Sunday, April 24, 2011

How Time Flies

Last April we took Eli to the beach for the first time. Mom and I went back again this April and took Eli too. Wow! What a difference a year makes! Can't believe it was already a year ago we were there with him for the first time. Some this year vs last year pics for all you Eli fans.

April 2010






April 2011








Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Cloth Diapering: My thoughts after 16 months, and one buddah-belly baby



Many of you know that Rusty and I decided to embark upon the adventure of cloth diapering once we found out we were pregnant. I can't really remember why I decided to begin researching cloth diapers. I did not personally know anyone who cloth diapered, and to be honest I don't quite remember what turned me on to the idea, but it was what we decided to do. Needless to say, I am so happy with cloth diapering. In fact, I would use the word PASSIONATE to describe my feelings about it. I am to the point now where I love researching different kinds of diapers and what might work better or differently and experimenting with other options. When I first started researching cloth diapers, I started my research online. I found a friend of a friend who cloth diapered and got a ton of great info from some of her blog posts. She referenced a great site, Cotton Babies, which is where I got most of my cloth diapering info and all my diapers and supplies. I won't go into all the ins and outs and how-tos of cloth diapering here, as there are so many great resources on the web already. But I will tell you a little about why I am passionate about CDing and what brands/types have worked for us.

Why I LOVE cloth diapers:

1) COST. In my research I found them to be WAY cheaper than disposables. There are a myriad of price options when deciding to cloth diaper, but in total I paid about $400 for all my diapers and supplies. Of course I found out later that I could have done it for cheaper, as I learned what stuff I didn't really need or use. But even at a total of $400, it's much cheaper than disposables. I have been using the same diapers for 16 months now, so that averages out to $25/month on diapers, and that number will only keep going down as long as I use them. I don't see any reason why E won't be in the same diapers until he's potty trained. If I assume he's potty trained at 2 (wishful thinking) that would be only $16/month. How much do you spend/month on disposables? I'm sure it's more than that!


2) Impact to the environment. When we went to Costa Rica for 5 days in September, I did take disposables with me as we would not have access to launder our own clothes there. It killed me watching the massive amount of waste we would throw in the garbage daily. And those diapers don't break down quickly either.

3) Better for baby. With so many babies experiencing problems with skin sensitivity and diaper rash, this was one concern I had when I found out I was pregnant, and one of the main reasons I was curious about CDing. Rusty had really sensitive skin as a baby and his mom had to cloth diaper him because he was allergic or had a reaction to every disposable she tried. Needless to say, we have only had one instance of diaper rash with E and it was due to an upset stomach and the product of that and not his diapers. (Hope that's not TMI).

4) They work...better than disposables. This is one question I get from non-cloth diapering parents. "Do they work as good as disposables?" I would say a resounding "YES!" (even better in my opinion). I had always heard other moms referring to the dreaded "blow out" diaper situation, requiring a change of outfit, etc. I have never, NEVER had one with E in his cloth diapers. I won't say that I haven't had a leak where he got wet, but that was more due to me not changing him soon enough. It can only hold so much, ya know.

5) They are cuter. Yes, this is personal opinion. But I think disposables are ugly. I don't like the silly fray thing that pokes out of the top of their pants. I can't stand it when E has to wear one. And they smell funny. Cloth diapers can be so cute! I just recently bought E a grey diaper with a skull and crossbones pattern on it. How cute is that?


I know there are several reasons that people choose not to cloth diaper (up front cost, extra laundry, etc), and I totally understand those reasons. However, I think that if more people tried it, they would see that it is NOT as difficult or expensive as they probably think. Even many daycares now will accept CDing. Honestly, I can't imagine NOT cloth diapering my child. And this post is in no way a dig on those parents who don't CD. It's just my take on why I do it, and how much I love it. I feel like if I can spread the word to some people, maybe I can win some converts. (In fact, I have 4 friends who had babies after me that are now CDing as well! yay!)

Now, for a little trial and error research on what has worked for us as far as types of diapers are concerned.

We ended up going with the BumGenius 3.0 One-Size diapers. The 3.0 version offered only the hook and loop (velcro) closures. The updated 4.0 version offers a choice between hook and loop or snaps. After having tried the snaps, I am glad I purchased the velcro. I seem to get a better fit with the velcro, and they are much quicker to get off and on. The One-Size diapers have been great. I have very little negative feedback about the diapers, only great things to say. We decided to go with the One-Size option because they adjust with the baby from 8-35 lbs. That seemed like the most efficient way to do it. We were able to start using them on E when he was about 4 weeks old. We purchased 24 diapers, and that turned out to be the perfect amount. I do a load of diapers every other day usually, sometimes every third day.

When E started getting a little older (and chunkier) I started having some problems with the bumGenius diapers chafing his thighs around the leg casings. So, I embarked on a quest to find either a trimmer diaper or one with different leg casings to accommodate my chubby man.  I was looking for a diaper that has the elastic casing on the inside of the diaper vs the outside like the bumGenius does. bumGenius makes an organic option that does this, but they are the most expensive diaper I've found, so I wanted to keep looking before trying that option. I really liked the Grasshopper diapers, but they are pretty pricey as well, and they are never in stock! You have to purchase them like, 5 minutes after she restocks or they are gone! Even if you can manage to snag one or two, the shipping is outrageous.

Instead, I tried the Happy Heinys fitted pocket diaper. I didn't opt for the one-size because the elastic on those is just like bumGenius, on the outside. I purchased both a velco and a snap option. Again, much happier with the velcro. I do like the Happy Heinys pocket diaper, however, I ordered the size according to weight (Large), which were too big for Eli. I probably should have taken rise and waist into consideration, as E is built like a powerlifter. So, I ordered some Mediums and they are perfect.  And they are much kinder to his thighs as far as the chafing goes. Downside with these is they are hard to find because everyone wants the one-size option. So, I had to search a bit to find some.

I have also recently discovered a brand of diaper I had never heard of before called Bottombumpers. I was perusing a local shop here in Franklin, called The Shop Around the Corner. They have a room in their store called Green Pixie Baby that is dedicated to natural parenting, so it has all sorts of hippy goodies like cloth diapers, organic clothing and natural baby and mama care items. I stumbled upon the aforementioned Bottombumpers there, and I loved them! They are very similar to the Grasshopper diapers, except they were actually in stock! I like that they are side snapping, which makes for a trimmer fit, and they have elastic inside, which is good for chunky thighs. They are snap-in inserts as opposed to pockets, which was new to me, but I really like them. Plus, you can throw the covers in the dryer and they are one-size, adjustable from 8 lbs through potty-training.

So, those are a few of the diapers I have tried, and I've been happy with them for sure. The bumGenius are a great fit and value and they work great. I highly recommend those to anyone. The others work really nice too. If you are interested in any more of my CD research, let me know, I'd be happy to share my thoughts or experiences with you!