When I had my first son two years ago, cloth diapering was not even an option. I knew nothing about it and didn’t even consider it. I had one friend who clothed and I was briefly exposed to a prefold and snappy and that was it. So for us it was disposables, the mass amount of money we literally were throwing away.
So 6 months after our son was born we were given the shock of our lives…baby number two was on the way. Yes, more diapers, more clothes, more food, and less sleep. As we crunched the numbers over and over again, me working was not an option with the cost of childcare. With that being decided, I knew we had to cut costs so I started researching cloth diapers thinking this would be a great way to save money. Boy was I amazed at what I found. Not only were there prefolds but
pockets,
AIO,
AI2,
hybrids,
covers, WAHMS,
fitted, wool, and organic. I was so overwhelmed and didn’t know where to begin. Luckily that wonderful friend that first exposed me to this bizarre concept was able to shed a little light on all of this and refer me to a local class at a cloth diapering store.
So I got my husband on board (well as much as I could) and convinced him to take me to the seminar, which was an hour away. It was very informative but still overwhelming. With baby number two fast approaching I bought a
Bum Genius One Size pocket to try along with some fitted with covers. We tried the BG on our 1 year old and thought this was it. It was easy, worked well and looked adorable. Well now that we were about to go down to one income, the upfront cost of buying new diapers was not in our budget. Insert
Nicki’s Diapers gently used section here.
Oh
Nicki’s Diapers… It has been my best friend and worst enemy. You can get such great deals but it becomes SO stressful because you want to be the first one to get the deal and don’t want to miss anything. I was able to snag some great newborn Bum Genius diapers that worked really well.
We later moved onto
Fuzzi Bunz sized diapers (another great find at Nicki’s Diapers gently used section) and I even convinced my mom to get me some brand new diapers as a gift.
How did I learn what what worked and what didn’t? Trial and error. If my son soaked through something is one wetting then I knew it would not work for us. Also I looked at convenience of it.
Pockets are great for going out (also they are so cute) and the husband prefers to put those on.
I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to clothing. We clothed until about 6 months and then we started using disposables again for some reason. We recently started clothing again and are loving it. We do it full time and I couldn’t be happier. In our stash are mostly prefolds, covers, and pockets of all brands. I still feel there is so much out there to learn. I have not gotten the perfect wash routine down, haven’t found the perfect night or nap diaper, and haven’t tried all the wonderful brands and types out there.
My advice to newbie’s… if you can attend a workshop. They are informative and very helpful. Try as many types as you can, even if its one of each so you can figure out what works best for you. Nicki’s offer packages where you can get a variety to try and can send back what you don’t like. It's their
15 day promo. Don’t give up. Clothing takes a lot of work in the beginning. It’s hard to figure things out but everyone in the clothing business is very helpful. Don’t be afraid to stray from the “name brand” diapers. Yes they are wonderful but there are also a lot of wonderful diapers out there at great prices.
So take a deep breath, research and try to talk to someone, and enjoy that fact that you are saving money, saving the earth, and covering your little ones bottom is the most adorable diapers out there.
By Guest Blogger - Christina McMahon
