I'm gonna be a CD Mama!

And no, I don't mean compact disc... I'm talking about cloth diapers! Not long after we found out we were having a baby, we started looking at the finances, and I took it upon myself to find ways to save money so that we're not spending a small fortune on this baby, especially in certain areas. Having a baby is expensive, sure... but it's all about the small ways that we can save a few bucks here and there... cloth diapers, making our own baby food, buying at consignment sales and resale shops... the list goes on. One of the biggest ways we plan on saving money is by using cloth diapers!

Here are some reasons why we are choosing to go this route:

- Cost... most of the studies I read found that using cloth will save us approximately $2000-$2500 from birth to potty training. This is the biggest reason we chose to go this route. This also includes the extra cost that it will take to wash the diapers, which is usually estimated at around $15 per month. Still, a huge savings. And who knows, since we recently got a new w/d that is super energy-efficient. With my stash, I plan on washing every 3 days or so, but we'll see.

- Trash factor... I hate trash. So. Much. I also hate throwing away our money, which is what we do when we throw out diapers. Also, the bacteria from poo doesn't break down in landfills... EWW. And if you read carefully, most disposable diaper packages will tell you (in fine print) to dump out solid waste (in the toilet) before you throw away the diaper... which is what we'll do with cloth.

- Potty training studies... I read most places that cloth diapered babies potty train 6 months earlier because they notice the feeling of wetness easier, as the chemicals don't immediately suck away the moisture.

- Baby safety and comfort... babies in CD typically have fewer rashes. There are chemicals in disposables that can cause rashes. Also babies typically have fewer blowouts because these diapers are more customizable to baby's body shape. And how many times do we hear ads about sposies that claim, "feels like cloth"? Why not just use cloth?

- Fashion... OK let's be honest. The diapers they make these days are so stinkin' cute. They're hard to resist. :)

- Ease of washing... these are really not that hard to clean, and after a while, the laundry doesn't seem as crazy, depending on the size of your stash and how often you plan on washing them. One thing I love is that breastfed poo is water soluble, so those diapers don't even need to be rinsed before they go into the washer.... just throw the whole thing in there. Score.

Some things I want to make clear though:

- We are not those people who say that they will never allow a disposable to go near their baby's bottom, heaven forbid!! NO, we realize that sometimes we will have to use them for various reasons like multi-day car travel or going places that don't have washers and dryers. But we will go cloth 90% of the time. We are not opposed to having babysitters or family members use sposies if that makes them more comfortable, even though our diapers that we chose are very user-friendly.

- I don't consider myself a "green freak" or "tree hugger," just trying to be more responsible with money and not creating more trash on this planet.

So here's what we have so far! What you see below cost just below $400 total, and we plan on using these from birth to potty. Some people find that sposies are better for the first few weeks when baby is extra-skinny, so we'll have to play that by ear. Little Dude is already measuring a bit big, so who knows!

Our stash:

What you see in the above picture: (from L-R, top row then bottom row)
First row:
-Thirsties Duo Wrap cover, size 1 (6-18#), $12.25
-Econobum covers (set of 3), one-size (6-35#), $9.95 each or you can get the day pack with 3 covers and 12 prefolds (what I did) for $48.95
-bumGenius pocket diapers (set of 12-- well, 11, as 1 came in pink by mistake), one-size (6-35#), and each diaper came with a newborn insert and a one-size insert which will be good for doubling overnight if we have a heavy wetter. ~$120 for all of them, but I got them on sale. They usually retail for about $17.95 each, being the most expensive. However, they are the most "daddy-friendly," and Mike is actually perfectly fine using these. But we'll see, LOL!
Second row:
-Econobum prefold diapers (set of 12), one-size (came with the day pack, mentioned above)
-Snappi (set of 2) $2.99 each, this takes the place of diaper pins for the prefolds, if needed.
-Flip diaper inserts (set of 3), one-size, $6.95
-One-size inserts for pocket diapers such as bumGenius (set of 12)
-Kawaii pocket diaper, one-size (6-35#), $7.95 (the cheapest pocket diaper I've seen and the cutest, with the little soccer balls on it!)
-Not pictured are 2 Flip Diaper covers and 6 inserts that should arrive here in the next few weeks, as they were on back order. This day pack cost $48.95.
-Also not pictured would be the detergent that I got, Rockin' Green detergent that is ~$15 for 90 loads in our HE washer and dryer.

What's that, you say? Well this is the bumGenius Diaper Sprayer (~$45.00)! This will come in more handy when baby is pooping solids and not exclusively breastfed. This attaches to the toilet, and you just dump the poo in there, and use the sprayer instead of the old-fashioned "dunk" method. Which, personally, sounds absolutely disgusting. We also bought a diaper pail, liners, etc which cost some also, but not much.

So for less than $400, we have bought hopefully all the diapers that we'll need for this baby, not including the sposie every now and then. This gives us 34 diaper changes, so at the beginning I'll wash about every 2-3 days, and then further down the road about every 4-5 days. Nice.

Now for some lingo:

Prefold diapers are the old-fashioned kind of cloth diaper, but they are the most economical. They can either be tucked into diaper covers or fastened using a Snappi and then covered with one of the reusable diaper covers.

Pocket diapers are just like disposables, only you wash them. Before use, you have to stuff it with an insert, but that's it. This is usually the most expensive route, but most convenient.

Diaper covers are just used to cover a prefold or insert. They can be reused several times until they stink or get poo or pee on them.

I know everything I wrote about may be confusing, so welcome to the world of researching cloth diapers! This is just what I decided was best for us, considering price and convenience. Below are some websites I used to make my decisions, so I'm passing them on to you.

http://www.cottonbabies.com (this is where I bought most of our diapers and supplies)

http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/

http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp

http://diaperpages.com/index.php

and of course you can find info and helpful tips on http://www.youtube.com

There are many more out there! I look forward to posting more about this once the baby comes and we are actually using them, so stay tuned! It is ridiculous how excited I am about this, but I am! Maybe part of the nesting instinct? I dunno.

But please let me know if you have any questions!

Recent happenings

My goodness, I can't believe I haven't blogged since Valentine's Day! I'm so terrible at this! Lots of things have been going on with us, we've barely stopped to savor these last few months as just Mike and me... hopefully we'll be able to slow down a bit in the summer as my energy slows down as well.

One of the biggest things that has rocked our world recently is my mom's diagnosis of ovarian cancer back in December. I'm finally at the place where I can talk about it more now... she is feeling really good for the most part, but has her down days of course. It's hard being so far away, but at the same time, it makes me rely more on God than EVER. Seriously. They have such a wonderful church family and such great friends who have come to help with everything from meals to driving Mom to chemo, to shopping trips, lunch out, and even just coming over to hang out with her at the house. I am beyond thankful.

As for us, Mike is doing well, finally finished his project at work, which had him working many weekends and late nights. It wasn't fun for either one of us, but the OT pay was nice, and it made the time we had together that much sweeter. He has just amazed me recently with his dedication to learning about becoming a new dad, and his interest in the baby. You never know with guys. :)

I'm progressing well with my pregnancy, today I am 25 weeks 5 days pregnant and feeling great for the most part. In case I didn't mention it before, we are having a BOY!! My sit-down-all-freaking-day job has been murder on my back and has caused sciatica in both legs, so that has limited my after-work activity significantly. As it warms up I am able to walk more, but just not as far. I'm getting HUGE, and as of about 2 weeks ago gained a total of 21# since my first checkup at 9 weeks. Holy smokes. The dr said that I would probably gain at least 40# total, mostly because of the fact that I started so small.

Baby is kicking and punching and dancing almost non-stop in my belly. It is so fun, I swear I could sit and just watch my belly move all day. My hunger is insane right now, but the more distracted I am, the less it bothers me. I don't eat a whole lot more at one sitting, just more often. I'm carrying him so LOW that sometimes it's hard to just get up off the couch. Ha! No heartburn or lack of sleep or anything YET, but then again I'm still in 2nd trimester. The only reason for lack of sleep is my appetite... I'll wake up out of a dead sleep at 4am and NEED food. Crazy.

Last weekend we traveled to Houston to be with my family and celebrate Easter, and it was just absolutely refreshing. We didn't realize until the end of the week how bad we both needed to just get out of town. We slept and relaxed a lot, and I got to spend some good quality time with both of my sisters and my parents. This only happens about once a year, so it was extra special. We are planning on driving out there again Labor Day weekend so that the family can see our new little guy. Yes, we will be driving 1000 miles with a 3-4 week-old, and we know that it may take 2-3 days.... but we're probably going to do it anyway.

The baby's room is taking shape as Mike has completely assembled the crib, changing table, dresser, and glider. He painted the room blue and I can't wait to get more things to put it in there.... it seems more real now, as if my growing middle wasn't doing anything for me. We have registered at Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us... BBB is an amazing store that has everything you would ever need for a baby. Incredible. It is owned by Bed Bath & Beyond so they have great coupons and deals. Check it out!

I have lots of things to write about, but there just isn't time. That's about it for us! Until next time!

~Rachel