Cloth diapers and wipes

My babies are all getting bigger and it's been years since they have been in diapers (does anyone else hear the hallelujah chorus or is that just me?), but several friends and family members that I know of are starting to jump on the cloth diapering bandwagon, so I wanted to share a few of my experiences just in case you are in the same boat.

I cloth diapered because it was cheaper. After buying most of my kids diapers used, I was able to resell them all for nearly what I paid for them, sometimes even more! Making cloth diapering virtually free for us.

My oldest was only sort of in cloth diapers. That was before the internet was available to help me research all of my options. The new cloth diapers are definitely not the same ones your mama used to use!

My younger two kids were both in cloth diapers full time, with the exception of some nights (I wasn't getting any sleep and wanted to make sure a wet diaper wasn't to blame!).

Both of the younger two kids potty trained SUPER early. And by super early, I mean before their first birthday.

Back when my little brother was a baby, I remember my mom rinsing out diapers in the toilet. YUCKO! I didn't rinse a single diaper out. I figure if you join a diaper service they don't make you, so why should I do it at home?

We used cloth wipes on our babies bums too. Easy to make, and easy to use. And no joke, so much better than the disposable wipes. They really get the job done, especially when the "job" is messy!

My sister in law is planning on using cloth diapers on her baby, so I whipped a few of the wipes up for her like the ones I used on my kids.

I took two coordinating pieces of snuggle flannel 6"x7" and serged it together. Easy as that. I even made my own baby wipes solution. Here's the recipe:

Basic Wipe Solution

1/2 cup baby oil
1/2 cup baby wash
2 cups water

I kept the wipes solution in a used Huggies tub. In the diaper bag I kept it in a small squeeze bottle. Just think, if you use cloth diapers, you don't want to be using disposable wipes because then you can't throw them in the same container together. It's easier to be able to throw everything dirty in the same container and wash it all together like that.
The best wet bag!

Speaking of containers, I just used a sterilite trash can as my diaper pail and lined it with a large bummis wet bag. I had two bags and washed the diapers once a week. When the bag was full, I brought it to the washing machine, dumped it in and put the bag in the wash.
I also had 2 small zippered wet bags for the diaper bag. Once your kids are older, they work great for swimsuits and travel.
I don't necessarily feel like the expert on the whole cloth diapering matter anymore, since I have been removed from it for about 5 years. However, I will share with you a few of my favorites. They are still making all of the ones we used to use, so there must be a reason they are sticking around!

I had a stash of these adjustable cloth diapers that were perfect for my newborn. I loved them! They were a great fit with the umbilical cord cut out and were snug enough that nothing leaked.
My husband's favorites were Happy Heiny's pocket diapers.  I used to order directly from Linda (the owner) and she would custom make the diapers for me probably in her basement! 
I loved the velcro close diapers because I had squirmy kids who wouldn't sit still while I snapped 600 snaps! I also liked that the pocket diaper allowed me to stuff it with however many layers I needed and make it as thin or thick as I needed it for my babe.
After I washed the diapers I would stuff them before putting them away, that way they were ready to grab when you needed it. Probably why my husband liked them...he didn't have to think about them!
Speaking of stuffing, I had about 4 dozen of these fleece topped babykicks joey bunz hemparoos that were phenomenal! They were a bit pricier as far as inserts go but they were well worth it. They kept the diapers from being too bulky and they were super absorbent.

One of my favorite covers were the proraps classic. I used to order these directly from the company by calling them. There was no website! These are often the same ones that cloth diaper companies use and I would often find these second hand for about $1.  I would stuff the proraps covers with a babykicks hemparoo and would have a very slim cloth diaper that was also very absorbent. I really loved using cloth diapers. I was surprised at how easy it was, and with all of the fun prints they were kind of fun to use! 
Not only that, I'm convinced that because my babes could feel that they were wet, they potty trained earlier. It's worth giving it a try!
Happy diapering!