Covers- PUL, Fleece and wool.

So now- what do you cover your prefolds and fitteds with?? Well- there are 3 basic covers (or simply nothing!)

PUL is the most waterproof.

Polyurethane Laminate (aka PUL) is a fabric that has been heat laminated to a layer of polyurethane. Technically, most any fabric can be laminated, but diapers are usually made from laminated cottons, polyester knits, or poly blends.

It is also the least breathable- most like a disposable. We use PUL quite a bit- always under clothes. I prefer 2 different types of covers- Thirsties and Bummis Super Brites. I find these two to be the trimmest and the most "bulletproof." The fit fantastically. Thirsties run super big and Bummis run pretty small. They both have extra leg "gussets" to keep messes in!

M in a thirsties- strange, I can't find any pics of G even though they are what we have most of...

Super Brites:

My second choice for days and first choice for nights is Fleece. Fleece is SO easy to wash (I just wash them in the regular laundry) and really breathable. It keeps my sheets dry at night every night! I make my own fleece covers, but we used to buy them. You can find those that snap or velcro close, but I prefer the pull-on style, or fleece pants (must be 100% polyester). A fleece cover that is pull-on is called a "soaker" which I make myself. Fleece pants used as a diaper cover are called "longies." There are also pocket diapers made with a fleece outer for night time.

My first soaker made by me:

Before I started making my own, we used the stacinator deluxe at night- there is NOTHING trim about these. As for pull on soakers, most are made by WAHM's.

My first pair of longies...

Wool- not my choice, but lots of people love it. I am too lazy to take care of it even though it's not really hard. You have to hand wash and lanolize it to maintain it's waterproofness. Not for me. It is VERY cute though and if you're talented in a knitting kind of way it might be for you. Also- you can make wool covers out of old sweaters. It's very very breathable and much softer on baby's skin than you might think.

M in some wool longies made by my friend Josie :)

So those are your cover options. Hope you enjoy!

Fitteds

So no pictures today as I'm at work (using my time wisely), but the blog is littered with pictures of the kids in fitteds. I'll add some to the post at some point.

A fitted is a formed diaper (with elastic in the leg openings and back) with no outerproof layer. So basically- just like a disposable but requires a cover.

You might ask- why would I want to use that if I still need a cover? Well, you can use them without covers at home if you want to change frequently. Also, they are MUCH easier to wash and keep clean than an all-in-one diaper which has a waterproof outer. I frequently use our fitteds at home with just a tee or a dress for M. The kids ALWAYS wear fitteds at night because that's the only real way I have discovered to keep them from leaking out when they're in one diaper for so long.

I feel that each cloth diapering system has its place. When we are going somewhere I rarely use fitteds because I feel it's too many pieces to keep track of for changing and such, but I do it occasionally. It's definitely easier than changing a prefold!

There are about a million different kinds of fitteds. Some are all one piece, some have snap in or lay in "soakers" that you place inside the "shell." The point of this is to make drying time less when adding more absorbency. The diapers that are all one piece tend to dry very slowly (like 2 dryer cycles) and hold on to stink after washes.

Here are a couple of mainstream brands (I do not use any of these brands but I have tried them all at one time or another):

One piece:
Thirsties Fab Fitteds- velcro
Kissaluvs- snap

Two piece:
Baby Beehinds- snap and GREAT for nights
Tiny tush- snap

There are also those fitteds which do not have closures. I find these the most adjustable but they do require pins or a snappi as before. These are my fav. Not all fitteds are "sized." You can find many that adjust from newborn (or close to) to about 35 lbs!

Fitteds are pretty easy to make yourself which is a plus. There are a million different fitteds made by work at home moms (wahm's). Fitteds range from about 8 dollars a piece upwards of $60....the fitteds I use are all WAHM made except limited edition ones you can't buy anymore. My favorite place to buy these products is http://www.hyenacart.com/. Warning- this can cost you a LOT of money....

There are also what are called "prefitteds" which are prefolds converted into fitteds with elastic in the legs and such. They are pretty economical and just like prefolds- you can beat the ease of washing them! Prefolds are more absorbent than you think (or than you have heard from your grandma). We have a ton of prefitteds that we used to use exclusively on M and I had some nb ones for G. This is my favorite WAHM to make prefitteds.

I think next post we'll discuss covers because prefolds and fitteds are the diapers that require them. See you soon!

Prefolds, Pins and Snappis

I will preface by saying that my son REALLY hates to have his diaper changed so a lot of crying occurred during this time...hence the bear for folding pictures!

What is a prefold??
The diapers your grandma used. They are usually cotton (some are hemp) and they are "prefolded" and sewed so there is more absorbency in the middle than on the sides (for obvious reasons). The trick with prefolds is finding a fold you like- we'll get to that later. Prefolds are good if you are patient and want something SUPER easy that is impossible to ruin. In my opinion there is something classically perfect and wonderful about a prefold, however, you won't see me using them very often. I am not very patient...

There are tons of different kinds of prefolds and really they're all the same. The main difference is unbleached vs bleached- they say that unbleached are more absorbent, but I really think it's about the same. I have some of both. I get most of mine from greenmountaindiapers.com because they have custom sizes as opposed to the run-of-the-mill ones. It works better if you have an a-typical kid (like my tiny tall ones). They can be embellished (fabric added to the outside to make them cuter), dyed, made with a "stay-dry" inner, etc. Very versatile.

Prefolds must be pinned or snappied. I am a pin kinda girl because you can get a much snugger fit with pins. I do have some of both.

These are a couple I have with your accessories...
M in her prefold (not very cooperative I might add). I really don't have any more prefolds that fit her well. This prefold is too small to snappi but I can still use it with pins. In order to use a snappi you have to have a bigger prefold which = more bulk.G in an infant prefold (not very many 8 month olds can still wear an infant....) It just barely fits.G in a GMD yellow edge (infant that's wider). Snappiable and fits much better as you can see.The thing I don't like about snappis is that you are supposed to always have the prefold covered because the 3rd "leg: of the snappi frequently comes uncaught by the fabric and catches on EVERYTHING. The teeth are pretty sharp.Folds.
I always use the newspaper fold...It's easy.

Some people prefer the bikini twist for it's trimness between the legs (start as before). I dont like the big bulge up front.The jelly roll fold is essential for catching poop. Especially in bf babies.Hard to see but you can get it REALLY snug around the babies' legs. I have some pics of G as a nb in this fold but don't have time to look right now!There is a TON more that could be said, but my goal is just to give you an overview of cding so you can make an informed decision. I'm attempting to keep it brief! If you have questions please leave a comment and I will answer it!

Cloth Diapering- The beginning.

Here are some things that you must consider when deciding if cloth diapering is for you and where you want to go with it.

Why do you want to or NOT want to?
Are the other caregivers in your life willing to participate?
Do you want to save money?
Do you want to help out the landfills?
Do you want to experience the cuteness??
Can you handle the poop?
How easy does it really need to be for you to do it?
Are you a one kind of diaper person or a little of everything kind of person (can you guess which kind I am?)?
Does it really matter to you what they look like or is simple better??
Used or New?
All of these things will impact the "system" you choose and where you start. You are about to enter a whole new world you never knew existed...I warn you- you may start doing it for one reason and find that you continue for a completely different one.

I will do a series of informational posts on the different systems which will roughly be these:

1. Prefolds, pins and snappis
2. Fitteds
3. Covers- pul, fleece, and wool
4. Pockets and Inserts
5. All- in - Ones (or twos) (AIO;s and AI2's)

After we cover the systems we will move to:

1. Storing clean and dirty diapers
2. Washing
3. Sewing them!
4. Whatever other questions might arise in the process...

The rest of this post will be about myself. I started cloth diapering M when she was about 4-5 months old. I got increasingly more irritated about the trash I was creating with disposable diapers. I wasn't sure B would be into it, so I just got a few to see if it would even work for us. I am sure now that B sees that day as the beginning of a long obsession....woops. We started with the easiest way to cloth diaper and progressed to the hardest. Now we fall somewhere in the middle. We each prefer different diaper systems so we have a little of everything. I actually quit cd'ing M when she was a year old because she has "peanutbutter" poop that must be scraped from the diaper and her rashes were totally out of control. This would be ok would it be once a day, but 3-4 times a day is a little much. We have since gotten the rashes controlled and I have discovered flushable liners and we're now back on track! It's feeling good...

What I found after I started cding for the trash reason was that I could become absolutely obsessed and need to try out everything possible. It has become my hobby and I truly enjoy it and feel good about it. Have I saved money in the process...I think I can pretty much say no, but has it been worth it- to me, yes. To B, probably not...but I do feel it is good for the kids health (who on earth REALLY knows what's in a Huggies/Pampers) and good for the environment.

So we'll start whenever I get a chance... HA!