Dipping my toes in

My apology for no post yesterday. Mr. Ibis and I have a few days off together and I'm not on the computer as much when we are all together.

Over the weekend I went with a Nestie friend to a diaper party to check out some cloth diapers in person. I have seen a cloth diaper demo before, at our Mom & Baby group, but at that time I was sure I'd never use them so I just tuned out the information. This time I tried to pay attention and I think I pretty much get the basics.

So here's what I understand in case anyone who doesn't cloth diaper (CD) is following along. I'm going to dumb this down because it's so complicated. Basically, all diapers have to have the part that wraps around baby, a pad to soak up the pee and poop, and some kind of waterproof outer layer. I'm going to say "pad" because it's easy to envision. Here are the types of diapers out there, and I really hope I'm going to get this right.

* Prefolds, with covers. So the prefold is the old fashioned big rectangle of fabric that predated disposables. You can either wrap these around baby's butt and pin/fasten or just fold it into a maxi-pad like form and put it in a cover (I think). You have to use covers either way, which are just thin waterproof diapers basically.

* Fitteds, with covers. This is kind of the same concept as wrapping a prefold around the baby except that now instead of a rectangle of fabric you have a diaper-shaped piece of fabric. It's still not waterproof so you still need to use a cover.

* Pockets (no cover needed). Here the part you wrap around baby's butt is waterproof and has a pocket inside, so you stuff the pad(s) in there. It just kind of looks and acts like a regular disposable diaper except you have to take it apart to wash it, and then put it back together before using it (usually people will "stuff" their pockets in one bunch after washing them).

* All in One's (AIOs) (no cover needed). Similar to a pocket diaper except the whole shebang is one piece - the diaper with a waterproof outside, the pads that absorb pee inside, all attached. I think with some you can pull the pads out to wash/dry a little easier. These are usually favored by daddies and daycare providers who want to use something that's almost exactly like a disposable... but I think they are a little less easy to wash & dry.

Beyond that you have some that come in different sizes and some that are one size and just adjust with snaps, but we'll leave all that aside.

So after the diaper party and a couple of email conversations with friends who CD, I was leaning toward using mostly prefolds and/or fitteds and maybe throw a couple of pocket diapers in the mix. At the outset, the prefolds and fitteds appealed to me the least because of how you need the two different parts - the inner diaper and the cover. But when I saw the diapers in person it appeared to me that a lot of the pockets and AIOs looked wide with big leg holes, and Miles is a big narrow and slender. One advantage of prefolds or fitteds is that you can wrap them to kind of custom fit your kid. Although I will say that Fu.zzi Buns pocket diapers are a little more adjustable so I was considering using some of those too.

Another advantage to prefolds or fitteds is that if baby just pees, you can change that inner layer and use the cover again. The shop owner who gave us the demo said that with fitteds she would use two covers for an entire day, just rotating them. To me that spells less laundry, so I like that.

After I came home and explained all this to Mr. I he was lobbying for gDia.pers, because his good friend had said she uses them. So I emailed her and asked what's up with those. She absolutely loves them and highly recommended them. They are basically like a cover with which you can use either cloth or disposable pads inside - essentially the same as a prefold with cover. Mr. Ibis likes the option of using disposable pads and also favored going with a brand that he actually knew someone who used and liked them, and the fact that Wh.ole Foods sells the liners and we already go there every weekend, so if we need more in a pinch we don't have to order online.

So just to get started and try this out, I found a good deal on gDia.pers online and we ordered six diapers and 6 cloth liners and they should be here this week! We only pad $80 for the whole supply, which is pretty good at $10/diaper plus the pads. If we don't like them, I've seen them selling on eb.ay for their full value so we can also sell them. Six will just be a starting point and maybe we'll try some other kinds as well.

I probably sound like a nut because I was so anti-CD, like, last week. But hey, I can be open minded! I think part of my change of attitude is that I'm starting to feel more comfortable with Mr. I being away some days and not so overwhelmed by work and motherhood like I was when I first got rolling, so the laundry factor does not seem as intimidating. We'll see how it goes.