ok, so we decided to make the switch to cloth diapers to help save money and so far, i LOVE it! they're so cute w/ the colors, he almost doesn't even need to wear pants! :) here's the 411--
we ordered 3 dozen bumGenius 3.0 all-in-one one-size diapers from palmetto diaper works on 6.17.08. we waited and waited forever it seemed and they FINALLY came in on 7.22.08. almost 6 weeks! when i got home from picking them up, i realized we'd only gotten 22 of the 36 we ordered, so i called to let her know. she got back to me TWO DAYS later to tell me she'd have them in 5-10 business days. um, 2 more weeks? i don't think so. i asked for a refund, but so far i haven't seen it. that same day (7.24.08), we ordered the remaining 14 diapers from cotton babies and paid the same prices we'd have paid from the first place, but they'll be here on tuesday. so what i don't get is why it's gonna take 2 weeks to get them from the first place, but less than 1 week from the second? anyways, i called the first place to ask where my refund is, but i got her voicemail and i haven't heard back from her yet. we're getting really mad about the whole thing. really, how hard is it to give someone what they paid for? and honestly, i picked it up from her, so she didn't even have to pay shipping! i swear, some people are so irresponsible. . .
ok, so that's the end of my vent, on to the good parts of cloth diapering. first of all, it'll save money in the long run. it cost a little over $600 for 3 dozen diapers, which is more than we probably need, but at least we won't run out. they're every bit as easy as disposables, you just add the step of washing them. yeah, you have to get the poo off and into the toilet but TECHNICALLY you're supposed to do that w/ 'sposies too. . . the only nice thing about the diapers taking so long to get to us is that she gave us one of those diaper sprayers that hooks up to the toilet for free. they normally retail for $40 or so. . . so that makes the poo spraying alot easier and less messy and time-consuming.
we've also switched to cloth wipes, which is infinitely easier than i'd expected. we had a bunch of baby washcloths that were given to us, but i hadn't used since trevor was about a month old, so we use those. them you just make the soap solution which is super easy. the cool thing about this is that you can make your own disposable wipes this way too. just get a roll of viva paper towels and cut it in half w/ an electric knife. pour the solution over it while it's still warm (not boiling though) and pull out the cardboard roll. then you just pull them up from the middle! pretty smart, huh? well, i don't remember where i heard that tip, but i didn't come up w/ it on my own. . . it was the same place i got the "recipe" for the soap solution.
anyways, here are a couple of pictures of trevor looking stinkin' cute in his new COLORFUL diapers--
That's great! I have been thinking hard about going to cloth diapers. I still might...just don't have the chunk of money to fork over at this moment!! They are so cute though!
ReplyDeleteWe got ours from http://www.bumgenius.com/ there was no hassle and they were less expensive the going through anyone else we saw. There is also the added bonus of the toilets always being clean :o)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on homemade wipes-- we will have to look into that more!
smy anne - the cotton babies website is just www.cottonbabies.com
ReplyDeletebridget - we didn't have the money either, we had to put it on a credit card. we'll pay the credit card off w/ jon's paycheck this coming week though. :)
chris - we actually looked on bumgenius's website, but all they gave was info on local retailers. we decided to order over the internet so it wouldn't cost us any gas to drive to get them. was there a link on their site to order directly from them that i missed?
I love cloth diapering! I'm so glad I made the switch a couple of months ago. I do prefolds though. I had the sprayer but it was all messed up and I'm waiting for my new one.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about doing cloth diapers for this baby since we'll have 3 in diapers. Its just a TON of money. When you're out n about and they go poo where do you put the dirty diaper? That is my big hold up is when you're out.
ReplyDeletetiffini - you just put it in a wet bag. our diaper bag came w/ one, so we use that, but you can also buy them separately. the ones you buy separately usually have a cute pattern on them, whereas mine are just clear vinyl (we have 2 from 2 different diaper bags). . .
ReplyDeletetiffini - we also just use disposable wipes when we're out, it's too much hassle to deal w/ our spray bottle and washcloths. i figure i'm usually in a public place, so i don't mind stinking up their trash cans w/ a poopy wipe. . . :P
ReplyDelete36 is a crazy amount, but it is a great investment!!!
ReplyDeleteCotton Babies are the best... I ordered all of mine with them....
Any updates on the other place??
the other place STILL hasn't given us our refund, so i called and yelled at them today. they're looking to see what's going on and to make sure we get the refund we need.
ReplyDeleteand yeah, 36 is alot, more than we need for now, but we were planning that we'd use them for when #2 comes, which isn't too far off, if you've read my most recent post! :)
I cant believe they havent given you guys the refund yet... GL with that!
ReplyDeleteAs for 36, I had two in diapers at the same time (still working on Potty training my 2 year old), and we have way less than that!! My girls use four or five per day, so in order to have 2 days of supplies we need around 16-18. I do have more inserts than diapers, as I use two inserts for overnight and for on the go. I sun dry them, but I dont like to take more than two days without washing...
Anyway, Im sure yours will last longer as you will wash them less.... Also, if you realize that you dont need that many, you can sell them for one or two bucks less and you will sell them right away.
We have 3 bumgenius 3.0s and I love them. Haven't been able to get Dad on board with the expense issue. But with 2 kids and limited amount of time to go out and buy diapers, it makes sense to me. Something about $200 just doesn't make him excited, though... and the whole cleaning poop thing.
ReplyDeletejessica - what i had to do to convince dh is to actually sit down and do the math to really show him how much money we were putting out on diapers w/ just 1 kid. than i reminded him that we were hoping to have another soon and newborns go through even more that older babies. it was enough to convince him. we paid a little over $600 for 3 dozen, which is about the same amount it would have cost us to buy disposables just for trevor for 1 more year. he hates dealing w/ the poop, but he doesn't complain too much b/c he knows now how much money it's saving us. good luck, maybe that would help convince your dh. . .
ReplyDelete