Cloth Diapers: Part 1

Yes, I said that right, cloth diapers. These are usually those kind of things you hear your grandmas raving about "back in my day...." and it was usually seen as something that people ONLY did back in the day, because with the connivance of the new disposable diapers, why would anyone ever consider going back to the cloth. Well as crazy it might sound, or as crazy as I know many people will think I will be (if they don't think so already) I am going to venture into using cloth diapers. On the same note I am not planning on being a 100% cloth diaper-ier, because when I will be out and about, or if we leave town, I will use disposable to save on the hassle of trying to carry around extra "crap", or trying to clean them while being out- it isn't worth it to me that much- but is for me to try at home, especially since I plan to be home most the time.

After doing some research on it, it has come to my attention that cloth diapering is actually becoming pretty popular (not that this is my reasons for it though ;), and with the increase of popularity, there has become an increase in supply of it, and making them a better quality, which is another reason I am not too worried in trying them. After reviewing this handy Cloth Diaper Review Website, that another fellow-cloth-diaper-venturing-friend gave me, I found the ones I wanted and that I think will be worth trying. Then with the support of my husbands work and giving bonus incentives, we were able to order a set from the Willow Pad store online. The overall total was $220 (which included shipping, a diaper sprayer, and also a pair of nursing pads I got along with the order, they looked so nice and soft, I couldn't resist!) for what we ordered. I know that sounds like a lot up front, but in the long run I figure this will save us thousands of dollars we might have spent on disposable over our baby's diapering years (plus, I hear that kids that have cloth jump into potty training faster because they can feel the poop/pee easier and are willing to learn how to use the toilet sooner to avoid the awkward feeling on their bum).

Here are the lovely cloth diapers we got:

 We got three shells (the outside part) that are reversible, and then 12 each of the different kinds of inside linings, making 24 total. You can use the outside shell as many times as you want (or as many times they stay clean), and then the inside lining will allow for 24 diaper changes before its laundry time again. Since newborns poop more frequently, we will also use some disposable at the beginning to help save on laundry, but when the diapering needs lessens, we will use the cloth diapers more.

 One feature I loved about these diapers when looking at the reviews is that it was one size fits all, as in these suckers should last us till the baby hits potty training. They have adjustable elastic in the inside that allows to snitch it up tight for the little one, or pull it out more for the toddler size bum.

 The one on the left is it at full size for a toddler bum, and the one on the right is smallest size for a wee little bum.

 Here is what it looks like when you put the inside lining in, where all the poop and pee will be caught. They are super thick and absorbent, so it is to help keep from leaking through, and when/if it does, then move on to using another outside shell.

Here was another lovely feature the store offered, that I insisted on getting in order to make this venture a little more do-able for myself. It is a high powered sprayer that you can hook up to your toilet, to spray off the bigger chunks right into the toilet, so that it makes the end result cleaning all that much easier.

Okay, okay, now that I got it all out that we are in fact going to venture in this, the real question now is "can I really do this?" In fact I ask myself this question almost every day, especially now that we finally got all the supplies to do it, when this little one pops out- can I really do this? I sure hope so, I sure plan so! I am all about saving money, working hard, and when the occasion allows I like to help in saving the planet too (did you know it takes about 500 years for disposable diapers to fully decompose!?). But because this venture is still a little in the "unknown" since the little one isn't born yet, that's why this post is "Part 1," or the Intro. After I have a go at it in all this cloth diapering jazz I will post "Part 2" to let you know how it all REALLY goes!

I am gonna have to see the poop a lot anyway from changing diapers, so why not do a little extra work that should save me a lot extra money? Anyway, we'll see how this goes, hope you have a great day!

Till next time....