It’s been raining for what feels like weeks now, so not very many good photos from me latley. Plus I’m ramping up for Stitches South and this has me very busy/distracted and then on top of that I still can’t find the charger for my DSLR D80. So here is the best photo you get, me at 22 weeks from my iPhone while I was at work today.

I had to rip out the entire new tank top pattern I am working on. I tried to salvage it but it is too large and just not right. Going to have to put it aside until I finish my Stitches South sample knitting.

So of course I have been nesting and planning baby stuff. The house is a slow work in progress as the husbeast is busy with a contract coming to an end and having the stress of linning up new work and trying to make good decisions. So I’ve been ramping up on baby stuff and spreading out my purchases. This week I got my cloth diaper supplies.

With BG I tried cloth diapering, a very feeble attempt. I was fairly overwelmed being a first time mom and something as “complex” as cloth diapers was a distraction and a stress. No one I knew did it, no one in my family did it (mother included) so it’s not like I had any help there. When BG was 6 months old I met another mother in my mommy group that used CD (Cloth Diapers) her daughter. I had bought the expensive Bum Genius diapers and I hated them, later sold them thankfully. I don’t remember why I disliked them so much but it just didn’t work. My friend used a very old school method, simple prefolds and a plastic cover (vs the wool soakers of the past). Over the last year I’ve watched Stefanie Japel post photos to her flickr account of her little Mazie and all the neat soakers she has sewn up.

So I am wanting to try again, this time with a more old school/simple method. This is far cheaper then the BumGenius diapers anyway and I think because each item is less bulky I bet they wash better.

I recently e-mailed Green Mountain Diapers, because my friend M had said she would only do CD if she had a washer with sanitary cycle. This isn’t an option for us with money right now and plus we have a perfectly wonderful hand-me-down washer from my husbands parents that has never not worked for us.

I ordered up 1 dozen newborn Cloth-Eez prefolds because they come in various heights so it’s not so much bulky folder. It will cost more overall because you have to buy each size, however over the long run it may be the same amount you would buy of the normal ones depending on how many you want of the regular sized ones.

I also got 4 Litewrap covers, the cheapest of the lot.I’ve watched my friend M use these and they seemed great, and again not super bulky like the other ones I didn’t like.

Last but not least I got 4 Snappi Fastners which are just AMAZING to watch being used (they replace diaper pins).It’s just wild how they work, you wouldn’t think they would hold but they do.

I also ordered one Bummis Whisper cover just to try out in a larger size, and all in all it cost me $70 (about 2-3 weeks worth of diapers these days!). I have high hopes but didn’t order too much incase it was a major fail again. So oh back to that e-mail, here is my conversation with Green Mountain which was ever so helpful:

From: Brandy
Subject: info about washing?
Do you have info on your site about whether or not I need a sanitary cycle on my washing machine?

- brandy

From: Green Mountain Diapers 
Subject: RE: info about washing?
Brandy,
It is not needed.   Matter of fact, some are too hot to use.   Some sanitary cycles on some machines are 150 degrees and that is ok, or ok at least for occasional use.  But the 190 degree ones are too hot and will break down the cotton very quickly and damage elastics.   You can use those super hot cycles for prefolds once in a while and get away with it.   120 degrees is normal hot.   So, it’s not needed and sometimes damaging but it depends on the machine so ask what the temperature actually is on the particular sanitary cycle (check the manual – sales clerks probably won’t know accurately).   That said, I do like the 150 degree ones because the extra heat does help.  If I could dial my wash temperature I would pick 140 degree for my own hot cycle. But I have not yet found a machine that does that temp.
Sincerely,
Karen

To: Green Mountain Diapers
Subject: RE: info about washing?
Very good to know and thanks so much for the reply! My machine is very old and I assume the hot is probably based on our hot water heater which I know we adjusted way up because it was hard to get two showers ouf ot it until we changed it, now I worry about the kids burning themselves… but my washing machine is very old but works fantastic. I made my order with you guys today, my first try with prefolds and the litewraps. If all goes well I’ll come back for more! I tried bum genius way back when DD was little but did not like them. I hope it goes better this time! The poop part is intimidating to newbies I think!

From: Green Mountain Diapers
Subject: RE: info about washing?
You have a great machine. Keep it!   Normal hot is fine.  New machines do not clean as well as old ones. New ones don’t have any water in them!
The diapers will be great. No worries.
Karen

What great customer service, and the reply was so prompt. I have also been reading here to learn more. If anyone knows of any great online forums for CD, or even great websites with info for newbies I would love to know of any!

BG is still in disposables and I plan to Potty Train her once I am home with both of them, so I’m not really focused on getting her into cloth at this point.I wish I could potty train her now as it seems like a good time but it’s just not practical with Daycare.

ETS – I forgot to spell check this and will later tonight, sorry!