A few tips on cloth diapers...

I want to start this post off by saying that I am not even close to an expert when it comes to cloth diapers.  I am still learning!  But since so many people asked me to do a post about cloth I decided that I would just take this opportunity to document my cloth experience from the beginning.  I have now been doing it about 2 months.  


To start with I thought I would do a post that is just full of tips....sort of like a "things I'm glad I knew" and "things I wish I'd known" post.  Next up I will tell you all the things I like and don't like about each diaper I've tried.  I hope that someone who is thinking of doing cloth will find this informative but not overwhelming.  


1.  First of all, I highly recommend buying from a site that will send you free diapers.  I have ordered pretty much everything I have (except 3 diapers) from Kelly.scloset.com.  They usually have a coupon for a free diaper with purchase of a certain amount ($39 or $49).  I have gotten 4 free diapers this way!  How awesome is that???  It tells you that the free diaper will be a $17 or $19 value...so you aren't getting any cheap little thing.  I am sure there are other sites that do this, this is just the one I know about and have used.  This site also gives you one point per dollar you spend.  Then you get a gift card for a certain number of points you have.  Such a great incentive! 


2.  Do your research before buying.  Looking into cloth can be super overwhelming due to the multiple different types and brands of diapers.  Most of the sites that sell cloth diapers have a page with a bunch of information for people looking in to cloth.  Here are a couple of those...
kelly.scloset  lots of general information
jilli.ansdrawers (has a pull down menu at the top)


If you just go.ogle cloth diapers or how to wash cloth diapers, etc then you can find a ton of info! 


I also learned a lot from blogs that I read.  A few of them use cloth and I really enjoyed reading their posts about it.  I especially think Ashley at Stealing Baby Kisses has some great and informative posts


3.  If you are a beginner (and not diapering a newborn, because I don't know a thing about that since I started at four months old), I recommend starting out with pocket diapers and/or all-in-one diapers.  This is all I have right now.  All the others just seemed too complicated for me.  I am sure that I will try them out eventually but I wanted to keep it simple to start with.  All-in-ones are the easiest and the most like a disposable.  You just put it on (snap or velcro) and then take it off when soiled and put it in a diaper pail.  A pocket diaper is easy as well.  This type of diaper has a pocket that you stuff with an absorbent insert.  When you change the diaper you take the insert out and throw everything in the pail.  These are great because you can adjust the absorbency for over night use or for a heavy wetter.  After I wash all my diapers I stuff the pockets and then put them away.  That way they are ready to go.  All of the pockets come with inserts, by the way.  


4.  DO NOT order a bunch of one thing to start with.  Everyone likes a different diaper for a different reason.  Also, diapers fit all babies differently.  When I first started I ordered 4 different diapers. Once I got used to those I ordered four more to try.  Now I have a whole stash of things that I know I like.  Just because a diaper is popular doesn't mean you will like it.  You just have to find what works for you, your baby, and your family.  It would totally suck to order 25 of one type of diaper and then it doesn't fit your little one well!


5.  Quite a few sites have a diaper trial that you can order.  I didn't do this but it really sounds like a great way to try different types/brands of diapers.  You get to try them out for a while and then send them back if you don't like them.  Part of me wishes I would have done that because then I would have tried something other than all in ones and pockets.


6.  If there is a cloth diaper store near you, GO THERE!  We only have one in the entire state and it is 3 hours away so, needless to say, I wasn't able to make it there.  I would have loved to actually see a cloth diaper before I ordered.  I mean I had never seen one in my entire life until I bought my first four.  It would have been so helpful to see all the different types of diapers.  Also, a lot of those stores can  be very helpful if you have questions about how to get started.  I think some of them even have classes for newbies.  Definitely check those out!  


7.  Don't get overwhelmed.  When I got my first diapers I about freaked and sent them back before even washing them.  I was scared and I didn't think that I could do it.  I didn't feel like I knew how to put them on or how to wash them AT ALL.  I was afraid I was going to ruin them.    I told myself that I was going to try for at least 6 weeks and then if I felt like I couldn't do it then I would give up.  Well after only a few weeks I got the hang of it and fell in love.  I started out on a very part time basis but now we are in cloth all the time except for over night.  I am still working on that one :)


8.  Please know that everyone washes their diapers differently.  I worried more about the washing than anything else.  It seemed like there were different instructions on every website and every diaper.  You just have to pick a detergent (cloth friendly, of course) and give it a whirl.  The general guidelines for washing are a cold rinse, then a hot wash with cold rinse, then an extra rinse.  If you start with this you will be fine.  I tweaked it a little bit and my routine is this.  Cold rinse, cold pre wash with a teaspoon of detergent (I use Rockin.Gr.een), hot wash with a tablespoon and a half of detergent (sometimes 2 if I have a lot of diapers), cold rinse, and then an extra cold rinse.  I added the cold pre wash to just be sure to get the poop out before washing.  It's working for me so far.   


9.  If your baby is exclusively breastfed then you can just throw the poopy diapers strait into the washing machine.  I realize how crazy that sounds but the poop is water soluble so it is rinsed away in the first rinse cycle.  The first time I did diaper laundry I checked after the rinse and sure enough it was gone!  It seems Blakely poops 4534 times a day which is why I added the cold prewash to make sure to get all the poop out since most of the diapers were poopy.  If your baby is on formula or has started solids then you need to spray the poop off.  We haven't gotten to that point just yet so I'll have to let you know how that goes when we do!  I can't get the child to eat cereal!!  


10.  The resale value on cloth diapers is amazing.  I have yet to sell any on E.bay but I think I am going to try to sell a couple that just don't work for me.


11.  Visit the bab.ycenter cloth diaper forum.  I actually didn't do this until after I was in love with cloth.  I have learned a lot just reading the posts from there.  Just a warning though, it can overwhelm you big time.  Remember, people go there and write posts usually when something is WRONG with their diapers so they can get help to fix it.  So there are a lot of posts that can be very discouraging.  There is also a lot of cloth lingo that I totally didn't understand at first.  Sort of like all the infertility lingo :)  But, I feel like the more you read and research (anything really) the more you know!  


12.  Snaps vs. Velcro.  That is a big debate in cloth diapering.  Everything I read said that snaps were way better and lasted much longer than velcro, also called hook and loop or aplix.  So I ordered everything in snaps!  The first free diaper I was sent was velcro.  I loved it and my husband really loved it.  The velcro is easier for babysitters and grandparents to put on.  It is also great for those middle of the night, in the dark, changes or for when you are out and about.  Now my stash is about 70% snaps and 30% velcro.  I can tell that the velcro probably won't last until potty training like the snaps will but I feel like having a few velcro diapers is a good idea.  I think you can also get some people to replace your velcro, for a price of course ;) 


I think that is all I have for now!  If anyone has any questions you can always email me at southernprincesskelly at gmail dot com...I will be happy to answer any if I can!  Hope everyone has a great Monday!