My Cloth Diapering Journey Part 4: Various Diaper Sizes and an Update...

With a new baby coming very soon, I've got diapers on my mind. Cloth diapers to be exact. Here are my other "journey" posts related to cloth diapers: Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 5/Part 6

Update on current cloth use: We're not using cloth diapers much these days, only occasionally at naptime. I attempted potty training when Hunter was around 14 months because I started having a problem with ammonia build-up on his nighttime diapers. I could NOT get those diapers to stay clean. I tried everything. Eventually, I used a product called RLR Laundry Treatment that really helped, but at that point I was so over cloth diapers. Unfortunately, Hunter wasn't so keen on using the potty for pee (by this time he was a champ with #2 in the potty, so at least I didn't have to deal with poopy diapers).

I put up with the ammonia thing as best as I could up until when Hunter was around 18 months -- that's when I switched over to disposable diapers. Hunter was starting to get ammonia burns from the cloth diapers -- it was awful! Then school started when he was 20 months, and I tried potty training again the next month with no success. But at this point, we were 100% done with cloth and all aboard the 'sposie train. I did so for many reasons: the convenience, not wanting to send cloth diapers to school (and dealing with dirty ones coming back), and because we sold our house and would be moving into an apartment. We started out with Honest diapers, but by his second birthday, they were getting out-of-hand expensive, so we switched to the Huggies from Costco.

At 2.5 we picked up potty learning again with much more success. Hunter wears training undies during waking hours, cloth at naptime (only at home; just undies at school), and disposables at bedtime. Sometimes he wakes up with the cloth diaper dry, and sometimes it's just a little pee, so washing the diapers has been easy. I just toss them in with his clothes, which I wash every few days anyway.

As for what we plan to do with baby #2, we signed up for a diaper service. My friend owns one here in San Diego, and it seems to be the best option. Not one of us is too crazy about the whole process of washing diapers at home. The sprayer, the stinky wet bag, the many rinse cycles... ugh. So diaper service it is! Sadly, I have all these diapers that I bought and it seems a shame not to use them. I may use the larger sizes later if we ever decide to wash at home again, otherwise I will sell my stash.

It's possible to buy "one size" diapers that will last from the newborn stage to toddler age, but I never really liked that idea. I think it's trickier to clean and wash those diapers (especially spraying solids off of them into the toilet) and I just think sized diapers fit better. For anyone wondering what it's like to use sized diapers, here are the sizes and types I have and some details about when I used them:

1. Cloth-eez/GMD organic cotton prefold size Preemie

These are super tiny, and were the perfect size for Hunter for about 2 weeks. They did not go to waste, though, because I used them as a doubler at night starting when Hunter was around a year old.

2. Cloth-eez/GMD organic cotton prefold size Newborn

I used these from week 2 until about 2 months old. First I used them fastened with a Snappi, and then I just started folding them in thirds and laying them in the Thirsties PUL cover.

3. Cloth-eez/GMD organic cotton prefold size Small 

Same thing as previous size, I used these first fastened with a Snappi, but then Hunter started getting too "wide" for that method, so I continued to use them strictly "pinless" -- folding into thirds and laying in the Thirsties cover.

I decided against ordering Cloth-eez/GMD's next size up because after ordering one to try it out, I realized they were not wide enough to use fastened. They were also extremely too long for folding into thirds, so I went with the following diapers...

4. Dandelion Diapers "Pinless" red edge size 3

These are meant to be folded into thirds and placed in a cover, but I used them fastened. This size actually didn't last us very long because Hunter outgrew the width pretty quickly. Plus, they were only 3X6X3 ply, which doesn't offer much absorbency, so I had to add a booster/doubler to make them work for us -- such a pain. Even though they were not the best solution for our wide baby, I did eventually use them folded into thirds and still use them like that today for Hunter's naps.

5. Dandelion Diapers yellow edge size 2

These were sent on accident when what I wanted was the red edge, but the company said to just keep them. I never used them fastened because they were not wide enough, but I definitely used them folded up into thirds, especially when Hunter was older because they are nice and long.

6. Cloth-eez/GMD organic cotton prefold size Medium Wide Baby

I bought these when Hunter was around 7 months old. This size is what I should have bought all along after the Cloth-eez size smalls, but organic cotton was not available when I needed them. These are the diapers I was able to use fastened the longest, but again, Hunter outgrew the width.

I eventually gave up fastening the diapers and just stuck exclusively to folding the prefolds (the Cloth-eez size smalls and both the Dandelions) into thirds and laying them in PUL covers, except for the following fitted diapers which I used at night:

7. Cloth-eez/GMD organic cotton "Workhorse" size Medium 

Paired with a wool cover, I used these from age 7 months to 1 year or so.

8. Cloth-eez/GMD organic cotton "Workhorse" size Large

Paired with a wool cover, I used these from 1 year to around 18 months.

All Cloth-eez/GMD diapers I bought here and the Dandelions I bought on amazon.