Cloth Diapering

    

Cloth Diapering

 So, my due date has come and gone. As I sit here thinking about my sweet baby boy, obviously too warm and cozy to make his appearance right now, I think about all the preparation we have done to get ready to meet him and kiss his little face. The room is ready, the clothes are washed, the baby showers have been thrown, and the rearranging of baby room has happened at least 5 times, the maternity pics have been taken, the bags are packed, the house is clean and ready for the 100^th time and yet we wait. This extra time is allowing me to wrap up some posts I have been trying to write for the past month! 

     I have wanted to use cloth diapers since the beginning of this pregnancy for a few reasons. Economically and environmentally are just to name a few. But mainly can you imagine wearing plastic around your butt all day and night? Ha-me either. So in this quest and desire to use cloth diapers, I spent the better part of 8 months online, researching the best diapers. As you know the internet is a dark hole to go down, and though I found a lot of information, I found myself more confused than ever. After all, I didn’t want or need designer cloth diapers that cost a fortune. I just wanted some simple cloth diapers and most of all, I wanted an actual person to tell me what to do! I found a local shop in my home town that embraced me and ALL my questions. All the ladies working there, cloth diapered their own children as well. They had a lot of practical advice that I was so thankful for. Way better than those terrible online forums! So without further ado here are the items I picked up from the store. I will keep you posted on how I like them and if they work out for our family. 

These are the items I purchased at the store. I got 6 water proof liners, 36 OzoCozy Pre-fold diapers, Allen's Natural laundry detergent, two dry pail reusable liners, Snappi diaper fasteners, reusable diaper liners, and disposable diaper liners.

 These Stay Dry liners are used as extra absorbency during times like naps where you want them to stay asleep a little longer.

These Diaper Liners are great for outings and traveling. they are disposable and can line the inside of your cloth diaper.

 My husband and I have practiced diapering some stuffed animals and find that these little Snappis are super easy to use. So grateful we dont have to use safety pins anymore!

 Allen's Naturals is a fantastic laundry soap that is highly concentrated. Therefore a little goes a long way! It is important to use a great laundry soap so your diapers dont build up residue which will impact their ability to aborb. We dnt want that!

 

 It is important to use a diaper rash cream that specifically says safe to use on cloth diapers. Some of the typical creams will damage the diapers ability to absorb.

This is my dry pail, wet pails
 are no longer needed, which is good news for you and me! I purchased two reusable liners and a normal laundry basket
 from target with plenty of air holes in it.

 

 I have a feeling this will be our best friend!

This is a diaper sprayer that connects to our toilet and allows for us to simply spray the diapers down. We don't have to shake the poopies into the toilet or dunk them in the water. We simply spray them and then put them in the dry pail.







I was reading that depending on how many diapers your have you can easily wash them every two-three days. I bought 36 diapers so I think I will be washing about every 2 days. I will let you know how that goes!


Once I had all the items I needed finally, I had to prewash the diapers! They recommend 3-5 washes before using them. This helps them become absorbent. They start off just like flat pieces of cloth. But as you wash and dry them you can actually see them become fluffier and puffier.

This is a new adventure for us, thank you for joining us on the journey as we start from seed!

***UPDATE***
   My little man decided to make his appearance the night I wrote this and it has been a whirlwind. I am just now able to publish this and I cant help but laugh a little as I re read it! So far my cloth diapering journey has been slow to start and bleak. However, I have used them a few times and I do like them. For me, the first month was absolutely crazy and everything was new and foreign, I could not imagine trying to figure this out as well. But I have used them, so I will give my feed back for them.
     My guy pees A LOT!!! Therefore he gets wet very quickly and he is not a fan of being wet. I use the water proof shell and despite the amount of pee, they have not leaked. Which is actually more than I can say for the disposable diapers. On days where we are home all day, I often use the cloth. Someday soon I may use them when we leave the house! These are so bulky, I found them very hard to use in the beginning when he was so little. Clothes often didn't fit over them, and when they did he looked a little ridiculous! The diaper balm has been fantastic, he loves it, and it has kept any and all diaper rash at bay. We love the diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet, it is worth every penny! the snappi fasteners have been very friendly to use. I only got his little leg one time with them and he let me know!! The ends are like little teeth meant to dig into the fabric or anything they come in contact with.
   I have definitely not given up on cloth diapers, I look forward to using them more and more as he gets older.
   Funny how I thought it would just be so easy and economical! Real life hit fast, and sometimes you just have to be flexible and go with the flow! Luckily my co workers had thrown me a "diaper" baby shower a week before he was born, and we got TONS of disposable diapers. Otherwise we literally would have had NO disposable diapers. I was so sure I would be cloth diapering full time that I didn't even buy ONE box!! Oh man, you live and you learn I guess!
As you can see there is always plenty to learn when starting from seed! Visit my website for more starting from seed moments!