A Cloth Diapering Update

We've been at this cloth diapering mumbo-jumbo for ten days now. I figured it was time for an update!

You can read my first post from the other week about deciding whether or not we wanted to take the daunting cloth diapering path. After many suggestions and tips from friends and readers, I am so happy we took the plunge! So, first and foremost, thank you for all of your feedback!

Here is the rundown of our cloth diapering system:

-We use Gerber prefolds during the day and around the house. Originally, I exclusively wanted to use Kawaii diapers, but found that I don't love the way the microfiber insert holds onto smell moreso than basic cotton prefolds. Also, it is a bit pricey buying an entire stash for 2 days worth, and we are slowly working our way up to that. Right now we have 4 pairs of the bumGenius 4.0 and use them for overnight or when going out, because they do hold an astronomical size of pee when using both the newborn and adjustable insert. Being on the every other day wash cycle, 4 pairs seem to be doing the trick for overnight diapering.

-Our prefold routine needs its own paragraph, so here it goes. I prefer the Gerber 3-ply prefolds because they have a plush, thick center fold, which is much more absorbent than a basic flat-fold cloth diaper. We rotate between 20 cloth diapers (2 packs of 10, which is about $24) being on the every other day washing cycle. Since Luke is now a toddler, we use the bikini twist fold. It fits him the best and soaks up the urine and bowels because of the twist. We use Snappis to fasten the diapers and Dappi nylon covers. Luke weighs about 28 lbs, so we get a size large for him. The nylon covers can seem a bit poofy at first (Matt calls them Luke's Roman emperor underwear) but they fit well with clothes and are $5 for a pack of two, and we rotate off of 6 pairs. Sold!

-My sweet reader and blog friend, Bri, told me all about disposable diaper liners. Let me tell you that they make the poop side of cloth diapering a snap! I've been using Bumkins Flushable Liners and love them so far. You literally just peel it off into the toilet and flush. I was concerned at first that I'd be spending unnecessary money on these because there are only 100 in a box, but Luke's bowel schedule is pretty much like clockwork, so I know exactly at which diaper change to use them, therefore preventing wasteful liner usage. Oh, the strange knowledge we mamas acquire! Didn't ever think a poo schedule would be on my list of things to note.

-The dreaded washing schedule. This was the part that most concerned me about cloth diapering, but it is actually my favorite part. I love seeing all the muck and yuck come clean! Since I religiously wash every other day, the ammonia and stench doesn't build up as it might if I washed the diapers less frequently. I personally prefer to rinse both the urine and poop diapers after changes as well. I think it makes them wash up much better, especially the pocket diaper microfiber inserts. I know they make special dry pails and wet pails and yadda, yadda, yadda, but I use our Diaper Genie and it works just dandy. We do not use the diaper sprayer that attaches to the toilet because we have a detachable shower head that reaches the toilet and theoretically does the same thing (three cheers for living in a tiny condo!). And again, the flushable liners cut out a lot of the mess. For detergent I use the fragrance-free Babyganics Loads of Love. It is completely natural and plant-based, HE compatible, and free of all the softeners and brighteners and all that shtuff that sticks to your diapers and ends up wearing them down making them wreak over time (especially the pocket diapers). I always do a quick prewash on cold, followed by a hot wash with detergent and an extra rinse cycle. The pocket diaper covers hang dry, and the rest of it gets thrown in the dryer on low tumble dry. And that is it! Sounds more time-consuming than it actually is, and the diapers are so fresh and so clean, clean!

-We do still keep disposables on hand and use them if we are going out for an extended amount of time, but have managed to use cloth diapers 90% of the time. And can I tell you how good it feels not to be throwing out mounds of diapers every day and going through piles of boxes? It is pretty spectacular -- environmentally and fiscally!

And that's the skinny on our cloth diapering routine! As for the price of everything, here is the financial breakdown (please note I am not an accountant, I hate exact numbers and I rounded everything up to the next dollar amount, so I guess this makes it a close ballpark figure, and isn't down to the exact penny... but you get the idea):

One-time cost:

-2 packs of 10 Gerber 3-ply prefold cloth diapers: $24

-1 pack of Snappi diaper fasteners: $9

-3 packs of 2 Dappi nylon pants: $15

-12 Kawaii one size pocket cloth diapers: $60 (they are only $5 each if you buy them during a sale!) 

One-time total: $120

Monthly costs:

-1 box of Bumkins flushable liners (purchased every 2 months): $9 ($4.50 per month)

-1 64 load bottle of Babyganics detergent (purchased every 2 months): $15 ($7.50 per month)

-Additional cost of water: $7.50

-Disposable diapers (use roughly 30 per month): $6

-Wipes: $3

Monthly total: $28.50

Considering we used to spend around $60 a month, it has cut our diapering cost in half and will only take 4 months to make back what we spent in the initial start up of cloth diapering. And once the little guy gets here, the monthly savings amount will be a heckuvah lot higher (like $120!) since we all know how much newborn disposables cost (yikes)!

And now my brain officially hurts and I am leaving. If you made it this far, I hope you found this informative and helpful if you too are on the switch to cloth diapering or plan to cloth diaper your future adorable cherub babies. Hurrah!