I will preface this post with a fact: I am not an expert in cloth diapers. I am constantly learning, and make mistakes sometimes.
I wanted to share my experience with diapers, both disposable and cloth. Everyone has seen the memes with the price facts: you can save a lot using cloth diapers. What they don't tell you is that everyone will have an opinion, and if you don't have a friend who uses cloth, it can become overwhelming.
Cloth diapering is actually pretty easy, but starting can be difficult. There are so many different types, and patterns, and inserts! Then, there's what detergent to use, and how to clean them. If you tell anyone that you plan to use cloth, most people will tell you it's sooo hard and expensive. It's enough to make you quit before you even try it.
DON'T QUIT.
I let myself be convinced that disposables were a better fit for us, and now I regret it somewhat. I say somewhat because there was an upside to what I eventually decided to do, which was use both. I will tell you how I overcame my own personal obstacles... I had quite a few.
I started out crazy about cloth, mainly because I had used them with my godson. They were fun, and cute, and OMG JUST AWESOME! Yeah, that argument doesn't win you any points with the naysayers. As soon as I mentioned it, I heard "That's disgusting", "You can't afford it", and my personal favorite, "I tried it and hated it, so you will too." All wrong, but I was discouraged. I did buy prefolds before the baby was born, but mainly as burp cloths. I already had a few covers, so I thought I would just try it out. Maybe. I still didn't know how I would wash them (I lived with other people who told me I couldn't wash them in the washer, or sink, or tub. Thanks for crushing my dreams.) Now, I will share the crap I faced (pun not intended... okay maybe a little, lol.)
How the heck do I buy diapers with no money?!
My first problem was finding "extra" cash to buy a stash. Baby was already here, so I didn't have time to wait for shipping, and there are no stores in my area that offer cloth. All the diaper money was going to disposables. Fine, whatever. I'll work around that. I ended up earning Amazon gift cards (I explain how in an earlier post), and using that towards my stash.
I started out small, one cover at a time, and started using the prefolds I had bought before. Immediately I was discouraged again. I couldn't figure out why the diapers were leaking. Come to find out, not all inserts are created equal. My prefolds were not as great as I had hoped. For anyone who wants to know, I got Gerber's prefold diapers. They were a nice size to begin with, but very thin, and when I washed them they shrunk a lot, even in cold water. It ended up that I could only use them as pocket inserts, and as soon as I could I replaced them. (More on that later.)
For my covers, I started out with "China Cheapies", which are no-name diapers that ship from overseas. They were about $4 each with free shipping. Later, I added a few Alva diapers, which are around $5-10. We now have 2 minky covers, 4 cheapies, and our personal favorite, a sweet designed cover with elephants on it. I learned something very important: try different styles. All of these are pocket diapers, which I prefer,but they are all different. For example, my cheapies asked if I wanted it with mesh or without. I assumed without mesh was just a straight cover with nothing to hold the insert in. Turns out, it comes as a nice pocket diaper with a plush piece where the mesh was. Silly me.
As for the inserts, I replaced my junk prefolds with flour sack towels, quickly followed by charcoal bamboo inserts. The towels were about $8 for a pack of 6, and the inserts were $4 for 6. I already had a few inserts that came with my Alvas, but I am in love with the bamboo ones. They hold so much! So, obviously it is doable to cloth diaper on a budget. I spent maybe $10 of my own money so far, and it gives me about 18-24 hours worth of diapers.
I have no washer!
So here is where the ick factor hits. I live in an apartment with no washer and dryer. I can't exactly go to the laundromat every day to wash dirty diapers, so I wash by hand. There are many different ways to do this. I have big tupperware containers, and I rinse my diapers, soak them for a while in soapy water, and then do 3 rinses to be sure they are clean. Sometimes I have to wash twice. Pretty simple. Then, I hang them to dry. Covers are dry the next day, inserts are usually done in 2 days. If you get 3 times my stash, you will be covered for the amount of time it takes to dry. I use disposables during dry time and also if my child needs diaper rash cream (usually we use coconut oil, but sometimes it's not enough).
I don't know what I'm doing!
Early on, I made numerous mistakes with my diapers. I put them on wrong, I ruined a few prefolds, and I thought I screwed up a cover by washing it wrong (I didn't). A few things I learned: you can't use Desitin with cloth, you should wash with warm to cold water with the correct soap, and always check the fit.
A smart move is to do research. But, there is A LOT out there, so it can be hard to tell what to listen to and what to discard. Soap is important to check, because some types will destroy your diapers. There are many lists that aren't hard to find. Look up how to put on covers correctly, and if you are using prefolds, look up a few folds and practice to figure out which one works for you. If you decide to use microfiber inserts, remember that it cannot touch the child's skin for a prolonged period of time because it will irritate it.
Everything is a learning experience with kids. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and messes. Don't listen to anyone who doubts you, because in the end, you are the parent and it is your decision on how to raise your child. Good luck with your cloth diapering adventures.
