cloth-diapering essentials

Mar 20

the blog

I had been curious of the idea of cloth diapering since long before Jude was even in our minds. I try to make the most health-conscious decisions I can for our family, in terms of staying away from over-processed food or chemical-laden products and cosmetics. We make natural choices like tending an organic garden, and I make much of our food from scratch versus buying a store-bought version full of preservatives. Our new venture is to become beekeepers both to help pollenate the garden & flowers, and so we can make our own honey.

When it came to choosing diaper styles for our newborn, it was quite simple for us to realize we wanted to cloth diaper. Better for baby’s skin, better for the environment and they’re just so cute. We were a bit overwhelmed with options at first – prefolds? fitteds? AIOs (all-in-ones)? We went to a local cloth diaper boutique, Snuggle Hugs, to see the diaper options in person and see what we gravitated toward. After seeing a few options, Eric and I both decided hands-down that Bumgenius was the brand we liked the best. We stocked up on a few styles – Bumgenius 4.0 (pocket diapers), Bumgenius Elementals (organic cotton all-in-ones) and Bumgenius Freetimes (another AIO, but the flaps are attached on one side versus to both sides). We bought 12 of each for a total of 36 diapers; we go through 6-12 per day and tend to wash every third day. Once the diapers are dry, we prep them and restock the nursery so we aren’t trying to stuff a pocket diaper while the baby has the squirmies on the changing table. It has been great for us. We love cloth and will use them for any other potential babies that may come along. It is a bit of an investment up front, but the actual savings compared to other options (disposable diapers) is significant. After a quick calculation, we spent around $900 on all of our diapers and diapering needs, including the supplies for our reusable cloth wipes (I wrote a post about our process here). On average, diapers + wipes per child per year is $1,220. Truly a savings, considering a child will be in diapers for around 2 years, if not more, and the diapers will last across several babies, not to mention hold a great resell value.

The rest of the items that made our cloth diapering essentials list are below:

CLOTHDIAPERINGESSENTIALS-01

1) Bumgenius cloth diapers (mix of Organic/Elementals, Freetimes and 4.0 (Pocket Diapers)

2) Ubbi diaper can is totally worth the splurge. Stainless, odorless and pretty.

3) PlanetWise pail liners to line the Ubbi can

4) CJ’s BUTTer (unscented) for any diaper rash or bum blemish. Safe for use with cloth diapers.

5) Prince Lionheart Ultimate wipes warmer

6) Bumgenius Wipes to fill and place in the warmer.

7) Rockin’ Green Funk Rock to remove any ammonia smells. It does build up from time to time.

8) RLR Laundry Treatment

9) Wool Dryer Balls help keep the diapers moving in the dryer. Less dry time and less wear and tear on the diapers.

10) Outdoor Drying Rack Sun your buns. Seriously. Any stain will magically disappear after a day baking in the sun – no matter the temperature.

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