how to wash fuzzibunz cloth diapers

First of all, you need detergent that will work with cloth diapers.  Click here to see the list that the Fuzzibunz website provides.  We have used the actual Fuzzibunz brand and are currently using the Rockin' Green brand.
 
Here's how the whole washing process goes for us:

1.  Take inserts out of the diapers and throw everything (diapers and inserts) in the washer.

2.  Run a cold cycle.  (This is to rinse off residue and gunk.)

3.  Run a hot cycle with the detergent.

4.  Run a cold cycle.

5.  Run another cold cycle.

6.  Hang them out to dry on a line, your dining room chairs, hangers, whatever you have.

Depending on how many cloth diapers you have, you'll want to do a load of diapers fairly frequently.  I have 19 cloth diapers, so my goal is to try and do a load every other day.  If I stick to that, I won't find myself with all dirty cloth diapers and no clean ones.

Back when I did my initial "why cloth diapers" post, the subject of detergent and washing came up.  Would those things counteract any money that you would be saving from doing cloth diapers in the first place?  Well, I'm here to tell you that extra loads of cloth diapers each week still make it worth our while.  We still save money.  If you're die hard about it and you never use disposables ever, you'll save money.  If you're not that die hard about it and use disposables when you're out, you'll still save money.  If you need to save money, the bottom line is that you will with cloth diapers.

If you're concerned about the washing process, don't be.  Don't let it deter you from doing cloth diapers.  You throw the diapers in, run 4 cycles, and hang them out to dry.  It's hassle-free.

I'm certainly not the expert on cloth diapers.  We only use Fuzzibunz, so if your cloth diaper brand, detergent, or washing process is different, please comment and share!

cloth diaper sprayer

I first heard about this from a good friend who was pregnant at the same time as me.  We were both planning on diving into the world of cloth diapers and using Fuzzibunz.  She found this on Pinterest and I repinned it.  Colt and I decided that a cloth diaper sprayer was something we should invest in.  My dad and Colt just used this website as a guide, but then went ahead and got the individual pieces at a home improvement store.

Why a cloth diaper sprayer?  It's really helpful for those runny diapers at first.  We started our cloth diapers around 3 months and Duke started rice cereal at 4 months.  So although we didn't have to deal with runny poop in the cloth diapers for too long, we still were/are very glad we have a sprayer.

With a cloth diaper sprayer, you can hold the diaper over the toilet, spray off the poop, and then stick the diaper in your basket/pail/bag in your garage.  (That's what we do.)  As babies eat more solids, their poop changes.  Once it's not runny, it's actually pretty easy to just plop off in the toilet with barely any residue on the diaper.  But if the residue bothers you, you have the sprayer.

For me, it's not the number of times I've used it that makes it worth it.  It's the fact that it's there for those extra messy diapers.

Do any of you cloth diaper users have a sprayer?

cloth diaper liners

In my last post about cloth diapers, I mentioned that we use cloth diaper liners.  They are optional.  However, we registered for them and got them.  We'll use them until they run out and who knows if we'll end up buying more.  Either way, here are the details on these little guys.

These liners go in between the diaper and your baby's bottom.  They're rectangular so we fold them hotdog style and place them on the diaper.

So, you've got your diaper, you've got your insert inside the diaper, and you've got your liner on top.

Your baby's poop will be runny for quite awhile.  It wasn't until we started rice and baby food that we actually started seeing solid poop.  In my experience, the liners don't really do anything for the runny poop.  That kind of poop just soaks right through.

(If you're eating or tired of seeing the word "poop," you may want to save this post for later.)

When your baby is eating more solids and the poop is more like a meat patty, diaper liners are great.  (Meat patty??  Yes, my husband has lovingly referred to Duke's poop as this many a time.)  With the solid poop, using the liners means that less poop (or no poop) gets on the diaper.  We dump the liner (with the poop in it) into the toilet and flush it.  That's the other thing - the liners are flushable.  So you don't have worry about making contact with it and putting it in the trash.  The liners keep the diaper a bit cleaner and ensure that the poop sticks to the liner, not the diaper, making it easier to throw into the toilet to flush.  But although liners are helpful, it doesn't take much for the poop to come off of the diaper without them.  Either way is doable.

That's about all I know on the matter.  And, again I say, these are not mandatory.  The choice is up to you.  You could always register for some and then see if you like them or not.  They will not, by any means, make or break your cloth diapering experience.

If you're a cloth diaper user, do you use liners?  What's your take on them?

anatomy of a fuzzibunz diaper

You can choose between the One Size diapers or Perfect Size diapers.  One Size diapers will fit your baby at all ages with many choices for adjustments.  Perfect Size diapers are more specific to your baby's size with fewer adjustments.  We use the One Size diapers with Duke.

First you have the diaper and all of the adjustment options.

Then, you have the inserts.  These go inside the diaper.

Depending on your desired absorbency, you can stick as many as you want in there.  Well, stuffing in 10 inserts would probably be an Olympic sport but you get what I mean.  I use 1 insert when Duke is just hanging out and 2 inserts when he's taking a long nap (just to be safe).

This last little bit is optional.  These are cloth diaper liners.

They go on top of the diaper (in between the diaper and your baby's bottom).  I'll do a separate post specifically about those.

So, there you have it.  If you're like I was, I just wanted someone to spell it out for me.  I wanted to see the parts of a cloth diaper and how it all worked together.  If you're interested, click on the Fuzzibunz banner at the bottom of my blog to get more information or purchase your own!

leaky cloth diapers - guest post

My sweet friend, Mirela, wrote a guest post about dealing with and preventing cloth diaper leaks.  I'll be adding more on the topic later.  Read and enjoy!

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We started using cloth diapers as soon as Norah's umbilical cord fell.  We bought Fuzzibunz One Size for multiple reasons, but here are the top 3: 

Adjustable waist and leg bands

Adjustable snaps to close

Cuteness! 

The adjustable waist and leg stretchy bands allow the diapers to "grow with your baby" so they can use it until they're potty-trained.  (In my head, that equals saving money.)  The adjustable snaps for closing are very easy to use.  They prevent baby from taking off the diaper and also allow the diaper to "grow with your baby."  The cuteness aspect of it is pretty self-explanatory!

Almost 2 months into our cloth diapering experience we ran into the "leaking" issue. It wasn't anything too crazy or out of control but it did annoy me.  I'd be feeding Norah after she woke up from a nap and would feel something moist on her bottom. After "investigating" what was going on, it was easy to figure out that the moisture was actually pee that had escaped from her diaper! 

So to solve this little issue I "played" with the adjustable waist elastic band as well as the stretchy elastic around her legs. The sizing of Fuzzibunz on the elastic goes from 1 to 7 on both ends, where 7 is the tightest (for preemies) and 1 the loosest.  When I started noticing the leaks, Norah's diaper was on size 2 on one side and 4 on the other side. I decided to change both ends of the elastic to a size 3 and experiment. It worked for preventing the leaks, but I realized that it was too tight on her legs. So, I decided to keep the size 3 on one side and change the other side to a 4.  I experimented with that for the next few hours. Finally, it worked! Her diaper wasn't leaking and it wasn't too tight on her either! 

Once we figured out the right size, we just changed the other diapers to that same size and voilà! Leak-free baby! Adding to that, Brad suggested to go an extra snap on her waist which also made sure the diaper was secure and leak-free.  

As Norah grows and eats/poops/pees more, I have started to use 2 inserts instead of 1 in her diaper.  This is more out of prevention rather than reaction to the leaking issue. We have had no problems for months and months now and Norah looks super cute with her "big-diaper booty."

Click on the Fuzzibunz banner at the bottom of this page for more information about their diapers.  To read more on why I chose cloth diapers, click here.

why cloth diapers?

I began researching cloth diapers when I got pregnant with Duke.  I was pretty sure we were going to go that route.  And we did.  I was blessed with 19 Fuzzibunz cloth diapers from my baby showers.  We were definitely set.

Although I do love our planet, I'm not really doing cloth diapers in order to save the environment or go green.  I'm trying to save money.  I think the biggest way to save money with babies is breastfeeding.  The second biggest way is by using cloth diapers.  (Don't quote me on that, but that's my observation so far.  All you crazies put your calculators away.)

Cloth diapers?  Like ... wrap your baby's butt with cloth, stick in some safety pins, and throw on some plastic pants?  That kind?  Heck no!  Welcome to 2012.  Cloth diapers have evolved.  Maybe by 2030 they'll figure out how to make babies not poop at all.

Anyway, it's not that difficult.  There are some basic things to know, some things to do in preparation, and some other tips/information I'd like to offer.  But for now, I'm trying to convince you to click on that little Fuzzibunz banner at the bottom of my blog and buy some cloth diapers!

(Let me know when you're convinced and I'll stop typing.)

But really, let's just do a little math.  (You may get out your calculators now.)

On a normal day, you may go through anywhere from 6-10 diapers.  Let's go for the middle number.  8 diapers a day comes to about 248 diapers a month.  At Walmart, you can by a box of 108 Pampers Swaddlers for $25.00.  In a month, that's $57.40 for exactly 248 diapers ($0.23 per diaper).  In 1 year, that's roughly $688.88 worth of diapers. (I do realize not every month has 31 days.  So, give or take a few bucks.)  A pack of 18 Fuzzibunz diapers is $341.10.  And, trust me, 18 is plenty for one baby.

$688.88 versus $341.10 spent in 1 year
OR
$1,377.76 versus $341.10 spent in 2 years

So, you're definitely saving money.  Of course, there are other things that play into this equation like purchasing specific laundry detergent to clean the diapers and the number of cycles it takes to wash a load of diapers.  On the other hand, you can use these diapers with multiple children.  I'll address all of that business in future posts.

All I want you to do is think about it.  If you have money growing on trees in your backyard and don't really care to save those trees for future generations, then cloth diapering may not be for you.  And that's totally fine.  I don't have intense opinions about diapering.  Disposable diapers are great.  We use them occasionally when we're out for long periods of time.  But I just want to save some monies.

Questions?  Concerns?  Leave a comment and maybe I can help you.  Regardless, click on that banner and do a little reading about Fuzzibunz cloth diapers!