Pea Pie Baby : Baby Boutique

Cloth diapers -- really?
Yes, really. When my daughter was born, I realized I couldn't return to work and leave her in daycare for strangers to impart their values upon her. Choosing cloth diapers -- and saving THOUSANDS of dollars for my family (with this child and with all future ones, where the savings really add up) -- was one way to make that persistent need to raise my own child a reality.

Help! There are so many terms -- explain them.
I remember feeling so totally overwhelmed when I started preparing to CD (cloth diaper) my then-unborn baby. If you are local (Central Florida -- we are in Ocala), please, call us and we can meet for a CD explanation.

Here are a few terms defined:

Cover -- the outer covering (think the old plastic ones our parents used on us.)
Prefold -- the squarish cloth diaper our parents used on us. I know people swear by them but they have never worked with our heavy wetter -- we use our stash to cover the area on the changing table where her tush goes so we aren't constantly washing the changing pad cover after any poop mishaps. You can also use these as inserts for pocket diapers.
Fitted -- nice diapers that fit to the baby. There is elastic in the legs and the diapers close with velcro or snaps. These come in varying sizes and require a cover. I would recommend fitteds and covers (we used Thirsties) for newborns because they go through so many (and covers only need to be washed really when they start smelling or are visibly dirty) and are less expensive than pockets or AIOs (what?! Getting to those...)
Pockets -- stuff an insert into these and you're good to go. No cover needed. I would recommend these once your child hits the medium sizes. However, these are also good to have on hand for any diaper or grandmommy diaper changes because if you stuff them, they just put them on like a disposable diaper (only you're totally helping save the environment, your wallet, and your precious baby's skin from those nasty chemicals in disposables.) Microfiber absorbs liquid quickly; hemp is a slower absorber. Combine the two and you have some super absorbency!
AIOs -- ahhh, our personal favorites the older our daughter got and the longer she lasted in mediums. No stuffing. No cover. Just put one on and voila! Perfect for when you're going around town or when others (who aren't so sure about CD still) are helping with some diaper changes.

OK, so the diapers sound cool, but do I have to touch poop?!
No! I haven't yet and my daughter is well into toddlerhood. I have a garbage can with a lid (very important! I have never smelled the diapers as long as the lid is on.) Inside the can I have a Wahmies liner. I put the diapers and covers in as they get dirty (make sure you fold over the laundry tabs!) In the beginning, when we didn't have many diapers but our daughter had a whole lot of pee, I was able to wash diapers one day and have her in the clean set I had washed the previous day.

How do you wash? Do they go (holding breath) in the same machine as our clothes?
Yes! And I have never had a poopy shirt, so I'm pretty sure they get cleaned. Every cloth diapering mommy seems to have her own washing method that works for her and her own preferred detergent.

This is how we wash our diapers:
Take your Wahmies pail liner.
Turn it upside down and shake out the dirty diapers.
Toss the bag in the wash.
Put the wash on a rinse cycle. (I use cold but you can use whatever you're comfortable with. Our bank account prefers cold.)
Then, add a scoop of laundry powder (we personally use Charlie's Soap) and a scoop of sodium percarbonate (aka Oxi-clean if you want to pay for the name) or some vinegar in a Downy ball.
Wash.
Follow with a rinse.

You can hang dry (some weeks when I'm feeling like cutting down even further on costs, I air dry mine.) Most days, I'm crunched for time and toss them in the dryer. Simple! Easy! You're done!

So I'm sold. How many diapers do I need?
For a newborn, I'd start out with 24 diapers and at least 2 covers.
This gives you two separate days of washing. If you have a chunker like I did, you'll be out of the smaller sizes in no time. If your child isn't so roly poly, buy a few more.

As for changing diapers, I stick my hand down her back and feel how wet the diaper is to change it. I generally change them every 2 hours.

For an older baby or toddler, I'd suggest planning on having 6-8 diapers per day. It all depends on how much you can afford to start off with. Buy two days worth and then slowly add to your stash (or ask the grandparents! They're always impressed with how darn cute the new cloth diapers look and are more than willing to buy a couple of diapers. And after all, one cloth diaper that you can get years of use from is a comparable price to a pack of disposables you won't even remember having used in a couple of days.) Buy a diaper a time if you have to (or place money on layaway) and use that money toward one more piece of reusable cloth instead of future garbage.