Cloth Diapers?!!?

Most of the people that see me everyday or even occasionally know that I cloth diaper Anna.  If you would have asked me a year ago if I was going to use cloth diapers I probably would have looked at you like you were crazy.  I just didn't think I could handle it.  Little did I know then how easy it really was.  I really do love the cloth, even Matt likes them.  So because I like them so much, I usually tell or at least ask any new moms or pregnant moms if they are going to use cloth with their babies.  I guess you could call me some sort of a cloth pusher now.  lol   Anyway, my good friend Lacy is going to be having her second daughter in October and after seeing Anna's fluffy butt, she is very interested in them.  She has been after me for a while now to get her some links and brand names on the ones I use but I have been horrible at getting them to her.  Life just gets in the way sometimes.  So as I was thinking about it today, I decided to not only write out everything for her but for you too.  Nice, right? I am sure you were itching to know more about cloth diapers, weren't ya? There is so much information out there about cloth diapers and I am def. no expert.  So please read ahead with that in mind.  :)

Here are some reasons that cloth diapers are great:
1) they are cheap (in the long run).  It is so nice to not have to buy disposables all the time for anna.  I will always have diapers on hand.
2) they are good for the environment.  No more sposies stinking up the trash or a landfill.
3) Anna's butt is so soft and we haven't had a problem with diaper rash.
4) resale value.  not only do cloth diapers save you money, you can also resell them when your baby is out of diapers.  Love it!

My favorite brands (in no particular order):
1)  Swaddlebees
2)  Happy Heiny
3)  Bum Genius
4)  Fuzzibunz

There are lots of different "types" of diapers and really the only way you are going to know which kind you like is by trying them.  I wanted it to be as easy as possible so I use one size pocket diapers. You put them on like a disposable and they are easy to wash.  Mine are mostly one size diapers, meaning they grow with your child so you can get the most wear out of them.  They have snaps to size them up or down.  I also have a few fitteds that I use with a diaper cover for naps.  Have a look at Explanation of common diaper terms for more information.

The internet site that I found the most helpful when I was researching cloth diapers was Cotton Babies.  They have a ton of information on how to wash your diapers and information on some of the popular brands of diapers.  They also sell diaper packages, diaper accessories and sampler packages.  Once you find a brand you are interested in, you can google (or swagbucks) that brand to see where you can get it cheapest.  You can also find diapers in pretty good condition used on craigslist and diaperswappers.

So what do you need if you are going to cloth diaper for the first time?

1)  diapers.  the more you have the less often you will have to wash them.  The rule of thumb for cloth is to change them every 1-2 hours.  I change anna about every 2 hours or so depending on how much she has peed.  I am not sure how many diapers I have on hand but its about 30-40 I think.  I wash them every 3-4 days.
2)  a pail liner with a plastic garbage pail.  The garbage pail I have I got at Lowes and it has a lid that pops up.    If you don't have room for a garbage pail you can get a hanging wet bag that works the same way.  I have seen some pretty cool ones that you can hang on the back of a door.  I suggest having two on hand, that way you can have one in use while you are washing the other one.
3) small wet bags for your diaper bags.  I suggest two of these as well.  I have only one and there are times where I need to wash it and don't have another to replace it in my diaper bag.
4) detergent for your diapers.  I use Tide Free and Clear for right now.  There are some other great detergents that are sold just for cloth if you can afford them.
5)  a diaper sprayer for your toilet.  You really don't need this until your baby starts eating solids so wait on this one for now.

I know I am forgetting stuff so feel free to comment on some other great ideas if you are a cloth diaper user OR if you have any questions.  I will also add more stuff as I think of things....