Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What would you say to a new mom who is trying to decide between cloth and disposable diapers?

Today's post is the last one in my cloth diaper series, and it's for anyone who is trying to decide whether to use cloth diapers or disposables for their next baby.

You probably already know that I'm a

Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What are your favorite cloth diaper accessories?

If you're thinking about using cloth diapers with your first baby (like I was) then it makes sense to add diapers and diaper accessories to your baby registry. But what, exactly, should you ask for?

I did a lot of research before deciding

Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What is your favorite brand or type of cloth diaper and why?

I'm back with more cloth diaper survey results! Today's question really made me realize how much better cloth diapers are now than they were 20 years ago. There are so many great options out there! I can't wait for you to check out some of these moms' favorites.

Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What tips or tricks have you learned to make cloth diapering easier?

When I first started using cloth diapers, I had a lot of questions. How many diapers do I need? What kind of laundry detergent should I be using? How do I manage a weekend trip?

I learned the answers to these questions

Your cloth diapering questions answered by real moms: What made you decide to use cloth diapers instead of disposables?

So, you're thinking about using cloth diapers? A little more than a year ago, while I was pregnant with my daughter, I was trying to make the same decision. And it was really confusing to me.

That's why I decided to get together a

A Perfectly Packed Daycare Bag

Because my husband and I both work full-time, our baby spends the day at a daycare. We've been really blessed to find a wonderful lady who runs a fantastic daycare with just a few other children in her house. Emma loves playing with her friends there, and I love the fact that she's spending the day in a home with a family. Since she's our only child so far, it also makes me happy that she gets to interact with other children of all different ages.  

That said, when you add "getting ready for daycare" to the list of things you need to do in the morning before you can leave the house, you might suddenly find yourself scrambling around like a chicken with its head cut off. Things can get pretty crazy pretty fast if you don't have a plan. That's why I am so excited to present you with this post describing how to pack a perfectly organized daycare bag:

A Perfectly Packed Diaper Bag

Ahhh, the diaper bag. A mom's lifeline. But what do you really need to take with you when you leave the house, and how do you keep it all organized? Today I'm going to unzip every compartment of my diaper bag, dump everything out, and show you what all I keep in there.

This post is first in my Perfectly Packed series. Be sure to check out my other posts in the series as they are posted! Please note that posts in this series contain affiliate links. (Check out my disclosure policy here.) 

But first, allow me to introduce you to my diaper bag and the accessories I use to stay organized:

They are:

The Diaper Bag: My sister gave me this one at my baby shower, and I LOVE it!

Wet/dry Bag: I'm not going to lie- I have a whole stack of these at home. 

And of course, the adorable matching Bottle Bag.  

Without these 3 bags, I would be lost!

The Wet/dry Bag has a mesh section for dry items, and a waterproof inside section for wet items (aka dirty diapers.) Since I use cloth diapers, and want to take them home again instead of throwing them away, this bag is awesome. You could also use it for dirty clothes.

In the "dry" section, I usually keep a few diapers, some cloth wipes, and a small spray bottle of water. The "wet" section will hold the dirty diapers after I change my baby. It holds about 4-5 dirty diapers. 

If I'm only going out for a little bit, sometimes this is the only bag that I take with me- I can fit the essentials in here, and leave the big diaper bag at home.

Next up: the Insulated double bottle bag . Since I breastfeed, I usually don't take this one with me. But occasionally (like when I'm dropping Emma off to spend the afternoon with her grandparents) it does come in really handy.

It comes with an ice pack, and two tall bottles can easily fit inside. Sometimes I even add a sippy cup or some snacks on top.

I love having these two smaller bags, because, depending on where I'm going and how long I'll be out, I can choose whether or not to include them in my diaper bag. If I don't need them, I'm not toting around a bunch of extra weight. They also keep things really nice and organized inside my main diaper bag.

OK, so now let's take a look at what I pack in my main diaper bag:

When I tuck my bottle and diaper supplies away inside the smaller two bags I just showed you, it looks like this:

Let's take a closer look at some of the things I pack:

1. Bib
2. Bottle Bag
3. Bottle
4. Cloth diapers
5. Cloth wipes
6. Spray bottle with water (I use this to wet the cloth wipes)
7. Hand sanitizer
8. Wet/dry Bag
9. Disposable diaper (just in case)
10. Disposable wipes
11. Burp cloth
12. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets (I love that these roll up really small, and I can also use them as nursing covers.)
13. A change of clothes
14. Extra pair of socks
15. Cell phone
16. A snack for me
17. Water bottle
18. Wallet and keys
19. Sippy cup
20. Snack for baby
21. Book
22. Toy
23. Tylenol (plus unopened syringe)
24. Gas drops
25. Teething tablets (These have been recalled!)
26. Nail clippers
27. Vaseline
28. Thermometer
29. Pacifier
30. Diaper cream sample

Seem like a lot? If you haven't already, you should check out my free diaper bag checklist printable!

(Download and print a copy of the checklist here.)

Next, I add the wet/dry bag with my diaper supplies, along with any books/toys I want to have.

If I want to pack any bottles, there's still plenty of room for the bottle bag in this compartment as well:

Now for all of the "just in case" stuff- the medicines, thermometer, nail clippers, etc. These all go in a tiny little pocket right near the main, zippered compartment.

My phone, wallet and keys go in a larger pocket right below that one:

Next, I fill the cup holder pockets with a sippy cup and my own water bottle.

The front pocket on the right is for wipes and one or two disposable diapers- just in case. In the pocket on the left I keep things I might need easy access to- the bib, burp cloth, extra pacifier, and hand sanitizer. And a stuffed animal just because he's cute. ;)

So that's it! A perfectly packed diaper bag, complete with pictures and a printable checklist. Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my diaper bag.

Oh, and be sure to check out my post on a perfectly packed diaper bag- the toddler version. :) 

A perfectly packed diaper bag: the toddler version

 

How I Organize My Cloth Diapers

I realize this may make me sound crazy, but I'm going to say it anyway. Ever since I found out I was going to be a mom, I've been kind of in love with the idea of using cloth diapers. What's not to love? They're cute, colorful, economical, easy to use, and environmentally friendly. I soon found out, however, that they're also sort of huge! I mean, compared to disposable diapers. Cloth diapers include a lot of padding, and they take up a lot of space. Which raised the interesting question of where I would store my new collection. There was no way I was going to fit more than one or two at a time in my dresser-top diaper caddy...  

SO I decided that the top two dresser drawers would belong to the cloth diapers and cloth diapering accessories. And you know what? It's been working out really well! Have a peek inside:

The right side is dedicated almost entirely to the actual diapers. Here's what it usually looks like when I pull it open to grab a diaper:

It's kind of hard to see, so I pulled the drawer out for you. I'm not going to lie- I had a little bit of trouble getting it back in again, so I hope this picture is worth it! 

For those of you who are familiar with cloth diapering lingo, I mostly use all-in-ones and pocket diapers. Each one of these is already stuffed and ready to go. All I have to do is grab one and snap it on. I also keep a roll of flushable/disposable liners handy in this drawer. 

Here's what I see when I open the left dresser drawer:

Let me pull that drawer out of the dresser for you too. :) 

This is where I keep all of my other diapering. . . things. 

I have a bunch of extra inserts, including cotton and hemp, which I keep here. I also have fleece liners which I use with the few diaper covers I own. I keep extra reusable wipes here to restock the diaper caddy when I'm running low. (By the way, check out my post on an organized diaper caddy HERE.) 

In the front of this drawer, I keep swim diapers and a handful of disposable diapers. Sometimes we use these when we travel, or- I'll admit it- when we haven't done laundry in a couple of days. I also always keep disposable wipes handy- less for wiping bottoms and more as a last-ditch effort to calm a fussing baby. (Is my baby the only one who LOVES to play with wipes?!)

Anyway, that's it! That's how I organize my dresser drawers to keep my cloth diapers neat and tidy.