Baby/ Behind The Butter

Cloth Diapering an Infant

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First of all, thank you guys so much for all your sweet and supportive comments on my last post! Some even made me tear up – no joke. Thank you for making my day a little brighter and putting a big smile on my face! You can rest assured that I am not going anywhere soon.

We no longer have a newborn on our hands! We are five months in with Mr. Grayson and I am still loving cloth diapering him! Cloth diapering an infant is a little different than cloth diapering a newborn, and some aspects of our system have changed. I have gotten several asks for a CD follow up post so here it is. If you’re interested in reading more about how we cloth diapered Grayson as a newborn, here’s that post. We began cloth diapering when he was about six days old and never looked back, even on a two week cross country trip!

When I was pregnant and doing all the necessary cloth diaper research, I just FIGURED I would like pocket diapers the best. They seemed the most like disposables and didn’t require a lot of extra work. However, after cloth diapering for a few months I can absolutely say that I can’t stand pocket diapers! I actually sold every last one of my pocket diapers and bought a big stash of 100% cotton prefolds, flats and fitted diapers {all which require a diaper cover}.

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Things I did not like about pocket diapers:

the microfiber – apparently it gets super stinky over time and I just liked all natural fibers on Grayson’s booty more

the stuffing of the pockets – this was the big one! I couldn’t stand stuffing all those pockets on wash day. I would much rather fold prefolds and flats than sit for half an hour stuffing pockets.

the super fluffy booty – let’s be honest: Grayson already is very well endowed in the booty department. Homeboy has some junk in the trunk. Pocket diapers are so big and fluffy that he really couldn’t wear any normal pants with them on! I find pinned flats and covers to be way trimmer.

leaks up the wazoo- every time Grayson had a pocket diaper on he peed right out of it within the hour. We literally had leaks every time, especially with a few Thirstie’s pocket diapers that I tried.

So what do we have and love?

24  medium size organic cotton prefolds from GMD (<— I padfold these and stick them in my Imse Vimse wool cover for a great, leak-free combo!)

6 unbleached birdseye cotton flats from GMD

3 bamboo terry “snug bug” flats from Sweet Iris Designs (<—love love love these and the work at home mom who makes them is the absolute sweetest!)

4 medium size workhorse diapers from GMD (<— need to order the next size up. These are the best!)

2 overnight bamboo fitted diapers from Sloomb

as for diaper covers, my favorites are Imse Vimse {which I buy from GMD}…but honestly, Grayson wears about 90% wool. I save the pul diaper covers for when we are out of the house. I just love how breathable and cozy wool is!

We used to use the Swaddlebees Simplex “all in one” diapers often but I never use them anymore because he pees out of them in, like, thirty minutes. It’s sort of ridiculous. They worked great for a couple months but now I get leaks every time.

We started solids with Grayson at 4 1/2 months. Now, at five months, he “eats” three solid meals a day. I say “eats” because he doesn’t eat a ton but he does eat a little. And not to be gross, but that does change things a bit. The best cloth diapering purchase so far has been a diaper sprayer! Here’s the one we have and I LOVE it. Our routine for poopy diapers is simple. I just spray it off and put the wet diaper in the bucket with all the other dirty diapers. I wash every 2 days and it has not been a problem. It’s easy! I will probably buy some disposable liners and use them for traveling.

We’ve had to try a few things for our nighttime routine since Grayson is definitely a heavy wetter. Since he sleeps through the night, he’s in the same diaper from 6:45pm to 7am the next day. It will probably change some in the future, but currently we use a Sweet Iris flat “airplane folded” with a padfolded cotton flat inside as well as a bamboo/cotton doubler and a fleece liner. I cover the whole thing with a Disana wool cover and put jammies over that. It’s bulky but it gets the job done. I was using the sloomb overnight bamboo fitteds for nighttime exclusively but he’s already pretty much outgrown the medium size and they are pretty pricey. I’d rather just use something that works but can accommodate all sizes (like flats).

Our favorite wool brands are Disana, sloomb longies, Aristocrat and Imse Vimse. The sloomb longies are the best because Grayson doesn’t really fit into “normal” pants anyway since he’s so big and they are just so cute and so squishy. I probably put them on him every day. I wish they weren’t so pricey — I would buy them in all colors!

 Here’s the other two posts in this lovely series dedicated to Grayson’s bum:

An Introduction to Cloth Diapering

Cloth Diapering a Newborn

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  • Laura
    October 17, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    ah! this is all totally foreign language to me and we use cloth diapers! baha. i bought my daughter all bum genius freetimes (aio, super absorbent, and dry soooo fast in the sun) and we love them! they are bulky, but with girls, you just put a cute dress on top and the diaper makes the perfect accessory 🙂

    we bought a sprayer but ours leaked so badly that i took it off. i actually plan on buying a spatula and using that with her dirty diapers. we’ll see how that works….might be reinstalling that sprayer in a bit!

    • Laura
      October 18, 2014 at 7:55 am

      Love love love my freetimes! We sold all our pockets in favor of freetimes. I also have flour sack towels, prefolds, and covers for backup. I am intimidated by wool but it looks so cozy!

      • Laura
        October 18, 2014 at 8:01 am

        Also wanted to add: for me, using real detergent (like Tide, or we use Kirkland, Costco’s version of Tide) helped a ton with the stank and ammonia buildup. I fell for the whole “cloth safe” crap at first too and it caused me problems. Now I use Kirkland and Borax (because we have hard water) and my diapers have never been more fresh and fluffy than they are now!

  • Misha Lebell
    October 17, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    we use all bum genius freetimes as well and love them, then NEVER leak. I do have to bleach them once a month or they start to get ammonia build-up. I love reading about cloth diapering, thanks for the post!

  • danielle
    October 17, 2014 at 3:05 pm

    I once made a wool cover from an old sweater, and it works so well for overnights, even four kids later! hooray for having a system that works really well for you!

  • Laura Ann
    October 17, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Makes sense what you say about pockets. Who wants to spend all that time stuffing and unstuffing?! love that you support small business, but yowza – those are pricey. We do CD, but keep it simple and inexpensive. Prefolds (GMD and OsoCozy) and covers for the daytime. BumGenius Freetimes overnight with a hemp liner added in. Washing every three days now, which I am enjoying so much more than every two! I just spray the poop with a little BioKleen before I throw it in the pail.

  • Alicia
    October 17, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    Hi Jenna!

    I love reading your blog every day! I truly enjoy reading about Grayson, all of your adventures, and of course the recipes. Don’t feel guilty for having a newborn. I have two children, it’s the best time of your life. It keeps getting better!! Thanks for sharing!

  • Kristen Bates
    October 17, 2014 at 5:12 pm

    We use sloomb for wool too. A tip to get a lot for your money is to buy the long-slim shorties and use those as longies at this age. My kids wore theirs for years and you can always find them second hand for much more reasonable than longies. We also love Sweet Iris!

  • AshleyL
    October 17, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    Wow I have no idea what you’re talking about. 🙂 we use honest disposables and love them. We’ve never had a leak or blowout. Whatever works.

  • Laurel
    October 17, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    Thanks for sharing your experience with cloth. I wanted to do it with both of my girls, but so far we’ve only had disposables. Although, I’ve done a lot of research on cloth options. My youngest is only 3 months so I’m trying to work up the courage to do it. I feel like it is going to be so difficult with rinsing and washing, the extra time it will take with two under 2. How do you make the time?

  • jan
    October 17, 2014 at 8:17 pm

    I’m glad you’re figuring out what you love. I agree that a sprayer is a very essential part of cloth diapering once they start solids…it’s amazing what just a tiny bit of solid food does!

  • Emily @ Life on Food
    October 18, 2014 at 2:55 am

    I am expecting in March and this is so helpful. I haven’t decided between cloth or disposable just yet but I like hearing about others experiences.

  • Liz Nwansi
    October 18, 2014 at 8:15 am

    I love that you wrote so extensively about this but also linked everything you use. With Penelope I was on the verge of doing cloth diapering but got scared out of it because of all the work I imagined. We are planning a second baby soon and I would like to try!

  • Anna
    October 18, 2014 at 9:17 am

    i’ve cloth diapered my 3 babies – ages 3.5, 2, and 12 weeks and each baby is different. all cloth diapers fit differently which is why going to a cloth diaper store can be helpful. we use bummis tots bots aio velcro. they are microfiber and never stink. i think you are not washing them correctly — especially if you get leaks. each persons water type/machine/soap work differently so i have no exact advise. i used to like natural fibers but found microfiber wicks away moisture better and there is no staining.

    i don’t use a diaper sprayer — truthfully, I’m afraid of the “kickback”. most poops plop right out into the toilet. we do use diaper liners and that is awesome for getting the gross off. i also have 2 planetwise hanging wet bags. no pails, liners, etc. i just dump the wet bag in the wash with 4 tbsp of rocking green. i do pre rinse extra hot and do an extra long wash cycle. i have about 30 diapers and launder of every 5-6 days.if i get build up – leaks or smells – i use dawn soap and bleach.

    its pretty simple and does not have to be complicated. gently used diapers are always on ebay which is a low cost way to try it out. each baby stage presents different needs and challenges so if it doesn’t work at 3 months, try at 9 mos, etc.

    • Candice
      October 20, 2014 at 8:55 am

      What brand of disposable liners do you use?

  • Julie
    October 18, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    I love pockets, but I’m starting to creep into more and more AIOs for the same reason-stuffing. Charlotte is 6mo and the inserts that come in a BG are pretty much useless so I double them up with hemp, it’s just a hassle. I bought a bunch of prints when I was pregnant that are now “hard to find”, so I’m thinking about selling them and getting some more AIOs. I’m enjoying the process of trying different diapers and brands.

  • Bridget
    October 19, 2014 at 4:52 am

    I’m with you! I LOVED prefolds with a cover!

  • Heather
    October 19, 2014 at 8:56 am

    My little guy is 5 months old. We have been cloth diapering since he was about 2 weeks old. My favorite are GMD prefolds (I love cotton and bamboo, bamboo seems a bit smoother and softer than cotton). My husband and my mom (who keeps him 2 days a week while I work) prefer the GMD workhorse. We use different brands of covers. Most PUL. I wash every 2 days, we are a family of 6, so another load hasn’t added much to our laundry routine. We have had no luck with AIO or pocket diapers either. They keep poo in but we have leaks with all of them. (I feel these are a bit less bulky, so I’m bummed that they don’t work well for us.) Does anyone have recommendations for pants for cloth diapered baby boys? I’m going to check out the long slim shorties that Kristen recommended.

    • jenna
      October 19, 2014 at 8:18 pm

      Grayson wears LARGE pants – he’s already in size 12-18 month pants from Gap. For “normal” sized pants, we love the little wool “leggings” that Disana makes. They sell them on GMD. They are so cozy!

      • Heather
        November 5, 2014 at 11:22 am

        Jenna, I love the Disana pants, thanks for the recommendation. I also purchased the Disana sleep sack. It is awesome!

  • April
    October 19, 2014 at 5:18 pm

    Hi Jenna,
    Do you mind letting me know how/where you sold your pocket diapers? I am with ya, hated them as well and need to sell mine too. Any help is appreciated!
    Thanks!!!

    • jenna
      October 19, 2014 at 8:16 pm

      I sold them on Diaper Swappers 🙂

      • Julie
        October 19, 2014 at 8:53 pm

        I’ve had good luck joining FB buy/sell/trade groups for the specific brands I was selling. It’s a great way to connect with your target market.

      • April
        October 20, 2014 at 8:44 am

        Thank you so much, checking it out now!

  • Julie
    October 19, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    Jenna, have you heard of http://onehandedcooks.com.au/? I was just searching finger foods for baby girl and I love their ideas! I naturally thought of you because, cooking + baby! It’s full of so many great ideas. Thought you might have some fun with baby Grayson.

  • Anna
    October 20, 2014 at 7:20 am

    Sounds like you have a super-pee-er, too, like us! haha. We also started w/ AIOs/microfiber, and switched back to prefolds (bamboo+cotton w/ Thirsties PUL covers) because she just pees wayyyyy too much. I’ll have to look in to the other things you mention, too! Neat.

  • sarah
    October 20, 2014 at 8:08 am

    Holy wow! Your soon eats 3 meals a day??? Wo . My son is 9mo and we are only at 2!! Are you still breastfeeding?

    • jenna
      October 20, 2014 at 12:40 pm

      Yes, I still breastfeed four times a day.

  • April
    October 20, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    Once he’s outgrown those diapers, you may want to consider donating them to this charity founded by a close friend of mine:

    http://www.givingdiapersgivinghope.org/

  • Danielle
    October 20, 2014 at 10:54 pm

    Hi Jenna, now that baby Grayson is eating foods/solids now; will you continue to breast feed him as often as you were and how long do you plan to keep nursing? A good friend of mine has a 6 month old who started solids not too long ago too, and she’s trying to figure out now how much longer she wants to continue nursing during the day. She’s pretty sure she’ll continue at night though, for now…..i nursed my daughter pretty much until her teeth started coming and came in….and when her appetite grew and grew as she became more accustomed to solids/big people food. it’s funny you posted this; because she and I were just having a conversation about all this stuff….. Thanks!!

  • Chelsea @ Designs on Dinner
    October 21, 2014 at 1:13 pm

    Since I don’t have a child yet, this is completely overwhelming, but I’m sure I will come back to it later. I love the idea of cloth diapering!

  • Sarah
    October 27, 2014 at 10:16 am

    Hi Jenna — Are you still using and liking the fleece liners from GMD? I’ve debated buying them since we’ve been having some persistent rash issues, but I’m not so excited about having the polyester next to her bum. At this point, though, I’ll do whatever works!

  • Ashley
    October 29, 2014 at 7:15 am

    If you want to kiss all your paychecks goodbye, venture into handknit wool! I’m almost certain The Knitting Addict on Hyena Cart has been in business so long because of me, haha.

  • Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork
    October 29, 2014 at 8:56 am

    Thanks so much for sharing this information! My husband and I are definitely interested in cloth diapering when we have a little one, so we’re trying to figure out if it’s something that could work for us. I’ll be saving this post for later!

  • Majaliwa Bass
    November 16, 2014 at 9:13 am

    Jenna,
    thanks for this post. It’s always interesting to hear what works for other mamas and what’s in their cloth diaper stash. For nights, my bullet-proof solution is a Pooters Hemp Fitted diaper with a PUL cover. They’re designed for up to 12 hours of leakage protection (they hold up to 1,000 ml of liquids). They have natural fibers so my little guy never gets rashes, and the elastic in the legs and back let my little guy do move without restriction and without leaks.

    Curious… did you try Pooters? If so, how do you think this diaper compares to your Sloomb and GMDs?