To Cloth or Not to Cloth?

As Glenn and I discuss the potential for another little Wallace in the house (don’t get too excited, we’re not there yet), I’ve been conducting research on cloth diapering. I have to say, there is so much information on the internet, I am extremely overwhelmed. I’m not overwhelmed with whether or not it’s a good option, because I can tell that it not only saves you a ton of money, it saves you the stink and hassle of disposables—don’t lie, you know that diaper genie does not do what it says it does. Your diaper pail stinks, it smells moldy and you have way more trash than you’d like to deal with. It’s just plain gross. Convenient? Sure. Smelly and trashy, yes. Doesn’t stink yet? You must have a child under the age of one still. ;o) Wait until you hit the “Solids Stage” – aka the kid is eating all adult food and his/her poop is stank.

Any time I read an opinion on cloth diapering, I get a review of 5 different ways to cloth diaper, why this brand is better than that one, etc. But then another reviewer says something entirely different. I realize this can be the exact same with disposables. Some people swear their Pampers are far superior to your Luvs, and vice versa. I think there are only a few things some friends of mine have agreed on when it comes to cloth, so in an effort to keep this simple, I’ve decided to latch on to the few consistent things I could find. I have to give a shout out to Katie Garrett over at Garrett Babies for outlining this in English for me in her Fluffity Fluff post. ;o) I’ve basically latched onto the idea that it’s probably best to go with fitteds w/ a cover at night and pockets during the day. (Did I get that right, Katie?)

Who knew cloth diapering could be so complicated? Not in the actual act of doing it, but in the selections. I’m actually pretty thankful that there are so many choices out there and not just the old fashioned prefolds with pins. There is an array of shapes, styles, patterns, colors, liners, etc. But like I said—overwhelming! Between the grow-with-me (AIO and AI2), Fitted, Pockets w/ Covers, etc, etc, etc. FuzziBunz, bumGenious, Thirsties…  am I speaking in another language to some of you? Good, me too. I need a translator.

Thanks to Pinterest, I’ve been able to consolidate a lot of research into one spot on my board: baby – for when God blesses us next. There is a lot of information out there, and I realize that cloth diapering takes trial and error, just like disposables can. There is a lot to learn, but hopefully I can venture into this without chickening out. I’ve already gotten started somewhat… I just purchased five pocket diapers (gender neutral) with five 4-layer bamboo liners through a discount co-op program. These diapers are made to grow with baby #2 from birth to potty training (hopefully), and from what I understand the resale value is pretty awesome.

Here is one of my favorite charts to help with cloth diapering (click on it to visit the website). I hope it helps you, too. Do you cloth diaper? What are your favorites?