The much anticipated cloth diaper post

Once people learn that I use cloth diapers on Sammy, they almost always ask, "So, how are those working out for you?" And the answer is a resounding very, very well. I honestly couldn't be happier with them and barring a few minor user errors, they've been virtually problem free.

Sammy wears Fuzzi Bunz one size pocket diapers, which means that (hopefully) these will be the only diapers that he will need through potty training...unless of course he turns out to be some sort of baby giant, but so far so good. Plus I should be able to use them on any additional kids that come our way in the future. How did I pick these diapers from all of the others currently on the market? To be perfectly honest, the name is what initially attracted me to this particular brand. Once I started researching the diaper's features, such as the adjustable leg and waist bands and snap-front closures (velcro + poop = ew), I was convinced that these were the right ones for me.

The up-front cost of cloth diapers are a bit on the pricey side (especially if you purchase the recommended eighteen or so to start), but when you weigh their one-time cost against the repeated expense of disposable diapers, it starts to make a lot of financial sense (not to mention the ecological benefits). And if you are certain that cloth diapering is the way you want to go, you can always do what I did, which was to register for them and inform all of my friends and family that diapers were what we really wanted/needed for the baby.

As far as their absorbency, I don't really have much to compare them to as Sammy's been in cloth from the day he arrived home from the hospital. As far as I'm concerned they do a fine job of containing everything--I've only had one incident in which a diaper explosion was not 100% contained, which I think is pretty good all things considered. Sammy's an especially heavy wetter at night, so I've been double-stuffing his diaper and that seems to take care of things well enough that Sammy doesn't wake up in the middle of the night crying because he's wet.

Storing the dirty diapers and cleaning them are pretty much a breeze, too. I bought a step can like this (a lidded trash can is imperative if you're trying to keep odor under control) and use waterproof bin liners; when it's time to wash the diapers, all you have to do is remove the bin liner and turn it inside out as you dump the diapers into the washer--you never have to touch a dirty diaper! I have two liners on hand so that I can rotate them while one is in the bin and the other is drying. Another must-have if you're going the cloth diaper route is a couple of waterproof wet bags for the diaper bag; these zipper shut, which keeps all of the nasty stuff (and smells) from escaping while you're out and about.

Now for the actual cleaning of the diapers; this is where things can get a little tricky because certain detergents can actually cause the diapers to repel moisture, which you don't want happening. I use Charlie's Soap Powder, which was actually one of the detergents recommended by the diaper manufacturer--I figured better safe than sorry. This is where my minor user error came into play; at first, I used one tablespoon of the powder when I really should have been using half of that. The extra soap in the diapers wound up irritating Sammy's sensitive skin, giving him a nasty diaper rash. Fortunately it cleared up rather quickly once I remedied the soap situation and he hasn't had a single rash since. In addition to the Charlie's Soap I also add a scoop or two of OxiClean Baby, which helps with those stubborn stains that would normally fade on their own after a day drying in the sun. I then hang the diapers up to dry overnight so I have a supply of clean diapers ready to go the next day.

So there you have it; I'm quite pleased with how cloth diapering has gone so far and I'm more than happy to answer any questions if you'd like to learn more!