GUEST POST: Cloth diapering 101: The basics
Hello everyone!
I asked Devon over at Growing with the Alperts to give a quick 101 introduction to Cloth Diapering. She has been cloth diapering since her little one was just an infant and now she helps with Babies, Bottoms and More.
My name is Devon and I am a first time mom to a 10 month old baby boy, whom I love dearly. We have been cloth diapering Cason since he was 6 weeks old and we are reaping the financial and health benefits, along with helping the environment one diaper change at a time.
Melanie recently asked me to share with you the basic of cloth diapering. I have to admit it took some trial and error and advice from fellow users before getting our successful results. So to help you avoid all of that I am going to talk about the basic differences in the cloth diapers that are available today.
The first thing you need to do is decided what kind of pre-fold to use. There are only a few choices such as Chinese cotton, Indian cotton and Hemp. There maybe a few more that I am unaware of but these are the most known.
We choose unbleached Chinese cotton for our pre-folds. I like the idea of unbleached because it is cotton in its natural form. Chinese and Indian cotton are about the same as far as feel and performance. Hemp is a little softer and more absorbent than the other two but also cost more. Hemp pre-folds are typical used for over night wear because the cost about seven dollars each. In comparison Chinese and Indian cost anywhere from 9 to 18 dollars a six pack depending on size.
So now you have chosen your pre-fold, what next you might ask. Covers! There are many different choices when is comes to covers, so I will tell you what I have found to work the best in my experience, Thirsties! I have not experienced a leak in the 8 months I have been CD’ing with a pre-fold and a Thirsties cover. But they are many cover out there and I know people have had success with them.
Seven weeks old in a pre-fold and Thirsties cover
Now on to All-In-Ones’s. AIO are very self descriptive. They are basically one piece and you don’t have to do anything extra to them. Some AIO, like BottomBumpers, have a snap in soaker to reduce drying time. Some AIO have pockets in which you insert the soaker and then remove, to also aid in drying time. There are many, and I mean many brands of AIO’s out there. A few that I like and have had success with are, Bottombumpers and BumGenius. AIO’s are great choice when you are out and about or want a less bulky alternative to pre-folds. Although AIO’s are more costly,I am enjoying have a few on hand for things like church and errands.
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8 Months in a Bottombumper AIO
One other option I have to mention is All-In-Two’s. I know what you are thinking…Stop the madness!! This is the last option I promise. Once you can narrow down the type of diaper you will use you will be able to move on to what brand. AI2’s are very similar to AIO’s expect that the cover, or shell, is reusable. A good example of a major brand AI2 would be Grovia. Grovia comes with cloth and bio-degradable soakers to use inside the shell. You can use the shell for a day and only replace the soaker when soiled. This will help with the laundry when compared with AIO’s.
Well, that is my short hand version of Cloth diapering 101. I know there is so much more to tell you but then you would be reading all day and who would take care of the kids while you did that. J I hope you get some benefit and direction from this article.
Devon
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