Heaven help me I think I'm adicted to fluff

Now before you start thinking that that is perverse (or that I'm craving peanut butter and marshmallow goo), "fluff" is the slang term for cloth diapers. And I completely blame my addiction on my friend Marni (seriously she is my inspiration in cloth diapering, breast feeding, and toddler baby food making :) Check out her blog she is AWESOME). I'm only two months in and Alex laughs whenever I get on my computer and goes, "Doing more diaper research?" Hehe. Now I do know that I am exceptionally lucky to have a husband who is all for the idea of cloth diapers. I mean here are some stats:(I don't remember EXACTLY where I read these, but the numbers have been repeated multiple times)

• A baby in disposable diapers will create, on average, 1 ton of land fill trash in diapers alone. This was Alex's big selling point. While we don't live "super" green. We still try to recycle everything we can, he has a compost bin outside, and we do the little things like not using 1 time water bottles when we can help it, and using reusable grocery bags.
• Because of the amount of plastic used the diapers are estimated to take anywhere from 200-500 years to fully disintegrate (though we don't know for sure, since we haven't been using disposables that long)
• Disposables cost, on average, $2000 per child. Cloth diapers can range from $100 (plain covers and old fashioned flat diapers. Even cheaper if you re purpose old flannel sheets, receiving blankets, and t shirts) to $500 for the super fancy "Works just like a disposable but you don't throw it away" All in one's. AND you can more than likely use them again with your next kid! (provided that you're not too rough on them, but even if you can't it's still a better price). When you are done with kids you can also sell your cloth diapers on diaper swapper websites. Some people may find that gross, but remember, some soap, a little bleach (or some people say vinegar), some hot water, and some sunlight (nature's bleach) and they are good as new. Most used baby clothes have been puked, pooped, and peed on and we never think twice about it. Personally I haven't ordered any used diapers yet, but I have no problem with used baby clothes, I throw them through the wash two or three times and consider them good. Most polls that I have read have approximately 90-95% of people having no problem with it because of the steps you have to do to "strip" a diaper to make sure that is is not water repellent (several washes in the washing machine to get out any creams/oils or boiling on the stove. You have to do it with new or used diapers, but you should only have to do it once, maybe twice through the life of the diaper unless you have to use a diaper rash cream and choose not to use a disposable liner). Or just don't buy used, it's still cheaper all the way around. You can also try to win cloth diapers as well! Many cloth diapering blogs have fairly frequent give aways of different types/brands of cloth diapers that they have been asked to review. This could be a nice free way to test out a style you're not currently using. (Remember Marni? She has pretty regular give aways of all kinds. I even won a gift card to Victoria Secrets from her, seriously, go visit).
  
• Researchers are currently researching the correlation between disposables becoming very popular, and the surge in asthma. I'm not saying that one caused the other, but the time lines do go together, and no one knows the long term affect of that stay dry gel stuff anyways (we used it to make fake snow at the school I work at)
• Disposable diapers smell "chemically". Yes sometimes they smell like baby powder, but if you pick up the average diaper and just smell it, clean of course!, they smell like chemicals, not something I'd want near my bits and pieces.
• Never having to run out to the store in the middle of the night for a diaper!! Absolute WORST case scenario you have to run a load of laundry and wrap the baby up in a receiving blanket and perhaps a less than fresh cover (but the clean blanket is what is actually touching their parts)
• Less likely to cause diaper rash. Since the diapers breathe, even with water proof covers, babies are less prone to diaper rash. This was a HUGE seller for me. According to my mom I had such terrible dry skin that she had to take me to the hospital because she was worried. I'd love to give my babies a better shot.
• There are kids that are just as convenient as disposables. The all in one diapers have the absorbency built in! All you do is take it off, shake off any solids into the toilet, spray if necessary, and toss in a bucket to wait for wash day. If you don't want to deal with the solids, there are several companies that make biodegradable/flush able liners for the diapers as well. Just toss that in the toilet and all the poop is gone! And let's face it, if you have kids, at some point or another, you WILL have to wash poop out of something. (I've also read that Viva paper towels work really well for that too because they are so thick). Also TECHNICALLY most disposable diapers state on the package that you should put as much solid waste in the toilet as possible, since the sewage system is better equipped to handle feces than the landfill. (Can anyone say poop in the ground water?)
• These aren't your grandmother's disposables! While the pull on plastic pants are still available, the water proof covers are now a poly urethane laminate (PUL) which is VERY waterproof, and has some kind of cute fabric on the outside. Some kids (depending on the system you like) have flannel, cotton, or hemp on the inside layer (the layer that touches the baby) while others you wrap the baby in a separate cloth for absorbency and the liner itself can just be wiped out with a damp wash cloth and used again. Yes I know that PUL is a type of plastic, which goes back to all of the plastic related reasons against disposable diapers, but when you are talking about 8-20 re-usables -vs- thousands of disposables, you can forgive them for the plastic. However if you REALLY don't want to use plastic, wool is also an option! It is naturally water resistant, and dissipates heat really well (down side is that it is more expensive than the PUL ones, but still cheaper than disposables). You can also use polar fleece, the down side is that it is water repellent, not water resistant, so if it is super soaked and they sit down.... their clothes will be wet.
  
• Since the cloth of the diaper doesn't stay "dry" feeling like disposables do with their gel innards, cloth diapered babies, on average, potty train faster because they can "feel" wet. I have read that some moms purposefully use slightly less absorbent fabric towards the potty training years so that the child is able to put "wet" and "toilet" together. Also if they see you, or even help you, dump the solids in the toilet, they figure out that that is where poop goes.

Finally, they are SUPER cute. Here are some that I have already ordered (mostly Ebay, so I've spent very little so far).


Slightly masculine looking "fitted" diapers that will still need a cover. These can be closed with a diaper pin, a snappi (looks like a T with teeth on all the ends) or just wrapped snug and have the cover keep them closed. They were made by a work at home mom, and the price was amazing. I figure I'd rather have masculine stuff on a girl than feminine on a boy (I've owned more than my share of blue and trucks) also since these go under a cover, a girly girl could still have something super feminine on the cover if they wanted.


This is a cover that I am having made by another work at home mom. You would put one of the diapers above (or some old fashioned flats, I have some of those as well) inside for absorbency, this is just the waterproofing part, but man is it cute!! This one is also called a "one size" there are multiple snaps across the waist to adjust there, and snaps in the rise to make it taller. It might not last (size wise) until potty training, but there are always kids in between sizes in disposables as well.



These are both One Size All in Ones. As you can see it has the same snaps as the cover does (side note, some diapers have super strong Velcro called Aplix across the top instead of snaps, it's all a matter of personal preference. I plan on buying some Aplix ones as well, just haven't yet. I'm also talking to a woman who makes them with buttons like in kids clothes). Instead of having to put a separate diaper or flat inside for absorbency it has it all built in.
Pro: most like a disposable diaper, easier to get non cloth diapers to put on your kid. Fastest/easiest to get on a squirming kid, no need for pins or snappis.

Con: More expensive, takes longer to dry (PUL has to be air dried or line dried, the heat from the drier can damage the integrity of the waterproofing).



This is currently my favorite one. It is a Thirsties brand cover. Instead of being a one size (which usually are said to be too big for infants or two small for toddlers) it comes in two sizes (6-18 lbs and 18-40 lbs). They come in several cute prints and colors (aren't those birds ADORABLE) and snaps and Aplix. For covers they recommend you have between 6-8 if you want to do laundry every other day (since they have the PUL you can wipe out moisture, so they will last through several changings without having to toss them in the wash). For the average errands running trip you only need one backup cover and a few flats, saving room in the diaper bag (as opposed to AIOs which are bulky and cannot be reused without being washed). I plan on building my stash mainly with covers, and flats/pre folds (extra absorbency up the middle). I have found several patterns for pre folds and have every intention of making some (also plan on hitting up the thrift store for some flannel sheets and receiving blankets to make some nice warm/super absorbent ones since my little one is due in January). I even say a fitted cloth diaper (like picture #1) made out of a "Fat Tire" t-shirt, so it had the emblem on the hiney. So cute!! I do plan on getting a few different brands of covers, since what works for one person doesn't necessarily work the best for another. But this cover was only $12, so even if it isn't the best and I only use it for laundry day, it's not any worse than buying a different brand of disposables than you normally use, only to find out that they are terrible. (Though I have a sneaky suspicion I'm going to love my Thirsties).


And just because they are adorable, here are some other brands/patterns that I have my eye on




So there you are, a peek into my current obsession. For some people it's furniture, for others it's nursery colors, clothes, little socks, or blankets. For me, it is cloth diapers :)