** Cloth Diapering **

When we found out we were pregnant, we were nervous. So excited since we had wanted another baby, but caught off guard since we had just decided to wait since we had moved && were unemployed. Living off of our savings, yet needed to prepare for the little one on the way. So of course looking for a solution to the cost of a baby, I started looking into ways to cut corners on expenses. This led me to cloth diapers. I know what you're thinking, " Ew, gross! No way!" But I have to tell you, I am sooo thrilled that we decided to do it! I absolutely love them! There are all sorts of different types of cloth diapers these days; all in ones, pockets && inserts (they type I am using), pre-folds with covers, then of course the traditional with rubber pants. I will be honest, cloth diapering does cost money up front, but in the long run, you are saving hundreds! Not to mention, with the pocket diapers that we are using, we never have to buy again once we got a full set! Just a little more incentive to use cloth - an average baby puts on average ONE TON worth of diapers into the landfill in a year! That's just crazy if you ask me!


A full set of diapers is considered between twenty to twenty-four diapers. Right now we only have twenty. We wanted to make sure we had enough for a set, but wanted to be able to buy pink ones if we had a girl. (= We use Katy did Cloth Pocket Diapers. They are awesome! She runs a newer company so right now she only offers four colors. Sage, Melon, Twilight && Berry. We bought only three colors, leaving out the berry pink since we didn't know we were having a girl. Now of course, we plan to buy a few && if she chooses to come out with more colors or prints, I'm sure we'll buy more just for variety, or even just to have a few extra. These diapers fit babies from 8 to 35 lbs! They're wonderful! They come with newborn inserts as well as a full size that snaps to adjust with your growing baby! You can use both inserts at night time for extra absorbency (the one on Cameryn in photo is double stuffed for bedtime). So far we haven't had any leaks && honestly, it's no messier than disposables!

Now when you use cloth diapers there are a few rules. When you wash your diapers, you need to use a detergent that has NO additives in it. Also, you shouldn't use fabric softeners or dryer sheets since they make the material water resistant instead of absorbing && wicking away the moisture. So of course the companies that make detergents for diapers are crazy expensive. So since I'm being resourceful about using cloth diapers, I might as well work out a way to save money on my detergent to wash them right?? Well I did. I made my own!! Here are the recipe && directions to make it if you're interested:

1 bar Fels Naptha 

2 cups washing soda

2 cups borax powder 

 -- You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size --

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.  Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.  Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  You use ½ cup per load.

PS- It doesn't make a solid gel - it's like a runny gel so don't worry when it's not solid. (= && It's low sudsy - meaning it won't bubble too much so don't worry about that either LOL. I hope you like it!

Then of course there is all the loads of laundry that you're running right? If you only have twenty diapers like we do, you have to do a load every-other-day in order to not run out of diapers before the ones in the wash are dried. Lots of energy right? Well, not for us! I bought a clothes line, && since we live in the wonderful warm Arizona, it only takes a short while for my diapers to dry outside! The other side to this is, it's popular knowledge that sun drying your diapers removes even year old stains from them! So not only am I saving energy, I'm killing more germs && keeps the stains away! (=

Where do you put your diapers when they're soiled..? I used a diaper genie when Paetin was little. I still have this, but the idea of shoving a cloth diaper into one, and then having to empty it into the laundry just wasn't working for me. I still put my wipes in there && toss the liner when it's full, but I use something much easier for my diapers. I have a Planet Wise Hanging Wet/Dry bag. I put the diapers in and then just dump in out into the wash when it's time. They're not only useful, but they have some really cute prints so it's even fine to just have them out in sight. I want to get a small one for my diaper bag eventually, but of course that'll be down the road from here. 

Another recommended thing for cloth diapered babies, is naked time. Really, it's good for ALL babies; cloth or disposable diapered if you ask me! So what do you do, put blankets or towels under them? You could, but they leak. At least they all did when Paetin was little. We found what's called Neckie Blankets online..but they're expensive. So we figured we'd give it a go && try to make them on our own. (= The originals have a removable insert that snaps into place so they dry faster.. but I'm not that nifty. Mine is just all one piece. I have a fleece top to pull any wetness away, two flannel layers inside to absorb any moisture, and PUL on the back to keep any liquid from leaking through onto the floor (or my bed if I have her in there). I also used this under me at night in the first couple weeks of nursing. This way if I was laying next to her while nursing or even just sleeping while engorged, any leaks didn't get onto my bedding. It was such a laundry saver. I have to tell you, one night I didn't have it, I had to change the sheets in the middle of the night - Boo! )= So this is great for naked time, or just to have under them during tummy time if they drool or spit up.. 

So far we are loving the cloth diapers! && we're encouraging others to give them a try too! Cameryn seems to like them, which is good since we've already bought them all!