Cloth Diapers: The Latest Addition to My Must Have List

Two weeks ago (Friday) I was getting She Nut ready for bed when I realized that I forgot to buy diapers for her. OK, no problem, I have a whole stash of cloth diapers & diaper wraps and I can use them for bit until I can get to the store. We made it through the night, and the next day, and the day after that.

Two weeks later and I am still using cloth diapers. I have already saved over $30! Really! That totally rocks my world.

When my oldest was born 8 years ago I was given some used diaper wraps and I bought a few and those are the ones that I am still using. I used cloth diapers for him quite a bit for the first 8 months, but I always had disposables too. We didn’t have a washer and dryer, and washing diapers in the tub and letting them dry out was not something I cared to do more than a few days a week. By the time we had our second babe, I had a washer & dryer, but used the cloth diapers about 1/2 as much as I did with my first. And when we had our third, I used it about 1/2 as much as with my second and saved them for emergencies. With Owee we had so much going on that I didn’t even bother except for when I realized that we were out.

I guess along the way I gave some of the wraps away, but I still have quite a few. I am washing a small load in the morning and then another in the evening. She Nut had a wicked rash for weeks that I could just not get rid of. It was terrible! She cried every time I changed her diaper. I was just wiping her with a wet paper towel and washing her in the sink during every diaper change. We tried all sorts of things and nothing worked. They all seemed to help at first and then it would just flair up again. The night we ran out of diapers, I remembered how the same thing would happen to both Wing Nut and E Nut and that both of them had relief from the cloth diapers. Within one day her rash improved so much that she didn’t even cry. Within a few days the rash was completely gone. By that time I was counting up my savings and really considering going strictly cloth.

I had a few appointments and figured that if I could make it out of the house with all or most of the little Nuts while She Nut was in a cloth diaper and make it through the day that I could handle it and I would buy some more wraps. I was shocked, SHOCKED at how much cloth diaper wraps are! I understand the investment, but when one diaper costs more than a case of diapers, I found it very hard to commit to cloth diapering any more than the handful that I had, sized small and medium. She is already starting to outgrow some of them and when she is down to only 3 that fit her, there is no way I can wash them every time she wears them.

So I started looking for used, clearanced or on sale diapers or wraps. All of the sales, I mean the really good deals that I find affordable, seem to be out of stock. I have checked dozens of websites and it is amazing how quickly the sales go. I spent a week on eBay and Etsy looking for used or affordable mom made diaper wraps, and still didn’t find anything in my price range. Last night I came across a site that had some great diapers clearanced down to $8.50! I was so excited. They were the One Size kind that She Nut could use from now until she is done potty training. I almost bought them last night, but I couldn’t decide how many to buy, so I put it off until today. I figured for that price I could only afford to get 2 of them and that would have to be it. I was so bummed to go back to that site today to find that they were gone!

So here I am once again searching for affordable cloth diaper wraps. I wish I was getting paid by the hour to look for these things, I would be able to afford them!

This time around, cloth diapering is so much easier. Now that we have the washer and dryer I have no trouble keeping them from getting stained. She seems so much more comfortable than when she was wearing disposables. I still have a few more weeks before she outgrows a couple of these, so hopefully I will be able to find some before then. My newest search has lead me to start looking into used diaper wraps, and even those are expensive. I have now made a commitment to use these, I love using them. I love the fact that I don’t have to run out at the last minute when I realize we are out of diapers. I love that her rash is gone. I love that we have the potential to save tons of money. I must have these!

I am getting ready to start the big change of seasons clothing swap, so hopefully I will find a few more wraps stored in a box somewhere. I used to have so many more, I can’t believe I gave them away! What was I thinking…I guess I didn’t know what a gold mine I had.