The Great Cloth Diapering Adventure...a follow up.

A few weeks ago I was asked by a friend (H's mom) for advice about venturing into cloth diapering. I was glad to help and even with reading everything I have posted on the blog already, questions I hadn't thought of came up. I decided that maybe it was time to do a follow-up about our cloth diapering experience and what I would do over if I had the chance. 

First up, we all know which diapers I liked the best after a couple months into this adventure but which brand(s) have held up over time? 

  

  I would first like to say that I am really satisfied with every brand we use. I still use them all and most are in excellent condition. That said I do have favorites. The Bumgenius and Smartipants have held up great. For the most part they look new. The Fuzzibunz are also in good shape but the Charlie's Banana are looking a bit sad. I will be honest that I don't always wash and dry according to directions. So, it maybe that the CB's are just more sensitive. If I had to do it all over I would stock up on Smartipants with a couple Bumgenius prints mixed in. I still believe that for the price you can't beat the Smartipants. 

What do you use to wash your diapers?

 

If I can afford it I use Rock 'n Green.  It is available from a local store so I like to support the local economy when I can. I have also been using this to strip my diapers by just adding a little extra and letting it soak. I think I am going to try using Funk Rock, which is by the same company soon. I will of course post a review after doing so. When I am trying to save money I will use All Free. 

How many diapers would you suggest getting? How many do I really need?

I started out with 16 diapers and had every intention of slowly adding until I had the generally suggested 24. I never made it to 24. We currently have 18 and this number works great for me. When Amelia was younger and we changed 8-10 diapers a day it meant I had to wash every night but now I wash every other day. I don't think I will buy more at this point. I like that having so few motivates me to do laundry and not let them sit and get funky. 

Should I get extra inserts?

I got some extra Bumgenius inserts as part of a shower gift and I have rarely used them. I did a couple of times to try doubling for sleeping at night. I eventually gave up. The diapers were so bulky she had a hard time getting comfortable to sleep. We now use a disposable at night instead. 

One other thing...

 

I never ended up getting a sprayer because the store bought ones are so expensive. I wasn't going to bother now because Amelia is so close to beginning potty training. Although, since H is going to be cloth diapered now I think it would be worth it to put one in. My cousin sent me this tutorial on how to make one on the cheap. I will probably be adding it to the Hubby's to-do list. I'll let you know how that works out. :)