And so the cloth diapering (CD) adventure begins.
I finally convinced JD of the health and financial benefits to cloth diapering. It only took 19 months and hours of research, but he has jumped aboard and is eager ready to set sail.
Thanks to Jillian Drawer’s we are all set with our supplies. The cute Thirsties wipes and Bummis swim diaper pictured were purchased at our new favorite CD boutique in Scottsdale, Zoolikins.
I’ve selected a variety of wet bags for home and on the go. Here is a Planet Wise pail liner, Planet Wise wet bag, and pail liner by Kissaluvs (discontinued).
Since it’s my first go around I’ve started out with a variety of diaper/liner brands and styles. I wasn’t sure if I would like the prefolds or inserts; there is a bit of a price difference. Shown here are Flip, Bumgenius, GroVia, Indian Prefolds, Best Bottom, and hemp inserts.
Now the real challenge came when selecting the diaper cover or diaper systems. There are so many brands and choices. I decided not to go the All in One (AIO) route because they were more expensive. Pocket diapers were a bit cheaper and had the same convenience with the added benefit of being able to select your absorbency. We thought pockets would do well for nighttime and naptime. For everyday use I selected a variety of All in Two (AI2) and diaper covers. The only difference I’m seeing here is the AI2’s has a system that holds the insert in place. The diaper cover is strictly waterproof material meant to go over a prefold, fitted, or contoured diaper. We decided to go with one size diapers since Aiden is close to potty training and we can use them with future children.
I did a lot of research over the course of a few days and eventually went with the following brands in a variety of fastener styles (snap and aplix). Pictured above is Grovia, Thirsties, Bumgenius, and Flip. I bought mostly aplix because I thought the snaps would be difficult to get onto a wiggly toddler and didn’t look as adjustable. I’m surprised to say that I think I’m going to like them better though because of longevity. Most of the aplix is a traditional hook and loop style I can see breaking down over time. The only brand that differs is GroVia. Their diapers have the more modern “velcro” that attaches to the fabric band on the front.
Being a new cloth diaperer I don’t have much advice to give yet. So far what has helped me is talking to moms I trust that have already been there. They really have been my best resource so far. My advice so far is search the internet for cloth diapering blogs and reviews to see what consumers have to say. The ones that helped me the most were Diaper Pin and another suggested by a friend. There are lots of great videos out there too. My favorite was a series found on eHow: How to Use Cloth Diapers. I also searched for video reviews on google. I’ll end it by saying I’ve fallen in love with the Pregtastic podcast. It’s a weekly roundtable discussion with moms to be and the occasional expert. They have many podcasts about cloth diapers I found helpful.
