Diapers, Diapers, Diapers

I remember having a conversation with a friend of mine early in my pregnancy. We were talking about how expensive babies were and she brought up the idea of using cloth diapers. I laughed and said, "Heck no!" I wanted to start buying diapers early, but my dad laughed at me and said, "If you need diapers in the middle of the night, I'll get them." It wasn't until June that I really looked at the prices of diapers and did the math. "How many diapers does a baby use a day?" I asked my mom. When she said a minimum of 12, I remembered the conversation I had with my friend and immediately started researching cloth diapers.

After much research, it didn't seem as difficult as I thought it'd be. Next, I had to get Wes on board since he, too, would be diapering Zoë along with me. Surprisingly, he didn't oppose. So, I started researching which diapers to go with. There are A LOT. There's the main brands and then the individual makers and sellers. There's even people who sell them on Etsy! Not to mention, there are so many different types of cloth diapers out there: all-in-one, all-in-two, hybrid, pocket... Needless to say it wasn't an easy choice.

We bought a several different diapers to start: 2 newborn sized Bumgenius (all-in-ones), 2 Omni Softbums (hybrid), 2 Sprout Change (All-in-2), and 3 Blueberry (All-in-2). Then Wes' mom bought us 2 regular sized Bumgenius (all-in-ones) and we were sold. They were so easy to use, it was like using a regular diaper, just fatter. Then Zoë started having some major blow outs and my mom found Rumparooz (pocket). These, too, were like a regular diaper with the only difference being that you had to remove an insert to wash the diaper and then stuff it back in to use it again.

Between the Bumgenius and the Rumparooz, we were set...until about 3 months in when Zoë started leaking through the Bumgenius. This was a major bummer, but we couldn't help that Zoë was a heavy wetter. From there, we moved onto using Softbums Omni shells full time. These have been my favorite diapers to date.

My only complaint about the diapers is how long they take to wash. You have to wash them once, then send them through another cycle (or two) to make sure the soap is completely rinsed out. Also, you have to "strip" the diapers once a month or so which is an even longer process. It's not that big of a deal, but I do have to say that with the drought we're experiencing, I try to limit how often I wash a load. I'll be happy when we start to potty train.

xxo. Christina