Cloth Diapering Craziness

I was discussing this on Facebook earlier, but it ate my huge post. So I decided to blog it instead!! If you’re going to use cloth diapers, you need a few things.

• AIOs (all-in-ones), or diapers and covers
• Wool wash and lanolin (if using wool)
• Laundry detergent
• Diaper pail and liners
• Wetbags
• Wipes

Get ready for a link explosion! Here’s what we use!

Diapers and Covers

We have a few options for this section. We don’t use AIOs, although sometimes I’m jealous of people who have beautiful BumGenious ones. We have two dozen DSQ (diaper service quality) 100% Indian cotton prefolds as well as 18 flannel contours that Brad’s grandma made us. For covers we either use Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, Stacinator Stretch Wool covers, or gDiaper little g pants.

Wool Wash and Lanolin

Caring for wool is a LOT easier than I thought it would be, although I definitely have my days where I feel like if Gwen gets poo on one more cover I’ll go crazy!! I’ve been spot-cleaning with Ivory bar soap, but I just read that you can use Eucalan Woolwash full strength on dirty spots, so I’ll be doing that now! I love that Eucalan is a no-rinse formula, which means it’s water saving! And, the original Eucalyptus scent is nice. I also occasionally lanolize my wool covers (although Eucalan has some lanolin in it, wool covers should still occasionally have some added for extra water-proofing!) with Lansinoh Brand Lanolin. Maybe I’ll write up a wool washing tutorial later!

Laundry Detergent

After lots of researching, we chose Claudia’s Choices for our laundry detergent. It’s completely eco-friendly and is on the Bummis list of recommended detergents (scroll down), plus, it’s Canadian!!

Diaper Pail and Liners

We use the basic cloth diaper pail with Bummis liners. I love the liners, but if I had to do it again, I would definitely get a regular trash can with a foot pedal that fits the liners in it. These pails are the perfect size, but are hard to get open with the liner in them when closed tight.

Wetbags

I ordered some wetbags from Happy Tushies and am very happy with the quality! They have yet to leak, contain smell well, and are so much nicer than toting around stupid plastic bags!

Wipes

I made my own flannel wipes while I was pregnant. They’ve stood up to Gwen’s messes quite well and I’m glad I did it, if only to prove to myself that I’m craftier than I thought! However, I probably wouldn’t do it over again – I’d probably just go with baby wash cloths, or buy some cheap flannel wipes. Because Canada is cold in the winter, we splurged on a Prince Lionheart Wipe Warmer (or as Brad calls it, Butt Warmer, LOL). We just fill the inside thing with water and it keeps it nice and warm for Gwen’s little bum!

Wow! Talk about an exhaustive list! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our system – I’m off to check out some church bazaars!