Gwoss

In Eloise's words, what I'm about to write about is "gwoss" so feel free to stop reading now. But if you're a mom (or not squeamish) then you too are well versed in the following:

I'm talking about pee and vomit.

Eloise, I'm sorry to divulge information on the internet that will embarrass you as a teen, but you are a heavy wetter. You also have a tendency to vomit everywhere if we put you in your crib and leave the room rather than rocking you to coma-sleep. It's not that we're okay with you throwing up and sleeping in it, but after a few hours of trying to get you to sleep in your crib we are exhausted and two minutes of crying really shouldn't be such a big deal. You do always manage to sleep through the night and wake up cheerful the next day. The surprise for us in the morning is a urine-dampened and/or vomit-scented baby which results in an immediate load of laundry, crib and carpet clean and a bath. (As a result Eloise's Piglet, her bed sheets and her hair are quite possibly the cleanest ever.)

Back in January we were having problems with Eloise waking up often because she was wet. We experimented with different diapers and ended up using wool diaper soakers which worked like a charm. Until now. Since Eloise sleeps 12, sometimes 13, hours a night we find that her diaper and soaker just can't keep up so we've been experimenting once again with different combinations. So far a Blueberry or bumGenius pocket diaper with two bamboo liners, an additional bamboo-terry liner and the wool soaker have worked the best but after a wet week we're back to the drawing board.

I did some research and heard about the great absorbancy of Tots Bots Bamboozle diapers so I ordered one from New & Green and a Bummis Super Brite cover for on top since we had so much success with these covers when Eloise was small (not even one newborn poop blowout!). We used a wool soaker on top of it all and I am pleased to report that Eloise and her bed were totally dry when she woke up this morning.

Unfortunately, we let her cry for a few minutes after a marathon bedtime last night and though she may not have been wet from pee, she had thrown up everywhere. Gwoss.

Cloth Diapers: A Year Later

Cutest cloth diaper bum.

The mystére surrounding cloth diapers still amazes me. When Chris and I tell people we have used cloth for more a year now they often remark how gross it must be and that they just don't have the time. Here's the thing: cloth diapering is not difficult, it's not gross and you can't slag it before you try it. Yes, we have to do an additional load of laundry every other day, but it's an easy trade for Eloise's health and the health of our planet. By choosing to cloth diaper we are not contributing to the 27 billion (BILLION!) tons of waste that disposable diapers make up in landfills each year.

So what have we learned a year later? Lots. Deciding to cloth diaper Eloise was a great choice and I want everyone to know that they can do it too. Read on to find out what worked for us.

Newborn to three months:

We started with a rotation of 18 Kissaluv Kissa's Cotton Fleece Fitted diapers (size 0) and six Bummis Super Brite covers (size small). One cover lasts until it gets soiled so you can reuse it a few times before reaching for a new one. This combo was unbeatable for containing messes we didn't experience one dreaded newborn 'blowout' or any other leakage, even with a round the clock newborn poop machine. When your diapers get streaky (trust me, it'll happen), an afternoon in the sun will take out even major stains and removes odours too. For reals.

Three to six months:

When Eloise got a bit bigger we added six AMP Stay-Dry All-in-Ones (size small) to our rotation which were easy to pack for outings and trimmer under clothing too. We also switched to medium Super Brite covers and continued to use the same size 0 Kissa's until around six months.

Six months to One year:

Once Eloise reached around 10 pounds, we added pocket diapers into our stash. We have around 30 and our favourites are bumGenius 4.0 One Size and Blueberry Diapers One Size for both fit and durability. We like pocket diapers with a hook/loop (aka velcro) closure and love, love, love Blueberry Diaper's bamboo inserts which are trim yet amazingly absorbent and our go to for night or long car rides. Eloise is a skinny baby and we've used gDiapers, FuzziBunz, and Baby Kangas as well but struggled to get a good fit. We have nine AMP Stay-Dry All-in-Ones (now in size medium) and enjoy how little room they take up in our always overflowing diaper bag.

Speaking of night, now that Eloise sleeps through the night we swear by wool diaper soakers from Babyology to keep her dry until morning. Wool is super absorbent and naturally antibacterial so it's the perfect solution for heavy wetters and we can't put Eloise to bed without her soaker. Solid food also brought on new challenges to diaper 'clean up' and we are huge fans of Bummis Bio-Soft Liners. These awesome, flushable liners allow you to remove solids and they provide a barrier to protect diapers from cream which we always need when Eloise is teething.

Washing:

We currently have about 40 diapers in rotation and wash diapers every two days. We use Country Save detergent to wash and the wash routine is as follows: dump diapers and wet bag into the washer, rinse cold, wash in hot water with 1/8th of a scoop of soap, rinse with hot water and rinse a final time with hot water. This routine does take a good deal of water but I was finding one hot rinse was not enough to get all the soap residue out of the diapers. Once and a while I add 1/4 cup of vinegar to the first hot rinse which helps to eliminate odours and reduce build up. I put liners and all-in-one diapers in the dryer and hang the rest to dry, in the sun if possible (ha ha).

Accessories:

Our pail is a simple plastic garbage can with a tight fitting lid and we have two diaper pail liners (or wet bags). We have found Bummis Fabulous Wet Bag to be better quality than other pail liners and I like the zip closure too. We have two wet bags to pack in the diaper bag (one to use, one to wash) and enjoy the fun patterns available from Itzy Ritzy.

At home we use Kissaluv Awesome Terry Knit Wipes and keep them at the ready in a Prince Lionheart Warmies Wipes Warmer. The wipes warmer was one of those items that seemed extravagant at the time but has become my number one 'must have' for cloth diapering. It is always stocked with moist wipes so we have a warm, clean cloth at the ready when needed. Cloth wipes do a WAY better clean up job in much less time than disposable wipes and just get tossed in the wash along with your diapers.

Next up? It's potty time.

Every Day I'm Diapering

It's been more than nine months since Eloise was born and I, like other moms, am now an expert in diaper duty. Hundreds of diapers, many leaks, a few blowouts and thousands of loads of laundry later, I am also pleased to report that we have not given up on cloth diapering.

Blueberry Diapers One Size Deluxe

Baby Kangas One Size Pocket Diaper

Through trial and error we have figured out how to make cloth diapers work for us. We started with Kissaluvs Kissa's and Bummis Super Brite covers for Eloise's tiny tush and once she reached the eight pound mark we added AMP Stay Dry All in Ones in small and bumGenius One Size 4.0 to the mix. At about six months we transitioned to all pocket diapers, including the awesome Blueberry diapers and Chris' favourite, Baby Kangas. Now that Eloise is nearly 15 pounds we're using the next size up in AMP Stay Dry All in Ones as well and our 'healthy' diaper stash numbers around 40!

So, what are our favourites? Hands down, the Blueberry diapers win my vote. They are beautifully made in the USA, are soft and hard working and have super absorbent, yet ultra-thin, bamboo inserts. We have both snap and hook & loop (aka velcro) Blueberry diapers and I can't say I prefer one over the other, though the hook & loop certainly wins for ease at 3am diaper changes.

I like to think we have this cloth diapering thing figured out, though every stage in Eloise's growth brings new challenges, like the recent introduction of solid poop. Gross I know, but there's even a solution for that and Bummis Bio-Soft Liners have made clean-up much more pleasant. I wonder when we can start potty training?

Dear bumGenius,

bumGenius 4.0 one-size

Dear bumGenius,

I credit you, the 4.0 one-size diaper, for allowing my daughter to sleep for several hours at a time. I think I speak for everyone here when I say your presence has made our mornings much easier.

I will admit I was not initially impressed by you, bumGenius. To be honest, I found you too bulky on my petite child and felt your pocket system to be cumbersome. You were pushed to the back of our diaper stash but one night we chose you for bedtime and awoke, six hours later, in awe that Eloise had slept so long and impressed that she was dry, too. Since then it is safe to say we're hooked and you have become an important part of our bedtime routine.

Thank you bumGenius, I think I just might love you.

Sincerely,
Jordan

Cloth Diapering Momma Pt. 2

From zero to potty training, Chris and I will change around 6000 diapers. Holy crap (pun intended). We're planning on diapering in cloth from day one, but with so many options it's hard to know where to start. At the recommendation of the knowledgeable team at New & Green, we're going to try out a combination of diapers to find what works best for us.

Kissaluv's Fitted Newborn Diaper

For the first few months we're interested in the teeny tiny 'all-in-one' newborn diapers from Kissaluvs. Made of cotton fleece, these diapers are supposedly super absorbent and user friendly too. You need to use the Kissaluvs with a diaper cover, but we've heard that with the diaper and cover combo there's not a leak in sight!

The One Size bumGenius 4.0 

AMP's One Size Duo Pocket

Once our babe is big enough to transition into a 'one size' diaper (that fits babies from around 10-35 pounds with snap adjustments) we're considering two types, a pocket diaper and a hybrid diaper. Pocket diapers, like the bumGenius 4.0 or the AMP Duo Pocket allow you to stuff the pocket with one or two absorbent liners and then toss in your diaper pail once soiled, much as you would a disposable.

The gDiaper 

Flip's Hybrid Diaper

The hybrid diaper gives us two options: a cloth insert and a disposable insert that can be flushed, composted or thrown out. Hybrid diapers by gDiapers and Flip are a multi-part system that allows you to reuse the cover by loading a clean cloth or disposable insert into the liner. Both brands sound like they'd be a convenient option for traveling or babysitters, but the disposable liners still contain sodium polyacrylate, the absorbent beads found in disposables, so I'm on the fence about these.


Have you found a cloth diapering system that you'd recommend?