Adventures in Cloth Diapering: New Wipes!

Since I just got a bunch of new diapers, I thought I'd freshen up my wipe stash too. I have been using wipes made by a friend which are one layer of flannel surged around the edges:

They definitely did the job! But I recently envisioned a new wipe that was more heavy duty, because sometimes you just need a little more than flannel. So I made some new wipes that are the best of both worlds - one side is terry cloth (for the dirty work) and the other is flannel (for a smooth finish!).

I started using the new wipes with John and I really like them. I am usually able to do a big job with only one wipe. I made a set of 20 wipes so that should be plenty. I still use the same spray bottle solution to get the wipe nice and moist before using it.

Adventures in Cloth Diapering: 2 years later...

We have been cloth diapering for over two years now. If you've been around our blog that long, you'll know that we settled on Fuzzi Bunz. They are "One-Sized" meaning they are designed to last from birth to potty training.

Here is the series I posted when we were making all the decisions and getting into cloth diapering:

1. The beginning (We started with Bun Genius)
2. The sun is amazing (stain removal via sunlight) 
3. Reviews and new diapers 
4. And the winner is... (decision to use Fuzzi Bunz) 
5. Cloth wipes 
6. How I wash those smelly dipes

My review of Fuzzi Bunz and cloth diapering in general - 2 years later...

• Smell - After the diapers are cleaned, they smell pretty neutral. I have noticed that once John goes pee the diapers smell like ammonia sometimes. After looking into this problem, I discovered that it is probably caused by soap build-up. This can be solved by "stripping" the diapers. I don't do this on a regular enough basis to know if it would really work. I have stripped the diapers and it does seem to help, but I generally just try to keep him in a dry diaper and deal with the stinking factor.
• Repelling - Sometimes the diapers have repelled pee. For example, more than once the diapers have leaked and they weren't even wet! Again, this problem was solved with a good stripping.
• Rash - About a year ago, John had a terrible rash. His skin was raw and welted to the point that cream would not stick to it. He had it for weeks and I was trying everything to get rid of it. We had to switch to disposables during this time because I didn't want to damage the cloth by using various creams that we were trying (you must use special creams on cloth diapering that won't build up on the fabric, which can cause more repelling). I believe the rash was caused by his "all night diaper" as we called it, which was a Fuzzi Bunz diaper with two absorbing inserts inside... let's just say he had a fluffy bum at night! His bottom just couldn't handle being exposed to all that moisture during the night and the diaper wasn't good at pulling the moisture away from his skin. I sought advice from many friends. One told me I should try athletes foot cream because it has an anti-fungal properties. She told me the key ingredient was Clotrimazole. I was willing to try anything, so we went and bought a tube of athlete's foot cream. It worked!! Within three days, the rash was pretty much gone. Two results came from that experience: 1. We keep athlete's foot cream in our diaper supplies, and 2. We put John in a disposable diaper at night. Thankfully, we have not had the problem again since the disposable keeps his skin dry at night.
• Fitting - The one-sized Fuzzi Bunz diapers grows by adjusting the elastic in the legs and back. This system has worked well and the diapers have really grown with John. He is 2 years and 4 months old now and the diapers still fit!
• Quality? - I still think the Fuzzi Bunz diapers are high quality. No, they are not white anymore and they've seen better days. But, since I've only had 8 diapers, these diapers have been through a lot of washing and wear. I use to have 9 diapers, but the PUL on one of the diapers started to separate, so I had to take it out of the rotation. I think this happened because I started drying the diapers in the dryer instead of air drying them - to speed up the process. Now I make sure to air dry them to prolong the life of the diapers.
• The Verdict - I am very happy with Fuzzi Bunz and we just got more for Baby #2! My friends threw a shower for me a couple of weeks ago and they gave me a set of diapers! I requested a set of 12 so that I could have more in my rotation. It will be especially nice when John is potty trained and I can use all the diapers for Brother. So when John is out of diapers I will have 20 diapers to use for one child (a dream come true!).

Here are some pictures comparing old and new diapers:

New diapers!!

L-Old, R-New (Notice the old is pretty brown!)

Lining of the old diapers, the fabric is pilled and not as soft

New diaper lining - it's like a cloud!

Diaper inserts: L-Old, R-New (notice the old is brown and isn't as soft)

That wraps up my 2 year review! Let me know if you have any questions

10 Ways We Save

Andrew and I recently had a meeting about our budget. Our goal is to get out of debt this year so we can begin looking for a home. Below is a list of how we are currently trying to save money. We are always looking for more ways to save - so, if we tagged you, please write your own post about how you save and then tag three of your friends!

~ ~ ~

1. Thrift stores/hand-me-downs - We love to buy clothes at thrift stores, especially for John. In fact, we have only purchased clothes for him second-hand. We also never turn down the offer of hand-me-downs from our friends! =) Additionally, I want to use our local consignment store more because I can get rid of my clothes there and earn store credit.

2. Hair cutting - This morning, Andrew cut his hair with an electric shaver. He has been doing this since before we were married. I have learned to trim up the back of his neck and around his ears. So as a team, we cut his hair for free (aside from the original purchase of the shaver). We will most likely cut John's hair too. Though I don't need to know this yet, I have looked into how-to videos for the future reference when cutting our kids' hair: BOYS or GIRLS

3. Planning meals - I have learned a lot about meal planning over the last year. It has really helped us save! If I have a plan then I am less likely to buy random things at the store. I only buy what we need for the meals. I usually do a plan for two weeks, which means I only have to go to the store about two times each month - which I like a lot! HERE is a good resource for learning how to meal plan.

4. Cloth diapering - We spent around $300 on cloth diapers and wipes (the wipes were actually free - as a gift!). We are saving a lot of money by going the cloth route, especially because we will be able to use these diapers for multiple kids. HERE are all my posts on cloth diapering.

5. Samaritan Ministries - HERE is my post explaining what Samaritan Ministries is - in short, it's a health sharing ministry in which all the members share each other's medical expenses over $300. Our monthly share is $245 (way cheaper than health insurance!). So far our experience has been really good. Our only medical expense has been John's well-baby visits - about every three months. Those visits cost $198 for private pay patients, which is really not that bad. We also get 10% off by paying the full amount at the appointment.

6. Eating out less - This heading speaks for itself. We try not to eat out much - maybe once or twice a month.

7. Netflix + Roku = Savings! - We have been using Netflix to get our movies. We pay $9.99 per month and that includes one movie sent to us at a time plus unlimited streaming movies and TV shows. Not all movies and TV shows are available for streaming, but more are added every day! We use to watch streaming shows on our laptop but then Andrew found a device called "Roku" that lets you sink up your Netflix que to your TV. It is so cool! The best part is there are no commercials!

8. Selling things we don't use - Andrew just recently sold a guitar amp that he hasn't used in a long time. It was worth a lot of money, so now we have extra money to put towards our student loans. The cool thing is he sold it to a man who is in a band, so the amp will actually get a lot of use. It makes me happy to see things be used!

9. Being a homemaker - We both think that having me at home with John is invaluable and it does save us money. I do a lot around the house (most of the time!) and a care for John 24/7. Having those things hired out would cost us a lot of money!

10. Opting for homemade - This last Christmas, we tried to make most of our gifts. It saved us money and it was more special! Also, right now I am attempting to make a lot of John's food and freeze it - this is really easy to do with fruits and veggies!


We'd love to hear how you save! We tag Athena, Katelyn, and Anna! =)

Adventures in Cloth Diapering: How I Wash those Spelly Dipes!

Some friends have asked me how I wash our cloth diapers, so I thought I would share it with everyone.

First, you should know how our bathroom is set up. The changing table is in the bathroom, along with the washer and dryer. This set up is very convenient and efficient (you will see why in a minute)!



After reading around on the internet and reading the cleaning instructions that came with the diapers, I have come up with the following system:

Storing those smelly diapers

1. After I take off John's messy diaper, I put it directly in our top-loading washing machine. Because the washing machine is right next to the changing table, I use it as a "dry pail." Click HERE to learn more about the different kinds of pails you can use.

2. I wash the diapers once a day, usually in the morning. Some people have asked "what if you need to do laundry, and there are dirty diapers in your washing machine?" Well, since I wash the diapers in the morning, if I have any laundry for the day, I will do that right after I wash the diapers. I don't typically have laundry to do every day, but there is a window of opportunity when the need arises. If John has a messy diaper while I am doing other laundry, I put his dirty diaper in a wet bag and keep it there until the washer is free again.

Washing

3. First, I use the "soak" setting on the washing machine with a small water load and cold water. The purpose of this is to rinse off the poop. Breast milk poop is water soluble, so it does not need to be rinsed off in the toilet. When we start solid foods, we will need to spray off the solid poop in the toilet. For that reason, we may put off solid foods until he is potty trained! ;) Just kidding!

4. Then I drain the poopy water out of the washing machine.

5. Here are the settings I use for the wash cycle: Medium water load, 2 rinses, hot water to begin with, cold water for the 2nd rinse.

6. I use 1/4 of a tablespoon (yes, it's only a small amount!) of Charlie's detergent and 4 drops of tea tree oil.

Drying

7. I hang dry the pocket diapers and the cloth wipes. The pocket diapers take about 12 hours to be completely dry. The wipes are dry in about 2 hours.


8. For the inserts and pre-folds, I check for staining first. If they are stained, I put them on our window sill that gets a lot of afternoon sun. Even on a cloudy day, the sun will bleach the stain right out of those inserts! I am always amazed!


9. If the inserts and pre-folds are not stained, I dry them in the dryer.

Preparing

10. When the diapers are clean, dry, and stain-free, I assemble them so they are ready to be used. This involves stuffing the pocket diaper with the insert. This makes it easy for Andrew and my mom when they change John's diaper. It's as easy to put on as a disposable!

That's it!

I hope that all made sense! I try to keep everything really simple. Many cloth diapering parents have other methods of storing, washing, and drying their diapers. This is just what has worked for us so far.

Related posts:
9-27-09 Cloth Wipes
9-22-09 And the Winner is...
8-24-09 Reviews and New Diapers
8-12-09 The Sun is Amazing!
7-22-09 The Beginning

Adventures in Cloth Diapering: Cloth Wipes

At one of my baby showers, my friend Samantha (who sparked my interest in cloth diapers) gave me a bunch of diapers to try and a basket with homemade cloth wipes. I began using the cloth wipes long before I used cloth diapers. They are SO easy, and they have saved us a lot of money. We recently bought some disposable wipes for a friend who just had a baby - we spent over $5 for a pack of three refills! When I bought those, I realized even more how great cloth wipes are.

The wipes we use were made by Samantha. They are pieces of flannel that are surged around the edges. She picked cute, gender-neutral fabric that doesn't show stains (for the most part). I bought more fabric to make some of my own, though I haven't gotten around to it yet. I bought 3/4 yard of three different patterned fabric (1/4 of each). I found that 1/4 yard makes about 25 wipes!

Samantha gave me about 30 wipes. This is a great amount. I wash them right along with my diapers and with the frequency of my washing, I never run out of clean wipes.

Here are some pictures of the wipes, to give you a better idea:



I also use a homemade spray to moisten the wipes. Here is the recipe I use:

1 cup water
2 T baby soap
1 T olive oil
A few drops of essential oil (This is optional. I use "Clarity" from Sensaria)

To use the wipes and the spray, I spray the cloth wipe and wipe John's bum with the moistened wipe. I usually only have to use one wipe to get him clean - sometime two. Then I toss it in the washing machine with the cloth diapers. It's that easy!!

My next cloth diapering post will be about how I wash the diapers.

Related posts:
9-22-09 And the Winner is...
8-24-09 Reviews and New Diapers
8-12-09 The Sun is Amazing!
7-22-09 The Beginning

Adventures in Cloth Diapering: And the winner is...

FuzziBunz!!

After trying Bum Genius, pre-folds with covers, and FuzziBunz, we decided to invest in more FuzziBunz because they are our favorite! I suppose we could try more, but we really like FuzziBunz - so I think we are done with our search for the best cloth diaper.

My review of FuzziBunz One-Size Pocket Diaper:

• It is one-size, so it will fit from birth to potty-training.
• The lining on the inside is very soft! (If I had to wear a diaper, this would be it!)
  
• I have had no problems with stains on the pocket diaper. The insert does hold onto stains, but the sun takes care of those.
• The snaps are great!
• Seems very durable and high-quality (I should hope so, for $18 bucks a pop!).
• The diaper is one-sized because the elastic is adjustable. It isn't too difficult to figure out. I like this because it makes the diaper less bulky, as opposed to the snap system that Bum Genius uses.
  
• The only downside I can think of is it takes a little bit of time to adjust the elastic, so if I ever had two different sized kiddos in diapers, it would be difficult to use the diapers interchangeably with both of them.

I have bought all of our FuzziBunz diapers at www.Kellyscloset.com. The shipping has been fast and they have a great rewards program. I haven't had any reason to contact their customer service, so I can't tell you about that. FYI - From September 10th through October 30th there is a deal on FuzziBunz diapers: If you buy 9, you get $40 back in other Fuzzi Bunz products! So now would be a good time to hop on the bandwagon!

Related Posts:
8-24-09 Reviews and New Diapers
8-12-09 The Sun is Amazing!
7-22-09 The Beginning

Adventures in Cloth Diapering: Reviews and New Diapers!

We just bought our second batch of cloth diapers! I was so eager to pre-wash them when they arrived that I forgot to take a picture of them to show you... As I am typing they are being pre-washed so they are ready to be used!

Before I tell you about our new diapers, I wanted to give you reviews on the diapers we bought last month. As you may recall from my first post about cloth diapering, we first purchased 3 Bum Genius 3.0 diapers, 7 Indian pre-folds, and 1 Bummis Super-Snap Cover.

Bum Genius 3.0 Review:

• We like how simple this diaper is. It is very easy to put on!
• I love that this is a one-sized diaper, meaning that it should fit John until he is potty trained.
• The pocket diaper dries really fast, the inserts take a little more time... but it's not too bad.
• We are pretty disappointed with the quality - after being washed only two times, one of the seams securing the Velcro began to come undone. On a positive note, I had an easy time getting a replacement diaper from cottonbabies. Their customer service was great!
• Just last week, one of the inserts began to fray, revealing the layers of the insert. Not good! =( So, once again, I will be contacting Cottonbabies to see if I can get another replacement.
• Overall, we are not too impressed with this brand. We are having issues with wear and it has only been one month! Thus, we will search for a better diaper.

Indian Pre-fold Review:

• I really like these pre-folds!
• Stains come out mostly in the wash. The sun takes care of what ever is left.
• No major problems with leaking!
• They are very cost effective!
• The only down side we have noticed is they make John look like he has a big bottom (not that it really matters!). This also means that his clothes are tighter when he wears a pre-fold.

Bummis Super Snap Cover Review:

• This has been a good cover.
• I like the snaps on this cover, compared to the diapers with Velcro. I think the snaps will last longer.
• The cover dries very fast!
• If the cover does not get poo or pee on it, it can be used a few times before being laundered.
  
• The down side is you have to buy different sizes as your baby grows. This isn't bad, I just love the idea of diapers being one-sized!

On to the new diapers: we just bought 3 Fuzzibunz one-sized pocket diapers (they are a lot like the Bum Genius diapers we have), 6 Chinese pre-folds (they are a little thicker than Indian pre-folds), and 2 one-sized Blueberry covers. Everything has snaps this time because I think they will endure more years of diapering than Velcro. We shall see how these new diapers compare after a month or so!

Other good news is I think we have enough diapers to do cloth full-time. I will have to do wash every other day, but that is about how often the diapers should be cleaned anyway.

Adventures in Cloth Diapering: The Sun is Amazing!

We have been using cloth diapers part-time now for about 4 weeks. Everything is going well. I am getting a good system down! For a while I was getting discouraged with stains. So I went online and did some research on getting stains out. In multiple places, I found the advice to lay the stained diaper out in the sun. I thought "yea right, why would that do any good..."

It worked!!! I was so amazed! Here is the proof:

Before: EWW!

After: WOW!

Adventures in Cloth Diapering: The Beginning

Yesterday we received our first batch of cloth diapers in the mail. We bought three Bum Genius 3.0s, seven Indian pre-folds, and a Bummis diaper cover. So now we have enough to do cloth diapering at least every other day. It will be nice to have two different styles - so we can see what works best for us. The Bum Genius diapers will probably be the easiest, but the Indian pre-folds are more economical.

I'll keep you updated on our adventures!