fluffy bottom {fleece}

i keep getting deeper and deeper into my adventures of cloth diapering little man. i have learned so much over the last 8 months. a far cry from where we started with prefolds & pocket diapers. thanks to being on several cloth diaper boards, i have learned about this whole new world. things i would have never known if it were not for so many wonderful mamas sharing what they know with me. because of them i jumped ship and ran to fleece. yes fleece! and i am in love.

my very first piece of fleece for sammy was a custom fleece soaker (diaper cover). i had to get it because it was a police print and she cut it so the police car would be centered on the booty.

why fleece?
fleece is an extremely breathable material and is water resistant. these two reasons together help reduce diaper rash from your little one sitting in a wet diaper too long, especially from wearing over night. fleece is a really durable material as well. it is great for your on the move child. also so many cute fabrics to pick from. fleece is an inexpensive fabric which helps making fleece a cheaper option for cloth diaper covers.

how is fleece used?
fleece is used as a cover over top of a prefold or a fitted diaper. it can also be used over any cloth or disposable diaper for extra protection from leaks. fleece naturally breaths which will allow for the moisture to escape verses being locked in like a PUL cover. fleece may have leaks after extended time covering a soaked diaper and being sat or laid on. for us, if anything his sheet may feel a little damp in the morning but there is no wet spot. you do not want to put other clothing over fleece. fleece is intended to be worn as the bottoms for the outfit.

does any fleece work?
any polyester fleece should work. i mainly use blizzard or anti-pill fleece in my soakers, longies and shorties. yes that means technically if your child has a fleece sleeper or fleece pants from the store they will work in the same way.

soaker, longies & shortis?
a soaker is like the one pictured about. they are a a diaper cover. typically have an extra layer of fleece sewn in the wet zone area to give more protection as well. longies are pants and shorties are shorts. longies and shorties typically have a sling style double layer for wet zone protection. they all function the same. they also do not have to be a perfect fit. we have several soakers that are a size too big and they still work great.

do i have to special wash fleece?
no! fleece does not require special detergent or even being washed separate with your diaper laundry. the opposite is actually the best. wash with your normal loads of wash. the use of regular detergent, fabric softener or dryer sheets all help in making fleece that much more "waterproof" or helps to repel the moisture from soaking through the fleece. 

needless to say we are addicted to fleece! after purchasing my first soaker and loving it, i decided to start making my own. which now has lead to me starting to sell them!

 

 

i plan to start making more longies and shorties now that it is getting cooler out. i love longies for nighttime use, since they are his pj bottoms.

 

please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have about fleece or cloth diapering in general. i will gladly try to answer all questions the best i can!

fluffy bottom {seven month update}

hard to believe our little six pound, ten ounce baby is now seven months old. not only is he 7 months old, but he is a whopping eighteen pounds! which means he has officially outgrown the majority of the cloth diapers we started with. do not fear, we have plenty of diapers for the little man still. i may or may not have a very tiny addiction to buying cloth diapers. especially ones with really cute boy prints, such as anything police related. just maybe. as you are probably guessing my original stash has exploded and grown over the last six months and you would be absolutely correct to assume such things.

my original stash. 36 prefolds (all not pictured), 6 thirsties covers (not pictured) & 7 daddy friendly diapers (two thirsties, 1 fuzzibunz, 1 bum genius & 3 bumkins).  of these original diapers only the fuzzibunz and the bumkin diapers still fit our growing little marshmallow. so as you can see, i needed to expand our modest stash.

so what does our stash look like these days?

all the above plus 3 pocket diapers and a pair of fleece longies (pants).

holy cow! where did all those diapers come from?

i admitted i might have a small addiction. they are so cute and awesome. i mean who would not want their child to have the cutest bum in town. well lucky for our bank account the majority of our diapers were bought at a very reasonable cost. thanks to co-ops and buying used.

yes. i said used. it is a fairly common practice to buy used diapers. they are clean and i clean them when i get them. great way to cloth diaper and save even more. especially when building a stash of daddy friendly diapers, which can become costly quickly.

so the big question, how much did this new stash set up cost?
under $250. so in all i have spent well under $500 since we began cloth diapering for everything needed to cloth diaper.

well i am pretty much set now for the long haul. i do not need to buy any diapers, but i do want to expand his fitteds further. i really like them for night time. i am thinking i would like to try and sew a few of my own. i also plan to continue to make fleece soakers, longies and shorties. over all the months to come should be less and less in spending. i can also start to sell the diapers we like less.

fluffy bottom {the fitted}

i am in love with fitted diapers. i only have two currently, but plan to grow this portion of our 'stash.'

what is a fitted?
it is a completely absorbent diaper made of several various layers of absorbent fabrics. usually a really cute print for the outer layer, which is normally a knit fabric or high quality woven. the other layers may include organic bamboo velour or cotton velour, bamboo fleece and stretch fleece. fitteds are extremely absorbent, so the perfect nighttime solution. a good fitted will take several hours to become wet all the way through.

what makes them so absorbent?
they have a 'soaker sandwich' in the inside of the diaper. the soakers are extra layers of absorbent materials.

are these waterproof?
no. you need to use a cover with fitteds, since they do not have a waterproof layer incorporated in them.

what do you put over them?
you can use a PUL cover, fleece or wool over your fitted. or you can let your child run free in the fitted only. great when older. allows your child's behind to breath a little. personally i have been using mainly fleece over my fitteds. a much more breathable option for a cover than a PUL cover offers.

twinkie tush fitted diaper.

 outside of the fitted. the cute print. this one is a knit fabric.

 inside of the fitted without the soakers added.

 this one shows the soaker sandwich. in the end has three layers of the soaker. the soakers snap in.

 this shows it folded down with how it goes on the booty.

 just with the long soaker. when folded down gives two layers.

 or you can use just the single layer soaker for daytime use or a light wetter. less bulky look.

honestly anyway it is worn. who can resist this cute fluffy butt?!

fluffy bottom {AI2}

i finally got my first AI2 (all-in-two) diaper. in my opinion it is a cross between an all-in-one (AIO)and a pocket... or maybe a mix between a AIO and using a cover & prefold. well either way it is a little bit different in the way it is set up. from the outside it looks just like the pocket or AIO diapers. this one is a one size (OS) diaper, meaning it will fit from approximately 8lbs to 35lbs. give or take a few pounds. i thought it was a cute boy diaper and for the used price of $9, i figured why not give it a try. this is also a WAHM (work from home mom) diaper. meaning it is a homemade diaper of sorts. usually a small production. this one is a howler monkey bums.

 so from the outside it looks no different from any other cloth diaper. but the inside is what is different.

 the absorbent insert lays on top and snaps into place. this one has a long snake style insert.

 so to set it up for use. you snap the insert in place. fold the insert where the blue meets the white.

 take the fold to the top of the diaper and lay flat.

 take the tail and fold it under. lay flat in diaper cover.

 place diaper under baby.

 and snap on like any other diaper. check to make sure the fit is good so no leaks occur.

it fits a little bulky. more so than the pockets or AIOs, but it seems to absorb really well thanks to the extra layering of the insert.

this is just one style of the AI2 diaper. there are several set-ups with the inserts in how they lay in the diaper. however, with the AI2 diapers the insert always lays on top.

so far i like this diaper and may look into getting some more AI2 diapers. i am also enjoying learning about the world of WAHM diapers. my next thought is ... i can totally make this.... and i really want to try.

fluffy bottom {saved again}

i am loving cloth diapers. the number one reason. i have never had to change little man's clothing because of a blow out. in the two weeks we used disposables at the beginning i changed his clothing two to three times a day thanks to leak and blowout issues. while we've had a little bit of leaks with the pocket diapers (which was because of fit issues), we have never had a full on blowout ever! and it not because little man doesn't have explosive poos because he does!

yes he was a mess, but he got to keep the same onesie on! and the prefold and the cover just got tossed in with all the other dirty diapers to be washed later.

fluffy bottom {the pocket}

the pocket diaper is the core of our 'daddy stash' or our daddy friendly diapers. i have a specific daddy stash bin to make it easier on hubby when he is doing a diaper change. he just has to pull from there (& sometimes add an extra insert) when changing little man. i take care of everything else.

the current stash consists of (left to right) one go green, two kawaii, one happy heiny's, two fuzzibunz, three bumkins & two thirsties (only one pictured). and the bin also contains a stack of various extra inserts.

pockets are as easy to put on as any disposable diaper, but require a little prep before using. inserting an absorbent insert into the pocket on the diaper. i am still figuring out which brands fit little man the best, so we have a handful of different ones.

clockwise starting at the 12 o'clock position: fuzzibunz size small, kawaii one size (OS), happy heiny's OS, go green OS, fuzzibunz OS, thirsties size one & in the middle bumkins OS
{one size diapers typically fit from 9lbs to 30+lbs. most will fit through potty training.}

every diaper is a little different looking and with that fits a little differently. after having played with various brands, i would recommend not buying all one brand of diaper to start. that brand might not be the best fit on your child. we are still testing each of these to see what works with little man as he grows and the best fitting diaper may change as he grows as well. i picked up most of these on sale or used. typically pocket diapers run $10 - $25. some are more, some are less, just depends on the brand and style. it may seem expensive, but remember you use that same diaper pretty much till they are potty trained. if you have a stash that consists only of pocket diapers you are looking at wanting to invest in at least 24 diapers, but i would recommend 36. if you do 30 diapers at $20 a piece (which is on the high end in my opinion) you are looking at $600. that is really all you need to spend. the issue is all the cute prints. it is so hard to keep from wanting to buy more.
{prefold cost : $2/prefold. $5-$20/cover. so 36 prefolds is $72, plus 6 covers at $15 is $90. so about $162 for a prefold set-up. which is pretty close to what we spent for ours visit my post on prefolds for more info about them.fluffy bottom {the prefold}}
every pocket diaper has a pocket that needs to be stuffed with an insert before being used. there are several inserts you can use. i do not even begin to have all the various options. typically pocket diapers are sold with an insert or two and may have an option for a hemp or bamboo insert instead of the standard microfiber insert. hemp and bamboo are trimmer and just as absorbent. i have purchased extra inserts to use as well.

clockwise starting from upper left corner: microfiber inserts that came with the diapers. thirsties duo hemp prefold. bumkins unbleached cotton prefold.

so what is this talk about 'stuffing the pocket'?

a pocket diaper has a pocket to put the inset in, or the place to put the absorbent material.

this one has two openings for the pocket, which makes it easier to insert and remove.

 you slide the insert into the pocket. this one only has one opening, not two.

you can also stuff it with a tri-folded prefold.

what is a trifold?

basically folding the prefold into thirds.

got my prefold all ready, how do i use it?

it is simple. just like putting on a regular disposable diaper.

1. lay the diaper flat under baby's tush.

2. fold the front over baby.

3. this one has snaps. (some have velcro or 'hook & loop' just like the cover i used in the prefold post.) pull the snap over on one side so it it tight.

4. pull the flap over on the other side and snap in place.

5. i do the leg snaps next, making sure they are secure around little man's legs. ensuring no leaks.

6. diaper in place. yes my little man has a muffin top. way too cute on my little chunky monkey.

7. check the fit around the legs.

pockets are a little trimmer looking than the prefold with a cover. at least when you only have one insert in the pocket. you can add 1-2 more inserts to help with heavy wetting or overnight to keep from diaper getting completely saturated, which can lead to leaks.


who doesn't love a fluffy butt??

fluffy bottom {the prefold}

in my process of deciding about cloth diapers i did a lot of searching for information about how to use the various types. there really is a lot of great resources out there to help with this journey. it also really helped me to get some hands on at our local store. got to see and try them out on a teddy bear. after all is said and done, my go to diaper is a prefold and a thirsties cover. in all honesty as easy as the pockets are to use, i really prefer to use my two step diaper instead. i have never had a leak using this method, where we have had a couple leaks with the pocket diapers. i think there may be some fit issues with our pockets. as little man grows, they should fit better. for now they are the daddy friendly diaper, until hubby gets good at changing the prefold.

so i got my prefold, snappi & cover (and my little one), how do i put all this on him?

i currently use the angel wing folding method. i will explain other methods as i use them in the future,

1. place prefold under child. because little man is still so little i have to fold down the prefold so it is not so long on him. i put the fold against his back. adjust as your child grows.

 2. fold the front of the prefold, the two edges meeting in the middle.

 3. fold the front over baby.

 4. fan out the front so the prefold covers the front of him and the back corners will overlap.

 5. pull one backside corner over the front side.

 6. hook snappi into the flap and pull across him.

 7. pull opposite backside over the front and hook with snappi. there should be tension on the snappi.

 8. pull down the lower hook of the snappi while pulling up on the center top portion and hook snappi into the diaper. again, it should have tension. the snappi should make a "Y".

 9. grab cover & place under child.

 10. fold front of cover over child.

 11. pull flaps tight over the front and secure.

 12. check your cover. all cloth should be covered. none should show, period.

 13. check the other side. oops, this side has cloth showing. adjust the covers flap to cover the cloth.

 14. recheck your work. no more cloth showing.

 15. ready to go!

so the clean one is on, what do i do with the dirty one?
i have a few ways of dealing with this. upstairs in little mans room i use a diaper pail. more specifically i have a diaper champ. love my diaper champ. the best thing about it is that you can use regular trash bags in it.

so i take the prefold, whether wet or dirty, and just put it directly in the pail. yup, that is all i do. if the poop is a little more on the solid side, i might shake it in the toilet before putting in the pail. for now this is all i need to do. both breast milk and formula are water soluble and do not require you to do anything prior to throwing in the washer. once they start eating solids, they require a little more prep prior to washing.

typically i can just rotate the cover. i wipe it out and lay it to dry for the next change. if poop happens to get on it, i throw it in the diaper pail as well. i wash my covers about once a week to twice a week in general.

downstairs, i have my large wet bag hanging from my pack-n-play. i just put the dirty diaper in the wet bag.

how do i wash my dirty diapers?
once i begin to run low on diapers, which for me it is about every other to every third day, i have to run a load of the dirty diapers. i take my trash bag out of the diaper pail, grab my wet bad and bring them to the laundry room. i dump all the prefolds and covers in the washer. and if the wet bag needs it, i throw that in too. just turn it inside out first. i set the temp to hot wash. i first run a rinse cycle, with no detergent. once the rinse cycle is done, i add my rockin green detergent (about 1 tablespoon of detergent) and run a full wash cycle. i separate out the covers and hang them to dry. drying them in the dryer can cause them to wear out. take the wet bag out too. i then throw all the cloth prefolds in the dryer on high heat at the most dry setting. i only dry my prefolds in the dryer, everything else i line dry. once dry, they are ready for use.

every person i talk to has their own system for diapering. this is just what i have found works for me. there are many ways to do everything involving cloth diapers. find what works for you and go with it.