I decided about half way through my pregnancy that it would be so fun to cloth diaper. It seemed so obtainable for me after all the research I did on the topic. Now it is not rocket science but it is not easy either. It takes time and patience to figure out what works for you and your kid. So why do I continue? Well because I feel good about what I am doing for the environment firstly. Second I love the fact that I am not putting plastic diapers with all sorts of chemicals on G's skin. Third I like the fact that G has never had a diaper rash at 8 months old. Lastly I like seeing my husband squirm when he has to change a poop filled cloth diaper and scrap it in the toilet. So lets do a quick breakdown of cloth diapering 101. For those of you familiar with this already I apologize and feel free to read on or skip this part.

Types of Diapers:

There are many different kinds of cloth diapers. All in one diapers are a diaper with a sewn in insert so these are the easiest to use as there is no stuffing, unfortunately they don't hold very much liquid. A pocket diaper is a cover with a stay dry liner sewn in that you can stuff with varying degrees of inserts depending on babies age and wetting style. My son is a super heavy wetter, I have had lots of experience with leaking so I can tell you what doesn't work for me. A diaper cover is just the water proof shell that you have to stuff with inserts, flats, prefolds, or fitted diapers.

Types of Inserts:

Microfiber - Come standard with most cloth diaper purchases. They hold the least amount of absorbency but are the quickest to soak up liquid. They are susceptible to compression leaking, so any pressure can cause problems if the diaper is somewhat full. You cannot put microfiber directly on the skin of the baby or toddler as it has wicking properties and will damage the skin. Cotton, bamboo, charcoal bamboo, hemp, Zorb, Minky.....

to be continued next week... if you are reading this, i'm probably changing a diaper right now!