the scoop on poop

When I was pregnant I was a little hesitant about posting on this topic. Because everyone has an idea about what they are going to be like as a mother. And everyone realizes that things are more butterflies and rainbows in their head and a little more "his uncle wants to feed him chocolate pudding at 3 months and let him gum his beer bottle... awww well. can't hurt"

I didn't want to put it in writing that I was going to do something, and have every mother out there read it and think, "yah right. like that'll happen". But I've done it and so far stuck to it, so here goes.

We are........  Cloth Diapering.  


There I said it. What a weight off my chest!  (side note: we are also making our own baby food... i know we are positively hippies over here).

But in all seriousness we are cloth diapering and so far I am loving them.

Before we had Levi I did TONS of research and looked at different types of diapers (no it's not just cloth and pins anymore). It occurred to me that buying online was probably best so I looked into a number of Canadian online retailers and compared prices and shipping prices. Shipping is actually really important as some companies are free and some charge upwards of $10.00.  (check out sogreenbaby.com if interested)

In the end we went with pocket diapers. Essentially these cloth diapers come with liners that you stuff into the diapers. A little more work than the All-In-One Diapers - but you can add liners for more absorbency or just lay the liner in the diaper and essentially then all you have to do is change the liner and you can re-use the outer shell.

I decided to order 4 types of diapers just to try them out (All the diapers I ordered are 1 size fits all - meaning that with snaps or elastic the diapers can be adjusted as the child grows)

1. Fuzzibunz Elite
2. AMP
3. Happy Heinys
4. BumGenius

I had planned on starting Levi in cloth diapers right away. However, he wasn't big enough at first (around 10pds) and then I was hit by a major set back (ie. blood clot) and didn't want to make others helping me have to work with cloth diapers.

In the end I ordered Fuzzibunz Elite and the AMP for a total of 15 diapers. This gets me through 2 days  with a couple he can wear while I am doing laundry. In the end, I didn't love the BumGenius  and the Happy Heinys were too bulky.

(look at all the cute colours)

I am loving them both! Fuzzibunz adjust by elastic inside the diaper and AMP by the snaps on the front.  Overall, I have found that while it does cause some extra laundry (I do a load of diapers about every 2 days) it is worth it!!

And seriously, what type-A personality doesn't love a diaper that you can colour-coordinate with an outift.

If you are interested in cloth diapering here are some other things to consider:
- We use a disposable diaper at night. I have heard that you can add more liners to the cloth diapers so they will absorb through the night but I would rather be safe than sorry.
-  It is saving us money. I have been using the same box of disposable diapers for 2 months and they aren't running out yet. The cloth diapers cost us about $20.00 each and I have 15. It was a bit of an investment but with some free shipping and watching for deals I think it's worth it.
- I found disposable diaper cloths that can be set inside the diaper to catch poop at a consignment store. Usually a roll averages around $10-15 and I got it for $4. When the poop gets more solid (ie. when eating solid food) you can lay these in the diaper and just throw it out when there's poop - saves on rinsing out the poop.
- You do need a detergent with no fabric softeners, dyes, etc. etc. because it can change the absorbency of the diaper.
- We use a trash can with a lid to store our dirty diapers in the laundry room! No fancy diaper service or  pail for us.

I know it seems like a lot but once you do it for a while it becomes second nature. They are super cute, easy to use and are saving us money!


PS: If you've skimmed to the bottom because this is a super long/boring/informative post, I don't blame you. I apologize in advance. I'm a new mom - Poop has become one of my top ten go-to conversation topics...

up next a riveting post on Levi learning to roll