I wish I hadn’t gotten behind on documenting this adventure. Day 2 happened a few weeks ago. Ah, well, I jotted down some notes throughout that day, so I’ll fill you in on how the first day of full-time cloth diapering went before letting you know more in depth information about our stash, how I saved on it, wash routine, family reactions, etc.
So, I say Day 2, but’s really the first full day of cloth diapering. Of course, “Day 2” came a few days after “Day 1″… but who’s getting picky here?
(Oh right, me!)
Well, within a few days of starting to use cloth, I managed to pull together a full stash for very little cash. I was excited to ditch disposables and use all cloth!
What? Laundry is fun?
It is now!
The day went quite well. I became more accustomed to getting them on and fastened to a squirmy, wiggly baby. It is an adjustment, especially when using snaps. To find the best fit takes some trial and error. I want them to be snug, but not too tight.
The first thing I noticed was that I’ve been too used to disposables and their absorption. I hate to say it, but I had become one of those people that figured the diaper didn’t need to be changed until it was full, stinky, or she cried about it. When I think about it, it’s quite awful to have my baby’s bottom spend so much time in contact with her wetness (even if the disposable is pulling it away). But, with the cost of disposables, who wants to toss ’em out every hour after every little wee?
Well, with cloth, the changes are more frequent depending on what you’ve put on baby’s bottom. (How nice to have some control over this!) At first, I was sticking to my normal routine – a change with every feeding unless I heard (or smelled) an explosion in her pants. During the day, she typically eats every 2 hours. Sometimes she stretches this to 2.5-3 hours.
I couldn’t believe how SOAKED the cloth diapers were… I mean, some of them were just ridiculously wet.
My biggest surprise? Babygirl didn’t cry when she was wet. I’m wondering if her fussin’ on Day 1 and being wet were a coincidence. She’ll fuss about losing her pacifier, but not about being wet or dirty? I don’t get it, but I digress…
I knew this couldn’t be good for her skin. Thankfully she doesn’t have any major rashes or issues!
Overall, things went well. There was only one incident of leaking and it was only a small amount by the snaps of the onesie. There may have been a little wicking onto her clothes as well, but no big messes.
The main thing about this day? Adjusting.
Adjusting to a new routine.
Adjusting to a new way of doing things.
Adjusting snaps.
I also showed the hubby how to use the fitted diapers and covers.
Then… bedtime came. I was a bit uncertain about leaks during the night. The disposables were always very full come morning time. I added an insert and hoped for the best.