Baby stuff: 0-12 months diapering

Previous baby gear posts:

contraptions // feeding // toys

Diapering is a huge part of baby gear... because, obviously, babies get changed like 12 times a day. Sometimes more! Some of these items are disposable like diapers and wipes and it's definitely worth it to try different brands and kinds when you finish a box of something. But anyway... this is is what we used:

changing pad -  I put this right on top of his dresser (with a non-slip pad). It seems really big, at first. Like when he was a newborn I thought to myself WHY IS THIS SO BIG? But now that he's 15 months -- I'm so glad it's the size it is. He still fits!

diapers - In the beginning, we used Pampers Swaddlers. That's what the hospital had, and what I registered for so we got lots and lots for our shower. I liked them a lot and LOVED the line on the diapers that indicated if he was wet. I also used Huggies which were fine, and Babyganics diapers which were SO cute but didn't hold much and all natural diapers (good for the environment and his skin, etc.) but were horrible and he peed through EVERY SINGLE ONE. Ugh. But once he started sleeping through the night (at 11 weeks :) ), even the Swaddlers weren't doing their thing so I switched to Baby Dry. They were a life changer. He still wears them and pees through every once in a while but it's not as bad. So we're sticking to them.

changing pad liners - These changing pad liners fall under the category of things that are unnecessary but HELPFUL. We still use them when things are particularly messy :) and it's just nice to protect the cute changing pad cover we have. You just put one down, do your thing and wash it. No need to strip down the entire pad.

wipes - I'm a fan of pampers (maybe it's just the name brand). I've used Huggies wipes and Babyganics and store brands but I prefer Pampers.

wipe warmer - I received this for our shower and I thought I would use it, especially with a fall newborn. It quickly became winter and it was freezing and I had good intentions every single day... of filling it and using it. I never did. It's still on his dresser... looking cute, but unused.

diaper genie - We have two of these in the house, one in his room and one in the downstairs bathroom. They worked well in the beginning but over time the carbon filter holder fell off, somewhere maybe inside the whole thing? I don't know but they are SO expensive to replace. So... they smell. It takes a lot to make sure they don't smell. It's convenient and I guess feels more hygienic because it's specifically made for diapers... but they smell and I think they are hard to clean, and open to empty. I'm sure there has to be a better way.

desitin - We didn't want to use a lot of lotions and creams and things on Javi's newborn skin. I did some reading and generally thought it would be okay to not use anything -- kind of like chapstick, the more you use it the more you need it, type thing? So we never used anything on his skin and he was perfect! However, once he went to school, diaper cream was on their list of required items so we provided it and they used it EVERY single diaper change. Whether or not it was because of this -- now he needs it. At home, we just use baby powder but they still use this at school. :/

little swimmers - Javi swam, starting at 3 months -- during vacations and then almost every day starting in the spring all the way through the summer. At first we used pampers swim diapers because I was using pampers every day diapers and I was all about their brand. But I didn't like them! So I switched to Huggies in the midst of a vacation and they were so much better. Must easier to put on and take off!

That wraps up what we used for diapering!