Cloth Diapering- It's not just the "Crunchy Moms" doing it!

Cloth Diaper First Impressions...

If you've never heard of the term "Crunchy Moms," let me let you in on the shortened version of it- NO CHEMICALS!! EVERYTHING MUST BE ECO-FRIENDLY!! NO EATING ANYTHING THAT HAD A MOM!! WEAR YO' BABY!!  BAHHHH!

Ok, so that's a bit of the stereotyped definition, but seriously- on my quest to do cloth diapering, these are the women that were giving advice on this alternative approach to diapering, and it was very overwhelming.

When Neal and I determined that I would be staying at home with our little one, I started looking into ways to save money! Cloth diapering was the first thing that I came across, and with the help of a couple of friends and hours of overwhelming crunchy mom opinions, I have finally nailed down my own way of doing things. It's awesome. Seriously.  So here is my somewhat normal mom approach to cloth diapering:

Brand:
Ok, this is not going to be a "rate it" product push- I will simply say, I have 2 BumGenius diapers and 25 Alva Baby diapers. Alvas cost about $5 each (incl. 1 pocket style diaper and 1 microfiber insert) and BumGenius cost about $40 each (incl. 1 pocket style diaper, 1 regular microfiber insert, and 1 newborn insert that doubles as a reinforcement insert when the child gets bigger.)
Honestly- I prefer the Alvas. They are cheap, the shipping is FREE, and you get them within a week or so of ordering, despite the site saying 6-8 weeks. They.Are.Awesome. They are also CUTE! You can get any and every color, and can choose from about 100 patterns. SO CUTE. The pocket styles also fit and operate just like a disposable, so I had no problem making the switch. I change Piper's every 2 hours (unless sooner is necessary!)
Blow outs are almost non-existent in cloth so far, which is a nice change from disposable.

This is just a sampling! Love the birdie patterned ones!

Cleaning/Maintenance of Cloth Diapers:

Oh my goodness. This is the part I struggled with the most. Mainly, EVERYONE has a different opinion on what keeps your diapers in optimum working condition. With the help of my friend Alli, I've gotten it downpat, and it is SO EASY.

Piper sleeps in a disposable (because believe me- the kid sleeps 12 hours a night and I am NOT waking her up to change her diaper!)
When she gets up in the morning- out of the disposable and cloth for the rest of the day.

I purchased a super-cute wet bag HERE. You simply take the diaper off, pull out the insert, and put both soiled diaper and insert into the wet bag. Now, since I am full-time cloth diapering, I do a load every other day. I don't have a problem with a smell at this rate. Also, thanks to Piper being exclusively breastfed, that poop is water-soluble, so no rinsing is necessary. Only drawbacks are the detergent complications (no liquids, scents, blah blah blah) and no diaper rash creams (turns the diaper brown...which you will not need any help with that...)

I make my own detergent (2 c Borax, 2 c Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, 2 c Oxyclean) and you put 2 tablespoons in per wash. EASY. I actually got this 99 cent coffee scoop from Walmart and use 1 scoop per load.  You just dump the contents of your wet bag into the washer and then toss your wet bag in too!

My washing routine is as follows:
1- Run a full cycle with no detergent.
2- Run a full cycle WITH detergent, with a 2nd rinse (which helps get off any lingering detergent residue)
3- air-dry

Stripping your diapers: (per my friend LeAnn)
You should strip your diapers every couple of weeks. This will get the "skids" out.
What you will need:
-Dawn dish detergent (don't cheap out here, you will only use a little at a time, so it's not a big expense.)
- Shout stain remover
-big bucket
-HOT water

What to do:
-Spray all your diapers with Shout a couple of hours before you plan to strip them (or if you're a rinser after a poop, spray then)
-Put all diapers and covers in bucket and fill with HOT water. Put enough Dawn in there to get it sudsy.
- Leave overnight.
- Rinse VERY WELL in the morning, and then follow the washing method mentioned above.
- Your diapers should look brand new!

Can I say it again- EASY!

If you are scared of poop, there really isn't much difference between cloth and disposable. I find my poop interactions to be fewer with cloth, because blowouts are so few.

If your baby gets diaper rash, and you're using cloth, put a disposable on them until it clears up. You really shouldn't have to deal with diaper rash often though, because cloth diapers breathe a lot better than disposables, therefore rashes are rare!

Is cloth diapering more difficult than disposable?
Maybe at times, but in the long-haul, no. I purchased 3 small wet/dry bags from Alva as well, and keep one in my car, one in her diaper bag, and the third is for when the others are being washed. Vera Bradley Ditty Bags are also PERFECT for cloth diapering! I have had NO problem having Piper in cloth diapers when I'm out and about.

Does poop get in your washer?
Well yeah, it gets IN your washer, but once the cycle is done, there is no trace whatsoever! Since breastfed babies' poop is water-soluable, you will never be revisited by the poop that is on the diapers going into the wash. It's great.

My favorite part of cloth diapering- the booty. Seriously, your baby's booty is already cute, but add that cute pattern/color and extra poof- it's adorable. And you can have them in just the diaper, and you don't look like a redneck letting your kid run around in just a diaper. (And I can say that- I'm an Alabama native!)

Questions? Ask. I can't promise I'll know the answer, but I will use my sources and get you one!