“I don’t have time to cloth diaper”

I hear that all the time. But honestly, who has the time to do anything when you have kids? I believe we make the time for the things that are important to us. I have very little extra time. My husband and I both work full time and I go to school as well. We have a daughter who is 9 months old and she has been in cloth diapers for about 5 months.

Let me tell you how we began our cloth diapering journey. My best friend and I got pregnant at the same time and our daughters are a day apart. We are as different as they come. I never planned on using cloth…I was disposables all the way. It’s all I knew. She planned on using cloth from day one. She is my little tree hugger and I love her dearly! And I thought she was nuts! She tried to tell me about them and I would amuse her but never really paid that close attention. When our little ones were born I notice how her routine wasn’t really all that different than mine. I started asking questions and listening to how it works. I went to Cotton Babies website all the time. I thought about how cute they were and I considered it but I was one of those who said that I don’t have the time. Then my little one started getting diaper rash everyday at daycare. It would clear up on the weekends and come back during the week. But my bestie’s daughter rarely got a rash. That was it. My mind was made up. I was going cloth. I was nervous and worried that I wasn’t going to like it and waste all the money I was investing. I cleared it with my daycare and they were totally supportive. My husband was supportive (he even suggested it when we were pregnant). I called my best friend everyday asking questions. She was my Yoda of cloth diapering.

You never know who cloth diapers until you mention it on Facebook. I posted one day that I was considering switching and all the cloth diapering parents popped out and encouraged me to do it. High school classmates that I would have never thought. Other than my best friend, I know at least 5 people that already cloth diaper and 3-4 that are considering it when they have kids. Cloth is making a HUGE come back and it’s because it’s so stinking easy!

My stash. I decided to go with BumGenius because that is what my friend was using and they seemed so easy. I use the 4.0s with snaps and I love them. I started with 12 diapers. I had to wash them every night. Once I got the routine down it was easy. Now I have 25 and I wash them every other day. But I want one of each color…I am lacking 4. I am always thinking about what color to get next…I can't help it! I need a fluff intervention!

My routine. In the morning, after I get ready for work, I fold the diapers as I watch the news and drink my coffee. I normally only fold what I send to daycare each day. I send 8 diapers but she normally goes through about 5-6.

When I get home from in the evenings I empty her wetbag. I spray off the poo and separate the covers (which are a pocket style) and the inserts so that all I have to do is dump the entire pale in the wash when I am washing.

On days I wash, I start them once I get home. I start the pre-wash and once the pre-wash is done (around 30 minutes) I start the wash cycle. After that, I do an extra rinse. I leave the covers to hang dry over night and I tumble dry the inserts. In the morning, they are ready to be folded.

It may sound very time consuming but it’s not. The majority of the time is taken up by the washing process. While the machine is running I am feeding my mini-me, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen and studying….and playing with my baby girl. Wow! Now that I write that, I see that I am a busy bee! It helps to do all that when I have a husband like mine. I couldn’t do it without him….I’ve tried cooking dinner before he gets home and it’s impossible when I have a tiny little human latched onto my leg holding on for dear life! He knows all about how to wash the diapers properly and he is learning how to stuff them. He hates spraying poo but he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. I know right! I scored the perfect man!

A lot of people now think I am nuts. Why would I add one more thing to my already large list of things to do? I would love to say it’s because I love a challenge (which I do!) but, really, it’s because I love my baby’s butt! I want to keep it as healthy as possible. No toxins, no harsh chemicals. Her sensitive skin is safe in her BumGenius. I have to say that I am surprising quite a few people. My sister thought I would give it up but she now sees how determined I am to make it work. I love talking to people about it when they ask. I tell them how easy it is and show them the diapers. They are surprised to see how it is so much more advanced than the system from back in the day. I am proud to say that my baby is a CottonBaby!


Hi, my name is Wendy and I am a fluff addict!!!!