Experimenting and Expanding

As annoying as it was at the time I am now very grateful that Garrett grew out of his infant sized prefolds three weeks ago and that the place I order them from was out of stock. It has forced me to try new things and expand my horizons.

Don't get me wrong, the prefold/cover system was working wonderfully and in many ways I miss it, a lot, but it certainly isn't the only tool in the toolbox.

Let's recap on the pros and cons of prefolds and covers for a moment. While prefolds and covers are the absolute cheapest route a cloth diapering mother can take, they are not the quickest. They do require folding and pinning (or snappi-ing) and then the cover to be placed over them. Some find them a little to involved, especially on a squirmy baby. However, again, they are cheap, they wash and dry quickly and when the baby has grown out of them they make excellent burp clothes, wipes, changing station covers, hand towels, rags, and anything else you might want to use them for. It is also nice to be able to just grab one out of the drier without having to do anything extra with it and throw it on your baby. I've also liked them for putting on the baby in between the time I take his clothes off for a bath and when I actually put him in the water. It keeps me from having to clean up pee off my kitchen floor (like that one time) and I don't feel like I'm wasting a whole diaper between the changing station and the kitchen sink or bath tub. I will certainly continue using prefolds for all the reasons listed above.

But since Garrett grew out of the size we had for him and the place I buy them from is out of stock until the first week of March I either needed to buy a cheaper quality prefold (which I refuse to do), put him in disposables (which I also refuse to do unless ABSOLUTELY necessary) or try something else for awhile.

While we were pretty much exclusively putting Garrett in prefolds and covers we did have a few BumGenius One-Size (OS) pocket diapers. I used them on a very limited basis and was neither here nor there on my preference for them. However, because I got a pretty good discount on them at work I went ahead and bought a couple more and started using them almost exclusively.

Garrett in a BumGenius.

They are almost as close to disposables as you can get. Already stuffed and waiting you can diaper a baby just as fast as you could if he was in disposables. Not stuffed and waiting, however, you have to snap them, stuff them and then put them on which can take longer than a prefold and cover. However, because they are pockets and inserts they wash completely clean and dry quickly. That and you can stuff them as thick as you think you need. The synthetic pocket liner pulls moisture away from the baby leaving him feeling dry as well.

But night-time started to be a problem. You see, I'm lazy. I'm not getting out of bed at night unless I absolutely have to and this is evidenced by the fact that we co-sleep with Garrett. If he wakes up to nurse I roll over, get him latched and I'm asleep again in less than a minute. There's no way I'm getting out of my warm bed to change his diaper if he's not bothered by it. Yet I seemed to be waking in little puddles of baby pee (good thing we bought that waterproof mattress pad to protect the mattress). I tried stuffing his diaper thicker but nothing-doing he kept leaking out of the pocket diapers.

The problem is that the absorbent insert sits inside a pocket made of polyurethane laminate (PUL) which is a fabric that has been heat-treated on one side with a layer of polyurethane to waterproof that fabric. Once the absorbent insert is saturated the liquid has nowhere to go and drips onto the non-absorbent synthetic/PUL cover and then out of the diaper (this would be the same for disposables and any other diaper as they all have saturation points).

I got up a few times during the night to change him but on the nights I slept through or he didn't wake me I'd still end up with a little pee pool under him (and inevitably on me).

The answer, I determined, was a more absorbent diaper with a higher saturation point and that can hold more liquid. I bought some hemp fitted diapers and when they arrived I was pleased to find that they are super absorbent, but disappointed that they were still too big for my son.

I needed to wait until they were big enough but in the mean time I still had a heavy-wetting, leaky diapered baby in my bed.

Mildly resigned just to deal with it I went back to the store to buy some diapers for a friend and discovered the BumGenius Organic All-In-Ones (AIO). They are still OS diapers that can be adjusted to fit a growing baby but made with three layers of organic cotton. The three separate layers of cotton is important because previously AIO diapers have gotten a bad rap for being hard to clean and taking forever to dry. Some AIO diapers have all of the absorbent layering sewn together causing filth and moisture to get stuck between the layers causing stink, mildew, rashes, yeast, bacteria and all sorts of nasty stuff. When the layers are separate they can be thoroughly washed and more easily dried making them clean and comfortable. The cotton on these AIOs goes right to the edge of the PUL cover to help combat against leaks and because there is no stuffing or pinning this is literally as close to disposables as anyone can get.

BumGenius AIO

They have become my new favorite church diapers. Previously I had people comment on how much they liked the cloth diapers I was using but that they still thought they took too much time. With these I can diaper Garrett just as fast as I could with a disposable the only difference being that I throw the dirty diaper in a wet bag instead of the trash.

Garrett wearing the BumGenius AIO

But... the AIOs still weren't a night time solution because of the waterproofing of the PUL. You see, the organic cotton, though with a higher saturation point, does not keep the baby feeling as dry as the synthetic pocket does and because the PUL does not allow good air flow, sitting in that diaper all night long causes a diaper rash.

And, once again, I'm back to not having a night-time solution and a leaky or red-bottomed baby in the morning.

Investigating diaper covers on the internet I found a store only eight miles from home that sold cloth diaper supplies. The store is less than four months old and is an all natural baby store. It sells things like wooden baby toys, organic, natural-fiber clothes, natural soaps and diapering supplies.

I went up there to check it out and there it was, the item that had been taunting me for months but I simply couldn't bring myself to buy, the wool cover.

For some reason, in the cloth diapering world, wool is the final hurtle to the cloth diapering mother. Every new cloth diaperer reads or hears about wool and backs away carefully content to try anything and everything else before they take it on. I guess it's because it seems like it wouldn't work. But, of course, the mothers who use wool rave about it ceaselessly which should make it more popular but it still remains a hurtle that some will never even try to get over, especially since wool is about twice (or in some cases, three times) as expensive as any other cloth diaper cover you will ever buy.

I had been tempted buy wool for months. The research I had been doing had convinced me that it might just be my answer to the night-time dilemma but I was just not ready to buy it when I hadn't seen it, touched it, or experienced it (other than the wool sweater of my youth that scratched the day-lights out of me).

Wool, to the cloth diapering world, is the magic fiber and simply cannot be duplicated synthetically (that's because no one can do it as good as God can). If it's natural and untreated it is VERY soft. The fibers themselves are made of overlapping scales which, when combined with an oil secreted from sheep called Lanolin, is naturally water resistant. Yet at the very same time, wool is absorbent. Beneath the scaly skin, the core of the wool fiber is porous and can absorb as much as 30% it's own weight. So though it will resist moisture it will also wick away access moisture simultaneously (pretty cool, huh?). It also happens to have natural antibacterial and dirt resistant properties (how, I don't know) that keep it clean for a long time leaving the time between washes blessedly long.

What stops some women is the care of wool. True, you can't just throw it into the washing machine with the rest of your diapers (well, some of it you can, but anyway) and then into the dryer and call it a day. Wool must be hand washed with wool soap and, at times, relanolized. It can sound like a daunting task but when you only have to wash it once a month (sometimes less according to some wool-using mommies) it doesn't seem so bad.

All of those benefits kept running through my head (not to mention that the owner of the store was going on and on about how much she loved her wool cover for her daughter and will never put her in anything else for the night and yada, yada, yada) and I could resist no longer. I spent the money, made the investment and bought the wool.

I took it home, tenderly washed and lanolized it with the samples the lady gave me and was pleasantly surprised as how simple the process was. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

It had to dry for twenty-four hours so I didn't get to use it that night but the next time I was so eager to put Garrett in his new cover I was pushing us all to bed at eight o'clock.

Because you still want the diaper under the cover to absorb as much as possible I put Garrett in a Bamboozle with a hemp doubler. I put the cover on and we all went to bed.

The next morning we woke up and to my wonder, amazement and joy the bed was dry! Garrett's poor diaper was DRIPPING wet but the bed was dry and the wool was still dry to the touch. Best yet, not a speck of red on Garrett's tush. It was as pink and healthy as ever. I was AMAZED, not to mention completely converted!

Garrett's new Aristocrat wool soaker.

I've since been irritating the living fire out of John by raving and raving and raving about wool and shopping for more wool covers to use during the day and for rotating for the times I have to wait the twenty-four hours for my wool cover to dry.

One thing is for certain, however. I will never put him in another diaper for night time until he's potty-trained!

So, there you have it, my good readers. My experimenting with new products and what I have learned. Now if only Green Mountain Diapers would get my prefolds in stock so I can stop experimenting.

The Learning Curve

"So, how's the cloth diapering working out for you?"

It's a question I've gotten quite a few times over the last three weeks and so far the answer has been the same... "Great!"

There have been a few scratches of the head here and there and a few tricks to add to the box, but for the most part it has gone exactly as I expected it would.

However, I'd be remiss in not sharing some of the things I've learned over the last three weeks with those who may be interested in cloth diapering.

First, I want to discuss my husband. I know it seems odd that the first thing I would bring up is a grown man when talking about cloth diapering but oddly enough more people ask how John likes it over how I feel about it. Despite how strange I think that is I'm happy to report that John handles cloth diapering like a pro. And when asked he informed me that while it is a bit more involved in some respects, if you are trying to save money it certainly is the way to go and he has no problem with it.

I think that pretty much sums that up.

Next, I have to mention something that I never really put much thought into before Garrett was born: diaper rash.

If you do a search on diaper rash in cloth vs disposable diapers you will get such varied opinions you'll be lucky to know which way is up. Some say that you get fewer diaper rashes with cloth diapers because there are no added chemicals or gels in the diapers that can irritate your baby's skin. Others say that you get fewer diaper rashes with disposables because the gels keep the baby more dry. And finally there are those in the middle who say it doesn't matter if you use cloth or disposables the chances are good you are going to have to deal with diaper rash at least once in your diapering years.

And we learned that this is true.

About a week ago Garrett came down with his first diaper rash. Now, because the causes and types of rashes are so varied it's hard to pinpoint the exact culprit. It could be food allergies, the diaper, yeast infection, being too wet or too dry, eczema, etc. All I knew was that my poor little one was screaming his head off every time he went to the bathroom and I needed to make him better.

Knowing nothing about diaper rashes I started my research. I read about the different kinds of rashes, how they present, looked at pictures, looked for home remedies and treatments and pretty much spent one whole day acquainting myself with the ailments and cures of diaper rashes.

I will admit that the disposable diaperer has one advantage over the cloth diaperer in that they don't have to worry about whether their washing procedure, water or soap has anything to do with their baby's rash or whether a particular rash cream with damage their diapers. The individuals who use disposables have the advantage of smearing whatever cream on their baby they feel necessary and throwing away the evidence at the end of a diaper change. They don't even have to know what type of rash it is to make a better diagnoses as to what the underlying problem may be. This is not necessarily so for the cloth diaperer.

If the rash is caused by being too wet the solution is simple, just change the baby more often and try to keep him dry or use fleece, stay-dry liners to help the baby stay dry (hence the name). However, if the rash is caused by soap residue or improper washing you can change the kid's diaper every fifteen minutes and it won't make a lick of difference.

Not to mention that there are creams out there that are harmful to cloth diapers. They can cause build up that will not wash out and effect the absorbency of the diapers or make them stink. The build up can also fester in the diaper and the residue can cause other chemical based diaper rashes.

So, while I've just sent everyone even considering cloth diapering running for the hills, let me redeem myself by saying that I'd rather find out the underlying cause of a rash and treat it from the source than continue to plaster cream all over my baby's butt and just keep the monster at bay.

It seemed, through my copious combing of the internet, that my little one had a rash caused by the acid in his poop (a fairly common red rash in and around the anus area of babies who have frequent bowel movements and common to both cloth and disposable diaper users). The little guy has about 6-8 poopy diapers a day and it was no surprise that the acid in stomach and intestinal track could cause a rash when left on the skin for even very short periods of time. Not to mention the rash can be made worse by the mother of a breastfed baby (like Garrett) eating acidic foods, harsh diaper wipes and any pH imbalance in washing techniques.

I immediately switched from using disposable wipes to cloth or bamboo wipes with just water as a washing agent, added an extra rinse to my diaper washing routine with the addition of about 1/4 cup of Vinegar to restore pH balance (even though I am aware that Vinegar is an acid) and I also began diapering Garrett with hemp doublers or in Bamboo fitted diapers overnight as both natural fibers have natural antibacterial and soothing qualities to them. Also, to initially fight the existing rash I got some Burt's Bees Diaper Cream that is cloth diaper safe which cleared him up in less than a day.

His bottom is as smooth as the day he was born.

Now, I'm sure there are a few people who are scratching their head and thinking, "Bamboo and hemp fitted diapers, wipes and doublers? What the...?" and I'd assure you that I thought the same thing.

The first time I picked up a package of bamboo wipes and read the tag I wasn't quite sure I was reading correctly. After all, bamboo is a plant and I wasn't even aware you could get a fabric out of such a rigid and tree-like plant. I also wasn't aware that bamboo hemp have natural antibacterial properties to them that keep bacteria from growing in or around them so they stay very clean. Not to mention both hemp and bamboo have at least 50% more absorbing power than cotton that keeps the baby dry and comfortable. Not to mention they NEVER leak.

The downside, of course, is that they are pricey.

My three bamboo fitted diapers, four hemp doublers and bamboo wipes probably cost me well over fifty dollars, but I look on the bright side in that they will serve me for life and for multiple children should we decide to have more down the line. And I see it as fifty dollars I throw into the washing machine to come out new on the other side instead of being thrown in the trash.

They work so well, in fact, that I find myself sticking a hemp doubler in his diaper for any time we are going to be out and I might be delayed in changing him or even sticking him in a bamboozle (the bamboo fitted diaper) for nap time as he seems to love the soft silky bamboo against his skin so much more than even the soft, clean cotton.

Night time, travel, long car rides or church, I'm reaching for the hemp and bamboo and I think my next extra bit of cash may go into getting him a few more hemp or bamboo fitted diapers and possibly a wool cover or two for air flow.

And this is where cloth diaperers have one over on the those who use disposables. Instead of choosing which variety of disposable diaper which is essentially made of the same materials to stick our kid in, we get to choose from a variety of cloth that is breathable, soft, plush, cozy and comforting.

In short, I'm still very happy about our decision to cloth diaper. With Garrett going through almost sixteen diapers a day in some cases I can't imagine how much money we would have spent already were it not for cloth diapers.

Absorbency Test

In my determination to make sure I am diapering my boy in the best cloth diapers available I decided to put my diapers through an absorbency test.

I had read in a nursing book that if you want to know how your diapers will feel when your baby has wet them poor two tablespoons of water into the diaper.

Knowing full well that there are times that babies will wet heavier and some lighter I decided to go with the two tablespoons test for all of my diapers.

In a previous note I had mentioned ply. Just as a refresher, remember that ply stands for how many times the layer of cotton has been folded over that particular diaper before it was sewn. The more ply, the thicker the diaper and therefore more absorbent. The 2-6-2 ply means there are two layers on the side, six in the middle and two again on the other side. And so on.

My two preemie Bleached Chinese Prefolds (CPF) that I bought as doublers and inserts are the only 2-6-2 ply CPFs that I have. I do, however, have five or six Diaper Service Quality (DSQ) 2-6-2 diapers in infant size.

I thought it only fair that I compare absorbency only between equal ply so I matched up my preemie CPF against my infant DSQ.

The test included a cup of water, a tablespoon, two napkins placed underneath of the prefolds to absorb any water that leaked through, the prefolds themselves and my camera.

Preemie CPF (left) vs Infant DSQ (right)

I measured and poured the two tablespoons of water into the middle of each diaper, waited about ten seconds and then removed the diapers to see what had gone through to the napkins beneath.

Amount of water absorbed by napkins under diapers.

As you can see, less water leaked through the preemie CPF diapers on the left than did through the DSQ diapers on the right.

Next, it was time to do the 4-8-4 diapers.

I purchased twelve bleached newborn sized CPFs, 24 unbleached infant sized CPFs and the rest were infant sized DSQs.

Repeating the same test as before I lined them up and watered them down.

Newborn CPF (left), unbleached Infant CPF (center), Infant DSQ (right)

Waiting a few seconds for the water to absorb.

And the results were somewhat astounding.

Results from the 4-8-4 test.

The Newborn CPF had about the same leakage as the Infant DSQ the only difference being that instead of soaking right into the center the DSQ wicked the water to the sides and the CPF kept the water in the middle of the diaper.

The most astonishing part, however, was the the unbleached CPF didn't leak at all.

In light of my test I'm glad that I chose the unbleached CPFs over the bleached for the majority of my baby's diapers.

Maybe this way I'll save my self some leaks in cribs and blowouts.

Test Concluded!

The Newbie Stash

Now that's I've written a newbie introduction I want to explore the newbie stash or starter kit.

Originally I thought that All-In-One's were the way I wanted to go. I figured I'd need about 24 AIO diapers to last me a day or maybe two if I stretched it and started budgeting for the $450 it was going to cost me for my stash (all new of course).

But I just couldn't justify that kind of money out of my baby budget. After all, we still have so much to get for our baby and only a limited amount of money to do it in. I also had to consider the fact that AIOs take a little longer to dry and are a little more delicate than prefolds and covers. So I asked for advice and got it. Lots of it.

I wanted to spend as little money as possible but on quality items. However, I, like any mom, have no idea what size my baby will be when he's born. I didn't want to go spending a ton of money of stuff he was going to grow out of in two weeks, or buy things too big that will be falling off of him but I listened to other moms and confidently made my choices (one of which might already have been a boo boo, but I'll get into that more later). I got the scoop on what other moms considered to be the bare minimum and a good starting point and I went shopping.

The general consensus from been-there-done-that moms for bare minimum was as follows:
* A diaper pail with a lid
* Around 30 prefolds, few in Newborn and the majority being Infant size
* 4-6 covers in XS or Newborn size
* 3-5 covers in the next size up just in case and/or for night time diapering which is usually thicker

Optional:
* 4-6 fitted diapers (absorbent like prefolds but fasten like covers)
* 2-4 AIOs for quick night time changes and trips out
* 2-4 doublers for extra absorption over long periods between changes (such as car rides and over night)
* 2-3 Snappis
* A wet bag for the diaper bag

Minimum is fine, but so is going a little above and beyond minimum as well.

First, I needed to prioritize by getting what I needed first. That, of course, would be the prefolds and covers. I found a great sale on some used infant sized bleached Diaper Service Quality (DSQ) prefolds (15 for $3) along with 3 XS Thirsties covers and 2 BumGenius AIOs. My total with shipping was $51. Not bad considering everything brand new would have cost me about $100, not including tax or shipping. I got myself a great deal.

I wasn't planning on getting any Snappis, pins or a wet bag but much to my amazement a friend of mine, out of the blue, just GAVE me a wet bag, a Snappi and two pins to try under the condition that when I was done with them I gave them as a gift rather than selling them. It seemed very reasonable to me. After trying the Snappi I would put that on my "must have" list, especially after seeing John trying to fumble with just the diaper and cover when practicing on a teddy bear. He found it much easier when using the Snappi and anything that can make the process easier is fine with me. I bought two more for $4 at a local parenting store and unless I lose them of they break they will probably be the only Snappis I will ever need.

Okay, I already had 15 bleached infant sized DSQ prefolds but that was only going to get me through about a day so I needed more. I knew through my research that Chinese PreFolds were most recommended but I couldn't find any used ANYWHERE. Even on eBay they were going faster than I could bid on them and for about as much as new so I broke down and decided to buy new. After extensive research I found that the best reviewed, most recommended, highly raved about and good quality prefolds were the Cloth-eez Chinese PreFolds from Green Mountain Diapers.

Not knowing what size my baby will be when he's born I put 2 preemie, 24 newborn and 12 infant sized prefolds in my shopping cart.

Then, before I checked out I did some more reading and research. Turns out, that if a prefold is too big you can simply fold it down until the baby grows to fit it. If, however, the prefold is too small, you really need to go to the next size.

I went back and edited my order to 2 bleached preemie, 12 bleached Newborn and 24 unbleached Infant sized prefolds. I also added on 1 more XS Thirsties diaper cover, 2 Small size Thirstie diaper covers and 1 size Small Bummis Super Whisper Wrap cover (Thirsties and Bummis being the two highest rating diaper covers I could find for a decent price).

My total, with shipping, was $134.31.

You might be curious as to why I chose exactly what I chose and I'd be happy to explain.

I got the 2 preemie sized diapers, not because I expect my baby to be a preemie (and even if he is, 2 diapers certainly aren't going to be enough to diaper him in) but because the preemie sized diapers will work wonderfully as doublers for extra absorption and even wipes or burp clothes. I didn't mind that they were only available in bleached because I don't intend to use them strictly as diapers so they won't get the use the other diapers will get.

I got 12 Newborn sized bleached prefolds because, well, I'm going to have a Newborn, but, to be quite honest, in looking at the size now that they have arrived and been prepped (more on that later, too) I think I could have gotten away with getting 12 more Infant size instead. They are pretty small. If he does end up being born early it won't be a problem and I'm sure I will get my use out of them, even if it's just as doublers for the larger sizes. I also didn't mind getting bleached because he is going to grow out of this size more quickly and might only be in it for 2-3 months, if that, before he has to move on to infant.

To show you just how different the sizes can be in a more "practical application" I'll demonstrate them on Teddy.

Teddy sporting a Newborn prefold.

Teddy in an Infant prefold.

As you can see, it's much easier to fold down the excess on a diaper that is a little too big, but even this tiny teddy-bear is looking like he's going to be growing out of those Newborns.

The 24 Infant unbleached prefolds were a good call, and with them being added to the 15 DSQ prefolds I already had it gives me a good stash until I need to go to Toddler size. I wanted to make sure I got unbleached because they are said to last longer and seeing as how he's going to be in them the longest of all the diapers so far I want them to last as long as possible.

I got my used DSQ diapers in the mail first and played around with them and a teddy bear (you may have seen pictures of the fun times not two days ago) but just yesterday I got the CPF diapers and, let me tell you, you can tell the difference.

Granted, the DSQs are used but they are still in great condition. The CPFs, however, are almost double in thickness even though they are the same ply (4-8-4) as the DSQs. There are usually only two ply patterns in cloth diapering, 2-6-2 and 4-8-4. What "ply" refers to is how many times the layer of cotton has been folded over that particular diaper before it was sewn. The more ply, the thicker the diaper and therefore more absorbent. The 2-6-2 ply means there are two layers on the side, six in the middle and two again on the other side. I'm sure you can figure out what 4-8-4 would be then.

The thickness in the cotton of my CPFs is just that much thicker and I'm very happy I bought them though I'm sure my DSQs will also be wonderful.

See for yourself in the picture below.

Left to Right: CPF Preemie (2-6-2), CPF Newborn (4-8-4), CPF Infant (4-8-4), DSQ Infant (4-8-4)
Teddy is sporting a CPF Infant prefold next to four diaper covers.

You can see the CPF Infant is a little shorter than the DSQ Infant because the thickness of the CPF makes it almost shrink up a bit, but if stretched out they are about equal in size.

I'm confident I made a good choice with my prefolds.

Now, as to covers.

The one thing that annoyed me most about shopping online was the inability to see for myself what the inside of the covers looked like, how thick the waterproofing was and whether I thought it would stop leaks and blow outs. I had to take the word of experienced mothers and I've discovered a few reason why Thirsties might be favored over Bummis for diaper covers.

Thirsties (Left) vs Bummis (Right)

While the Bummis covers are ADORABLE due to their charming patterns, the insides are more "clothlike" than the Thirsties making it harder just to wipe them out before reusing.

Also, Thirsties have great little pockets that go around the leg on the inside of the cover to protect against leaks and blowouts. Bummises don't.

While my Bummis is so cute and I plan on keeping it I have a feeling I will end up favoring the Thirsties. For now I have 4 XS and 3 small (including the Bummis. I may end up needing more and if I do I know which ones I'm going for.

But that brings me to the All-In-Ones (AIOs).

As I said before, originally I thought I wanted to do all AIOs but found it would be too expensive and possibly impractical. But after reconsidering and deciding to go with prefolds and covers instead I was willing to put off the purchase of any AIOs until after the baby was born. Yet, I couldn't pass up the deal I got on my two BumGeniuses so I went ahead and bought them.

When I first started looking at AIOs I knew immediately that BumGenius would be the only AIOs I would get. They were one-size fits all as they have snaps to adjust to the growing baby with a good lining to keep baby's bottom fresh and aired out with a sturdy removable microfiber insert for absorption. What more could you ask for?

The inserts need to be removed for washing but after drying the diapers can have their inserts put back in them, folded neatly in a drawer or diaper bag awaiting a quick, much needed diaper change. Some moms who prefold/cover a majority of the time find that AIOs are just too convenient for quick night changes when you are tired and it's dark and you don't want to have to worry about fastening and getting the covers just right or short babysitting stints or to take along to church nurseries and daycares. Because they are as quick and convenient as disposables, one must only remember to throw them in the wet bag rather than in the trash can making it perfect for friends and family who don't want to deal with learning your tricks on how to diaper your baby just right.

So far I only have two AIOs but I have a strong suspicion that I'm going to want at least 2-4 more though two will do for now as I'll never have to worry about baby growing out of them.

I have yet to get a diaper pail which will simply be a garbage pail from Target or WalMart with a cover (to keep down on smell) and I'll probably grab a good pail liner in the laundry section of the same store to throw my dirty diapers in after being removed for my little boy's bottom.

And that, my friends, is my newbie stash. Less than $200 and ready for baby. I'm willing to accept the fact I might have to add some things once the little guy arrives, but thank goodness for quick shipping and a great parenting store around the corner that has quite a bit of cloth diapering products that I can run to in the event of a diapering emergency.

Until then I'll keep researching and keep practicing on Teddy.

The Newbie's Guide to Being a Newbie

Since I only have three months left in this pregnancy I'm starting to get lots of advice from mothers (some solicited, some not) on what to buy and/or register for and what to avoid. When the subject turns to diapers I thank them for their advice and quietly mention that we are planning on cloth diapering.

The responses vary greatly. I've gotten, "Okay," (laced with a hint of sarcasm and a look of "heh, she has NO idea what she's up against." My sister flat out said, "Yeah, good luck with that." My mother said, "Oh, trying to save the planet are we?" And almost everyone else said, "Well, umm, I'd at least have some disposables on hand just in case."

The last is certainly good advice and what we were planning from the start. Especially for traveling or for babysitters and nursery times at church so that caregivers will not have to deal with the hassle my husband and I have decided to take on.

However, the interesting thing to me is that these responses usually only come from people who have never tried it. Or, in my mother's case, haven't done it in 30 years and don't know the advances cloth diapering has made since her oldest was in diapers.

The few (three, to be exact) cloth diapering mothers that I know have all had the same response to my decision and it goes something like, "OH GOOD! You'll be so happy."

With that encouragement, I'll proceed as planned.

As to why we chose to try cloth diapering (and I do mean "TRY" as I am certainly able to admit when I've bitten off more than I can chew)? The reason is nothing more grandiose than our family's economics. We are trying to save money, period. The people who assume we are doing it for environmental reasons or because we are going to be those "all natural" parents are happy to assume away, it's just not true. Our reasons are financial based and that's it.

And how much are we REALLY going to be saving by cloth diapering? According to my math, about $2,000 - $3,000 per child depending on brand of diaper and how long it takes for that child to potty train.

Sure, there is an initial "start up" cost with cloth diapering you don't have with disposables, but that's to be expected with anything you purchase to reuse again and again. The cost can range from acceptable to outrageous, depending on what you get sucked into buying. There are the cheap flimsy diapers you can buy at Target that will fall apart in less than a year, but there are also some cloth diapering supplies, detergents, liners, bags, systems that are so expensive you'd spend $500 for a single day's supply. Sure, they're reusable, but at what cost? Also, one must be careful because, like any new endeavor, a new mother can be scammed into thinking she needs more of the most expensive stuff to be getting the best for her baby. The trick is finding what's a good balance between frugality and quality.

I'll admit, I was almost sucked into believing some of the hype, but a cool head prevailed, I did LOTS more research, took the advice of moms who have been doing this for years and with many children and came out with a starter stash that has so far cost me under $200 and that I believe to be of great quality. In fact, one of the cloth diapering moms that has been one of my go-to gals for advice on the topic has accused me of buying the expensive stuff as she professes to have great success with what is considered in the cloth diapering world to be a "lesser" brand of diapers than what I purchased.

All I know is that I want the things to LAST.

But let's face it. I would have never even considered this if I believed it was going to be too much to take on. I like the easy road just as much as the next gal and if there wasn't something that made me believe this wasn't such a big deal I would have said, "Whoa, no way!" coughed up the extra dough and stuck with disposables.

So what made me think that this was doable? Simply put; it doesn't look all that different from disposables.

When I first thought of cloth diapers I thought the same thing everyone else who is unexperienced with them would think, the huge piece of cloth that needs to be folded in a triangle, crudely pinned in place and the huge plastic pants that need to be slipped over top that don't necessarily stop leaks but at least contain the poop.

Boy, was I wrong!

A simple Google search of "cloth diapering" will give you more information than you could sift through in 100 years (I know because I've spent the last year trying to sift through it and I'm barely scratching the surface) but the first thing you will find is that cloth diapering is FAR from the picture painted above.

There are cloth diapers that so closely resemble disposables that from a distance and from a new user perspective, one could never tell the difference. These are called All-In-One's (AIOs) and are among the more expensive, but easiest to use of cloth diapers. A friend of mine had one of her brand new BumGenius AIO diapers thrown away in the church nursery because the nursery worker thought it was a disposable. The AIO diaper affords the luxury of all the absorbent layers of cloth and the cover being sewn together in a single package. The only difference between them and a disposable is throwing them in a diaper pail and washing machine instead of the garbage.

A close cousin to the AIO is the Pocket diaper. Like the AIO, the pocket diaper has fasteners and shapes like that of the disposable. But unlike the AIO the pocket diapers core absorbency is an insert that is stuffed into a pocket. The benefit is complete cleaning and fast dryer time and pre-stuffed pocket diapers are as quick and easy as AIOs.

A BumGenius 3.0 One-Size Pocket Diaper

They run about $18.00 a diaper but some moms consider them well worth it and exclusively diaper in nothing but one-size pockets or AIOs. This is because the diaper is designed to grow with the baby providing use from the day you bring him home from the hospital to the day you can finally put away diapers forever. You need a large stash, of course, to provide you with many changes between washes and that's why this option can get a little pricey. But if you are smart (eh hem, like me) and shop around you can get lucky. I managed to snag two of these for $7 a piece and intend to use them for night time and for babysitters who aren't going to have to stick around long enough to discover these aren't disposable (provided they don't throw them away, of course).

The most economical system, however, and the one I chose to go with is the prefold and the cover. And as the woman in our motherhood tea said this morning, "What is a prefold?"

A prefold is very simple a diaper. A diaper that replaced the flat, folded panels of yesteryear. Very simply they are made of absorbent material (usually cotton) pre-folded (hence the name) across itself for thickness and added absorption (with the thickest portion being in the center, where it is most needed) and stitched along the top and bottom.

Unbleached and Bleached prefolds.

As there are many brands of clothes and shoes, some better quality than others, there are many brands of prefolds, some of greater quality than others. If you go to the baby section of your local WalMart or Target you will likely find a pack of prefolds for pretty darned cheap. I know, I almost bought some, but luckily for me I did some research into what makes a good prefold. The big store brand prefolds are little better than taking a $1 cotton t-shirt, sewing it together and calling it a diaper. The cotton in those shirts has been stripped, bleached, dyed, processed and is usually so thin it will last you about 5 months (if you're careful) and won't absorb much more than you'd expect a cut up t-shirt would.

A quality prefold has cotton that is as unprocessed as possible. Unbleached is preferable as bleach (though it makes things nice and bright) breaks down the fibers and wears out the material faster. The prefolds I have heard about and read about as though they were sewn by the hand of God are Chinese made, commonly referred to as CPFs (Chinese PreFolds).

They run about $2-$3 a diaper depending on size and whether the diaper is bleached or unbleached but they are the foundation upon which the whole prefold, cloth diapering system is build so they must have good quality and can be used for life, even after the baby has potty-trained and moved on. They make great kitchen towels, cleaning rags, burp clothes, you name it. Anything you can think of needing an absorbent cloth for you can use them for. Best yet, the resale value is phenomenal! Used Chinese Prefolds on eBay still sell for about $1.50 if not higher and sell like hot cakes. So even if your baby outgrows his or her size of prefold and you can't think of a reason for keeping them around you can always sell them and get almost all your money back to either reinvest in the next size prefold, keep, or buy the next size covers for your baby.

Which brings us to covers.

Once, when I was very young, I found a plastic pair of what I thought was underwear in my underwear drawer. I must have only been about four and to me, underwear was underwear, so I put them on and went about my business. They were ugly, SO uncomfortable, they crinkled and crackled with every step I took, they itched, pinched my legs and were generally HORRIBLE. They also were so waterproof that my butt sweat all day and because no air could get in to cool me I had sweat pooling in my "underwear" which was pretty gross. Only later, when I complained to mom that I hated my underwear did she burst into laughter and tell me I had stumbled across an old cloth diaper cover she used to use on my brother when she cloth diapered him.

These old diaper covers were all that was available in that day. They made up in heavy waterproofing and elastic bands what they lacked in beauty and comfort and many a diaper rash was formed because of their inability to "breath" and allow air to the baby's bottom.

No wonder cloth diapering almost went extinct with those things and if that was the only option I certainly wouldn't be sitting here writing this because I wouldn't even be considering cloth diapering.

But, alas, there is hope. Technology has allowed us so many advances it decided it would give us another one in cloth diapering covers as well.

Behold, the new diaper cover!

A Thirsties Aqua Diaper Cover

It's cute, it's colorful, it fastens just like a disposable, and best yet.. it's made of soft polyester laminate lined with a very special waterproofing that allows it to be as breathable and light as it is cute!

There are as many different diaper covers as there are diapers themselves made of different materials with different ways for them to be fastened. I don't have experience trying different covers so I took the easy way out. I went to a cloth diapering website that has a section just for reviews. I clicked on "Diaper Covers" and started reading. I read why the top reviewed brand got the best reviews and why the bottom reviewed brand got the worst reviews. I read the reviews in the middle to make sure I wasn't missing anything and then I made my decision based on the feedback of moms who'd been doing this before. I'll be sure to tell you if I chose wisely or not but I'm confident that I did.

Because there is such a variety in covers they can come in a variety of costs. The ones I chose run about $11-$12 a cover, but I'm told you don't need many covers (I'll find out if this is true in about three months). If the baby just wets the diaper the cover can be wiped out and reused immediately. If he soils the diaper, as long as the cover does not get soiled you can do the same, just a wipe out of the cover and back on the baby with the new diaper. Anywhere from 4-6 covers per size is what I've seen recommended. And again, if you are smart and shop around you can get them gently used for less. And the resale value on them is great. Once my baby grows out of a particular cover size I plan on selling them to fund the next size up.

Now you might be thinking, "Wait. That's it? What about the good old diaper pins?"

They aren't mentioned because, well, they aren't needed. You can use them if you want but the modern covers act as all the fastening you need. Fold and place your prefold diaper in the cover, put the diaper and cover on baby, fasten like you would a disposable and Whella! you're done.

But pins and other fasteners are not dead, they've just evolved like everything else. If you want the extra security of the diaper being fastened before covered there is a quicker, better ways to go about it than going for the pins and it is called the Snappi.

A Snappi fastened to a prefold.

The Snappi is a little Y-shaped stretchy fastener with plastic teeth on the ends of the "Y" that grip the diaper and hold it together. A Snappi is the quick and easy way to secure the diaper without pins and takes no time at all to put in place if you want it. You need VERY few Snappis because they are easy to rinse should they get dirty, durable enough to use over and over again and one-size so a single Snappi will last you your entire diapering journey. They go for about $1-$2 depending on where you buy them and many moms only have two or three total. A $6, one-time purchase that will last a lifetime. Not bad, says I.

Pins can still be used if you want good secure fastening, especially for kids who have learned how to take off their own diapers and while I may consider getting more pins just as a security measure some day, right now I only have two that were given to me and while I've practiced with them I don't foresee needing them any time soon.

There are dozens upon dozens of other diapers and combinations that I didn't even touch on because I know nothing about them. I am as new to this as they come and I am keeping this journal more as a reference at this point than anything. If I succeed I want to be able to go back and say, "Wow, that's what I did and I did it right. Great." If I fail I want to be able to go back and see what I did wrong and if I simply need some adjustment I can go back and correct myself or guide other moms through the mistakes I made so they don't have to go through the frustrations I might once my baby is born.

And speaking of frustrations, this wouldn't be a good newbie guide to being a newbie without talking about cleaning the diapers. This is usually where potential cloth diaper users go running for the hills. The thought of dealing with, washing, storing, cleaning, dirty diapers just turns their stomachs. Or, the mother would do it but the father is whole-heartedly against it because HE doesn't want to deal with the frustration of it. That's understandable. I honestly don't want to deal with it any more than the next mom, but it really does come with the territory, doesn't it?

I'm lucky so far. The only washing I've had to do of diapers is the prep washing. I put brand new CPFs in the washer and then the drier and that has been the extent of my diaper washing to this day. I'm so proud of myself.

But when the little man gets here I don't think it will take me long to discover whether this was a good idea or not. I'm not above admitting that after my first runny, poopy, newborn blowout you just might find my entire stash up for sale on eBay and me running to the nearest drug store for a pack of disposable diapers. But I'm encouraged by my cloth diapering mom-friends who have been through that stage themselves and are still cloth diapering.

But Science has made advances in this area as well with the invention of flushable liners. The liners come in a roll similar to a roll of toilet paper or paper towels and you line the baby's diaper with one before putting it on. Some liners are designed to be durable enough to be washed and used again if the baby only wets himself but then flushed down the toilet if the baby soils himself leaving you without the mess or agony of scrapping or rinsing off poop. You can get rolls of 100 for less than $7 or cheaper depending on the quality and usually they run very large and can be cut down so you get twice as many liners as what you paid for. Sounds good to me!

However, while investigating caring for my diapers I did discover that they do require a little more TLC than your t-shirts and jeans. For one, you have to consider the kind of detergent you use.

A lot of popular detergents these days have brighteners and whiteners and "stay fresh longer" additives in them that coat diapers and affect their absorbency. And an nonabsorbent diaper is a useless diaper so, like me, you may have to switch detergents.

I was a strict Tide user until I learned that Tide is not only harsh on diapers and shortens their lifespan (similar to bleach) but also contains additives that affect their absorbency. Great, so I'd have nonabsorbent diapers that only lasted half as long as I needed them. But I still wanted to make sure my diapers would get clean. I'd much rather have a diaper that had a shorter lifespan than a detergent that didn't actually clean it.

I also had to consider that we, as adults, don't pee all over ourselves and then sit in our clothes for minutes or hours waiting to be changed. We have no idea how our urine or poop can interact with added chemicals in our detergents to give us rashes or chemical burns. I also needed a detergent that was going to be good and gentle to my baby's butt!

Once again, I started down the road of research. I researched water, detergents, cleaning agents, fabric softeners, spot removers and how all of them individually or combined can effect cloth diapers and skin. I even put some emails out to a couple detergent companies to get their advice and heard back from a few. I spent probably a whole week trying to find the perfect detergent for the life, cleanliness, and care of my diapers.

For my type of water (and yes, I called the apartment complex to inquire about my water) I chose Charlie's Soap.

I've already switched to using it on all of my laundry and I have to say I'm pretty darned impressed. Granted, smelly sheets, BO and dirty knees in jeans are a far cry from poopy diapers and I'll report back on how well it cleans heavy messes when we get there, but for now I'm happy with my new detergent. I found a good place to go for diaper friendly detergents is either the internet or your local natural food store. They tend to carry soaps and detergents that have as few additives as possible for better prices than you'd get buying them online after shipping and tax is wagered in. I happened to be lucky enough to find Charlie's Soap in a store not one block from our apartment for $3 cheaper than I was able to find it online. A good deal for someone trying to pinch pennies.

I don't have too much to say about cleaning just yet because I'm still trying to get a good system down for my washing machine and my system may very well change once the dirty diapers start getting added, but at least I know I'm using a detergent that is beneficial to the health of my baby and his diapers.

Like I said, I'm a newbie. And I'm making this journal more to help me put everything in place and keep myself in check and remind myself why I'm doing this. If, later, another new mom wants to consider cloth diapering she'll get the honest truth from me. I'll show her what worked for me and what didn't and I'll use these notes to help me.