CD Stash Brag

I just read a blog by my friend Amy who wrote about her cloth diaper stash and it inspired me to do the same.  I love my cloth diapers and write about them alot, like here, here and here. Also, I often get asked what we use and why so here's our current stash!~

MY STASH! (I'd post a picture of everything but that would mean having everything clean which is impossible... so product shots will have to do!)

24 prefolds (Unbleached Indian)
4 Imse Vimse Covers (2 Farm, 1 Jungle, 1 Olive Stripe)
2 Bummis Cover (Green Super Brite, Frogs)
1 WAHM Cover (Orange)
1 KCKOne Cover (Ooga Booga Print)
1 WAHM Swim Diaper (Striped)
1 Thirsties Cover (Yellow)

6 Mommy's Touch One Size AIO (All In One)
1 KCKOne Pocket Diaper (Ooga Booga Print)
1 Orange WAHM Pocket Diaper

We also have a 1 pair of longies which Joe and I knit together, hopefully Jude can wear them this winter. I also have a pair of longies which I won in a lotto at Hyena Cart. I bought most of my diapers used from diaperswappers.com. But I did get a few new things from Comfy Cozy Diapers and from WAHMs on Etsy. (A few of my favorite Etsy Sellers are PurpleDucks and Olive Jane.) I think I may have picked up a few things from Hyena Cart during the after Thanksgiving sale last year.


My favorite and most used combo is a prefold with an Imse Vimse cover. Followed by the Ooga Booga cover then Bummis. We primarily use the Pocket and AIO's at night. We pretty much use a prefold where ever we go. (Unless we are on a long trip then we use disposable)

I really like supporting WAHMs even though it can be a little risky. My theory is you can always resell it on diaperswappers or elsewhere if it doesn't work for your baby.

I HEART KCK ONE PUL

Decode the secret message!
KCK - Kayla's Cloth Kits
One - One Size
PUL - Waterproof "PUL" (Polyurethane Laminate

I've been wanting to try a pocket diaper for a long time but was overwhelmed by all the different choices and didn't want to spend alot of money if I wasn't sure I would like. Well after Thanksgiving I decided I'd take advantage of the online discounts and buy a few pocket diapers to try. And I found that I love them, especially for night. I always feel bad making Jude sleep in a wet diaper but the pocket diaper absorbs the wetness yet keeps his skin nice and dry.

I really like the KCK One design because it's a ONE SIZE diaper so I feel like I can get some good use out of it since it will grow with him. Also because it's just a trademark pattern many different WAHMs make them so there are a variety of fabrics, styles and prices.

Here are a few licensed WAHMs that make them:

Honestly if I was a savvy sewer I could make my own but I'm only a beginner

Diaper Addendum

I forgot to mention a few facts in my post yesterday about our cloth diaper experience.

1. We use disposable diapers a night. Primarily because I don't have the mental capacity to change his cloth diaper in the middle of the night but also because I don't like the idea of him sleeping 6 hours in a wet diaper. We usually only use about 2 a night, which means a pack of 44 diapers can last us almost a month.

2. The brands we use:
Prefolds - Green Mountain Diaper Unbleached Indian Prefolds
Covers - Imse Vimse, Bummis, Thirsties (just bought this one but haven't tried it out yet)
AIOs - Mommy's Touch

Diaper Doodie

I thought I should give a cloth diaper update since I spent so much time researching cloth diaper options prior to Jude's birth. We have been using cloth since about 3 weeks after Jude was born.

I ended up with a combination of prefolds and covers and a few all-in-one diapers. I thought I would like the AIOs (all-in-one) because they are just like using a disposable diaper... but it turns out I prefer prefolds and covers. I feel like the AIO diapers don't breath as well and it's alot of fabric to throw in the wash for just a little pee. With the prefolds and covers you reuse a cover until it gets dirty or starts to smell and you just change the cloth inside.

Jude has already outgrown his newborn diapers and is almost too big for the infant size prefolds (which are supposed fit up to 6mo.) and small size covers. I have been purchasing used covers off diaperswappers.com and have a good stock of medium and large sizes.

We wash diapers every other night and go through about 12 diapers every 2 days.

This is our washing process:
Dump the diaper pail in the washer
Run a Rinse Cycle
Wash in Hot Water with Charlie's Soap
Dry the next morning
Fold

Cloth Starts Now

Today is the day... we started using our cloth diaper. We naturally transitioned to cloth after we ran out of the disposables we were using. We are using basic prefolds and covers. My first diaper was a prefold set inside a cover with a liner over top. Now I'm trying a prefold pinned with a snappi and a cover over top. I decided to use the snappi because the prefold seemed to shift around a bit.
Our first change was pretty easy... just a wet diaper. Now we just need to get a changing system down and washing. Actually as I'm writing this I think Jude may be working on a special present for me...
Wish me luck.

Online Baby

I've been digging deep into the internet for good deals on cloth diapers.

First I fould Diaper Swappers it's like ebay but not as organized or easy to use but you can find good deals on new and used diapers from individual sellers.

Then I discovered Hyena Cart it's like esty but not as organized or easy to use but has lots of great sellers.

On both sites I have been unable to find any diapers or covers available in this print: Ooga Booga (they are mostly custom made diapers)

Trials

After reading many reviews and discussion boards I've learn that choosing the right cloth diaper is really just a process of trial and error. However, investigating all the different types and brands of reusable diapers can become expensive. However, I have found two great websites that offer trial packages for an affordable price and even refundable.

Jillian's Drawers offers the best deal with a variety of diapering choices for 21 days with a $100 deposit. After the 21 days return the diapers and you will be refunded the deposit according to your choices.

Sunshine Diapers offers several trial programs depending on the size and frequency of use. The offers vary from $130 to $250 but you have a 3 month trial period. After the 3 months you can return the diapers you don't want and will be given a store credit accordingly.

Cloth Diaper Resources

So after searching the internet for information about cloth diapers I wanted to share with you some of the helpful sites I fould.

Information:
Which diapering system to choose?
Cloth Diaper Terminology
Why use cloth diapers?
Why use cloth diapers? part 2

Products:
Nicki's Diapers
Diapers Etc.
Comfy Cozy Diapers

Diaper Registry

So I started a diaper registry with Comfy Cozy Diapers and locally owned, internet based diaper retailer. It's currently a rough draft until I learn more about cloth diapers... but I thought it was a start.

Too many choices

So Joe and I are pretty sure we'll go the cloth diaper route but there are so many choices. For those of you that use cloth diapers which diapering system or brand do you use?

Flat
Prefold
Fitted
Pocket Fold
All-in-one

I'm considering sticking with the old school prefold and a cover... maybe Bummis or Wool Soakers.... or both.

If I go old school what about the option of pins versus fasteners ?

Also, how do you care for you diapers? Do you use a seperate wet and dry pail?