Cloth Diapering

    We have such a great cloth diapering system at our house that I wanted to share what we do, what we use, and where we got it.  We actually invested in a large package at the fuzzibunz store online.  It was a little pricey, but with the money that we save per year...it was well worth it. 
     We were blessed with hand-me-down diapers when Winona was born.  I am so thankful for them.  However, they were fitteds (a fitted cloth diaper that must be worn with a cover) and I quickly learned they were not for me or my family.  They leaked, they weren't very soft, and I overall felt like they were too much work.  When they were wet, they were WET and I would never have been able to let her sleep in them.     
     When she outgrew them, I knew that I wanted something a lot easier.  Something that we could just snap on her and go.  A diaper I didn't feel like I had to change every hour on the hour.  A diaper that I felt confident about her wearing at night.  When I ordered fuzzibunz I got all that and more.  (Can you tell I'm in lerve?)  
     Fuzzibunz are a pocket diaper, which means they have a pocket in the back to put an absorbent insert.  The outside is made of PUL.  It has a plastic coating inside to keep from leaking.  The top is made of fleece and it stays pretty dry pulling the wetness away from the babies bottom.   Apart from the occasional detergent/ammonia build up (which is a flaw in OUR system) I have absolutely no complaints.  

Someone was excited when the diapers arrived!!   

    In our stash, we have 18 fuzzinbunz cloth diapers.  I got one in every color.  Two in white, two in pink, and two in brown.  I have no idea how I came up with that decision.  There are colors to match every outfit.  I often don't put the bloomers under the dress and just let the diapers show.  They are too cute to cover up.

Her toosh looks so stinkin' cute.    

     She wears them for 2 to 3 hours during the day with only one insert.  The package we bought had 20 inserts,  3 hemp pre-fold soakers (which we use for overnight diapers), and 3 add-ins.  We don't really use the add-ins, but I can see where they would come in handy for  a nap or a car trip.     
     

     When she pees, we simply shake the insert out and toss that and the diaper into our diaper pail.  You can use a trashcan with a lid, or a laundry basket with a lid.  I think something ventilated is probably best.  This would work great.  

     When she poops, we dump the solids into the toilet and toss the rest into the diaper pail.  We have two liners for the pail.  A liner is a waterproof bag for storing your dirty diapers.  Ours are made of the same PUL material as the diapers.  It is so nice having two of the liners because while one is in the wash, the other is straight into the pail to continue cloth diapering.  It's a never ending job.  

    
     We also got a hanging diaper pail for times when we are away from home.  They simply hang on the doorknob.  The inside of the bags have a small, fleece tab.  This tab is to help with the stink.  I apply a few drops of Tea Tree Oil to the tab and it helps keep the smell down to a minimal.  You could use any essential oils.       
     We wash our diapers every two days.  This is a suggested time, and we would run out if we didn't do it then anyhow.  After two days the diapers start to become overrun with bacteria and mildew.  YUCK.  I dump everything in the washing machine, including  the diaper pail liner (inside out) and run a cold wash without any detergent.  We then do a hot wash with Rockin Green detergent.  (It is a detergent formulated specifically for fuzzibunz.  However there are many detergents out there that are recommended.  This is just the one that works for us.)  We follow that wash by an additional cold rinse.  Then dry on low/delicate or line dry.  Line dry preferably.    

     Since we cloth diaper, it only made sense to cloth wipe as well.  Not having to put disposable wipes in a seperate trash is convenient.  I know that having a baby is a lot of work, and cutting out a tiny step makes all the difference.  The package we bought came with 18 fleece cloth wipes.  When I have to use disposable wipes I see the difference.  I use 4-5 disposable wipes for every 2 cloth wipes I use.  WOW.  You can also make cloth wipes.  Old receiving blankets work great.  Also baby washcloths work just as well.             
Now some people just use water to wipe with but we really love our cloth wipe spray.  It would be quite expensive to buy a new spray/bottle every month.  We don't.  You can make your own.  There are many recipes online but we opted to buy Soap Bit cubes from a seller on ebay. 

    70 cubes at 1 cup per cube.  70 cups of wipe spray.  Wow.  We simply wet the wipes, spray the butt, and voila.
     Now one might think that outtings might be difficult with cloth diapers.  However, we have a to go diaper tote liner.  It's also made of PUL and holds 6-8 cloth diapers, depending on their size.  When they are dirty we toss them in there.  I usually pre-wet the cloth wipes and put them in a ziplock or a wipe container.          

     Night times are super easy as well.  She sleeps for 10-12 hours and we rarely have leaks.  I think we have had 2 in about 5 months.  The first night we put her in one and it made it all night long, I did a little dance.            
     So this is what we do and how we cloth diaper.  It's easy.  Every one has their own system, but I just wanted to share what works for us.  Feel free to ask any questions, although I am far from being an expert.