Together, Life is Sweeter

In the last few months, I have been asked a couple of times about my experience cloth diapering. I am by no means an expert, but it got me thinking. I decided to take advantage of "Earth Day" by documenting some of my adventures in cloth! Who knows what I will remember in the future (I hear children do that to you) and if there is another lil Schmelzer someday, I would hate to have to re-discover it all! I know most of my (4) followers aren't all that interested in ahem poo talk, so this is really just for me. But maybe if someone asks again in the future, I can say "I posted about it on my blog!" and feel really awesome! Because, in all honesty, cloth diapering is pretty awesome...well as awesome as handling another's bodily waste can be.

To start, I feel I must admit that I first looked into cloth diapering completely for the potential financial gain. Disposable diapers, even the cheaper versions, eat up a lot of cash. We have a limited amount of that and I would really like to keep as much of it as I can for more exciting purchases! The "green"ness of cloth diapering has definitely helped my conscience, but really is just a side effect of my ~~cheapness~~ thrifty nature. phew, I feel better getting that off my chest :)

I first started looking into cloth diapering when I was pregnant with Gabe. I quickly found that there is a ton of information out there...so much so that it is a little overwhelming. There are different brands, styles, fabrics, as well as an entire language of code words and acronyms! It took me a loooong time just to figure out the lingo, let alone start understanding the process! Good thing it was 102 outside and I resembled a small manatee...plenty of time for internet cruising!

Once I had a basic understanding, I decided on a type that would work for us. Most places recommended trying out a bunch of different types before committing, but that seemed the opposite of cheap to me. I just did A LOT of research and went with my gut feeling :) I decided on the pocket or insert style of diapers. These basically snap (or velcro) on just like disposables, and have an internal pocket that you place your insert. This allows you to change the material and amount of absorbency based on your need (This has been a HUGE benefit, although I didn't understand how important that would be at the time) They adjust to fit your kiddo from birth until they are potty-trained, are fairly simple to care for, and are widely available. This type seemed to meet our lifestyle and needs best, and would be the easiest to convince the hubs to use :) All good things!

Then it was shopping time...and my heart sank. Many brands cost anywhere from $15 - $25 each! This was not the cost savings that I had in mind! Especially when it is recommended to have about 2 dozen in your stash! I bought my first BumGenius's using coupons bringing the cost down to about $12 each, but I still was not happy. I did some searching and bought a couple more for about $8 each from zulilly.com, but I was still not thrilled. And 4 diapers was not going to get me very far...

Then we had Gabe. Cloth diapering went to the back of my mind, as we adjusted to our new life. However, it was still there, especially every trip I made to Tarjay for more diapers.

It wasn't until Gabe was about 2 months that I started to find the "underground" cloth diaper world (just kidding, but that's kinda how I felt) and discovered diapers that fit my budget. I first found Alva baby diapers, which sell for about $4 - $5 a piece, Sunbaby Diapers, which are also $4 - $5 a piece, and Babyland diapers that sell new on ebay for about $3 a piece. YAY! I (slowly) ordered an assortment of these brands to complete my stash for about $130! Some might worry about the quality of these brands, but I have found them to work as well as my earlier purchases. I do like my Alva baby's the best because of the fit, but all the others also work well. And for the price, I don't have to feel bad about potentially replacing them!

We started to transition to cloth over Christmas break, and things were going well. But a few weeks in we started to have some leaking issues. I did some research and found that the microfiber inserts that most of the diapers come with, do not always offer enough absorbency for "heavy wetters". Apparently, I have one of those :( You can double up the liners, but it becomes quite bulky.

Luckily, our local cloth diaper store sponsors a diaper garage sale every so often and I stumbled upon some hemp inserts for not a whole lot of money. My diapering world was changed! They worked sooo much better and were a lot slimmer! However, they can be quite pricey when bought new. So I decided to make my own! I ordered a yard of hemp fleece for $8 and was able to make 14 - 3 layer inserts! They did need a little prep work to become fully absorbent, but they have worked great! I also ordered bamboo inserts with my additional Alva baby orders and they have worked nicely as well!

I actually did a little more DIY work and took apart many of the microfiber inserts that I now wasn't using, and zig-zag stitched the sides to make single layer inserts. I lay one layer of microfiber on top of the hemp or bamboo to quickly grab the wetness and bring it into the more absorbent fabric. No more leaks! Cloth Diapering = Easy Peasy!

First time in Cloth! He looks a little skeptical...

Then Gabe started eating solids...

You see solely breastfed baby poo is really easy to deal with. Just dissolves. But once there is anything else, thing become complicated. Or can be. I have found that dealing with dirties is not all that difficult. I simply soak them in the toilet for a little while, hold the corners, flush, and they are ready to wash. Now that he had been eating solids for a while, a lot of the dirties are actually, ahem, solidifying, so it just plops into the toilet. Mess free :)

I usually wash every other or third day. I have a few "wet" bags that I ordered from Alva baby and one large one in Gabe's room that I made from some PUL fabric I purchased at JoAnns (well, Mom purchased...I forgot my wallet that day. ha!) Wet dipes can go straight into the bag. It is really important to wash with the correct type of detergent. Anything with extras (think whitening type claims/softeners) can cause your diapers to repel. Not good! There are fancy kinds, but many companies recommend regular Tide. I have had to go with a Free and Clear detergent because of Gabes eczema, and have had pretty good luck. I actually "stripped" my diapers for the first time last night! I was starting to think there was a bit of build-up - most likely a mix of detergent and lotion/medication from Gabe's skin, so I washed them in really hot water (like turn up the water heater for a while hot) a few cycles without soap. They also sell mixes you can put in to help with this process, but most of the time they say the hot water/multiple rinses is enough!

**UPDATE: We recently switched to Country Save detergent. It is a recommended brand for cloth and is very affordable and safe for eczema...just a little hard to find. I ordered some from iherb.com using a free shipping coupon and have been very, very happy!

I usually soak them for a while then run it like a normal load. I always hang dry the covers, and usually the inserts as well...unless I am in a pinch and need them quick. Hemp takes a long time to dry, but now that I have extra liners, the timing is not much of an issue! Summer cannot get here fast enough so I can dry outside instead of in my tiny laundry room!

These diapers do need to be "stuffed" - the inserts placed in the pocket to be usable, and I'll admit I was a little concerned about this. I am known to leave laundry baskets of clothes for ~~days~~ weeks before putting them away. However, diapers seem to be different. They don't take much time, and usually I do this after bath when Gabe is rolling around enjoying some naked time :)

Overall, I am VERY happy with our decision to go cloth. We are lucky that our daycare provider was willing to give cloth a try, so we are now (almost) all cloth. We have had to do some problem solving along the way, and are still looking for a night time solution, but overall it has been a good transition! We very rarely leak - unless we forget to change lil Mister in a timely manner, and actually feel they do a better job keeping the poo in than disposables did!

I spent about $130 for all of the pocket diapers I currently have, another $22 on hemp inserts and fabric, and about $25 on the wet bags. Total I have about $180 invested into our diapering system! Not too shabby! With summer approaching, I have ventured into the world of pre-folds (super cheap) but for the most part will stick with my current stash!

And aren't they just so darn cute?!?

Here is a the 2nd of many projects we have completed around our house!

A few weeks ago when I wrote this post about adding character to my house, I mentioned the need for some type of backsplash in the kitchen. I had already done some research and realized a tile backsplash, done properly (grrr) is a lot of work! It would require replacing the drywall with cement board, prepping, tiling, grouting, and sealing. After all that work, I would NEVER want to change it. And that is just toooo permanent for this decorating ADD suffering gal. So I looked into putting up some beadboard in this space. Then I stumbled upon this post and it was enough to convince me for action! It used a paintable wallpaper to achieve the look I wanted! Best part: It should be easily taken down if I ever want to change it up in the future! But looking at the final product, I think it is purdy enough to stay this way for a loooong time!! Just you wait :)

First thing I did was prep the wall. I did a lot of prep to make sure my plan of it being "removable" someday would actually work out. I first wiped down the wall to remove any of that kitchen grime that my kitchen doesn't have. ha! Then I primed it using a basic wall primer. After that dried, I used an actual wallpaper primer that is suppose to help the wallpaper adhear AND come back off nice and easy!

Our countertop and cupboards do not end at the same point, so we had to figure out the best looking way to create an end point. I decided that having the beadboard extend out and up the wall a little ways would be best!

Then we started the wallpapering process. This wallpaper is exactly like other wallpapers in the fact that it was pre-pasted and needed to soak for a short time before being positioned on the wall. I measured, cut, and used a plastic bin to soak the paper. Once we got going, it actually went up very smoothly.

I will admit that the perfectionist in me came out a few times in this process. I had to keep checking to make sure I was actually keeping my beadboard straight up and down. My fear was that my father would come and note that my beadboard was crooked. He has a superpower like ability to see straight lines. I'm really not kidding...it's a Cronbaugh thing :)

After it was all up, we finished it off with some trim. I used a small molding around the countertop and some decorative at the top and sides.

Then I gave it all a nice coat of paint! I matched the paint to our upstairs molding and doors in the house. It is a semi-gloss so it should clean up nicely :)