March 1, 2008

BumGenius Owes Me Money

For all the people I've talked into switching to cloth diapers I should be charging some kind of finders fee! Okay, so I DO get a lot of satisfaction from bringing people over to the cloth side, and I DO believe I'm making the world a better place, but I sure wouldn't mind the occasional free diaper, BG! *wink, wink* I wrote an email a while ago detailing all that I've learned from my booty-wrapping experiences and send it out to everyone that asks. For any interested, here is a chunk of it:

To start off, the main reason I went with BumGenius over another brand is because they have a one-size adjustable diaper that fits from 8-35 lbs.

Here is the link to where I buy my diapers. I have 20 diapers, which is the perfect amount for me because I'll be doing laundry every 3 days and have a few to keep in the diaper bag all the time. And to be honest, you HAVE to do laundry every few days or else plug your nose when you put those things in the washer! After I started Erich on milk, his wet diapers began to smell like ammonia after a few days, but I bleach the inserts occasionally to keep the smell down.

For nighttime I use these as inserts instead of the ones that come with the diapers. I have 3. They're bulky but really absorbent.

And I place these in the diaper to catch poo (then I flush it). (Fyi, if there is a REALLY bad blowout I shake the diaper in the toilet for a few secs before putting it in the laundry.)

And I have one of these in a trash can with a lid.

I keep one of these wet bags in the diaper bag and wash it with the diapers:

My trash can is in a cupboard thing that mom made me. I just blot tea tree oil on a fabric swatch already in the bag. It keeps any smell in really well.

For laundry, I do 2 cycles, the first is cold/cold, to break up stains, and the second hot/cold. For detergent I use Purex Free n' Clear. You have to use something w/o any frangrances, softeners or additives because they leave a coating on the diapers and make them less absorbent. (A friend of mine throws vinegar in every couple cycles to remove any traces of that, but I haven't had a problems with my detergent.) This also means you can't use any fabric sheets in the dryer.
Well, there you have it, an unsolicited taste of my Diapering Diaries, as I so fondly call them. If anyone is interesting in the whole thing, just let me know! And make sure to tell me if you switch to BG because of my advice; it will help me to plead my case for a free diaper. :)

4 comments:

Rob and Jewls said...

What made you choose cloth in the first place? Just curious. They look way different from the ones my mom used on me. -Julie

Marc said...

Not all that often you get to save money and save the world in one fell swoop.

Morris Family said...

OK- so you sound pretty convincing- I just may have to switch to cloth when baby #3 arrives- for now, I'm just glad I don't have to worry about diapers for the next few months.

melbo said...

Marc said it, Julie. The reasons are economical and environmental. We spent about $400 in diapers and supplies, and never have to buy more, at least through the next kid. It saved us so much money and feels better to know I'm not dumping more plastic into the landfills.