I had talked a little bit about how I got started on cloth diapers, but I'll tell the whole story.
When I was potty training my daughter she was 2 and a half and I had a 9 month old baby so we were going though a lot diapers. I had gotten some training pants that have more absorbency than just normal underwear. I got blueberry trainers and best bottom training system.
These were my first purchase in the cloth diaper world. I got them from a site Nickis Diapers, they sell all sorts of fun stuff. I then decided since these were pretty much cloth diapers I would give the real cloth diapers a try on my then 1 year old baby. I ordered a package deal of pocket diapers where you put an insert in the diaper.
The package came with everything to start cloth diapering. It had 20 diapers and then probably 30 inserts to put in the diaper for the absorbency. I was excited to try it out and see how they worked. I joined a bunch of groups on facebook to try to educate myself. These diapers worked great for probably 6 months and then they started to stink. It was the microfiber inserts I was using. Come to find out they aren't the best choice for absorbency. They are the cheapest and its true in this case that you get what you pay for. So I started trying other kinds of diapers and finding different things I liked.
I think I have tried almost every type and brand of diaper out there. I tried different systems of cloth diapers, I had no idea there were so many different ways to cloth diaper a baby. Finally after a year I thought I had found what I loved and worked well for us. This is one of the things I love about cloth diapering is that you can buy and resell diapers at pretty much the same price. So I didn't feel like I was losing money to try a different brand or type of diaper, because if I didn't end up liking it I could resell it for the same price.
Then we had another baby a year later so my first son was 2 and still in diapers and we had a newborn. I figured out what I liked in newborn diapers because that is a whole different story trying to keep that newborn baby poop in a diaper. haha. Side note that cloth is so much better with blowouts. I think I had maybe one with my third kid, where with my first in disposables I had them all the time. Another one of my selling points on cloth diapers.
I loved the gmd workhorses for newborns with a cover. They can have snaps on them or you get them without and use a pin or a snappi. I preferred with snaps.
We also tried the thx and rarz all in one and those did not absorb much. They are really really cute but not worth the money and they leak a lot.
Then I found Grovia and I loved these. They are a newborn all in one meaning its all in one piece, no attaching anything its just all there. The closest you get to a disposable. I loved how easy these were and they seemed to absorb quite a bit until he got about a month old. Then I had to add an insert in to help with leaking.
We tried fitteds at night to absorb more and these are made out of bamboo so they are so soft. We used these for a while. We had to put a wool cover over them to make them water proof. Yes he looks funny but they are soft and comfy. We never had any leaks out of these, they are bulletproof. I also used this type of diaper with my older son at night as well.
Then when he got to be probably 4-5 months old he started to fit into the one size diapers. Those are supposed to fit 8-35 lbs but they did not fit an 8 pounder very well. He was probably about 13-14 pounds here I think. He started to wear the same diapers his older brother was wearing. Those are the Nickis all in one bamboo. So soft and they absorb a ton. They just have a snap in insert so easy as well.
Well my second son started to get stinky diapers. The dreaded ammonia smell. I had never had problems with my older son. It was getting bad so I consulted with some people online and tried to tweak the wash routine and bleach them. It just keep coming back and only in his diapers. So it had to be his urine is just more potent than my other son. For months I fought this battle with ammonia. I didn't want to give cloth up for this guy, I love cloth diapering and I didn't want to have to buy disposables again. So I tried yet another type of cloth diaper.
Flats...... These had always seemed so crazy to me you take a flat piece of fabric and fold it up to fit in a cover. It always seemed like a lot of work. The benefit to flats is that they are one layer and they wash out easier. They are about 32 inches by 32 inches and you can fold them however you want.
This is a close up picture of the fabric. They come in cotton and bamboo. I knew my son was a heavy wetter so I opted for bamboo and bamboo is so much softer than cotton. I absolutely love these bamboo flats. They are so absorbent. I mostly use Grovia hybrid shells. They fit so well and I love the quality of Grovia. They seem to be better made, I don't know what it is they just do. I also use some rarz and nickis covers. I have never had a leak in these and they don't stink like ammonia because they are easier to get clean.
I can use these on my almost three year old now and they work well for him too. I use the Grovia ONEs with him. They absorb A TON. They are the best diaper I have ever used. SERIOUSLY!!! They are totally worth the money. I would have both kids wearing them if I could. The have fleece lining so its easy to spray out the diapers. I really like grovia for their cute prints as well.
I also use a diaper sprayer that hooks onto the toilet so you can spray off the poop into the toilet. I tried without one for a few months and then just bought one it is well worth the money.
This is how I store my diapers, they hang just above my changing table. I love that they are up out of the way so the kids can't get into them, and I can still see them all. I think they are all cute.
I love cloth diapers for many reasons. They are fun and cute. Its money saving as long as you don't collect and buy too many expensive diapers. Its environmentally friendly, and it save you from all the chemicals in the disposable diapers. Now don't get me wrong I still use disposables on my kids when we go camping or out of town, I am not a die hard yet! I am glad they are there for those times. I do enjoy doing it and putting cute diapers on my babies.
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