Cloth diapers are pretty intimidating. I knew that I wanted to do them from the get-go with my daughter but I didn't know where to start. I did the research about cost and was happy that we would save money. In addition, I was happy about the environmental effects. I don't like using disposables in my daily life- plastic bags, paper cups/plates, etc. Since I was able to stay home with my daughter I knew I would have the time to wash them. It seemed a win-win situation. There is a LOT to know about cloth diapers though, and I hope to answer some questions here.
There are a ton of options when it comes to cloth diapers. So, to be fair, I should say that we used disposable for the first 3 months. It was just easier with multiple poops/per day. I bought Seventh Generation diapers during this time because I do have a concern about the chemicals in disposable diapers. (The same chemicals that cause toxic shock syndrome. http://www.livestrong.com/article/111348-chemicals-disposable-diapers/)
I chose to use Fuzzibunz. I like the fact that I don't have to re-use the cover.... you just change the whole thing. I temporarily tried the diaper "cover" system, but it really wasn't as convienent for us.
In the beginning, I bought around 14 Fuzzibunz. I purchased mine from Toasty Baby, here in town. http://www.toastybaby.com/ Originally I bought the "perfect size" in size small.
My daughter was 10 pounds, 3 ounces when she was born, so needless to say, she grew out of those by the time she was a year old. After that we bought more of the "one size" which we LOVE.
I didn't think that the fuzzibunz inserts were absorbent enough for my daughter, even doubled up, so I bought some babykicks- by joeybunz- HEMP INSERTS. These are super absorbent and much, much thinner than the fuzzibunz microfiber. I put two of these inserts in each diaper and they will last for 2-5 hours each, depending on how heavy a wetter your baby is. One note on the hemp inserts: Line drying will make them hard, stiff and not absorbent. They benefit from the dryer! This is the only time that a diaper component benefits from using a dryer.
One ESSENTIAL to have when you are cloth diapering is the toilet sprayer. It is easy to install and it is awesome. It makes it so much easier to deal with poo. If you are going to cloth diaper, get one. We bought the bumGenius Diaper Sprayer. We ordered it from amazon and it got to our house super-fast.
Also, you will need wet-bags. We bought some cheapie ones on amazon by kushies, but I would recommend investing in ones with zippers. The drawstring ones that we bought were okay, but overall they aren't holding up.
We use an old Tidy Cat bucket for our dirty diaper bin, but you can also just use a very large wetbag if that is preferred. I just found that if I let the diapers sit too long that they would get super-stinky.
Important info: YOU MUST USE DIAPER DETERGENT. Your everyday Tide will not be good for the diapers. We ONLY use Rockin' Green for Hard Water. My favorite scent is Motley Clean, but they have a huge variety of scents and it really doesn't matter in the end because your diapers won't have a perfume smell, they will simply smell clean. I run my washer on a cold rinse cycle before I run a boiling hot wash cycle with the diapers. The cold rinse- don't use detergent, the boiling hot cycle- I use 2-3 tablespoons of Rockin' Green. If your diapers start getting stinky, you should run hot water and let them soak for a day or so before finishing the wash. Clothesline drying in the sun is one of the best ways to get rid of stink!!
Which brings up another point..... if you can avoid putting your covers in the dryer, it will only extend their life. In the summer- hang them outside. In the winter- get a drying rack!
This is just a very small amount of the tips I have. I love cloth diapering. My daughter has never had diaper rash. I feel good knowing that toxic chemicals aren't ooozing into her skin. AND, we've saved GOBS of money!!! To top it off, they are just too damn cute!
Feel free to leave any questions you have and I will post more info as I think of it.
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