Cloth Diaper Trial Wrap up

The week has come to an end and here are my final thoughts on our Cloth Diaper Trial run. 
I liked the cloth diapers enough to a) continue using them for another week, adding in night time and out and about, b)pick up some from a friend that her daughter can no longer use in order to increase my stash, and c)look into buying enough for a 3 day supply.  In short, I think I'm going to switch.  My biggest factor in the decision?  Cost.  With 12 diapers I have all ready, plus the extra diapers my friend will be lending me, I would only need to spend between $100 and $200 to buy enough diapers for a 3 day supply, plus a diaper sprayer.  So, for less than $200 I can diaper Bree for the next 2 years.  That's worth it to me!  Besides...have I mentioned that they're darn stinkin' cute?

Cloth Diaper Update

We're halfway through my week of full cloth diapering.  Here are my thoughts:1)  Pee cloth diapers are JUST AS EASY as disposables.
2) Poopy cloth diapers take more effort and there IS the gross out factor of having to clean them in the toilet.  It takes more time to do so, and for me, rubber gloves are a MUST.  If I decide to switch completely I will invest in a diaper sprayer as well.
3) I go through approximatly 6 cloth diapers a day, and 2 disposables (for bedtime and out of the house).   I am thinking that next week I will use cloth exclusively with the rare exception of a LONG trip out of the house. 
4) Doing the laundry isn't hard at all.  At the end of the day I simply dump all the diapers that need to be washed into the washer when the kids are going to bed.  Then, when I check on the kids before I go to bed I take them out of the washer and hang them over a basket to dry.  Easy peasy.
5) Cloth diapers can be so CUTE!!!!  For me, personally, the drawback of poop is cancelled out by how ADORABLE the cloth can be.  Although I never would have known this if I hadn't tried them out.  If I switch I will be buying some really cute diapers to make me smile.
6) Since today was church, another pro for cloth diapering popped up.  If I used cloth diapers I wouldn't have to open the stinky diaper pail at church to put used diapers in when I change Bree at church!!  That thing REEKS!!! 
7) The big question I have is: If I switch, should I go with more pocket diapers (like the bum genius I already have) or get some covers and inserts/prefolds. 

So, to anyone considering switching I say this: GIVE IT A TRY!!!  It really hasn't been hard and you get a sense of accomplishment when you see your stack of cloth diapers all clean and waithing to be put on your baby.  And come on....what's cuter than THIS:

Cloth Diaper Trial Run

So, here I go, embarking on my Cloth diapering saga.  I highly considered cloth diapering Bree before I had her.  Then, when she ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks and needed open heart surgery I got so used to the disposables that I was hesitant to try out my cloth diapers.  A week ago, a friend of mine who is considering cloth diapers kicked my rear in gear and "made" me put one on my precious little 6 month old.  However, she wanted to try them too and we were going to split the stash of diapers so we could both try them out but we forgot to split the stash and all I ended up with that week was the one that was ON Bree at the time.  So last week I only tried one cloth diaper a day.  I put it on her in the afternoon after her lunch, then changed her before her afternoon nap.  I didn't mind the cloth diapers, especially with just pee.  She did have one NASTY poopy in it though, and I now have decided that if I DO switch either gloves, or a diaper sprayer...maybe both, are essential for me!!!  Now, I have the stash back and a friend that is definitely going to switch to cloth, so I am going to give myself a week of cloth diapering to decide what I want to do.  Some of you are reading this and thinking, "what the heck are you thinking?!?!?!"  while other of my friends are thinking "Go for it!!"  Let me tell you my reasoning:
1) I have nothing to lose trying these diapers for a week.  They were given to me, for free, by a friend, so it's not like I spent money on something I don't know I'll do for sure. 
2) It would save my family a LOT of money.  When I crunched the numbers I figured that JUST using them for BREE for the next 1 1/2 years will save us over a thousand dollars.  That's taking into account the first time cost of the diapers and the laundering costs. 
3) I am not a fortunate person who's children can wear cheap diapers.  My kid's skin is such that the ONLY brand of diaper I can use, without them getting SERIOUS diaper rash, is Huggies.
4) They're darn stinkin' cute!!! 

Thus, I embark on my cloth diaper trial.  I will keep those interested posted on what I think over the week and what I finally decide.