me? never.

if you had told me two years ago that i would cloth diaper my next child? well. i would have laughed at you. and thought you were gross.

with riley it was disposables all the way. i knew nothing different. i didn't know anyone who had gone with cloth. my idea of cloth was poop-stained pieces of cloth and plastic pants. yuck yuck and more yuck. but, really, the thought never crossed my mind with riley. actually, there are a lot of things that i didn't do with riley because i didn't know any different (another post, for another day)

macie was in disposables for the first few months. i think it was around 5 months that we (i) bought her first cloth diapers. matt was hesitant at first. but, when it comes down to it, he puts them on just like he would a disposable. if she poops, it usually can be plopped right into the toilet. we also have flushable liners that help. the messes? i deal with those. and they're really no big deal. i do the laundry. usually every other day. cold rinse. hot wash. cold rinse. usually we dry them outside.

when we first started out we did a mixture of disposables and cloth. as my stash got bigger, the disposables were fewer and farther between.

there is a lot that i love about cloth diapering:

• less waste


• one less thing on the grocery list


• soooo much softer on macie's little bum


• no chemicals, antibiotics, etc on that same little bum


• oh so many options! pockets, aoi's, side snap, aplix...


• they could not be any cuter. seriously.

cons?

• um. it might just be a bit of an addiction


• the initial cost (although i did get some good deals. read: bumgenius 3.0s: 1 free and 2 for $2.50 after purchasing other essentials like spray, doublers and liners)


• having to "defend" my decision against all the "ew" and "disgusting" comments

so, for my personal future reference (and anyone else's):

here are the diapers we've tried so far:

bumgenius: i really love how trim they are. we have the velcro. a little questionable. it seems to be wearing a little already. plus it never stays on the laundry tabs in the washing machine. we've only had one leak. and that was my fault, leaving her in it too long. macie has some chubby legs, and these never leave marks. my one complaint? they smell. yep. they come out of the wash smelling fresh. but as soon as she pees in them? gross. and not a pee smell. i can't really describe it. i've heard this from some other moms as well. plus they take forever to dry, but that's to be expected, being an aio.

fuzzibunz: had some leak problems at first with these until i adjusted the leg elastic. another good fit. pretty trim as well. these are also super soft. they're also not too tight around the waist.

gdiapers: i don't dislike these quite as much as i used to. i'm not a big fan of how these are made. they're a little thin and lined with plastic. the plastic, combined with the fact that you just lay the insert on top of the plastic, makes it difficult to get a good fit. not sure how comfortable they are, either. these were the first cd's i bought. i liked the fact that you could use a cloth insert or flushable one. these would probably work well under jeans, though.

flip: have yet to have a leak with these. they're one size. they're also nice and trim. my only complaint with these, like the gdiapers, is that the insert isn't very secure just set inside. we also haven't had a lot of luck reusing the cover. poop or pee always seems to get on it and it needs to go in the wash.

kawaii: i bought a few of these on recommendation from someone. they are suuuuppppeeerrr cheap (um 6.99ish). because of the price i was hesitant (are they going to send me a garbage bad to wrap around macie's bottom half?). so far, i am pleasantly surprised. we have one of the pockets, a nighttime diaper, and a minky one. no leaks with any. i am especially happy with the nighttime diaper. it's bulky, but definitely does the job. the fit on all of them seems to be good. a few complaints, though. none of the diapers are very trim. i also wasn't very happy with customer service. i had ordered a cow print and was sent a heart print. i was offered a $5 refund, but still. i don't think i will be ordering anymore. partly because of that, partly because of the bulkiness and mostly because of the $12.95 for shipping.

applecheeks: i love the feel of these. i also like the elastic in the front. i think they're mobile-baby friendly. i got the size 2 because macie would haev been at the tail-end of the size 1. it's a little saggy in the butt, but i'm excited for her to grow into it.

happy heinys: super cute. we have the cow print. love it so far. i like the way the velcro goes all the way across the front. i've heard they're a good brand for chunky thighs, which macie proudly rocks.

i'm in the market for some trim diapers next. i'm a little concerned about jeans and fall clothes once it's no longer summer/diaper and tshirt weather.