"cloth diaper" is a verb

**I want to share a disclaimer about my last cloth diaper post. I am fortunate that I am able to stay home with Mac and Paisley, and that makes cloth diapering a reasonable undertaking for us. When we travel or I go out for long periods of time, I put M and P in disposables for the convenience. Disposable diapers are certainly more convenient, but we are committed to using cloth. Please do not feel that I stand in judgement of anyone who chooses to use disposables. Thanks for hearing me out. :o)

Our CD necessities...

Fortunately, I have had friends enter into the CD world before me, and they have been great support both before I began and now that we are almost 5 months into this journey. I am able to ask questions, get feedback, and gain second hand experience. My CD support group has been such an important part of our CD success. Thank you, friends, especially Becca and Kristina. Also, I use a CD facebook page to post questions, and there are tons of moms out there willing to help.

To start, we installed diaper sprayers in two of our bathrooms. These are like kitchen sprayers that connect to the toilet water system. When a diaper has more than urine, we spray any solids into the toilet, and flush it away! You have to deal with poo regardless of what type of diaper you use... 

Next we put the diaper in a wet/dry bag. The bag has a zipper for dry diapers and a separate part for dirty diapers. This bag keeps odors down, and we can easily throw it in the washer to clean. 

 

To wash the diapers, we use Rockin' Green. There are several detergents that CD moms use, but we have always used the RnG and been happy. We also throw in the ammonia bouncer from time to time to keep away any odors. 

Biokleen is also good to get out any organic stains... and it is CD friendly. 

We have a drying rack for the diapers. I prefer for them to dry in the sun because the sun bleaches out stains. If you don't believe me, try wetting what needs bleached, and put it in the sun. The UV rays naturally bleach the product to bright white again! It's why our diapers still look brand new too. 

Any products (creams or lotions) we put on M and P also needs to be CD friendly. It's important to only use products recommended for CD because it prevents build up on the diapers, and build up can cause issues. 

Do you use any products you'd recommend with your CD??

Happy CDing!! Please ask if you have questions!

-ashley

Why We Cloth Diaper

I'm doing it.... starting my post(s) on cloth diapering. It's been my intention to write about this since the beginning of the blog, but I haven't been disciplined enough to sit and actually get to it. I've asked what you want to know, and here's what I've been told...

- Why we chose to cloth diaper

- What it takes to get started

- Where do I get diapers

- Which diaper brands I use and prefer

- Anything else that I can think of :o)

Economics. We chose to cloth diaper because it is economical, and with twins, the amount of diapers we would use before they are potty trained is incredible. I change diapers at least 5 times a day per child equaling a minimum of 10 diapers per day, 70 per week. If M and P were in disposable, size one diapers, I would get a box of 192 for $47.99 from Babies R Us. That box would maybe last us 2 1/2 weeks. As the diaper size gets bigger, the amount of diapers in a box decreases, though the cost remains relatively the same. Let's say that M and P were in size 1 diapers for 6 months (which is highly unlikely since infants double their birth weight by 4 months)... We would spend roughly $465.96 in six months. For me, if I'm going to commit to spending that kind of money, I want to have something to show for it, which brings me to my next 'why'. Click here to read more.

Investment. Cloth diapers are an investment. There is an up front cost but then you're finished. Sure, I will add a new diaper here and there, but not because we need it (yet), but because I may want to try a new brand or get a new fabric. (Have you seen these diapers? They are SO cute) 

Health. Even in "sensitive" disposables, there are lists of chemicals that are unnatural. (Click here to read more about the chemicals.) Bottom line, if it isn't from nature, it's probably not good on your skin or in your body. Cloth diapers are free from chemicals and lead, and since M and P are prone to outbreaks, it's comforting to know I'm diapering them in something that isn't going to irritate their delicate skin. 

Green. We recycle, and I try to respect the environment in which M and P will grow and inherit. I don't drive an electric car, and I don't plan on going that route. However, it is an added bonus that the diapers we go through aren't ending up in landfills where they don't decompose. 

There's plenty more where this came from, but I will break it up so you'll keep reading. 

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, y'all!!!

-ashley