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Window Shopping: Creating My Ideal Cloth Diaper Stash

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*This post contains affiliate links.
If I could cloth diaper all over again
If I had the chance to start over and build my cloth diaper stash from scratch, what would I do differently or the same, knowing what I know now (after 14 months of cloth diapering)?  And how would I create my stash if I was given a $200 budget, or $500?  What would I choose with an unlimited budget (more like, what wouldn’t I chose)?  When Tara & Carolyn, from Padded Tush Stats, threw this topic out, I knew that I would have fun with it.  Window shopping, with all of the cloth diapering experience I’ve gained over the past year, has been fun and a challenge.
ClothDiaperBudget
I began putting together my cloth diaper stash when I was two months pregnant, so I had plenty of time to shop.  I read cloth diapering blogs like it was my job!  A couple of the first nuggets of wisdom I encountered were that a.) I would need to try a few different styles of diapers to figure out what worked best for us, and b.) not all styles of diapers work on all babies (it’s like finding the right pair of running shoes).  I knew that I wanted to diaper with prefolds (flats intimidated more than prefolds back then), but also wanted to try pockets, AI2s, etc.  I purchased prefolds new, little by little, and decided to buy pockets used.
I realized early on that pockets were not going to work for us, and gradually sold them to add more prefolds and fitteds.  It’s amazing how diaper preferences change over time…and over the course of your baby’s growth.  I was a staunch prefold advocate for the first year of diapering Declan, but when every diaper change became a wrestling match (aound the time he turned 1), I quickly realized that AIOs and AI2s were my ally on the changing mat, and I have been adding them to my stash here and there.  Every baby is different, but the following ‘dream’ lists are based upon my experience thus far diapering D.
To simplify things, I’ll be creating my stash using just one diaper store (no comparison shopping): Diaper Junction.  It pays to use one cloth diaper store because most of them have points/award systems that give you credit based upon what you spend.
Creating a Diaper Stash for $200
This task proved to be a bit more difficult than I had imagined, but it’s still no problem for me, a prefold lover.  I actually plan to use flats with our next baby, now that I’m no longer intimidated, and they are a perfect solution because they fit babies of all sizes.
12 – Preemie Indian Prefolds  $9.00
2  –  Bummis Newborn Diaper Covers  $13.00
2  –  Thirsties Duo Wrap size 1  $20.82
2  – Thirsties Duo Wrap size 2  $20.82
1  –  Econobum Diaper Kit  $49.95
10 – Charlie Banana 10 Reusable Double Sided Wipes, Blue Emb.  $12.99  (these are my absolute favorite wipes)
1  –  10-gallon step trash can (Target)  $15.00
There’s no wet bag included, but grocery bags work just fine when you’re out and about.  No frills diapering, but this will take you from birth to potty training for $193.97.
Creating a Diaper Stash for $500
Now with $500 I should really be able to create my dream stash, right?  Well, I had a tough time fulfilling my dream stash for $500 (those AIOs & AI2s are expensive!)!  For $500, however, I do get the luxury of having plenty of diapers for the newborn stage.  One thing I wasn’t keen on was doing diapers almost daily the first 2-3 months with Declan.  However, once babies are on solids, their daily diaper usage decreases drastically, and I really didn’t factor in a decrease in diaper usage when purchasing our prefolds (we have a lot…as in over 100 in multiple sizes a lot!).  With D, we have way more prefolds than we can use in our current rotation because his pH changed once he began teething; this meant that I went from doing diaper laundry once per week, to doing them every 3rd day (or have an insane ammonia stink emanating from the pail).  I’d rather have more diapers for those early sleep-deprived days, and this stash reflects that:
1 – 3-Pack Snappi Diaper Fasteners  $3.95

24 – Diaper Rite Flannel Wipes  $11.98
1 – 10-Pack Charlie Banana Wipes  $12.99

1 – Bummis Newborn Pack  $42.00
     12 prefolds
     2 covers
12 – Preemie Indian Prefolds  $9.00
12 – Diaper Rite Flats  $17.50
12 – Infant Indian Prefolds  $18.00
2 – Thirsties Duo Wrap size 1  $20.80
1 – Blueberry Cover  $16.95
1 – Applecheeks Cover  $19.00
12 – bumGenius Freetime AIOs  $239.40
1 – Step Trash Can  $15.00
2 – Planet Wise Pail Liners  $33.00
1 – Planet Wise Hanging Wet Bag  $29.99
1 – Planet Wise Wet Bag Medium  $16.50
All of this for a grand total of $493.07 – whew!  What’s interesting to note is that we’ve spent around $500-600 on our current stash, but have way more options.  Part of this is because we had a few of our cloth diapering items given to us as shower gifts, and cute covers for Christmas gifts.  The other reason why we have so much more is because I had the luxury of plenty time to shop around; I purchased used diapers, shopped B1G1 diaper sales, and lucked into meeting a woman that was liquidating her online diaper store inventory (I was able to purchase a lot of items at cost, including our pail liners and wet bags).
My Ideal Diaper Stash (no budget)
 
No budget?  Since money is no object, and the budget is out-the-door, the (cloth diapering) world is my oyster!  The interesting thing is that I didn’t go nuts.  At-the-end-of-the-day, diapers, for me, are pee and poop catchers that serve a practical purpose.  I don’t like clutter, so I hate to over buy.
One area where I minimized, compared to what I currently have, is with my diaper covers.  I have WAY more than I need now, so I would definitely scale back if I had it all to do over again.  Other changes?  One more set of my absolute favorite wipes (Charlie Banana double-sided), more (fun) wet bag options, more newborn prefolds and wool…lots and lots of wool (I.love.wool.).  I scaled back on the number of larger sized prefolds I would get because I would plan to switch over to AIOs around the one year mark.  This is my ideal cloth diaper stash (*drum roll*):
1 – 3-Pack Snappi Diaper Fasteners  $3.95
3 – 10-Packs Charlie Banana Double-Sided Wipes  $38.97
Wipes Warmer  $29.99
4 – 5-Packs of Bummis Fleece Liners  $20.00
Step Trash Can  $15.00
2 – Bummis Newborn Diaper Packs  $84.00
12 – Diaper Rite Birdseye Flats  $17.50
1 – Blueberry Cover  $16.95
1 – Applecheeks Cover  $19.00
1 – Thirsties Duo Wrap Cover  $10.20
1 – EcoPosh Wool Cover  $34.95
1 – Kissaluvs Wool Cover  $39.00
18 bumGenius Freetime AIOs  $359.82

A grand total of $1,033.21.  Disposable diapering can cost anywhere from $1,500-$2,000, so I’m still saving money while having my dream diaper stash.  The crazy thing?  These diapers will diaper all of my kids and I’ll still be able to resell many of these items when done and recoup some money (cloth diapering just makes cents).  I feel I should have a disclaimer — I’ve not tried Blueberry or Applecheeks covers, I’ve just heard so many great things about them that I had to include them.  Also missing?  The diaper I am absolutely dying to try right now is a Smart Bottoms Smart One 3.0. I just can’t justify any more diaper purchases when we have so many diapers that go unused each rotation (even though I really, really, really want to add just 5 more AIOs/AI2s to my stash!).

Window shopping has been fun, but it makes me want so many more diapers (and another squishy baby to put fluff on)!  I was surprised that I had difficulty with the $200 budget even with exclusive flat and prefold diapering.  While I was pretty much a prefold-only gal (with a few fitteds thrown in for good measure), I did have a lot of comforts along with those diapers, in the form of multiple wet bags, pail liners, premium cloth wipes, wipe warmer, and way more cute covers than we have ever needed (who knew?).  The biggest comfort I factored into my $500 and unlimited budgets was having the luxury of more diapers and cutting down on the frequency of laundering.  What I didn’t factor in was a laundry service, but that may just be a topic for a future post…

D.I.Y. Wool Soaker #2

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Back in April, I shared my first attempt at knitting a wool soaker, and my first time knitting from a pattern.  Unfortunately, the soaker was SO big that the only time D’s worn it was for the picture I took!  I’m hoping he’ll fit into it in the fall.  I came across another pattern that I liked and really wanted to try: The Curly Purly Soaker.

I should add a disclaimer, stating that you really must go to the Curly Purly website to see how beautiful and trim this soaker truly is, as I am a beginning knitter.  In stating that I’m a beginner, I’m also adding a disclaimer that it really shouldn’t take you the month or so it took me to knit this!  To be completely honest, I took a lot of breaks, mostly from making silly mistakes…and not catching them until hours of knitting later.  After having to unravel hours of knitting, multiple times, my frustration level was such that I had to put my knitting down and walk away.

I am, however, determined to have my son wearing lots of wool this summer, so I perservered.  While I have  the other soaker that I knitted, it’s way too big.  But, I have my Little Fawn Organics soaker, a Living Green Baby fleece soaker (I’ll talk about this one soon), this newly-knitted one, an adorable pair of wool shorties ordered from Squishable Baby, and plan to try my hand at sewing some upcycled wool soakers in the next few weeks.  Here is the finished product on Declan:

A little big, but that makes all of the trial and errors worth it, as he’ll get more wear out of it.  It really is a hot mess to look at close up, but I’m still proud that I stuck with it, and have an incredible sense of accomplishment.

I will note that I am not a great knitter, so this soaker can easily be made over the course of a week of knitting in the evenings.  I really love the patience knitting teaches me, and this project was a HUGE lesson in patience!  Also, the more mistakes I make, the more I learn.  However, my next project is going to be a super easy one, as I need a break and I need a project without a ton of instructions and techniques!

Geffen Baby Jersey Prefold Review

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* I received a free product in exchange for my review.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

My diaper stash consists primarily of unbleached cotton prefolds, now that I’ve finally unloaded my pocket diapers (I just couldn’t force myself to like them).  I’m unable to have a clothesline, so I dry my diapers in the dryer.  If you’ve ever felt material in natural fibers, it tends to be a little rough and scratchy, even when using dryer balls to soften fabrics.  Needless to say, when I had the opportunity to try one of Geffen Baby’s Jersey  prefolds, I jumped at the chance because a.) it was a Geffen Baby prefold (and I’d heard great things about their diapers), and b.) the prefold was in a fabric I’d never tried in diapering.

At around 21 pounds, D is at an in-between size with many prefold manufacturers, so we sized up and were sent a M/L to try.  Once I tore open the packaging, I was astounded by how unbelievably soft this prefold was.  Before seasoning, the Jersey Prefold measured 18 1/2 inches in length.  After seasoning, the prefold shrunk to approximately 17 1/4 inches in length.  Being a little on the long side for
Declan’s current size, I use a combination of a newspaper fold and bikini twist when diapering him.  Paired with how trim this diaper is to begin with, it almost looks as though D has a disposable diaper on!

Made from four layers of 60% Hemp and 40% Organic Cotton, Geffen Baby Jersey Prefolds are super trim, as far as prefolds go.  I have to be honest and admit that I really doubted the absorbency of this diaper, once I felt the layers comprising the prefold.

I typically change D’s diaper every two hours, but I left the Geffen Baby on for three hours to really put it to the test.  What I found was an incredibly absorbent diaper!  Whereas Declan was typically soaked in the front of the diaper (in his regular cotton prefolds), the jersey prefold had plenty of dry area to spare.  I’d heard wonderful things about hemp, and this diaper definitely proves how absorbent a fiber hemp is.  If I used cloth at night (little guy’s skin is just too sensitive for overnight cloth), the Geffen Baby Jersey Prefold would definitely be one of my go-to diapers for 12+ hours of wear.

If you’re anything like me, you put a more absorbent diaper on your kiddo when you’re setting out to run errands (please tell me I’m not the only person who does this).  I will typically put on a bulky toddler diaper to ensure a.) that I won’t have to change a diaper while out (unless #2 is involved), and b.) that there won’t be an accidental leak.  The Geffen Baby Jersey Prefold has now earned errand-running status!
In a nutshell, this diaper is unbelievably soft on your little one’s bum, without trading absorbency for comfort.  I would definitely recommend the jersey prefold, with 60% hemp, for both day and nighttime diapering.

Made here in the USA, you can definitely feel good about purchasing Geffen Baby products.  For more information about Geffen Baby’s full line of products, you can visit their website here.  Use social media frequently?  Check out Geffen Baby on Facebook and Twitter.