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our cloth diaper plan

by Heather

Today’s my due date!  Will it be the day?!?!?!  Only time will tell.  I am so excited though.  Bring on baby!

Soon enough these cloth diapers are actually going to get some use out of them! You may remember back in January the cloth diaper class we went to, and all the types of diapers out there to choose from. My original plan was go get a variety of all-in-ones, pocket and flip diapers.

What did we end up getting?

All-in-ones

No stuffing required.  It works the same as a disposable diaper (just put on baby), except you don’t throw it away!

We went with the bumGenius Freetime, which are $19.95 each.

Pocket diapers

These have a pocket (hence the name pocket diaper) that you stuff the insert into.  Keeps it nice and snug in there.

You can put 1 or multiple inserts into the pocket.

Our pocket diaper of choice were the FuzziBunz, which cost $19.95 each.

Flip hybrid diapers

Instead of stuffing the insert into a pocket, with the flip system you lay it on top of the cover.

Since the cover doesn’t always get wet or poopy, you can reuse it multiple times before having to wash it. Saves money so you don’t need as many covers, just more inserts.

You can buy different packages of the Flip Hybrid Diapers, but what we ended up picking up were 2 packs of the 2 one size covers with 6 stay dry inserts.  Each pack costs $49.95.  We also received 3 extra inserts giving us a total of 15.

Newborn all-in-ones

These newborn all-in-ones work the same as the other AIOs above, they’re just itty bitty for tiny newborns.

The type we have are bumGenius newborn cloth diapers.  They cost $12.95 each.

This is just what was planned + a little bit more! All the newborn diapers were free (we won one at the cloth diapering class, got another for registering at cotton babies and got another since our Bradley class is held at cotton babies). I’m really glad we have a few newborn AIO diapers since I have this feeling he’ll be a little guy when he’s born.

All of the other diapers are one size fits all, so 8 pounds to about 35 pounds. Originally I thought he’s fit into them right away, but now that I know how little my mama’s babies were (around 6 pounds) it makes me think my little guy won’t be an 8+ pounder. I could always be surprised though!

This week I started thinking a lot about what we’ll do for diapers if he doesn’t fit in them, and originally I just thought we’d go for disposables during that time.  Then when I learned how long it takes for a breastfed baby to put on weight, I figured it would be at least a few weeks-month before he’d fit in them.

So I went looking for affordable newborn diaper options, because if I’m going to be spending money on diapers, why not invest in some more reusable ones instead of disposables that I’ll just throw away?  Onto Green Mountain Diapers (recommended by a friend who’s due tomorrow!) I went.

I really didn’t want to worry about the hassle of prefolds (the old school kind of cloth diapers).  I know it works great for some people, but I just don’t see myself enjoying them right now.  However, I wanted something affordable since I knew they wouldn’t be used long term, and we do have a budget to live on (the biggest factor).

Fitted diapers it was.  They’re like a prefold, but come shaped to fit on your baby and snap closed.  I went with the Workhorse Diaper, which is only $5 a diaper for the newborn size.  I ordered 9.

With fitted diapers you do need to use a cover for waterproofing.  I had such a hard time deciding on which covers to go with, but in the end I decided on Thirsties Diaper Wraps, because they don’t have a fabric lining the inside, which means the PUL is easier to wipe clean.  This allowed me to only buy 2 that I’ll rotate through.  Each cover cost $11.25.

                       

I put my order in on Wednesday, and they should arrive by Tuesday at the latest!

So how many cloth diapers do we have?

Here’s the breakdown of all types:

  • All-in-ones: 6
  • Pocket diapers: 4
  • Flip system: 15 inserts + 4 covers (which they say is the equivalent to 15 diapers since you reuse the covers over multiple changes)
  • Newborn all-in-ones: 3
  • Newborn fitted diapers: 9
  • Newborn diaper covers: 2

Total one size fits all: 25

Total newborn: 12

The recommended amount for doing laundry every other day is 18-22, so we are definitely set on that front once we get to the one size fits all diapers.

For the first little while I’ll just plan to do laundry every day with the newborn diapers.

What extras do we have?

Cloth wipes!

I am so excited about these, especially because my friend made them for me which saved us money.  She just used some extra flannel scraps she had left over, giving us 3 different sizes.  The tiny wipes will probably be used for runny noses, not bums.

I plan to make a wet solution to keep in either a spray bottle or small tupperware container too.

Wet bags

Owls were our theme, so owl wet bags were meant to be!

We were gifted the large, medium and small owl wet bags.

Large will be kept in the nursery for most of the use.

The medium will be for the diaper bag and to use when the large is being washed.

The other medium wet bag we had already picked up before I was gifted the medium owl, so we just have an extra. I actually might use it for my swim suit when I begin teaching water aerobics later on. Or I can just have an extra for whatever we need it for.

The small will be used for wet cloth wipes in the diaper bag.

Laundry detergent

There are certain ‘requirements’ on which type laundry detergent to use for cloth diapers. I didn’t want to spend tons of money on detergent because, well I don’t even do that for myself and we do have a budget to live on. I always seem to buy our detergent at Costco (it’s affordable), so I checked with cotton babies to see if there was one that works well with cloth diapers and luckily there was.

Not a fancy detergent, but definitely affordable and will get the job done.  We received a bunch of these cloth diaper detergent samples that I’ll probably save for when we’re traveling and I’ll have to wash the diapers.

Extras we will buy sometime

Disposable inserts for the flip diapers

I really only see us using these disposable inserts for trips that don’t give me access to launder the cloth diapers.

Flushable liners

Some people attach a sprayer next to their toilet to get the poo off the diapers. Maybe later down the road when we introduce solids we’ll add that, but for now using these flushable liners will be nice for the poo. While they aren’t necessary, I think (think, not know) they’ll help keep stains to a minimum. However, they aren’t necessary cause breast milk poo is water soluble and can go straight into the washer, no rinsing required. Exciting poo talk huh?!

I don’t really see us needing much other fancy stuff. There are always wants, but I’m going to hold off on those and see how it goes since this is all new to me.

Soooooo, that sure what a lot!  Hope you made it this far and this post was helpful for you if you’re looking to cloth diaper.  Once we actually start using the cloth diapers, I’m sure I’ll have so much more to share.  Until then, feel free to ask any questions and I’d be glad to share what I know!

Any tips from cloth diapering parents? What extras did you feel came in handy?

Heather

For even more about cloth diaper options, check out cloth diapering 101.

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16 comments

Emily Butler May 25, 2012 - 1:41 pm

Kudos to you for cloth diapering as well as using the cloth wipes, unfortunately we never went that route, but now that we are hopefully done we should only have two more years in diaper world! Eden is fully breastfed, she was 7 lbs when she was born and this past week she was 14.5 pounds, so she gained 7.5 pounds in 4 months! Some breastfed babies grow slower, she is growing in the 75%tile. Faster than both my boys did! She just started wearing size 4 diapers, I always go up a size when they start leaking through 🙂 but that shouldn’t be a problem for you! I remember trying the old fashioned cloth diapers once, haha that lasted a whole half a day! Good luck in the upcoming days! Hopefully he won’t make you wait too much longer!

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Fit Mama May 26, 2012 - 9:49 am

I could see myself not lasting long with the old fashioned kind too. Your girl sure is a good grower!

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Kaitlyn @ Pain Can Be Fun May 25, 2012 - 5:18 pm

Wow! Before you began discussing your decision to use cloth diapers on your blog, I honestly NEVER knew this option existed! After reading all about how cloth diapering works and the economical advantages, it makes SO much sense to me! Plus the diapers are super cute 🙂 If/When I have children down the line, I will definitely look into cloth diapering. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂 HAPPY DUE DATE DAY!!! 🙂

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Fit Mama May 26, 2012 - 9:50 am

There are so many options out there. I bet you’ll be able to find something perfect for you if you decide to go with them!

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Kath May 25, 2012 - 7:54 pm

Great post!!! Your diapers are so pretty 🙂

Happy Due Date!!

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Fit Mama May 26, 2012 - 9:51 am

Thanks Kath, all yours are so pretty too! Love the variety of patterns you got.

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lynn @ the actor's diet May 25, 2012 - 9:09 pm

well those are just about the cutest diapers ever!

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Hannah May 26, 2012 - 12:28 am

Hey! I just started tracking along with your pregnancy a month or so ago, when Andrea mentioned that you blogged about it!! Anyway, I have been checking back here very frequently since I know your little guy will be here any day!! (Happy due date, by the way!! So very exciting!) We’ve been using the Flip diaper covers with our son for 7 months now. We started when he was 3 months old because up until then we didn’t have our own washing machine…since we had just moved to SE Asia. Anyway, we LOVE these diapers…they have been great. I actually use greenmountain’s prefolds inside the Flip covers and they work great. It was much cheaper to go that way and I have not been disappointed. I haven’t tried many other options, because with it being so humid here, I knew the AIOs wouldn’t ever dry. I would say that having a sprayer by the toilet is the way to go. Living here makes it easy, because every bathroom in every home already has one installed. 🙂 I heard that they are very simple and cheap to install yourself, too, if you decide to try it out. Anyway, just thought I’d comment on here and let you know that you have some cousins on the other side of the world excited for you guys!! Can’t wait to see pics of the little one…(I know you can’t wait to hold him!!) Enjoy your last bit of pregnancy! – Hannah

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Lindsay @ Lindsay's List May 26, 2012 - 7:21 am

Love it!! You’ve inspired me for the next time around!

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Fit Mama May 26, 2012 - 7:35 am

Is that next round soon?!?!?!?!

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Lindsay @ Lindsay's List May 27, 2012 - 6:55 am

Umm…we’re not sure! Probably start trying in the Fall!!

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Our Diapering Plans | Naturally Family July 23, 2012 - 3:01 am

[…] Fit Mama Real Food: our cloth diaper plan […]

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Rachel @ The Mallory Report September 30, 2012 - 6:18 pm

Thanks for posting this and your review of all of the different types of cloth diapers! I wasn’t sure how many cloth diapers I should aim for (our baby is due in December) or what the different types meant. I just added some of the bumGenius all-in-ones to our registry and I think that’s what we’ll go with.

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Em @ Love A Latte July 31, 2014 - 11:32 am

Just found your blog and I love it!!! Where did you get the Owl wet bags?! We are planning cloth diapering and owls are our theme! 🙂

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Fit Mama July 31, 2014 - 2:24 pm

Hey Em! So it was purchased at cotton babies locally, but amazon carries them as well for an even better price. http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Wise-Hanging-Wet-Dry/dp/B005WWIE3G — Hooray for cloth diapers and owls!!

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Stefanie July 10, 2015 - 12:38 pm

This blog/article helped me a lot. We’ve just begun our cloth journey with our second son. I’ve bought 2 more types of diapers because of this. Thank you!

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