Cloth Diapers?

[pancake]

Mayerling, I really recommend www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk for purchasing online in the UK - their selection is fabulous and so are their prices and descriptions. www.thenappylady.co.uk also has heaps of helpful videos and FAQs for newbies.

 

[mayerling]

We plan to cloth diape our babe but are currently clueless about it and all the different Types. I do plan to plow through this thread at some point, but fr now I wanted to share a great new app I just came across. It's called cloth diaper resources by DDR studios. A streamlined resource of videos and reviews on diapers!

I know how you feel!

 

[mayerling]

Mayerling, I really recommend www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk for purchasing online in the UK - their selection is fabulous and so are their prices and descriptions. www.thenappylady.co.uk also has heaps of helpful videos and FAQs for newbies.

Thanks, pancake!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Applecheeks finally arrived... not sure what I think. Snaps seem flimsy. How many of you mamas use ACs? They're pretty adorable, though so they win a few points for the cute factor. I'm getting antsy to try out all of these CDs!

 

[Puppmom]

I'm getting really behind on this thread!

PPM, I use Applecheeks. I bought mine in May, 2011. Two of them bit the dust recently but it wasn't the snaps. I actually think a prerinse product I was using caused damage. The elastic dried out and ultimately died and the PUL crapped out. I'm going to assume it was user error unless it happens to my others. I think Bellamezzo uses ACs too so maybe she'll chime in. I'm pretty sure Oobiecoo (don't know if she still posts) used ACs almost exclusively. I think you asked about liners a while back too. I buy the Bummis biosoft liners and we love them. I only put them in N's diapers for daycare or if we need to use diaper cream.

I'm pretty impressed with all of the newborn cloth diapering. I've been cloth diapering N for over a year and I'm still so intimidated by the idea of cloth diapering a newborn. I think because my only experience is with Pocket Diapers and AI2s. All of the prefold/cover talk makes my head spin!

 

[pancake]

I have some Applecheeks! But we haven't tried them out yet - they're a bit too big for our little bub still.

Our cloth nappy adventure has commenced! I put Sylvie in a Bambooty Easy Dry this afternoon (PUL with microsuede lining and sewn-in bamboo flap liners) with half an Imse Vimse flushable liner. She was in it for 3 hours, and when we changed her it was heavily wet and soiled but there was no leakage - hooray!

I then put her in a Green Acre microfleece pocket, which whilst not as trim, was a beautiful fit as it's nice and narrow through the crotch. Obviously Sylvie liked it too because she did a poo the second we snapped it up. THEN whilst I was putting our other GAD on her, she peed on it! We only have 2 GADs, so that was that... and she is now tucked up in her bassinet in another Bambooty

For the moment we are sticking with disposables for night-time until we are adept enough at fastening all our cloth nappies when semi-comatose.

 

[mayerling]

Just ordered my first pair of flip diapers!
They're hook and loop, which isn't great as I prefer snaps, but they were on a buy one get one free offer and I couldn't resist. And so I begin my stash...

 

[pancake]

Sylvie loves her CDs. So much so, that out of 7 that we have pulled out, she has done a poo or a wee in 3 of them either before they're done up, or within 10 minutes of getting them on! She's currently in her first prefold and cover (Dappy Shop stretchy bamboo prefold with a bamboo booster and Thirsties Duo wrap)...

 

[phoenixgirl]

I love it! Sylvie is a darling!

So funny that she is going through them so fast! Have you done a wash yet? I'm curious to see how often I'll actually have to wash . . .

Speaking of, it occurred to me that I might have to wash every day or do two loads every other day. Claire's loads (every two days) are only @12 diapers, a pail liner, a wet bag or two, and a few extra hemp inserts, but they seem to take up quite a bit of space in our front-loader. I'm afraid that with a newborn going through tons of diapers, it will be too much for one load. Ack! I should have thought of this before I bought quite so many newborn diapers! But I'll still be glad not to have to wash every day.

 

[yellowducky]

Just ordered my first pair of flip diapers!
They're hook and loop, which isn't great as I prefer snaps, but they were on a buy one get one free offer and I couldn't resist. And so I begin my stash...

congrats! i went on a CD stash building spree and have now just been able to curb my fuzzy buying urges, so it's a very addictive pastime.

i ended up buying some one-size covers in velcro/aplix but plan on switching those to snaps should the need arise. (you can find how-to videos on youtube if you're so inclined.)

 

[mayerling]

This is going to sound like a stupid question, but is a wet bag necessary? Especially for those who use a dry pail, I'm not sure what the wet bag would be for.

 

[mayerling]

Does this look like a good deal? http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-PCS-One-Size-Adjustable-Reusable-Baby-Washable-Cloth-Diaper-Nappies-7-INSERTS-/330658371658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item7dbd86a2b3#ht_3413wt_1193

I can't find info on the diaper brand and I'm apprehensive about buying without knowing. I'd appreciate the advise of the wise ladies in this thread.

 

[Kunzite]

pancake - S is a doll in her diapers!!

Mayerling - I wouldn't want to put dirty diapers directly in my pail, but that might just be me. Besides, you'll need wet bags for away from the house (diaper bag, day care). My guess is that the diapers in your link are not a brand, just diapers someone made. That image of a pink diaper is a stolen image, though I can't place where I've seen it.

ETA- found it, it's from FB:
http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/clothdiapers/pocketdiapers/fuzzibunzperfectsizediaper2010colors

pg - I meant to ask you about the TPU in your DR pockets, I read you can't wash them in hot water but it sounds like you still do. Have you had any issues?

 

[phoenixgirl]

Mayerling, I use a dry pail with a diaper liner in it. Diapers still have moisture even when you don't add water to the pail, and I prefer to dump the whole bag into the wash rather than transport a bucket that the diapers have been in direct contact with. I do wipe down and air out my pail while washing the diapers, but I prefer to know the diapers haven't actually touched it.

The wet bags I use are little travel bags that I carry with me when out of the house. They hold 1-3 diapers. They are cloth on the outside and waterproof PUL (or something similar) on the inside, and they zip shut. That's how you carry your nasty diapers around while out for the day. I guess the name "wet bag" is kind of misleading but that's what they're called on the websites I order from: http://www.kellyscloset.com/Planet-Wise-Wet-Bags_p_3436.html

I don't know about those particular diapers that you linked. What would it cost to ship to you? I'd be tempted to give them a try just because of the price. I know a lot of people here use SunBaby and Kawaii diapers, both made in China and available for $5 to $8 each. My Diaper Rite diapers are also made in China. The concern is just with the customer service, if you care about that. FuzziBunz ($15 to $20 diapers) is really good about replacing diapers with problems, even ones that are out of warranty (with proof of purchase), and they send you freebies to make up for the cost of shipping it back to them. Diaper Rite ($10 diaper) did replace a defective diaper, but they didn't send me extra inserts (FuzziBunz always does) and the warranty is only 90 days (FuzziBunz is one year). With eBay diapers, I wouldn't expect any customer service and would just consider any defective diapers throw-aways, but maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised. I'd also wonder about quality control - I have one Kawaii diaper that I got from a major retailer, and the seam is super uneven. It would not have passed inspection with a more reputable brand. That said, if it does the job and they last a pretty long time, is it worth paying $10 more per diaper just for a little more quality control or customer service? Probably not.

Oh, and if it matters, they stole one of those images from FuzziBunz: http://www.kellyscloset.com/FuzziBunzR-Perfect-Size-Cloth-Diaper-with-Insert-_p_3997.html

Kunzite, hmmm, I hadn't read that. Yeah, I've been washing them on hot! One did delaminate, and they replaced the pocket like I said above. I don't think the diaper says not to wash on hot on it; let me see . . . Ha ha, OK, I only have one DR not in the wash/pail right now, and the tag has almost completely washed away, but I can make out, "Machine Wash Ho . . ." so I assume that it says "machine wash hot." I do remember being a little unimpressed that they didn't come with specific instructions on the packaging like most other diapers, but I guess that's what you get for $10.

 

[mayerling]

The wet bags I use are little travel bags that I carry with me when out of the house. They hold 1-3 diapers. They are cloth on the outside and waterproof PUL (or something similar) on the inside, and they zip shut. That's how you carry your nasty diapers around while out for the day. I guess the name "wet bag" is kind of misleading but that's what they're called on the websites I order from: http://www.kellyscloset.com/Planet-Wise-Wet-Bags_p_3436.html

Oh, I see! I suppose in my mind I thought of wet bags as the outdoor equivalent to a wet pail, whereas what you're seeing is that the name just refers to a bag that you use to carry soiled/wet diapers around in.

 

[mayerling]

Another, possibly stupid question, when you wash diapers do you only have diapers in the wash? I suppose it's possible to have cloth wipes in there as well, but not other baby clothes, right?

 

[phoenixgirl]

Mayerling, that's a tricky question. I was wondering about this because I've bought some reusable nursing pads to use this time around, and some people on Diaper Swappers said not to wash them with diapers because of the risk of transferring disease from the feces to the baby's mouth. I've thrown blood/poop/vomit soiled clothes into the wash with diapers but the regular laundry I do separately. I mean, I'm using a strong detergent and occasionally bleach on my diapers, but I guess you just never know.

Kunzite, I just realized it's the bleach that washed out the diaper tags. I definitely remember that my FuzziBunz tags were still legible a couple of months ago, and I've only been using bleach for that long.

 

[Kunzite]

Our load is already so full there isn't room for non-diaper extras. We wash the pail liner, wet bags, diapers, and cloth wipes together. O had a nasty GI virus this week (which he was kind enough to pass to me, hence all the PS time!) meaning many poo explosions! In that case we'll throw his poo clothes in with the diapers.

PG - I was reading that you can wash TPU on hot, they just don't last as long because they're not chemically bound. I guess it's a moot point anyway because DH said he'd rather stick with BG since we like them so much. I can't argue with that since he does a good majority of the diapering in our house!

 

[mayerling]

Phoenixgirl, I see what you mean. Maybe I should stick to just diapers and wipes, just to be on the safe side. Also, thanks for the Kawaii suggestion. I've decided to give them a go - they're so cheap it would be a shame not to! I've decided to get two covers from them and if I like them I can get more.

For the moment, the plan for my stash of covers is to have the two flips that I've already ordered, and to order 1 econobum (they're so cute I can't resist), 3 best bottoms, 2 grovias, and 2 kawaiis. The grovia website scared me into thinking that 10 covers won't be enough to last me to potty training, but I've decided not to give into intimidation and see how I get on. If I need more I'll order more. And I'll probably get about 3 inserts for each cover, bringing the inserts up to 30. Do you think I need the brand of insert to match the brand of cover or can I just mix and match?

ETA: Kunzite, what's the load your washer can handle? Ours takes up to 7kg which makes me think it won't be full just with diapers in it.

 

[Kunzite]

mayerling - our washer can physically handle much larger loads, you just want to be careful that a diaper load isn't too full because the key to clean diapers is a lot of water.

PSA!! Baby Legs are on sale! $4 each. I'm trying to resist but will likely cave.

http://www.babylegs.com/Default.aspx

 

[pancake]

Here's S in a Bamboo Easy Peasy - print is called 'Hooty Booty'!

PG, I can't really comment on the washing stuff yet as S is still in CDs only about 30% of the time - first load is going through its final rinse cycle as I type!

It looks like S is, for the time being, not a prefolds bub. I had her in bamboo prefolds + PUL covers the other day and she soaked through the prefold and bamboo booster within 90 minutes - the problem with this being that it woke her halfway through a nap. So I'll probably use these prefolds to stuff pockets for now. We haven't tried flats yet and her fitteds are still too big for her but I think they may work a little better than prefolds for our little super soaker!

 

[mayerling]

Pancake, she looks adorable
Would you say that in CDs she needs to be changed more often than in disposables?

Also, how often do you ladies experience leaks with CDs?

 

[pancake]

Thanks Mayerling!

I don't have much experience with CDs yet, but these are my thoughts:

- In her Bambooty AIOs, she does not need changing any more frequently than disposables
- In bamboo prefolds with a bamboo booster she soaked through the combo (twice) within 1 - 1 1/2 hours
- In comparing the AIOs to disposables, at the moment they are about the same BUT in saying that, she's a newborn so needs frequent changing (has maybe 6-8 dirty nappies a day, sometimes more, plus she is a heavy wetter). I think I'd have a better idea of this later on once she's not pooing so often! We are probably doing about 10-12 changes a day at the moment.

 

[mayerling]

Pancake, thanks for replying. Yes, I can imagine a newborn would require many changes. Have you noticed any leaks?

In other news, I just received my first pair of hook and loop flips! I can't wait until my baby's here to try them on!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Super cute Mayerling!

So I'm on a local FB group of some friends, a lot of whom CD. One mom has only used BumGenius so she was asking for other recommendations, and my friend with the gross diapers said her FuzziBunz were terribly stained but she knew they were clean because they wick fine. Um, no, I'm sorry. A) You only use FuzziBunz, so you have no point of comparison to know if the stains are brand-specific. And B) big brown stains do not equal clean. I had to be like, well, I don't have stains with the FB, just FYI.

Pancake, hmmm, I've heard people say AIOs don't work for heavy wetters, but prefolds do. I don't know either way . . . baby is still cooking (39w 2d today). All the diapers are prepped and ready to go, though!

 

[mayerling]

Phoenixgirl, you're getting so close! We'll need pics of the LO in CDs when the time comes.

Does anyone know how to wash flip covers? Should I follow the same procedure as with CDs or are they special in some way. They didn't come with any washing instructions

 

[phoenixgirl]

Covers should be fine to wash the same as the rest of your load. Here are some directions from Flip but I'm not sure they really tell you much: http://www.flipdiapers.com/customersupport.php I wouldn't throw covers in the dryer but that's not a concern for you anyway.

 

[mayerling]

Thanks, Phoenixgirl. Does this mean that I could wash them at 40C (which I think is about 100F) with the rest of the baby's clothes? Also, presumably they don't require many washes before use unlike CDs?

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey Ladies!

We put Ethan in cloth diapers yesterday! Started out with covers & prefolds. DH was actually OK with this. Today we're doing Kissaluv fitteds and covers. He's got the first one on today. So far we like the THristies wraps (DH prefers the velcro over snaps). The Bummis wraps are not so much of a fan of. The velcro tabs like to get caught on things and open. Maybe it's because the pre-folds were too thick for it. But we overnighted Ethan in cloth and he was just fine.

He's got a pretty stubborn diaper rash so I'm hoping the cloth diapers will help out with that. We're doing BalmX but I'm lining the diapers with dry wipes (not wet wipes) so they don't get on the diapers. Does anyone have suggestions for disposable liners?

~LC

 

[mayerling]

LC, glad to hear the CDs are working out for little Ethan. How about pics? I'm sure he looks as adorable in his as Sylvie does in hers.

Sorry I don't have any thoughts on disposable liners as I'm a complete noob at this.