A while back, before Ladybug was born, I posted about how I was planning to use cloth diapers. Now that we've been diapering for several months, I thought it was about time to post an update.
We got off to a slow start with cloth diapering. I had done lots of research and invested in a decent stash of newborn cloth diapers, as well as a few that would work once she was older. My plan was to see what worked best for us, and once she started getting too big for the newborn diapers, to decide what else to buy. (After the first couple of months, Bug was big enough to fit into one size fits all diapers, which should last until potty training.)
After the whirlwind of the first few days, I tried out some of the newborn cloth diapers (we did disposables at first, using up the stash the hospital sent home with us). I found myself frustrated with a few things, and didn't use the cloth reliably at first. I couldn't seem to get a good fit, and the diapers looked uncomfortably huge on Bug. There seemed to be too much fabric between the legs, and I worried that it limited her movement. We also seemed to have leaks--the bottom of her onesies would get wet around the leg openings. I also found the diapers harder to put on than I had anticipated. I kept reopening one side and then the other to adjust the fit.
Most often I ended up just reaching for a disposable. I used each of the newborn diapers just a handful of times. I also tried prefolds and covers, which looked even more huge and I struggled to snappi them on in a way that seemed right.
Slowly, as I used the diapers more, I started to feel a little more comfortable using them. Not so for my husband, however. I mistakenly tried to explain how the different types worked and had him try out a prefold first, which just overwhelmed him, and he basically gave up right away. He still doesn't really know how any of our cloth diapers work.
We started having trouble with diaper rash when Bug was 2 or 3 weeks old. We tried everything to get rid of it--cloth diapers, disposable diapers, another brand of disposable diapers. We quit using wipes for a whole month and just used wet paper towels. We tried diaper rash creams (which can't be used with cloth diapers). I tried using only cloth diapers made with natural fibers, and then only stay-dry materials. Nothing helped! We became extremely frustrated. Our pediatrician wrote it off as being due to baby's frequent pooping. For weeks we stuck to disposables, a militant regiment of zinc oxide cream, and paper towels with water for wiping.
Finally the rash went away when Bug was around 2 months old. (It wasn't until weeks later that I realized her rash probably had nothing to do with the diapers and was most likely diet-related. I ended up giving up dairy, and that's when her digestion improved and when her rash went away.)
It was around that time that I really started using the cloth diapers most of the time. She was now growing into some of the "one size" diapers, so my stash became more varied. I got a feel for what I liked. And I got extremely frustrated with all the blowouts we were having with disposables! That is simply not an issue with cloth.
Hubby still used disposables whenever he changed her, but I did most of the diaper changes since he was at work during the day. I began to really get into picking out what diaper to use for what occasion. I finally was really committed to cloth diapering, and I made a big purchase of most of the diapering supplies I'd need from there on out.
Since then I've been using cloth exclusively, with a few exceptions: on the rare (!) occasions hubby (or grandma) changed her, and about half the time for overnights since I've only found a few diapers that seem to work well overnight (and they're sometimes in the wash). I need to work more on the overnight situation, and on the daddy situation, but with our busy lives it's easiest to take things slow.
Looking back, I wish I would have been more informed about what an adjustment cloth diapering can be. Most of the blogs and websites I read claimed that cloth diapering is just as easy as using disposables, and I think that made me discouraged when I found that not to be the case.
I'll add another update soon listing some of my favorite diapers and more specifics about what I've found. As always, input is welcome!
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