I have 3 children. Back in 2004, when I became a mom for the first time, cloth diapers weren’t as modernized and accessible as they are now. It wasn’t until 10 years later, with my second child, that my cloth diapering journey began. It was instant love.

When EJ (#2) was potty training I was already pregnant with Lucas (#3) and knew I’d be using my cloth diapers again. I packed away my diapers in anticipation of using them a few months later. Of course, being the addict that I am, I purchased some new ones too.

When Lucas was born last fall, I got to cloth diaper from birth for the first time, as I had started at 2 months with EJ. Using cloth on a newborn was both exciting and challenging. Born 7lbs 6oz, Lucas fit into Newborn size covers and prefolds right away- as well as some all-in-one newborn diapers. I was shocked how quickly he grew and fit into our one size stuff.

Moderate Wetters Vs. Heavy Wetters

Truth be told, I had no idea whether EJ was a heavy wetter because I had no other cloth diaper kid for comparison. Now that I have diapered a second kid in cloth, I can categorically state that EJ was only a moderate wetter. Lucas, is a much heavier wetter.

From the first few weeks the difference between the two was evident. Lucas is a constant nurser, and not just little bits here and there. He’s a bonified boob-monster and chugs down more milk at each sitting than his predecessors. He also pees fast and heavy. Solutions that had worked for EJ weren’t working with Lucas and I had to get creative.

Pockets were king with EJ but prefolds, flats and fitteds are my preference with this guy. We also have delved into the world of wool.

I can hack my Stash

New baby with new quirks doesn’t mean I have to throw out my old stash and start fresh. Cloth diapering is a hobby for me and so a diverse stash brings me joy, but if I had to make one diaper work for both my kids I definitley could.

I started using boosters more consistently and opted for inserts and covers over pockets. Lucas pees fast and so the leg elastics were saturated instantly when we used pockets, causing wicking and leaks. Laying the insert on top of the pocket made a big difference.

Experience makes me Bolder

I was wary of trying complicated diapering during round one. The concept of Flat diapers was daunting and the care and lanolization of Wool froghtened me. But with this baby, I feel like cloth diapering is now Old Hat and I can tackle on anything the cloth world has to offer! We use flats on a daily basis in with our other diapers on rotation.

Wool has been an exciting rabbit hole to say the least. Daytime covers, nighttime covers, wool pants and rompers: the wool diapering world is endless. And they’re not nearly as hard to use as I imagined.

Broadening my Mind

My first was in disposables. They were easy but messy, yet they had their place. Having my second and third kids in cloth has shown me just how different each child is and has enabled me to better understand the challeneges cloth diapering can pose.

What works for one kid doesn’t always work for the rest and so it might take troubleshooting to get to what works.

If anything, it has allowed me to approach cloth with a more open mind and given me a deep desire to help other moms figure out what works for them.