I definitely didn't intend for part 2 to be SOOO long after part 1! But here is what WE use to diaper Brynne, as I said we are using prefolds/fitteds/flats with covers!
I kept one diaper from the trial, then I bought a dozen prefolds, two fitteds (like a prefold, except shaped like a diaper), two hemp inserts (for extra overnight absorption), and three covers.
Here is one of the prefolds:
And here is one of the fitteds:
After using the fitted and liking the concept/fit, I found a simple tutorial online that I used to convert prefolds into fitteds. These are obviously bulkier than a disposable, but really not too bad.
Here it is on Brynne. Gone are the days of diaper pins! Most people now use a
Snappi. I actually rarely use the Snappi because the cover keeps the fitted in place well enough without it. These fitteds I made are what I use during Brynne's naps.
This is another shot of the fitted I bought, they have a flap with extra fabric.
I use these at night with an extra hemp insert. She wears this combination for a little over 13 hours with no leaks!
Everyone knows how Brynne was "blessed" in the thigh/hip area and I have a hard time finding pants to fit her, so I knew I needed something very trim for her to wear when we go out.
I had read about flats, but they seemed complicated because you have to fold them and there are so many different ways you can fold them. I found a few videos showing some of the different folds and decided it didn't seem as bad as I thought.
An alternative to a flat I read about is a flour sack towel. These are very popular in the kitchen because they absorb well, are lint free, and wash well.
Here is a flour sack towel, it is just a large square/rectangle of 100% cotton. I bought them in packs of two at Walmart for $1 per towel! One of the biggest benefits to these is that they dry REALLY fast! I use the origami fold.
First you fold the towel in half.
Then you pull one layer of one of the corners and pull it to the other corner, this is an intermediate picture:
Here it is pulled all the way across.
Then you flip the entire thing over.
Then you fold the top two layers toward the middle.
And then you take a break because a certain little cutie decided to mess up your diaper :)
Oh, were you using this?!?
Back to it-- Then you fold that section over again and hope it lands somewhat centered!
Then I fold in the "wings" a little.
I add a piece of micro fleece to the inside of the diaper (and all of my other ones too), this keeps the moisture off Brynne's butt which helps prevent diaper rashes. I bought 1/2 or 2/3 (can't remember) of a yard of micro fleece and cut at least 12-15 of these liners from it.
Then you fold up the bottom, wrap the wings around, and wa-la--a diaper!
Here it is on Brynne. You can use a Snappi to keep it closed, but like I said before, the cover keeps it in place just fine. These are what I use inbetween naps.
Here is a cover over a flat. This picture is actually a little deceiving because it looks a little bulkier than it really is. This cover is not one of my favorites.
Here is my favorite cover, the
Flip. This is the one I kept from the trial. It came with a microfiber insert that you just lay inside the cover, but I only use it as a back up. As you can see the inside is shiny and "wipeable." It doesn't absorb anything so you can re-use it multiple times before it needs to be washed.
This diaper should fit most babies 8-35 lbs.
Here it is on the largest setting, I used my phone to give an idea of the size.
Here it is on the smallest setting.
This is my second favorite cover, a
Blueberry Coverall.
Here is one of the other covers.It is definitely not one of my favorites, but it works well over bulkier things so I use it mostly for naps/night.
We are also using cloth wipes. I bought two packs of baby washcloths and just wet them with water. There are a lot of different wipe solutions you can use, but water works fine for us. I never really thought about using them until we had to fish out the disposable one everytime to throw away. Now with the cloth it can just all go in the diaper pail together!
We have a kitchen trash can in our spare bathroom with a diaper pail liner in it (made from the same material as the diaper covers). When we change Brynne we dump any poop into the toilet, throw the diaper into the pail, and hang the cover over the edge. Not a hard process.
When I wash the diapers, I take the liner out of the trash can and dump the diapers and covers into the washing machine and I also wash the liner. I run a cold rinse cycle which basically just rinses the pee out. Then I run a regular hot wash/cold rinse cycle with 1/2 the recommended amount of laundry detergent. There are tons of different cloth diaper detergents available, but I am currently using Purex Free & Clear. It is the most recommended of the free and clear detergents and it's what I was already using on our other laundry. I will probably try something else soon.
So far I have spent well under $200 and this should probably last us until potty training.With disposables, we go through at least 5-6 a day, so a $25 box of diapers lasts just over two weeks. So these cloth diapers will pay for themselves in just a few months!
There will be one more part, about things I have made, but it may be a while before I get to it!
