Friday, March 4, 2011

Crunchy Green Bacon


The Bacon house had gotten a bit more GREEN! Some people might even call us crunchy... but one things for sure.. it's saving us a WHOLE lot of bacon to stuff in our pockets!

We've taken up cloth diapering, and I have to say I'm loving it! Why oh why did we not start this with Bacon Jr. was first born? I just think of all the times we had to run to the store to buy another pack of diapers because we were out ... again. I'd hunt for coupons, buy generic but in the end, they just get tossed in the garbage. That is another thing I don't miss, the bags and bags of garbage from diapers we'd haul out of our house each week. Less garbage now means a lot less diapers waiting 500 years to break down in our landfills. (Yes even Ma Bacon is concerned about Mother Earth and how she'll be when our Bacon grandkids are running around.) So what was the actual selling point to start cloth diapers? Sadly those were not our first concerns, but rather the fact that Bacon Bit was peeing and pooing out of EVERY.SINGLE.DISPOSABLE.DIAPER! UGH... Every time we went to change his diaper, we'd have to do a complete outfit change. We tried out every kind of diaper on the store shelf and none of them worked. We were confused, this never happened with any of our other kids. After complaining to a few friends on a certain social network, one messaged me and suggested cloth diapers... again.

When Little Boy Bacon was born I had asked her lots of questions about cloth, I contemplated doing it, but wasn't sure. I asked Mr. Bacon... well lets just say he said "Ewwww!" So we didn't go that route. But this time when she mentioned cloth, I decided to listen, and ask LOTS of questions! (THANKS to my wonderful friend Mrs. K... you know who you are!) She explained a lot about them, how it works, how to wash them... but I still had one big question. What does it cost? I know they are cheaper in the long run, But I had the same thoughts many others do... I have to spend $20-25 per diaper! That's a whole lot of start up cost. Once again she showed me how wrong I was. There are a lot of great diapers out there for under $20! One very reasonable diaper she directed me to is Kawaii brand diapers, you can only find them online, but the best thing was they were under $10 each! She had just started using some and loved them. So it was off to research time.

I asked Mr. Bacon this time about switching to cloth diapers, this time with research in my hand, and a kid who pooped out of everything on my hip! He wasn't against it, and his words this time were "well you're doing the laundry!" I'm ok with that. My research brought me to decided that a pocket style diaper was best for us. I decided to buy some Kawaiis (this is just one site for the, this is the cheapest site if you buy enough to get free shipping, however they ship from Canada and it took FOREVER to get my diapers, there are a lot of other places that will ship from free in the US that sell them too, but you pay a bit more... off my soap box). They got lots of great reviews online, no leaks, easy to wash.... so in I jumped to the cloth diaper pool, feet first!

So now you're thinking, OK Ma Bacon... you have me interested, but there are SO many more questions... how do you wash them? What is a pocket? Where do you store them? What if they stink? What about the "ewww factor"? Grab a cup of coffee and sit on back. I'm going to walk though cloth diapers for Ma Bacon. I'm going to say this now... it will be a long post, with lots of pictures. I'm a visual learner if you haven't figured that out yet reading my blog!

So what is a pocket diaper? It's a diaper that has an opening that you can add inserts (the things that are going to absorb the pee) into them. The thing I liked about a pocket diaper is that you can add as many inserts as you need. For us, I use one for daytime, and two at night. The other feature I went with in a cloth diaper is having a one size diaper. This means the diaper will fit your newborn all the way though potty training. No other diaper to buy! This picture shows the tiny newborn size at the smallest setting, all the way to the biggest toddler setting! This diaper pictured is by far my favorite diaper! This is the Go Green Pocket Diaper- Champ version. I'll explain more later the features I love about this diaper.

This is what I mean about a pocket. Each diaper will have a spot that opens in the back to put the insert in. Here is the insert too. These are microfiber one's, there are several different material choices that these can be made from. The type of material will depend on how you need to prepare it for your baby's butt.



Not all diapers are created equal! I found this out by talking with other cloth diaper (CD) moms, reading lots of forums, blogs, and websites. Some diaper brands hold up better to leaks, some fit bigger, some fit tiny babies better, so have different pocket openings, different material inside them... OH the choices. I have to say I was quite overwhelmed. So I started making a list of things other Moms said they liked. Large pocket opening, good for stopping leaks was a must, snaps hold up better than aplix (another name for Velcro- but a good thing to know in the CD world), hip snaps help hold the diaper better around the leg are just a few that I started with.

I found Kawaii diapers first, but while I was waiting the rather long time for them to be processed and shipped I also stumbled across Go Green. After seeing both in person I found I like the Go Green better, everyone has their favorite so you have to find what works for you.

Here is the basic fun print Kawaii vs. the Go Green silky diaper. Both these diapers are under $10 each. These are both their basic diapers. They look alike, but they actually have different features.



So you can see from 2 very similar looking diapers- the Go Green has the extra hip snap. Also the lining on them are different. I found having a fleece lining makes the diaper rather bulky, giving Bacon Bit quite the big ol' booty! The other feature that you can find online is the Kawaii diaper comes with two inserts which is a bonus, where the Go Green only comes with one. They do have the option online to buy additional inserts. I found doubling them up at nighttime helped!


Thanks to the wonderful Mrs. K- she took some pics of her different diapers so you could look to see how similar they can look. She compared Bum Genius, Fuzzibunz, and Kawaii.



So That gives you some comparison on different brands. Now I've mentioned I've found my favorite diaper so far, But honestly I've only tried out two brands. The Go Green CHAMP diaper had lots of features I really liked.

Go Green is truly a one size diaper. Most diapers have 3 adjustable sizes, Go Green has 4 making this fit a newborn baby all the way though to the biggest toddler! You can see the small to large settings on the picture with the yellow diaper above.

I love the multicolored snaps on the front of the diapers too. This feature is only on the solid color go green champ diapers, but it makes it Mr. Bacon proof! Right now Bacon Bit wears his diapers snapped on both purple colors. However... aren't the print diapers SO cute!!


The Champ has two inside pocket openings. This makes it easy to 'stuff' the inserts in. It also means I don't have to unstuff the diaper when it's dirty (make the 'eeww' factor less!). The washer will take the insert out for me when I wash. The openings are also nice and wide to get the insert in easy!



The insert snaps in the diaper to keep it in place and from shifting! The Champ diapers also come with two inserts each!


They are a LOT less bulky than the Kawaii diapers. Here is a stack of 6 diapers each (yes the picture says 5, this is what happens when you edit pictures while sleep deprived!). The Kawaii's all have fleece insides (not all their diapers do, just the ones I have) Also their inserts are thicker. The Go Green while the inserts just as absorbent, are thinner and they also have micro suede lining to make the diapers thinner and more trim on baby.


But one of the biggest features that sold me on Go Green was the double leg gussets! They help keep the poo in the diaper where it belongs!



So I got my diapers- now what do I do with them? First you need to prep your diaper. They need to be washed before you use them. This helps take any oils out of the fabric. For the diaper I got, I only had to wash them once. If you are buying diapers made of other material such as suede, bamboo, cotton, or hemp you'll have to research how many times they need to be washed to get all the oils out in order to be absorbent.

I use a laundry soap made to be gentle on cloth diapers. You want these to last until potty training (and beyond if you are planning on using them with more than one kid). I choose Rockin' Green laundry soap. It gets good reviews in the CD world, but there are lots of options. There are even people who swear by Tide or any free and clear soap. Again.. there are lots of ways to go about this.. I'm just highlighting the Ma Bacon way. You can buy Rockin' Green on a lot of websites for about the same price so watch for free shipping! It comes in lots of yummy smelling scents too! The other thing I love is a little goes a long way, you only need 1 tsp for a HE washer or 1 TBSP for a normal washer!We have a LG front loader washer and dryer. To wash my dirty diapers I use a 'normal' setting with hot water wash/cold rinse. I add a prewash and the 'water plus' option that adds more water to the cycle. The more water, the more soap that washes out of the diaper which I've heard is a good thing! How often do I wash diaper? It depends on how many diapers you have. I have 25 diapers right now in my stash. With that and how often I need to change Bacon Bit, I only wash every three days.


As for drying... I put the inserts in the dryer with a few dryer balls (no you don't need to use these, but they do help cut down on dry time for all my laundry which means shorter dry cycles = less electricy used= more bacon for my pockets!) As for the diaper part, I hang dry these to increase their life and make sure they make it to the toddler years! A cheap drying rack works great for this!



Now it's time to stuff them. I sit down with a basket while I watch TV at night or while Bacon Bit plays on the floor. For some reason he thinks it's funny to watch me stuff his diapers and will laugh at me while I do it! Stuffing them ahead of time means they are ready to go when we need one and it really doesn't take that much time to do.


All ready to go.. off to change a diaper. Everything is waiting on the changing table making it easy to change.

To help with the 'EWW" factor, I discovered flushable diaper liners! They sit on top of the diaper. These are Mia Bambio brand. I don't love or hate them, they serve their purpose though! They come as one long roll, I used a sharp knife to cut it in half. Half is plenty to use in the diaper. I keep the roll in an old wipes container so they come out one at a time. When it's time to change the diaper, the poop stays on the liner. You can either toss it in the trash can like you would a disposible diaper (they are biodegradable!) or you can flush it in the toilet since they are flushable too!


Once you change the diaper, now what to do with the used one. You need to store it in a wet bag. I found the Fuzzibunz in and out wetbag. It has an additional zipper on the bottom so when I go to do laundry, I unzip it and toss the whole bag in. No need to take the diapers out since the washer will take them out for me! Now Mr. Bacon asked about the openness of it, and wondering if it will make the room smell. And actually the answer is no. A sealed pail will keep the stink in the room though. We hang this one on the back of the door keeping it convienent.




So how do the diapers fit? They look great on Bacon Bit and he hasn't complained one bit about them! Snug around the thighs, but not too tight. Nice fit at the waist too and isn't he super cute in his Giraffe diaper! Really the cuteness factor of cloth diapers is worth it too!



So what about night time? I use two inserts in Bacon Bit's diaper for night time. With the Go Green he's been in them for well over 12 hrs sleeping and woke up without leaks!! It does add a little bulk, but not much.



And what about on the go? Cloth is easy for on the go too... look for a small wet bag. I like the two pocket feature on this one. I can stick clean diapers in one pocket, dirty one's in the other. When I get home I add the dirty diapers and the wet bag to my wash diapers and clean them on laundry day.


PHEW! That was a lot of information. I really hope this helps someone who is considering trying cloth out though. I'll say it again, I love our cloth diapers. I've never had one leak yet, I have less garbage, no more running out of diapers, and no more chemical smells from disposibles sitting on Bacon Bit's butt!

So leave me a comment and let me know if you use cloth, how do you like it? Do you have any tips? Was any of this helpful for you? Do you want to see other pictures comparing anything?! I love to know my readers have stopped by and love when new readers follow my blog!

22 comments:

  1. This is a really great review!

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  2. LOVE this!! Thank you for opening my eyes to this..my hubby and i are going through a VERY hard time financially right now, and this may help us out.. (I have 2 in diapers) THANKS

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  3. I'm so glad this helped you out Kelly! I really like cloth diapers. It was one of our best decisions to switch. We have hit a hard spot financially too and they are really saving us a lot of money. I did get a pretty good deal on them too- I have 16 go green champs, 2 silkys, 6 Kawaii's, the fuzzibunz wetbag, a go green wetbag, a bag of Rockin green, the scoop for it (ok it was a splurge off ebay-but only cost $3) and the diaper liners for a grand total with shipping of $375! It seems like a lot, but for the most part that will get us though potty training. I sold the disposible diapers I had stocked up on for $120 on craigslist and had a code though amazon (for the big wetbag, RNG, & liners) and saved $30 and got free shipping. I sold off a few of my other Kawaiis that I didn't like as much and total in the end spent $164 on all of it! Please let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help out!

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  4. Thank you for this! I am considering cloth HEAVILY and found all my answers to my questions here!

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  5. I'm glad this has helped a lot Kristin! Please if you have questions, post them here and I'd be happy to answer them. :)

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  6. Yeah, I do have a question Ma Bacon! I heard that pocket's end up stinking after a while even after washed, yay or nay?

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  7. Hey Kristin- It's been a busy few days around here so I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. As for the stink issue, I haven't had a problem yet, but we've only been cloth diapering for 2 months now. I've heard stink happens with most cloth diapers. There are some things I do to help. Usually once a week I wash my inserts only (not the diaper because it will ruin them) though my sanitize cycle on my washing machine. That helps take away a lot of the stuff that can cause the stink. Another thing most with cloth diapers will do is strip the diaper. This helps take care of the build up in the diaper and helps control the stink too. I'm gearing up to do my first diaper stripping soon. I hope this helps some. Keep the questions coming, I hope I can help more.

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  8. Diaper Stripping? What's that? So far I only have ordered prefolds and covers so that should be easy cleaning and am going to get pocket, do you still like go green over kawaii?

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  9. There are 6 diapers stacked in the picture, not 5. Wonderful review. Champ is the best all around diaper on the market.

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  10. Kristin- After a while soap can build up on the diapers and inserts and you'll need to get it off so they are more absorbent. This can be done a few ways. I'm going with the dawn method as soon as I'm brave enough to put dawn in my HE front loading washer! I have no experience with prefolds and covers so you are in new territory for me. Please report back and let me know how you like them!

    Anonymous- thanks for checking out my blog. We love our Champs too! I did write in the blog about there being 6 in the stack and the writing on the picture was wrong, but thanks for pointing it out again. :)

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  11. Loved the info I got here I am also new to the CD world and would love all the advice i can get i have a 2year old in diapers and a 6 month old :)

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  12. Ohhh and i recently just bought 18 gogreen pocket diapers and I am going to buy the new champ 2.0 when they come out

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  13. I'm glad I was able to help you out Danielle! We have been using cloth for about 2 months now and I would never switch back! Please ask any questions you have and I'll be happy to help!

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  14. I liked them but DS didn't, they were too rough on the man parts even after prepping them so I just order some pocket diapers lol

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  15. I just received some go greens! I LOVE THEM!!! They hold up better than the bumGenius I got!

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  16. Kristin I'm SO glad you like them. They are one of our favorite diapers. I recently have gotten a few different kinds of pockets and will be doing another comparison post on the different kinds of pockets. I'm glad you have found diapers that work for you! We are still loving our cloth diapers here too! Thanks for coming back and updating me. I love hearing how things work out.

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  17. great blog. i think i missed this one way back when you posted it but i totally agree. i do not usually use pockets but i have wanted to try the go green champ for a while just for its features. for the price it has such excellent features!

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  18. I think I am a little confused. I read the whole blog, and it is filled with great info, I never even considered cloth diapers because it just seems like so much work. Are the wet bags expensive? Have you posted the actually sites of the diapers and do you put a disposable liner in every time you change? How often do you change Bacon Bit? Do you use a whole new diaper during a change or just a new liner? AM I dumb? LOL. I started tonight by ready the grocery budget then this, but I am sure you do so much more. Can you just send me a micro chip of your life style I can download to my brain? HEHE. How do you do it all and manage your time? I know I will be reading your blog more since I have stumbled on it on pintrest. Thank you for your Blogspot :)

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    1. Hey Melissa! Thanks for stopping over. Cloth diapering at first seems quite challenging and confusing, but once you get started it's really easy. Wet bags vary in price but you can get a good large size for the nursery for $20 or under. My favorite wet bag is the fuzzibunz in/out hanging wet bag. As for one for the diaper bag, those are cheaper yet and I found one for under $10. there are many diaper types. My favorite was the Go Green diaper and I liked their 'Champ' version the best! You can google Go green diapers and you should find several stores that sell them. Shop around for what ever diaper and see who has the best deal! As for the liners, I only started using them when we started on solid foods. Breastmilk is 'organic' so it' can get washed out just fine in the washing machine. Also it's quite runny and would just go though the liners anyway. Once we started on foods I did put a liner on each diaper. As Bacon Bit got older and his daily poops were more predictable, I'd just place one on until I knew he went. As for changing the diaper, You change them as often you disposable diapers. Many times as baby gets older they will tell you when they feel wet. With the pocket diapers I have shown here, you do need to change the whole diaper each time. If baby poops you can flip it over the toilet and everything including the liner will go in and can be flushed, then put your diaper in the wet bag and put on a clean diaper. Does any of that make sense?! I hope so. If you have more questions please let me know I'm more than happy to answer them for you! As for how I manage my time? That's a mystery some days, but mainly it's about planning. Thanks again for stopping by!

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  19. Thank you for answering so quickly. After I commented on your blog I did so more research and did realize some of my question were silly, but you have help so much, I have really been considering go green this way, I am growing my third child and I don't think I can stand spending any more money on diapering. Thanks again. :)

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  20. Hi Mrs. Bacon my name is Aubrey and I am in love with your blog. I've pinned almost every one of your entries that I have read so far. I don't have children yet but I have always considered using cloth diapers but haven't known anyone to use them. This entry is so informative. You have defiantly taken the scare, for me, out of cloth diapers. So when the time comes I will defiantly be a cloth diaper user. Thank you so much for all your great ideas and information. Please keep up. I am now a follower of your blog for life.

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  21. I just discovered your blog today and have been reading like a fiend. I kept thinking, with all these ideas to save money, why doesn't she cloth diaper----right before I found this post. We've been using cloth for 6 years now, for our own kids and others we've cared for. We've saved well over $1000, probably closer to $2000, doing so.

    Another great thing about cloth diapers I think needs to be mentioned is resale value. When you're done having Bacon Bits, you can sell your used diapers. There is quite the market for them. While you won't make back your total purchase price, you can get some of it back. You can't do that with disposables.

    Also, it doesn't have to be an all or nothing deal. We use a mix of cloth and disposable diapers. When we take long road trips, for babysitters/daycare, or days that you know will be to hectic (like a funeral or other stressful event), we use disposables (or 'sposies as I like to call them). At home and day to day errands we use the cloth.

    I wish I had found a blog like this when I first started w/ cloth diapers. We just jumped in blind with both feet and had to muddle our way through. Your post answered a lot of questions first timers have, taking the ewww factor and fear of the unknown out of the equation. Thank you.

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