The Cloth Diaper Project

When I was pregnant with Monkey I swore that I would be faithful cloth diaper user. The reasons I want to do were pretty standard: It is better for the environment, large up front cost, but minimal cost afterwards, they look cute on babies bums, less diaper rash with natural fibers, yada, yada, yada. I spent hours and hours reading reviews trying to decide on the best style: One-sized, multiple sizes, All-in-ones, pocket diapers, prefolds and covers, snaps, pins, velcro... the options are endless.

Anyway, I finally settled and pick Bummis with the covers and prefolds. I got GeoDad to pick up a newborn starter kit when he was traveling in BC for work. Then we waited rather impatiently for Monkey to arrive so we could use them.

When Monkey did arrive her legs were too skinny for the leg elastic no matter how much I tightened the waistband. I was also way too exhausted too try and figure out anything better, so I used disposables. By the time she was about 2 months old her legs had thickened enough to use the cloth diapers, but I went on a 6 week vacation to see my Mom/Grandma/etc. I was not up to using cloth while I traveled, nor was I organized enough to figure it out while visiting and staying different places.

After my long vacation I was eager to get home and get using the cloth more consistently; and that is when my dryer started to die. It would take me 3 hours to dry a regular load of wash, never mind the thick prefolds that came with the Bummis diapers. I got a fancy new dryer for Christmas, but by then she had out grown the newborn sized cloth diapers.

Cloth diapering was a complete fail with Monkey, she is now potty training and hopefully will be out of diapers completely soon.

I thought I would give it a shot when LB was born. I waited a few days for him to get the very first tar like poo out of his system then I went for it. LB was in cloth 2.5 days out of 3 (I had to wash the diapers and it seemed easiest to do them all and the bag I kept the dirty ones in at once). The Bummis newborn sized covers worked really well with him until he was just over 3 months old. Then he got too long and they wouldn't wrap around his waist to close.

Since then we have been using disposables for both kids. It is costing us big time. So I am going to solve the issue by making some new covers that should fit LB for quite sometime and maybe even fit Monkey until she is done potty training.

BabyVille Boutique makes a line of super cute PUL fabrics that are great for making diaper covers. Now you may be wondering what PUL is:

"PUL is a polyurethane laminated fabric that is waterproof yet breathable. Because of its leak proof properties, it is perfect when sewing for babies and toddlers. PUL has a fabric side and a laminated side. Either side is suitable as the “right” side; it just depends on the project." - BabyvilleBoutique FAQs

Babyvilly Boutique makes it even easier by having a book of cloth diaper patterns: Cloth Diapers Made Easy. I ordered both the books and PUL fabric from Joann's Fabrics and ordered fold over elastic and snaps from www.wazoodle.com. I have had all this sitting around for a while now, and was waiting for LB's quilt to be done. I will be making pocket diapers so that I can continue to use the prefolds from my Bummis stash. I started cutting the first 2 last night, here take a peak:

Fancy mylar template that I made from the pattern in the book

Outer PUL layer with dinosaurs

Inner flannel - won't that be nice and soft on LB's bum!

Better get to it tonight. Snaps to add, then get inner and outer layers sewn together. Hopefully tomorrow LB can try one on so I can see that the pattern will work for him.

GeoMama