Friday, July 9, 2010

Cloth Diapering for Dummies

I have shared with you that we have 4 kids, and 1 of those happens to be a baby boy. I have never had problems in the diapering department....as a matter of fact, I changed our oldest son's very first diaper in the hospital. (I was also the very first one to get peed on too, we learned quickly how to change his diaper without getting soaked!)  I have always been an active diaper changer in the house, even for the WORST one's and you know which one's I'm talking about. So I was baffled when my wife said she wanted to try cloth diapers when she got pregnant with baby #4. The image I had in my mind was not a pleasant one. I told her to go ahead and buy some but I would not be participating. I know, unfair. I didn't even give them a chance. But she didn't care. She bought them anyway. Now I still have very little knowledge in the cloth diapering department, however, I have used them now with our baby and talk about confusing!

I think my wife must have bought one of each brand to try so we have a large variety of all kinds of diapers. There are some that velcro and some that snap. There are some that have pockets in the inside where you stuff a liner and there are some that you just lay a liner inside. There are even some that have the insert built in. For a Dad like me, these options and choices are very overwhelming. Isn't there any easy cloth diaper out there made for Dad's that are simple to use without all the options? Don't even get me started on those diapers with the million snaps on the front of them!

Do you cloth diaper? And if so, what's the easiest brand you recommend for a Dad like me?  I am in need of a Cloth Diapering for Dummies course.

4 comments:

  1. haha..you crack me up (and sound EXACTLY like my husband!). We have a mix of pocket diapers and fitteds with covers (it looks like a regular diaper but has no waterproof cover, hence the need for one - unless you want to get wet:). He won't even touch the fitteds.

    With the pocket diapers we have two brands (well, three but there are two main types - snaps and velcro). He goes for the velcro ones every time and if there's not one avail (or not stuffed) he'll opt for a disposable:)

    I think the easiest are what are called All In Ones...no stuffing, no diaper covers, just whip out the diaper and put it on (all the absorbent stuff is sewn onto the cover). However, they don't last as long and they take longer to dry so..many of us moms opt for pockets (where you stuff the absorbent pad inside a pocket in the diaper) or another system that can be fixed/replaced as things wear out. Hubsy has taken to these pretty well, as long as I pre-stuff them (claims his hands are too big to get the insert into the diaper..)

    There are a few resources on line - the biggest of which I think is kellyscloset.com that show you all the different types and talk about pros/cons etc...i think for you an AIO (all in one) or a pocket diaper with velcro would be easiest (at least based on what my hubs will handle).

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  2. We started out with AIOs (BG organics). My hubby loves them. We have a couple others (almost all snaps) but he'll reach for the AIOs first. Now that he gets the hang of it, he loves it. He even tried to sell someone he knows on it (for her grandson).

    Kudos to you for being a good sport.

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  3. Cloth diapers with the fourth! Wow, you guys are brave! Good for you! I also have four, and I was never even close to considering cloth diapers, certainly not on the fourth. Hell, on the fourth I was wishing for a wet nurse! Terrific post!

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  4. Haha! My husband was totally on board when we decided to do cloth, but I think he isn't so into it now. We have the kind with velcro and the pocket inside for the liner. I think velcro is probably easiest and the pocket diapers or the all-in-ones.
    Good luck and I'm sure your wife appreicates you just going with it. =)

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