Cloth diapers

I love cloth diapers. I don't understand why everyone doesn't use them. They're better for the environment. They're easy to use. And they're oh so cute!

If you're going the cloth diaper route, here are a few things to consider:

Get a diaper sprayer. It's a must have! We bought the one from Bum Genius, but I think a few others make good ones too. My husband first tried to make his own sprayer, figuring it would be cheaper. After spending about the same on supplies as specific diaper sprayer costs, he hooked it up, we tried it and noticed a puddle on the floor that didn't go away. So, it was off to shop online and we ended up with the Bum Genius one. It was easy to install and has worked great. It's so easy to spray out the gunk with one of those. I don't know how people do it without a brush. I have a plastic garbage can with a lid next to the toilet. I spray out the diaper and into the bin it goes. I wash diapers about every 2/3 days.

I've used a bunch of different brands in my quest to find the best cloth diaper for my chunky-legged monkey. I wasn't thrilled with the Bum Genius diapers.They were hard to clean. I used the all in ones and the insert didn't come out. It got stained pretty quick. They also take a long time to dry because of the insert -- they're so thick.

The diapers I REALLY love are the Thirsties. They come in the cutest, brightest colors, fit well, and wash really easy. But these days my favorites are the basic white Motherease. We add an insert and they work great overnight. Others may be cuter, but these ones just work well.

Stay away from Kushies from Walmart - they NEVER come clean, and don't keep stuff IN very well either. I've got lots of Kissaluvs - they come so soft and adorable, but quickly get worn out and lose the softness.

Instead of using wet wipes I bought a bunch of baby wash clothes (20 or so) and a wipe warmer. Keep the washclothes wet in the wipe warmer (add water every day). They're warm. It's Josey's favorite thing about diaper changes! She's never been a baby who disliked the diaper change and I think that's because she loves that warmness on her butt!

A MUST is Biokleen Bac Out. I love that stuff. After I spray the diaper clean with water, I spray it with the Bac Out. It smells like lime and helps keep the wet diaper bin from smelling up the bathroom. It works so well. You can buy it at any Coop. After I decided I liked it, I bought 4 gallons off Amazon to save $ and avoid running out. I was using a bottle every other week, but the four gallons have lasted me a year.

The easiest way to whiten a diaper is just to dry it in the sun. Hard to do in the winter. I'm waiting for that sunlight to come back to get mine back to beautiful. I was AMAZED at how fast and easily that worked. A few hours and presto. White.

If you notice your diapers start to smell, most likely you're using too much soap when you wash them. Use only about a teaspoon of soap. The soap builds up easily and stops the diapers from doing their work; they can't absorb anymore. And yeah, there's the smell issue. I usually wash with a second rinse. Every few weeks I wash them 1/2 more times in just water to keep the soap from building up. That's actually been the most troublesome part of the cloth diapering system for me. I've been searching for a good laundry soap too, but haven't found one I'd recommend yet.

A great resource for mothering stuff is kellymom.com. She does alot on breastfeeding, but also cloth diapers and other issues.