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Cloth Diapers?

swimmer

Ideal_Rock
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Blenheim and Jas, thank you for great info. I''m searching around now for what to do when my guy outgrows the infant size, so your insight is very helpful.

We are one month into cloth diapering using kissaluvs with thirsties covers. I ditto the necessity for Allen''s detergent, but it is not spendy and works on all our stuff. We got 24 kissaluvs with 3 covers as hand me downs (yup, used diapers are fine if you wash them!) and so far have saved goodness knows how much. A wet bag makes it just one easy load, though I do a pre-wash cycle and then a full wash with Allens and add vinegar every few times. We prefer the fit of the cloth diapers, they are so adjustable, and have yet to have a leak with them, whereas the swaddles that the hospital gave us leaked, sagged, and these weird chemical crystal things came out of one of them...gross!

LV, aren''t you in Boston or am I just operating on that little sleep? Check out diaper lab they have kits, classes, and the website is really helpful as well.

We use fuzzibunz wipes in a wipe warmer (prince lionheart?) that someone gave us. No chemicals and one wipe gets all but the worst poops up. I just read another thread about disposable wipes and am really not sure what the appeal is. I use them when out and am not digging the alcohol smell.

I hadn''t really thought we would be cloth diaper people. It seemed like muss and fuss, but at the end of the day I think it isn''t hard (then again I have washer/dryer in the kitchen and DH is very pro cloth), and while there is an initial investment in the diapers, long term there is a great deal of savings, while perhaps helping our little guy out without all the chemicals in disposables and their presence in landfills.
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
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Blenheim - Thank you so much for your reply. I was actually really confused about the snappis. They advertise them on the same page as the Bummis kits on Amazon, so I thought they were needed for the pre-folds. I now see how they work on the site you linked to, but those are on prefolds too. But, it sounds like if I''m using a cover (would I always use a cover), then I wouldn''t need to snappi the prefold first. That''s what was confusing me.

I think I''m going to hold off on buying that kit, or maybe just buy the infant one and see how that brand works for us. If it has sold by the time I figure things out, then so be it. I still have quite a while to find the best deals out there.
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Why are these so cheap? Because they don''t have as many layers?

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

Swimmer - Hi There! Nope, not in Boston. I''m in a sleepy little town in CT. Still in New England, though, so you were close! I will check out the site you linked, and maybe I can find a similar type of shop in CT. Lucky you, to have received the hand-me-downs. I worry that I won''t be able to get mine clean, even if I were starting with new ones. I seem to always have laundry troubles -- bleach spots when I don''t use bleach, stains when I use stain remover, ahh, yes, my life it so difficult. Must start looking into wipe warmers next! Glad to hear the cloth is working out well for you.
 

swimmer

Ideal_Rock
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LV, OK, I knew you were around here. I hope you find somewhere where you can see them. Those gerber ones are cheap b/c they are 3ply, you want 8 ply... For your q to Blen, you need the snappis even with the cover because babies move around and diapers shift. Like Blen I know someone who doesn't need them on her kid, but I know with my 5 week old they are necessary. We just use the pfs when around the house and I'm doing laundry or something. The kissaluvs are the kind that have snaps and as a result of this thread I had a chat with DH who agreed that spending more on the fitteds is going to be our plan (you can sell them later) as our man gets bigger as they are just so much easier/faster for us. Perhaps you can order a starter kit from a diaper place with a variety and see what you like? Then again, I didn't think the kissaluvs would work and they are perfect for us at this point. Good luck!
 

Steel

Ideal_Rock
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Date: 6/18/2010 12:33:06 PM
Author: Bella_mezzo
Since I am now the mayor of crazytown (buying cloth diapers while TTC
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)

Dream-eze are on baby half off today...

http://babyhalfoff.com/index.php/
Hold on there Bella, we never agreed you could be Mayor
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Steel

Ideal_Rock
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Double post
 

Bella_mezzo

Ideal_Rock
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:) Oh, I am the mayor. I found another great deal on a package of diapers and now have pretty much my entire stash to take us from birth to toddlerhood. Yep...mayor of crazy town! DH thinks I'm crazy, but when I showed him how much $ we'd save and that the re-sale value was almost 40% more than what I paid he said it was a good idea. I also called my cloth diapering friends and they were like BUY IT! So, I am now the self-appointed mayor.

Steal...you can bbe deputy mayor if you want
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I'm waiting to finalize my purchase and then will post the whole shebang on Monday and all my research for LV:)

ETA-there are two purchases left that I would make and/or register for when we are actually pregnant:) so, I guess I don't have everything, but what I have would be enough if I didn't live in NYC and plan on only doing laundry twice a week...
 

swimmer

Ideal_Rock
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Wow Bella, so you bought a ton of diapers!

We are doing laundry every other dayish and I have 24 fitteds, 5 covers, and 10/15 chinese pfs. So I figure you purchased at least 56 size 0 or 1? I have to say the one size fits all is a darn lie. I have some OSFA grobabies and roo something or others and they are toooo huge for 11.5lb baby. I was in a pinch and used them...not a great ending. And a confession...I just started running different loads for wet vs poopy (bf poop isn''t really poop) so that I can skip the extra cycle for the wet diapers.
 

Bella_mezzo

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:) Swimmer, not quite that many. I figure I can do laundry every other day for the first 12 weeks, it's just once I would be back at work that that I think would be COMPLETELY overwhelming, so hopefully my hypothetical baby would be big enough for the one-size and/or would not longer need 12 changes a day by then:) P.S. Your little guy is GORGEOUS!!!!

Off the top of my head (there were some little freebies like thirsties inserts and similar things that I can't remember) I got:

36 newborn pre-folds (orange edge)
24 infant prefolds (yellow edge)
I don't remember how many covers, I think 6 or 7 newborn/small covers mostly pro-wraps and bummies snaps
11 newborn fitted diapers (6-12 lbs)
3 small fitted diapers (8-20 lbs)
5-6 large fitted diapers (20 lbs+)
1 small, 2 medium, 2 large dream-eze all in ones
1 medium and 1 large dream-eze fitted organic for overnights
1 size 2 applecheeks with one of each kind of insert (I'm going to have my friend try them out for me on her 2.5 year old son and 9 month old daughter:)

these are the expensive extras that I won't buy until we're actually pregnant:) I may be crazy, but if it's not a limited time great deal (e.g. ebay or craigslist) then I'm not that crazy to buy it now if I can get it for the same or better price later. So...I guess I am only mostly crazy. not totally loonytunes:)

if my friend likes the applecheeks then I think we would register for/or buy 3 size 1 and 9 size 2 as a 12-pack from motheringgrace.com
also we'd register for/or buy 4 bum genius organic one size aios with snaps
12 one-size fitted diapers with liners (my friend has offered me her bella bottoms which she is happy with, but says she has some leaks, so I may prefer buying my own...I figure I'll try hers and see what I think)

once we're actually pregnant (instead of me being the mayor of crazy town) I am planning to order thirsties duo with snaps covers, 1-2 dozen each red and brown edged prefolds, and some more inserts from greenmountaindiapers.com. Plus, planetwise wetbags which my friends all seem to LOVE:)

All the prefolds are cloth-eez from greenmountaindiapers all the fitted diapers have snaps.

If someone is looking for a newborn set-up, kissaluvs (like Swimmer has) are supposed to be great. Here's a big bundle on ebay:
linky
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
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Bella - Wow! Looks like you got some great deals! And, for the record, I don't think your crazy. May as well start making some purchases now, especially extreme bargains, to help spread the cost out for everything we will eventually buy anyway.

I found a site that gives step-by-step instructions and photos on how the prefolds work. Ohhhhhhhhh. It's all starting to make sense now. I'd never be able to find the site now (it's still up on my home computer), otherwise I would link it.
 

Bella_mezzo

Ideal_Rock
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Awe-thanks LV!

here''s what I found out about cloth diapers so far:)

every kid has a slightly different body type/build so different diapers fit differently on different kids and all kids in the family do not always have the same bidy type/shape as babies. Also, as kids grow their bodies change shape, so diapers that work great at one point in time may not work as well at other times.

the main types of diapers are prefolds (or the more old school flats) which are folded and help in place with pins, a cover, and/or a snappi
fitted diapers, basically pre-folds with snaps or velcro that are contoured
pockets-covers lined with fleece or other fabric with a pocket that you stuff absorbent things into
all in ones-basically the cloth version of a disposable

velcro often allows for a slightly better fit, but snaps last longer and are better for older babies b/c they can''t undo them (esp. side snaps)

that being said...

for newborns the fave set-up for no leaks and comfort for baby (which are my top priorities) seems to be cloth-eez prefolds or these two fitted brands: kissaluvs size 0 or mother-ease sandys extra-small (more absorbent, but a little bulkier than the kissaluvs)

fave covers for newborns seem to be bummis snaps, pro wraps, imse vimse--soft cotton or wool, dappi pants, and thirsties duo size 1

thirsties covers are fabulous and the duos have a really trim fit and adjust so you only have to get 2 sizes, regular thirsties have 4 or 5 sizes.

one-size diapers don''t seem to work well until about 15 lbs+ (b/c there is a lot of fabric there)
as far as one-size fitted diapers go, mother-ease one size and bella bottoms seem to be the best combo of cost and quality--though the mother-ease esp. is pretty bulky or young babies; however, for a little more $, growing greens and bububebe seem to be the top runners. Alot of people also like drybees for chubby babies especially.

pockets--Unless your baby has thunder thighs, I think applecheeks are going to be the best. My friend is trying one out for me on her chunky monkeys though, so I''ll keep you posted:) Also, fuzzi buns for skinnier (and some chunky depending on bodyshape and if it''s the one size or the sized versions) and happy heineys for chunkier babies are popular.

all in ones-One size, bum genius organic seem to be awesome. for sized all in ones dream-eze, bumware, and bottom bumpers all seem to be great.

For me, we''re sticking with snaps on pretty much everything and are focusing on cloth-eez prefolds, thirsties and imse vimse covers, dream-eze and bum genius all in ones, mother-ease fitteds-a combo of one size and the sandys small and large, and maybe applecheeks pockets if we can swing it. plus, whatever hand-me downs we get from friends:) For the applecheeks, I would mostly get size 2 b/c unless you have a little peanut, they''ll grow out of size 1 pretty quickly.

You can check reviews on diaperpin.com and a lot of shops have trial packs where you can try a bunch of diapers for a month to see what you like.

there is a whole lot of nuttiness in the land of cloth diapering it seems, so I am trying to get in and get out:)
 

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
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Thanks for all of that info, Bella! I think your right about every baby having different shape and different peeing/pooping habits. I think that potential trial and error in the beginning is definitely worth it in the long run.

On a side note, I showed MIL the cloth diapers we ordered this weekend (we have a set of 3 gro-vias). She kept referring to them as "cloth-disposable" diapers. I''m uncomfortable and a tad grumpy these days so it was IRRITATING me!
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
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Bella - Thanks for sharing all of your insights. You mentioned some brands that I hadn''t even heard of yet. I think I may try newborn prefolds, and see how I like them before committing to infant size, though I doubt I will (or should) hold off on buying them. I''m going to write down your advice on newborms, spend some more time on diaperpin and then wait for sales. Oh, and I notice a lot of people sell them on Etsy too. Where does it end? So many choices . . .

Puppmom - Your MIL is funny! I hope she doesn''t throw out your gro-vias. Is she ok with using cloth?
 

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
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LV, MIL does say some interesting things sometimes. I usually end up realizing that she totally understands - she just often misquotes things. Fortunately, she was SUPER excited about cloth. She said she used a diaper service for her kids and couldn''t believe the velcro and snaps.

I will do bodily harm to anyone who throws away those expense "disposable-cloth" liners!
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Bella_mezzo

Ideal_Rock
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My diapers started arriving
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even DH had to admit that they are super cute! They are all so soft and in great shape. The second hand ones are immaculate, no stains and all snaps and elastic are perfect. They are awesome! Plus I scored 6 size one drybees for $29 including shipping yesterday. They are supposed to be good for itty bitty newborns.

Now I just need to make a little peanut to actually wear these things
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Rock_of_Love

Brilliant_Rock
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Date: 6/21/2010 3:56:44 PM
Author: Loves Vintage
Bella - Thanks for sharing all of your insights. You mentioned some brands that I hadn''t even heard of yet. I think I may try newborn prefolds, and see how I like them before committing to infant size, though I doubt I will (or should) hold off on buying them. I''m going to write down your advice on newborms, spend some more time on diaperpin and then wait for sales. Oh, and I notice a lot of people sell them on Etsy too. Where does it end? So many choices . . .

Puppmom - Your MIL is funny! I hope she doesn''t throw out your gro-vias. Is she ok with using cloth?
Thanks a lot
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. I did not think to look there (don''t know why, I''m getting my crib bedding there!)...now I''m obsessed!!!!
 

icekid

Ideal_Rock
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Nov 17, 2004
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I really was not contemplating cloth diapers for our baby (I already work tooooo much!), but this thread has me re-thinking. It doesn''t really seem to be THAT much extra effort, overall. And then your baby does not have to have those chemical-filled diapers against their delicate skin. Hmm and hmm.

jas- the wipe warmer idea is excellent! I''ll definitely be using that one.
 

Bella_mezzo

Ideal_Rock
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ice:)

I wasn''t either really (for my hypothetical baby), until I realized I wasn''t too keen on chemicals being smooshed again their skin 24/7 for 3+ years AND filling up landfills like gangbusters.

I figure, if we have to get a nanny anyway, she can wash diapers once a week and I''ll do it on the weekends
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if not, then I''ll just do it myself.

plus, they are sooooooooooo cute
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and fluffy ghetto cloth diaper bootys on babies are just
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P.S. Jumper is adorable!!!!! Are you starting to feel better?
 

Blenheim

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Bella Mezzo - Yay! I''m glad that you like the diapers that you''ve ordered so far. There is little that''s cuter than a fluffy baby butt.

LV- what Swimmer said. Prefolds are absorbant but they are not water-resistant, and so you do need to put a cover on them even if you fasten them with a snappi/pins, or pee will wick onto the baby''s clothing. The water-resistant cover keeps all of that in.

Icekid - you could always get one of those trials to see how much extra work the laundry is for you.
 

Bella_mezzo

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I got another box of my e-bay diapers today so I thought I''d report:)

this was the 24 infant cloth-eez prefolds, 36 newborn cloth-eez prefolds, and 10! covers (4 I can''t quite tell, I think prowraps, 2 lite wrap, 2 bummis snaps, 1 bummis whisper wrap, and 1 cotton baby wrap)

1. this is great getting them so early b/c DH is really starting to get excited/on board (he was ambivalent before and really only agreed b/c it might save some $)

2. They are adorable!!!

3. Cloth-eez prefolds are amazing, thick, absorbant (I am testing with glasses of water:), and the sizes seem to make much more sense!

4. bummis snap wraps, bummies whisper wraps, and lite wraps seem to be awesome newborn wraps, they are soft, waterproof, and have double leg gussets to hold in poop:)

5. Cloth-eez infant prefolds are the perfect size to stuff applecheeks diapers and are WAY cheaper than the applecheeks inserts

6. Cloth-eez newborn prefolds are the perfect size to use as a doubler to boost absorbtion

7. there''s some kind of wrap, maybe pro-wraps (I can''t read the tags) in my box. They seem very flimsy, but super super light and might work really well on a newborn.

8. buying used is awesome, esp. from people who take care of their diapers, these all look brand new--no stains at all, but they are all pre-washed so I just have to wash once before using:)
 

anchor31

Ideal_Rock
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Oct 18, 2005
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7,074
Just another thought I had... If you can, line dry as much as possible. Especially once you get to solid foods, it really, really helps with the smell.
 

Lanie

Brilliant_Rock
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Young House Love did a long article on cloth diapers yesterday about her experiences with them, if you are interested!
 

phoenixgirl

Ideal_Rock
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What do you guys do to help with the smell of cloth diapers in the summer? Yesterday DH was depositing a diaper in a fairly benign pail (no real poop, just a few pee diapers), and all of a sudden I heard him gagging and running to the bathroom! Men. :roll: But it does seem like the diapers are getting a funkier smell. Should I strip them? Add baking soda? I'm using a dry pail. Sometimes the diapers or inserts still smell at the end of the wash. Does drying them outside really help that much?
 

swimmer

Ideal_Rock
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Sorry I didn't share this earlier, Diaper Safari has 20% off of everything today only 8/10.

Yes, the sun kills everything (love the yellow poop stains vanishing), I've yet to have a bad smell situation, but we use a wetbag. Good luck, the heat of the summer plus a dry pail makes me feel like gagging.
 

cara

Ideal_Rock
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Mar 21, 2006
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So I was thinking of doing diaper service diapers and was wondering if anyone had any tips/experience? Especially about what you need. Diaper covers, I presume, to go with the prefolds provided by the service. And then one diaper pail with dirty diapers and another for wipes/general trash? TIA.
 

huskylover

Rough_Rock
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Apr 19, 2010
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I've just started my cloth diaper search - which I really really hope we can do. I've found a lot of good reviews on the BestBottom diaper which seems to be a new All in 2 type diaper. Anyone have any experience with them?
 

swimmer

Ideal_Rock
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phoenixgirl said:
What do you guys do to help with the smell of cloth diapers in the summer? Yesterday DH was depositing a diaper in a fairly benign pail (no real poop, just a few pee diapers), and all of a sudden I heard him gagging and running to the bathroom! Men. :roll: But it does seem like the diapers are getting a funkier smell. Should I strip them? Add baking soda? I'm using a dry pail. Sometimes the diapers or inserts still smell at the end of the wash. Does drying them outside really help that much?


Just saw this: http://www.diaperjunction.com/bum-essen ... liner.html and thought of you. How is the smell going?
 

icekid

Ideal_Rock
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Nov 17, 2004
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Well, we have officially decided to do the cloth diaper thing! The eventual decision came to the fact that we're going with a nanny, so I figure she can deal with them (vs daycare) and hopefully pick up the slack on the extra laundry too :cheeky: And the money savings can help to pay her salary, too hehe.

This thread was super helpful once I really sat down and started researching. Many, many thanks blenheim for all of your posts. Don't think we'd have gone there without your helpful advice :appl:

The current plan is to start with kissaluvs size 0 and then when he gets bigger to order Jillian's trial diapers and decide what works best for our little man. I feel a little silly, but am super excited about cloth diapering!
 

Bella_mezzo

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:appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: Yay Ice!!!! :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl:
 

vespergirl

Ideal_Rock
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Hey there, I just wanted to mention that if you're pregnant or haven't bought the diapers yet & are planning to use daycare or a nanny, you should definitely check to see whether they'll do cloth diapers before you make the investment in all the supplies.

My best friend really wanted to use cloth, so she spent several hundred dollars on cloth diapers & accessories before she had her son. Then when she went back to work she couldn't find a daycare or nanny who would allow the cloth diapers. So, she planned to just use them on the weekends and evenings, but once she was actually saddled with a newborn & getting zero sleep, she realized how much more work that the cloth diapers were, and just ended up using the disposables all the time by the time her son was 6 months old, despite best intentions - she had no idea how busy & exhausted she would be once the baby came, and the cloth turned out to be extra hours of work that she just couldn't handle.

I have another friend that is exclusively using elimination communication & cloth diapers, and it is going really well for her, but she is a SAHM, and they are self-proclaimed "dirty hippies" (her words, not mine) who don't mind pee & poo all over their house :D She launders all the diapers herself - they don't use a service.
 
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