Major Cloth Diaper Skeptic gives Cloth Diapering a Trial Period to see what the hype is all about!

Hello Everyone!

My name is Katie, and as I sit here trying to figure out what to say, I have to laugh a little because I find it quite ironic that I’m writing for a Cloth Diapering Blog of all things.  Why, you ask?  Only because I just happen to be one of the biggest skeptics out there when it comes to Cloth Diapering!  Not that I don’t totally commend everyone who does, in fact, I give them a ton of credit!  My sisters, Kristina and Jen, both are big time Cloth Diaper Addicts, so I’ve had my share of cloth diaper experiences, but it just wasn’t my thing, or so I thought…

First, a little about me and my family – I am married to a pretty cool guy, Jesse, (who is even more skeptical of cloth diapers even more than I am).  He is a Research Development Chef, so it’s kind of fun having him around!  Seriously though, he is my best friend, I love him and am thankful that he supports me on all my crazy endeavors no matter what they might be! His hobbies include shooting, music, following Hockey and Football, horseshoes, bowling, reading and pretty much anything to do with Zombies!

I work one night a week, and also am an Independent Consultant for Thirty-One.  So I like to say that I’m basically a Stay a Home Mommy!  We have two children, Colton and Rebecca.  Colton is 5 ½ and every bit the typical 5yr old boy!  Loves sports, getting dirty, playing outdoors, spending time with his cousins, reading…the list goes on!  Rebecca is 11 months old and is our little social chatter box!  We all love watching her learn new things and making her smile and laugh.  She is definitely Mommy’s girl, but lately has been getting better about giving Daddy some of her attention. Honestly though, I think her big brother is her favorite!  I love my babies so much more than I could have ever imagined loving someone before becoming a Mommy and while I’m far from perfect, I do my best to make sure they are loved and provided for!

We just moved into our house a few months ago and are finally starting to settle in and are enjoying the extra space both inside and out.  Eventually, I’d love to have a few small farm animals, but for now I’m settling with getting a garden started!  I also LOVE taking pictures/photography, playing softball, reading (which I never have time for), and spending time with my family and friends.

About six months ago, I was talking to my sisters about writing for this blog.  I was trying to convince them that just because I don't "Do" Cloth Diapering doesn't mean I couldn't write about other earth friendly things that I support!  It was kind of a losing battle!  They have been trying to convince me of converting to cloth for a few years now.  Even when I didn't have a baby in diapers!  I wasn't having any of it!  There is just something about scraping poo off into the toilet that just doesn't fly with me! (There was an incident with me babysitting a nephew, wearing a cloth diaper, and it was the day after he had eaten six ears of corn on the cob.  Let me tell you...what happened in that diaper...it wasn't pretty!) There were other reasonable arguments I had about Cloth Diapering which I will list in a minute!

My sisters finally came up with an idea about how I could write for them.  They thought it would be cool to have our followers hear from someone who is new to Cloth Diapering so that they could get a fresh perspective on things.  It's easy to say "Yes! CD'ing is the only way to go!"  when you've been doing it forever.  That's where I come in.  I am not only a Mom who has never Cloth Diapered, I'm also a huge skeptic of it, so who better to test it out than me!  So I am going to be doing a trial run, with my cute little test subject, Rebecca, and we will see how it goes!

Here are some, ok, a lot of skepticisms I have about Cloth Diapering.  As we go along throughout the next few months of this experiment, I promise to be honest, even if it means I end up loving Cloth Diapering.

1.  It's a lot of extra work, and time consuming - you can't just throw the diaper away and  be done with it
2.  Lots of extra laundry and hang drying to do
3.  the SMELLS!
4.  Does it really actually save money?  Honestly?  By the time you buy the diapers, the special butt creams, the special laundry detergents, and then you have the extra loads of laundry to run, its hard to believe you could actually save money
5.  The start up cost is pretty steep
6.  How much does it really help the environment?
7.  What about babies with sensitive skin?
8.  Seems like traveling and having to deal with cloth diapers would be a pain
9.  Leakage issues?
10.  Bulkiness of diapers - not a fan of the big butt, I know its a little on the vain side, but I'm just being honest!  It also becomes an issue when pants don't fit the baby right because of the extra bulk
11.  If someone did decide to try Cloth Diapering, how would they even know where to start?  I got lucky because I have sisters to help me out with questions, but even then, things still seem a bit overwhelming as I prepare for this adventure!
12.  Reusable wipes...seems like an added pain.  We shall see!

I look forward to sharing my Cloth Diapering Adventures with all of you!

Apparently we need to get an updated family picture with all of us in it!!

Interview with my Hubby

Although Father's Day has past, I thought it would be fun to interview my husband to find out what he really thinks about cloth diapering.  Because I stay at home with our son, I kind of had the final say in how we diapered him, since I'd be doing most of the diapering.  He was supportive of cloth diapering, but didn't have a huge interest in it in the beginning.  I feel like he's really come around and is now very supportive of our cloth diapering!  So, I thought it'd be fun to hear things from his point of view.... hoping you will, too!

What did you think about cloth diapering when I first brought it up?
I thought it would be really gross.... putting the poopy diapers in the washing machine.  And having to spray off poopy diapers--I was a little intimidated by that.

Did you really want us to use cloth diapers in the beginning or would you have preferred just using disposables?
I respected your desire to use cloth diapers, and knew it would be better for the environment and would be cheaper....so I agreed.

How did your opinions change once we started using them?
The ones for the infants (prefolds with the snappi things) are still really confusing and difficult for me, but once we started using the pocket diapers, it was really easy!  And once I saw how the washing machine looked after doing a few loads, I realized it didn't really matter.  Spraying off the diapers isn't so bad either, although I've had my share of difficulties with it.
Now, I'm kind of proud that we use them.  I know that it saves us so much money, and I've seen the volume of diapers we've had to throw away when we do use disposables.

What is the hardest thing about using cloth diapers?
Spraying the poop off!!  Before having the Spray Pal, I would always spray poop onto the wall or the floor.... my best story is when I was trying to drop poop into the toilet, when the snapped-in insert fell out, and everything landed in the woven magazine bin.  That was rough.

What's your favorite thing?
They're so much cuter than normal diapers!

Is there anything that really surprised you about using cloth diapers?
I think I was surprised by how easy they are (the pocket diapers).  Instead of using the velcro on disposables, you just snap them on-quick and easy!

Would you ever want to just use disposables?
No.  Maybe in the infants, with prefolds and things :), but otherwise, no.

Anything else you want to add?
The only other thing I'm surprised about is the volume of pee those things can handle!!


So, looks like he really does appreciate that we use cloth diapers :)  I'm glad he's been so supportive through the last two years of diapering!!  And that I didn't have to convince someone who was really against it.  How about you guys?  How do your partners feel about cloth diapering?

Katie

RubyRumps Fitted Diaper

For the past month or so, I've had the chance to try out a great fitted diaper--RubyRump's hemp fitted diaper.  RubyRump's is a business owned by a WAHM, Marion.  Marion lives in Washington, and has 5 children.  Her last three kids were cloth diapered, and after learning to make cloth diapers, decided to start her own business-RubyRumps.  She makes fitted diapers, covers, and also AIO diapers.  Marion sent me one of her organic hemp fitted diapers to try.
The etsy shop describes the make-up of the diaper well: "The outside layers are organic hemp fleece and the inside layers are a combination of organic hemp/cotton jersey and organic hemp/cotton fleece."  
And let me tell you, with all the hemp in there, this diaper is absorbent!  But before I get ahead of myself, here's what the diaper looks like:

It's pretty simple in design, but does the job well.  The diapers only come in velcro/hook and loop, and I found it to be really strong.  We've had no issues with it rolling up or anything yet, and they stayed stuck down in the washing machine (so NO diaper chains, which is one of my diapering pet peeves!).
The absorbency of the diaper is completely sewn in, so no snapping or adding layers, which is nice--no searching for the insert to snap in while folding the laundry!

The only problem with the absorbency being completely sewn in is that it takes longer to dry.  Now that it's pretty much summertime here in Virginia, I've been line-drying my diapers and haven't noticed that this diaper takes excessively longer than the others out on the line.  But I did notice, on rainy days when I dried everything in the dryer, that the diaper wasn't completely dry after one cycle.  Because I'm lazy, most nights I just take the diapers out of the diaper and leave them in the basket to fold in the morning anyway, so I usually just laid this one out over the edge of the basket and it was dry by morning.  Depending on what other nighttime diapers I used, this isn't the only diaper that needs a little extra dry-time, so sometimes I just added an extra 20 minutes to the cycle and it was dry.  Overall, not a big deal, but just something to be aware of!
And in case you noticed above, I did say "other nighttime diapers," meaning, this diaper is one of our nighttime diapers!!  If you've read any of my other posts, you'll know that my son is a super-soaker.  We have very limited options for nighttime, and this one passed the test!!  Because these diapers are made with so much hemp, I had high hopes for nighttime.  And after washing it and having it take so long to dry (yes, it takes longer to dry, but that also means extra absorbent!), I knew I had to give it a shot overnight.  And it worked.  Like a charm.  I paired it with a wool cover and had complete success!  Hooray!!  This diaper wasn't even completely soaked through by morning.  So as far as absorbency goes, this diaper is fantastic!
Another reason I love hemp is because it's so trim!  Major absorbency without the bulk.  This diaper is really quite trim for such an absorbent fitted diaper.

I used it only at naptime and nighttime (really the only times we use fitteds), so I can't say how it fits under clothing, but looking at this thing, it is super duper trim.  I actually had to pick out specific wool covers that fit more tightly during naps/nightime so they wouldn't fall down!  So I'd say this diaper would work great as a daytime diaper.

again....so trim.

The only issue we really had with this diaper was the fit.  And actually, we only had trouble in the legs; the waist was great!  I asked for a large, but I'm thinking we could have gotten by with a medium.  The weight ranges said a large would fit 16+ pounds, but I'm thinking that they run pretty large and it depends on the shape of the baby.  Myles has tiny little legs, so we got some gaping around them.  It was never an issue, as far as poop goes (I think it helps with fitteds that you have a cover to hold everything in), but just something to be aware of.  I have some friends with kids who weigh the same as Myles but have a completely different build, and I'm pretty sure this diaper would fit just fine on them.

You can see how it gapes on his right leg.  But when I made sure to pull the diaper up as high as I could before fastening it, it helped a lot.  And because we always wear a cover, we never had any problem with the gap causing a leak.

Overall, we love this diaper!  It is SO absorbent, and its really great to have another option for nighttime!  I love that its made with organic materials, so I feel really good with it against Myles' skin.  In my experience, the sizing runs large, but I think it depends on the build of the baby.  And, it just looks cute--who doesn't love a cute, fitted bum.....

*on a side note, Myles is starting potty training and we're having a really hard time keeping diapers on him!  Can you tell what he's trying to do in the picture on the right??  I have to keep telling him "hands off!!"

Anyway.... we really like this diaper!  If you're looking for a super absorbent fitted to add to your stash, this is it!  And they're also really affordable, at only $18.  Be sure to check out RubyRump's on facebook and on etsy.
Marion is also offering a great discount on her store for our readers--30% off, using the code RR30!  To order, check out what's available in her etsy shop, or if you don't see what you want, she can always do custom orders; just send her a message through etsy or facebook.
Also, if you live in or are visiting Port Townsend, WA, her diapers are for sale in a shop on Water St, downtown, called "Seams to Last."  Be sure to check them out!

Baby Monkeys Pocket Diaper and Flat

Last, but certainly not least in my Flats Challenge review series is a WAHM shop called Baby Monkeys. Tibeca, the owner and creator of Baby Monkeys sent me one of her Bamboo Baby Loop Terry Flats and also one of her adorable pocket diapers to review.

The Bamboo Loop Terry Flats are made of a single layer of fabric that is serged on the edges. You can pick your serging color, and I chose the Blueberry Cobbler color for mine. They come in three sizes that you can choose from: Newborn (25" x 25"), Infant (28"x28"), and Toddler (30"x30"). The fabric has one smooth flat side and one looped side, and I found that both held a Snappi very well. The flat is really stretchy, which I love for getting a nice snug fit on Ava!

I have the flat in an Origami fold in the picture above. You can see what a great fit we got with this flat! The tan serging you see is just a doubler since Ava was wearing this for a nap. We found that this flat had really great absorbency for Ava and it handwashed very well during the challenge.

This is the adorable pocket diaper that I was sent to review! It is a one size side snapping pocket diaper with a cute rainbow applique on the back.

On the inside of the diaper there are two pocket openings, one on each end. This makes it really easy to stuff and most of the time the inserts agitate out in my washer! The white that you can see is suedecloth, and the blue is PUL.

The picture above shows the pocket snapped to the smallest rise and waist settings. I can tell that this would fit a small baby really nicely. The front even has a little bit of a dip to it that would keep the diaper away from the cord on a newborn. The size range for these pockets is about 10-32 pounds.

 I added this picture to highlight the awesome stitching on the fold over elastic. I thought that all the stitching on this diaper was really nicely done, and the zig zag stitch on the elastic looks really cool.

I took all of the on the bum pictures with the flat pad folded inside the pocket. I know it looks bulky, but I wanted to be able to show just how roomy this pocket is. I can even stuff it enough to use it at night! For normal daytime use, Tibeca offers bamboo terry or zorb inserts to go with her pocket diapers.  I didn't have one of hers to review, so I used some that I had on hand. With a smaller insert I take the rise up one more snap setting and get a nice trim fit.

Look at that fluffy bum! I love that this is a great stay dry night time option for us. It has been really hard for us to find pockets that can fit the amount of absorbency that Ava needs at night.

We got a great fit with this diaper. The fold over elastic keeps everything really snug without any gaps, so we didn't have any leaks. I just love anything baby blue so the color is perfect for me and the rainbow applique is so awesome! Also, since there is elastic on the front for the tummy it works great for my skinny tummy sleeper. This was one of the first diapers in a while that fit Ava's skinny waist really well without squishing her chubby legs.

Check Baby Monkeys out on HyenaCart! She has pocket diapers, covers, flats, wipes, and the cutest little stuffed toy monkeys I have seen.

Geffen Baby Quick Absorbers Plus

I was recently given the opportunity to review a set of the Geffen Baby Quick Absorbers Plus inserts. I really like Geffen Baby's jersey hemp flats, so I was excited to try their inserts.

I received a package of three Quick Absorbers Plus inserts, but you can also buy them in quantities of 6 or 12. When you receive them the dimensions are 6" x 17", but they will shrink somewhat after prepping. I found that mine are now 5" x 16" which is a great size for us.

You can see that after it was prepped it softened up nicely and shrunk down just a bit. The Geffen Baby Quick Absorbers Plus inserts are made of five layers of a 60% hemp and 40% cotton blend jersey. This makes them very absorbent, while still very thin! Geffen Baby also offers Quick Absorber inserts that are still five layers of hemp and cotton jersey but are about 5" x 13" if you need a shorter length. If you want even more absorbency try the High Absorber inserts (5" x 13" with two layers of hemp and cotton jersey plus three layers of hemp/cotton fleece in the center) or the Super Absorbers inserts (5" x 13" with five layers of hemp/cotton fleece). If you prefer microfiber, they also offer the Ultra Absorbers inserts (6" x 17"with three layers of microfiber).

You can see in this picture above that this insert is nice and thin. I really enjoyed using these as doublers in my flats during the Flats Challenge! Since they are made of natural fibers they handwashed well too. They add a lot of absorbency without adding a lot of bulk. We found that these worked really well in all of our pocket diapers also. Geffen Baby calls them universal inserts, and that certainly seems to be an accurate assessment! I was able to use them with all of our diapering systems. I've used them as doublers in all-in-ones and all-in-twos, as doublers in a prefold, and as doublers in flats with great success. Geffen Baby is a really great company and many of their products are made in the USA. Check them out on their website and on Facebook!