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My name is Shawnee. Right now I am using Osocozy unbleached organic cotton flats for my 3 month old daughter, Maya. They are awesome, but I am afraid they will be too small soon. I have 24 of these flats, and 12 flats that I cut in half, using them as "soakers" for nighttime. I bought knock off covers, called "Baby City"... they have pockets and inserts, but I don't use the inserts. I put a folded up half flat in the pocket at nighttime. She does NOT like to be in a dirty diaper... she cries immediately. Sometimes I feel like cloth diapering makes it harder for her to sleep because she hates being wet. Also, I don't know what to transition to if she doesn't fit in these much longer... money is TIGHT. I got 7 covers for $30 on Ebay, "Baby City" brand. As I said, they are knock offs... and I got 3 dozen cloth diapers for about $54. I only wash them once, in my homemade laundry detergent (washing soda, borax, and felsnapa). She only poops about once a day. Sometimes twice. I never know when, but I always dunk them in the toilet to try and get most of the excess out. (She is exclusively breastfed). I don't use Bac-Out, it is way too expensive. I dry her diapers in the dryer, but am going to start drying them outside in the sun to kill bacteria. My main question is, what do I transition to when she gets too big for these flats? Is there a fold for bigger babies? I've read that Osocozy flats are kind of small compared to others, is there a larger brand? Should I order more and double them, fold them bigger? What do I do when she starts to walk and it gets harder to keep her still? I fold them and stack them neatly in her closet, and take them out as I need them, but I wonder if prefolds would be easier? I don't want to have to wash them over and over to get them clean every time I wash them... I'm worried about my water bill. Then the issue of potty training crosses my mind...
Shawnee, do you have any old fleece blankets around? You can cut strips and lay it between the flat and her to provide a staydry barrier. Have you consider applying for Giving Diapers Giving Hope? It is an organization designed to help families on a really tight budget get diapers they need. Also are you rinsing your diapers really well? With flats you can get by with more leeway than you can if you start using a diaper with more fabric. Sunning is an excellent idea and will save you money. Depending on if you have soft or hard water white vinegar can be used in the rinse cycle to help with deep cleaning and softening.
Autumn Beck owner and author of All About Cloth Diapers Christian homeschooling mom to 5 children
I second Autumn, fleece is amazing. It will keep your little one's skin dry and might even get you an extra hour or two of sleep overnight. (My guy hated being wet when he was younger. Now, he seems to 'hold it' over night, until just before his 4:30 am feeding)