What are fluffy butts? To put it simply, a baby booty covered in cloth. Yep, I said cloth. Now I bet when you heard of cloth diapering, you may be thinking of the old school pins and needles with a messy, plastic cover. Even though those types of cloth diapers still are used, most are FAR from that. My favorite are the fun, girly prints. I even have tons of customer diapers. Ones with ruffles, Army uniform, John Deer, Zebra, and many more! Just because you choose to cloth diaper doesn't mean your a tree-hugger, naturalist, or any other stereotypes that are associated with cloth diapering. Many people are shocked when I say that I choose cloth. The best response I've gotten, "But your normal". What is normal? I would think normal is choosing what was "normal" 20-30 years ago. The reason I chose cloth; I wanted to put the best stuff on my precious baby's bum and save some money. I will tell you, I didn't start out with cloth. I made the switch when my daughter was 4 months old. I have talked to other mothers who switched at 18 months!! So it's NEVER too late to make the awesome switch. Now, what's the 101 on cloth diapers?
Saving money? Now that's my cup of tea!
Yes, it's true. You can save money with cloth diapers. In my case, I get a new diaper at least once a week so I have a problem! But of course you don't need to. You can spend a lot on diapers, or get what you need. That's your choice and you do save money in the end.
With disposable diapers, they are priced an average of $.28 per diaper. If you start the potty training adventure at 3 1/2, changing a diaper every 2-3 hours for 15 hours (remember you child does sleep. Even though it seems like they don't!) that adds up to about 8 diapers a day. Of course, 8 diapers a day is far less than what a newborn would do. So with all those diapers used per day until 3 1/2, you would end up spending a whopping $2,862.72!
With cloth diapering, the cost for one diaper varies depending on brand and whether it is custom. I have seen diapers for $8 each (great product) and $26 for a custom (my Army print one). So in the same time period of 3 1/2 years, you could spend anywhere from $400-$1300 for the diapers themselves, laundry, and wipes. No matter what type of cloth diaper you choose, the price difference is still worth it.
The different types of cloth diapers
When my friends first showed me a cloth diaper, I thought it was super cute that I just HAD to research them. I was overwhelmed with all the different types of cloth diapers out there. It was almost like another language for me but I soon learned the difference among them all. Some are one size while others are fitted, some use snaps, hook and loops, or pins.
Prefolds:
Prefolds are most likely what come to mind when you first think of cloth diapers. They are the traditional cloth diaper with a thick middle strip. With this type, a water-proof outer layer can be used. They are the least expensive out all of the cloth diapers. They come in 3 sizes from Premie (4-10 pounds), Infant (newborn-15 pounds), and Premium (15-30 pounds).
Diaper Covers:
Diaper covers are used with prefolds. This can add a little personality to a plain prefold diaper.
Pocket Diapers:
Pocket diapers are just like they sound, two pieces of fabric sewn together with an opening at the top to put in inserts, or fluff. You do not need a diaper cover with pocket diapers because the outer layer is made of PUL, a waterproof layer that keeps messes inside the diaper. The part that is on your baby's bum is usually soft fleece. The inserts used for pockets are made out of a wide variety of materials like micro terry cloth, regular terry cloth, hemp, bamboo, or prefolds if you choose. You can "double up" on inserts to add more absorbancy. I do this at night.
All In One, AIO:
The abbreviation AIO will be used a lot in writing. This type of diaper uses a PUL outer layer and has the inserts attached already, hints the all in one. These are nice for quick and easy diapering for daycare or babysitter. You can add more inserts as well.
All In Two, AI2:
These are also referred to as hybrid diapers. This type has a PUL cover and the inserts are snapped in. The reasoning for that is in hopes to only wash inserts and have one cover for a couple changes.
One Size Diaper, OS:
A one size diaper usually fits your baby from newborn until 35 pounds, or to the potty training years. These diapers have snaps or a hook and loop closure that is adjustable while your baby grows. It adjusts are the waist and legs.
Getting Started
How many diapers you need depends on how much you want to invest up front and how often will you want to do laundry. A good start for a newborn would be 20 diapers of your choice. Will that amount, you could wash diapers every other day or every 3 days. That all depends on how much you need to change baby's diaper. When I started in disposables, my daughter was using 10-13 diapers a day! I was happy that her plumbing was working and I got quick at changing diapers in no time flat!
As she grew older, she needing changing less. When I switched to cloth when she was 4 months old, I started out with 6 six, just to test the waters. When I got the green light that I liked it, wait no LOVED it, I bought 2 every week or when money was good, got 6. In no time, my cloth diaper stash went from 6 to 36. With her being 9 months now, I can go almost a week without washing diapers. But I don't recommend that just because it got overwhelming washing so much at once.
Another thing to get to start, is a dry pail for the room and a wet/dry bag for the diaper bag. The dry pail is the place where you will put the dirty diapers and store them there until it's time to do laundry. The wet/dry bag for the diaper bag is to keep the dirty diapers away from everything else you tote along. Some bags are made out of PUL or cotton. It doesn't matter what fabric, just as long as it keeps the mess inside the bag!
Caring for the diapers
This is all personally prefence. You should find a caring and laundering system that works best for you and your family. My system is fairly simple: Change her diaper, store the diaper in the dry pail, rinse off the diapers before washing in the toilet using my homemade diaper sprayer, wash the diaper, dry them, put them away, repeat. When her poops are a little on the chunky side, I just shake it off into the toilet before throwing them into the dry pail just to cut down on smell.
To wash, I rinse cold, wash hot, rinse cold, rinse cold. I use bumGenius cloth diaper detergent. The detergent should only be used on the wash cycle. You can use any brand of detergent BUT it as to be free and clear of perfumes and dyes. I think bumGenius detergent is actually cheaper than All or Tide. It's $11.99 for 65 loads and is made for cloth diapers. The amount needed to use depends on the type of washer you have, HE or top loader. Follow the instructions on the detergent for the needed amount. I use the "Baby Clothes" cycle on my washing machine which is pretty much on hot/cold, heavy duty cycle. So after the cold rinse, hot wash, you want to rinse cold again two more times. By doing that, you ensure the diapers have no residue left on them.
After the last rinse, I put all the inserts in the dryer for about 20 minutes on med/high heat. I air dry the diapers by hanging them from the shower curtain bar. You only want to dry the actual diapers when you are washing a brand new one. The reasoning for drying a new diaper is to seal the PUL. If the diapers are stained, you can line dry them outside. The sun helps get rid of the stains. Remember to not use and fabric softener of dryer sheets.
There comes a time when your diapers can start to smell. What I do; use bumGenius odor sprayer after rinsing them in the toilet and add a little Oxy Clean in the wash cycle. After that, they come out smelling brand new.
Is it worth the hassle?
Yes it is! Number one, you are saving a land fill of disposable diapers. Number two, a cloth diaper baby bum is just super cute! A plain ole' Huggies diaper just isn't as cute as a diaper with ruffles or flowers on it. If you don't want to deal with the launder part of cloth, maybe using a diaper service is the way to go. Whatever your choice, that is your own personal decision and don't be ashamed of it.
