My Week with Disposables

When I took my little guy for his six-month check-up, his pediatrician diagnosed his persistent diaper rash as a yeast infection.  This meant ten days of antibiotic cream and ten days with no cloth diapers, to let the infection clear up. Meanwhile, all the cloth diapers and cloth wipes were bleached.  That left us with disposable diapers and wipes for the ten day period.  After almost two and a half years of cloth diapering, it was quite eye opening.

Some things (I have to admit) were nice.  Disposable diapers have the advantage of being more compact.  I wouldn't need as large a diaper bag. Or I could fit even more into my diaper bag--like more wraps.  

On the other hand, I'm going to be really happy to get back into cloth. Here's why.  

1.  When we were out and baby boy pooped, I was unsure what to do with the diaper. Of course it was always at someone else's house. Or at the doctor's office where there is a big "no poopy diaper" sign on the trash can.  So, I ended up bagging it and bringing it back home. Not that different from cloth--except I was just carrying around straight trash.  And it was a lot messier than a cloth poopy diaper.  Which brings me to number 2 (pun intended). 

2.  The clothing changes.  Baby's spare clothes will stay in the diaper bag for weeks at a time--sometimes he even outgrows them without getting to use them.  But we had to change outfits for almost every poopy diaper.  Anyone who says they don't want to cloth diaper because they don't want poop in the washer doesn't know the power of the blowout.  

3. There's more about the poop.  It was harder to clean off with the disposable.  Slimier.  Ick.  I had to use way more wipes. 

4. Stink.  I discovered that I really dislike the combination of the smell of pee and plastic.  

5. I was naively surprised by the amount of trash.  We take our own trash to the landfill (country living), so we are super aware of the amount of trash we generate.  

6. It was inconvenient!  We were running low on disposables and snow was coming. Cue panic and sending of husband to the store, where he then had to text me with lots of questions because we've barely done this before.  Sure, we have to remember to wash diapers, but we always have back-up diapers.  

7. It was expensive.  We spent $20 on diapers for this ten day period. Granted, we have a few left over, but still!  We'd probably spend anywhere between $40 and $60 a month on diapers.  

Luckily, my son didn't react negatively to any of the disposable diapers we tried. My daughter broke out in a rash whenever she wore disposable diapers.  

The seventh reason is what really stands out in my mind.  We're really lucky that we can afford disposable diapers.  One in three families have to cut back on food or utilities to afford diapers.  This is why I have become a Share the Love host.  Share the Love is a cloth diaper donation bank run by Cotton Babies.  Local hosts collect donations and distribute them to families who just need a little bit of extra help.  If you have cloth diapers you are no longer using, I strongly encourage you to email sharethelove@cottonbabies.com 

Cloth Diapering Budgets

Did you know that a third of American families struggle to find room in their budget for diapers?  And it's no wonder--disposable diapers are expensive.  According to the National Diaper Bank Network, diapers can cost $936 annually per child.  A friend recently told me that her costs are a bit more conservative, closer to $500 per year.  She was interested in trying out cloth diapering, but wasn't sure if it would be economical to start now, with her nine-month old, if she didn't plan on having any more children.

Let's take a look and see, shall we? Maybe we can help her make a decision.

First, let's look at how many diapers babies use daily at each age. Newborns can use more than ten diapers per day.  By the time babies are a month old, they may only be using six diapers per day.  That use continues through toddlerhood.  My daughter used a dozen or more diapers per day as a newborn. At eleven months old, she uses six to eight diapers per day.

Second, we need to think about how often we want to do diaper laundry.  In our house, we have decreed Mondays and Thursdays diaper laundry days. If you do laundry every three days, you can make do with two dozen diapers with an older baby.  If you have a newborn, you'd want three dozen diapers with that laundry schedule.  If you have a smaller stash of diapers, you just need to do laundry more often.

Third, we need to decide what kind of diapers we want to use.  In this section, we will talk briefly about the different kinds of diapers and the set-up cost for an older baby with the above laundry schedule.

Best for Budget--Prefolds, Flats, and Covers

Wearing a diaper cover from the shop

Just about every family with a baby has a few prefolds around the house--usually pressed into service as burp cloths.  Often, people are intimidated by the idea of having to fold, twist, and pin these diapers.  Luckily, the Snappi has replaced pins for many parents.  With older babies, as bowel movements become less runny, prefolds become even easier.  I fold my prefolds into thirds and just lay them into a cover.  Flats are just squares or rectangles of cloth that are then twisted and folded into a more absorbent shape.  YouTube is great for learning how to use prefolds and flats.  Flats can be easily handwashed and line-dryed. Stephanie of Abby's Lane tells of using old washcloths as diapers.  For more on hard-core frugal diapering, read her blog article.

Prefolds and flats both require the use of a waterproof cover.  I'd recommend 5-6 covers for our laundry schedule.  You can alternate two covers throughout a day, letting one air out with the other on the bum unless poo gets on the cover.  They are also easily rinsed out.

How do they compare to our disposable diaper budget?
Prefolds cost around $25/dozen on Amazon.com.  Flats cost the same or slightly less.
Covers range in price from as low as five dollars to about eighteen dollars.  Let's say twelve dollars per cover.  We need two dozen diapers and six covers.

Total Cost:  $50 for diapers + $72 for covers= $122
Savings: $378


Best for Daycare and Babysitters--Pockets and All-in-Ones

Modeling BumGenius Freetime

All-in-one and pocket diapers are faster options on the changing table.  When convincing other caregivers to use cloth diapers, these modern cloth diapers are much more appealing.  Putting them on requires about the same amount of effort as putting on a disposable diaper.  They do cost more up front but they have great resale value.

Obviously, prices can vary depending on the brand, so I'll do this comparison based on my two favorites: Fuzzibunz One Size Elites for pockets and BumGenius Freetimes for All-in-Ones. Since both are one-size diapers, they may fit through potty-training. (No guarantees for the individual child). Fuzzibunz can be purchased in six-packs at $116.70 ($19.45 per diaper. Individual diapers cost $19.95 each).  BumGenius Freetimes can be purchased in a 24 pack for $399.95 ($16.67 per diaper. Individual diapers cost $19.95 each).

Total Cost for Pockets: $466.80
Savings: $33.20

Total Cost for All-in-Ones: $399.95
Savings: $100.05

Other Options
Fitteds, Hybrids, and All-in-Twos are other diaper options.  For more comparison, visit this site.

What Else Do You Need?
Don't be overwhelmed with all the diaper accessories: pails, wet bags/pail liners, fancy cloth wipes, and diaper sprayers.  You can make do without those things, although they do make life easier.

If funds are tight, hold off on wet bags until you have a little extra.  They can be used in many ways and totally are worth it.  DH loves our diaper sprayer, but I can do without it.  Rags and baby wash cloths make fine baby wipes. So do flannel receiving blankets.

The Final Word
All of these cloth diaper methods save money over disposable diapers even without keeping the following in mind:

• Cloth diapers can be sold.  I sold two of my all-in-one diapers, used, for only a few dollars less than what I paid. If you can afford the up-front investment, you can probably make back more than half of what you paid.  Don't try that with disposables!
• They can be used for subsequent children.  At this point, any children we have after Abby will be cloth diapered for free.  
• Cloth diapers can be purchased second-hand for lower prices. 

We have a luxurious diaper stash, and we still have not hit that $936 estimate.  

Some argue that you may see a higher electricity and/or water bill.  That depends on your area.  We haven't seen an increase in either bill during our time of cloth diapering.  

What do you do to cloth diaper on a budget?

Crunchy Baby Essentials

When I was pregnant, I had a lot of people telling me about the things that I *had* to have. In reality, we found that favorite things vary from family to family and baby to baby. Abby loved her swing and hated pacifiers. Other babies might be the opposite. But for us, here is our list:

 1. Cloth Diapers

For our seven pound, fourteen ounce daughter, we loved using Fuzzibunz Elite One-Size Pocket Diapers. We bought a dozen to start, along with a dozen BumGenius and a couple oddballs.  The Fuzzibunz fit her the best as a newborn.

 We also found that prefold diapers and covers worked really well for her. We used Snappis as an alternative to pinning. They were quick and easy!

Here, Abby models a diaper cover over a prefold.

 2. Cloth Wipes From the beginning, we've used a combination of cloth and disposable wipes. Our cloth wipes are actually the super cheap baby wash cloths. We received bunches as gifts in addition to a few extras that we purchased.




3. Baby Carrier We started taking Abby places right away and the stroller was a pain. There are also many proven benefits to baby wearing, to be addressed in a future post. We loved two carriers from the beginning:

 The Moby: The Moby had a bit of a learning curve but was super snuggly once we got it all figured out. By Thanksgiving, I was able to wear her while I put things on the table.








 The Beco Gemini: I bought this one on multiple recommendations. It fit both me and DH very well, it was quick, it was easy, and super comfortable and supportive. I've heard from many people that the Baby Bjorn, much more well-known, isn't as comfortable. It also has a pretty low weight limit. The Gemini can be used from birth to toddlerhood. It's also great for newborns, even without an added insert. It can also be used for hip and back carries, once the baby has good head support.

Here is Abby at three weeks old, at her first Renaissance Festival.  It's very rugged, hilly, and crowded. Not very stroller friendly. But that didn't stop us!









4. Aden & Anais Swaddle Blankets





There are many brands of cloth diapers and baby carriers that are equally awesome. However, I haven't found any other brand of cotton muslin swaddle blankets that I love as much as these. Abby was an early September baby, so flannel receiving blankets were too warm. They also weren't big enough to swaddle her easily. These generously sized blankets were big enough to really tuck in all the ends when we swaddled her, but we didn't have to worry about overheating. They were thin enough to use for car seat covers and nursing covers. We folded them over for burp cloths when we found that anything marketed as a burp cloth didn't give us anywhere near enough coverage. I've given quite a few of these as shower gifts since Abby was born and I rave about them to anyone who asks about baby gear.

Other Things We Loved
We bought a personalized wooden teething ring on Etsy.  It was easy for Abby to grip and she loved gnawing on it.  Give it a rub with food safe oil to keep it moisturized. Three month old Abby was a big fan!

Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether is the toy that parents love and hate. It has an annoying squeak but babies love chewing on the natural rubber.

I couldn't have lived without our swing.  It gave me a chance to eat a hot meal with two hands at the same time as my husband. But some babies hate them. I recommend trying to get one for free or borrowing one and seeing how it works out.

Other Notes

• There are lots of great cloth diaper brands out there and pockets and prefolds aren't the only option.  The fitted diapers in the shop right now are one-size, but might be a little bulky on some newborns.  Whatever you choose, keep in mind that newborn babies can go through a dozen diapers a day.  We recommend 2-3 dozen diapers, depending on how often you want to do laundry. We recommend the same number of wipes, if you will use cloth wipes exclusively.  Cloth wipes are also handy for spit up and any other number of messes.  
• For baby carriers, Boba and Ergo are also good brands for newborns.  More on baby carriers in an upcoming baby wearing post.
• If you are interested in buying any of the products I've mentioned, click through the links and product photos.
• Putting up all these squishy newborn photos made me feel really nostalgic. Abby will be eleven months old next week and rarely stays still for photos anymore.  

What are your recommendations for someone making a baby registry?

The Beginning

Hello and welcome.

I'm a suburban mom to one, looking to live a better and greener life with my husband, dog, and daughter.

So far, we do a lot of things that other green-loving suburban families do. We switched out incandescent lightbulbs for CFLs, we use reusable grocery bags, and use steel water bottles instead of the disposable kind.

We are working on decreasing our footprint more. We use cloth diapers and wipes. I'm on a continual search for the perfect reusable nursing pad, and in my postpartum recovery, I tried out mama cloth.

Before my daughter was born, I was a teacher. I'm taking a year off to spend with her and watch my sister's two daughters while she goes to graduate school. I'd love to stay home permanently someday, and I dream of this shop helping me get there.

This blog will be part shop blog, part advice on living a greener life, and part product reviews. Look for more coming soon!