Cloth Diapers for Beginners by a Beginner - Part 4

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)


Lets talk money!

So I used pretty cheap disposable diapers... Target brand.

They averaged 16 cents a diaper.

That is a club pack - on sale.

Currently Eva gets a diaper change about 6 - 7 times a day.

I am not sure where this lies in the scale for other toddlers, but that is average for us.   

 As a newborn it was about 12 to 14 times a day.  

Then around 6 months or so it was 8 to 10 diaper changes a day.

Based on 30 day months - here is the average cost for us:

14 to 12 diapers a day: $67 to $57 a month

10 to 8 diapers a day: $48 to $38 a month

6 diapers a day: $29 a month

$67 a month at the high end to $29 a month at the low end.

Starting out with a newborn...

I would want to have enough diapers for 12 diaper changes a day...
with time to wash and dry diapers.

That would mean I would want at least 24 inserts and 8 shells.

A Flip day pack, that comes with 6 inserts and 2 shells is $50.

To get the target amount - 4 Flip Day Packs for a total of $200.

This is the regular price - not a sale price and they do go on sale.

Extra inserts are $16 for a 3 pack or $9 for an "imperfect" 3 pack.

So a few extra would be nice in case you hit that 14 diaper changes a day mark.

That works out to...

Low end - 6 diapers a day = 7 months of disposables.

High end - 14 diapers day = 3 months of disposables.

This all depends on the diaper.

The cost of Gro-via and BumGenious 4.0 diapers would be higher.

The cost for Econobums would be lower.

Adding boosters or doublers would be things you would add as baby grew.
Also, since you would have extra inserts as diaper changes went down,
you could double insets for nap or bed time

Right now...

 I don't have that many Flip diapers...

but with my Gro-via and Flip purchases, I have spent around $330.

If you excluded the ruining of 1/2 my Gro-via diaper stash...

I would have only spent about $215 for what I use now - diapers and accessories.

That includes wet bags, doublers, sprayer, diaper safe detergent and cloth diaper safe cream.

I did purchase both the Gro-via and Flips on sale.

Eva is 26 months old... 

and although she has shown interest in the potty - it is a few months away.

At this point I have broke even and moved into saving money.

I did not start cloth diapers from the beginning or even early on...

if I had it would be a gigantic money savings.

I will be saving all that money again when Deedle comes along.

I plan to add some more diapers as we get closer #2 arriving.

But the ones I have used for Eva, will work for the little one as well.

Aside from the cost savings, there have been these benefits...

Eva rarely has a diaper rash, and when she does it is barely there
...before it was a constant battle.

We produce a lot less trash.

No more runs to Target just to get diapers and leaving with a lot more than that...

(that is another HUGE money saver for me - seriously!)

I love how the bright covers look under skirts and dresses...

 so a diaper cover isn't necessary.

I found Charlie's Soap which per load is cheaper than my regular detergent...

and I love it.

Since October...

I have been using one small pack of disposables that we had...

for traveling out of town,
for babysitters and my dad who can barely work a disposable...

 and for nursery care at church/Bible study/MOPS.

I still have 10 or so left.

When those run out...

I am going to try the Flip biodegradable disposable inserts.

Overall - I am really happy with cloth diapering.

I only wish I hade taken the leap sooner.

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

Linking with Simple Lives

Cloth Diapers for Beginners by a Beginner - Part 3

(Part 1 and Part 2)

The extras...

Aside from the diapers, here are the other things I use and love.

Charlie's Soap
This soap was the second I tried.
I first tried Rockin Green and liked it but it had a pretty strong smell.
Then I tried Charlie's - mainly because a store down the road sold it and it was safe.
It is awesome.
It makes clothes just smell clean.
It gets out wicked stains - fruit punch from a white quilt - for example.
I have used it as a pre-soak/stain treatment on regular laundry.
I like it so well that when our normal detergent is out, I am switching to using all the time.
I use a half of the tiny scoop for a load of diapers, and a full scoop for regular laundry loads.
You can find Charlie's Soap here.

Baby Bum Drops
I figured that since I was using cloth diapers, I would try cloth wipes.
I found these drops that you dissolve in water.
You can fill a wipes container and have them pre-moistened...
but I have found it easy just to use a spray bottle.
I spay the cloth wipe or directly onto Eva if I want her to giggle.
I carry a tiny travel spray bottle in the diaper bag with some wipes.
I wash the wipes with the diapers.
You can find the Baby Bum Drops here.

Wipes
I made cloth wipes from thrifted flannel receiving blankets.
I cut them with pinking shears and then put a quick zig-zag stitch around the edges.
There are plenty of wipes out there you can buy too.
We still use some regular disposable diaper wipes...
Michael isn't a fan of the cloth ones...
 and when we are out and about with ice cream faces and stick hands...
the regular diaper wipes are still really handy.

GroVia Magic Stick
Eva is a rashy baby.
Her skin turns red in an instant.
Although, cloth diapers have solved so many of our rash problems...
she still will get a little red sometimes.
Especially after eating fruits.
This diaper stick was the only one that I tried since going to cloth.
It has worked great and lasted a long time.
It has a herbal fragrance that I like, but it is different.
 I love the application.
Cap off, swipe it on the bum and cap back on.  No messy mom/dad hands.
You can find the GroVia Magic Stick here.

Wet Bags
I have three.
We don't use a pail for our diapers, just because it takes up room we don't have.
I use one bag at home, one in the diaper bag and then one back-up for washing.
I already had a Planet Wise wet bag from my baby shower.
I received a GroVia Wet Bag as a free gift when ordering my first round of diapers.
I like both, but I bought a second GroVia bag when I decided it would be good to have a back-up.
The Planet Wise has a zipper, where the GroVia is a drawstring.
The GroVia was cheaper and that is was the decision maker when I decided to pick up a third.
You can find the Planet Wise Bag here and the GroVia Bag here.

Diaper Sprayer
This is a sprayer that attaches to the side of your toilet.
It makes spraying off dirty diapers easy-peasy.
I installed it myself in 10 minutes with normal tools.
I have used it to spray out Eva's potty chair.
I used it the other day when cleaning the toilet.
I have read that it works great for moms during post delivery care also.
It hangs on the side of our toilet, and most people never know it is there.
You can find the one I bought here.

The BIG Disclaimer...
I am still really new at this.
I know no one in my real life that used cloth diapers.

I have never used cloth diapers on a newborn...
although I will in a few months.

But, I just figured that I would share what we are doing.

First of all, because I was so overwhelmed with all the choices out there.
SO many people on the internet used SO many different things.
There are AIO's, Hybrids, Pre-folds, Wool...
it goes on and on.

When I read about someone online...
it seemed like they had a HUGE stash of so many different diapers.
They like this kind for this reason and that kind for that another.

I realize how it happens now.
They used what they were given, what they bought, and what they found for a great deal.
Some of the diaper sites give you a free insert or diaper when you spend so much.
Before long you have a one of these and one of those.

Secondly, I hadn't found anyone online that was starting out with an older baby.
Most people started out registering when they were pregnant.
They received a mix from people as gifts and decided on what worked for them early on.

The best advice I can give anyone really wanting to try cloth...
and is paralyzed with starting like I was...

Buy a few and use them with what you regularly use right now.
You don't have to go 100% cloth starting tomorrow.

Also, read the diapers instructions carefully...
before you buy and after.
Silly me.

Aside from the detergent to wash them...
you don't need anything special just to try a few.

Use a ziplock as a wet bag if you don't have one.
Use them on a day your are home so you don't have to worry about being out and about.
Find a store that sells a selection of diapers and take a look.

We have a store near us and I didn't go...
until after I made my first big purchase.
The people working there were so knowledgeable and I could have learned a lot.

You could end up hating the diapers I like.
You could know someone that uses something great.
You could try cloth and hate them all together.

But if you are curious...
just give a shot.

Here are some places that I read just to get an idea of what there is...
Diaper Junction
Simple Mom
The Nurtured Family

In Part 4...
I am going to share the money part of cloth diapering.

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 4)

Cloth Diapers for Beginners by a Beginner - Part 2

SO...

I left off where I ruined half our diapers.

(For part one go here.)

I knew what I loved and what was annoying.

So I started searching.

And I was feeling really stupid for not reading directions...

wasting diapers and money.

I hate wasting money.

I searched and read and read some more.

I ended up deciding on the Flip system.

I started with the day pack to try them out.

I loved them, Michael loved them.

We went back for more.

Right now I am using 2 day packs.

Knowing that we had a heavy wetter...

I also researched solutions for that and found the Thirsies Hemp Inserts.

Love those guys too.

For nap, bedtime, car rides and long trips 

I put the Thirsties insert/booster under the Flip Stay-Dry insert and it does wonders.

The great...

The Flip system is really economical.

You can wipe out the inside of the cover or completely wash it out and it dries in no time.

I thought since the insert just sits in the cover that the inserts would move around a lot...

not the case.

Once the diaper is on - things have never slipped.

We have had one leak since since using them...

and it was after a cup of juice, a huge cup of water and some of grandma's soda.

The inserts dry a lot faster than the Gro-via.

You can use pre-folds in the Flip covers too.

You can wash the covers and insert in hot water.

They also recommend using bleach once a month on the inserts...

I haven't done this - but the fact that I can makes me comfortable with their durability.

The not so great...

So far there isn't much.

Aside from having to use the Thirsties as a booster...

which I think we would be needing regardless
these are great.

We also tried the Econobum Diaper System.

It was cheaper to buy a trial of the Econobum Diapers and get free shipping on an order I placed.

I really like them too.

Their inserts aren't as absorbant as the Flip's 

and a little more bulky because they are pre-folds.

But we use their covers and inserts interchangeably with the Flips.

They are really economical and a great choice.

I also have one BumGenius 4.0.

It is a great diaper.

But when it is dirty - you have to wash the whole thing.

Price wise...

the cost is quite a lot more than the Flip.

If I were to start from scratch...

I would have just bought the Flip system.

Not that the Gro-Via is bad.

Just that for us, simpler is better.

Right now, I am looking at getting more Flip inserts.

And going to only using the Gro-via when I don't have time to wash a load of diapers.

Part 3 to come...

with the accessories and some other things I have learned long the way.

(Part 1, Part 3, Part 4)

Cloth Diapers for Beginners by a Beginner - Part 1

So, we started using cloth diapers after Eva turned one.

When she was born, we were in a one bedroom apartment.

We only had a coin-op laundry in the basement of the building.

So washing cloth diapers when laundry was already a huge pain wasn't happening.

Then we moved, and had our own washer and dryer.

I thought about it for a long time...

but I knew no one personally that cloth diapered and was really overwhelmed.

Finally, one day I just did it.

One of the diaper systems I had been thinking about went on a great sale...
 And I jumped.

Head first.

Now that it has been a while and I have learned a lot...

I thought I would share what we learned and what we love.

I am not expert or even a seasoned cloth diaper user.
But I love them more than I thought, and wished I would have done it a lot sooner.

I first bought Grow-Via diapers and inserts.
We use the snap covers and the stay-dry inserts.  

I also used their boosters for nap and bed time.

The great...

They are really easy to use... even for grandma and grandpa.

I love that the inserts snapped in and stayed in place.

Reusing the covers was great - less diapers to buy.
The covers are soft and pretty.
The inserts were slim and contoured between the legs.
Staining has been very minimal.
A good dry in the sunshine and I think the faint stains would disappear.
Diaper rash almost completely disappeared since we switched from disposable.
The covers dry quickly - I have hand washed a few and they dry in an hour or so.
I have made my money back and then some with not buying disposable diapers.
Our trash load is at least half if not a third of what it used to be...
all those diapers not in the landfill.

I started with 8 covers and 14 inserts.

That was plenty to only wash diapers every 2 or 3 days.

The not so great...

As Eva started drinking a lot more, I had to use boosters for every diaper change.

Messy diapers were really messy - overflowing the insert onto the cover.
The liners have mesh insides and mess got stuck down in the mesh.

The washing recommendations said to use only warm water.  

It bothered me not to wash at least the inserts in hot water.
Drying the inserts takes a long time...
on medium heat it takes an hour and 45 minutes.
Line drying inside takes over 24 hours.

The bad...
I made some big mistakes.
I didn't read the instructions carefully.
I soaked a few covers and inserts in Oxiclean.
Yeah, that will ruin them... and it did.

You shouldn't use Oxiclean on any cloth diapers...
but there again I just dove right into this.
I figured it out when Eva started leaking everywhere.
Then I started reading the instructions carefully.
Ooops.

So, I was down diapers and washing diaper loads everyday.
I went searching for some replacements.

(Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)