Cloth Diapers

A little over a year ago I went home to California for a visit and got into a fun discussion with some of my extended family. They were giving me a hard time because I was still nursing Aubree (who was around 15 months old at the time) and we started talking about being a "crunchy" parent. We found a quiz that gives a crunchiness ranking. (Click here for a link to the quiz - I'd love to know your results!) I believe at that time I scored somewhere in the 50's, which meant I was "sprinkled with granola." My aunt, in comparison, was in the "jello" range. Since then I've definitely become more "crunchy". I retook the quiz recently and scored 87 which means I am currently "Pretty Crispy." However, only three points higher and I would be in the "Mmm! Love that whole-grain crunch!" category.
One big change is that I decided to use cloth diapers with Bryce. Before you think I'm a total nutcase, it's important to know that cloth diapers have come a long way; these aren't your grandma's cloth diapers! First, though, let me answer the obvious question - "why?" I had two main reasons initially.
1. Aubree had (has) extremely sensitive skin. The only diapers that didn't give her terrible, itchy rashes were Pampers and she even had breakouts with those on occasion. Since eczema and other skin problems are genetically linked, chances were good that Bryce would have similar problems with disposable diapers. Cloth allows us to avoid the potential problems.
2. Cost. Although the start-up costs for using cloth diapers are a bit high, over time they are WAY less expensive than using disposables. Plus, I plan on having more children and can use the same diapers I've used for Bryce for future kids, which means the savings will be even greater.
Now that I've been using cloth diapers for over two months I have to admit that it's also a little fun. Yes, fun. There are so many different kinds of diapers and some of them are really cute. Here's a quick run-down with my adorable model, Bryce:

This is a picture of Bryce from the very first time I put him in a "prefold" diaper. These are the kinds of diapers that your grandma probably did use. However, the yellow thing you see is called a "snappi" and is used instead of pins to make the process super-easy. A prefold diaper needs a cover to be waterproof and covers come in all kinds of great colors, prints, and fabrics. Covers usually are attached using aplix (a higher quality Velcro). Prefolds are my work-horse diaper. I use them most of the time and am a bit surprised that I like them so much.

This picture shows a "fitted" diaper and it's actually home-made. Fitted diapers fit like a disposable (with Velcro tabs), but still require a cover. I wasn't planning on making my own diapers, but I mentioned cloth diapering to a friend who was also pregnant and she talked me into making diapers (which makes them even less expensive).

In this picture Bryce is modeling an "all-in-one" diaper. These diapers are the most like disposables in that it's just one piece that you strap on and you're ready to go. I didn't make this diaper, but I have made others like it. This particular diaper also has a "pocket" that allows me to put in extra padding to made it more absorbent if needed.

Finally, here is a picture of Bryce wearing my new favorite diaper cover - a wool soaker. Let's just say that wool is amazing and it's what we use every night nowadays.
I do have to wash the diapers every other day or so, and that can be a bit of a pain, but it's certainly not hard. We even bought a outdoor clothes drying umbrella-type thing and just need to put it up so I can start line-drying the diapers. Yes, I know I'm a little crazy and I suppose I'm okay with that.
With the cloth diapers we hardly ever have blow-outs. When Aubree was a newborn she would have blow-outs almost daily. I remember Mark used to spend a good chunk of time every day trying to scrub poo out of Aubree's clothes so they wouldn't be stained (what a great guy!). Bryce has only got poo on his clothes twice. And I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that one of those times was because I forgot to put a cover over his prefold (*blushing*).
Today we went to the beach and I decided to put Bryce in a disposable for the first time in months. I was surprised that the diaper felt so much like paper and plastic and I actually felt bad that Aubree had to have that against her skin 24/7 for almost two years. I like having so many options now.