As many of you know, I have always wanted to try cloth
diapers but kept hearing such negative things about them. Mostly from people
who have never tried them. So I figured I would ask actual moms who have used
them on their babies and was surprise to hear many positive things on them! The
only negative thing that I heard was to wait until the baby starts eating
solids around 6 months old to avoid poopy messes. If you are a mommy, you know how the first 6 months is a nightmare with blowouts, even using disposable diapers. Dan wasn’t too fond of the idea at first because he was apprehensive about the mess too. However, I really wanted to give them a try! Especially, knowing all the bad chemicals found in disposable diapers. Ever noticed those small gel beads around you baby’s area? Yeah, that’s what I am talking about! Oh and not to mention, the fun fact that cloth diapered children learn how to go potty faster than babies that are in disposable diapers! So I figured I would give it a try! Honestly, if you wait until they are on solids, or like I did at a year, it is actually super easy to clean!!! I started with Alva Baby pocket diapers because they are cheap and basically every mom that cloth diapers their baby, loves them! They are super affordable!!! Under $10 for a pocket diaper and 2 inserts. Some babies can get away with just 1 insert, which would be even cheaper, but Logan is a heavy wetter! So we have to double up.
For those of you who
aren’t familiar with cloth diapering, pocket diapers are not the cloth diapers
that our grandmas used back in the day with the little pins on the side. They
actually look similar to a disposable diaper, especially if you buy the Velcro ones.
You just add the inserts inside the pocket to absorb any liquid and snap it on the buttons to best fit your baby (I buy the one size fit, so you don’t have to buy more
when the baby grows), and voila, you're all done and ready to go!
I was told by my fellow mommy friends that you should try
out different brands to see which work best for us. So I figured I would buy a
few other brands to keep our options open. I bought a Bumkin’s pocket diaper (at
$15, for the diaper and 2 inserts), a Baby Kicks velcro pocket diaper (this was
the most expensive one I bought, at $18 for 1 diaper and only 1 insert but it’organic and super soft inside),
and a SunBaby pocket diaper (the cheapest at just $7 for the diaper and 2
inserts). I also bought some Thirstie's doublers, to add in any diaper that only comes with 1 insert, to assure it will absorb all the liquid and not leak.
I seem
to like the Alva diapers the best because they fit Logan the best. Logan
is a big boy and the Bumkins and Babykicks seem to run way smaller than the
Alva’s! I can barely get the Bumkins on him with just 1 insert. It's horrible!!! I haven’t received the Sunbaby diaper yet, so I am still anxious to see
how that one works. However, I wouldn’t mind buying more Alva’s in the future.
Go figure the cheaper one works best lol.
I
would recommend to buy at least 10 diapers if you want to cloth diaper full time. You will most likely be washing every day though. I only have 5 diapers so far and have to wash every day. However, I don't mind since I already do laundry every day. We are only cloth diapering part time right now because I still use disposables when we are out of the house and for overnight. Mainly, because I am still trying to figure them out. I
do have the occasional leaks but they are getting better over time. I think
cloth diapers surprisingly work better the more you wash them and you also figured out the exact fit
that works best on your baby to hold all the moisture in place.
Overall, I am happy I gave it a try because it’s
fun, saves money, is good for the environment and it’s way healthier for your baby! If you have been wondering if cloth diapering is for you, give it a try.
