Coldon at 4months in his Kawaii Mom Label
My FAVE dipe!
So I have many people ask me about cloth diapering. Let me tell you there is way more information out there than what you will find here, but hopefully a good start for you. There is a whole other world I did not know of until I chose to cloth diaper. There are some very passionate women out there and for good reason too. There are a plethora of blogs and info to be found on cloth diapering, not to mention all the lingo and abbreviations that are used. I felt like an outsider, not chosen to play because I was too slow, but I think I have
it all most of it figured out.
I'd love to say I chose to CD because of the environmental reasons...truth be told, it started out as an endeavor to save money. In the first few weeks after birth I spent $60 on disposables (sposies). I purchased 2 cloth diapers right after Coldon was born, just to give it a try; to save a diaper here and there. I quickly realized I needed more CD's to really have a good feel for it, so I purchased 5 more. Seven only last me a day with a newborn, so I bought 2 more. I started to realize that there were no EXPLOSIVE blowouts up the back, sides, front and anywhere else the mess could make it when the CD's were on. As soon as I used a sposie....BOOM...it was everywhere. Then I started to notice the rash that my DS (dear son) would get with a sposie....aaaaaahhhh! All I could think was 'why did't I CD my first 3 kids?'.
My obsession began...it wasn't just saving us money, it was better for the environment and my babies bum...I was a happy mum!
You might think that CD is inconvenient and messy, but truth be told, even with sposies, you are supposed to flush poo down the toilet so it can go through proper waste management channels. Most people just roll up the dipe and toss in garbage. So if you are using a sposie properly, you should be flushing poo down the toilet, just as you would with a CD. If babies are breastfed only, their poo is water soluble, so you can just throw it in the washing machine (more on that a little later). Once they start on cereal and solids, you can use flushable liners to make it easier to clean.
Sposies contain Dioxin, which the EPA say is the most toxic of all cancer linked chemical. Most countries have banned the use of this, but not the US. Sposies also contain a type of polymer that used to be found in tampons, a gel that would increase the absorbency. It can no longer be used in tampons as it increases the risk of TSS. I don't know about you, but I don't want that on my babies bum!
You will literally save thousands of dollars over the course of several years of diapering your little one. I managed to spend $220 on my 20 diapers! Plus I make and sell my own cloth wipes, so no need for more chemical laced store bought wipes.
So...how to choose the best dipes, how to wash, and how to store while waiting to wash....
There are so many web-sites out there to research. I heard great things about Kawaii's Cloth Diapers...plus they were inexpensive compared to most. I'll list the ones I have and what I like or don't like about them.
Kawaii -
Minky Mom Label this was the first diaper I purchased and my favorite for night-time diapering. It has an extra piece of fabric across the belly to keep leaks from happening. My son sleeps on his stomach, so this is great for us. Plus, I like that the liner is bamboo...I'd rather use a gentle fiber against his skin if he is wearing the dipe for longer stretches. It also has hip snaps, which help keep the dipe from shifting.
Kawaii
One Size Snazzy Minky is my second favorite. This comes with 2 unbleached microfiber inserts that are very absorbent. I use one insert at home, and 2 when out. This also has hip snaps. I generally use the inserts on top of the diaper. Occasionally my DS has not soaked the diaper/cover and I can just replace the insert...yay, less washing! If I am out, I tend to insert one liner in the pocket and place another liner on top of diaper.
Kawaii
One Size Pocket Snap Diaper...same as the Minky, just not the soft outer. This style line also has some without hip snaps and a suede-cloth lining on the diaper...I did not like this one as it seems to "fall down" with out the hip snaps.
Econobum I got these from ReDiaper.com on sale 2/$9.95. These were just a PUL shell with a pre-fold. They work great, just not cute and pretty. For under $5, this was a steal!
BumGenius
These are basic, easy to use cloth diapers. Fuzz gets caught in the velcro tabs easily, but also pulls off easily.
Apple Cheeks were my most recent purchase...unfortunately I only got size 1 because they sold out of size 2's. They came with a 2 ply bamboo insert that I fold in thirds. I love this diaper, it is a trim fit.
Some things to know before using your CD's. Do not use regular diaper rash creams as this will cause repelling. I use
CJ's BUTTer Original and spray version for the sitter. I love all of here scents...it's hard to pick a favorite. I purchased the travel size 8pk for $10, you can choose any scents you want...I got 8 different ones! Most web-sites say to use all natural products for diaper rashes to protect your CD's. I have found one site that says they are all bad. My dipes still work fine. If they start repelling, you can
strip them. Also, all CD's need to be washed multiple times to obtain peak absorbency operation (said in a really deep tone of voice :).
I make and sell my wet bags to store the diapers in. I typically use my large one for 2 days and then do a load. I send all my diapers through a cold rinse cycle first, then wash in warm water with a homemade detergent. You can find it
here in an earlier post.
The Diaper Jungle also has a great chart of acceptable detergents. Some detergents should be avoided. After the washer has filled up, I let it agitate for a minute and open the lid. I like to let the diapers soak for 1-2hrs, depending on how much time I have. After that time has passed I close the lid and let the cycle finish. I finish with an extra rinse. Right now I use the dryer for all my diapers, but I know hanging them to dry in the sun is better and bleaches out any stains, so I am looking forward to some warmer weather to hang dry.
Coldon at 2.5 weeks and just under 7lbs
Coldon at 1 month (finally putting on weight)
Coldon at 2 months (These were the Kawaii snap closure with
suede cloth inner that I did not like. You can see the drooping in the front.)
Coldon at 3 months
OK, that's it for now. I may have more to post later. My favorite website to purchase from is
SweetBottomsBaby. Beth is fantastic there and offers free shipping. I have not been disappointed with any of their service.
Other Sites I Like to Check Out:
http://addictedtoclothdiapers.blogspot.com/ You can also find her on FB as Ramblings of a Cloth Diaper Addict
http://babyhalfoff.com/ and http://www.babysteals.com/ Sometimes they have diaper deals.
If you have any questions...please ask away!
When I was in school for Interior Design, I collected a LOT of fabric. The best of the best was chosen quickly by the students, so I grabbed often and acquired quite a collection! After school, I found some creative uses for this fabric...CHEAP artwork. I had purchased a couple of coordinating frames from Pier 1 Import that matched my bathroom decor, but knew I didn't want all family photos in them, so I turned to my box 'o fabrics. I found 2 that I thought fit the Asian theme and voila'! Instant artwork. 
