I would like more information on cloth diapers.

[Ridgerunner]

I think Linn Bee covered it real well.

It's been a lot of years for me too. We used cloth diapers for the older but had to use the disposable for the younger. He had delicate skin and even with the scent-free dye-free everything free detergent he still had skin problems, we think because of the detergent. We had no choice but to go with the disposables for him.

Our daughter-in-law is using some type of disposable that you change the liner and wash the cover. She's happy with them. That's probably the type you were seeing online.

I can't remember exactly what the mixture we used in the trash can, I think it contained borax along with the water and detergent. That helped keep the smell down. We'd usually wash diapers every third or fourth day.

100% cotton is the way to go.

My grand-daughter is about a year and a half old now. I recently had a conversation with my Daughter-in-Law. She had all these plans about what she was going to do and all that and was really worried about how delicate the baby is. Life got in the way of a lot of her plans. She found out really quickly that the baby is not that delicate and that your plans will not work out exactly as you think. She's a great mother and I am real proud of her, but she will be a lot more relaxed with her next baby. I experienced the same thing. I doubt it will do any good to tell you this, but try to be flexible and be prepared to learn and adjust as you go. Your lifestyle will probably dictate which type of diaper works out for you.

 

[legacyalive]

I used diaper covers and shaped flannel diaper for my three. I would normally use three cover per day and about 12-15 diaper that I washed at the end of the day. It was some extra work but we saved so much money.

Most disposable diaper do not compost but now a days you can find ones that do, if you are concerned about adding to land fills.

 

[StarLover21]

First, I would agree, cloth diapers are the way to go! We have a two year old in the house, and he always used cloth diapers. We had a large specialized plasticy bag that we would store the wet diapers in, and the just wash them all together. It's really simple and easy!

 

[carlye828]

I know a lot of moms get into their diapers, and they end up spending a ton more money than I was willing to. (Kinda like me with chickens, I guess, but at least I get eggs outta them! Hahaha!)

I wanted to save money while cloth diapering, so I went with covers and prefolds. My supply consisted of 30 prefolds, 4 newborn prefolds that I used as a doubler for at night, and 4 adjustable sized covers. After each change, as long as the cover was not poopy, I would hang it in the bathroom or laundry room to air out until wash day, which was usually every 2 1/2 to 3 days.

After diaper changes, I would wash the poopies out by hand in the toilet. I tried to get my husband to hook up a sprayer, like on the kitchen sink, on the water supply valve under the toilet (he was a plumber at the time for goodness sake!) but I never got that. Maybe your husband is more concerned with your convenience. Hahaha! Anyhow, I had a special laundry pail with a waterproof pail liner, ordered it the same place as the diapers, that I threw the dirties in til washing. I know some people keep a bucket of water with a pre-soak solution, but I was terrified of the baby drowning in it. For downstairs or going somewhere, I used a large wet bag. I'm sure you've seen those on the diaper sites too. A large one fit my entire supply in it and I still use it now for wet bathing suits and stuff when we go somewhere.

 

[turney31]

Don't forget that if your diaper pins get a little hard to push through the diaper, all you do is run the point through your hair.

 

[krcote]

All great advice so far! I can offer some modern advice on specifically the gdiaper brand of cloth diapering. I am a new mom with a 2 month old son. I made the decision to cloth diaper, like you, long before I had a baby. I watched countless hours of YouTube cloth diaper reviews on all of the major systems. Also like you, I did not have the option of a diaper service so I elected a more complete system vs. a trifold with cover etc. The diaper systems are an initial investment, but I communicated the importance of cloth diapering to my friends and family. When my shower came around, I registered at a website that had everything I needed. I was graciously given everything to cloth diaper my baby. I elected to forgo the fancy bedding sets and other frivolous things in order to give my family the best shot at cloth diapering.
The one thing I couldn't seem to work out in my pregnant mind was how it all would actually come together and work well for us. I knew it could be done because cloth diapering is making a comeback these days, so it couldn't be all that bad!
I use the top of a long low dresser with a changing pad as my changing table. I keep a large square basket with clean diaper set-ups, extra liners, cloth wipes, and wipe solution spray bottle next to the changing pad. Next to the dresser on the floor I have a dry diaper pail. This pail is meant for cloth diapers because it has a mesh bag that hangs for easy removal. I breast feed my son so poopy diapers are liquid. All pee and poop diapers go into the pail without rinsing. In the early weeks I took the mesh bag full of dirty diapers and emptied it into the wash, and then threw in the bag every night. Now that the poo has slowed, I wash the load about every other day. This will also depend on the number of diapers and liners you have. I recommend having a high efficiency washer to really get your diapers clean. However, I'm sure the regular kind will do. You will need a special cloth diaper detergent as regular laundry detergent should not be used due to build up. The build up will lead to the diapers repelling water. I love the Rockin' Green brand of powdered detergent. It can be used for both diapers and clothes.
The toughest part to cloth diapering is making sure you know at all times where your clean diaper supply stands. What you have left in your diaper bag, what's still clean in your baby's room and so on. It really only takes a few extra minutes but saves so much money and lessens a baby's impact on our environment. I couldn't be any more pleased with choosing to cloth diaper. You will get a lot of strange looks and comments when you say your baby will be cloth diapered but I'm sure you can handle it. I love love love cloth diapering. It has been a pleasure. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

 

[debilorrah]

Anything I have to say is 22 years old. I loved the cover with the cloth diapers, then he started peeing like a danged firehose, and I gave up.

 

[reveriereptile]

I really appreciate all the advice. It helps me feel more relaxed about the idea of cloth diapering.

I've been eyeing the bumgenius 4 pocket diapers. The ones with the microfiber liner that are one size with the snap buttons. They seem easy to use and had good reviews on them. Some reviews said they worked good even at nights.

There was a video that I couldn't tell what they said since I didn't want to wake my husband up by listening to it that had a thing disposable piece that laid in a cloth diaper. It was for when the baby pooped you could pinch the corners and throw it in the toilet with the poop to flush. It seemed to make diaper cleaning less messy. I didn't know what the piece was called or if it would rack up money in the long run.

I doubt I'm going to get my husband to buy me a diaper sprayer. Maybe during the summer I could buy one of those utility sinks that hook up to the hose and use it to rinse the poop off.

I may buy a couple and work them in with the disposable ones at first and seen how they handle. If they work good then I'll buy more. I don't want to spend a ton of money and have them not work out or would prefer a different brand or type.

 

[Ceilismom]

http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/basics.htm This site sells diapers, but they also have a lot of good info about washing, types of diapers, etc.

For storage before washing, I used a plastic 5-gallon (dry) bucket. I washed every other day, and I did not dunk & swish, nor did I store the diapers in a bucket of water before washing. I also never had a diaper sprayer. At various times, I have used prefolds, fitteds, and all-in-one diapers, depending on my baby's age and my needs.

The first thing you need to decide is what is most important to you in a cloth diaper. Does it need to be cheap? Easy for a babysitter to use? Are stains going to bother you (some fabrics can be bleached, others can't)? Are natural fabrics important to you? Do you need the diapers to grow with your baby, or are you willing to buy different sizes as the baby grows? Do you use an HE washing machine? How frequently are you willing to wash diapers?

Once you figure out what features are most important to you, it's much easier to narrow down the type of diaper that you'll want to try.

The last I knew (my youngest is 3.5), Ebay was full of poor quality diapers and scammers. I'm sure there are good ones there too, but you'd want to ask around, or buy just one first, before laying down a lot of money. If there is something you are interested in, ask about it on the diaperswappers site, and likely someone there has had experience with it. You might even be able to search the forum to see what others think. A lot of the members re-sell their used diapers there, and there are other places online for that too. Pay attention to the seller's feedback before you commit to buy.

One last thing, if you don't want to spend a lot of money on diapers, stay the heck off the diaper forums as much as possible. They are full of enablers!

 

[tinydancer87]

I have also been looking at cloth diapers, there is so much information and so many different kinds!

I don't have any kids yet but I figured I'd better educate myself and get these decisions made anyways.

So, I like the Cloth-eez prefolds on greenmountaindiapers.com, and the Bummis line of covers (they have three different options--leg gussets, PUL exposed or not on the inside). You can also get covers on etsy.com, lots of people make them, I am pretty good at sewing so may end up making my own covers.

I don't like the idea of an all-in-one because I just don't feel like they would get clean enough. The Cloth-eez page says you can lay a newborn size in any of the others as a doubler.