Way back when my little one was but a twinkle in my eye, I had visions of what an idyllic mom I'd be: I'd make all the baby cothes, push her in a vintage buggy, and use cloth diapers. Well, know that she's here, the real world has limited my beautiful visions. Like making her baby clothes? Ha! I barely have time to DRESS myself! The lovely vintage pram idea? Uhhhh, have you seen the sidewalks in North Minneapolis? Let alone the space it would take up in the Honda! My word.
One of my baby dreams, however, has proved to be not only possible- but practical! Cloth Diapering, of course. Now at first I was totally freaked out when I started doing research. I trolled page after page of "how to's" and was totally overwhelmed. There is this whole cloth diaper culture out there, with it's lingo and crazy crazy options, and a million different opinions n how to wash them. I almost chickened out when I read about how I was supposed to spray and dunk poopy diapers in the toilet before washing. What???? I mean have you seen my toilet? I'd rather dip them in acid before swishing them around that germ hole. Anyway- after months of repeat visits to Green Mountain Diapers.com, I finally decided to test the waters. Now at this time, my little one was already here, seeing as she came early, and we were using disposables in the tinest preemie size. By the time we got to cloth she was past the pooping after every feeding phase, thank god! So here is what I have found:
Cloth appealed to me because I was expecting it to be cheap. WRONG! You can get very lost in all the different options, some of which are very pricey. An all-in one diaper (like a washable disposable) can be $20 each! The cheapest option is called a prefold- the old fashioned square diapers that you pin, or use a velcro wrap with. This is the route I chose, because you get a dozen for about $17. However, you still need the expensive diaper covers if you ever want to have a dry lap again. This is again where it gets complicated as there are about a thousand different kinds/ sizes/ and price ranges. I have tried the following brands: Bummis Super Whisper, Bummis Original, Pro Wrap, Lite Wrap, and Thirsties. My favorite by far are the Thirsties, even though it took a while for my baby to be big enough to fit the x Small size. These are the covers I will be using from now on. My runner up was the Bummis Original, which had a nice fit and was easy to use. Total pass on the Pro-wraps and the Lite Wrap, and the Bummis Super Whisper just felt too stiff and unyeilding. So, now onto the washing part:
Heres the deal- I hate laundry, so I had to find the most simple and effective wash routine. This is what I do-
1. Wash with soap on COLD for the longest cycle.
2. Wash again with soap on HOT for the longest cycle.
3. Wash again on cold without soap.
4. Dry!
I do not dunk the poops, since I breastfeed I read you can just toss them in- so I do. The end
