Thrifty Thursday ~ Cloth Diapers

I've been looking for more ways to be frugal in my desire to be a good steward of the money my Beloved earns. Right now we have two in diapers. Have you bought diapers lately? They are expensive! A tour of cloth diaper sites educates one rather quickly that cloth diapers are not a very inexpensive option either. When we very first did cloth diapers 8 years ago, I think we bought either 18 or 24 diapers and we figured they would pay for themselves in about 4 months. They were one size snap diapers and I loved them. However, when our next baby was born, they were starting to get thread bare and I couldn't find the same diapers anymore. We ended up going back to disposable. Now, cloth diapers are apparently "chic" ~ at least according to their prices!

I love the snaps, but they do not fit every baby well ~ they are only so adjustable. I greatly dislike Aplix, finding that even those with fold-over tabs still end up getting stuck together in the wash. I have thought about making diapers in the past, however I don't have a snap setter, and I didn't really want to spend the time and effort on diapers that are going to be outgrown rather quickly.

One day, about a month ago, I was blog surfing, and came across a pinnable, one size pocket diaper. The Rita's Rump Pocket Diaper was just what I was looking for! So far, I have made 20 of these diapers. I bought flannel sheets at the thrift store. One full size flat sheet will make 10 diapers. I was able to get 4 diapers out of a twin size sheet. The cost for my 20 diapers was about $6. For the doublers, I am using micro fiber towels bought in the automotive department at WalMart. They come in packs of 8 for $5. And for the covers I am just using the old fashioned Gerber pull on pants. I also have some Dappi covers, and will probably get more, I just haven't ordered any yet. We've only been using them for about a week, but they are working out quite well. I bought a couple more sheets the other day and would like to make at least 10 more diapers (remember, I am diapering 2!)

Here is Si in one of the diapers. He weighs about 30 lbs at 2 1/2. Isn't he cute? :-) This diaper has 2 towels folded into thirds in the pocket. I have found that 1 towel just isn't enough lining. Josiah has only worn the cloth once so far. I still have disposables in his size, so we're finishing those before we switch over to cloth. But, he did model for me, and got to wear this one to bed. It must have felt nice, because this morning when I changed him, he wanted cloth (after spending the night in disposable). For wipes, I bought the inexpensive washcloths that come in packs of 18 for about $4. I just have them folded at the changing table, and if needed, we just take them to the bathroom, get them wet and clean up baby. This is sooo much nicer than wipes! They are warm, and they clean so much better!

And here's Ezra. Isn't he adorable?? :-) Six months old now, he weighs 20 lbs. He's been liking his cloth diapers. Oh, I forgot to mention, these pin together with just one pin. Which is really nice. Ezra is a challenge to get changed ~ once you get his diaper off, his toes go into his mouth, and it's difficult to get his feet out of his hands and get the clean diaper on!

One sewing forum I'm on even suggested that these diapers would make a great addition to a young lady's hope chest. I thought that was a marvelous idea.

They went together very quickly. The curves are sweeping enough that I was able to cut them out with my rotary cutter, and was able to cut 2 diapers at a time ~ I did cut out 4 diapers once, but that was really a bit much for the cutter! I then sewed them assembly line style, so I was doing all the zigzagging at once, then all the top stitching at once, etc. The other thing I really love about them is that I was able to get plaid sheets, so they look *so* boyish!

Anyway, if you're looking for an easy way to save money, and you've got a baby or two in diapers, this is it. Have fun sewing!