 'sticks' and doesn't slide in super easily. not a deal breaker for me but worth mentioning.
2) BumGenius http://www.bumgenius.com/
Pros:
-like the suede like fabric on the inside of the diaper
-nice flaps to the opening of the pocket
Cons:
-wider through the crotch
3) Krocket Pocket
Pros:
-double gussets-LOVE!! holds the poop in nicely. :)
-suede like fabric inside
-front and back opening for the insert to go in and come out of the pocket.
Cons:
-all my Krocket Pocket diapers are minky fabric. pretty sure they come in other fabrics but the minky seems hot to me.
-a little bigger of a diaper (makes them my go to nighttime diaper)!
-currently these aren't being sold.
4) GroVia http://www.gro-via.com/hybrid-cloth-diapers.html
Pros:
-love the possibility of reusing the cover!
-covers dry super fast
-seem like they would be cooler for the babe
-soaker pad snaps in so it stays put
-trim
-generously sized! my chunky 22+ pound baby still has LOTS of room to grow in these.
Cons:
-sometimes poop and pee doesn't stay on the pad and you can't use the cover again before washing
-soaker pads take a good while to dry
5) TinyBubbles http://www.gro-via.com/diapering-laundrypaillinerswetbags-grovia-tiny-bubbles-new-and-improved-formula.html - working great! My laundry routine is cold rinse (no detergent), hot wash with 2 scoops Tiny Bubbles, cold rinse, plus an additional rinse. That additional rinse is important to make sure ALL the detergent is out or you may have absorbency issues. I do laundry every other or every 3rd day and generally line dry.k Read more about cloth diapering and detergents at http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm.
6) GroVia cloth wipes http://www.gro-via.com/diapering-wipesandaccessories-grovia-cloth-wipes.html - generously sized and thick! *I use cloth wipes because I just toss them in the wash with my CDs as opposed to having a separate trash can for disposable wipes. I just use water but in the future may make a wipe solution.
7) Wipe dispenser http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Perfect-Wipes-Dispenser-Green/dp/B0067GKHVS - I just love if! One hand opening lid with a weighted piece to hold down wipes so you just pull one out at a time. Could use a wipe warmer too, I was just over it especially since it's now summer.
8) GroVia Bio Liners http://www.gro-via.com/diapering-wipesandaccessories-grovia-bioliners.html - these things are great. They help dispose of the poop easier into the toilet. I flush them! *Note: after the liner is placed on the diaper and you have the diaper on the baby, tuck in any of the liner that might be sticking out of the diaper. If you don't when the baby wets, pee will seep out onto the part of the liner that has been sticking outside your dipe creating a little leakage.
9) I LOVE my GroVia Perfect Pail. I can't say enough nice things about it. I was apprehensive that it would contain smells since it isn't air tight but it works well (I think a little smell is unavoidable). I wash my pail maybe every other or every third load of diapers. http://www.gro-via.com/perfect-pail.html
10) Aliyah's Hope Chest https://www.facebook.com/AliyahsHopeChest?ref=ts&fref=ts
Pros:
-nice and trim!
-super cost effective! usually $7 a diaper but I have seen her do price reductions down to $5 a diaper and sometimes free shipping!!
-lots of color and pattern choices
-nice absorbent pad, similar to FuzziBunz.
Cons:
-hard for me to think of a con...the snaps seem maybe on the 'cheaper' side and aren't as generously sized around the waist. I love these dipes though!!
11) I adore my Pat-a-Cake Baby wet bag! It is adorable and completely functional. There isn't a thing I don't love about it! I have the smaller one and paid to have a pocket put on each side. Perfect for on the go to hold a couple clean cloth diapers and/or a couple soiled. http://thepatacakebaby.com/item_977/Wet-Bag-in-Gray-Chevron-with-Snap-Handle.htm
12) GroVia Magic Stick diaper rash cream - you have to use special diaper creams with cloth because regular ones deter absorbing. This one is nice because you put it on the baby without touching the cream, it applies kinda like deodorant (but on the booty of course)!
http://www.gro-via.com/wipesandaccessories-grovia-magic-stick.html
So what does happens when the baby actually goes to the bathroom in your cute, cloth diapers?? If its just a pee dipe you just flush/toss the liner, pull the absorbent pad out of the pocket diaper and stick it all in your pail, easy as that! *Side note: I learned somewhere that wiping baby every time isn't necessary and actually can change the pH levels of baby's sensitive areas. I generally only wipe at pee diaper changes in the morning when she has been sitting in the diaper longer. Poop diapers...now that's another story. Perfect world your baby poops only on the liner and you can just shake it all off into the toilet then put your diaper in the pail. Exclusively breastfed baby poop diapers need no removal of poop. It's completely water soluble. Unfortunately I missed out on this low maintenance stage of cloth diapering and was still using disposables. Also unfortunately when I started CDing I was (and still am nursing) but Rosie is also getting some people food. The unfortunate part of that is her poop is the consistency of peanut butter. Lovely, I know. I think this has to be the hardest stage of CDing because it is so hard to scrape the poop off the diaper! What I do is shake off the liner and then I grab what has been dubbed as the 'poop spatula' under my sink and scrape as much solid matter off as I can. It doesn't have to be perfect, just get as much off as possible. I treat the poop spatula like I do a plunger. I only touch the handle, no biggie. There are diaper sprayers but I haven't found it necessary to buy one at this point (you can may DIY sprayers too). If the diaper is really messy and hard to clean sometimes I will swish it around in the toilet. The thought of that used to disgust me. Truly, it's not that big of a deal and it doesn't phase me. Do I like dealing with poopy diapers? No, but who does?? I think from here it will just get easier as her poop becomes more solid and will just dump into the toilet easier. Did I just make that sound awful?? Really it's not (although the first poopy diaper I dealt with was a royal mess and I was doubting whether CDing was a good idea or not. Just give yourself some time to figure it out)! Also, when I change a poopy diapers I wipe as much off with the diaper so I only have to clean solid matter off the diaper, not the cloth wipe as well. Pull out the absorbent pad and stick it all in the wer bag. I can't stress that it so doesn't have to be perfect, your washer will get the job done! Sme people do wet diaper pails where they soak them but that isn't the popular way to do it right and and some diapers say not to for various reasons. 'Wet bag' doesn't really mean wet, it's just the place for dirty diapers!
I tried to include all the helpful info I could think of and I know this is A LOT of info but if you have any specific questions PLEASE ASK! Cloth diapering has been so good for us in a number of ways. Rosie's blow outs have drastically decreased, we're keeping diapers out of the landfill (did you know they estimate one diaper takes 500 YEARS to break down and that each kid uses an average of 8,000 diapers??), and we'll save money by using them for our next kiddo(s))! :)
All that said...my mom is insistent that prefolds, pins, and plastic pants seem much easier. ;)
P.S. I got all my GroVia supplies at The Joy of Kids-love supporting local businesses!!!
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