Wash setting: NORMAL/COTTON

Water Temp: HOT/COLD

on the side “extra” buttons, I use the PREWASH, EXTRA RINSE & WATER PLUS options

To dry: SPEED DRY set to LOW heat for 50 minutes. I try to dry them outside when I can. The sun bleaches the diapers better than any chemicals can!

A few notes on the above…you always want to wash hot & rinse cold. I do a prewash to rinse the diapers of urine & poop. I do an extra rinse to be sure nothing is left in them after the wash cycle has run with soap, as it is the soap that causes unpleasant odors if it builds up. I use the water plus option because if you do the math, you need a lot of water to counter the amount of pee that is in there. Most front loaders do not use enough water to effectively wash your diapers in clean liquid.

I follow with a TUBCLEAN with bleach when I feel the washer is smelling funky. Which is every couple of  weeks or so.

Once we began solids, I began using flushable liners. These resemble a dryer sheet & get placed between the baby & the diaper. THESE ARE AWESOME. I will use them sooner next time. Following a poop, I simply lift (or dump) out the mess & flush it down the toilet. I unstuff the diaper & throw it in the bag to be washed. Solid foods actually made cloth diapering easier, as the output from solids is easier to dispose of. I have no experience with jarred baby food output, but since I am making all my own baby food, I can directly alter the consistency of her stools by choosing what to feed her at each meal. This certainly makes it easier on me. I still haven’t switched to cloth wipes and don’t intend to. If anything missed the liner, I just wipe it with the used wipes & throw them away, or use toilet paper & flush it. Check this video out for the full visual: FuzziBunz Diapers + Flushable Liners.

WHAT DO YOU WASH THEM WITH?

CDs cannot be washed with “regular” laundry detergent. Many leave behind buildup that causes the diapers to stink, as they do not rinse clean. What you’ve got to watch out for are enzymes, fabric softeners, brighteners, scents & dyes. The soap you use should not contain any of these. I began using Country Save, which can be found at any military commissary for dirt cheap, and also at some grocery stores. I have also used Charlie’s with so-so results. My diapers seemed to not get as clean with Charlies, but this may be user error, as I don’t think I was using enough soap during my short stint with Charlie’s. Following a stink problem using Country Save, I have recently switched to Rockin’ Green & have been VERY VERY pleased with the results. For a wonderful resource on diapering detergents, see this chart. However, they do not review Rockin’ Green, which is my favorite so far. Rockin’ Green sells samples for 75¢ so you can try before you commit to a whole bag, since diaper detergent lasts forever! I took one of the samples & “rocked a soak” which means I put every diaper I owned in the bathtub with a packet of soap & hot water & soaked overnight. After a full wash, my diapers had never been softer, whiter or smelled better. I adore this stuff, so check them out!! Questions are answered directly by the owner, Kim, on their Facebook Page. Added bonus for San Antonians, their store front is in the Alamo Ranch area, so literally, she is right up the street!! I love supporting local business!

Also important to note, is the use of diaper rash creams or powder. Hopefully, you will never experience a diaper rash, which is one major perk of using cloth diapers. Fuzzi Bunz claims that babies who wear their brand experience fewer diaper rashes, and I have to agree, as we have never experienced it in our house. Creams should not come in contact directly with the fleece as it can cause repelling and problems with absorption. What I have done when my daughter has looked a little red, is spread a little Aquaphor on the affected area which is covered by the flushable liner, which acts as a barrier from the fleece. This has treated the problem overnight everytime. Powders are just unnecessary. For more FAQs, head to the FuzziBunz FAQ Page.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR “SYSTEM”

This was my biggest question before I started. I couldn’t wrap my head around how to store them until I washed them. So here is my system:

I have two locations for dirty diapers because I have a two story house. Downstairs in my laundry room I have a plastic bin on a shelf above my w/d to catch any dirties from downstairs changes or from when we were out & about. I also use it if one happens not to wash totally clean & I have to wash it again. Upstairs in my daughter’s room I have rigged my system to be hidden in a woven wood hamper. I use the FB In and Out Mess Free Diaper Bag to store the dirty diapers. I have two of these, as one is usually dirty and one is clean. I love it because it zips open at the bottom & all I have to do is unzip it & throw it in the wash–no touching of dirty diapers necessary. My plastic bin allows for the same thing–dump & wash, keeping my hands clean.

When I am out & about, I always carry a FB Zippered Diaper Tote in my diaper bag for the dirties. Before I throw a dirty diaper in it, I always unstuff it, so all I have to do is fold the bag inside out for washing. Easy as pie.

Wipes get thrown in the trash. Liners get flushed. Poop is where it should be…down the toilet not sitting in the landfills.

HOW MANY DO YOU NEED?

Honestly, it depends on how often you want to do diapers. I could get by on 12. If I wanted to. But I don’t want to do laundry that often. Until recently, I had been just fine with 19. I bought one to try before I committed, then FB ran a promotion that gave me $40 of free merchandise with the purchase of 9 diapers. I then bought two sets & used the $80 in free product to get the bags & totes for my system. I recently purchased three more. Only reason: NEW COLORS! They were super cute. Not a very good reason, but I bought them anyway. (bought the new colors locally @ Bloom Maternity) So now, I have 22. I do laundry every other or every third day.

And now, for some eye candy…I opted to leave them all large, because I think it is important that you see as much detail as possible if you have never seen one in real life!

[this is the FuzziBunz One Size in the brand new 2010 color Crushed Berry]

[these are the snaps you use to achieve the perfect fit. you are looking at the front of the diaper. there are waist snaps on the top row & hip snaps on the bottom row, assuming you are viewing the diaper right side up]

[each diaper comes with a small pad insert & a large pad insert plus an extra set of elastics. I have yet to need the replacement elastics.]

[this is the tush end of the diaper]

[cotton pads, large & small. I used the small when my daughter was a newborn. now I only use the small size when I double stuff her at night.]

[this is the button & elastic sizing system that makes these "one size" so you can adjust them with the growth of your child. I love that you can get them to fit perfectly with the proper adjustments. this is very similar to many maternity pants sizing systems that grow with you.]

[soft as can be!!!]

[the sizing system is numbered so you achieve consistency through out your entire set of diapers. I have only re-sized mine twice, so it's not like you have to do it all the time.]

[this is the waist button & elastic, so you can get the perfect waist fit, on newborns through toddlers. if you are having problems with leaking, before blaming the diapers, be sure your sizing is right. It does need to be pretty snug. I credit this waist sizer for my zero blowout record.]

[this is how you "stuff" the diapers. Cotton pad goes in & you tuck the fleece under the pad, under the cinched waist. If you experience leaks in the waist, be sure the fleece is tucked. more in the video on that. you can also see the coating on the diaper in this shot. be sure to watch the video for tips on easy stuffing technique, since it is kind of sticky.]

[I also put together a tutorial video so you could see the diapers in action. please use the comments section if you have any questions about cloth diapering, or anything else discussed here. I will follow this post up with  Q&A if there is enough interest!! I would also love any tidbits of wisdom, if you happen to be a CDer yourself! there are all sorts of tricks out there & I'd love to know yours! do tell!]