Fluff Talk Thursdays: Show Your Stash

 

My stash, from left to right, top to bottom:

• Lily’s small-size Huggabuns diapers (this particular version is no longer made) with liners underneath
• Bumgenius 3.0 snapped to fit Lily with liners (also snapped to fit Lily) underneath
• Johnny’s medium-size Huggabuns diapers (also no longer sold in this incarnation) with liners underneath
• Imse Vimse training pants for Johnny with home-sewn cloth wipes (see this post for instructions) underneath
• Lily’s home-sewn newborn cloth diaper covers (see this post). We used wipes as inserts for these, and she already outgrew them being the fast-growing child that she is…

The Bumgenius 3.0s are my favorites, but I only have three. They also don’t really fit Johnny at 20 months and 26lbs, so they aren’t the ideal one-size diaper in my mind. I would love to try out some one-size FuzziBunz or Smartipants but we have a decent stash of sized diapers that work just fine so I can’t justify the expense. Thirsties diaper covers also look lovely, although I always prefer snaps over velcro (ironic given that I put velcro on the diapers I made, I realize, but I didn’t have any of those fancy diaper snaps). I also want to try my hand at sewing an RRP diaper and one of Katrina’s fleece soakers – once I figure out how to use my sewing machine with three children in tow, that is!

And while we’re on the topic of sewing, if you’ve always wanted to learn but didn’t get the chance, consider joining Valerie from the Frugal Family Fun Blog’s FREE sewing workshop here – you have until August 31st to sign up!

Fluff Talk Thursdays: Why Cloth?

When my oldest daughter Emma was born, a couple of my friends were trying to use cloth diapers with their babies. I admired their eco-friendliness but stuck with disposables. We were living in a tiny (under 400 square feet) apartment. We had a washer but no dryer, and I couldn’t face the idea of having stacks of cloth diapers hanging to dry along with all the rest of our clothes. Seeing my friends’ diapers did clear up a couple misconceptions I had, though. I learned that cloth diapers can be adorable, and that you no longer have to rinse them out in the toilet.

When we moved back to the US and into a much larger apartment with a washer AND dryer, I started thinking about trying cloth. Emma’s disposables were always leaking, we were going through tons of disposables, and she kept getting diaper rashes. When I found a good deal on user-friendly pocket diapers we took the plunge and bought a dozen. To my surprise, they leaked less frequently than Emma’s disposables and her diaper rash disappeared. They were more bulky than disposables, but since Emma was a thin baby this was a good thing – her pants would finally stay up! Three years and two babies later, we’re still using the same cloth diapers, although I’ve added more over time and am finally learning the art of making my own cloth diapers.

I’m not a perfect cloth diapering mom. We still buy disposables, just in much smaller quantities. I use them at night (I have found a non-leaking solution with cloth diapers, but not a version that keeps my kids asleep through the night), and if we’re going to be out for long periods of time. But the rest of the time my kids wear fluffy cloth diapers. We have a big enough diaper stash that I only wash diapers 2-3 times per week, and Emma gets to practice her folding skills with our cloth wipes. I’d like to try my hand at making fleece soakers - anyone have a pattern they recommend?

Baby Wipes

MATERIALS:

• flannel
• scissors
• sewing machine

STEPS:

1) Tear flannel into baby wipe-size pieces

2) Serge or zig zag edges

I’m using these as inserts for Lily’s newborn diapers also (I’ve made one more cover and plan to make a few more). There are various baby wipe solution recipes on the internet, but I use plain water most of the time and my kids never get diaper rash.

The adjustment to three kids is going well, although both Emma and Johnny are sick again this weekend and that makes things a little tougher. I’ve been thoroughly spoilt with Grandma doing all the cooking and taking Emma and Johnny out on long walks in their double stroller. Lily is doing beautifully, only waking twice a night to eat – absolutely wonderful since she is gaining weight just fine.