1. What brand do you use?
We use FuzziBunz One Size Elite.
I recently discovered that these diapers have changed a bit since we got Audra's stash.
1. They used to have minky inserts, and they now use microfiber. I've been told the microfiber is more absorbent.
2. They used to include replacement elastic with the purchase of a diaper. Now, if you want replacement elastic, you have to call the company and ask for it. They'll send it to you for free. (We haven't needed it yet, and I bet they're saving money by not giving them out when people may/may not use them).
3. The internal elastic no longer includes numbers for sizing. I noticed that the numbers start to wear off after a while, and it makes sense that they wouldn't want to spend money printing them on there. But how do you size them then, you ask? Once you have them sized the first time (trial/error), you really don't need the numbers. All you would do from then on is loosen it 1-2 holes as your baby grows.
4. They're using a different type of fleece. When I saw it, it didn't look much different to me. A few of our diapers have a fleece that is less prone to piling. It looks smoother and softer, which makes for a cleaner look. The new fleece looked like that. The woman who ran the diapering store seemed to think it was a thinner, less absorbent fleece. I haven't tested it, so I don't know.
At first I wasn't sure if I liked all of these changes. After talking them over with my husband, we decided that they aren't big enough changes to make us want to switch brands. So, we'll be stashing up on more FuzziBunz when baby boy arrives.
2. Why did you decide on FuzziBunz when there are many "better" brands out there?
To put it simply, those were the first I tried, and I liked them and decided to stick with them. That's just my personality. I find something I like and I stick with it. I don't really enjoy the process of trying and possibly not liking something else.
Are there other brands that I might like better? It's quite possible. Are other brands cuter? Sure, other diapers come in super cute prints. But I don't mind the solid colors I get with FB. I honestly still find it overwhelming to look at and talk with other mamas about all the brands available. There are TONS! And it's exhausting to me! I feel like you can spend a LOT of time (and money!) trying out various brands and always thinking there might be something else out there that's better. Like I said, I'm the kind of girl who sticks with what works, and FB work for me. I have many friends that really enjoy testing out different diapers and have lots of different types. If that's more you, then go for it! I just like having a lot of the same thing. I like consistency.
3. Don't you find them hard to stuff?
At first, yes. Then I found this video and tried her method (she talks about stuffing the diaper around 1:25). It actually made it easier! I also make sure I'm spreading my fingers as I pull my hand out of the diaper so that the insert is completely flat in the diaper & not curled under at the sides. I don't think twice about stuffing the diapers. It takes me a total of maybe 10 seconds, if that.
4. Do you use them ALL the time?
We used to. But the fact of the matter is that cloth diapers are less absorbent than disposables. And when we're out and about, we have less time to change a diaper, which makes leakage more likely.
This is where I differ from a lot of cloth diapering mamas. I cloth diaper to save money and make my life easier. I'm not a fan of making things any harder than they need to be. We use cloth at home and at friends houses, then when we're out or going to bed, we use disposables (times when leaking is likely). It's just easier/less stress for us. Even after the few packages of disposables that we bought, we're still confident that we're saving money. Disposables aren't cheap!
5. What about the poop? Isn't it gross? Do you put it in your washer?!?
Yes. Poop is gross. And only tiny traces of poop go our washer.
When babies are breast fed, their poop is water soluble. In other words, the only thing they're taking in is liquid; and when you throw that poopy diaper in the wash, the water easily dissolves and disintegrates the poop. Those are the only poopy diapers we put in our washer. When the baby starts on solids, it's another story.
When your baby starts eating solids, you've got a few options:
1. Use a diaper sprayer and spray that poop off the diaper into the toilet (diaper sprayers use your toilet's water line and usually hang on the side of the toilet).
2. Use a thin liner on top of the diaper to catch the poop so it doesn't actually get absorbed into the diaper. Then dispose of both the liner and the poop.
We use option 2. We used to use the gDiaper liners, because we started with gDiapers and were given a ton of the liners at a shower. They did the job, but I wasn't a fan of the way they disintegrated when they got wet. Imagine putting water on a dryer sheet that had tiny bits of sand built into it. That's what the gDiaper liners felt like to me. They were rough, and when they got wet they left tiny bits of sand-like pieces on Audra's butt. They actually irritated her skin and we ended up switching liners before we used them all. When I was researching different liners, I came across a brilliant tip: use Viva brand paper towels instead of an actual cloth diaper liner. Brilliant! They're soft. They're strong, and best of all: you can get them almost anywhere!
So when we change Audra, it looks like this:
1. Stuff the diaper
2. Tear off a full-sized paper towel and fold it in half "hot dog" style (down the long side)
3. Put the paper towel down on the diaper. I position more toward the back than the front of the diaper so it can better catch the poo.
4. Get the baby!
5. Take off baby's current diaper, clean her up
6. Put the whole clean diaper (which now has a liner) under her and secure the diaper
7. Tuck in any paper towel or fleece liner that may be sticking out.
8. Let the baby down to play while you do the rest
9. Take dirty diaper & wipes to the bathroom
10. Throw the wipes into the trash
11. Peel the liner and its contents off of the diaper & into the toilet (don't let baby put her hands in the toilet!) ;) There is usually a dry spot at the very back of the liner that I'm able to grab. As I peel it off, I hold it over the toilet. Once it's completely off, I set the diaper aside, and use my free hand to grab the liner and tear it as much down the middle as I can. This way, you're not throwing an entire whole paper towel in the toilet.
12. Unstuff the diaper
13. Throw the insert & diaper into your dry bag (it's convenient to keep this in the bathroom so you're not going back and forth from toilet to dry bag to sink)
13. Wash your hands
Here's a good example of what it looks like to use FuzziBunz with a liner. I may have Nic record me taking off a poopy diaper, putting a clean diaper on and disposing of the dirty one, but until then you can use Shawna's video. We are actually in the process of getting a diaper sprayer, because once in a blue moon she has an extra large BM and in that case, the liner is toast & we're faced with a poop-splosion covered diaper. Then we end up scraping it off with toilet paper &/or spraying it down with the hose... and that's not fun. So we can see how a diaper sprayer would be helpful. Sprayers can get expensive, but I found these directions to make your own, so that's on Nic's list of things to do.
Also- you'll learn your baby's poop schedule (hopefully). Audra poops like clockwork. She always goes in the morning either right after she wakes up or right after her bottle. And it's almost always quite sizeable-- lucky me! (One day she's gonna love that I broadcasted this to the internet.) For that reason, I just keep her in a disposable until after she goes, again because it's easier. From then on, she's in a FuzziBunz (and yes, sometimes she'll go #2 again while wearing a FB).
If I feel like my washer is funky (which has only happened about 2 times), I just do a rinse cycle with nothing in it and pour in some bleach. Good to go.
6. Do you still stuff them all while you pump?
Well, no. A) Because I no longer breast feed (that stopped when I got pregnant for various reasons), and B) because we're so efficient at stuffing the diapers at this point, we just do it right before we change her. So when it's time to change her, we go and stuff a diaper & put on a liner, then go grab the munchkin and change her. We don't lay her on the changing table and then stuff the diaper; you don't want to have to worry about watching the baby while you stuff the diaper. Just stuff it really quickly beforehand, then get the baby. It's just easier for us that way. And also, our downstairs changing area is on top of the dryer in our laundry room, and the diapers are almost always still in the dryer lol. When they're not in the dryer, they're neatly organized on a small counter we have in the laundry room. It's (obviously) easier to store them where you change the baby.
7. How often do you wash them? And how do you wash them?
We've got 15 diapers and I wash them either every other day or every 3 days. I hate thinking about the bacteria pool that accumulates with time.
I used to think washing them was hard. I was reading and re-reading directions SO diligently, afraid that I'd mess them up and ruin them. The fact of the matter is, that's pretty hard to do, unless you just blatantly disregard any instruction regarding scents, detergents and creams. To put it simply, here is our wash routine (my husband even has it memorized & he washes them way less than I do!):
1. Rinse- this includes your dry bag
- use either cool or warm water- it really doesn't matter
- you can do the 'ultra clean' and let them soak or do the 'normal' cycle- it really doesn't matter (I like to let them soak, I feel like it gets the junk out better)
- use the hottest water your washer offers
- we use about 1/4 cap of Arm & Hammer Free & Clear that includes OxyClean
- steer clear of fragrances & do some research to find out what detergents are safe for cloth diapering. You can find charts all over the place. This one is pretty comprehensive.
TIP: Go easy on the detergent. The more you use, the harder it is for your washer to get it all out. Using too much will result in buildup, which will make your diapers start to smell and less absorbent.
- use warm water this time
- use your coolest dryer setting or hang them outside
- Hanging them outside will keep your whites whiter
Are there other washing routines? Of course. You can find lots of ways to wash them (just like people wash their clothes many different ways. But they all work.). In fact, all the FuzziBunz website tells me to do is just the rinse and then wash. But I do an extra rinse because I want to be sure any tiny bits of poop have absolutely made their way out of there... and to make sure all detergent has made its way out.
8. Any other tips?
Stripping the diapers:
There have been times when I felt like the diapers weren't holding as much as they used to, i.e. becoming less absorbent. This usually happens due to too much detergent. And I have forever been guilty of that, even when laundering my clothes. I try to be really careful with the diapers, but it happens. Detergent build-up is SUPER common. It can cause them to be smelly, even after a rinse, wash, rinse and will cause them to hold less waste. If/when this happens, I strip the diapers. Sounds scary, but it isn't. All I do to strip the diapers is this:
1. Do the normal rinse, wash, rinse.
2. Instead of drying them, do the 'wash' cycle again but instead of using detergent, use about 4 scoops of OxyClean. **This is why I use Arm & Hammer Free & Clear with the OxyClean already in it. I find myself stripping them way less often, since they get a very mild stripping each time I wash them.
3. Do 1 more rinse just to make sure no OxyClean is stuck in there (not sure if it's necessary, but I always do).
Diaper creams:
You can't use the typical "creamy" (white) creams when you cloth diaper. These white creams leave a layer on the diapers that causes them to repel the waste (the same way it repels the waste from your baby's bottom). If you do use one of these while you're using a cloth diaper, you'll have to strip the diaper (probably a few times) to get it all off. If you don't strip the diaper, it will repel the waste instead of holding it. So you'll need to find a cloth diaper friendly option. There are tons. We use Angel Baby Bottom Balm. We bought a 2 ounce jar in September and it just ran out in June. We didn't need to use it every time, but we did use it pretty often. It smells amazing and does a great job.
Laundering your other clothes:
Wash:
I like my clothes to smell good. I like detergents with fragrance, though I know I'd read not to use them because it would leave residue in your washer & effect your diapers absorbency. I use them anyway. And before I wash the diapers? I do a rinse cycle with nothing in it, except maybe some OxyClean or my cloth diaper detergent to "clean" the walls of the washer.
Dry:
You aren't supposed to use dryer sheets b/c they can create residue on your dryer walls, which can rub off onto diapers and make them less absorbent. Unlike the washer, there's no easy way to get this residue off unless you want to get in there and wipe it down. ...no thanks. But we, particularly Nic, despise our clothes having static. His scrubs and workout shirts are especially prone to static. Instead of dryer sheets, wad up some aluminum foil and toss it in to prevent static. It'll only work for about 2 loads, then you have to throw that one away and make a new one. Our ball is usually about the size of a baseball. You don't have to wad it tight. Just a light crunch together will do. Problem solved!
Google.
Google has become my best friend, in general, since becoming pregnant with Audra. But especially when it's come to cloth diapering. Information can be overwhelming... try not to let it get that way. If you have a friend who already does this, ask them about it! Or ask ME about it! I'd be glad to help! Stealing other people's routines and tricks has been what's helped me the most.
I hope this could be of help to some of you! I know a LOT of you out there are thinking about doing this. And a lot of you say you admire me for taking the time and energy to do this. But friends, I really want you to know- it's not hard! Seriously! Like most new things, it takes some getting used to. But once you get the feel for it, it's a piece of cake. :)
Good luck to you! & thanks for reading!
P.S.- More about baby boy on the next post! :)
