Now that we’ve been cloth diapering Zachary for about SEVEN
weeks, and he’s SEVEN months old, I wanted to do a series of posts about our
switch to cloth diapers. Hence, today is the first day of SEVEN DAYS OF DIAPERS
here at All Things Ng!
One of the things that I’d thought a lot about before
Zachary was born was cloth diapering. We had used disposables for Abby, mainly
because I was still working at the time and daycare required disposable diapers.
(In truth, I didn’t know much about cloth diapering either…) Knowing that I
would be home with the kids after Zach was born, Carey and I discussed cloth
diapering and decided that we’d like to try it.
I was super excited to get started, but I had no idea what
to do first. The amount of information out there is overwhelming. Thankfully, I
received good advice and was directed to a few helpful websites. Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom’s Guide to
Modern Cloth Diapering, written by Kelly Wels, is an excellent resource, from
explaining the different types of cloth diapers to how to care for your diapers
to listing the different accessories that will make your diapering experience
easier.
Not knowing where to start, I ordered several different styles and brands of diapers. (Ask Carey – he’ll probably tell you that I went a bit overboard. I couldn’t help myself. There are so many different styles and so many cute dipes – I couldn’t resist!) At first, I wanted to try a bunch of different styles because I wanted to figure out what worked for Zach. I’d rather purchase a trial pack of a brand/style of diaper and then, if I don’t like it, I’m only out a small amount of money, rather than being out a large amount of money for purchasing an entire diapering system only to find that it leaks…
I purchased prefolds, all-in-two diapers, pocket diapers, hybrid diapers, and fitted diapers, in addition to a few diapers that I wanted to test specifically for nighttime use. Throughout this week, I’ll give my opinions on these diapers, including, and most importantly, how well they worked on Zachary, how they fit, how easy they are to use and care for, and any features that I liked or did not like. I’ll also share some information regarding accessories that I purchased and some of the places I purchase my diapers.
I do want to start out the week by saying that cloth
diapering is really much easier than I thought it would be. I was prepared to
do more laundry and knew I would have to deal with poopy diapers, but now that
I have my system down, I can honestly say that using cloth diapers is not much
more work than using disposables. The amount of time it takes to change a
diaper on a squirmy 7-month old is not that different with a cloth diaper than
it is with a disposable. And, in an unexpected but pleasant side effect, I’ve
found that the water-proof covers mask the smell of poopy diapers. With
disposables, we could smell Zach from across the room, and now, I often don’t
know he pooped unless I see his “poopy face.”
Another helpful tip that I wanted to pass along is viewing
diaper videos on YouTube. Because we had so many different brands of diapers
that we planned to try, I wanted to be sure that I understood how to put each
diaper on Zach, how to get a fit that wouldn’t leak, and how to properly fasten
the diapers. Some brands, including itti bitti and bummis, have their own
YouTube channels, so you can see the correct way to fit your diapers and ensure
that you have the proper fit to prevent leaks. There are also hundreds
(thousands? ten of thousands?) of videos with “real people” putting diapers on
their kiddos. (When I ordered my Snappi, it was great to see it in use. The
photo that I’m going to post tomorrow is my very first go at using a Snappi on
Zach. I got better with each use, but I think my first go wasn’t too shabby,
thanks to seeing other moms using it on their little ones!) So, I would
definitely suggest checking out YouTube, either before you purchase new diapers
or afterward, to see them in use.
I hope you’ll join us back on All Things Ng tomorrow for a
post on prefolds!
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