So I’ve done quite a bit of diaper purchasing in the last week.  To my credit, I’ve also sold quite a bit of diapers too (mostly because of all the diapers I bought, but let’s just focus on the facts here, mmkay?).  It started when goodmama stocked the infamous “1981″ print.  It is, in a word, just too delicious to pass up.  It features little rainbows complete with puffy white clouds on a pink background.  I’d like to know how I would have been expected to ignore that when it was stocked.  I don’t think it was possible.

Then, the next day, Woodland Splendor was stocked at goodmama.  It’s another really striking, very gender-neutral print and the “word on the street” was that it was a great print that held up well to repeated washings.  I sorta wanted to get another print as well and Prism (a striped print in a rainbow of colors) called my name.  But I didn’t stop there.  Oh no.  Because if I got a THIRD diaper, then I could get free shipping.  So I picked out a plain velour diaper with plum serging and snaps that had been whispering my name since it was first stocked.  So yeah.  THREE goodmama diapers.

Just two days later I got a couple more Rumparooz seconds with snaps at an excellent price, thanks to the Great Cloth Diaper Hunt (more on that in a forthcoming post) and it’s fabulous sponsor’s discount.  Mostly to take advantage of the discount while there were still seconds available and partly because some of the diapers I have been selling off are my existing Rumparooz diapers that have the old-style aplix fasterners on them.  Rumparooz make great nap and leaving-the-house diapers and both my husband and myself enjoy them.

I got the goodmama diapers already, the last three showing up today.  That makes four total, if you were keeping track.  Added to the three I had at home, that gives me seven total.  I think it’s safe to say that I have enough diapers now, don’t you think?

So I need to find the wagon and hop on board.  If you’re unaware, “the wagon” is where you go when you need to stop buying diapers.  And, hoo boy, do I need to stop.  Save for a couple of diaper covers when Evie finally outgrows her medium ones, I think I need to be done buying diapers.  At least for a LONG time, that is.  It’ll be hard to resist, I’m sure.  But I don’t want to “get silly” about it either.  And as lovely as the goodmama diapers are, it’s VERY easy to get silly!

So you all need to help hold me to this!  Should I come and say, “oooh, this is a pretty diaper!”, just tell me “NO!”  I appreciate your help!

If you want to get specific, saving money is one of the big reasons to start cloth diapering in the first place.  Considering the cheapest diapers out there still cost at least $20 a month, it doesn’t take too long for virtually any cloth diapering setup to save you money.

However, I totally get it.  A lot of people are reluctant to switch to cloth diapering not just because of the thought of nasty laundry chores or difficult to manage diapers, but because of the cost.  And while by NO means do you need to go whole hog from the word go (you can just buy a diaper here and a diaper there as you are able), it still represents a significant investment.

So here are my tips for cloth diapering on a budget.

• Use baby washcloths as cloth wipes.  A pack of 8 Gerber washclothes is pretty cheap and you can find even cheaper options that will work just as well.  Just fold them and store them in an old plastic disposable wipes container.  Then, when it’s time to change baby, just run them under the warm water of the faucet and voila.  You’ll never have to buy another wipe again.
• Prefolds are NOT that hard to work with!  There are many folds that work for many different babies.  Prefolds are enormously versatile workhorses.  And, if you’re crafty enough, you can easily make them into prefitteds which are easier to deal with.
• Or you can buy prefitteds, which are still much cheaper than most diaper options out there.
• Most PUL covers are pretty cheap anyhow, but you can get even more thrifty if you can sew by making your own fleece soaker out of an old fleece receiving blanket.
• If you’re really desperate and have diaper pins available, you can always use an old tshirt as a diaper when in a pinch.
• Look for gently used diapers on Diaper Swappers FSOT (For Sale Or Trade) forums.  You can find some really good deals here and a lot of people buy ALL their diapers used.

You don’t have to break the bank to cloth diaper your baby.  I’m already enjoying not having to buy a ginormous box of diapers each month.  Though my middle child still wears disposables at night (we don’t have quite enough diapers on hand to diaper both kids full time), we only have to spend about $10 a month.  I can’t wait for the day when that number becomes $0 a month!

So what are your favorite money-saving tips?

Today I’m taking advantage of the projected *90 degrees and have my Fuzzibuns drying outside. All twelve of them. Yes, sigh, twelve. That is all the cloth I own. It’s ridiculous really, but I started late, at the tail end (ha!) of my last child’s diaper cycle. So it was hard to get excited about buying! more! diapers!

I really wanted pre-folds to work for us. I love, LOVE, the idea of pre-folds but my kid? Not so much. He hates them, the pins, the snappys, the bunching. Everything about them makes him irritable. So Fuzzi Buns it is. Tried and true.

If you need me, I’ll be haunting diaper swappers for a good deal on fuzzibuns. As much as I’d like to channel all my monies into little wooden toys that are so adorable, poop catchers will be my new priority. *sigh*

So, if your new to cloth diapering you may wonder about transport. You know when you leave the house and change diapers outside of your home, away from your clean toilet water (it happens!). What to do? How to carry that gift from your cherished babe home to your diaper pail?

For awhile I just carried plastic garbage bags with me like I had done with disposables. Then I started to get jealous of Leah’s nifty nylon bags. (Also the plastic bags were handy when you through the diaper away but kind of ‘leaky’ when you stuffed it in your diaper bag to take home, and frankly, ew.)

Leah’s bag was similar to this sleeping bag stuff sac. These work really well. They are waterproof and washable. In fact our diaper pail liner is a hand me down sac from Leah. These are great, cheap alternative to some of the more popular diaper bag brands.

Of course if money is no option the popular diaper pail liners are super adorable. And not terribly more expensive. (must resist buying!) Marilyn writes at length about diaper liners in this post.

Which brings us to Etsy. Doesn’t it? Not subtle enough? Oh well, We all have our personal favorite places to browse and ahem, buy. I favor Etsy. I bought this cute wet bag at Batik Bags. I love it. It has held up very well in the many washings it has already had since it arrived last month (do I really go out that often?) and it is stylish.

Like the woman who creates these beauties, I soon tired of the baby patterned bags, and these wet bags have a nice grown up feel. They are also suited for Mamas (and non mamas) who use cloth pads.

Some of the bags zipper shut, but I find the drawstring works just as well.

If you search on Etsy for Wet bags you get a fabulous choice of hand crafted goodness. If you are on a limited budget, I have found zippered make up case at the goodwill or other thrift stores work great.

Transporting poop in style. Our new motto here at Cloth diapering Mamas. Catchy, No?

No matter what kind they are, cloth diapers are cute. They are so soft, cuddly and cute. The biggest problem is that eventually they get dirty. Really dirty.

Washing diapers seems to get almost as much attention as the diapers themselves. When I tell people that I use cloth, they almost always ask “do you wash them yourself?” Sadly, diaper services seem to be rapidly disappearing, so if you want to use cloth you will probably need to wash your own diapers. Or teach your husband to do it. Luckily, diaper washing can be incredibly simple. I’ve seen countless complicated wash routines, involving endless combinations of washes, rinses, soaps, detergents and other additives. I’ve found that keeping things simple works best for me and my diapers.

Many factors can affect your diaper washing: the hardness and chemical composition of your water, what sort of washing machine you have, and the types of diapers that you use. I have fairly hard well water, a mixed stash of diapers and a front loading HE machine.

The first thing that I do is spray my poopy diapers really well before they even go into the pail. You can skip this step if you are dealing with the innocuous, sweet smelling poop of a breastfeeding-only little one. Diapers that are just wet can go straight into the pail. Our diaper pail is an old step trash can with a plastic inner liner.

When the pail starts to look fullish I dump it into the washer. I try to wash every other day or so. Dirty diapers shouldn’t marinate in the pail too long, so don’t put off diaper laundry. If you have a top loader, try to wash fewer than 18-24 diapers at a time. They need room to agitate and move around in the washer. Front loaders actually work a little better when they are full, so cram as many in as you can.

I start my diaper laundry with a cold rinse. This will get the last of the solids off any dirty diapers.

A bit about detergent: There is much disagreement about detergents in the cloth diapering world. I can only tell you what has worked well for me. My favorite detergents are

1. Tide HE Powder: yes the original, scented, stinky kind

2… Tide HE Liquid: I had to switch to this because the powder didn’t dissolve well in my new HE washer

3. Kirkland Signature Powder from Costco: this comes in a giant 5 gallon bucket and is super cheap. Cheap Detergent=More money for diapers!

4. Allen’s Naturally: my favorite of the “natural” detergents.

I like Tide HE best, even if you have a non–HE washing machine. HE detergents are meant to rinse cleaner and suds less, which makes them perfect for diapers.

I’ve had terrible luck with the “free and clear” detergents. I’ve tried the Costco and Tide versions, and both gave my sensitive skinned kid a terrible rash.

I use about half as much detergent as the label specifies. Remember, we want to clean these diapers! Detergent is not the enemy; it dissolves the icky stuff and then holds it in the water so it can be rinsed away. Don’t be afraid to use a generous helping. So we’ve had a cold rinse and added a half scoop or so of your favorite detergent. What next?

On my washing machine I choose the cycle that has the longest agitation. I wash in the hottest temperature possible. If you have a sanitary cycle or an internal heater in your washer, even better. If you don’t, consider adding some water that was heated on your stove top, or running a nearby faucet to allow the water in your washer to be as hot as possible. Hot water makes any detergent work better, and it kills bacteria. Please don’t turn up your water heater! Hot tap water can cause serious burns very quickly.

Rinse in warm water if possible. The goal of rinsing is to get the soap dissolved and out of the diapers, and warm water does this best. One extra rinse at the end of a normal cycle should be enough. The rinse water should be fairly clear and free of bubbles. A few bubbles aren’t the end of the world, especially if your diapers smell clean and are working well. If you see a lot of bubbles then go ahead and rinse again. I always feel that plenty of soap and an extra rinse are better than diapers that aren’t clean because I skimped on the detergent.

At the end of the wash I pick out my pocket diapers and any PUL covers and hang them to dry. I know that many manufacturers say you can dry PUL and pockets, but I’m a nervous nelly about it. Some of my fuzzibunz are 4 years old and still going strong, so I’m sticking with the air drying. Everything else gets thrown into the dryer on medium. Medium heat is easier on fabrics and elastic than high. In the summer I love hanging my diapers outside, but here in the Northwest that only lasts for a few brief months. The sun is a great sanitizer and stain remover, not to mention cheaper and greener. So, if your weather allows get the diapers out on the clothesline.

The only additive (other than detergent) that I have ever needed is bleach. Regular use of bleach can cause your diapers to wear out quickly and will also bleach the color out of all your cute things. There are times though, that a little bleach can be a good thing. If I buy used diapers or we have a nasty bug I like to use a little bleach. I add 1/8 to ¼ cup to my regular wash. I’ve never had any problems with the occasional use of bleach, and it seems to freshen the diapers well.

After things are clean and dry, all that is left is to fold stuff and tuck away all your fluffy clean diapers, ready to use again.

I find washing my own diapers to be a rewarding experience, rather than a chore. The time that I spend washing, hanging and folding is a moment of reflection and connection for me. All over the world and all throughout time, women have been lovingly washing diapers for their children. I feel a spiritual bond to mothers everywhere who may be doing the exact same thing as me at that moment.