Cloth Diapering: Part 4

We decided a long time ago that we wanted to use cloth diapers. Well, we started cloth diapering Sam last week, and it's going pretty well. It hasn't been without a few challenges, but so far I'm really liking it. Is that weird, enjoying something like this?

So here's what we have:

We have 23 Rump-a-Rooz and 4 FuzziBuns. They are both one-size pocket diapers which means they can be snapped down to different sizes to grow with the baby. I don't love the FuzziBuns so I keep them in the diaper bag.

Having this many diapers allows me to not have to wash quite as much, although I am still washing every day (I really like to do laundry and I really like clean, fluffy diapers).

Each diaper comes with two kinds of inserts: a newborn and a, umm, normal one. I love the Rump-a-Rooz inserts because they can be snapped together for more absorbency.

Right now we have the diapers snapped down to small/medium but we're still using the newborn insert so they aren't so bulky. We also have a sophisticated way of snapping them closed so the leg holes are tight but the waist isn't too tight.

Back in the day, Kyle and I would spend our Friday nights going to dinner, getting drinks with friends, hitting the town (as much as two homebodies can). Last Friday night was spent stuffing inserts in our diapers. And I have to say, I much prefer it that way.

We attached a diaper sprayer to our toilet so I can spray off poop with the best of them.

Rump-a-Rooz recommends Gain so that's what we're going with for the diapers and all Sam's clothes.  I do a cold rinse without detergent and then hot wash/cold rinse with detergent. They come out poop free and smelling fancy fresh! Here's a great list for picking a detergent. Gain doesn't look too good on the chart, but it's what my diaper folks recommend so that's what I'll stick to.

I dry the inserts and hang the diapers to dry. They dry super fast.

We use a wet bag system. That means the dirty diapers hang out in a waterproof bag until I'm ready to wash. One for wets and one for poopies. I wash the bags with the diapers.

This one should be obvious.

Our system:

It was important for me to have a system so that I don't feel like dirty cloth diapers are running my life.

For wet ones, after I remove the liners from the diapers they go right into the wet bag that hangs on his closet door.

For poopy ones, they go in a plastic grocery bag until I am able to spray them off. I then seperate the diapers from the inserts, spray them, and put them in a smaller wet bag in the bathroom.

Come wash time, I just dump everything in the washing machine, wet bags included.

Things we're still figuring out:
- How to spray the diapers without getting poop water on my hands, the toilet seat, and the floor.
- How to get out stains (only one diaper has stains, and I will be doing this)
- Sam still doesn't totally love them. He pretty much pees the instant we put on a clean diaper, but with disposable diapers he didn't really feel wet. With cloth, he can, but I don't want to change diapers every 30 seconds, so he needs to learn to be ok with a wet diaper for at least a little bit.
- Sam has super skinny legs and massive formula poops that sometimes find there way out of the leg holes. Luckily poop doesn't gross me out.

What I love:
- Saves a butt load of money (pun intended)
- Saves the environment
- And Sam looks so gosh darn cute in them!