of bum geniuses, fuzzibunz, and why i switched

Hi everyone! I’ve been getting some questions in my inbox lately about cloth diapering, so I thought I would go ahead and do a whole post about it.

We love cloth diapers. People do it for lots of different reasons (the environment, allergies, economics), but for us, it really just boils down to the moola. I haven’t calculated exactly how much money cloth diapering has saved us, but it’s a substantial amount.

When Lizzy was born, we spent a few weeks of experimenting with prefolds and covers. Once we decided to commit to cloth diapering, we dished out the cash for 12 one-size Bum Genius diapers, which are super easy to use. We freaking loved them and used the same 12, washing every other day, for about 2 years, no complaints whatsoever. We more than got our money out of those.

By the time Maren came along, the elastic and velcro on our trusty BGs needed replacement, so I replaced it myself, which was a royal pain in the butt (ha!), but it gave the diapers an extra year or so of life. Then a few weeks ago, our BGs started leaking, probably just because they’ve reached the end of their lives.

To replace the diapers, I decided to go with FuzziBunz one-size diapers, for one reason only: the leg elastic is both adjustable and easily removable. When it’s time to replace the elastic, you just button in a new piece, no sewing required (I feel like ripping out and sewing in new elastic in the Bum Genius diapers may have weakened the waterproof material, hence the leakage issues we’re experiencing now). I also really like the snaps; velcro gets all tangled up with everything in the wash, and I am happy not to be dealing with that anymore. I have to say that the shape of the BGs seem to fit my kids a bit better than the FBs, but ehh, it’s a trade-off.

Dirty diapers get disassembled, sprayed with Febreeze, and go in a lidded garbage can that’s lined with a nylon laundry sack. I have an HE frontloading washer; I do a full cold wash with no detergent, a “whitest whites” cycle with 1-2 scoops of Rockin’ Green, and usually an extra rinse after that. Inserts get tumble dried; the waterproof covers air dry. Everyone washes differently, and it usually requires a bit of tinkering, but there are a zillion online forums and articles out there to help you figure it out. We do use disposable wipes, as well as disposable diapers at nighttime and on vacations. I tried cloth at night, but it’s just kind of a pain.

It sounds like a lot of work, but really, once you get it figured out and do it a few times, you go on autopilot and it all becomes a no-brainer. Easy peasy.

If you are new to cloth diapering, don’t miss Cloth Diapering 101 on The Cloth Diaper Report. It’s the best resource I’ve found that explains the ins and outs (eeww) of cloth diapering in a clear, user-friendly way. There is a LOT of info out there and you could spend weeks trying to sift through it all.

More questions? Hit me…

diaper alert

I’m de-stashing some cloth diapering gear over at Diaper Swappers, so come and take a peek! You can contact me via Diaper Swappers or at themodernmarigold@gmail.com if you have questions about anything cloth diaper-related or if you want to buy something.

elastic redux

Since Lizzy is so big now, I had no idea that the elastic on her diapers had worn out. The aplix has gone to the dogs lately, too. Happily, Cotton Babies supplies aplix replacement tabs at no charge (just e-mail them — though you have to actually replace them yourself, which means you need a sewing machine, a seam ripper, and a lot of patience) and there is an excellent tutorial here for replacing the elastic. So, that’s my current nighttime project…check out the difference between the old elastic and the new elastic (and look at those shiny new tabs!)…

i am done buying diapers.

For now. Because as so many others have discovered before me, shopping for fluff can be dangerously (and weirdly) addicting.

I played with lots of ideas for a couple of weeks — should I try a bunch of different brands? Stick with my homemade RRPs (I like them a lot, but pins freak me out and I feel bad putting fleece underwear on my babies in hot weather)? Go super-simple with prefolds? Or just stick with the tried and true bGs? In the end, Craig’s List decided for me.

From a mama a few town over, I snagged nine un- or barely-used Coolababy diapers — for $60! I hadn’t heard of Coolababy before; they’re a lot like the bG one-sizes, only a little flimsier and with snaps instead of aplix (diaper velcro). I like them a lot so far; you can read some reviews right here.

Our bGs are suddenly in serious need of elastic and aplix replacement (tutorial here — THANK YOU, BRIE!!!). I’m not looking forward to it, but I’d rather do it myself than pay $200 for 12 new ones. I did get two gently used bGs from Kelly’s Closet in the mail yesterday, and was shocked at what a difference there was between the fluffy, white new ones and my, uhh, well-loved ones. But hey, when you consider that they’ve been worn and washed every other day for the past two years…you gotta give those bG folks some lovin’. Hopefully I’ll be able to say the same for the Coolababies when Miss Maren is two!

an unhealthy obsession?

Last night I sewed one diaper together, then thought, ehh, I’ll do something different for a change…so I sewed a dipe and wipe case. It was only after that fact that I realized: I might be obsessed with my children’s booties. My suspicion was confirmed when I opened up Safari this morning, and four of my twelve top-visited sites were diaper sites (Diaper Swappers, Cotton Babies, Kelly’s Closet, and the RRP pattern).

I thought I had this whole cloth diaper thing pretty much figured out (we’ve been using BumGeniuses on Lizzy for almost two years), but now I’m starting to read up on stuff again, and am kind of overwhelmed with how many different diapers there are out there — each one cooler than the last — and I want to try them all! So I keep reminding myself — this is not brain surgery — this is your kids’ poop. Right.

In other news…as of today, Little Miss Maren can hold her head up well enough to face forward in the sling! She’s been fussy in the tummy-to-tummy holds for the past week or so, but today when I put her in the Moby facing out, she was totally stoked and hardly made a peep for the whole hour we were out at the park. This little chickie wants to see the world!

Check out the sweet mohawk…she moves her head from side to side a ton when she sleeps, and has succeeded in rubbing a bald ring into her head. I’m thinking of giving us matching fauxhawks for the next family function.

success so far!

Here’s functional diaper numero uno (let’s not talk about the actual first diaper). Supposedly you can fold it down to make it fit any size baby. I haven’t tried that yet, but it’s a perfect fit as-is on the Big Miss. Easy pattern, great diaper. For the fluff nerds out there who care: it has a fleece outer and a flannel inner, and I’m stuffing them with newborn prefolds (I would just use those with covers for Little Miss, but mine are scratchy and she cries every time I put one next to her bare bottom). Isn’t that fleece just fantastically hideous? It has cheerleader paraphernalia all over it (red-tagged at Jo Ann’s, yo). I’m pumped to make more!

it’s gonna save me a butt-load

I hope you’ll pardon the crass title, but I do love a good pun. Because all this…

…is about to become a whole lotta these.