To fluff or not to fluff...

CupcakecutieRN

So initially I really wanted to cloth diaper, but thought it would be easier on all the other care givers if we stuck with disposables. But the more I research (and not to mention how cute the fluff butts are) the more I really wish I had went that route. For those who did, where did you start? I want to go with the most user friendly diaper bc my mil watches my baby twice/three times a week. Did you guys take a class or any links that were helpful? Any advice you can give would be awesome!!

Leosmom13

@gtobias I just started this week! It's very easy IMO once you get started. For me the tots bots easy fit or bumgenius freetime seem like the easiest as they are all in one diapers. I didn't take any classes, YouTube has been my best friend. Go for it, you won't regret it!

kwrecks

I don't cloth diaper yet, but I've been working on it.  From what I've learned, it's smart to buy a few different brands and kinds in order to try them all out.  I know we have a cloth diaper store here that does a trial that you can rent diapers, a few different brands and different types and see what you like.  When I start to buy diapers, I think we'll go for pocket diapers.  They are one piece, instead of having fitted diapers and a cover, and you can adjust how many inserts you put in depending on absorbancy.  The All in One Diapers are good but they apparently take FOREVER to dry. 

thoughtfulmommy

We have been CD since one week old. I find it very easy. I lurked on the cloth diapering board for a bit. Read their FAQ section. Check out a series called cloth diapering 101 on YouTube. I did all of my research online. It is way less confusing once you spend a few days reading about it, then all of the acronyms make sense.

Personally, we like our pocket diapers. They are also very easy on caregivers because they work just like disposables. They are quick to clean and dry and you can change absorbency.

We have about 20 one size pockets and 12 prefolds and covers. We have a variety of brands because I didn't know what would fit him best. We have a mix of cheap diapers (Alva and kawaii) and better quality diapers (bum genius, funky fluff, etc). I only dislike my applecheeks.

SarahinMD

We just do prefolds and covers (AIOs were to pricey for me personally). Everyone who has cared for DD1 or 2 has been able to get the hang of them within a day. I think one key is we don't ask them to clean out diapers at all--just out in dry bag and we takes out and spray at end of day. It's been a lot smoother than I'd initially anticipated and we are very pleased with CDing on many levels. Good luck!

SarahinMD

BTW I've liked the info on Green Mountain diapers website--I have used their pages as how tos for caregivers

RoosterMemphis

Great info was given. We CD full time and use cloth wipes. It is the best decision we've made. They have CD YouTube channels to get an idea of all the different kinds of CDs available. I use Sunbabies and Bumgenious mostly as well as Goodmamas and other small company brands. It's an addiction! Enjoy!

CupcakecutieRN

Thanks guys! I will check out CD101, how many diapers would you say you go through in a day? how big is an ideal supply? what do you usually end up spending per diaper?

girlmama83

gtobias said:

Thanks guys! I will check out CD101, how many diapers would you say you go through in a day? how big is an ideal supply? what do you usually end up spending per diaper?

7 or 8. We are still new to the CD world and right now we have about 23 diapers I think. I would like to have at least 30. Most of our stash is comprised of kawaii, alvas and Sunbabies which cost 6-10. I splurged (well it's splurging to me) on a bum genius for 20 just to try one out.

LEMSA

I joined a local FB CD group and found tons Of deals. Alot of people will sell entire stashes for a great price, if you don't mind used. I have about 30ish I use.

emmaleigh05

We started with 24 diapers but we absolutely had to run laundry every other day. Upped the supply to 30 (@roostermemphis is right, it's addictive) so that if I don't get the laundry started until after work we still have enough diapers for the night and morning. Can't wait until spring so I can hang them out on the line again!

raesue22

We use charlie bananas and bum genius. We had 32 in the stash but just got another pack so I could wash every other to every third day. I will say I recommend bum genius over cb because the cb inserts fall apart at the edges after a few months.

CupcakecutieRN

Has anyone tried Alvas? as far as using liners, is using a disposable liner completely defeating the purpose of cloth diapers?

sparks4stp

I do mainly prefolds and covers. Since we just went to the next size prefolds I have 24 of them and it makes life much easier than when I only had about 15. I use pockets overnight and stuff with home made bamboo hemp fleece inserts. He can go all night with 2 of them and the inside of the pockets are stay dry and he's had no issues. I'm also building up a nice collection of twinkietushs. Those are seriously addictive!

amaseya

For dc and grandparents we use aplix all in ones. My favs are tots bots, bum genius, and ragababe. There are also some great wahm ones I'd like to try eventually. We started out with pockets but I hated them. Too much work, lol. Some of the Aios can get expensive so I bought a lot on eBay, checked for sales, and even got a couple off of Craigslist.

MagPie 1986

gtobias said:

Thanks guys! I will check out CD101, how many diapers would you say you go through in a day? how big is an ideal supply? what do you usually end up spending per diaper?

We do disposables at daycare and night and every other time we cloth.  On days where we only use cloth, we go through about 8-10/day.  I'm big on CDing for environmental reasons and to save money so, for us, it didn't make sense to spend a fortune on each diaper.  We have kawaiis at about $6-7/dipe; our charlie banana 6 pack from target I got on clearance for $43 (reg price $106 - wayyy to expensive); I have one bumgenius from buybuybaby that I used a $5 off coupon for so that one was my most expensive dipe at $12 and I don't anticipate spending any more than that.

Everyone else gave good info but I will say stay away from bumkins (they're crap) and any diaper from zulily as most of those are just rebranded and more expensive alvas. 

MagPie 1986

raesue22 said:

We use charlie bananas and bum genius. We had 32 in the stash but just got another pack so I could wash every other to every third day. I will say I recommend bum genius over cb because the cb inserts fall apart at the edges after a few months.

yes! omg, this! I was so excited about CB and extremely disappointed in the quality.  They absorb fine but the lining of the pockets started pilling after the first wash and the inserts seems are coming apart after only a couple uses! I was so disappointed!  

Texasmomma13

We started out with prefolds and pocket dipes(which I made), but I hated the prefolds. We were gifted a 6 pack of Charlie Banana OS pockets and fell in love with them, like literally. I convinced our DCP to give them a try and she agreed to use them too. So, we bought more. We have a stash of about 30. I wash every 2-3 days. We never run out. I highly recommend these diapers. They are fully adjustable both in the waist line and the leg. I bought mine from target but you can get them directly from their website too. You should definitely lurk the cd board here and ask questions if you need to. Those ladies are so knowledgeable and super helpful.
FWIW, DD has never had a diaper rash. I attribute this to the cloth diapers.

ETA:I have not noticed any of the problems PP noted about the CB and we've been using them since about 1 month.

girlmama83

gtobias said:

Has anyone tried Alvas? as far as using liners, is using a disposable liner completely defeating the purpose of cloth diapers?

Yes most of our stash is alvas. I have read a lot of people say they use liners but yes to me it defeats the purpose!

kwrecks

Okay I have a really stupid question. With disposables, it's easy to tell when they are wet, especially with the blue line wetness indicator. With cloth, how do you tell if they need to be changed without actually taking the diaper off?

CupcakecutieRN

kwrecks said:

Okay I have a really stupid question. With disposables, it's easy to tell when they are wet, especially with the blue line wetness indicator. With cloth, how do you tell if they need to be changed without actually taking the diaper off?

not a stupid question... i am now wondering the same thing!!

MagPie 1986

gtobias said:

kwrecks said:

Okay I have a really stupid question. With disposables, it's easy to tell when they are wet, especially with the blue line wetness indicator. With cloth, how do you tell if they need to be changed without actually taking the diaper off?

not a stupid question... i am now wondering the same thing!!

To me, they just feel heavier.  At first, I changed C really often until I got the hang of being able to tell a difference.  Typically, she doesn't go more than 3 hours w/o being changed and that's more just out of habit.

girlmama83

kwrecks said:

Okay I have a really stupid question. With disposables, it's easy to tell when they are wet, especially with the blue line wetness indicator. With cloth, how do you tell if they need to be changed without actually taking the diaper off?

You are supposed to change cloth every 2-3 hours.

AACaHa13

lindsey61811 said:

Thanks guys! I will check out CD101, how many diapers would you say you go through in a day? how big is an ideal supply? what do you usually end up spending per diaper?

7 or 8. We are still new to the CD world and right now we have about 23 diapers I think. I would like to have at least 30. Most of our stash is comprised of kawaii, alvas and Sunbabies which cost 6-10. I splurged (well it's splurging to me) on a bum genius for 20 just to try one out.

I am thinking about getting some sunbaby ones because my stash is mostly bumgenius freetimes and those are expensive. How do the sunbaby diapers compare to the BG freetimes? Are they cheaply made? Do they leak? Are you able to wash them with all of your other diapers? I can't find many reviews on the sunbaby ones.

girlmama83

@AACaHa13 I like our Sunbabies. I'm not a good judge on whether they leak because we have been having a hard time finding the right fit for her, so we have had a lot of leaks that I can't blame on the diaper itself. I wash all my diapers together regardless of the brand.

I mean compared to BG, BG is definitely better quality but they both get the job done.

I know a lot of CD moms on here really like Sunbabies. @roostermemphis may be a good person to answer this.

J&Jaggies06

We've been CDing since about 1 month. We use grovia AIO, pockets, and best bottoms. Our daycare is on board too. We use about 10 diapers a day. If you have 24 diapers you can wash every other day. That is the longest you can go between washings anyway. I use fitteds and a cover for night time. DH loves them now. Good luck!

RoosterMemphis

AACaHa13 said:

lindsey61811 said:

Thanks guys! I will check out CD101, how many diapers would you say you go through in a day? how big is an ideal supply? what do you usually end up spending per diaper?

7 or 8. We are still new to the CD world and right now we have about 23 diapers I think. I would like to have at least 30. Most of our stash is comprised of kawaii, alvas and Sunbabies which cost 6-10. I splurged (well it's splurging to me) on a bum genius for 20 just to try one out.

I am thinking about getting some sunbaby ones because my stash is mostly bumgenius freetimes and those are expensive. How do the sunbaby diapers compare to the BG freetimes? Are they cheaply made? Do they leak? Are you able to wash them with all of your other diapers? I can't find many reviews on the sunbaby ones.

I have about 30 sunbabies, and love every single one. I have never had leaks or any problems. I will say to skip size 1, and go for size 2 though. The difference isn't much other than they are a little bigger, and I feel like she definitely won't grow out of them. They are my favourite "China cheapie" brand. I honestly like them better than my BG's, and I have BG pockets and AIOs.

CupcakecutieRN

@roostermemphis Where do you order sunbabies from? I'm way excited. I ordered a pack of alvas and some bumgenius and a kawaii to try.

RoosterMemphis

https://sunbabydiapers.com/

gtobias said:

@roostermemphis Where do you order sunbabies from? I'm way excited. I ordered a pack of alvas and some bumgenius and a kawaii to try.

J&Jaggies06

msspeedymarie said:

Do some companies have disposable liners besides gdiaper? A few popped up in a google search on the babies r us site, but I don't know if any pocket diaper could use disposable liners? ETA it seems like price-wise, disposable liners are more expensive than even Pampers Swaddlers, which we use.

Charlie banana has 2 in 1. I haven't used their disposable inserts though. 

AACaHa13

RoosterMemphis said:

AACaHa13 said:

lindsey61811 said:

Thanks guys! I will check out CD101, how many diapers would you say you go through in a day? how big is an ideal supply? what do you usually end up spending per diaper?

7 or 8. We are still new to the CD world and right now we have about 23 diapers I think. I would like to have at least 30. Most of our stash is comprised of kawaii, alvas and Sunbabies which cost 6-10. I splurged (well it's splurging to me) on a bum genius for 20 just to try one out.

I am thinking about getting some sunbaby ones because my stash is mostly bumgenius freetimes and those are expensive. How do the sunbaby diapers compare to the BG freetimes? Are they cheaply made? Do they leak? Are you able to wash them with all of your other diapers? I can't find many reviews on the sunbaby ones.

I have about 30 sunbabies, and love every single one. I have never had leaks or any problems. I will say to skip size 1, and go for size 2 though. The difference isn't much other than they are a little bigger, and I feel like she definitely won't grow out of them. They are my favourite "China cheapie" brand. I honestly like them better than my BG's, and I have BG pockets and AIOs.

Thanks!! I think I will try a couple