Cloth Diapers?

[Puppmom]

LC, our designated night-time diapers are Blueberry pockets. We stuff them with one Loopy do and one thin Bamboo booster. We put the booster in the front for obvious reasons. The Blueberries have a really roomy pocket so that's what we chose them. You could never put extra stuffing in a Fuzzibunz but and I don't think BGs are ideal for extra stuffing either. I'm afraid they would get stretched out.

I think it takes a while to find a night time system that works for you. Plus, I think kids who are still mostly on formula or BM wet a lot more. N's heaviest wetting period was 6-9 months.

Oh, and DH doesn't do any laundry let alone diapers. He just whines out loud when he runs out of underwear.

 

[lliang_chi]

Pupp, LOL about DH's laundry strategy. DH doesn't cook at all, so he'd just go hungry if I don't sort out dinner for him. That even means heating up leftovers because apparently once I got delegated all cooking responsibilities, that also includes knowing how to reheat food and put it on the table.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Alright ladies, I've gone off the deep end. I no longer know how many diapers I have! I gave my doula 20 of them (Lil Joeys, FuzziBunz XS, BumGenius NB, and Swaddlebees Simplex NB) as a thank you because she wouldn't accept payment, and she's buying 10 more of my simplex and Blueberry Mini One-Sizes. I've decided I really like AIOs that are also stuffable and quicker drying - my current faves are Blueberry Basix and Thirsties Duo AIOs. Oh, also, I like sized, or at least the two-size system like Thirsties. Basix seem to have been discontinued in small but I got half a dozen, and Alice is just fitting into mediums too. And PSA, there are new prints in the Thirsties, and you can get them for $13.50 (plus $1 for prints) from Moms Milk Boutique right now (free shipping over $25). I'm trying not to go crazy buying a whole new stash but I'm dreaming of putting my pocket stuffing days behind me! Both of these will take an additional soaker/insert if need be, but I haven't found the need to do so yet, though some reviews say the Thirsties aren't super absorbent.

As for pockets, the Blueberry Mini One-Size still fit quite well. I'm just selling them to my friend because she's due in less than a week and this means an excuse to buy more AIOs! I bought a couple of FuzziBunz Elites thinking they'd be so much better than the old ones, but I don't like the minky inserts and they're hard to stuff, so boo.

Oh, and the Thirsties dry as quickly as everything else if you pull the absorbent part inside out (that's probably not quite the right way to describe it, but you'll figure out what I mean if you have one).

At this point, I'm not going to pretend it's not an obsession. I'm just going with it.

Pupp and LC, LOL about the helpless men!

 

[lliang_chi]

PhG, I have a Thirsties AIO also. I totally know what you mean about flipping it inside out. I like the Thirsties, but I find their velcro isn't as sticky as say TotBots or Blueberry. Even my Rumparooz and BG's have stickier velcro. But it does the job. Maybe you're using snaps? Are you re-stashing then? Mwa ha ha! More cloth diapers! Need pics of A in them!

I need to tell myself to stop buying diapers too. I bought 4 more on Pupp's rec with day care etc. Of all the diapers I bought there's only 2 (brands/types) I dislike. The Kissaluv AIO Marvels (just don't fit Ethan right) and Rearz fitted diapers (DH doesn't like them either). The Rearz are really thick and I use a Flip cover unsnapped all the way to cover them up. I kinda like it for overnights, but they're bulky so you really have to tug etc to get it to fit over the fitted and prevent any leaks through seeping.

I'm having an issue with my BG's leaking. Any tips?

 

[indecisive]

Hi Ladies! I lurk in this thread but I am not far along enough in my pregnancy to buy anything. Just wanted to share this deal from Baby Steals for the itti bitti tutto diapers. I don't know if any one used them but they look nice.

http://babysteals.stealnetwork.com/archive_products.php?id=3000691

ETA: Oops just saw they are now sold out!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Thanks for the tip Indecisive! When are you due? I got some really great deals on Black Friday/Cyber Monday last year. But that's 5 months away so you're probably due before then . . .

LC, I totally agree about the Thirsties aplix. I have a few in aplix but I just ordered 6 in snaps. I have decided to redo my stash, mostly for fun, but also because I'm tired of matching up all different inserts with my pockets, plus I'm not line-drying at the moment because I have some fatigue from the condition I was diagnosed with when I was pregnant, plus, you know, I have two small children and it's never a good time to leave them unattended while I hang a million diapers and inserts and wipes in the backyard! (Yes, an English teacher wrote that terrible run-on sentence.) So anyway, now that I'm not line-drying, AIOs are that much more attractive because I'm using the dryer anyway. I'm all about making my life easier these days.

I try not to buy used diapers because I'm a snob, but I did just get three Thirsties Duo AIOs in barely used condition for $21. I couldn't pass that up. They were aplix but that's OK - those are good for grandma.

I'm selling some of my pockets on DS if anyone is interested in mini one size pockets.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Somebody lowballed me on a fitted that's new with tags, and I was like, well, I've had it for months and it's not worth anything to me, and a bird in the hand blah blah blah, but then I looked at her posts, and she's trying to sell used fitteds for more than she offered me for my new one. So I turned her down on principle. Silly, I know, but it annoyed me!

 

[missrachelk]

Hi CD Mamas!

I'm past the 25 week mark and seriously 'nesting' and getting ready for this baby girl's arrival.

I finally had a meeting with my boss about my leave / return to work and have officially decided to go back to work only super part time and from home, so we won't be using childcare for any significant amount of the time every week. I think this will factor into my CD decisions pretty heavily because we will be the primary diaper-ers - well plus grandmas - and my little one will be extra lucky to have 3 (My DH's parents are both remarried)

SOOO I have been looking a ton into prefolds and cotton and I am leaning heavily towards a prefold-based stash with thirsties covers and probably an assortment of other brands to see waht works for us. Anyone here use prefolds? I really really like the cotton against baby's skin and the simplicity of this kind of system. That the newborn prefolds continue to be useful as doublers and the larger prefolds as changing pads etc is also really appealing. I think the fact that you rarely see GM prefolds second hand also says something about them - since people don't often want to sell them.

The cost is a huge factor too - a basic kit from green mountain diapers that has everything you need up to 15 pounds I believe is only a little over $200! Add in a few extras like fitteds and a few pockets or simpler diapers for out and about and you're set. I think I've totally 'drunk the kool-aid' from the GM site and others about cotton not having the issues that synthetics do with ammonia buildup and needing to be stripped as often too.

So there, I've decided to CD and go all out with prefolds!

Any advice or tips? I think what my current plan will be is to get either the GM basic kit or make one of my own, and add a few fitteds to that (the smallest kissaluvs get great reviews all around) plus a few pockets but probably not in newborn size since they are used for such a short period of time. I'm registering for the g-diaper newborn kit so maybe someone will get that for me and we can see if we like those as well. If we're not gifted the g-kit I'll probably just buy a few to see how they work for us before going whole-hog.

 

[lliang_chi]

Ra chel, tbh it's pretty easy to do prefolds when out and about also. Just prep them with then cover and they're ready to go. I liked the kissa fitted. I have a Rearz one that I. Don't like as much. Oh and big plus on the thirties covers.

 

[megumic]

I know this has been asked, but for the life of me I cannot find it back in this thread.

For prefolds, how many do I need of each size? Should I bother with newborn or jump right to small? (We plan to buy GMD if it makes a difference...)

 

[mayerling]

Meg, I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that as I'm not doing prefolds. Let's hope some of the more experienced mamas chime in.

I've pre-stuffed my pocket diapers so that DH and grandma don't need to worry about which insert goes with which pocket - I tried to teach them but it wasn't going anywhere - and I also double-stuffed some overnight diapers. I have a question about my rumparooz if anyone knows. I have them sized to the smallest setting and I inserted both the newborn insert and the doubler for overnight, but the diaper looks like it's going to explode with both inserts in. Does anyone have this problem?

 

[lliang_chi]

Meg, If I were you, I'd just jump to the small. YOu can always fold down the prefolds to fit into your covers. It makes it a bit bulky but I was never after that slim-trim diaper look. If I wanted that I would've done disposables.

Mayer, Hm, I'd hold off on the double stuffed newborns. I find that newborns don't really pee/wet a whole lot. Not like bigger babies do. Plus you feed/change etc them so often anyway, it's not like they're going for a 6 hr stretch at any time. Now that Ethan's going 6+ at night, I definitely double stuff so I do'nt have to deal with wet clothes/sheets in the morning. But when he was getting up every 2-3 hrs in the squishy newborn phase, I just did single stuffs.

 

[mayerling]

Good point, LC! On my way to restuff with just one insert...

 

[Kunzite]

meg - I'm with LC, I'd start with the smalls. We have infant size prefolds (osocozy) that are close to the same size as small GMD and we used them with the angel wing fold as soon as the twins came home. They are really bulky but they fit under our covers just fine and will fit until we're ready to switch to OS pockets. I would get 24 so you can do laundry every other day. We have 48 diapers for the twins and it's the perfect number for EOD washing.

AFU - Just thought I'd check in with the great twin diapering adventure! Actually, since O is still in diapers that's not really accurate We're using prefolds and Kissa size zero fitteds (that an AWESOME PSers let us borrow!!) with mostly Thirsties Duos. I thought we would love one more than the other, but so far both have been great. Since the prefolds are bigger we've been using those on M and the fitteds on E. They hate diaper changes but I'll try to get a picture one of these days!

 

[Puppmom]

Mayerling, when you do find the need to doublestuff, not all pockets are big enough. For me, I use Blueberry covers to doublestuff. They are my go-to night-time diaper. FBs are way too small to doublestuff and BGs are close but not quite roomy enough.

 

[missrachelk]

Hi Ladies!

I am in a convo with a lady selling her entire stash - for what seems like a great deal to me. Neither DH nor I have any qualms about buying second hand, in fact I prefer it to be a bit greener and save some cash!

So a few questions - what I'm considering buying is a bunch of kissaluvs size zero, and 2 other kinds of fitteds - Little Beetles and Sugarplum Babies - these mostly in the second size but a few of the smallest too. A few bummi's covers , and 7 bumgenius AIO.

She also has 3 wool covers, one that pulls on and 2 with snaps, then several 'shorties' and 'longies' in wool. Anyone have experience with wool? I feel like I've read that lots of people like it a lot, it's very natural and breathable thus good for baby, but does have the drawback of not being entirely 100% waterproof.

I also got her to quote me on the entire lot she has to sell which includes the stuff above plus about 15 larger size fitteds, a bunch of hemp doublers and wipes, and some hemp prefolds. The entire lot would be $600 for about 80 diapers, 3 bummis, 12 various wool covers and assorted wipes/prefolds/doublers and snappis etc.

I'm really debating whether this is a great deal and a way to get myself out of the abyss of diaper shopping or possibly unwise if we don't like fitteds so much. I also think this will be more costly than my plan to use mainly prefolds - however it also seems easier to use fitteds and possibly better for leaks etc. I'm also not sure if the amounts of each size (ie 26 size 0 kissas) could be excessive, especially if we want to use other kinds some of the time. I think the prices are great and I suppose I could always sell them for whatever I have in them fairly easily (or is it tough / time consuming to sell diapers?)

Opinions?

I will definitely buy some of this (lots of the smallest fitteds and a few covers, plus the bumgenius, and a few of the next size fitteds) then fill in with prefolds, more covers and possibly a few gdiapers. I'm not feeling pressure from the seller to decide right away and I do want to think about this before committing.

 

[lliang_chi]

Rachel, wow, 26 size 0 kissa fitteds? IMO that seems excessive. Newborns pee/poop a lot but at the most you might be looking at 10-14 diapers a day? I mean you want your baby to sleep too, so it's not like you're going to be changing LO every hour. You'll be changing diapers maybe every 2 hours max, with probably a few 3 hr stretches in there if you're lucky and have a baby who will sleep.
I had Kissa fitteds and they fit E until he was not quite 3 months old (about 14 lbs they started getting harder to button). So not knowing what size your LO will be, plan on using it from anywhere from 2.5 months to 5 months.
Re: fitteds vs pre-folds being leakier than the other, I found them both to be pretty much the same. Fitteds are a little more "Daddy-friendly" but I'd say it's not too crazy to get Daddy doing prefolds too. I got DH to do them, but he definitely liked prefolds the least. I would imagine shorts-style covers would probably be the biggest PITA for husbands, but if you start you have other options (wrap covers and woolies with snaps) it he'll just choose that one instead.
My opinion, I wouldn't buy ALL THOSE DIAPERS for $600. One, it's a ton of diapers and you probably need half of that.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I had 30 newborn diapers and I felt it was about right -- I could have gotten by with maybe 26 or 28 (I prefer to wash every other morning and the diapers aren't ready until the afternoon - I found each load was about 22 or 23 diapers).

I would just hesitate to buy a whole big $600 stash without knowing what you'll like. Some people find they love organic fabrics, some like stay-dry, etc. I would maybe do a newborn diaper rental to see what you like and then look for a one-size stash on the cheap once you have tried some different brands and types.

 

[yellowducky]

Random question for you knowledgeable and ever resourceful ladies:

Do Rumparooz ever go on sale? I'm interested in adding a few to my stash* but, even when I have seen them on sale, they don't seem to be noticeably marked down....ever. Are there any particular websites that I should stalk or is there a better time of year for them to be marked down? Or are they usually just on the pricier side?

*As an addendum, I am no longer building a stash for fictitious baby but am happy to announce, for those who have seen my posts in this thread, that I am slowly creeping towards the end of the first trimester and hope to have a healthy baby butt making use of my stash come January. I probably should have joined the "Barely Pregnant" thread, but I kept thinking that something would/could/might go wrong and that thread just felt too official for me.

 

[missrachelk]

thanks Pgirl and LC. After looking at those lists again I agree that the entire package is too much, and what I had initially told her I would take is also too much. I think I'll edit down to about 10-15 of the kissas and 10-15 of the next sizes. I personally hate the super hippy-dippy look of the shorties and longies this seller has (no offense anyone) and I think my Mom could make that kind of thing with her eyes closed. So I may go for the snap wool covers but not the rest.

Thanks for helping talk me down! I knew there was a reason I felt odd about the nearly $400 of the lot that I initially said I'd take (I think the extra buck off of each peice made me think I needed more than I really will)

I'm hoping to spend around $400 as my initial investment and not need to spend more till baby girl grows into bigger sizes or if our initial choices really don't work for us.

 

[lliang_chi]

Yellow, I got Rumparooz in a Buy 4 Get 1 Free sale back in April or May. It was only for the applix and only for solid colors. Maybe you can hold off until Cyber Monday or Black Friday? THat'll still give you time to prep your stash.

Rachel, I did a newborn rental through ModernClothDiapers.com. I really liked it and thought it was fantastic. It wasn't very expensive either. I'm really glad I went with the rental I was able to try fitted + covers, AIO with snaps and AIO with velcro. I also got a few covers + prefolds from PhoenixGirl.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Random question for you knowledgeable and ever resourceful ladies:

Do Rumparooz ever go on sale? I'm interested in adding a few to my stash* but, even when I have seen them on sale, they don't seem to be noticeably marked down....ever. Are there any particular websites that I should stalk or is there a better time of year for them to be marked down? Or are they usually just on the pricier side?

*As an addendum, I am no longer building a stash for fictitious baby but am happy to announce, for those who have seen my posts in this thread, that I am slowly creeping towards the end of the first trimester and hope to have a healthy baby butt making use of my stash come January. I probably should have joined the "Barely Pregnant" thread, but I kept thinking that something would/could/might go wrong and that thread just felt too official for me.

Yay! Yay! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Congrats YellowDucky!!! Very happy for you! Enjoy your pregnancy and have fun building up that stash!!!

 

[Haven]

Sooo . . . I've gone through this thread a bit because DH and I want to use cloth diapers, but there is too much information here for me to process.

Anyone have a good resource for a total newbie to CDs? A website or book or something? I have no idea where to even start. I'm only 17 weeks, so I have some time to figure this out, but I'm thinking I'm going to need it!

 

[yellowducky]

Random question for you knowledgeable and ever resourceful ladies:

Do Rumparooz ever go on sale? I'm interested in adding a few to my stash* but, even when I have seen them on sale, they don't seem to be noticeably marked down....ever. Are there any particular websites that I should stalk or is there a better time of year for them to be marked down? Or are they usually just on the pricier side?

*As an addendum, I am no longer building a stash for fictitious baby but am happy to announce, for those who have seen my posts in this thread, that I am slowly creeping towards the end of the first trimester and hope to have a healthy baby butt making use of my stash come January. I probably should have joined the "Barely Pregnant" thread, but I kept thinking that something would/could/might go wrong and that thread just felt too official for me.

Yay! Yay! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Congrats YellowDucky!!! Very happy for you! Enjoy your pregnancy and have fun building up that stash!!!

Thanks so much, LV! After I score some Rumparooz, I think my stash building days will be over until the LO arrives and present a clear need for something not in inventory. Onto acquiring a stroller, crib, breast pump, and other fun things... Hope you're doing well!

 

[yellowducky]

Sooo . . . I've gone through this thread a bit because DH and I want to use cloth diapers, but there is too much information here for me to process.

Anyone have a good resource for a total newbie to CDs? A website or book or something? I have no idea where to even start. I'm only 17 weeks, so I have some time to figure this out, but I'm thinking I'm going to need it!

Hi Haven,
I started out just by reading what I could find online. I spent some time on Green Mountain Diapers' website as there are some helpful images for how to use prefolds, should you want to go that route. That site is very pro-natural fibers (namely cotton, hemp, and wool), though, so you won't read much about microfiber options, which are commonly used in all-in-ones (AIOs) and all-in-twos (AI2s) diapers. For a general overview, you can read the information page posted on Kelly's Closet. I found a coupon code for a diaper order that gave me a free copy of Kelly's book, "Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering," which is a nice book to read if you prefer a book over surfing the 'net. Maybe you can see if your local library has this book on its shelves?

If it helps to hear what others have done, I loaded up on cotton prefolds and diaper covers to use when the baby is small and wetting often. This seemed the best economical approach considering how quickly they grow. However, I bought a number of pocket diapers/AI2s to use when the baby is more mobile and not wetting as much. Some say that the microfiber helps to wick the liquid away, making the baby feel drier. I'll probably use the prefolds to stuff into the pocket diapers since microfiber seems susceptible to getting stinky. I also opted against AI2s because 1) we have a small dryer and I just couldn't imagine the backlog we'd have from the long dry times, and 2) I don't anticipate LO being under anyone else'se care (like relatives or daycare), where having a disposable-like diaper would be worth the convenience. If/when we do travel and a washer/dryer won't be readily accessible, I'll probably go with the Grovia Biosoakers.

HTH and happy stash building!

 

[Kunzite]

YD - Congrats!!

As promised, here are a few quick pictures of my little guys in their diapers.

 

[yellowducky]

Sooo . . . I've gone through this thread a bit because DH and I want to use cloth diapers, but there is too much information here for me to process.

Anyone have a good resource for a total newbie to CDs? A website or book or something? I have no idea where to even start. I'm only 17 weeks, so I have some time to figure this out, but I'm thinking I'm going to need it!

Hi Haven,
I started out just by reading what I could find online. I spent some time on Green Mountain Diapers' website as there are some helpful images for how to use prefolds, should you want to go that route. That site is very pro-natural fibers (namely cotton, hemp, and wool), though, so you won't read much about microfiber options, which are commonly used in all-in-ones (AIOs) and all-in-twos (AI2s) diapers. For a general overview, you can read the information page posted on Kelly's Closet. I found a coupon code for a diaper order that gave me a free copy of Kelly's book, "Changing Diapers: The Hip Mom's Guide to Modern Cloth Diapering," which is a nice book to read if you prefer a book over surfing the 'net. Maybe you can see if your local library has this book on its shelves?

If it helps to hear what others have done, I loaded up on cotton prefolds and diaper covers to use when the baby is small and wetting often. This seemed the best economical approach considering how quickly they grow. However, I bought a number of pocket diapers/AI2s to use when the baby is more mobile and not wetting as much. Some say that the microfiber helps to wick the liquid away, making the baby feel drier. I'll probably use the prefolds to stuff into the pocket diapers since microfiber seems susceptible to getting stinky. I also opted against AI2s because 1) we have a small dryer and I just couldn't imagine the backlog we'd have from the long dry times, and 2) I don't anticipate LO being under anyone else'se care (like relatives or daycare), where having a disposable-like diaper would be worth the convenience. If/when we do travel and a washer/dryer won't be readily accessible, I'll probably go with the Grovia Biosoakers.

HTH and happy stash building!

Oops, is it too early to blame pregnancy brain for a typo? That should be AIOs.

 

[yellowducky]

YD - Congrats!!

As promised, here are a few quick pictures of my little guys in their diapers.

Thanks Kunzite! You have such beautiful babies (that comment includes an earlier photo of your son you posted in this thread a while back)! (And you must have your hands REALLY full, especially with CDing two babies at once! Your washer must be getting quite the work-out! Hope you're getting enough me-time where you can.)

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Yellow- many congrats to you, mama! I'm glad a cute little bum will be using your stash sooner than later. Happy and healthy 9 months!

Haven- The Green Mountain Diaper website was super helpful for me, so I second YD's recommendation. There are tons and tons of brands out there, but I basically lump dipes into three groups: Prefolds/flat/fitteds + covers, pockets, and all-in-ones. There are other styles (AI2, AI3), but they're all variations on the basic diaper cover.

My diapers are all prepped and ready to go! Now this baby just needs to arrive! Stash is below, by brand. Most were new, a few were seconds or just-washed returns, and my ImseVimes are hand-me-downs:

4 GrowVia newborn AIOs
2 GrowVia OS AIOs
6 AppleCheek pockets, size 6 (Please, please, PLEASE last and fit up to 20 pounds, as you promise!)
2 BumGenius OS pockets
2 Charlie Banana OS pockets
2 LotusBumz OS pockets
2 Imagine OS pockets (Nicki's Diapers generic brand, look/feel similar to BumGenius)
2 FuzziBuns OS pocket 'elite'
2 FuzziBuns XS pocket
1 ImseVimse newborn AIO
2 ImseVimse newborn contoured + covers
12 infant-sized cotton prefolds by Imagine (up to 17 lbs)
12 small-sized cotton prefolds by Imagine (up to 25 lbs)
2 Thirsties Size 1 'Duo-Wrap' cover (should last up to 18lbs)
2 Weehuggers Size 1 cover/AI2 (up to 18 lbs)
3 Flip OS covers
4 Bumkins OS covers
2 Kissaluv size 0 fitteds (up to 15 lbs)

There are obvious gaps in this... so point them out to me, please! I want to wait till her arrival to buy more, but I'm trying to plan ahead a bit. I think we're okay for the newborn/itty bitty phase: 4 GrowVias, 3 ImseVimse, 2 FuzziBuns, 6 AppleCheeks, 12 prefolds, 2 Kissaluvs, and 4 small covers (as I doubt the OS will fit well).

Question re: diapering newborns. In our newborn care class instructor said to use disposables until baby passes all meconium stools... and then to continue using them for about three weeks! My jaw dropped! By four weeks my newborn dipes may not even fit well, depending on how big this baby is! She said that they're really hard to use with the umbilical cord stump. Did any of you CD before the stump fell off?

 

[Haven]

Thank you for the tips, ladies! I'll start reading up and making plans!