cloth diapers

so most of you know how much i love cloth diapers.

i love them a lot.

more than a lot.

i love them so much i have to ground myself from buying more.

and my husband has asked more than once if "we have enough diapers yet"

we don't. well we do but….

they are so cute and fun and easy and even though we have tons (40ish to be exact… oops)

we are still saving money. and no matter how many diapers i buy that makes evan happy!

when we decided to use cloth diapers, before eleanor was even born i chose a brand i researched, and i thought they were the best option. they were $20 a pop. they're great, and we still use them but since then we (and by we i mean i) have discovered there are way cheaper options. now some people don't like these cheaper diapers…. because, well they're cheap. and made in china and yada yada yada  but i LOVE them.

they work just as great as our $20 diapers. and some i even like better.

and they cost $5 or less!

i mean seriously. they poop in these things so i figure why spend $20 when i can spend $5 and get four times as many :) and they work just as well.

my favorite inexpensive brand is alva.

i've also discovered if you use pocket diapers(which we do) the inserts are the most important part.

A pocket diaper has a waterproof outer layer and a microfleece or suedecloth inner layer. you place an absorbent insert in between the 2 layers(like a pocket) to draw moisture away from baby's skin.

my favorite inserts are blend. microfiber and bamboo.

one of the things about cloth is you can't use regular laundry detergent. you have to use cloth diaper safe detergent. there are things in regular detergent that make the fabrics in cloth diapers waterproof and that leads to leaking which is not good!

so i've done some research and started making my own cloth diaper detergent. i've been using it for a few months now and love it. it works great. is easy to make and way more cost effective. so heres that.

• 1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
• 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
• 1/2 cup of OxiClean Free or “Baby”

you can make a larger batch if you want… i got the recipe here 

i know cloth is a little more work but i truly love it and will do it with all of my children. 

its the best!

if you're on the fence about cloth 

please DO IT!

its so great and good for the environment and your pocket book, not to mention the baby. no chemicals from what ever gels up the disposables and babies in cloth potty train quicker than disposables!! (i've been told, will let you know when we get there)

oh and they're freaking cute.

hope this helps sway you!