Cloth diapering

I knew of cloth diapering. My mother had cloth diapered twin she was a Nanny for when I was 9-10 or around there. I remember her shaking the insert in the toilet.

With my son I didn't cloth diaper because we didn't have a washing machine. I didn't want to run out of quarters and not be able to wash my son's diapers. Then we moved into a home and I got my washer and dryer. Shortly after that my husband broke his ankle and was out of work. I had to figure out how to live as cheap as I could.

Several nice mothers online mailed me their extra diapers and some covers.

I hated cloth diapering. My son hated being cloth diapered. No matter how often I changed him he was soaked within an hour in a prefold. No matter what I did and eventually so much padding and he still was always wet.

So once my husband began working again I went back to buying a box of Up and Up diapers every 2 weeks along with a big pack of disposable wipes. Basically spending $45 a month to throw away because I didn't want my son to be wet.

Then I got pregnant with my DD and wanted to give cloth another try. I decided prefolds were not for me but I'd use them through the newborn period and then buy something better pockets [where you put the absorbent material in between the layer that touches the baby's skin and the water proof layer] or AIOs [all in ones] something better.

My daughter was born with a host of health problems. She was first re-admitted to the hospital at 18 days old. I didn't CD as often as I liked. This was when she began having really awful poop. So awful they feared she had cystic fibrosis. Her poop was so vile [it smelled like the rhino exhibit at the zoo] and it left her skin in blisters. Then I noticed it actually began dissolving the cloth diapers. Seriously. Her poop would burn if you got it on your hand while changing her.

So I ended up not replacing the diapers with fancy ones when she outgrew them. I didn't see the point. Then the diaper rash began. Months of blisters, her skin raw...it was AWFUL. We tried every over the counter cream and several from the doctor. FInally I decided to pull out my son's old prefolds and I switched to cloth full time. Four days later - completely cloth - she was almost better. The worst blister took weeks to fully heal and to this day she has a scar.

When my husband and I saw how much better her skin was - we bought our first 8 pocket diapers. Eventually we retired those and replaced them with better pockets. We now have a rotation of about 30 pockets. We also gave up disposable wipes and thanks to 3 packs of Gerber wash clothes I wet them as needed and throw them in with the diapers. We also got some wet bags which make life a lot easier. She's very nearly out growing her OS [one size] pockets at nearly 30lbs and 35 inches. In the spring my husband and I plan on buying pocket training pants or large sized pocket style diapers - since DD is not near potty training and being special needs I don't know when she will train.

Cloth and the hospital is easy enough. I explain it to the nurses when we get admitted. I show them how to change her although they never had to because Dad or I are always with her. I simply hang the wet bag on the post at the corner of the hospital bed crib. The wipes, spray bottle of water and scale on the end table and the basket of clean stuffed diapers on the floor. Weigh dry diaper and tar out the weight and put on baby. When she needed changed. Take off diaper, put on scale, wipe, put wipes in wet bag, write down weight of dipe and then put in wetbag. The reason you weight hospital diapers is they measure output. I weighed each diaper before use because different inserts weigh different amounts even more so for daytime and night time stuffing.

Every 2-3 days take em home and wash I normally bring them back unstuffed since I try not to be gone long. My trips home are usually to wash diapers, shower, pack new clothes etc. Besides stuffing diapers helps pass the time at the hospital either way.

Most nurses are very supportive of CDing and some even ask for information to give to other moms of kids who are so rashy. The doctors ask me about squares and rubber pants and I'm like nope modern cloth you don't have to use pins.

I cannot imagine not CDing. DH and I have both said several times we'd CD for any future mythical children. CDing is awesome enough we would do it even if she didn't get a rash from the disposables.