Back to Basics with a Twist

One year of cloth diapering, we have 35 cloth diapers in rotation, plus boosters and extra inserts and other cloth diaper accessories. And oh, we're still expecting a fluffy mail coming in soon. No, that wasn't bragging. If you've been into the whole cloth diapering community, you'll know that that's the average number for an ideal stash.

Let me share our cloth diapering story. :)

We were typical new parents when Ava came along, we had problems with breastfeeding, we were bickering because of exhaustion from the lack of sleep and other typical issues. Getting myself together after the CS operation, taking care of a newborn without a Yaya, going back to work and managing my milk supply were just some of the things we had to overcome. After a couple of months, we eventually got our rhythm as parents and things started getting easier. That's also the time when I found ways how we can go about the whole new world of parenting.

The answer: Fellow parents, especially Mothers, with newborns and toddlers alike from different online communities. One of them was the MCNP Facebook Group.

Before I gave birth to Ava, I've been reading a lot about cloth diapers but the whole thing seemed to be a little too overwhelming with all the do's and don't's so we decided to just skip the whole thing and go for disposables. We were buying a disposable diaper that was 14Php a piece that only lasted for a maximum of 4 hours depending on whether Ava's gonna poop on a new one or not. After a couple of months, we downgraded to a brand that's a little cheaper but still at 10Php a piece. Apparently, the bigger the size the more expensive it becomes. It was about the same time last year, summer time, and the heat was as bad as what we are experiencing right now. And that, is an instant recipe for baby bum rashes. Ava was five months then. Luckily, an Expo Mom was happening that time and we were able to get 3 cloth diapers for trial. A week later, we were exclusively cloth diapering Ava. And as they say, the rest was history. :)

For new moms still in doubt about the whole cloth diapering thing, stop doubting and just go for it. It's not that complicated really. Let me share with you how I was able to overcome all the overwhelming stuff about cloth diapers. Though I really can't speak for the different types since we've been using pockets ever since, I think they're all the similar in one way or another and these points can be applied to them in general.

What we use.

We are using Next9, Babyleaf and Alva One Size Fits Most (OSFM) Pocket Diapers with Micro-fiber Inserts, Bamboo Inserts and Fluffy D's Staydry Hybrid Soakers. For the accessories, we have a diaper pail, diaper liners and wetbags for when we're going out.

What's our setup.

From five months till before she turned a year older, we were using the pocket diapers with one micro-fiber insert or bamboo insert during the day and the Fluffy D's at night. When she turned a year older, we started using two inserts during the day and 1 insert plus the Fluffy D's at night. Never had major leak problems. We also discovered the use of flushable diaper liners and they are awesome! Catches the poop and makes cleaning really easy.

How do we wash.

Our Diaper Pale

We rinse the soiled inserts and pockets and store them in our diaper pail ready for washing time. I don't like to stock soiled CDs so we handwash everyday. When we started, I was using Cycles Detergent but I didn't like that it has too much suds in it. We then switched to Tide original and that's what we used till we switched to HHN Tough Love powder detergent. I think we will be using this one permanently.

In a year of cloth diapering, our pockets and inserts never had a stain that we were not able to remove. It also never had that musty smell or looked dingy. Due to time, the inserts turned a bit creamish but I don't think it affects the whole performance of the inserts.

Every once in a while, we wash the CD's with Cycles stain remover (diaper-friendly bleach) and a spoon of baking soda.

That's basically it! :) I hope there are some points in there that could be helpful to you, your baby and your cloth diapering journey. Should you need to learn more about the whole thing, you can head on over to the MCNP group page. For cloth diaper shopping, I've recently posted a list of my favorite shops, you can check this post out.

Choosing cloth not only benefits you and your baby's bum. :) It's also one way of helping our environment. This is us, doing our part. :)