We’ve been planning to do cloth all along, but kind of as suspected, when Isla first got here, she didn’t really fit into her cloth diapers. Not even the teensy sized prefolds and Thirsties covers we got intending to use when she was so small. She really is an itty bitty girl. At 6 weeks, despite probably being somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 lbs., she’s still wearing newborn clothes (some of them still much too big) and most of her 0-3 month clothes hang on her. Fortunately, we had a lot of newborn disposables to burn through, so we used those for the first month.
Finally, a couple of weeks ago, she seemed to be just about the right size for her prefolds and fitteds, so we started using those during the day. (For the sake of keeping her asleep, I’m just using disposables at night, since we can get away with fewer changes in disposables, and diaper changes are a little too much excitement at night for Miss Missy to go back to bed.) They did great for wet diapers, but we didn’t get any dirties in the first few days of trying to test whether they’d really hold up. When we finally did get a #2, it was the sort of blowout that before would have devastated a disposable. The cloth did its job. Granted, I think part of it is just that they cover so much more surface area. Still, not having to change her clothes after an explosive poop is pretty awesome.
The only downsides to the prefolds and fitteds is that they are very bulky. It causes her pants not to fit very well, which I kind of figured would happen, but they also keep her legs from moving very much since the diapers come down so far on her legs. She’s such an active kid, I don’t really like to restrain her legs, but…I feel like we’re still getting enough out of the cloth diapers that they’re a better choice, and she’s still getting plenty of time out of the cloth diapers to kick to her little legs’ content.
Today, after noticing that she’s had a pretty big growth spurt in the past few days (she’s been cluster feeding all week, so I knew something was up), I decided to try out a pair of our FuzziBunz OS diapers. To my delight, they fit! And they are absolutely adorable! I’m still waiting to see how well they hold up to a real pee or poop, but I will say, they are DEFINITELY a much better fit. She won’t have the same problems with limited range of motion in her FuzzBunz that she was having with the prefolds and fitteds. Hopefully, they’re just as good at keeping the wet and the dirty in.
Today we also finally ran out of disposable wipes in the warmer, so we made the switch over to cloth, using the homemade flannel cloth wipes that our friend Rachael made for us. They work so much better than the regular disposable wipes. They are thicker, better at mopping up mess, and they hold moisture and stay warmer better in the wipes warmer. The disposable wipes kept drying out in the warmer, and they’d be almost completely cool by the time they actually made it to Isla because they’re so thin. Plus, no more throwing the wipes away in one can and the dipes away in another. It all goes into the diaper pail and then all into the wash.
The first round of dirty diaper laundry wasn’t that bad, either. Poop came out surprisingly easy. The only hitch was having to wash the cloth diapers twice because the first time, the ammonia smell from urine didn’t come completely out of the diapers. Any suggestions on detergents that might help with that? Right now, we’re just using Planet powder detergent.
My primary cloth diaper goal for the next couple of weeks is to use the cloth diapers more consistently during the day. Toward the end of May, we’ll be traveling to Texas to show off Isla to my parents, and ideally, I’d also like to be able to do cloth while we’re there, if for no other reason than to show off the super cute FuzziBunz my grandmother got Isla before she was born. Rubber pants they are not! We’ll be traveling by plane, and we’ll be staying for two full weeks, so it will be quite the challenge. Actually, I suspect the entire trip is going to be sort of a baby adventure, considering we’ll be so out of our element, and then two days after we get back, I’ll be back at work and Isla’s whole world is going to be turned upside down. I’ll have to dedicate an entire post to those challenges, though…
In the meantime, adorable baby video and photo of Isla in cloth diapers!
In prefolds and Thirsties covers (Are the colors in this video searing your retinas?)
Erin says
April 30, 2012 at 1:19 pmShe is super cute!!
I’m partially cloth diapering my newborn now, who’s 3 weeks old and somewhere around 9 lbs probably. I actually still kind of prefer the prefolds & Thirsties covers even though they’re super bulky.
I have a couple of OS Fuzzibunz and I am not crazy about them… there are so many places to adjust and he grows so fast, I feel like I am never getting the fit right and it’s kind of a PITA. The first time I put him in a FB I quickly noticed one leg was turning purple because the damn leg hole was too tight. Argh.
My Charlie Banana is a little better as a OS pocket because it’s a bit softer and more flexible, with fewer elastics to adjust. I only have one of those though.
Katie says
April 30, 2012 at 4:17 pmThanks! 🙂 I think I lucked out, because I just went by the sizing chart on the diaper and it magically fit the first time. We still haven’t gotten a big poop, though, so we’ll see what happens then. Or when she grows. Eep.
I’ve got some Happy Heinys and Lotus Bumz that seem to be a lot softer, and bumGenius that don’t have the elastics to adjust. I’m glad I got a lot of different kinds to try out. Hopefully after a few weeks of using them, I’ll have a better idea of what will work in the long term. (Haven’t bought very many yet, just one or two of a few different kinds.) Would you recommend I buy one of the Charlie Banana ones to try out?
Marcia says
April 30, 2012 at 5:15 pmFor the ammonia smell – I’ve had friends with dogs just use the Nature’s Miracle Laundry Boost enzyme smell remover for dogs and said good things. The stuff is basically magic. http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Miracle-Laundry-Boost-Additive/dp/B001TA5O9C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335831115&sr=8-1
Katie says
April 30, 2012 at 7:18 pmLOL! Really? Maybe we’ll try it.
Becoming SuperMommy says
May 1, 2012 at 7:21 amSo- the smell. I find that if I just keep tossing baking powder in with the diapers before even sticking them in the wash, it does wonders. I picked up a gigantic bag from Sam’s Club, and just toss a fistful into the pail every day. It goes into the laundry with the diapers, it’s non-toxic, super cheap, and really works for me.
Erin says
May 1, 2012 at 12:35 pmI would – I looove CB. The only downside to them that I have found is that they’re on the small side and Miles grew out of them around age 2 – but the same goes for OS FB.
Debbie White says
May 7, 2012 at 7:18 pmOh will you look at that. She looks more comfortable with that cloth diaper. I am still using it for my baby but the only problem is that he grows up fast and the cloth isn’t stretchable so I have to buy larger size.
Amanda says
August 20, 2013 at 11:11 pmLove the video and picture, they are so cute! I am looking forward to cloth diapering when my baby arrives, but like you I already have some newborn disposables I’ll have to use up at first.