I Am So Edgy...

Cloth diapering is all about finding what works best for your baby and for you. You may start out with diapers that you think you like but a few months later realize that they in fact are not working out.

I have tried lots of different diaper configurations and have settled on what I think is best for us: prefolds with covers and flats (my favorite are OsoCozy Unbleached Flats- they are super absorbent and have even gone all night without a doubler and have not leaked) stuffed into pocket diapers. I have a couple of Bum Genius Elementals that I love (I bought them during a seconds sale) which are also in my daytime rotation.

I came to this conclusion because it logistically works for us (prefolds and covers during the day and pockets stuffed with flats at night and on Saturdays for my husband to use when I'm at work) and because it is all very east to get clean. You have to remember that you are cleaning poop and pee off of the diapers so a good wash routine is essential to making the whole cloth diapering experience work- if the diapers are not cleaned well enough it will lead to rashes and possibly ammonia. When you are in the newborn stage you may wash one way but when your baby starts doing solids your whole routine may change- different foods cause different poop and pee which can be harder to get clean.

Right now, we are in the toddler stage- my daughter is (obviously) eating real people food and she is also just starting to drink cow's milk and weaning from mommy's milk. My wash routine consists of a cold wash with no detergent and then a hot wash on the bedding setting (more water) with and extra rinse- I use one scoop of Charlie's Soap. With washing diapers water is your best friend and unfortunately all of the HE machines don't like to use water so you should use the setting that has the most water. I usually line dry (and by that I mean hang diapers all over the house to dry) and only occasionally use the dryer on the prefolds and flats.

With my busy life, any diapers that cannot get clean with this routine and with the detergent I use (I use it on all of our clothes and get a 1000 load tub for $100) then the diapers have no place in my stash. I have gotten rid of all of my microfiber inserts and my Bum Genius Freetimes because of this- I was sick of having stinky diapers and trying to figure out what was wrong. Natural fibers are easy to clean and flats are the easiest so those are what I go with. I wash every three days and so far so good!

Honestly, I am probably the least crunchy, hippie, tree hugging person out there. I think recycling is annoying, I'm not alarmed about global warming, I don't really do the whole Organic food thing and I drive a gas guzzling SUV. I cloth diaper primarily because it saves me money and saves me time by not having to find deals on disposables and by not having to run to the store to buy them. I also do it because it is healthier for my baby (and three year old who still wears a diaper at night). And I suppose the last reason is because I think cloth diapers are so stinking cute on my baby's little bum plus, for some reason I think doing diaper laundry is way fun even though I despise doing all other laundry.

So I cloth diaper to save time and money, but you know what? I also think it's cool because it makes me different- I don't like to fit in, I like to be edgy (if you can call a suburban mom of three who cooks, cleans and drives a cliche SUV edgy...).

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