The Finish to Day 1 aka The Start of my Adventure!

Amelia is down for her morning nap, so I figured this was the perfect time to finish what I started last night! The (major) types of cloth diapers are; pockets, AIO's(all-in-one's), AI2's(all-in-twos), prefolds, fitted/contoured, and flats. Now with some of these diapers you need covers; the prefolds, flats, and most of the fitted/contoured. There are many different covers(of course!) to put over these, the most common are; PUL(polyurethane laminated cloth) its breathable, flexible, and soft, wool makes a great cover(my friend A.M's favorite by far!), and fleece!

Now I am going to quote from my friend Amanda(A.M.) as she put the descriptions perfectly! "There is no one brand that is better than the other, but there are different types that are "better" for each individual family. What one person likes may not work for the other, or for the baby. This will also likely change as the baby gets older.

Types of diapers:
Flats: These are what your "grandmother" used. Big pieces that you fold up in different ways. You can pin or snappi these. These are great because they are cheap, go from birth to potty trained and dry the quickest. However, they have the highest learning curve. You need a cover for these.

Prefolds: These are one of the most popular choices. Inexpensive. These dry fairly quickly. You can either fold these (youtube videos are very helpful,as they are like folding flats. Much more simple) or trifold them,(fold them in thirds, so easy) and put it in a cover. You can either pin these when folded, snappi, or let the cover hold it in place. If buying new greenmountaindiapers.com has the best prices/quality for both these.

Fitteds or contoured:
Fitted Diapers closely resemble the size and shape of disposable diapers. Though, with the variety of super absorbent and breathable fabrics to choose from these are hands-down one of the best cloth diapering options available to suit your little one's individual needs. Needs a cover, or no cover in the house when need a little air to breath. Comes in snaps or Velcro and some without either. Great for heavy wetters and newborns.

These next three are now the most popular
Pockets:
These are the most popular choice. You stuff these with inserts. I do this right after they've been washed so they are ready to go. These you do not need a cover for them. No cover needed, but you replace the whole diaper with each use.

All-in-one:
These cloth diapers are the easiest and most leak proof diapers to use and have a built in diaper cover sewn into the cotton or fleece layer. They fasten with snaps or Velcro and work like the ease of a disposable. NO diaper cover required. Change the entire diaper with each use.

All-in-twos
All in twos are a mix, where you can either stuff the diaper, which entails replacing the whole thing, or lying the insert on the outer side and just changing the insert with each change until the cover gets wet or poopy.

Cover choices:
PUL, rinse and wipe covers. These come in either snaps or velcro. You would need about 4 to start out with. With these you put them over the diaper (flat, prefold or fitted) and reuse after changing the diaper, unless it's wet or poopy. If it's wet, let it air dry and use it again next change, poopy throw it in the pail. Of course washing every 2-3 days.

Wool covers (my FAVORITE, just started to replace the PUL ones for wool) provide optimal protection against leaks, making them perfect for nighttime (and daytime too). These wick away moisture and are much more breathable.

Fleece covers, while not made from natural fibers, are a wonderfully affordable option for day/night!"

Now I know that's a lot of information all at once! I saw that and though "Oh God! Am I really up for this!" But its broken down in such a way that you can understand, its almost simple, and you can even get a feel for what you may like right off the bat! THANK YOU AMANDA! :D 

Now for a list of links that Amanda sent me that completely helped, and turned me toward making my own cloth diapers! Also I found, that if you are buying new cloth diapers, http://www.sunbabydiapers.com has the most inexpensive diapers! You do have to buy them in a package of at least 12, but that makes them $5 a diaper for brand new, and the largest package is 24 diapers and 48 inserts which makes them $6 a diaper with two inserts! Some other sites the diapers are (on average) $10-$20 a diaper, though I am not promoting Sun Babies diapers, just stating what I have found as I did the research on them! My  wonderful fiance works and attends college classes while I take care of Amelia and take classes online, but that means we only have 1 income and we need the most BANG for our BUCK! :)

http://www.theluvyourbaby.com

http://www.sunbabydiapers.com

http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com

http://www.itsybitsybums.com

http://www.etsy.com

http://www.hyenacart.com

http://www.kellyscloset.com

http://www.diaperjunction.com

http://www.diapershops.com

http://www.nickisdiapers.com

http://www.diapers.com

Now here are a few sites to buy used cloth diapers from! Again, there are some really good deals buying used, and if you are feeling a bit...ICK.. from buying used, just remember, you are going to be washing them before you put your baby in them! I will post about cloth diaper safe detergents in the next blog as I can hear little Amelia starting to wiggle in her bed!


http://www.babycenter.com

http://www.diaperswappers.com

http://www.diaperpin.com

as well as http://www.craigslist.com!