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Cloth Diapers?

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
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Anyone use cloth diapers? What''s your experience? The expense? The hassle? The benefits?

We''re considering it and it seems like cloth diapers have come a LONG way. Of course, we''ll have to get through the stash of disposables my mom already bought (that''ll seriously last us months).

My concerns are:

Is it more expensive than disposables? How much?
Do you have to order everything online?
How often do you have to do wash? Every day?
Is it too much to ask MIL to use cloth diapers since she''ll be the primary childcare?
 

Blenheim

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Hey there! We use cloth diapers and we love them. I think there are a couple other people here using them - I think Anchor''s using BumGenius pockets, and DRK''s using some sort of diaper service diapers (I think?). There have been another thread or two on the topic if you do a search.

We use a combination of prefolds with covers, and pockets. I''ve also tried some fitteds, which I wasn''t wild about as G is a very heavy wetter. Prefolds are more absorbant, and pockets allow you to play with the absorbancy more than fitteds. There are some companies that offer diaper trials, where they''ll send you several different popular options - I think that Jillian''s Drawers has one for something like $10. My biggest regret is buying a bunch of a single type/brand of diaper without testing them out first, so I would really recommend doing a trial. We ended up selling some that we didn''t like and using the money to buy ones that better fit our needs.

Just to put some of my experiences into context, we almost always use cloth - even when traveling. G was predominantly in disposable diapers at his prior daycare, as they were built into the price and as our house was on the market so we had enough going on without staying on top of laundry. We''ve had no issues with daycares using pocket/all-in-one cloth diapers though, should you ever decide to go that route.

Benefits-
Much cheaper than disposables.
There are some very cute diapers available these days. We have a couple of uber-cute cow print diapers, as well as some polka dotted ones.
If you''re running low on diapers, you can just throw them in the laundry rather than having to deal with going to the store.
After you make your initial selections and figure out what works for you, you don''t need to keep watching diaper sales, etc.
Disposables just smell weird to me, even clean. Cloth doesn''t really have a smell.
We''re not there yet, but since the kid can feel wet more easily than in disposables, they allegedly make it easier to potty train
We have a lot of one-size options (FuzziBunz, Rocky Mountain pockets, Happy Heinies) and so we also don''t need to run out to the store and get more if we realize he''s grown some. We just adjust the snaps on the diaper, which isn''t a big deal.
I think they''re more comfortable for the baby. This is potentially TMI, but I hate disposable menstrual pads but find the cloth ones comfy. I''d imagine diapers are the same way.

Hassle-
Laundry is less of a hassle than I thought it would be. The main thing I don''t like about laundry is sorting and folding, which is minimal when putting diapers away.
If baby is only getting breastmilk, the diapers can just be thrown in the laundry (poo and all). Once they start getting solids and/or formula, you do need to do something to get the poo off the diaper - scrape it off, spray it off, etc. They make flushable liners that some people use, where you can just take a poopy liner out of the diaper and throw it in the toilet. We have a BumGenius diaper sprayer that we really like. It''s still a little bit of a pain though. It''s probably my least favorite thing about CDs.
They''re more bulky in the diaper bag than disposables are, and you need to remember to carry a wetbag with you when you leave the house so you have somewhere to stash dirty diapers. (We have an extra plastic bag or two that we keep in there in case we forget.) This becomes automatic though, like how you wouldn''t leave the house without diapers and it''s just part of packing the diaper bag.
We take an entire suitcase full of diapers when we go out of town. You could buy disposables for travel though; I know quite a few people who have them on hand for travel or when they get behind on laundry.
A lot of the most available diaper rash creams aren''t that cloth diaper friendly, and you have to strip the diapers if you use them. We use Weleda Calundula diaper cream which smells wonderful, is CD-friendly, and is available at Target.

Expense-
It''s more expensive upfront than disposables, but you''ll save at least $1500 cloth-diapering a newborn through toilet training, and more on any subsequent kid because you''ll already have the diapers.
If you''re planning on using prefolds at all, keep an eye on Craigslist. You can often get them for a little under $1/diaper, and they last forever so wear isn''t really a concern. I''d be a little more careful with anything with elastic or velcro to check for wear.

Buying them-
We were lucky and had a local eco-friendly baby store that had a huge CD selection. Do a search in your area. You may need to order them online though. Again, try to do a trial and then order things that you know that you like.

Wash-
We do laundry when the diaper pail''s full, which is usually every 2 days or so. We can go 3.

Other caregivers-
No, not too much to ask IMHO. Talk to your MIL to see what type she''s willing to work with though. My MIL and SIL are fine using prefolds and covers, while G''s going to be in more user-friendly pocket diapers at daycare when he starts next week.

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions!
 

Lanie

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Would it be worth the initial investment to use them when your baby is breastfeeding (i.e. not dealing with spraying the poo into the toilet) and then switch to disposables, or is it one of those all or nothing things?

Are those flushable liners you mentioned expensive?

I'm interested as well, but I know people would think I'm nuts. I start thinking of all the babies out there and how the landfills must look, and it makes me want to go cloth, and I'm not even that "green" of a person!
 

Puppmom

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Blen, thank you thank you thank you for all of the details! It is much appreciated because I didn''t even know where to begin. I''ll search for the other threads. I think we''re leaning toward all cloth as opposed to cloth with disposable liner for a few reasons - the cost, the flushing (my toilets can barely handle *good* toilet paper
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) and I think the cloth will feel better on our little guy''s bum!

Thanks especially for the pointer about not investing a lot in a single brand until we''re sure what works for us. Off to do some more research. I''m sure I''ll be back with more questions!
 

Puppmom

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Lanie, I was looking at gdiapers and the flushable inserts do seem expensive - as compared to all cloth and disposables.

Blen, question - how many diapers do you need? It looks like pocket diapers might be a good option for us but it looks like the diaper itself gets soiled everytime the baby *goes*.
 

swingirl

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Years ago I used cloth diapers with a diaper service. I put the soiled diapers (heavy duty soil into the toilet) into their plastic-bag lined pail and put the bag on the porch for them to pick up twice a week. It worked very well while my kids were infants. That''s when they go through diapers very quickly. I got to be an expert at pinning.

I admit they can be a little more messy at times. But well worth it for the environment.

I couldn''t stand the idea of all those soiled plastic diapers ending up in our landfills. Of course the babysitters all preferred the ease of disposables.
 

Puppmom

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Swingirl, thank goodness for velcro! I can''t imagine fumbling with pins...you''re a trooper.

In addition to the environmental factors, I have to admit that I''m a little creeped out by the gel that''s in disposables. I don''t like the idea of it against my baby''s skin or the idea of my dog happening upon what he thinks is treasure (gross!) then consuming that unknown creepy substance.
 

oobiecoo

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We haven''t started using ours yet since I am due in August but we have pretty much stocked up with everything we''ll need for at least the first couple of months. I ordered several different brands and types (thirsties and blueberry covers, bum genius AIO, prefolds, etc) and ended up not being very pleased with any of those options as far as first impressions go. We returned almost everything and ended up stocking up on Applecheeks pocket diapers from Canada which I really think I''ll end up loving. They''re so cute and they have elastic in all the right places so leaks are nearly impossible. I check diaperpin.com alot for deals and coupons for lots of different cloth diaper stores so definitely look at that! These are the things we got that we feel will be necessities for us:
2 wetbags to put inside the diaper bags
2 waterproof pail liners to put the diapers into inside the trash can
diaper sprayer to spray off any poo
flushable liners... about $7 for 200 maybe? so we''ll alternate between these and using the sprayer
6 prefolds for the couple of covers we kept and just cuz I hear they are handy
2 snappis for the prefolds so we don''t have to use pins
2 covers
22 Applecheeks hemp inserts (a bit like prefolds but not as bulky)
12 (I think) applecheeks covers
4 newborn rumparooz all-in-ones that have a snap down area for the umbilical cord

We plan on using cloth diapers full time once we bring the baby home. I figured we wouldn''t mess with them in the hospital so we don''t have to worry about storing or washing them.
 

Puppmom

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Oobie, what are the flushable liners for? To reduce the amount of soil on the actual diaper?
 

oobiecoo

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From what I understand, the flushable liners are kind of like a dryer sheet. They catch any solids (the urine soaks through) so you can juts lift the liner and throw it in the toilet and not have to deal with poop. The liner biodegrades pretty quickly I think.
 

Blenheim

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Lanie- It doesn''t have to be all-or-nothing. I think that it would probably be a wash cost-wise using CDs versus disposable diapers for the first 6ish months (admittedly I''m too lazy to run numbers right now though), although you could reuse the CDs for second/third/etc children or you could sell them to recoup a lot of your costs.

I''ve thought that it would be nice to be able to figure out exactly when G is gong to poop and put him in a disposable for it, but (a) he''s not that predictable and (b) we just think to ourselves that we have a bunch of perfectly fine diapers sitting around that we don''t have to pay for. I''d personally rather deal with a poopy diaper every other day than to shell out the extra money for disposables.
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By the way - Craigslist and Diaperswappers.com are both good sources for gently used diapers as well as for selling diapers that you end up not liking, or that your baby outgrows (if you know that you''re not having more).

Pupp - No problem! Honestly, we have enough diapers to diaper two at once, so please don''t get intimidated by this. We have-
2 zippered wet bags to throw in the diaper bag when we''re going out (one for the diaper bag, one for the laundry)
4 pail liners (used to have one pail upstairs and one down, so we had two to go in the pails while the other two were in the laundry. we now just have the one pail, so this is too many pail liners)
18 pockets
30 prefolds
7 covers (4 sized for going over one prefold, 3 sized for going over two prefolds - we double-diaper him at night)
about 50 wipes - bought as a lot off of Craigslist, we could get by with a lot less.
maybe 8 snappis? Someone just gave them to me as she bought them all and then wasn''t using them.

Newborns pee/poop a lot more frequently than older babies/toddlers. 18 pockets is probably enough for us to do laundry every other day with George now, but we would have needed more like 24-30 pockets when he was younger if we wanted to do laundry at that frequency (assuming we weren''t using prefolds or anything else)

Pockets and all-in-ones both get completely soiled every time that the baby goes, but you only have one piece to put on the baby during a diaper change (which is great when they''re super wiggly or actively crawling away from you...) Prefolds and fitteds with a cover allow you to just change the absorbant inner part and reuse the cover, but you then have to deal with a two-part diapering process. We use predominantly prefolds, and you get used to it, but there are times that it''s a hassle and at those times we use pockets.

Disposable liners- what Oobie said. I''ve tried them a couple of times and I just don''t get them. It was hard to get a prefold folded appropriately with the liner lying in it so that it covered the entire prefold (although I suppose practice could help, or using a diaper that didn''t require folding), plus George only poops about every other day and so we have yet to successfully get him to poop in a diaper with a liner in it. I''ve heard that you can run ones that have just been peed on through the wash, and I''ve done it, but they get super wrinkled and it''s even harder to get them to lie correctly in the diaper. I''m not sure how much they cost; we bought some diapers off of Craigslist and the person threw in all of the extra liners they had so I haven''t had to buy any new.
 

Steel

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Wow, there is so much information here. I really like the idea of cloth nappies for our child (not-in-being as of yet
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) but having spent far too long online last night trying to work out how they work I regret I am not much the wiser. I was ok until I saw there were inserts and boosters and some of these are disposable? Are there any PS threads or is it in the mothers thread.

I''m off information hunting...
 

Blenheim

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Okay, Jillian''s Drawers has a chart that says 18-24 diapers for a newborn, if you do laundry every 1-1.5 days. We had 36 prefolds and something like 7 XS covers and then 6 S covers, which was just right for us doing laundry every other day. Since prefolds feel wet when they''re wet, we''re pretty diligent about changing wet diapers. Some of the other options need to be soaked before they really start feeling wet.

Oh, and we thought going into it that we wouldn''t like prefolds, but got a bunch in the newborn size because they were cheap and babies outgrow the small sizes so dang quickly. We figured that we''d later move into fancier options when he wasn''t growing so fast. We use the pockets for babysitters/etc as well as for when we''re out of the house and may need to change a diaper in the back seat or in the stroller or other weird places where we have less room to manuever, but he''s almost always in a prefold when we''re just around the house. I really can''t recommend doing a trial enough, so that you figure out what you like on an actual baby!

Steal - there are just so many options that it can be very confusing at first. (Another reason why a trial is great!) The two main things that all of the diapers will have is an absorbant part and a water-proof part.


Some kinds of diapers have these in two parts. These generally take a little bit more work to put on. However, the waterproof part is the part that tends to wear out first (elastic and velcro are the weak points as far as diaper wear goes), and so these are generally the best options if you plan on using the diapers for multiple babies as you can just replace the waterproof part and keep using the same absorbant part.

A cover is the waterproof thing that goes over the absorbant part. They generally fasten with velcro or snaps. (Look for covers with leg gussets, they do a better job at keeping poo in.)

Prefolds - a rectangular piece of fabric that you fold up and put around the baby (with pins or with snappis, which kind of work the same way as those metal claw things that keep athletic bandages on) When they''re really little and not too mobile, you can just fold the prefold into thirds and lay it in the cover. Prefolds are very absorbant and cheap, and they last forever as there''s not really much that can give out.

Fitteds- An absorbant diaper that looks kind of like a disposable diaper. You put it on the diaper and use built-in snaps to attach it, and then you put the cover on over it. They cost more than prefolds, but you don''t have to figure out folds or anything like that.

They also recently started making an option where you snap a long/thin absorbant rectangle into the cover and then just switch out the absorbant part. They make reusable absorbant things (whatever they''re called) as well as disposable ones. I haven''t tried these out, but I think that they''d have the advantage of only having to put one piece onto the baby as opposed to putting the absorbant part and waterproof part on in different steps. I think the idea is that you can usually use the reusable ones, and then just use the disposable ones when you''re out of the house, travelling, behind on laundry, etc.


There are also diapers that have the waterproof and absorbant part built into one piece, which makes for easier diapering. You have to wash the whole thing each time though.

Pockets are built with a waterproof outer layer and a stay-dry inner layer with a gap in the back, and then you stuff absorbant inserts into the gap. You take the inserts out to do laundry and stuff them back in when everything''s clean. It''s relatively easy to adjust the absorbancy with these. As G is a heavy wetter, we just put in a regular insert as well as a newborn insert (all of the diapers came with both inserts) so that he has almost double the absorbancy. A lot of people like these for overnight, but he pees to much for us to leave them on him that long.

All-in-ones are basically built just like disposables but with cloth components. Super easy to use, just wash and go. They take a bit longer in the dryer though. A lot of them are built with pockets in the back just in case you need to add extra absorbancy.
 

Jas12

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Blen has given you some great info

we used disposables for about 3 weeks when a newborn poops& pees every 5 mins it seems, then we switched to cloth. It wasn''t hard and they worked well. I am currently using disposables but mainly b/c of our lifestyle which is crazy go-go-go . i found it really hard to be organized enuf to do cloth when we were always out of the house.

With baby #2 on the way we are going to give it another go. With all the new reports of the chemicals in disposables right now (i just heard a big news report about how unregulated this industry is, and some scary new lab results) so i have a renewed motivation to do cloth again.

One thing we have always used from day one is cloth wipes. Store bought wipes are another source of toxins that can easily be avoided with cloth. Buy a big 30 pack of cotton terry cloth wash cloths from target, wet them, and throw them in a wipes warmer (you can buy the wipes warmers at BRU) and you always have clean, wet, warm, chemical free wipes. I keep a little garbage can with a lid by the change table and throw the soiled wipes in. I just use kleenex to remove the bulk of the poop off the bum and the cloth wipe for clean up. My kid has never had a speck of diaper rash. I LOVE the wipes warmer!!! For the cloths and the warmer the total cost is about $45 and i''ve only ever bought the odd travel pack of disposable wipes for the diaper bag.
 

Steel

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Blen & Jas: Thank you so much for the info.
36.gif
I have bookmarked this page.

I was looking on jillians drawers and think the fitted nappies are just the most adorable in the world but they are so expensive. So I am delighted that you mostly use the (cheaper) prefolds.

Jas: thanks for mentioning the wipes - it didn't occur to me I wouldn't have to use disposable babywipes.

The 2 reasons I am anti disposable are:
1. We have no refuse collection. We store our waste and recycling in outside bins and take a trip to the recycling centre and dump only every 2 months or so. Therefore used disposables would wait outside for weeks before we dumped them and that would get s.t.i.n.k.i.e ! Or we would have to make more frequent trips.
2. We can't flush anything being a one off development our bio-cycle unit is our own business. Anything flushed is stored in the tank; only organic matter is broken down,the rest would clog the system.

*Good news is as we are not even preggo yet (shhh, crazy lady talking nappies without a cookery book in sight never mind a bun in the oven) so I have plenty of time to work it out.

Thanks again for typing all that out ladies.

* ETA: So as not to jinx myself I have to edit. It is bad news we are not preggo yet....boooooo
 

Bella_mezzo

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Steal I am right there with you! No bun in the oven yet, but totally researching cloth diapers like mad! I really want to do it and have pretty much got DH convinced, but cloth diapering with crazy schedules in our NYC co-op is going to be interesting, mostly in the laundry room situation. But it seems to be do-able and I''ve found several people on line talking about cloth diapers and laundromats so I think we''ll be alright.
 

anchor31

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Quick money saving tip: I buy cheapy unscented wipes and line dry them to use as disposable liners. Much cheaper than brand liners!
 

Puppmom

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Anchor, that def sounds like a good idea especially when baby is taking solid poops so you can throw them right in the toilet.

I just ordered a few grobabies to try. I know it may be a matter of trial and error to figure out what''s right for us.

Question - is it true that you can only use certain types of diaper rash ointment with cloth?
 

Rock_of_Love

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Thanks for starting this thread, puppmom - I looked at all the other threads and still had questions, so this is perfect! Keep the info coming!!!

I just love the idea of a trial to see what works and what I like best, but I REALLY want to register for some for my baby shower since they are quite expensive. How do you suggest going about this...or can you recommend a place with good selection and return policy? I started a registry on Amazon, but I''ve only found certain brands on there and was hoping to try others.

Thanks!!!
 

Rock_of_Love

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Date: 6/5/2010 1:27:44 PM
Author: Jas12
Blen has given you some great info

we used disposables for about 3 weeks when a newborn poops& pees every 5 mins it seems, then we switched to cloth. It wasn''t hard and they worked well. I am currently using disposables but mainly b/c of our lifestyle which is crazy go-go-go . i found it really hard to be organized enuf to do cloth when we were always out of the house.

With baby #2 on the way we are going to give it another go. With all the new reports of the chemicals in disposables right now (i just heard a big news report about how unregulated this industry is, and some scary new lab results) so i have a renewed motivation to do cloth again.

One thing we have always used from day one is cloth wipes. Store bought wipes are another source of toxins that can easily be avoided with cloth. Buy a big 30 pack of cotton terry cloth wash cloths from target, wet them, and throw them in a wipes warmer (you can buy the wipes warmers at BRU) and you always have clean, wet, warm, chemical free wipes. I keep a little garbage can with a lid by the change table and throw the soiled wipes in. I just use kleenex to remove the bulk of the poop off the bum and the cloth wipe for clean up. My kid has never had a speck of diaper rash. I LOVE the wipes warmer!!! For the cloths and the warmer the total cost is about $45 and i''ve only ever bought the odd travel pack of disposable wipes for the diaper bag.
Such a GREAT suggestion! I would''ve never thought of that and wouldn''t have registered for a wipe warmer, but I think this is the way I''ll go! Thank you!
 

Kunzite

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Wow! Thank you for all of the great information ladies
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We''re going to do cloth so it''s nice to know where to start...

Rock_of_Love - You can add anything to an Amazon wish list, you just have to use the Universal Wish List Button.
 

Rock_of_Love

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Date: 6/9/2010 3:31:47 PM
Author: Kunzite
Wow! Thank you for all of the great information ladies
36.gif
We''re going to do cloth so it''s nice to know where to start...

Rock_of_Love - You can add anything to an Amazon wish list, you just have to use the Universal Wish List Button.
Ah yes! I saw that and hadn''t used it yet...that''s what it is for!!
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Loves Vintage

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We're hoping to use cloth too, but need to research more thoroughly. My husband mentioned that the temp on your hot water heater needs to be set to a certain minimum temperature in order to get the diapers sufficiently clean/sanitized. Not sure how high that is, but it lead him to believe we'd need to hire an outside service!
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ETA: I couldn't find anyting about high temps on-line, other than some suggest the temp could be too hot and could ruin the fabric. So much to learn!
 

Blenheim

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To piggy-back off of Jas12 - Try to find white wipes. We have both white and patterned and sometimes when I'm wiping with the colored ones I think I'm good, but then when I go over it with a white one just to be sure... I find that I need to work at it a little bit more. We don't have a wipe warmer, but we keep a spray bottle next to the diaper changing area. We put a couple of squirts of baby soap in and then fill it up with water, and it lasts a long long time.

Daycare licensing here requires disposable wipes (provided that the baby isn't allergic to all disposable wipes on the market), but is okay with cloth diapers. Weird.

Diaper ointment - A lot of the most common ones in the market can interfere with the absorption of the diapers. You can go ahead and use them and then try to strip the diapers afterwards (launder with a bit of dish detergent then lots of hot water and rinse cycles) and hope that it takes care of the problem, you can use liners between the babys' butt and the diaper and hope that the liner keeps the diaper ointment off of the diaper, or you can look for a cloth dipe-friendly ointment. I really like the Weleda Calendula diaper cream and a couple of moms I know use it with cloth diapers. I think it's a little bit more expensive than Desitin or similar, but cloth diapers reduce the incidence of diaper rash, and we're still barely into our first tube...

And while we're on the topic of things that interfere with diaper absorption, you also shouldn't wash diapers with Dreft, or detergent with additives, optical whiteners, or brighteners. We've used Allen's Naturally as well as Purex Free and Clear without issues. Whatever you use, you want to go with half the recommended amount of detergent. It's enough to get it clean, and more than that can cause build up which can lead to absorption issues. Here's a chart, by the way.

I know that all of this sounds fussy and like a PITA, but we've had absorption issues only once, and it was when I was experimenting with a homemade diaper detergent recipe that I found online. When water hit the diapers, it just beaded up and rolled right off of them. But this was once in 14 months.

Steal - I would definitely do cloth if you don't have refuse collection! That could get so smelly otherwise.

Laundry - You should use hot water (as in, hot/cold cycle instead of cold/cold cycle) but you usually don't need to turn up the temp on your hot water heater.

Rock of Love - that's tricky. We registered for cloth diapers and were mostly given prefolds and covers, which we ended up loving, so that worked out really well. We were also given some BumGenius 3.0 that we weren't wild about, and ended up selling them after a while. I guess I would say not to limit yourself to just one thing. I think that the Thirsties covers work really well for most baby shapes, if you end up wanting to try options with covers. BumGenius, FuzziBunz, and Rocky Mountain pockets are a good shape for (long and skinny) George, whereas HappyHeinies are built for chunkier babies. Not that you'll know exactly what shape your baby will be, but if your family tends to have skinnier or chunkier babies, that's something to keep in mind.
ETA - even if you don't end up liking prefolds, they are super absorbant and make really good spit up rags (blocking on cuter name for these...) We also use the premium size ones under G on the changing table for messy diapers to prevent the mess from getting everywhere. I'd register for some regardless of how you think you'll like them, personally - they're just really versatile.
 

lovelylulu

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This thread has been extremely helpful!

I was planning on using cloth (with disposables for the early newborn phase). However, it turns out that all of the potential daycare options in my area will only use disposables. Do any cloth moms think that a combo is worthwhile - cloth at home/disposable at daycare?

Thanks!
 

Blenheim

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Lovelylulu - we did a combo for a couple of months, disposables at daycare and cloth at home. I also know people who use cloth if they feel like being on top of laundry and disposables if they feel like letting things slide. I think whether it''s "worth it" depends on what your reasons for cloth diapering would be. You''d have less money savings, but they''re also (I think) more comfortable, more eco-friendly, cuter, less smelly. So it would still personally be worth it to me, but of course YMMV.

Another thing- when we went to interview daycares, we took our pocket diapers with us and asked them (while showing them the diaper) if they''d be okay just putting them on George and then taking them off and putting them in a wet bag, and that we''d obviously be the ones doing the laundry. We had several people not realize that it isn''t just flats and pins these days, and I think the visual really helped them realize exactly what we were asking them to do. Some of the providers we talked to were fine with flats and pins (which even we''re not up for!) but for the most part I think that they wanted the ease of putting diapers on like a disposable. I''m not sure how you asked them and if it''s an official policy of theirs, but just something to think about.
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
So, what do you all think of the kits to start?

8-15 lbs
15-30 lbs

I can get each of these for $100, NEW, except the seller boiled all of the cotton parts already to remove the oil in the cotton. (?) Anyway, these look like a great deal, right? But, will I use them? I figure they''d be a good way to get a system started, and then add more covers as I go along.

Is it better to get a sampler of different brands and get started with that? What if we don''t like these? Do the prefolds vary that much that it would make a difference, brand-to-brand?
 

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
3,160
LV, that sounds like a good deal. Those fasteners look confusing to me though. I order a couple of gro-via''s to start but I must admit that I''m a little confused by them too!
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
Puppmom,

Fasteners? Huh. I need those?
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So, I guess I was thinking the prefold goes under the cover, and the cover snaps or velcros, and then everything stays in place.

Huh.

Have I ever mentioned that I have never changed a diaper?
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Neither cloth, nor disposable. Ha!
 

Blenheim

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
3,136
Not all prefolds are created equal. In general, you want to look for Chinese Prefolds, Indian Prefolds, or the words Diaper Service Quality and you want 100% cotton (or possibly hemp). The ones in that package should be fine - I know that my former local diaper store carries that exact package, and they''re really picky about what they''ll carry. 4x8x4 is going to be more absorbant than 4x6x4 (the numbers refer to the number of layers in each section of the prefold - side middle side), and so that''s also a plus. You need to wash prefolds about four times before using them, to strip the natural oils from them and to fluff them up to make them all absorbant. They get kind of quilted feeling and soft when you do that. Pre-washed would save you that work.

The main concerns I''d have about that one package are (a) what if you decide you don''t like prefolds, and (b) what if Bummis don''t fit quite right on your kid? We have a Bummis cover that I like. They have double gusseted leg holes, which is really good for containing even messy poos (we''ve never ever had a blowout with the Bummis cover), and they also have laundry tabs for you to fasten the velcro onto so that you don''t get diaper chains in the laundry. I prefer the fabric in the Thirsties covers, as it''s a little thinner and feels more breathable, but really both are fine. They fit similarly to Thirsties, and I''ve never heard anyone complain about the way that Thirsties fit. George is long and thin and they work well on him. But anyway, the good thing about that price is you could probably sell it for basically that amount if you dont like them. I don''t think you''d really be out much money at all, just some time.

The fasteners on those- do you mean the velcro? They just velcro on into place.

On a newborn, you can fold a prefold into threes, lay it on the cover, and then velcro/snap the cover onto the baby. As George got bigger, we found that if we snappied the cover on (link to snappi information in case you have no idea what I''m talking about), then we could prevent poo from getting on the cover and so we didn''t have to wash the covers as frequently. And then when he got more mobile, we found that if we don''t snappi the diaper on before putting the cover on, then it ends up bunched up in his crotch area. So we snappi 100% of the time with prefolds. But I have a friend who has always folded up birdeye flat diapers and laid them in the covers without issues, and her daughter''s something like 16 months old. She gave us all of her snappis as she never uses them. So maybe it''s something about the bulkier premium prefolds instead of the flat diapers, or the way that our kids are shaped? George is also more active than her daughter is.
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DH likes to go on and on about how the snappi is the bestest diaper innovation ever, and I keep telling him that most people would probably say that all-in-ones or similar are.
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But the funny thing is that the snappi has attracted more attention from people when I''m changing his diaper in public than our pockets do. It''s inevitably grandmas or great grandmas who think that it''s amazing that you no longer have to risk poking babies with pins, and I get to hear all about how they used to do it back in the day.

Neither DH nor I had changed a diaper before George either. You learn quick.
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You''ll do fine.
 
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