Diapers!

For some reason, I think one of my most favorite jobs as a mom is diapering. I know that sounds strange to most people, but diapers have become my hobby. I'm not talking about disposable diapers. I'm talking about cloth diapers.

Cloth diapers have come a long way from the diaper service pins, prefolds, flats, and rubber pants that my parents used. That's what most people envision whenever the subject comes up. They also think I'm up to my elbows scrubbing poop. I actually do less poop-scrubbing now than I did when Josie was a baby in disposables.

There are all kinds of cloth diapers these days from pockets and all-in-ones that have the waterproof layer already sewn in, to fitteds and the basic prefolds that still need a cover. Moms and dads have price options from the more expensive commercial diapers like BumGenius or Fuzzibunz to more reasonable handmade diapers from a mom on HyenaCart.com. I've been lucky enough to sample just about every kind for both girls.

For Josie, we experimented with cloth when she was 14 months old. I had looked into pocket diapers like Fuzzibunz or BumGenius when I was pregnant with her, but decided not to do it because daycare wouldn't use them. After she was a year old, we were desperate for a solution to her constantly waking up at night with a leaky diaper. Prefolds to the rescue! As much as Trenton hated switching to cloth diapers, I think he was glad to not be waking up at 3 am to change the crib sheets anymore.

A 16 month old Josie showing off her All-in-one Nana's Bottoms diaper


When I was pregnant with Georgie, it was only natural to immediately start out with cloth diapers for her. After a few weeks with a stubborn umbilical stump that wouldn't heal, we finally were able to get her into her tiny prefolds. We became pros at folding and snapping the diaper in place that we forgot how to use a disposable diaper on vacation when she was two months old. She's now big enough to use the pockets and all-in-ones that Josie used now that she's completely potty trained, which are even easier to put on.

4 week old Georgie in a prefold with snappi


5 week old Georgie in a TK Cuddler pocket diaper


Laundry is really a breeze for the diapers. I just dump my dirty diapers in the washer, do a short cold wash without detergent, a hot wash with detergent, rinse, and rinse again. Most everything goes in the dryer, although I do like to line dry my covers and pockets to keep them lasting longer. The elastic around the legs and in the back really contains the baby poop so I don't have to scrub poop off her clothes anymore.

Last month I even gave up disposable wipes. I have tons of baby wash cloths that I wasn't using so they became my wipes. I also stitched up a few double sided flannel wipes from material I had in my fabric collection. I use a little peri bottle with wipes solution (drop of Aveeno baby wash, 8 oz water, and tablespoon of baking soda) to squirt on my wipes when I need it.

With cloth, I'm doing my part for the environment, saving a bunch of money, and I can't resist the cute little fluffy bum.