Diapers

Well, we’ve gone and done it.  We bought our cloth diapers yesterday.  I’m pretty pleased with them based on numerous reviews, the price and the discounted package deal we got.  Oh, and did I mention that this particular system and brand were created by the store we bought them from?  A local business, at that.  We’re totally supporting local business!  Woo.

Anyway…  For $400, we got 9 covers, 18 of each size of insert they have (small, medium, large) and 3 of each size super absorbent night time inserts….plus all the help we could ever possibly need from the folks who work at the store (though that part is actually free).  This package is advertised as taking you from birth to potty training, but I think that’s a little optimistic.  It’s highly likely that we’ll probably need to buy more inserts at some point and also likely that we’ll need (or want) to buy a few more covers.  Still, we did the math and, counting electricity cost (we don’t pay for water here, so we’re not including that), we’d have to buy two and a half to three more of this package deal to equal the cost of one year of disposable diapers.  While Duckie loves the environmentally friendly aspect of cloth diapers, I love the cost effectiveness…because I’m cheap!  I mean, the environment thing is good, too…but come on.  We’d end up paying 1k or more a year for diapers if we did disposables.  Oh, and did I mention that these diapers grow with baby?  Yeah, the sizes are all adjustable and, if you have a particularly fat kid, they have extender tabs for a couple dollars.

(Of course, there is the chance that cloth diapers will be the bane of my existence and I’ll hate them, but I have two options in that case.  1) Sell them on Craigslist and get some of my money back.  2) Save them for when the baby is a little older and doesn’t need quite as many daily changings and try again.)

So, another awesome part of this deal is that you get to pick which covers you want and whether you want them in snaps or heavy duty velcro.  The color/ pattern selection isn’t HUGE, but there were still plenty to choose from.  I’m pretty pleased with the ones Duckie and I ended up with.  What do you guys think?

So, this is an All-in-Two system.  Basically, it has all of the pros of the other systems and none of the cons.  Supposedly.  We’ll find out in a few weeks, I think.  Anyway, you have the cover and you snap these little inserts in them (instead of, say, having to pin a prefold or stuff a pocket).

One con that I’ve already found is that it can be hard to find a place to put all these inserts.  Of course, I guess I’d have the same problem with finding a place to put a bunch of disposable diapers, too.  At least I can store the mediums and larges in a bin in the closet until baby is a little bigger, so that makes it easier already.

So, the cover is … I forget what it is.  It’s pee/poo proof.  Meaning, it can be wiped off.  If baby pees and some gets on the cover, you can just wipe it clean and put in a new insert.  If baby poos and it gets on the cover, well, you should wash the cover.  I mean…it’s poop.  Gross.

Close her up.  You can see here where I folded up the "bottom" and it’s snapped in place.  Even with that fold, the diaper is still pretty slim fitting.  Maybe not as slim fitting as some disposables, but surprisingly "bulk-less" for a one-size cloth diaper.

And here’s what it looks like on the inside.

I’m really surprised by how many people have tried to talk me out of cloth diapering with stories of poop explosions and whatnot.  Guess what?  If there’s an ass-plosion, I’ll have to wash shitty clothes and sheets anyway.  What’s the difference if there’s a shitty cloth pad in the mix?

Now, with the amount of liners that I have in size small (which will be used for the first several months), I’ll be doing laundry about every two days.  Not a problem since it’s not like I have to fold these and put them in a hundred different places.  They just lay straight all in the same drawer.  It’s one load of wash and then outside to dry on the line.  I’ll probably be washing baby clothes just as often.  And, I won’t have a nursery that smells like shitty diapers because we’re too lazy to empty the diaper bin and carry the bag all the way to the dumpster.  (Yeah…we should probably get better about taking the trash out, too.)

Anyhow!  I’m not a fan of diapering – mostly because baby shit makes me throw up (seriously) – but I’m actually kind of excited about it because I want to see how well these diapers work.

I just wrote an entire entry about diapers…  And on that bombshell…goodnight!