You've decided to cloth diaper...Now What?

Congratulations on decided to cloth diaper, you are one step closer to seeing your baby as a cute fluffy butt(That is what the cloth diaper community calls the babies in diapers) When I decided to cloth diaper I had no idea what brand I was going to go with, how many I needed to get started or if I wanted an All in one (AIO) pocket, flip, or prefold style( I am sure that I am missing some styles lol)

My hopes with this blog is just to give you an explanation of my experience and why I chose the brand and styles that I did. I hope you find this informative and helps you on your cloth diaper journey :) I decided to try a few brands and I fell in love with all of them. BumGenius is a great brand and has very cute prints(warning some of the prints are discontinued so people pay an arm and a leg for them) you have been warned lol. I also love the brand Flip, and a few Work from home mom companies Rock N Bottoms,  viva la cloth and Rock a Bums.

They say that you should have 24 diapers to cloth full-time(more when it's a newborn) and this will allow you to do laundry every two days. I wash when i feel like it, sometimes that is everyday,sometimes it's every other day(my water bill has only gone up by $3 a month with all this extra washing) you want your diapers to last you until potty training so the more wear they get the faster the elastic wears out. You can get away with having 12 diapers but you would be washing the same ones everyday instead of having them in a rotation. I have 30 diapers so I won't use the same diaper in a three-day period(that helps with the longevity of my diapers) You need to have a wet bag. The one in the middle is my travel wet-bag for my diaper bag(I got that when I purchased a set of three diapers) the other two are medium Kanga Care wet bags that I purchased on amazon.I have two so that when I am washing one and hanging it to dry I have another to put the diapers in(each one of the medium bags holds 12+ diapers)

There are two kinds of closures to a diaper Aplix(velcro) or Snaps

The aplix is easy to but on a baby(close to a disposable) however the Velcro will wear out faster than the snaps do. you can replace the Velcro when it wears out. Many mom change out snaps( to make their diapers original) I just stick to how they come. I also want my diapers to last me until potty training so I purchased snaps because I figure they would last a little longer.

Majority of my stash are AIO diapers(meaning that I don't have to stuff them with inserts) as soon as they are dry I can put them on baby. These diapers tend to take a long time to dry. so I wash at night and put them on the drying rack( I bought an inexpensive one but you could use your shower rod, or whatever you have around to dry the diapers)

These diapers are great! to quote bumGenius "they feature our patent pending butterfly closure system to provide a comfortable, trim fit. This simple design makes cloth diapering as easy as using disposable. Our "no-stuff" system with semi-attached, stay dry inserts is an ideal solution for families with a child in day-care or family members resistant to cloth diapers!" My husband loves these ones because they are ready to go. we also use these as an overnight diaper and we have not hand any leaks(if your child is a heavy wetter then you can add another insert underneath the two soakers) These inserts are microfiber and have a inner fabric that wicks moisture away from your baby's skin. These diapers make my son have true fluffy butt lol so his pants have to be a little big to get around him.

Next diaper in my stash is the pocket diaper(this is the most used style in my opinion in the cloth diaper world)

These diapers come with a microfiber liner(the on pictured on the left) you stuff the pocket of the diaper with the insert and put it on baby. I like how versatile this diaper is. so I can get a thinner diaper depending on what insert I use. the one on the left is a flip daytime cotton insert(so if you want to use natural fibers this is for you) some moms even use FST( flour sack towels that you can get at walmart for $4) the insert on the top is the flip overnight insert.

The last diaper I have in my stash is the Flip

These are diapers I tend to grab when my son has to dress up(he wears suits to our congregation meetings) and sometimes the other diapers are a little to fluffy. with this diaper you can can adjust the inserts as well. these are also great for when you want to cloth diaper and you are on vacation. these diapers you can hand wash and they dry quick, the inserts you can hand wash as well or purchase the disposable ones and not have to worry about washing inserts. What I love about these diapers as well is that you just take out the insert(if baby has just urinated) you wipe the inside clean and you can put in another insert. so if you are on a budget you can essentially have about 6 covers but have enough inserts for as many diapers as you need ( I have 6 inserts right now and then I have a pack of disposable ones that come 18 in a pack)

Well there you have it a breakdown of my stash and what I like about these diapers. I recommend that you try a brand out before you purchase a whole bunch. Do your research. I have heard great things about Apple cheeks, ,rumparooz, and many other brands. Talk with other cloth diapering moms and see why they like the brands that they do. and see what works for your lifestyle and budget. look for sales, join  the companies facebook pages so you are up to date on sales. But most of all if you want to cloth diaper try it and don't let anyone talk you out of it. yes it's a little more work but it's not that bad. plus the pic of your little one in their new fluff is so cute and worth it :)