Soon after I discovered that we were expecting twins, I started researching cloth diapering. I'll be honest, my number one reason for being interested in cloth diapering in the first place was because I thought they were cute. Saving money was another big factor (twins aren't two for the price of one like I had wished) and lastly, I wanted some cloth diapers to put in our emergency preparedness kits (in case of natural disaster).
I was interested in cloth diapering, but I was intimidated with the fact that I would be having twins, and wasn't sure if I'd have the
time. So I put it off, and when the twins were four months old, I decided I was ready to try a few cloth diapers. I did my research (I may or may not have spent hours watching youtube videos on cloth diapering). Anyways, after all that "research" I decided I wanted to try a few
Charlie Banana cloth diapers, so I bought a few!
So I dipped my toes very slowly into the cloth diaper world. (And when I say slowly, I mean
slooowly. At first I would only put my cloth diapers on the twins after they had already pooped in their disposables, because I was afraid that poo in cloth would be too messy and stain hah). But the more I used them, the more I loved them, and I eventually
just had to have more!
I've had several friends ask me about cloth diapering, so here is your little tutorial for the day :) There are several categories of cloth diapers. The ones I use fall into the category of "pocket diapers" meaning, they have a pocket you stuff with an insert.
You can slide one or two inserts in depending on how much absorbency you want. Charlie Banana cloth diapers are also called 2 in 1's or hybrid diapers, because you also have the option of putting a (biodegradable)
disposable insert on. I haven't tried the disposable inserts yet, but it seems like a nice option for traveling (
if you didn't want to use regular disposable diapers).
We now have a good stash of CB's! Charlie Banana sent me their Tutti Frutti pack of 6 (one size) cloth diapers to review here on my blog. So that is what I'm doing- however, all thoughts and opinions are my own :)
We love them! I was nervous at first that they wouldn't fit very well with the snaps (disposable velcro is very adjustable obviously). Ryan is about 2 lbs smaller than Lyla, but they still fit him very well adjusted on a smaller snap setting. We haven't had any leaks yet, and we've been using our CBs for over 2 months!
Sometimes I'm tempted to not dress my babies for the day, because these cloth diapers are so dang cute.
Laundry was probably my biggest fear about cloth diapering.
I hate hate hate laundry, but (surprisingly to me) I don't mind doing diaper laundry... and I have twins, so double the baby laundry! I typically wash my diapers around dinner time and hang them to dry (you can put them in the dryer, but I like to hang mine) and they are ready to use again the next morning. They do take a few minutes to stuff in the inserts before they are ready to use, but with all the $$ it saves, I really can't complain.
Exclusively breastfed babies poo can go straight in the wash, and it washes out like magic! Ours still don't have any stains after over 2 months of use, and they don't have an odor at all (really- I promise).
Once baby starts eating solids, Charlie Banana makes
these liners that you place on top of the fleece, then you simply shake the diaper over the toilet (the liner is flushable), and then throw the diaper in the washer. Don't these sound so easy compared to the cloth diapers our parents had to use...safety pins and scrubbing poop with your hands? No thanks. These are completely different! My mom told me I actually swallowed a safety pin when I was a baby- yikes!
These are seriously some pampered bums.
Oh man, and if you have never patted a cloth diaper babies bum before, you are seriously missing out! It's scrumptious.
I have found that typically around the house, one insert is enough absorbency for my babies. However, when I leave the house, or we're going to be in the car for a long time, or over night, I either use disposables, or I use two inserts to be safe. Here is a picture with my diapers stuffed with two inserts. I still think they are pretty trim (compared to other brands of cloth diapers).
The snaps on the outside and the adjustable strap on the elastic on the legs (think like a bra strap) allows growing room for baby. It does take some time to adjust the elastic on the legs, but you only have to do that once every few months as your baby grows. I love that the twins can wear these exact diapers through potty training!
I love using these cloth diapers, and would definitely recommend them to my friends that are interested in cloth diapering or already cloth diaper. They do take a little more time and effort than disposables, but I think that Charlie Banana makes some great quality cloth diapers that are easy to use. Charlie Banana also promotes a couple of charities:
Operation Smile (a medical charity that provides reconstructive surgeries for children with cleft lip and other facial deformities) and
Project Child Save (dedicated to help prevent kidnapping through public awareness campaigns). I love a good company that does things like this!
Overall, we give Charlie Banana an A+!
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!
