Absolute Must-Haves List

BethanyAnn27

Hi ladies, 

I have been reading through these threads for months now, and posted once. Since I am not a regular poster on this forum I'll give a quick intro. I am a FTM due in September, team green, and very passionate about cloth diapering. It may seem strange, but since I decided that I wanted to have children, decided that I wanted to cloth diaper as well. There are a variety of reasons why, but this forum has just reinforced that it will be the best choice for my family! 

Anyway, since the FAQs thread is not available at this time, I was hoping you ladies might offer up some advice on that absolute must-haves for a FTM or anyone new to cloth diapering. Aside from the blatantly obvious (i.e.the diapers and some sort of dirty diaper pail), what do you really need? There are so many products out there for diapering! (DH and I will be going the prefolds + covers route if that makes a difference for the products needed.)

nalaundi

for prefolds and covers...

24-36 prefolds and 6-8 covers to have enough to wash every 2-3 days.

for when LO pees more (around 6 weeks ish) a few hemp doublers for night and naps

Snappi's boingos or pins to secure preolfolds around LO

1-2 wet bags for travel

1-2 pail liners or zipper wetbag for main laundry 

good mainstream detergent that does not contain fabric softners.

if you are going to line dry anything (usually covers are line dried) somewhere to hang them.

Cloth diaper safe rash ointment or Liners to protect your diapers from main stream rash ointment.

cloth wipes, spray bottle

nanabanana06

My list would be this:

• 36+ Newborn changes of diapers (If you do prefolds or fitteds add in 6-8 covers)
• 24+ OS dipes (at least 6 covers if doing prefolds or fitteds)
• Hemp inserts/doublers
• 2 Wet Bags or Pail Liners for at home
• 2 Wet Bags for the diaper bag
• CD safe cream (I like having a variety for different uses)
• Stay dry liners
• CD safe detergent
• Diaper sprayer

I always like to tell people when they do their stashes to get what you want, but add a dozen prefolds and a few covers for just in case. You have no idea how many times I've had to use my "back up" prefolds and flats. You will always need more Snappi's. You always need more diapers :P.

sarenu1

You'll want some diaper cream, two to three Snappi, and detergent. You can also make or buy cloth wipes.

CLLDLL

36+ NB prefolds/flats

6-8 NB/Size 1 covers

24 OS changes

Some sort of ON solution for the OS stage, be it fitteds, bamboo flats/prefolds, double stuffed pockets if your LO isn't a tummy sleeper

3-4 snappis, boingos and/or pins

2 medium wetbags for the diaper bag

2 pail liners or large wetbags for home

3-4 medium wetbags for DC (if you use a DC)

coconut oil  (Love this for everyday wetness barrier & minor rashes)

CD safe diaper cream for more stubborn rashes

fleece liners to use for wetness sensitive LOs or if you need to use a non-CD safe cream

drying rack or clothesline to hang dry covers

diaper sprayer (not needed until you start solids)

cloth wipes

peri bottle or other spray bottle to keep water and/or wipes solution in

jcwinsto

Will power to NOT buy all the diapers....

YellowLily2013

Cloth wipes. Don't even bother with disposable. Also, the oxo wipe container is AWESOME to store the wipes in!!

TX08Aggie

I think it all depends on what you want to use and are comfortable with.  Here is what works for us:

We have about 3 dozen prefolds in each size. 

We started off with 5 covers, but decided that just wasn't enough and got a few more.  I'm now up to 8 in each size.  It worked alright with 6, 7 was great and I'm really excited to have 8 now for those random days where you just always seem to run out of covers!

I don't use snappis - I have some and I tried, but I hated using them.  I just fold the prefold into thirds and stick it in the Thirsties diaper cover (not the Thirsties duo wrap, the original one).

As for the diaper pail - we use a cat litter bucket that I painted to make it cute and match the nursery.  We soak the diapers in a vinegar water (not ever a specific amount, just dump some in there).  We've never had a problem with the diapers smelling.

Diaper wipes - we make our own disposable.  I use half a paper towel roll, put it in a tupperware container and pour the following solution over it: 2-2.5 Cups boiling water with 2 tablespoons each of baby wash and baby oil.

For spraying off the diapers, we just washed them out in the sink with the newborn poo.  With our toddler, my husband takes them outside, clamps them to the fence and hoses them off (we live out in the country, I probably wouldn't like that in a neighborhood, but don't really care out here).

We have an almost 22 month old and this has worked perfectly fine with her since we put her in cloth diapers at 2 weeks old.  We just had our 2nd baby 5 weeks ago and we don't have any complaints with 2 in diapers.

Good luck figuring out what you want!  There's certainly a lot of options out there - and everything is adorable!  :-)

emmylou78

What PPs said. Real must haves would be 24 changes, 4-6 covers (or more). Recommend a separate NB stash. At least 2 Pail liners. And wet bags for the diaper bag. And snappis.
Coconut oil!

Also decide how to deal with post NB poo. Dunk and swish, Scrape method, Or diaper sprayer.

TugboatSheila

@jcwinsto I am discovering more and more that this is very hard

Every week I say "we're ALMOST done with our newborn stash" then the next week I vehemently tell DH that I was wrong and we need MOAR DIAPERS.

nanabanana06

TX08Aggie said:

I think it all depends on what you want to use and are comfortable with.  Here is what works for us:

We have about 3 dozen prefolds in each size. 

We started off with 5 covers, but decided that just wasn't enough and got a few more.  I'm now up to 8 in each size.  It worked alright with 6, 7 was great and I'm really excited to have 8 now for those random days where you just always seem to run out of covers!

I don't use snappis - I have some and I tried, but I hated using them.  I just fold the prefold into thirds and stick it in the Thirsties diaper cover (not the Thirsties duo wrap, the original one).

As for the diaper pail - we use a cat litter bucket that I painted to make it cute and match the nursery.  We soak the diapers in a vinegar water (not ever a specific amount, just dump some in there).  We've never had a problem with the diapers smelling.

Diaper wipes - we make our own disposable.  I use half a paper towel roll, put it in a tupperware container and pour the following solution over it: 2-2.5 Cups boiling water with 2 tablespoons each of baby wash and baby oil.

For spraying off the diapers, we just washed them out in the sink with the newborn poo.  With our toddler, my husband takes them outside, clamps them to the fence and hoses them off (we live out in the country, I probably wouldn't like that in a neighborhood, but don't really care out here).

We have an almost 22 month old and this has worked perfectly fine with her since we put her in cloth diapers at 2 weeks old.  We just had our 2nd baby 5 weeks ago and we don't have any complaints with 2 in diapers.

Good luck figuring out what you want!  There's certainly a lot of options out there - and everything is adorable!  :-)

I'm just pointing out how NOT NORMAL this is. Any CD noob that reads this, this isn't a typical CD set up. NB poop is water soluble and washes away in the washer. Once you get solids you spray poop in the toilet where poop belongs. It isn't hard at all.

Into+the+Kitty

Nana_Osaki06 said:

TX08Aggie said:

I think it all depends on what you want to use and are comfortable with.  Here is what works for us:

We have about 3 dozen prefolds in each size. 

We started off with 5 covers, but decided that just wasn't enough and got a few more.  I'm now up to 8 in each size.  It worked alright with 6, 7 was great and I'm really excited to have 8 now for those random days where you just always seem to run out of covers!

I don't use snappis - I have some and I tried, but I hated using them.  I just fold the prefold into thirds and stick it in the Thirsties diaper cover (not the Thirsties duo wrap, the original one).

As for the diaper pail - we use a cat litter bucket that I painted to make it cute and match the nursery.  We soak the diapers in a vinegar water (not ever a specific amount, just dump some in there).  We've never had a problem with the diapers smelling.

Diaper wipes - we make our own disposable.  I use half a paper towel roll, put it in a tupperware container and pour the following solution over it: 2-2.5 Cups boiling water with 2 tablespoons each of baby wash and baby oil.

For spraying off the diapers, we just washed them out in the sink with the newborn poo.  With our toddler, my husband takes them outside, clamps them to the fence and hoses them off (we live out in the country, I probably wouldn't like that in a neighborhood, but don't really care out here).

We have an almost 22 month old and this has worked perfectly fine with her since we put her in cloth diapers at 2 weeks old.  We just had our 2nd baby 5 weeks ago and we don't have any complaints with 2 in diapers.

Good luck figuring out what you want!  There's certainly a lot of options out there - and everything is adorable!  :-)

I'm just pointing out how NOT NORMAL this is. Any CD noob that reads this, this isn't a typical CD set up. NB poop is water soluble and washes away in the washer. Once you get solids you spray poop in the toilet where poop belongs. It isn't hard at all.

Actually, nana, I do all of this... Except for the DIY disposable wipes, anyways. Now that the weather is getting warm, we just clamp my toddler up to the fence and spray her butt with the hose at the same time as the diapers. Two birds, one stone and all that jazz.

nanabanana06

Lol ITK. You kill me.

candlequeen

Do we know this aggie person or have I really been out of it? FTR that's a helluva lot of prefolds and covers. As long as your baby doesn't poo in the cover you can reuse it. I just wipe mine down and let it air dry. You don't have to spend a lot of cash but it's certainly easy to do so with all the cute prints.

candlequeen

She even painted the cat litter bucket to match the nursery. I'd pay to see a pic of that! ) I realize this makes me look like a bitch but I can't help it

TX08Aggie

I never did an intro on this board - but I have posted a few comments and a couple questions cloth diaper related.

We chose to do a wet diaper pail - my mom used bleach in hers and highly recommended I do the same.  I didn't want to use bleach.  I like the natural cleaning properties of vinegar and tried that.  It has worked very well for us and doesn't seem to do the diapers any harm.  As for the safety - it has a lid that locks down on it and it's in the bathroom with the door always shut.  There is also a child safety thing on the door knob.  It's by the toilet, so there's just as much danger from that as the diaper pail.

If you want a picture of the bucket - send me a check!  ;-)

Rrrrrachel

I was going to say, that routine is . . . A typical. I would not recommend having human sewage on your yard as a routine thing, no matter how country you are.

TX08Aggie

Ok, maybe I should clarify about our rinsing diaper routine...

We dump out the diapers into the toilet and if there's any left, we shake it off into the toilet or use some toilet paper to wipe off what's left.  My husband then takes those diapers and rinses them off outside before we put them in our washing machine.  More poop gets into our yard from the dogs pooping once than we get off of our diapers out there.  Kind of thought it would be common sense that we dump what we can into the toilet first.

I realize that our routine is out of the ordinary.  Everyone has their own way, and I posted mine because it was different from everyone else.  If it was the same, I wouldn't have bothered.  :-)

jcwinsto

I think the moral of the story is that everybody has a different routine and solutions that work for them. You just have to figure out what works for you.

freezorburn

@TX08Aggie Aren't the paper towels rough on your LO's bottom? 

candlequeen

TX08Aggie said:

I never did an intro on this board - but I have posted a few comments and a couple questions cloth diaper related.

We chose to do a wet diaper pail - my mom used bleach in hers and highly recommended I do the same.  I didn't want to use bleach.  I like the natural cleaning properties of vinegar and tried that.  It has worked very well for us and doesn't seem to do the diapers any harm.  As for the safety - it has a lid that locks down on it and it's in the bathroom with the door always shut.  There is also a child safety thing on the door knob.  It's by the toilet, so there's just as much danger from that as the diaper pail.

If you want a picture of the bucket - send me a check!  ;-)

If it's in the bathroom then why did you paint it to match the nursery? I think a lot of us wanted to clarify for the newbie that asked a question. If someone had told me your way when I started out, I wouldn't have bothered.

candlequeen

Chickypoo2468 said:

A check?
I'm curious, I would actually like to see a pic. And I'm not being a B. About that anyway

She was being clever bc i told her i would pay to see that.

JEPES1348

@TX08Aggie, why spray or soak unless you have to? Spray the toddler dipes and soak the toddler pee dipes if you have to, obviously, but your 5-week-old's NB poos should be a dream! Just throw them in the wash and spin the water soluble NB poo out.

And I agree that paper towel on a bum seems harsh. Just cut up some receiving blankets, flannel sheets, or some other fabric. I have flannel wipes (though I bought them rather than made them), and they're awesome.

The Trail Home

I really like the GMD double sided wipes. I don't have to fold them for the wipes warmer and I only need one or two per diaper change.

TX08Aggie

Chickypoo2468 - We don't really have too many freezes - so some people say we don't really get winter down here.  We had snow for a few hours this year!

freezorburn - I had the same concerns about them being rough when a friend of mine told me his wife made her own diaper wipes like that.  I tried them out, and they are not rough.  Had the been, I would not use them on my soft baby's skin!  I'm not sure if it's the baby wash & oil or them being wet, but they are softer than commercial wipes.

candlequeen - I painted it to match the nursery because I wanted to.  I liked having it match the rest of my baby things.  Everyone has their own way of doing cloth diapering - I find that other people's way of doing things seems more complicated to me.  I think it's what your own preference is and what you are used to.

JEPES1348 - As for spraying/soaking - I have a dry pail currently where I put my newborn diapers.  My hubby likes to spray those off before he puts them in the machine.  I personally would just dump them in and run it, but if he's doing diapers, I'm not going to tell him to do it a different way!  ;-)  I have mentioned he could just dump them in, but he wants to spray them off first.

jcwinsto

But don't feel pressured to use cloth wipes.  I know they are easy but I use disposibles cuz I would absolutely hate the one more thing to sort out of the diaper laundry.  Plus it is so much easier on the go to use disposible.  And they are wet and ready to go any time.  You don't have to wet them when you are trying to hold a squirming baby on the changing table. I just have a little trash can next to the diaper pail for wipes and other random trash in his room.

candlequeen

The title of this thread is ABSOLUTE MUST HAVES. the things mentioned in aggie's thread are not must haves. Whatever floats your boat is fine but let's not confuse OP

candlequeen

Who by the way has disappeared go figure

jcwinsto

OP is probably thinking we are a bunch of drama queens and bailed. lol!

BethanyAnn27

Nope @candlequeen, I am still here. I just don't have time to comment after every post. Trying to do my own research on all this still so I will be prepared  

Edit (to add a thought): This is my favorite board to read because I have learned a lot here, but since I have never actually cloth diapered, I have next-to-nothing to contribute. After September I will plan to post here with more regularity. So I am just "quiet", but if I ask a question you can bet I will follow the responses. 

And, @jcwinsto the drama makes it interesting...lol who bails because of that? Plus, it helps keep the thread alive :P 

TX08Aggie

I have not disappeared - I have answered every question that was addressed to me.  As far as the must haves go - the things I mentioned are the necessary things for the way I do cloth diapers.  I did not go through everyone else's list and dissect it to point out what I think is unnecessary.  I'm assuming the things they listed are the must haves for the way they cloth diaper.  I'm not in a position to judge their methods, because I have not tried them myself.

BethanyAnn27

@bookitup, no need to apologize for getting off topic-which I have enjoyed reading and have kept the thread alive-but thank you for your list!! It is much appreciated! 

TX08Aggie

jcwinsto - I remember that we considered making our own wipes before DD1 was born.  I was very adamant about trying cloth diapers and DH was a little skeptical.  I think, if I remember correctly, he didn't seem keen on the reusable wipes, and I didn't really care, so we opted to make our own because that's what he was more comfortable with.

Rrrrrachel

I think even if I didn't use cloth diapers I would want ot use cloth wipes.  They're so so much better than disposable wipes.

jcwinsto

This is going to turn into "THE" thread isn't it? Lol!  Anyways OP, just a comment on covers.  Depending on the size of the baby you're expecting you may be able to skip the xs ones.  I had a 7 lb 7 oz baby that dropped a full pund after birth.  I started with a Thirsties Size 1 and Assunta Tiny covers over Size 1 Osocozy prefolds.  I wish I had a couple more Thirsties.  They were large looking but they kept it all in and by a couple weeks old he was big enough that they didn't look so awkward.  It just wasn't worth it to me to have that many different size covers for just a couple weeks use but it might be worth it to you.

RockiesNugget

jcwinsto said:

But don't feel pressured to use cloth wipes.  I know they are easy but I use disposibles cuz I would absolutely hate the one more thing to sort out of the diaper laundry.  Plus it is so much easier on the go to use disposible.  And they are wet and ready to go any time.  You don't have to wet them when you are trying to hold a squirming baby on the changing table. I just have a little trash can next to the diaper pail for wipes and other random trash in his room.

Lurker chiming in***

Do you have to sort out the cloth wipes if they aren't used with non-CD safe diaper rash cream? I was hoping to just throw them in with the diapers...

jcwinsto

I *think* most people only wash them seperately when they use a non-cd friendly cream.  If you use cd friendly then they just go in the same can.  It you are using something non cd friendly then you shouldn't have cd's to wash anyway since you should be using disposibles.

candlequeen

TX08Aggie said:

I have not disappeared - I have answered every question that was addressed to me.  As far as the must haves go - the things I mentioned are the necessary things for the way I do cloth diapers.  I did not go through everyone else's list and dissect it to point out what I think is unnecessary.  I'm assuming the things they listed are the must haves for the way they cloth diaper.  I'm not in a position to judge their methods, because I have not tried them myself.

You are not the original poster. I wasn't talking about you.

#-o

candlequeen

BethanyAnn27 said:

Nope @candlequeen, I am still here. I just don't have time to comment after every post. Trying to do my own research on all this still so I will be prepared  

Edit (to add a thought): This is my favorite board to read because I have learned a lot here, but since I have never actually cloth diapered, I have next-to-nothing to contribute. After September I will plan to post here with more regularity. So I am just "quiet", but if I ask a question you can bet I will follow the responses. 

And, @jcwinsto the drama makes it interesting...lol who bails because of that? Plus, it helps keep the thread alive :P 

We get a lot of people that post a question then we never hear from them again So that's why I said that.

akflutterby

This is my first time CD and we've been using disposable wipes (people gave them to us and I thought they would be easier) and I'm really wishing I had gotten/done cloth. I don't want to let them go to waste, so I'll use what I have, but I plan on getting a stash of cloth going forward.

YellowLily2013

Yeah I really thought disposable wipes were easier from the get go. But after a couple months and wasting $$. They aren't.

I have a mini wetbag that I premoisten a few wipes and have wet ones on the fly. Just like disposables one.

Also, you don't have to worry about putting them in the wetbag to fish out later or accidentally wash. Or even more cumbersome try to find a darn trash can.

Plus, you'll have to have a trash can in the nursery. (Not a big deal right.... Just wait til you've got a mover, you don't want them to get into a poopy wipe feast of a trash can.) plus, DH always does trash after bedtime. Which ment he'd always forget to do the baby trash.

SO HAPPY TO DO CLOTH WIPES!!