We cloth diapered Ella from around 9 months until she potty trained at 18 months. Before Claire was born I knew that we would cloth diaper. I was not sure at what age we would start the cloth diapering journey but I knew it would happen and I knew it would be at an earlier age than we started Ella. We started that journey about 5 weeks ago.
There are tons of benefits of cloth diapering. A family spends on average around 2500 dollars on disposables to diaper one child. Diapering one child produces approximately one ton of waste that ends up in a landfill. Your baby will not be exposed to sodium polyacralate. Im not sure if that is what causes the chemical smell in a diaper but Claire peeing in a Target brand diaper and me smelling the chemicals of the diaper interact with pee from her on my lap literally made me cringe. You increase your child's chance of asthma by using disposables and decrease your carbon footprint by using cloth. Children who have been cloth diapered typically potty train earlier than those that wore disposables and no running out of diapers in the middle of the night!
Our main reason for cloth diapering has been the health benefits for our children, the impact on the environment, and the cost. Some find it to be a hassle but honestly wiht as easy as modern cloth diapers are, I really do not notice a difference. It's just part of our everyday life.
With Ella we used BumGenius and loved them. We are still using those with Claire as well but we needed addiotional diapers to get through only having to wash every other day. BumGenius are expensive when it comes to that initial cost (still saves in long run compared to disposable). I did a lot of research and found a lot of mom's talking about a brand called Sunbaby.
Sunbaby was started by Sun Pei and her husband in China when they had children. They are the only cloth diaper manufacturers in China. They operate under strict laws (fair labor conditions). The diapers are extremely reasonable.
So I went ahead and ordered 12 Sunbaby diapers. I honestly would have started cloth diapering Claire earlier had the diapers not taken so long to arrive from China!
Sunbaby are essentially one size meaning they fit from about 5 to 35 pounds with the adjustments made by the snaps. They do come in a size 1 and 2. The only difference is the width around the leg hole. One is supposed to be for chubbier babies and one for skinnier. I have 6 in size 1 and six in size 2 and honestly do not notice the difference.
They come in super cute prints. The brand is always changing and adding new prints.
They are super soft on the inside and really well made. The outer layer of SunBaby's are made of PUL (a waterproof, yet breathable material). And the inner layer is made of soft microfleece which pulls away moisture to help keep baby dry. They fit Claire perfectly with no gapping anywhere. We have not had any issues with leaks at this point. The quality honestly seems to rate up there with BumGenius.
You have the choice of microfiber, bamboo, or a mix for the inserts. Each has their own benefits and disadvantages; however, we went with microfiber as it as it absorbs quick, dries quick in the dryer, and doesn't tend to bunch like bamboo. I am also the most familiar with microfiber.
As for cost... You can get 12 diapers with 12 micofiber inserts for 60 bucks. It ends up being about 4 dollars a diaper which is absolutely amazing. BumGenius are typically 17-19 dollars for just one diaper.
As for my washing routine. Like I said, I typically wash every other day. If Claire poops, which is usually two days in a row per week and anywhere from 2-5 times in those two days, I will rinse the diaper right away. You have to do rinse on cold or else it will permanently stain the diaper. So for regular wash I first do a cold pre rinse with baking soda. I then do a regular wash on hot w a tiny bit of fragrance free detergent. And I mean a tiny bit. Too much soap will cause a build up on your diapers and they will begin to repel rather than absorb the pee. I also add white vinegar to the rinse and do an extra rinse. I then dry them in the dryer. Line dry is ideal. These diapers dry quick which is a bonus. That's all there is too it!
I am happy to be cloth diapering again. I feel good about my choice. Cloth diapering is not for everyone but its the way to go for us. I am happy that I came across Sunbaby Diapers and would recommend them to anyone wanting to start cloth diapering. Also, as a side note- I had lots of Sunbaby questions before I ordered them and Sun Pei was awesome at promptly responding to all my questions by email. Here is their site for more info... http://sunbabydiapers.com/
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