Friday, January 14, 2011

Cloth Diapering...the essentials






Ah, yes, the question that comes to every new mothers mind; cloth or disposable diapers? I say, cloth all the way! When I first knew I was pregnant I began to research cloth diapers. I wanted to make the right choice about the brand and style of diaper I was going to get, after all, these diapers were going to have to last a long time.
To make a long story short (let me just tell I looked at a lot of diapers!) I decided on the BumGenius 3.0 pocket diaper. (See above). The great thing about this diaper was it had a cloth insert and it would easily grow with the baby over time (notice the snaps on the front of the diaper). Needless to say, I am very happy about my decision.
If you are thinking that cloth diapers are a hassle and not worth the time and effort, I'm here to prove you wrong. In the next few weeks I will show you just how convenient and easy cloth diapers are to use. Let's begin with the basics: what you need in order to get started. This is the nitty gritty of cloth diapering and it ain't too complicated, so let's get started.

First, you need a supply of BumGenius 3.0 pocket diapers or whatever cloth diaper you choose. I have 12, which is good, but I launder them everyday so if you plan on washing every other day, I would recommend about 15 or so, but you can make do with whatever.

Each diaper comes with two inserts, a newborn insert, which is of course smaller and thinner (shown here) and a regular insert which is larger and more porous. The larger has snaps on it which can be adjusted as your baby grows. Currently, I use the newborn insert during the day and the regular insert at night. Both do an excellent job of soaking up moisture and folks, this is no lie, I have never had a blow out in a cloth diaper. (who can say that about a disposable diaper!)





Now, you have your diapers, but there are some essentials every cloth diapering pro must have. Let's move into the good stuff.

#1
Biokleen BAC-OUT - This spray is a natural, non-toxic enzyme cleaner that you spray on both the diaper and the insert after the diaper has been soiled, so to speak. It basically eliminates the odors of the diaper and leaves a lovely lime scent in the room.
I was actually able to purchase this at a natural food store here in town (which is amazing in Norfolk!), but you should be able to find it in the big city easily. BumGenius also carries an odor eliminator. This bottle is a great size though and lasts for a good amount of time. I've put the solution in a smaller spray bottle on the changing table which works very well. (see below)
















#2
The WET bag
This needs little explanation. A wet bag keeps the wet diapers from leaking out, well, wetness for lack of a better word. I have two wet bags so when one is washing the other is working. I use my wet bags as a trash can liner (shown below.), but you can put them just about anywhere and they come in many sizes. I purchased mine at a cloth diapering specialty shop.




















#3
A Natural Detergent

Yes, you know you have to wash those diapers often, so be sure to have your detergent at the ready. I again did a lot of research on detergent and chose Rockin' Green (don't you just love the name. I confess that might be part of the reason I chose this detergent.) because it is natural and free of dyes.
Always use a natural detergent in order to keep residue out of the diapers. Residue build up can cause the diapers to become less porous over time. I did have to go to the big city to find this detergent, but it will last a long time considering you only use about a teaspoon of detergent for each load.

Be sure to get the correct type of detergent. I had to get soft rock because I have soft water.






Now, if you have your diapers and these three essential items you will be ready to begin cloth diapering. It doesn't take much and believe me, over time, it is a lot less expensive then buying those disposable diapers! Stay tuned for more on the process of laundering diapers.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the post, Laura! I'm excited to start on the cloth diapering experience in a couple months. These are great tips! We landed on the FuzziBunz perfect size diapers and FuzziBunz now has a Rockin' Green detergent for them, too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great to hear that you're going to use the cloth diapers! I'm glad to hear the tips will help you out. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions. So excited for your little one to arrive.

    ReplyDelete

Leave us a message! Tell us what you think!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Cloth Diapering...the essentials






Ah, yes, the question that comes to every new mothers mind; cloth or disposable diapers? I say, cloth all the way! When I first knew I was pregnant I began to research cloth diapers. I wanted to make the right choice about the brand and style of diaper I was going to get, after all, these diapers were going to have to last a long time.
To make a long story short (let me just tell I looked at a lot of diapers!) I decided on the BumGenius 3.0 pocket diaper. (See above). The great thing about this diaper was it had a cloth insert and it would easily grow with the baby over time (notice the snaps on the front of the diaper). Needless to say, I am very happy about my decision.
If you are thinking that cloth diapers are a hassle and not worth the time and effort, I'm here to prove you wrong. In the next few weeks I will show you just how convenient and easy cloth diapers are to use. Let's begin with the basics: what you need in order to get started. This is the nitty gritty of cloth diapering and it ain't too complicated, so let's get started.

First, you need a supply of BumGenius 3.0 pocket diapers or whatever cloth diaper you choose. I have 12, which is good, but I launder them everyday so if you plan on washing every other day, I would recommend about 15 or so, but you can make do with whatever.

Each diaper comes with two inserts, a newborn insert, which is of course smaller and thinner (shown here) and a regular insert which is larger and more porous. The larger has snaps on it which can be adjusted as your baby grows. Currently, I use the newborn insert during the day and the regular insert at night. Both do an excellent job of soaking up moisture and folks, this is no lie, I have never had a blow out in a cloth diaper. (who can say that about a disposable diaper!)





Now, you have your diapers, but there are some essentials every cloth diapering pro must have. Let's move into the good stuff.

#1
Biokleen BAC-OUT - This spray is a natural, non-toxic enzyme cleaner that you spray on both the diaper and the insert after the diaper has been soiled, so to speak. It basically eliminates the odors of the diaper and leaves a lovely lime scent in the room.
I was actually able to purchase this at a natural food store here in town (which is amazing in Norfolk!), but you should be able to find it in the big city easily. BumGenius also carries an odor eliminator. This bottle is a great size though and lasts for a good amount of time. I've put the solution in a smaller spray bottle on the changing table which works very well. (see below)
















#2
The WET bag
This needs little explanation. A wet bag keeps the wet diapers from leaking out, well, wetness for lack of a better word. I have two wet bags so when one is washing the other is working. I use my wet bags as a trash can liner (shown below.), but you can put them just about anywhere and they come in many sizes. I purchased mine at a cloth diapering specialty shop.




















#3
A Natural Detergent

Yes, you know you have to wash those diapers often, so be sure to have your detergent at the ready. I again did a lot of research on detergent and chose Rockin' Green (don't you just love the name. I confess that might be part of the reason I chose this detergent.) because it is natural and free of dyes.
Always use a natural detergent in order to keep residue out of the diapers. Residue build up can cause the diapers to become less porous over time. I did have to go to the big city to find this detergent, but it will last a long time considering you only use about a teaspoon of detergent for each load.

Be sure to get the correct type of detergent. I had to get soft rock because I have soft water.






Now, if you have your diapers and these three essential items you will be ready to begin cloth diapering. It doesn't take much and believe me, over time, it is a lot less expensive then buying those disposable diapers! Stay tuned for more on the process of laundering diapers.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the post, Laura! I'm excited to start on the cloth diapering experience in a couple months. These are great tips! We landed on the FuzziBunz perfect size diapers and FuzziBunz now has a Rockin' Green detergent for them, too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great to hear that you're going to use the cloth diapers! I'm glad to hear the tips will help you out. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions. So excited for your little one to arrive.

    ReplyDelete

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