I would like more information on cloth diapers.

[reveriereptile]

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!

Thanks for the advice and the links. I'll be sure to check them out.

I would prefer a one size fits all diaper to use. I think it would just be easier and save money. I like the looks of the pocket diapers since the insert comes out for cleaning. The AIO diapers seem easy to use till it comes to the cleaning. I still need to do more research on the other diaper types. I wouldn't mind using organic fabrics and I don't mind some stains.

I'll try a few diapers out at first and if it works well then I'll buy more. I don't mind paying a little more for a cloth diaper if it is a good quality. If I have to I'll just do laundry more often to have fewer good quality diapers than a large stack that don't hold up. I want something that isn't going to leak is the main factor. I'm going to be a stay at home mom so I'm going to try to breast feed and I know that might make the poop more runny. Probably won't use a baby sitter to often but they could use disposables if they prefer. I'll have some on hand for nights if I the cloth don't hold up and for going out to visit.

My in-laws have a HE washer which takes forever to do one small load (1 1/2 hours with extra rinse on). I'm not sure what we will buy since we will be building a house. Hopefully it will be something that doesn't take longer than the dryer. We will have well water so we won't get charged for the water just the electricity for the pump to pump it.

I just found this site online that had pros and cons of different types of cloth diapers, covers, inserts, and fabrics. http://www.diaperpin.com/clothdiapers/article_differentsystems.asp

 

[Carols Clucks]

any thoughts on the "Fuzzybuns" or something like that brand of cloth diapers?

I have a sack of them I was going to wash and sort and see about selling.

 

[Ceilismom]

any thoughts on the "Fuzzybuns" or something like that brand of cloth diapers?

I have a sack of them I was going to wash and sort and see about selling.

That brand is very popular, and has been through several versions, so if you want to sell them, you'd need to mention which version they are. I never used pockets, so that's pretty much the extent of my knowledge on them.

With pockets, make sure that you turn them inside out to look for lint build-up and to check the condition of the PUL and elastic, both of which can deteriorate with age or overuse of bleach. If you want to sell them online, take lots of good photos and disclose any staining, pilling etc. Buyers may also want to know if you air-dried them or used a clothes dryer, and what detergent you used.

If you can sell them locally on Craigslist or similar, I personally would go that route. If you can sell to someone in person, they can look them over, pay cash and be gone. There is little potential for paypal disputes, packages gone missing in the mail, or buyer asking you for a refund after they receive them because their interpretation of "excellent used condition" is different than yours.

 

[Carols Clucks]

Ceilis,

On eBay, I usually under rate anything I am selling. But in the case of these, I never used them, did not buy them and have no idea what version they are and have not washed them (yet).....all things that would be included in any ad of course.

 

[PlatypusPerry]

Hey! I use cloth diapers on my wee one and have now for a few months. There is a TON of great info out there. I wrote up this thing to my SIL about them and since I'm feeling lazy (sorry) I'm just going to copy and paste it over and let you read it and then ask questions after you've read it. To add to it there are some good cloth diaper threads on BabyCenter though (not that there can't be here on BYC).



For starters there is the diapers I use - they're called pocket diapers since you stuff inserts in them. The brand is BumGenius and they're really popular but by no means the cheapest way to go.

http://www.bumgenius.com/

There is a "knock off" of them essentially called Sunbaby that a lot of people have good luck with but most people use different inserts or stuffing (they buy the outer shell and then use different inserts - they've found the outer shell is good but the stuffing that comes with the knock off isn't as good - they buy microfiber/bamboo/etc whatever they want to use) - they are a LOT cheaper. They are made in China but people have good luck with them and they come in really cute prints.

http://www.sunbabydiapers.com/

Two big diaper ordering sites are

Nicki's diapers

http://www.nickisdiapers.com/

(which has a TON of great info on the site too)

and

Jillian's drawers

http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/

(also with a ton of info)

Cloth diaper reviews:

http://www.diaperpin.com/diapers/itemlist.asp?subcat=POCKET

(note that right now it's sorting to pocket diapers only but you can look at all of them)

Here's a site that actually offers a cloth diaper trial package so you can try several types and see which you like the most:

http://itsybitsybums.blogspot.com/2010/04/cloth-diaper-trial-packages.html

One of the least expensive ways to cloth diaper is using prefolds like this. You can also buy bigger diapers called "flats" (I guess you can even buy flour sack towels at Target and use those and they make great diapers...who knew?! The flats are just really big so you can fold them a ton of ways for different absorbency.)

http://theecofriendlyfamily.com/2009/08/prefold-picture-tutorial/

Well, that's a start!

 

[GhislaineDel]

While we had a few All-In-Ones and Pocket style diapers we ended up using prefolds and covers. Most of the prefolds came from the Green Mountain site listed earlier. They are a very good quality of prefold. The covers I preferred were Thirsties. They have Duo wraps that come in two sizes that are adjustable to the size of the baby. So the Size 1 covers would adjust from premie to medium for example. The leg gussets really help hold in the leaks. We got a product called Snappis to use instead of the old fashioned safety pins. They are pretty slick but I didn't find that they were all that necessary since the cover holds the diaper in position anyway.

Washing them, I never had an issue. Breastfed poops wash out really well once you are past the initial meconium stage (We used disposables we'd been given for that stage). We never really even rinsed them out! Once they eat solids the poops are more solid so they are easy to dump. We had a couple large "wet bag" to hold the laundry and a small one for running around town. You just wash them right along with the diapers. If you do get a HE machine I suggest going with a top loading one like the Maytag Bravos which have really good reviews in the cloth diaper community. Top loading will allow you to soak them better if needed.

In the end it comes down to personal preference! I had thought I'd be all for the pockets but got covers since I'd gotten some prefolds for free. Sometimes daddy prefers something different then mommy! Good luck!

 

[whitlockj85]

My wife blogs about cloth diapers and has several reviews on her site. We use cloth exclusively. She is a member of BYC Username: thegnomesmom

Her site is: www.thegnomesmom.com
Her store is: http://GnomesNaturals.com

Good luck!!!

 

[Livinzoo]

I cloth diaper. I'm cheap. Pocket diapers are too expensive for me and the few I have don't seem to hold things in as good as a prefold, snappi and cover. I got my diapers fro Green Mountain Diapers. They sell both prefolds and flats (the large dish towel like fold your own). Snappis are awesome. They take the place of pins and are much easier and you don't have to worry about sticking baby. I really like the thirsties Duo Covers. You only have to buy 2 sizes with them. I bought all 4 sizes of prefolds and my 16 month old is only in the 3rd size. The sizes are distinquished by the color of the edge.

Night time I would recommend a heavier duty diaper I like happy hempys with a fleace of wool cover. And if you knit or know anyone that does you can have some cute wool soakers made.

 

[cassidy22]

I used cloth for my little girl (we are potty training now!) and I never used a service. I washed them all myself. I got most of mine used through freecycle, or ebay, and didn't pay a ton of money for them. Hey, they get pooped in! I sanitized them before I put them on my little one. But I'd never waste the money on disposables, and there aren't any services anywhere near me. So I learned how to wash them. And heck, if I have another one - I may start sewing my own, since I'm getting better at that, too!

 

[reveriereptile]

I may try some prefolds. I wouldn't mind trying a few types to see how it works out.

I don't mind taking the time during the day to change a diaper but I want something quick for night changes.

I may go over and ask the Amish about how they do their diapering. I know they like to have at least 30 or more. They could probably give me some good tips on their cleaning methods. One funny thing was that the couple working for my FIL had their first baby early November and the husband even help washed the diapers. I've never heard of a Amish man cleaning diapers. He seems pretty easy going and less strict than some of them and loves his little girl. He has even cooked a few times and isn't to bad. Maybe I'll have to ask him about the diapering to see what his input is on it.