Cloth Diapers?

[Kunzite]

Kunzite - Which tide are you using? Have you decided whether you will CD the twins? Oh, they sell coconut oil at TJ's. Not sure if you were aware of that, or if you even have one near you, but I noticed it was a new item shortly after I purchased coconut oil from Amazon. I personally don't think CO is all of that, though plenty of DS mamas swear by it. I do like CJ's butter a lot more. It's much easier to apply. You sort of have to melt the coconut oil in your hands before applying. It's messy and hard to judge how much you need, plus it didn't really work for us, but S has had some bad rashes, which even CJ's isn't enough for, so we use Aveeno and a fake diaper (aka disposable). You know, I am also super-sensitive about this kids, so I should say, the CJ's would probably work in 24 hours or so, but I notice the aveeno works right quick, so I do use it, perhaps more than I really need to.

We have Tide Ultra HE powder. We were using up to the 1 line, but I think it might be too much. I'll probably RLR soon to make sure I don't have any build up. Yes, we're going to try to CD the twins. 3 in diapers Thanks for the reminder on CJ's, I forgot I was going to try that before going to CO!

Have you seen the new V3? I like that they have snaps now, and the London print is adorable!!

http://www.babipur.co.uk/shop/Cloth_Nappies-New_TotsBots_Easyfits_V3/c23_90/index.html

 

[Loves Vintage]

Kunzite - Which tide are you using? Have you decided whether you will CD the twins? Oh, they sell coconut oil at TJ's. Not sure if you were aware of that, or if you even have one near you, but I noticed it was a new item shortly after I purchased coconut oil from Amazon. I personally don't think CO is all of that, though plenty of DS mamas swear by it. I do like CJ's butter a lot more. It's much easier to apply. You sort of have to melt the coconut oil in your hands before applying. It's messy and hard to judge how much you need, plus it didn't really work for us, but S has had some bad rashes, which even CJ's isn't enough for, so we use Aveeno and a fake diaper (aka disposable). You know, I am also super-sensitive about this kids, so I should say, the CJ's would probably work in 24 hours or so, but I notice the aveeno works right quick, so I do use it, perhaps more than I really need to.

We have Tide Ultra HE powder. We were using up to the 1 line, but I think it might be too much. I'll probably RLR soon to make sure I don't have any build up. Yes, we're going to try to CD the twins. 3 in diapers Thanks for the reminder on CJ's, I forgot I was going to try that before going to CO!

Have you seen the new V3? I like that they have snaps now, and the London print is adorable!!

http://www.babipur.co.uk/shop/Cloth_Nappies-New_TotsBots_Easyfits_V3/c23_90/index.html

That's the exact one I really want!!! I checked and it would be about $41 to have it shipped from that site. I'm sure you know already that I'm much too cheap for that!! Do you have your nb diapers already? I think it's amazing you plan to CD the twins!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

FYI-I just got 3 AMP (Anna Marie Podori-spelling?) which are basically exactly the same as applecheeks except the envelope is in the front. I think their design pre-dates applecheeks...anyway, they have way more colors, some really cute prints, and...are significantly cheaper. The ones we got were on sale for $9-$12 each for the covers.

We love applecheeks and these seem just as good. We never ever have a leak at night with these and since night/nap potty training is not working at all, we could be using these super cute diapers for quite some time

I also got "potty scotty" training pants to try for nap time...I'll keep you posted.

 

[MerryMary]

Hi Ladies!

I need some advice please! I am thinking about my CD plans am currently planning on getting cloth diapers that have 100% cotton next to baby's skin. What does that leave me with? I have found BG Elementals and the Flip system with organic cotton inserts. Any others that I should consider?

Also, as far as laundry care is concerned...I like the idea of the AIO BG elementals but will they wear out faster because of the dryer time needed to dry the full diaper? Can these be lined dried, or will they end up crunchy and stiff (i'm imagining what happens when you put a wet bath towel outside to dry)? Will the organic flip inserts also end up stiff if line dried?

Any help would be awesome!

 

[lliang_chi]

Merry, you can also used fitted diapers in cotton or hemp.

~LC

 

[MerryMary]

Thanks LC I will look at those too!

 

[Kunzite]

LV - No way I would spend that much either! I was looking at some EUC BG 4.0s on CL yesterday that I really wanted, but the lady was asking $15 a diaper! Ummm, no! That's what they cost new when BG runs their buy 5 get one free special. Why would I buy used diapers for the price of new? Yes, we have our NB stash already. We're just doing prefolds and covers. We had 24 prefolds from when O was little so I just bought 12 more. I can't decide if I have enough covers though, we have 10. I might get one or two more.

Merry - I think you have a lot of options. AIOs, AI2s, fitteds, flats, prefolds. If I were in your shoes, I would get something with a cover so that the covers can be line dried, so they last, but the insert/prefold, etc, can be dried in the dryer to keep it softer. Otherwise, I think you'd be fine with Elementals as long as you realize the PUL and elastic might not hold out as long as it would if it wasn't being dried. One thing to consider though is how your baby will react to the wet feeling of being in cotton. My LO doesn't mind in the least, but if you end up with a baby that does mind you might have a problem! I would just stay open to the idea of maybe needing to use something other than cotton if that's the case.

 

[MerryMary]

LC - Ok, I looked online and found the work-horse fitted's at Green Mountain Diapers with the Thirsty's covers. I will try a few of those and a few of the Flips to see if they will work for us.

Kunzite - Thanks for the list of other options to look into. Good point about the baby being sensitive to the wetness feeling. I wish that I knew now how our baby will tolerate it, I guess that we may end up changing even more diapers if necessary or branch back out to the poly blends especially for overnight.

I was initially thinking that we would use Funzibunz and BG 4.O's but now my mom has generously offered to help us buy some of our diapers but is strongly in favor of only cotton against the baby's skin. So I am now researching any options that will meet her standards. Thanks again for the help.

 

[lliang_chi]

Merry, I wanted to mention the wetness factor too. My LO does not like sitting in wet cotton, so at the very least I need to put a washable micro fleece liner between him and the prefold/fitted diaper. He still doesn't like it, but it's not as bad as sitting in just wet cotton.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Merry, I recently purchased one of these: http://www.nickisdiapers.com/osocozy-new-all-in-one-cloth-diaper-v2.html It's an osocozy all-in-one. It's cotton! I'll let you know how I like it. It's inexpensive for an AIO. It would also take a long time to dry because it doesn't separate from the liner. Osocozy also makes prefolds that apparently fit better in covers . . . you don't have to fold the top down when you tri-fold, or so they say. I just ordered 2 of those too. Expanding my options!

Kunzite - I'm sure I have 2 boy NB covers. If you're interested, I'd be happy to send them to you. I don't remember the brands, but will go check. If any of my other covers are borderline neutral, I'll let you know about those too. Just ask admin for my e-mail address!

*************
CD mamas - 4/22 is Earth Day so expect lots of sales!! The ladies on DS keep track of them all very well! If you're planning to buy a lot, I'd plan strategic shopping that day!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Kunzite - They're bummis. I have three. Two I purchased new (and used for the 3 weeks or so that S was in NB size), and the other I purchased as part of a lot on ebay, but it's also like new condition. The new ones are froggy pond and white, and the ebay one is an older print (dark blue background with babies, stars, planets.)

Yellowducky - Thanks for the soap advice. The Bubble and Bee website does have a lot of info!

 

[lliang_chi]

Kunzite, I also have a white Bummis cover that Ethan can't fit anymore. It's good up to 10 lbs and he's 11+. I can also send that in the mail for you if you're interested.

~LC

 

[MerryMary]

LC - thanks for the tip on adding the liners we will def. keep that in mind once we know how things are going.

LV - thanks for the link to the osocozy AIOs, those look very similar to me as the BG elementals but quite a bit cheaper! I will plan to get a few and see how they work out. I think that is going to be my strategy, buy a couple of different brands and trial and error our way to a system. Thanks for the heads up on the Earth Day sales, I will start watching DS to see what they find!

 

[Kunzite]

LV & LC - You ladies are so sweet!! You'd better not make this hormonal preggo cry, lol!! I promise to take lots of fluffy bottom pictures in return

Merry- I'm curious why your mom has such a strong opinion on cotton. If you end up using a fleece liner that would sort of defeat the idea of only cotton. Not that I think there is anything wrong with cotton, mind you! Just curious!! I come from a family of boundary stomping, strings attached sort of family, so it's my nature to automatically become defensive when strings are attached to "gifts".

 

[MerryMary]

Kunzite, I know it is a little crazy/extreme but 100% cotton is what she used with my siblings and I back in the day and she is pretty adamant that it is what she wants to get us. (Even though when I brought up your point to her yesterday she told me that I HATED sitting in wet cotton as a baby) I still can't tell her what to buy for us since it is a gift . My mom us "special" for sure and I am trying not to get all crazy about the way she does things. I am personally completely OK with other fabric blends especially if it makes the baby happier. I already bought 8 BG 4.0's and they are not going back! So using LC's idea of adding the stay-dry fleece liner (yay, technology) is a way to still use my Mom's gift and have the flexibility to alter our plans if we need to based on the baby's likes/dislikes.

My mom could be the topic of an entire post for sure! I'm not even sure how much or when she is going to gift us whatever she decides to do. She tells me that it maybe will be before the baby is born, but not if I go early. Whatever, sure mom - DH and I are happy with whatever you want to contribute

 

[mayachel]

Hi Merry, I feel silly reposting about our diapers so soon, but I don't think you've come across it. We transitioned to the fuzzibuns, and I could not get past the strong amonia odor they held, especially over night. We had started our girl out in cotton newborn, so maybe she never had a chance to get annoyed by the wet? (Plus we do change her frequently, every 2 hours or so, more if dirty.)

Our 100% cotton recommendations are without a doubt swaddlebees and grovia AIO. They are crazy absorbant, and don't seem to keep saturated wetness against her skin the way prefolds did.

 

[MerryMary]

Mayachel, thanks for the recommendations for the Swaddlebees and Grovias I hadn't come across those yet and have them noted! Interesting about the ammonia smell with the Fuzzibuns. Do you still use the swaddlebees and the grovias now or are you using something else?

 

[mayerling]

Could anyone recommend a CD cream? I'm about to order our CDs from the US and I'd like to purchase a cream as well just in case.

 

[phoenixgirl]

MerryMary, I'm using 6 Swaddlebees Simplex newborn-size with my 5 week old, and they're great. Super super absorbent and contain messes well, plus they clean and dry easily.

I have some Happy Heinys and Blueberry/Swaddlebees Econappi pockets with the organic cotton inside the pocket, and I don't like those. They're not even that soft dried in the dryer, and forget about line-drying! DD refused to wear the Swaddlebees when I line dried it. They sound good in theory but I'm not a fan. The good news is that there's such a market in cloth diapers that you can sell or swap anything you don't like and buy more of what you do.

Mayerling, I use Grandma El's. It's petroleum based. It's always worked well for us and we've had no need for Desitin.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Mayerling - I like the Grovia stick. It's nice because you can apply it without using your fingers, it goes on smooth and it smells NICE. CJ's butter is also nice, but do not get the stick because it does not apply smoothly like the Grovia, and it will inevitably break. A lot of stores sell samples of CJ's, which is nice to have on hand if you don't want to commit to a whole jar. With all of this said, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I have had to use desitin and/or aveeno for bad rashes. Every baby is different!! You may find that you never need a cream at all, or you may find, that for no good reason, your baby gets terrible rashes. If you use a standard cream (like desitin), you will need to use a fleece or disposable liner.

Merry - There are a lot of moms on DS who prefer to use cotton only. As far as I can tell, they simply prefer all natural fibers. I assumed your mom had cd'd with prefolds and hence the reason for her preference. Oh, re: DS and Earth Day sales, I saw today that someone already started a thread about them. Hee-hee. I've ordered from Moms Milk Boutique in the past. They've had giveaways where they would have different free items for like the 10th purchaser on Earth Day, the 25th, the 40th, etc. They've had really good free items, like an Ergo carrier. I think they always have free shipping (or after a minimal amount, maybe $25), so people place multiple orders trying to win stuff. I'm happy with just 15% off, but will probably wait til then to buy more. Mayachel's post has me wanting to try those Grovia's. They have some cute prints if I recall!

Kunzite - Hope you will be able to make use of the covers. I have some additional fluff to send along!!!

PG - We were posting at the same time. Hi there!!

 

[missrachelk]

OK Ladies - I would love to get a primer / newbie guide to CD. I do want to make it work and am (almost 100%) sure that I'll be staying home so the extra work factor and not being able to send to daycare factor shouldn't apply for us (my 2 closest friends with kids said that both of their local daycares refused CD 100% regardless of style). I'm apprehensive about choosing a brand / style and then not having it work out.

Do most families get several different brands / styles and just a few of each to try out then sell / swap the ones that don't work? I'd love to have our stash all set but I'd also hate to not like what I choose and need to re buy everything and possibly lose money in the process.

I'm leaning towards gdiapers (I don't hear too much about them here) even though I have heard some negative reviews. I like the idea of the hybrid as opposed to the AIO and the flexibility of using the disposable insert. DH and I both really don't like the idea of prefolds and covers being 2 step, but the cost is so great, maybe we shold consider it. On the other hand I really don't like the idea of AIO, they jsut seem so bulky on small babies and washing the outside every single time seems wasteful of resources (I wear jeans 4-5 times before I wash them LOL!)

Can you use something like the g refill in other diapers to make them more flexible for out and about (I think I've answered my own question there because the cover would need the waterproof barrier layer for the system to work so possibly not)? Are there other disposable inserts out there? Does anyone use the dryer sheet type flushable liners that are supposed to keep most of the poo off of the actual diaper / in the laundry?

Would it be unwise to get just the starting out kit from g - which has newborn and smalls and the disposable inserts, and a few of the cloth inserts (or prefolds which also work great from what I've read and are cheaper) and just try those at first? Maybe a few of some other kinds just to see what works once the baby is actually here? I feel like compared to what I read here that would leave me so unprepared but I also think it might be just fine until we see if CD works for us and what diaper style will work best for our baby. That g starter kit is only $150 and I think there is free shipping and maybe even 20% off (and I haven't even checked to see what prices outside vendors have it for, or used). How soon is too soon to start buying CD? I'm only 14 weeks and it seems like starting now would be a bit early.

Any tips and tricks for a first time Mom and Dad?

Does anyone here soak / use a wet pail? I think most use dry and that's what appeals to me, I don't really like the idea of soaking all the time and having to handle all those wet diapers.

thanks!! I'm sure I'll have 10x more questions once the responses roll in : )

 

[lliang_chi]

Mayer, I"m using a combo of CJ Plus, and Butt Paste or BalmX (with washable or disposable liner when using zinc creams). CJ's is cloth diaper safe. I think it actually helps more than the zinc creams, but DH bought a ton of zinc creams so we might as well use them.

PhG, is Grandma El's diaper safe? I read on Amazon reviews that it isn't. How's A? Is C doing cloth training pants?

LV, where are you seeing the DS thread about Earth Day specials? I need to accumulate a regular sized stash, I need to get probably another 12-15 diapers so I'd be watching for Earth Day sales.

Rachel, I did a newborn diaper trial. It's not for everyone but I'm really glad I did. For a few reasons: 1) Newborn diapers are outgrown pretty quickly. 2) I'm also a new parent and cloth newbie, so I didn't want to commit to a full on stash if DH decides cloth was not for him. 3) So we could try a few different brands/types (fitted + covers, prefolds + covers, pockets and AIO). 4) The cost was pretty nominal, only $75 for a 3 month trial. I use both the washable liners and the flushable ones. But TBH I don't flush my liners I toss them like wipes. I don't know much about gDiapers, but essentially you just need a cover + absorbent layer to make a diaper. I bought 3 Flip covers and use plain ol' regular pre-folds with them and it works just fine.

~LC

 

[Loves Vintage]

LC - I will post more later, but Swaddlebees announced their clearance section was stocked yesterday: http://www.swaddlebees.com/Products/Clearance

 

[Puppmom]

Rachel, I don't think you'll find much difference (in terms of time commitment) between G-giapers and prefolds/covers. My struggle with Gs is that not every part of the diaper needs to be cleaned every time you use it (I guess that's the deal with all AI2s). So sometimes just the insert was soiled and other times the insert and the liner were soiled. And, of course, sometimes the whole thing was dirty. This was a problem for me for two reasons:

MIL is our primary caregiver and it was a lot for her to remember what to do with the diaper. If he just peed, put the insert in the laundry and hang the liner to dry unless the diaper is wet too then hang them both to dry. I would come home to diaper parts EVERYWHERE! With the pocket diapers, she knows just to put the whole thing in the laundry every time.

Space - I needed place to hang liners/diapers to dry and a place to store soiled inserts and our nursery is small.

 

[mayachel]

MerryMary- We are using the Swaddlebees and Grovias almost exclusively now. Our daughter is 4 months old, and not on solids yet, but I expect her to be in this combo for the long haul. Overnight, I add the grovia cotton booster to the swaddlebees, but the grovia is fine on its own still. She is sleeping 10-12hrs so we aren't doing changes overnight. We haven't had any leaks with these either, (dirty or wet).

Rachel- I haven't met anyone using the wet pail method. I have a friend who uses a laundry mat and thought she would do the wet pail since she was washing only twice a week, but ended up deciding it didn't make a difference in her laundry outcome. Another friend uses her top loading washer as the "wet pail" most days and runs it each night, unless wanting to do other laundry that day. We use the planetwise pail liner in a diaper dekor which has worked with very little fuss, and a large PW hanging bag as the alternate, since it is great for traveling. If I were doing it over, I'd skip the pail altogether and just use the hanging bag.

 

[mayerling]

Well, I've gone on a shopping spree!

It turns out that DH won't be going to the US next month so he wouldn't be able to bring CDs back with him and it's going to cost tons in duty and shipping to have them sent over here, so I decided I might as well buy them from the UK. It worked out okay because I've been able to discover a store in the UK that sells best bottoms which I definitely wanted to get. It also has the added advantage that I can just buy a couple of diapers, see how I like them and then decide if I want to commit to more - when we thought DH was going to bring them from the US we were planning on buying our entire stash at once.

Anyhoo, I've bought 3 best bottom shells and some size small inserts (as well as some additional stuff like flushable liners, pail liners, CJ butter, etc.). I've also thought I might want to give pockets a go and got two rumparooz!

LC, how are you doing with the flips? I already have 5 flip shells but I'm a bit worried because the lining where you place the inserts seems a bit flimsy and I'm worried about leaks.

 

[lliang_chi]

Mayerling, I'm using hte flips with plain ol' vanilla prefolds and they're working out fine. No leaks I just have to double check that the legs and waist are snug. But I have to do with any cover, so it's no different. I have found that my Happy Heiny leaks a little bit but that might be because he's too small for it, so I'm not going to pass judgment just yet. Some Kissaluvs leak on me too, (the newborn size and the OSFM one), so I think Ethan's thighs just aren't the right shape for it yet. LV uses Tot Bots, I might want to give those a shot. Hm.... since you're in UK and we're in US, maybe we can do a diaper exchange and by pass the taxes and duties.... I know LV wants to get her hot little hands on the new Tot Bots...

 

[mayerling]

Sounds cool, but how would doing a diaper exchange bypass the duty issue? Apparently we have to declare a value every time something is sent in the post which makes the package liable to tax...

 

[lliang_chi]

Ah you're right. I honestly haven't shipped much overseas.

~LC

 

[missrachelk]

As far as duty goes (now I'm no expert but this is what I'm thinking) used items can be declared at very little to no value. DH and I used to live in the Caribbean and moved a ton of our stuff by mail/post and declared everything that was already ours (that we weren't insuring) at zero value - used personal effects. So that might just be a way around the duties. You can always try the diapers on your own LO for a for a few minutes so they're actually 'used' LOL