Cloth Diapers?

[Puppmom]

Vesper, that whole elimination communication thing seems like far more work than I could ever handle!

...still following this thread and planning on using cloth eventually. That is, after I get through the thousand diapers my mom bought. Really...a thousand!

 

[phoenixgirl]

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

The smell issues are much better, thank you. I discovered a few things:

1. An HE washer means that much less water is going into the loads than with a top-loader. This means that the pee to water ratio is a lot higher, and the diapers might just be swishing around in pee instead of getting clean. So I stick a towel in to trick the weight sensor into adding more water.

2. I do a super long (with extra rinse) cold cycle with no detergent, then a long (with extra rinse) hot cycle with detergent. Occasionally I need to do an additional hot cycle with no detergent to strip the diapers of detergent residue. I think the residue was causing the ammonia smell. I also switched to Rockin Green soap.

3. I dunk super icky diapers in the toilet to cut back on the waste that's stuck on them.

4. I use Bac-Out on poo diapers and stains. The Bac-Out also helps keep the pail smelling fresh. I ordered it in a gallon jug on Amazon which was cheaper than buying individual spray cans.

5. Drying in the sun helps with stains.

6. I wipe down the diaper pail with a strong cleaner during every laundry load and I air it out by turning on the fan. Otherwise that thing would stink!

So, the cloth diaper thing is more work than I thought, but I don't mind. I actually get excited on cloth diaper laundry day (which is every other day). It's very satisfying to wind up with a nice bundle of clean diapers. But at least in our case, cloth diapering is not as simple as throw in pail, throw in washer, fold. I've had to do some trial and error to figure out what works for us.

 

[Blenheim]

Ice - Yay! I'm glad that I could help you out.

Phoenix - Thank you for posting that... We just got an HE washer and I did not realize that about the amount of water, but it very much makes sense. I'll talk to DH so that we're both on the same page about tricking it with an extra towel.

Re: daycares - I'm going to give slightly different advice. I'd definitely agree on not buying an entire stash until you're sure about childcare accepting them, but we interviewed a bunch of places and didn't have a single one say that they would not use the cloth diapers when we brought in a pocket diaper (all-in-one would work fine too), showed it to them, and ask if they'd be okay using that type of diaper. We also made sure to tell them that we had no expectations regarding them washing diapers or even dumping poo off of them, we just wanted them put in a wet bag for us to deal with in the evening. Our current daycare provider has something like "Parents to provide disposable diapers" in her standard contract and we both agreed just to cross out "disposable" when signing. I get the impression that a lot of daycares just want to avoid diaper pins, complicated folds, and unrealistic expectations about who is dealing with laundry and messes and so it's just simpler for their "policy" to be disposables only, but everyone we talked to in person was pretty flexible when they got to see the diaper and knew that it would be pretty easy on them. The only time that we were told "no cloth" by a daycare was in a phone interview. That being said, we mostly interviewed home daycares. The daycare centers we talked to were primarily when we were living in a fairly crunchy town, and so YMMV.

 

[Loves Vintage]

After lots of sporadic research, I think I am going to order one of these nice try-me kits: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10/newborntryclothdiapersfor10, but I will have to hold off until November or so before ordering. They say the kit is enough to diaper full-time, but I am sure I will add more as we go along and figure out what we like. What I like about this option, is that I COULD just return the whole batch within 21 days. Say I really like the Kissaluvs Fitteds (which I think I will, they are adorable!), then I can just order a quantity of those to replace the starter kit without wasting money deciding which ones I like or work best for us.

So, anyone want to tell me this is a bad idea or these aren't enough diapers to start?

I also have to figure out if the liners are safe for septic. Anyone use them with a septic system?

 

[PrettyBlues]

re HE washers, I'm not sure what options you have on your machine, but we have another way that we "trick" the machine to use more water. I do a short cold wash first to rinse the diapers, no detergent, and there is an option to select 'no spin'. This keeps the diapers heavier obviously, so when I do my regular hot wash/cold rinse that follows the machine adds more water to go with the heavier weight. Works great if you can do that!

LovesVintage, in all honesty I don't know that I would bother with the *newborn* trial unless you aren't sold on if you will cloth diaper your little one and want to try it before you commit. There are a couple of reasons. I don't think 13 diapers is enough to diaper a newborn full time. You can go through that many diapers (and more) in one day at that stage. So either you will be washing these diapers A LOT or will need to purchase more cloth diapers, or disposables to supplement. The other thing is, they grow out of their newborn diapers so quickly, and what you will use for that stage (kissaluvs) you most likely will not like or won't fit as they get bigger. So if you do the trial for 21 days but the baby is not quite at the "one-size" or bigger sized diaper stage you are either forced to spend a bunch of money on diapers you won't use long, or again use disposables until the baby fits the next size.

Honestly what I would do is buy a bunch of prefolds and covers (I really like thristies, especially for the newborns) and if you have/want to spend the money buy some kissaluvs or aio's for the newborn stage. If you aren't opposed I believe it's fairly easy to find slightly used kissaluvs and xs aio's because they are used for such a short period of time. And prefolds are cheap and work great for burp cloths, cleaning rags, etc when they outgrow them. And *then* when the baby is born do the Jillian's drawers trial so you can see which pocket/aio's/fitted you like for the bigger baby. They can usually start fitting in the one-size diapers from about 10-12lbs.

Wow, that was long. I hope it makes sense, but if you have any questions, just give me a shout.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Thanks, Prettyblues!! I see what you are saying. So, the thirsties newborn covers would be newborn sized, or xs, right, so they wouldn't last that long either . . . how many would you start with? Is the idea that they can be re-used without washing each time? Oh, and do I get infant pre-folds for the infant stage, and then regular pre-folds later?

I am totally open to buying pre-owned cloth diapers; however, I noticed some Kissaluvs on ebay that were not much less than brand new ones, like just 3 or 4 dollars less per diaper. I am not finding many locally on CL, either. And, I have been stalking CL since I found out I was pregnant, so it's not for a lack of trying. I did just e-mail about one set I found:

Wool Wraps: 2 med and 1 lrg
Prowraps: 4 med and 3 lrg
Bummis wraps: 6 small

Regular Pre-folds: 27
Premium Pre-folds: 12

The seller claims these will be good from infancy til potty training, so I'm guessing she used the Bummis during infancy? In any event, she has these listed for $150. I didn't price everything out, but it doesn't seem like such a good deal to me. Maybe wool wraps are very expensive?

Thank you so much for your advice!!

ETA: Oh, just found these: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/diapercovers/thirstiesduowrap The wraps are adjustable so can be used for newborn and up. So many options . . .hope I'm not too annoying, because I do recall saying that months ago, probably on page 1.

 

[oobiecoo]

Thanks, Prettyblues!! I see what you are saying. So, the thirsties newborn covers would be newborn sized, or xs, right, so they wouldn't last that long either . . . how many would you start with? Is the idea that they can be re-used without washing each time? Oh, and do I get infant pre-folds for the infant stage, and then regular pre-folds later?

I am totally open to buying pre-owned cloth diapers; however, I noticed some Kissaluvs on ebay that were not much less than brand new ones, like just 3 or 4 dollars less per diaper. I am not finding many locally on CL, either. And, I have been stalking CL since I found out I was pregnant, so it's not for a lack of trying. I did just e-mail about one set I found:

Wool Wraps: 2 med and 1 lrg
Prowraps: 4 med and 3 lrg
Bummis wraps: 6 small

Regular Pre-folds: 27
Premium Pre-folds: 12

The seller claims these will be good from infancy til potty training, so I'm guessing she used the Bummis during infancy? In any event, she has these listed for $150. I didn't price everything out, but it doesn't seem like such a good deal to me. Maybe wool wraps are very expensive?

Thank you so much for your advice!!

ETA: Oh, just found these: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/diapercovers/thirstiesduowrap The wraps are adjustable so can be used for newborn and up. So many options . . .hope I'm not too annoying, because I do recall saying that months ago, probably on page 1.

I have 2 Thirsties Duo Wraps and only used one once. I did NOT find that the Size 1s fit my 2 week old, 9ish lb baby. My Applecheeks Size 1s on the other hand fit perfectly! Obviously all babies are different but just wanted to add my experience. Also, wool *can* be very expensive... I've seen wool covers anywhere from $20-$40 and that seem to hold their value pretty well.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

LV-try stalking ebay too. I completed my collection a few weeks ago with a $36 purchase of 6 kissaluvs size zeros AND 6 other diapers. Sometimes people sell whole lots of the Kissaluvs size 0, I've seen 24 of them go for about $120...

So, there are deals to be had There are also some great wool deals esp. on ebay. Diaper swappers is also helpful and I read reviews on diaperpin.com and stalk sites like kellys closet (my fave) for their awesome sales, gently used, and coupons for free diapers.

honestly LV, if I remember right you are pretty close to NYC. If we can figure out how to get them to you, you are welcome to test drive my collection I have TONS (including a bunch of newborn fitteds and prefolds) and I am not going to be using them for quite some time...

 

[swimmer]

PG, whoa! your washing machine is smarter than I am! mine is not so clever, so I just dump them in for a rinse cycle, then add allen's and the wet bag and do a cold/hot cycle with an extra rinse, pull out the bag and wraps to dry on my back porch and dry the diapers for 20 min in the dryer and then on the porch (on a clean sheet) in the sun. Hmmm, I hear great things about the enzymatic cleaners and want to try some.

LV, just wanted to add that I am still loving Kissaluvs sz 0, my man is now 4.5 months and 16lbs. We use the size 1s for night time, but the 0s are still good during the day for another week or so. Watch out for used wraps, the velcro pul goes pretty quickly on the bummies. I ordered the next size up and they are doing well. Someday with some free time I'll rip out the shredded velcro and sew in some new tabs (any fabric store has them) but a friend got used wraps on ebay and found they were already shredded, all puffed out or trimmed to look good for the photo but not able to stay closed, so she replaced them. I wonder how hard it would be to make covers? nevermind, that would be pretty insane...

Ooobie! Yay on your little person! So good to hear the baby is here! Hoping your birth experience went the way you wanted.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

HI LV-What about this? I think I could have save a lot of money if I had just seen one of these

http://cgi.ebay.com/HUGE-lot-cloth-diapers-swaddlebees-fuzzi-bunz-/270639319691?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f035c4a8b#ht_1167wt_1082

 

[phoenixgirl]

Here is a link to a FAQ page for stink problems on FuzziBunz, which, oddly enough, you have to get them to email to you after you explain your problem to them. I guess they don't want potential customers perusing their site to see all about how you can develop a stinky diaper problem. Might scare off new customers?
http://www.fuzzibunzretailers.com/troubleshoot.php?code=oqbwbx25

That "no spin" option sounds like it might work for me. Will try that with the next load!

Also, perhaps I should share this as well -- I discovered, much to my horror, that if you don't dunk/scrape/spray your diapers thoroughly before putting them in an HE washer, you can get poo in the rubber ring around the door. So gross. Now I open up the door and wipe down the ring between the cold and hot cycles. But making sure there's less poo before dropping the diaper into the pail seems to have done the trick. So those websites that tell you that you don't have to dunk these days may not be thinking about HE washers, at least the kind I have (Frigidaire, I think).

 

[Loves Vintage]

Bella, You are so kind and generous, and as much as I'd love to meet you, there is no way I could dip into your stash!! I think I am going to focus on kissaluvs for newborns for now, along with prefolds and some covers. My local CL selller seems to think regular sized prefolds are good for infants. You just have to fold them over a little. Sigh, I don't know. I like that the kissaluvs dip down a bit in the front. I will check out that auction you posted. How do you find them? There are a million cloth diaper listings on there! Do you use the drop-down to search for pre-owned (or whatever they call not new on ebay?)

Swimmer, Thanks for the tips! What kind of wraps do you use with the kissaluvs? You may have said this already. I have to go back to read the first two pages. I think I would prefer snaps, instead of velcro anyway, so maybe those thirsties wouldn't work for me after all. So, how is motherhood going? Do you post on the newborn thread often? I rarely lurk there -- it's too hard to keep up!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

LV-On ebay I search by brand, it's way easier. Cloth-eez has preemie and infant size prefolds that are supposed to be great for newborn-about 6 months. I think regular pre-folds are pretty bulky on teeny babies.

Kissaluvs 0, Mother-ease Sandies X-Small, and Drybees Small are all supposed to be great for newborns.

 

[PrettyBlues]

PG, mine is a frigidaire as well. We are not on solids yet, but soon...so I will make sure I watch out for the rubber ring issue

LV, see I guess this is where you see not every system works for everyone. Oobie doesn't like the Thirstie's at all, and I loved them. I have the size 1 duos, and they did work for me until about 12-13 pounds, but definitely not all the way up to 18 like they say they will. Overall I prefer snaps, but I had aplix for the covers, I just found it easier with all the changes in the beginning, and get the fit when they are so small.

Have you looked at reviews on Diaper pin? I found them pretty helpful.

For prefolds, I used bummis, which I liked, but everyone seems to RAVE about green mountain diapers prefolds. I didn't get them as I'm in Canada and the high shipping cost wasn't worth it to me, but I would have tried them if I was in the U.S.

Oh and for the covers, you don't need to use a new one each time, unless you get poop on the cover. But what a lot of people do to air the cover out is take the used one off, and have a second one with prefold ready to go...then wipe down the first one quickly and let it dry out so it can be used again the next time you change.

And yes, wool can be pretty expensive...from $20-$40+ depending on where it's from. I haven't tried it yet, but it is supposed to be well worth it. I plan to get some for nighttime.

 

[Miscka]

Does anyone have experiance with/heard anything ab thirsties inserts? From what I can tell they are instead of prefolds. We ordered one duo wrap and an insert to check out and they seem really nice. More $$ than pfs but still cheaper than AIOs or pockets and like less hastle than pfs maybe. I am thinking a combo of these and regular prefolds and maybe a few one size pockets.

FWIW thirsties now makes an all-snap version which is what I ordered.

Also swimmer I think on etsy ppl replace Velcro w snaps for a few bucks a dipe. My friend is doing this tonrevamp her collection to be ready for baby 2. Sorry if that's a repeat piece of info also do you cloth diaper w your daycare? I am trying to think of the logistics if we end up going that route.

 

[swimmer]

My daycare is cool with cloth diapering, I just have to have a clean cover for each diaper. State law I'm told. (MA) Almost everyone I know here cloth diapers and the only pain with daycare is the fresh cover thing, other than that, not an issue at all. Maybe my area is a bit crunchier than most?

Yeah, I would love the snaps instead, but meh, not worth the bother. The thirsty covers have been great other than the velcro thing, but my little man is 16lbs and 27 inches, so big but long/skinny like his dad. I find it funny that he still wears such small diapers but is in 6-9mth clothes. Every baby is shaped differently. I'm still not sure what to get him for the next stage, prob just size 1 kissas and some bummi wraps or something cheap with snaps? I thought he was going to be more round than this, it is hard to anticipate what will work in the future.

Miska, I use inserts inside fitteds for better absorbency (long car ride, overnights, etc) I wouldn't want to use just an insert inside a cover except for a nb who you would be changing super frequently anyway.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

LV, Oobie,, and others, here's another great auction (LV it's for size 2 so you might not need them for a while but it's a decent deal...):

http://cgi.ebay.com/APPLECHEEKS-LOT-9-WAIST-EXTENDERS-LIKE-BUMGENIUS-/150500297311?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item230a844a5f#ht_500wt_1097

 

[oobiecoo]

LV, Oobie,, and others, here's another great auction (LV it's for size 2 so you might not need them for a while but it's a decent deal...):

http://cgi.ebay.com/APPLECHEEKS-LOT-9-WAIST-EXTENDERS-LIKE-BUMGENIUS-/150500297311?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item230a844a5f#ht_500wt_1097

I'm all set on diapers until she's potty trained but hopefully someone else here will snatch them up! Really I'd like to try some wool with fitteds though so I might end up getting some even though we really don't need them.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Bella - I missed that first auction you posted. I stalked it down to the last few seconds. It went for 150, but I just couldn't bid, since some weren't in great condition. So, I'm stalking a few other auctions now . . . Anyway, I didn't get it, but wanted to say that I appreciate you having looked for it and posting it.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

LV-Auction stalking is fun If there are some stained/worn out ones in the lot sunning works great, or you can re-sell on ebay. I got a couple in some of the auctions I won. I was just planning to send to goodwill, but I posted them as an auction and made some money

 

[Rock_of_Love]

Glad to see/read all the great feedback, so I thought I'd add mine. This is my first post after my baby girl was born 8/19/10!

Anyway, I had my stash of cloth set to go for her newborn diapering...some prefolds, some covers (thirsties, bummis, imse vimses and dappis), and some size 0 kissaluvs. I also have some perfect size small fuzzibunz that I figured I would start using when she grew into them. I got all these pre-owned either on ebay or craigslist. After inspecting my "stash" I really liked the fuzzibunz so decided to buy a few x-small pre-owned to try out, too.

Results: I LOVE the fuzzibunz and am transitioning exclusively to those. I really like the fit and I really like how the fleece wicks away the moisture from the skin to the insert in the pocket. I ended up purchasing a bunch of gently used x-smalls from jillian's drawers (great customer service BTW!!)...and some new ones. And, I have a bunch of smalls ready to go when she grows into them. If money was not object, I would buy a ton of these so I would only have to do wash every couple days. I haven't have any problems with "stink" - but I'm still only breastfeeding exclusively so poo doesn't smell bad anyway...and I always sun them, which seems to help quite a bit.

I liked the fit of the kissaluvs, but I found that they felt like a soagy wet washcloth for every change...practically the whole thing was soaked. And, it seemed that she would notice she was wet way way sooner - perhaps a good thing?? To note, these are the old style kissaluvs that are cotton terry...apparently they have switched to a fleece now?

I could never really get the hang of the folding the prefolds (using snappis) so I never really used these. I've just been using them for burp cloths or to put down on the changing table for messes while changing.

? Question ? for you guys - I'm a little gun shy to use cloth at night...do you think it wakes them up sooner because they can feel the moisture vs. a disposable? I have been having a real hard time with sleep (I love and miss my sleep!) so I'm trying to figure out the best scenario for night time.

 

[oobiecoo]

Glad to see/read all the great feedback, so I thought I'd add mine. This is my first post after my baby girl was born 8/19/10!

Anyway, I had my stash of cloth set to go for her newborn diapering...some prefolds, some covers (thirsties, bummis, imse vimses and dappis), and some size 0 kissaluvs. I also have some perfect size small fuzzibunz that I figured I would start using when she grew into them. I got all these pre-owned either on ebay or craigslist. After inspecting my "stash" I really liked the fuzzibunz so decided to buy a few x-small pre-owned to try out, too.

Results: I LOVE the fuzzibunz and am transitioning exclusively to those. I really like the fit and I really like how the fleece wicks away the moisture from the skin to the insert in the pocket. I ended up purchasing a bunch of gently used x-smalls from jillian's drawers (great customer service BTW!!)...and some new ones. And, I have a bunch of smalls ready to go when she grows into them. If money was not object, I would buy a ton of these so I would only have to do wash every couple days. I haven't have any problems with "stink" - but I'm still only breastfeeding exclusively so poo doesn't smell bad anyway...and I always sun them, which seems to help quite a bit.

I liked the fit of the kissaluvs, but I found that they felt like a soagy wet washcloth for every change...practically the whole thing was soaked. And, it seemed that she would notice she was wet way way sooner - perhaps a good thing?? To note, these are the old style kissaluvs that are cotton terry...apparently they have switched to a fleece now?

I could never really get the hang of the folding the prefolds (using snappis) so I never really used these. I've just been using them for burp cloths or to put down on the changing table for messes while changing.

? Question ? for you guys - I'm a little gun shy to use cloth at night...do you think it wakes them up sooner because they can feel the moisture vs. a disposable? I have been having a real hard time with sleep (I love and miss my sleep!) so I'm trying to figure out the best scenario for night time.

Lillian only wakes up when she is hungry... not for a diaper change. I think you'll be fine using them at night. Maybe my child just doesn't care that she's wet though?

 

[Rock_of_Love]

Glad to see/read all the great feedback, so I thought I'd add mine. This is my first post after my baby girl was born 8/19/10!

Anyway, I had my stash of cloth set to go for her newborn diapering...some prefolds, some covers (thirsties, bummis, imse vimses and dappis), and some size 0 kissaluvs. I also have some perfect size small fuzzibunz that I figured I would start using when she grew into them. I got all these pre-owned either on ebay or craigslist. After inspecting my "stash" I really liked the fuzzibunz so decided to buy a few x-small pre-owned to try out, too.

Results: I LOVE the fuzzibunz and am transitioning exclusively to those. I really like the fit and I really like how the fleece wicks away the moisture from the skin to the insert in the pocket. I ended up purchasing a bunch of gently used x-smalls from jillian's drawers (great customer service BTW!!)...and some new ones. And, I have a bunch of smalls ready to go when she grows into them. If money was not object, I would buy a ton of these so I would only have to do wash every couple days. I haven't have any problems with "stink" - but I'm still only breastfeeding exclusively so poo doesn't smell bad anyway...and I always sun them, which seems to help quite a bit.

I liked the fit of the kissaluvs, but I found that they felt like a soagy wet washcloth for every change...practically the whole thing was soaked. And, it seemed that she would notice she was wet way way sooner - perhaps a good thing?? To note, these are the old style kissaluvs that are cotton terry...apparently they have switched to a fleece now?

I could never really get the hang of the folding the prefolds (using snappis) so I never really used these. I've just been using them for burp cloths or to put down on the changing table for messes while changing.

? Question ? for you guys - I'm a little gun shy to use cloth at night...do you think it wakes them up sooner because they can feel the moisture vs. a disposable? I have been having a real hard time with sleep (I love and miss my sleep!) so I'm trying to figure out the best scenario for night time.

Lillian only wakes up when she is hungry... not for a diaper change. I think you'll be fine using them at night. Maybe my child just doesn't care that she's wet though?

Yeah - makes sense - I have been trying to figure out if it is hunger or wetness the past couple nights. She was getting up to sleeping 3, sometimes 4, hours at a stretch. Then I used cloth one night and she was back to 2 - 2.5 hrs, so made me wonder...wet or hunger??

 

[Loves Vintage]

I just bought 13 FuzziBunz smalls w/inserts (excellent condition) for $85, including shipping. That's a great deal, right?

Rock of Love - Will the smalls be too big for a newborn??? According to the FuzziBunz site, it looks like smalls may be small enough for a newborn, but I guess it depends on weight, huh? RE: night diapering, can you double up on the inserts?

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Yay LV! that's a great deal!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

I used cloth nappies!.... 10 years ago (lol) when I had to fold them all myself and everyone thought i was absolutely crazy because everybody used disposables.

I just wanted to say that i think it is wonderful that more and more people as using the cloth nappies again.

 

[Rock_of_Love]

I just bought 13 FuzziBunz smalls w/inserts (excellent condition) for $85, including shipping. That's a great deal, right?

Rock of Love - Will the smalls be too big for a newborn??? According to the FuzziBunz site, it looks like smalls may be small enough for a newborn, but I guess it depends on weight, huh? RE: night diapering, can you double up on the inserts?

Great deal on the small fuzzibunz! Where did you get them - ebay? Nice!

For my newborn, the smalls are way too large - she was 6lbs 4oz at birth and is now 10+lbs and the smalls are still too big. The x-smalls fit her perfect and I am still 2 snaps in on each side, so they will probably fit for a while longer. It is strange, it seems to be quite a big jump from the xs to the s, so I'm not sure how they'll work yet. Probably just need to figure out the snaps.

 

[Rock_of_Love]

Oh yeah - and did cloth all night last night and seemed to work fine. But, yeah, I think I might double up on the inserts.

 

[cara]

Just posting that I am a few weeks into cloth diapering a newborn with a diaper service and its going pretty well. Though finding a hand for typing is difficult Anyway, the diaper service brings us nice clean newborn size prefolds and takes away our dirties with no rinsing or poop-treatments required, and we have a variety of covers in newborn and small that we launder (Bummis, Thirsties, Imse Vimse, Litewrap, Mommy's Touch). We have some cotton wipes we have been using for dry tasks that we also launder with the covers, and we have been using pre-moistened compostable wipes that we buy from the diaper service. We haven't quite commited to doing wet cotton wipes but might, especially when the LO transitions to his own room. The compostable wipes are more expensive then regular disposable wipes but can be thrown in with the dirty diapers for the diaper service to deal with and compost.

My verdict thus far is that diaper service is a good way to get reluctant parents on board, as I had memories of the dirty diaper vat growing up and really wanted no part of that, and previously reluctant husband is now on board and likes it too. However diaper service is probably not going to save you lots of money over disposables if that is your primary motivation for cloth. Well, depending what you do for diaper covers. If you get your covers second hand or save them for a second child, maybe then. But I've been buying new covers and not being particularly stingy on them so, it probably not going to be a money saver for a while. Though seeing the volume of diapers this kid goes through does make me glad we are doing cloth for general less-landfill production reasons. Its kind of an insane output!

My favorite covers thus far are probably the sized Thirsties as they give the best fit and have the nice leg gussets. The Imse Vimse are also nice though they might be a little less durable. The Thirsties Duo are also fine but the fit is not quite as good. Also overall at this size the velcro is easier to adjust than the snaps but the velcro is all brand new at this point.

Anyway the two things we have yet to figure out are:
1) Increasing the absorbency for going longer stretches at night. Right now the LO is only going 3-4 hrs at most and is regularly soaking is diaper through. Hopefully we'll get a little improvement when we size up diapers but we'll probably also need to figure out some kind of booster - either doubling the diapers or an insert we launder since the diaper service only does diapers not inserts.

2) Daycare - will they deal with cloth diapers? Since we are using the diaper service, that means prefolds not all-in-ones. I guess we should research if there are pockets that take prefolds as inserts. But the two daycares we have asked said no in general to cloth. One said they would make an exception for a medical issue - maybe an allergy to the chemicals in disposables? Not that that helps us unless we really stretch the medical issue definition.

 

[Kunzite]

LV - Great deal on the FB! Our largest stash so far is also on FB size small. We got 27 for around $200 if I remember, from CL. They are in great shape and so darn cute!! So cute that I wanted to try them on the kitties... until DH said no

ROL - A little sad to hear the size small is still too large. I was hoping to be able to use those quite quickly (not right after birth but soon after). I think we're going to start with prefolds and Thirsties snaps.

I'm sad that some ladies are having trouble with daycare not taking cloth. We found a daycare in the area that we loved but before I got too excited decided to call and make sure they did cloth so I could keep looking otherwise, and they're totally cool with it. I didn't think to ask about wipes so I guess we'll have to ask about that when we do a tour. That wouldn't be the end of the world.

Thanks for all of the HE tips too ladies!! I love this thread