cloth diapering

i am not a cloth diapering mother, but i always wanted to be. when i ran across miss josie's shop on etsy, "oh baby boutique", i almost changed my mind!! josie makes super cute, fun and environmentally friendly and healthy stuff for your kiddos...what more can you ask for?

josie is a very proud mother to her cute and adorable, 18 month old, bailey!

what's your most embarrassing mommy moment so far?
My most embarrassing mommy moment was probably any time I would try to nurse my baby somewhere and wanted to throw a blanket or nursing cover over her she would smile and rip it away and say "hi". hahaha, that was her first word at like 8 months!


when did you start using disposable diapers?
I started using reusable diapers because when I was pregnant I knew we were not going to have a lot of money. I started buying a pack of disposables every time I went to the store (ok maybe twice total...) and it blew me away how expensive they were! I knew there had to be a better way!

My mother in law used cloth pre-folds for her oldest child and thought I should give it a try. She bought me 3 packs of Gerber prefolds, some pins, and we set out looking for plastic pants to go over the pre-folds. We looked EVERYWHERE and could not find any, which lead me to the internet. Boy was I surprised to learn there was a whole new way to cloth diaper- who would have thought they would make some that LOOK like diapers! I knew I could make some myself and set off to try it out! I have been hooked ever since!

Once my daughter was born and about 2 months old we moved to a place where we didn't have some of the modern conveniences of life, and therefore had to ditch the clothies for a few weeks. I found that she was having 3-4 blowouts each day and it was SO frustrating! I got a good diaper cover and tried out the cloth again, even though we had no way to wash them, and the blowouts were all but gone!
how do you make your diapers and how do they stay on???
My diapers are made with flannel inside and out, with a layer in the middle of flannel that has a tri-folded terrycloth soaker layer sewn into it. They are absorbent without being big and bulky!

The diapers go together with snaps near the hip and are truly hard for baby to pull off! Each leg as well as the back has elastic to keep all the mess in. These diapers do need a cover because they are not waterproof (although I can make some that are! :) that can all be fixed with a cute fleece cover (which comes with my set) or a waterproof plastic cover or even a cute pair of hand knit wool pants!

There is nothing cute about a white plastic diaper, but imagine the possibilities you can come up with when the fabric store is your limit!

how long do your diapers last?
These diapers will last you well over a year. I have been using the exact same diapers since May of last year when my daughter was 5 months old, and she is 18 months old now! Many people save their diapers to pass down to the next kid, but we haven't gotten to try that one out yet!


now, the question we all want to know...how do you keep them clean and sanitary?
To clean them, I chuck them in the washer with a scoop of Oxyclean on a cold soak. Once the cold soak is over I throw in a tiny bit of diaper safe laundry soap (go to myclothaddiction.blogspot.com for a link to a list of safe detergents!) and a bunch of baking soda and wash on a hot wash with a cold rinse and then another hot rinse. I then just throw them in the dryer and put them in the drawer!

SO easy! Obviously if there is poop on it you would want to try to get most of it off by shaking it over the toilet, but if it is newborn stuff or wont come off, it wont hurt if you throw it in the wash as is!

josie is offering all PCAH readers a special deal...because she wants us to know and experience how easy cloth diapering is!!!! drop her an email at ohbabyboutique@live.com and get a diapering!!!

oh, you aren't in the diapering stage? good news! josie makes all kinds of stuff! she had beautiful birthday sets for boys and girls...blankets, swim diapers, and so much more! go check her out HERE. you won't be disappointed!

danyele @ a thorn among roses