April recently posted a comment asking all sorts of wonderful questions about cloth diapering. Since I have already written one article on the topic, I figured another post was in order and decided to tackle the answers.
This post really has made me consider *thinking* about cloth diapers, for lots of reasons. We use disposable {gasp} and they are Pampers {double gasp} 😉 I have some questions about cloth, though, and I couldn’t find a post on this site about them. I’d love the honest input from other multiple moms who use them vs. disposable.For all the cloth diaperers out there….
Well, April, I have to admit that we actually use a combination of disposable and cloth, so I didn’t gasp when I read that you use disposable. I figure a Mama is entitled to some indulgent moments. Right? Now, I don’t consider myself an expert by any means, but with triplets, I get plenty of exposure to using them even if we just use them once or twice a day.
I see a lot of figures for how much cheaper they are, but, as far as time goes, how much time per week do you spend washing, etc?
Honestly, I don’t spend much time washing them at all. Since I have a small stash (5 diapers per baby) I toss them in the wash machine throughout the day and do one load at the end of each day with all of the dirty diapers. I wash them, dry them and reassemble them for the next day. Depending on how big your stash is, you could actually get away with doing this every other day.
My twins are 7 months, just starting solids. If I were to make the switch, how many diapers would you recommend?
I have 5 per baby, but we use disposables at night and also if we go anywhere. If I were to decide to make the switch and cloth diaper full-time, I would probably want to have 5 more each. I think that it would be nice to have enough for at least 2 days.
I see on various cloth diaper websites that you must change after they’ve “soiled”. My daughters seem to pee a little bit at a time, I change them after every nap, unless there’s poo or pretty wet {every 3 hours or so}. Do you find you change diapers more frequently with cloth?
Not really. It depends on the day and how much they have to drink and eat; but typically we go through 5 diapers per day, whether we use cloth or disposable. I do have one brand that tends to hold less so I have to change that one more quickly.
I read on the Fuzzi Bunz site that you can’t use diaper cream on babies who use their diapers – something about the buildup. So, if they get diaper rash – what are you supposed to do?
I just recently found disposable diaper liners (which makes the poo removal a much easier task, although a sprayer works even better) and so I will put the diaper cream on the affected area and affix the liner to the cream so it doesn’t end up on the diaper. Prior to that, we would just use disposables with cream until the rash cleared up.
What brand do you like the best and why?
My personal favorite is the BumGenius One Size. It is a pocket diaper that comes with a newborn insert (which can also be used as a doubler) and a full size insert. They adjust in size, so they can grow with your baby. I find them to be quite absorbent, easy to use and they seem to be comfortable for the little ones to wear. But opinions are varied since there are SO many options out there; one of the newest arrivals are G-Diapers, which are a combination between disposable and cloth.
My greatest hesitation is that our laundry is in the basement….out and around to the back of the house and I don’t always have the time to get down there daily, let alone several times/day to rerun the rinse cycle, etc. I know there’s lots of people who use them who don’t even have a washer/dryer and I really admire those people. But, realistically, I’m just worried about the time factor.
Like I previously stated, I really don’t notice that I spend all that much time on cloth diapers. Although I won’t lie. It does take a little bit of extra effort, but it has minimal impact on my day to day life. Since your laundry is in the basement, one thing that might help as a time saver would be to invest in a couple of bags to store the diapers until you are ready to wash them.
Good luck!