Our Crunchy-Con Lifestyle: Element 1--Cloth Diapers

As you may know, we are unashamedly conservative over here.  However, many people don't know that we have a little granola-flair to our everyday lifestyle as well.   Among other things, we drive a Subaru, we listen to NPR (no, Dad, our radio is not broken, we choose to), we're fairly left-leaning on certain topics such as immigration (sorry GG), Cody is a public defender because we believe in the work, we are diligent recyclers and composters, and we use cloth diapers.  A short-sighted view of our lifestyle might see a contradiction of sorts (someone in college once said to me, "you recycle?  but you're a Republican." sigh.  Another time a fellow campaign volunteer said, "Wait, you're a Catholic? But you're a Republican" double sigh), but we just try to live as we believe, whether those beliefs are red or blue.  The result might be characterized by the term "Crunchy-con"-- conservatives who have a crunchy flair.  I don't read enough of the actual crunchy-con stuff to know if we align with all the same values and beliefs, and my guess is that we don't.  However, I think our lifestyle is fun and unique and worthwhile and when I get too Con and Cody gets too crunchy we balance eachother out nicely.  Perhaps I'll write more about different elements of our con and our crunch over time, but today i'm focusing on one: cloth diapers.

Lately (maybe over the last year or so) a number of people have asked me about our cloth-diapering, and I have ended up writing a handful of very long winded emails about what works for us and how we do things around here so friends who are interested in it don't have to re-invent the diaper wheel. I have researched, tried, and erred in this area so much that I want to put our knowledge down on e-paper in one place so anyone can refer to it later.  Usually when I do cloth diapering research online I find that cloth-diaper-ers tend to be lumped together with extended breastfeeding on demand and co-sleeping in a family bed.  I have breastfed both of our boys on a parent-determined schedule and we have strict sleep schedules around here, and not once have the babies slept in our bed with us (exhausted newborn naptimes excluded).  We believe in cloth diapers because once you commit to it, its a whole lot more economical, and yes, they are in fact much better for the environment. Again, we go against the typical cloth-diaper-mold, but I'm here to say that cloth diapers can be for everyone! If you are interested in what has worked for us, here are our thoughts:

Brands and Types of Diapers: 
I have tried several brands and combinations of cloth diapering, including (but not limited to) the following:

Bum Genius (all in ones and pocket diapers, 3.0 and 4.0) both velcro and snap closure
Pre-folds with Prowraps, Happy Heinys, Bummis Whisper Wrap, Tiny Heinys, Thirsties and other covers
Rumparooz (pocket diaper)
Fuzzi Bunz (pocket diaper)
Bumkins (all in one, plus insert)
Kissaluvs (all in one)
Happy Heinys (pocket diaper)

I have definite opinions on all of them, but the clear winner for both me and Cody is BumGenius pocket diaper (either 3.0 or 4.0).  We start the babes in BG about 2 or 3 months old, when they can first fit into them and when their bowel movements get a little more spaced out.

For the newborn phase we use a prefold (old fashioned diaper) with a Snappi and a Prorap cover.  We use any brand of prefold they have at Target, and order the Snappi online. For extra tiny bums we usually fold the prefold in half and put it on long-ways. Proraps are the cheapest cover (about $8 per), but after trying SEVERAL different covers, we have discovered that they are by far the best quality as well.  The newborn size fits our average-to-large babies for about 6-8 weeks, and has an umbilical cord cutout.  We have about 2-3 prowraps in NB, Small and Medium.  We have 2 snappis and one always seems to be lost.  Newborns require about 12 diaper changes a day, and we keep about 36 prefolds on hand (also used for burpcloths).  I just could not stomach using 12 'sposies a day, and I didn't really want to go through 12 bumgenius a day either.  In the newborn phase the child poops incessantly, and he doesn't really move that much, so you don't need a diaper that "keeps up with him," you just need a diaper to catch poop. 

After the prefold stage we love BumGenius.  They have just moved to a 4.0, of which we have a couple, after using 3.0 for a long time.  4.0 seems to be very similar, just a little roomier, which is fitting Jamesie better as he approaches 1 year.  We opt for the velcro closures, which have been criticized for getting too dull and not working after a while, over the snap-button closure. We try to clean out lint and hair from the velcro every so often, and they seem to be working fine still for us.  We have had a harder time finding the exact right fit with a snap closure, and they can get too bulky with the snap as well.  The velcro closure, once all assembled mimics the shape of a 'sposie so well even teenage babysitters can figure out how to put it on. Be wary of the Bumgenius all-in-one, which comes in specific size (S, M, L), as opposed to the one-size-fits-all adjustable 4.0.  It seems incredibly user friendly at first, which it is, but because you can't remove the inside liner, it starts to stink after awhile and no amount of baking soda or bleach makes it better.  ick.

Washing, Storage and Assembly
A fact of parenthood: You will be dealing with poop and it will stink and it will get on your hands.  A truism whether you use cloth or disposable.  Here's our routine--we're open to new ideas that work for anyone else!

When taking off a dirty diaper take the inside-stuffers out and put all the elements in the diaper pail.  We use a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot for our garbage pail.  I occassionally sprinkle some baking soda in it, but for the most part it is dry.  We do use a lid, although I know some people don't.  If a poop is pretty solid I shake it into the toilet first, but runny poops go right into the pail then the wash.  I know a number of people who have attached a sprayer to their toilet to spray poop off before putting it in the pail, but we are far too plumbing-incompetent to do that.

I do diaper wash every other day.  More than that is cumbersome, and less makes for diapers too stinky to deal with.  I dump all the diaps in the machine, run one rinse, then one full cycle on hot with very little detergent (about 1/2 of what you would use for a small load of clothes), then one more rinse cycle.  Throw all elements in the dryer.  Occassionally I will put a few tablespoons of bleach in the wash or first rinse cycle if it is a particularly stinky day.  I will also occassionally dry all the wraps outside for a sun-bleach. 

We "stuff diapers" while we watch TV at night.  We put a big insert and a little insert in each diaper and have them all assembled before they go up to the nursery so we can just grab them as needed up there.  I actually timed myself the other day and it took less than 10 minutes, while simultaneously chatting to cody and wrangling Sean away from James.

Cost and Quantity
A nice BumGenius 4.0 can run about $20.  My suggestion is to ask for them as gifts and put the word out that you are going to cloth diaper before baby comes.  Put them on your registry, and find a cloth-diaper specific website to register on.  Let other friends and family who have cloth diapered know that you intend to as well.  We have received all of our diaps as gifts or hand-me-downs....we are very fortunate! 

We survive on about 12 BumGenius, plus a few other diaps in different brands that I don't like as much but will use for an hour or so around the house if we are out of BG.  At this stage, and for the last several month, James predictably goes through 6 diapers a day.  Any unpredictable need is handled by a prefold (for a big baby we use 2 prefolds and use a size Medium prowrap) or spare other brand.

If you can use your cloth diaps for 2 babies or more (see pics below) you will really see the investment start to pay off. 

When You Need a Break
If you choose to do cloth diapers, remember that you can't single-handedly save the Earth, but that the amount of waste you are saving from a landfill is significant.  That said, there are times you'll need a break, and that's OK!  Even our most committed cloth diapering friend has a pack of 'sposies at the ready.

We use a disposable diaper at night--I know, we are not purists, but its what works for us.  Our kids sleep 12+ hours a night, and this makes life easier on us.  We use 'sposies on trips so not to burden our hosts' washing machine, and occassionally on an extended errand-run around town, although I've become much more confident leaving the house with just a cloth.  If you choose cloth, remember that guests, caregivers and grandparents might not be as comfortable with it as you are, so try to relax when Baby comes downstairs in a 'sposie, despite the clean stack of cloth right next to the changing table. 

Random Thoughts:
*I thought Cody would be a tough sell to cloth diapers, but he really likes them now.  He has even given cloth diaps to male friends as a baby-gift and is very well versed in how to efficiently use a cloth diapering system. Not only can husbands do cloth diapers, but they can very much like it.

*If you have a c-section and you are cloth diapering right from the get-go, have hubby carry the diaper pail to the laundry room and get the load started for at least the first 6-8 weeks, no matter how good you feel.

*Most all-in-ones and pocket diapers say you can't use diaper-rash cream with them.  I rarely use Desitin or Triple-paste, but on the occassion that I need to, I put the baby in either a pre-fold or a 'sposie.  I use it at the first sight of a rash, just one or two red bumps, and its usually gone within one or two diaper changes.

*We didn't come into all this information overnight--it took a lot of trial and error to find what works for our family, which may not work for your family.  The first week of Sean's life we didn't have any snappys, diaper pins or pro-wraps.  I had bought some "rubber pants" right before he was born, but it turns out those are more for training a 2 year old than putting on a newborn with toothpick size legs.  We brought sean to his first pediatrician appointment with a prefold cloth diaper, held on with masking tape wrapped around his waist (!!!!!!!!) and rubber pants with about 2 inches of free space around the entire leg!!!!!! Our pediatrician must have had a mild heart attack when he saw this and then another when we said we were both attorneys.  We have since redeemed ourselves as normal, good parents.  Anyway, we haven't always had it together in this area!

Happy Diapering!  Please let us know any other ideas or routines that have worked for your family or any other cloth diap you love!

Jamesie, c. Feb 2011 in BumGenius 3.0

Sean, c. Dec 2008 in same BG 3.0

Itty bitty newborn Sean and his tooth-pick-legs in Rubber Pants.  Not recommended.



One-year-old Sean in a Bumkins all-in-one




1-mo old Sean in a prefold and Bummis Whisper Wrap, thanks to friends of ours who sent their leftover cloth diapering materials!