Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

Sometimes you can be thinking about a thing and then events conspire to force you into action. That happened to me recently.

For several months I’ve contemplated switching Boo to cloth diapers. I didn’t really have a firm reason for making the switch but just felt like it was something I would like to do eventually.  That along with the fact that Matt was pretty adamantly opposed to the idea deterred me from taking the plunge and ordering some.

Then, Boo’s eczema got bad.  And then it got terrible.  And then it got even worse and wasn’t responding to the usual course of treatment, so I took him to the doctor.  Verdict – really bad eczema (thanks for the official diagnosis, doc) and contact dermititis…from his diapers.  Treatment – topical steroid.  Suggestion – switch to cloth diapers.  Matt’s response – “So, I guess you get your way.”

Because I had been researching cloth diapering off and on for a while and had talked to a friend of mine who cloth diapers, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to use.  I did consider doing a trial program, like the one offered by Jillian’s Drawers, where we could try several different types/brands of diapers and see what worked best for us and Boo.  But, since we needed these diapers, like, yesterday, I opted to stick with the pocket diapers that I’d decided on previously.

I ordered a dozen Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers and off we went.  I opted for Fuzzi Bunz over other popular pocket diapers because they snap instead of velcro.  With Boo being 8 months old I figure it won’t be long before we get into the “oh wow, I can take my diaper off by myself” phase, and I’ve read that the snaps on Fuzzi Bunz deter little fingers better than velcro diapers.  I’ve also read that velcro is sometimes difficult to keep “clean” (free from dryer lint, etc) and that it wears more quickly.  The snaps do take longer to fasten than I imagine velcro would, but when you’re wrestling an alligator what’s a few more seconds?

One of the intimidating factors about switching to cloth was how to handle poopy dipes.  I can’t exactly say that it is a pleasant experience, but it isn’t really any different than dealing with a potty training toddler.  I dump, rinse, and throw it in the wash pile.  I do laundry every day right now, but with a few more diapers and inserts I could do every other day.  We double “stuff” diapers for nighttime and usually at naptime and rarely have we had an issue with leaks.  He does occasionally leak during the day, but generally it’s because I haven’t gotten his diaper changed in a timely manner.

But the big thing is that his skin issues started to clear up immediately!  In addition to the eczema, he’s always (as in since he was about a week old) had some bumps and spots on his lower abdomen where the top of his diaper hits.  Within 24 hours of switching to cloth they were all cleared up.  With the combination of topical steroids and cloth diapers his eczema was on the mend quickly as well.

I’ve been quite pleased with the Fuzzi Bunz diapers and the cloth diapering experience as a whole.  Now that we’ve jumped in and made the switch, I don’t plan on going back (at least not long term).  And for that, Boo’s legs thank us.