Cloth Diaper Poop

I know there are some of you (LISA!) who will never buy into the whole cloth diaper thing, and that is totally ok. I’ve said it before and I still totally understand why anyone would choose disposable over cloth. Cloth ARE more work, and yes, there are really gross moments occasionally. That said, I am LOVING my cloth diapers and not minding the extra wash.  And they are SO stinking adorable.

My cloth diaper stash is composed mostly of prefolds and covers. I’m currently using two types of covers; Bummi’s Super Whisper Wraps and wool soakers upcycled from old sweaters. I also have some pocket diapers from ebay and craigslist.

I have some Bummis indian cotton prefolds left over from when my second daughter was a baby, but we haven’t been using those much, because they are still too big for Hazel. I’ve mostly been using some birdseye prefolds that a friend gave me. I don’t know the brand, but they are quite a bit thinner than the Bummis. I love them because they fold up nice and trim to fit my petite baby. I also have a handful of the newborn sized indian cotton ones that are nice for over night because they are quite a bit thicker than the birdseye ones.

The pocket diapers I have are Bum Genius 4.0 one-size, and Fuzzi Bunz perfect size.

The Fuzzi Bunz perfect size are xs and have fit my baby since she was born, even when she lost more than a pound before she started regaining. I didn’t start using them until the cord stump fell off, but they fit well even when she was under seven pounds, and are still a good fit at nine pounds. I don’t use these for overnight, because the fuzzy lining does wick moisture to the outer edge when the diaper is saturated. Instead I use the thick prefolds with a wool cover or the larger Bum Genius pocket diaper.

My Bummis Super Whisper wraps are a really nice PUL and aplix (velcro) cover.  When used correctly, which I’ve discovered I wasn’t doing with my first two kids, they are leak proof and lightweight, but not terribly breathable.  They require frequent washing lest they start stinking up the joint.  If they aren’t poo soiled they can be reused all day, but I wouldn’t go more than one day, which brings me to wool covers.

Wool covers are brilliant.  Brilliant, I say.  I have five of them, all upcycled from old sweaters, and I love them.  Two are from a 70/30 wool/rayon blend interlock.  Those are nice and lightweight, and not even a little scratchy but not quite as absorbent as I would like, and I wouldn’t trust them for overnight.  Sometimes they feel a little damp, similar to how a sweaty baby’s jammies feel when you get them out of bed.  Not wet, but not completely dry either. I still use them quite often, but I’m extra mindful of changes when she’s wearing them because they do wick more than I’d like.  I think they’ll be wonderful for summer, because without a layer of clothes over them, they’ll be lightweight enough and allow for some air flow and evaporation.  Another pair are 80/20 wool/rayon, which I attempted to felt, but only accomplished a little shrinkage.  They are a little thicker, and a little more absorbent than the lightweight interlock ones, but not as absorbent as the final cover which is 100 percent wool, which I felted in my washing machine and is absolutely bullet proof.  It is still just a little too big, so I have only really used it with thick indian prefolds for overnight.  It doesn’t feel damp or leak/wick at all.  The one downfall of this one is that it feels a little scratchy to me, but Hazel doesn’t seem to mind.

The most amazing thing I can say about my wool covers is that they don’t need washed very often and they don’t smell bad at all when they are dry.  There is something about my American upbringing that tells me this is wrong.  Surely something that is getting peed on must need to be washed between each use right?  Nope.  Apparently lanolin saponifies when it comes into contact with urine, making it essentially self-cleaning.  I’m currently hand washing mine about once per month, which is probably more than necessary, and I haven’t had to re-lanolize them yet. Some people boast going two to three months between washes and four to six months between re-lanolizing.

I believe a person could easily get by on five or six wool covers and two dozen prefolds for the majority of her diapering career.

I currently have three sweaters from Goodwill waiting to be turned into more diaper covers.  Sewing them is super quick, easy and addicting using the free Katrina’s pattern.  I love sewing them so much, that when I have more time, I may start making them to sell.

All in all, cloth diapering has been a win for us.  Daddy is even edging toward being okay with it.  🙂  What about you?  Cloth, disposable, somewhere in between?

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