Basic Bum Care

We are still on the cloth diaper journey. 

I already talked about why we chose to use cloth diapers (here), and how it's going so far (here), but there are a lot of other things to learn and adjust to. 

Before I decided to use cloth diapers, I did a lot of searching and asking around for advice and ideas. I really didn't know what I was getting into at all in the beginning!

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Beginning Cloth Diapers

We did it. 

We took the plunge into the world of cloth diapering our little girl! 

We started about 10 days after she was born because we wanted to continue using disposable diapers while her umbilical cord was still on. 

Once we started, we were committed. 

We had doubts when the first three cloth diaper changes that Ellie gifted us with were full blown poops. I'm talking poop everywhere. Full. System. Failure. 

The brand that we decided to go with for cloth diapering was Peachy Baby
(You can read more about why we chose to cloth diaper here, and which brand we chose here).
The idea behind buying the Peachy Baby diapers with inserts was that I could replace the inserts and not have to replace the cover at each change. 

After three changes I was swiftly losing my confidence in this theory. 

Diaper after diaper thrown into the wet bag was looking less and less appealing. 

But after a few fumbles, things are looking up! 

We found that adapting to using cloth diapers was a bit of a learning curve, but it only took a couple days to get the hang of it.
[And by "get the hang of it" I mean, become moderately confident in what we're doing, lol]

Here are some of the lessons we had to learn:
1) Learning to place the inserts correctly. At first we weren't placing them evenly and they would bunch up. This resulted in many pooptastrophies. But if we placed them evenly and tucked them in at the edges, they worked like a charm!
2) Learning to make the diaper the right size. Another big reason we were having spillage, is that there was too much room for things to shift - diapers were too loose. I thought the tight settings would be too tight for her, but it isn't. Actually, it's perfect. And her pants fit better too :) 

3) Learning that almost every time she pees it stays within the liners (Hallelujah!), and after using the above two techniques even the occasional poop stays in! It's beginning to look like we will get multiple uses out of some of those covers after all.

So far, so good.
The cloth diapering adventure has begun! 

We're still adjusting to laundry loads every other day, and to our baby girl looking like she has a lot of junk in the trunk, but we are very happy with our new diapering routine!

{xoxo}

Cloth Diaper Considerations [Part II]

Spoiler Alert: We already bought some cloth diapers :)

If you read here, you'll know that we have decided to try cloth diapers with our first born (due this January!).

But deciding is only step one - then comes deciding which types to use. 

For those that don't know about cloth diapers, you may be thinking, "What? Types?", and for those of you that used cloth 30 years ago, you might be thinking "Isn't it just cloth and safety pins?". 

Cloth diapers have come a LONG way. Now there are types, and sizes, and colours, and companies. 

There is a LOT to think about. 

Since I don't have any skills in the sewing department, making my own was immediately out of the question. 

So I contacted an amazing lady in Grande Prairie who owns Belly Button Baby and sells cloth diapers and supplies out of her home :)

She sat down with us for free and first reviewed all of the advantages of using cloth (some I wrote about in my previous post) and showed us all of the different types and discussed pros and cons of all of them. It was extremely helpful and informative. 

So then we have some decisions to make. 

First, do we use all-in-one, pockets, or inserts for diapers?

All-in-ones are just like other diapers, except instead of throwing them away after use, you wash them. Probably the easiest type to use out there. Pocket diapers have inserts attached that stuff in to absorb everything. And the inserts have removable inserts that you can replace throughout the day as needed. 

We chose to start by buying the insert one-size diapers. We mostly chose these because I plan to take the baby out of the house with cloth diapers and I prefer the idea of carrying around a ton of extra inserts, to carrying around complete diapers. It also means I buy less shells (which may make my organizational life a bit easier. And this is the first type that I have any experience with, so I was biased from the beginning ;) Totally personal preference for me. 

But we did buy a few all-in-one diapers as well because I'm worried that my insert ones will be too bulky, and I'll need a few all-in-ones (a bit smaller in size) for some outfits (i.e. preventing some bulky bums).

We chose the brand Peachy Baby because the diapers are made in Canada, they come in loads of cute colours, and they are a soft fleece on the inside to prevent pinching on his or her little legs and keeps the insert in place nicely :)

Then, snaps or velcro?

You already know what kind I chose, so you know I picked snaps. Mostly because I think they will stand up longer, not get caught on outfits, blankets, materials, etc., and I think they look nicer :) 

I did buy a few velcro to try as well... so we'll see if I change my mind!

A couple of the All-In-One Diapers we bought :)

And then comes the extras.... 

We also bought wet bags to use in my diaper bag, and for laundry that have wet and dry sections for diapers. We bought reusable wipes, made of hemp and bamboo (I'll add some natural cleansers to them when we wipe). And we bought diaper friendly detergent. We should be all set!

I'm planning to just use disposables for the first couple weeks of baby. 1) to get past the first few days of yucky stuff, and 2) to get a routine and get my life together before introducing a new curve ball. 

But overall I'm feeling confident about my plan to use cloth diapers! And I'm excited to try now! 

Hopefully they are as easy as they sound! 

I'm sure I'll keep you updated :)

{xoxo}

Cloth Diaper Considerations

Spoiler Alert: We already decided to buy cloth diapers for baby V. Aaand we already bought some :)

But I still wanted to share some of my thoughts and questions as we went through the process of deciding if cloth diapering was something we wanted to try or not.  

Cloth diapering is the new thing (again). It seems like society has come full circle. I hear mamas talking about using cloth diapers with their kids all the time these days. And then I stayed at the home of one of those mamas. I watched her change her little girl in and out of cloth diapers all week. My initial "Eww, cleaning dirty cloth diapers would be disgusting" train of thought, quickly turned into a "Wow, it's really not that dirty or difficult" train of thought. By the end of the week I was practically sold on the idea.

So I went searching for information to convince my husband that keeping poopy diapers in the house and washing them over and over again was a good idea. I quickly found out that cloth diapering is:

1. Economical - They say the average cost of diapers from birth to potty training is between $2500 and $3500. Although we did have to pay a big lump sum in advance to buy all the diapers (We spent approx. $500), once you factor in all the costs (diapers, water costs for washing, etc.) you still end up with HUGE savings. Plus, if you have more than one kid, you can use them again, or you can resell them when you're done - they maintain great resale value!


2. Environmentally friendly - Disposable diapers take hundreds of years to decompose. Hundreds. Plus many cloth diapers are made with easily renewable resources: hemp, bamboo, and cotton.


3. Easy to use - Waterproof linings with easy snaps or velcro are simple to use (or so I've heard). And as long as you have a washing machine, the washing doesn't have to be all that combersome either! Easier than driving to the stores for more diapers....


4. Healthy  - Lastly, friends and strangers report that the natural fibres make these diapers more breathable. Sign me up for less rashes and health problems! I want to know what I'm putting on my baby's bum. 

So based on these ideas and more, we've decided to take the plunge into cloth diapering.
Now to decide what type to buy!

{xoxo}