My cloth diapering experience has been great so far. It is so much less work than I ever thought it would be, and it really hasn’t been any less convenient than purchasing disposables. In fact, I’m now left wondering why I ever thought that I needed disposables in the first place. The truth is, there are people in big companies who’s only job must be to make us think that we can’t live without certain things, disposable diapers being one of them. There are people all over the world who have never even seen a disposable diaper and if they did, would wonder why anyone would ever spend hard earned money on something so frivolous…. and then there are those of us who have always believed that you have to have diapers and diaper wipes. I feel foolish looking back at all the money that we have wasted. If I had only known.

With that said, as in everything, there are more choices than I could ever touch on in the cloth diapering world. You have everything from rubber pants to flat folds to accessories you can purchase if you don’t want to use diaper pins but are using flat diapers. It’s a big world out there and speaking from experience, it’s hard to make the decisions on what is best for your family.

Just to run down what you need to cloth diaper a baby. I have found that a diaper pail (#1) is a must. The one in the picture was purchased on the storage container isle in Walmart. The handles lock down the seal-able lid. It was made by Sterilite and was under $5. It works very well.

You will of course need diapers.

You can use flat, folded diapers. If you use these, you will need to use diaper pins or a Snappi enclosure that will keep the diaper closed. You could also purchase cloth diapers that are cut and fit with gathered legs and an elastic fit to give a custom fit to a baby’s body. This is great for cutting down leaks. The last option that I’ve found is an AIO or all in one diaper. With these diapers, you don’t need to purchase clips, pins or rubber pants. If you opt for the first two choices you will also need rubber pants, or covers which are basically waterproof pants that go over the diaper. These come in many different varieties!

As for diaper wipes, I originally thought that I was going to continue purchasing diaper wipes but as the last couple of months have passed, I’ve opted instead to purchase baby washcloths (#2) specifically for this purpose and I just launder them with my diapers. I’ve been very pleased with the results and Emma seems to like the soft cloth better than the wipes! I have kept a box of diaper wipes for quick clean ups but I’m not sure that I will even purchase them again.

(#3) This is a Bumpkins waterproof bag–perfect for storing diapers until they can be laundered. This is the one we keep in our diaper bag.

I thought that I would share the items that we’ve purchased and my thoughts on each one.

(#4) My homemade diapers. I started out with these. I made them REALLY thick and as a result, they are actually the most absorbent diapers that I have tried. The down size is that they are pretty bulky but Emma doesn’t seem to have any problems getting around…or discomfort that I can see. You would need to have a cover if you made this type of diaper.

(#5) Fuzzi Bunz. I was so excited to purchase this one. I really wanted to try it. It is one of the more expensive diapers on the market. There is actually a pocket in the back of the diaper that you use to place an absorbent insert into the diaper. Because it can be removed, one positive to this diaper is that it dried really quickly. That is a definite plus, especially, because you really don’t want to dry cloth diapers in a dryer unless you are throwing them in to soften them a bit. (Cloth diapers are so expensive, you don’t want the additional wear on the diaper that a dryer would create.) Another plus is that this is an “all in one” meaning that you don’t have to have an additional cover or rubber pants for this diaper. The third plus that I see is snaps instead of velcro. I know that some cloth diapers have velcro and some people prefer that but knowing, well, hoping that the Lord blesses us with many more children, Paul and I opted for only snap enclosures in our purchased diapers to be sure they would last through several more children. Of course, the biggest downside is the cost. These are pretty much among the highest priced diapers on the market. Another downside is that they really aren’t very absorbent at all ….though they do pull moisture away from baby’s skin. My biggest reason for not liking them is the snap placement and cut of the front of the diaper. They just don’t seem to fit very well. It’s hard to explain why exactly, but I was left with the feeling that it would not work well to hold it’s intended contents.

(#6) The Fuzzi Bunz insert. This is made from cloth that will keep baby’s skin from moisture. You just slide it into the back of the diaper.

(#7) Baby Love Cloth Diaper. These diapers have an attached insert. When you unfold the diaper, you will see that the insert is mostly free of the diaper which allows it to dry quickly but it is still sewn to one end to keep everything in place. I am not at all happy with the absorbency of this diaper, nor have the diapers worn well. I do think that it fits well, but when it’s wet, it’s really wet. We won’t purchase this brand again. Remember, if you decide to purchase these, you will need a cover.

(#8) Mother-Ease diapers. These have been by far my favorite. The fit is perfect, the snaps are very good quality, the terry is very soft and wonderful against baby’s skin, with their terry snap in insert, and they are fairly absorbent (I do double the insert at night). You do need to cover these with something.

That brings us to the covers:

(#9) Rubber pants. I purchased these at Walmart. I know that my mom used cloth diaper and I can remember the feel of rubber pants that were made then they were very thick and with time actually became less and less pliable. This not the case anymore. I would never buy these rubber pants again, they are not the same thing. I am very careful with my cloth diapering products so mine were never ran through the dryer, only washed and hung but they still all have split in certain places and this is only after a few months of wear. They don’t even feel like the old ones used to…these feel just a little thicker than a nicer department store bag. The design, I think, would be O.K. if you had to use them though I believe that having covers that snap closed like the diaper aids to having an easier clean up.

(#10) Bummis Cover. My experience with this cover is that it felt wet on the inside, even with just one wetting. We also had problems with this cover leaking even though they do seem to be some of the better made covers. We will personally not purchase this brand again.

(#11) The Aristocrat wool soaker. Praised for being one of the most absorbent options in cloth diapering, it is also the most expensive. I splurged to buy this one…it was over $20.00! Now granted, it is pretty cute. It is said that this is the only cover a baby needs over their diaper at night and that the waterproof lanolin naturally found in the wool will not allow it to leak. One night in this little cover left Emma a VERY wet girl. Even in a doubled insert. Maybe I’m doing something wrong? I’m not sure but we’re going to steer clear of this option for now. (They are pretty cute under a little girl’s dress…we’re going to just use them as bloomers for right now.)

(#12) Kushies wraps. I love the design and the fit of these diaper covers. They feel the way that you would expect rubber pants would. Built in gussets and elastic keep them from leaking which is very nice. They are also one of the most affordable options. They were very nice and I would probably consider them again. The only downside that I can see is that they are made with velcro. Emma at 8 months has already figured out how to undo this and loves to listen to the velcro coming unattached! Trust me, after you’ve fought with this all day, it gets really old. That being said, I still think it’s a good option…maybe you would just need to keep your older baby in an outfit that does not give them access to their diaper cover.

(#13) Imse Vimse (night time)covers. I really love this cover. My favorite part is that the cover seems to breathe. It is not noticeably wet when you change your baby in the morning. It is also very soft and the prints on the covers are sweet. We’ll purchase more of these at some point. They were some of the most affordable and worth every penny.

(#14) Our Mother-Ease covers. These were our favorite covers. They have all the pluses and really no down sides that I can see. They fit very well, breath enough to not keep baby too wet between changes and don’t wick wetness to the outside. They were very affordable (in fact some of the least expensive that we purchased).

Paul and I have already decided that Courtney will own a dozen Mother-Ease diapers and 1/2 dozen Mother-Ease covers for her hope chest. If she decides to cloth diaper, this will be a good start for her and if she doesn’t decide to cloth diaper, she’ll atleast have something to fall back on if her family is having a hard time financially. (These were, btw, Courtney’s pick for cloth diapering supplies too!)

With all that said, the Mother-Ease came out way on top! You can purchase Mother-Ease diapers at:

http://www.Mother-Ease.com

If you would like to get a closer look at any of these diapers, I’m hoping to have them posted at one of our other websites this afternoon…if I’m able to get this done, I’ll come back and post a link a little later.

Prayer Requests

My friend Kimberly is having some additional medical testing done this week.

My husband’s Aunt Linda is having surgery on her eyes this week.

R. C. Sproul Jr. has just been diagnosed with Stage 2 Lymphoma. (If you’ve never read any of his writings, you should do a quick search on the internet.) Please pray for his recovery. This especially hard because his wife has also had to battle cancer in recent years.

My Mom had a power line break 6 feet from her home yesterday. She was fortunate to not have any damage, just power outage for a few hours but I think it was an unnerving experience for her. Please pray that she has an uneventful and peaceful week.

Our business plan is off to the mentor for the final time (we hope). Please pray that the door would be opened wide for investors.

Today I’m Thankful For

A great and productive weekend.

Peaches! On our trees outside. (There aren’t many, (less than 10), but we were excited because this is the first year that our trees have produced fruit!)

More rain over the weekend…my plants are growing and loving the water.

Some time Paul and I had over the weekend to put into place our plans for the next couple of months.

New burner covers for my stove top. (I know that this sounds silly, but it does make a difference in how your kitchen looks!)

Tanya had a wonderful experience with her daughter over the weekend.

Tracy’s Task

Think of a way today to help your husband in a project that he is involved in. Don’t be shy about telling him you would like to help him and ask him for ideas on what you can do.

My hubby has gotten so used to me asking, he used to say, “I don’t know….nothing really, I guess”. When I asked yesterday, he had a list waiting on me! I’m so glad that he sees me as his helper. I want to help him succeed in anyway I can. He in turn, is very grateful and tells me all the time how thankful he is for me (I’m thankful for him too!).

What I’m Learning

Our husband’s need for us to be part of their team. I know that I have said this before but I don’t think that I can stress it enough. We were created to help them in anyway that we can. We compliment them and in that way can assist them in ways that make us together a very good team.

Pray and ask the Lord for guidance on how you can help your hubby. For me, it has meant rethinking what I’m doing in my home. I have to do more than just pat my husband on the back. Although I do have to be his cheerleader, I also have to make sure I manage well every penny that comes into my home, I have to be very careful that our home’s resources are cared for and taken care of and I have to help him in his efforts to build a future for our children by careful planning and assisting him with the gifts and talents that God has given me.

What are your gifts and talents? Realizing that God has given you gifts in specific areas and that you and your hubby are married…how might you use your God given talents to further your husband’s plans? This is not a question that you can answer quickly…pray and really consider how God might use you in your marriage.

Today’s Scripture Meditation

This is where my Bible study finds me this morning:

Ruth 4:11-16
“Then the elders and all those at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him.
(NIV)