This is my two-year-old. She's nursing her baby. And she's smart. She knows every nursing mother needs to stay well-hydrated.
So this one and her baby brother are giving me a dilemma. I really like modern day diapers. I like how much they hold. I like how infrequently I have to change them. But as wonderful and convenient as they are, they are not very environmentally friendly.
I'm going to need a lot of hand holding today. I know some of you have switched partly or all the way to cloth diapers. So for all of us that are scared to death of a pile of filth we are responsible to somehow wash every day or being at the mall and having runny baby poop leak every possible place imaginable... help! Convince us!
I also need specifics. When you put "cloth diapers" in a search engine you come up with MANY options. What's the best? Is it worth it to get the most expensive? Do the cheapest ones perform badly? How many do you need? (Not how many do they recommend - how many do you absolutely have to have to avoid catastrophes?) How often do you have to change them? How often do you have to wash? Can you just throw the nasty things in the washer or do you have to rinse them out? And how do you keep rotten dogs who think poop is a delicacy from ripping them apart? (Okay, maybe you don't know the answer to that one...)
So I need lots of responses. I changed the settings so that anyone should be able to post. If you have trouble responding here, I'll transfer your facebook messages over. There are questions that must be answered so we can try to make a difference in the disgusting pile of dirty diapers that are going to eventually take over the landfills.
Commence discussion.
i have WAY TOO much to say on this subject, so i'll just talk to you about it tomorrow if ya want? i'll even bring some of mine to show you!!
ReplyDeleteor i CAN write you a book on here. your choice. ;)
okay so there is an anonymous option to post comments now and there wasn't before.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE cloth diapers, but I too have too much to say about them on here alot may be what Amy K. says too. They are super easy and I feel so much better when he is poopy right after I change the diaper (which by the way seems to happen ALOT) :), than I do with paper, cause I'm not throwin' away money or trash.
When I was researching, I also got some first hand info on prefolds from a friend, so I can tell you about that too, but we use a great one that adjusts at the thigh and back so much less leaking. Micah was a huge leaker (especially when he was little). Call me sometime, or maybe we can talk after VBS tomorrow and I can give you my perspective if you want. :0)
I don't mind if you go ahead and write the book, Amy! Other people might benefit from it as well. But I look forward to talking to you.
ReplyDeleteStephanie, I'd love to talk to you as well. But judging from my lovely daughter's behavior this morning that might not be the best place to do it. :) Hopefully soon!
yes, post here, so that i can read the responses too. i'm curious.
ReplyDeleteMany, many years ago I used a diaper service company for this function. it was such a good deal, I did it with all three. All I had to do was dunk the dirty in the potty, shake and flush. Place the soiled item in the company's stinky bin and they picked it up and delivered clean bin and cloth diapers once a week. Only problem was the stinky bin needed a room of its own. I know now I would like to have a few of those "clean" cloth diapers for house cleaning!
ReplyDeleteSo I've heard that both "Bummi" brands and "Fuzzbunz" are good brands to go with. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with Fuzzbunz because they have a diaper that will adjust to fit both of my youngers, and that will make my life much easier.
ReplyDeleteActually, I HEAR that it's pretty easy these days to clean them. With the "soak" option on the washer, they can basically just go in the washer to soak, wash, and then line dry or dry on low. I also read and heard to add white vinegar and baking soda to the loads to help with freshness and sanitation. You can even get flushable liners that you just pull out and throw away. I was also told that you can get away with 3-5 hours between changes.
I'll keep you updated on how this all turns out!
Mandy, I don't know anyone personally who uses 'bummi's', but i know several who use 'fuzzibunz' and like them. i use bumgenius and recently started using grovia's.
ReplyDeletei like the grovia's (formerly known as grobaby's), because they can use any type of cloth insert (including prefolds) and they also have disposable inserts (for traveling and such). i mentioned before how these disposable inserts can be flushed, composted, or just thrown away and will decompose in weeks compared to hundreds of years. :)
both the type i use are one size (7-35lbs) and yes, it does work on 35lbs (i've had to use them at night for noah when i ran out of pullups).
i've never had a problem with leaking either.
cloth diapers are very easy to clean. i use the disposable liners (to catch the poo) and you just remove it and flush it. they can be tossed into a dry diaper pail for up to 2 days before needing washed. then yes, the rest is just the washer/dryer (though i LOVE hanging mine outside!).
do be careful about the use of vinegar and baking soda though. over time it does wear out the 'waterproofness' of the diapers. (many cloth diaper sites state this) i prefer to use an organic cleaner called 'bac-out' instead (and even that i don't use every washing) and alternate it with vinegar (though not every washing).
also research detergent. the website below has a detergent chart that is very helpful! regular detergent will ruin modern cloth diapers!
a good resource website for cloth diapering is diaperjungle.com. it gives pros and cons of many areas associated with cloth diapering.
i have a ton more to say, but my little green bottom is in need of being fed. :) hope some of this was helpful!
oh, and let me add this! i am not a die-hard cloth diaper mommy either! i use regular disposables on trips, outings, busy times (like a new baby) and when i just don't feel like keeping up with cloth diapers (a week or two out of every couple of months). :)
ReplyDeleteif i use my cloth 90% of the time, then i am happy! :)
Thanks, Amy! 90% is a good goal, and you've given us lots of good resources to get started!
ReplyDelete