Mommy Talk Tuesday....err Wednesday!

Okay, so I am a day late getting to the Mommy Talk Tuesday. This week is on, what else during Real Diaper Week? CLOTH DIAPERS!!!

We made the decision to go with cloth diapers while I was pregnant with RC (our first and only...so far). My hubby was excited...well after the initial shock...that we were going to have a baby. We both were kind of thinking the cloth route from the very beginning, but we were sold on them when we looked at the cost of diapering just ONE child and we want at least two or more. After doing research, asking friends and family on Facebook, we finally decided to go with a pocket diaper. My husband wanted cloth just as much as me, but when I showed him the options, he opted for the ease of the pocket diaper (because he doesn't have to stuff and prep them!!!).  We decided to take a friend's advice and get the BumGenius one size pocket diapers. These diapers, in theory, should last us from newborn to potty training.

The downside, the version I picked, didn't fit RC during his first 2 months. He was just too skinny and while the manufacturer says 8 pounds, it really means more like 10 pounds. Unfortunately, we had to wait until RC was 8 weeks old before starting with cloth. Just those 2 months worth of diapers was enough to make me hate disposables. Between the cost and the smell...no thank you!

We have learned a few things along the way. For instance RC's nighttime diaper routine is totally different than daytime. He needs a Flip cover with stay dry microfiber and 2 hemp inserts to make the 10 - 12 hours. This creates a large diaper...which means, much bigger jammies than he really is in. In fact, 2 sizes larger! This also means certain types of jammies to fit over the diaper better as well.

Another thing we learned was our first mistake...nothing for newborn diapering. I now know better and will be prepared for number 2 with newborn covers and prefolds! In fact, I recently bought several covers and a stack of prefolds (thought number 2 is not in sight) for my sister in law to use for her son (due any day now) and then she will gift them back to us when it is time!

Other things I have learned is a good wash routine is key. We wash hot rinse, hot wash, cold rinse and dry only inserts, bags, and wipes. All diaper shells get line dried to ensure they last many many years.

You might think that handling a cloth diaper is gross, but it really is not any worse than a disposable. With the right tools and mindset it is simple, saves TONS of money, the environment, is better for baby, and are super cute!

I am a loyal shopper and my favorite cloth diapering store is Abby's Lane. They have a great rewards program, great customer service, and best of all FREE shipping on all size orders! They also have great giveaways which I love. Once I won one of my pail liners just for ordering on Winging it on Wednesday! They have a blog to with tons of information at Cloth that Counts. There are many other resources and shops out there. My favorite brand so far is BumGenius and Flip. I have tried Tiny Tush and Rumparooz as well. We will be getting a GroVia soon to try. Now that I am more familiar with cloth diapering, I am slowly branching out to a few other brands to test out.

Have questions? Just ask!