Due in march

becnicole0210

Hey all. I am due with my second baby in march and have been considering cloth diapers. At first my husband vetoed cloth but then he talked to a friend of ours mom and she told him she loved cloth and he kinda got onboard. We used disposable with or first and I just felt like it wasted soo much money. What are the other benefits of cloth diapers? And also do you have any suggestions? Like what brand? Sizes? Style? How to wash?

bumpuser9353653

stringy813 said:

First stop: try the FAQs at the top.

This. There is a ton of good info there. Then come back with specific questions. :-)

But I'm bored at work already so I'll give out some info...

1. Cloth diapering on awesome, saves money, is better for baby's skin, better for the environment, and you get to buy all the cute diapers to flaunt to friends and family. So, basically, there's no reason not to.

2. If you plan to use cloth from the beginning, you'll need a separate newborn stash b/c the "one size" won't start fitting until ~10lbs or 4-6 weeks.

3. Prefolds, flats,and/or fitteds with covers are a favorite around here for the newborn stage. Green Mountain Diapers (GMD) has inexpensive and awesome fitteds called workhorses that get lots of love and have good resale value.

4. And lot of online retailers will offer a diaper trial or newborn rental where you can try different styles and return for partial refund. This gives you an idea of what you like and what works for your baby's shape.

5. Blueberry Simplex and Best Bottom diapers are the bomb.

6. Don't stress too much about washing. It's just laundry. But do avoid liquid free & clear detergents.

7. Congrats on your baby and welcome :-)

TJ1979

Everything @rugbymama said.  Bum Genius are also pretty universally well-liked.  The style preference will vary from person to person.  I prefer all-in-ones (AIOs.)  Mostly bc that's what MH and DC prefer.  I hate pockets because stuffing them seems like such a chore to me.  Other people don't mind it at all.  I also love all-in-2's (AI2s) like Best Bottoms.  They are just simple.  I really thought I would hate prefolds and flats, but they ended up being all that worked for us with our newborn.  That sneaky newborn poo just goes everywhere!  So a jelly rolled prefold in a good cover was our saving grace.  And I liked the GMD workhorse fitteds for overnight once she started sleeping a little longer.

Your wash routine should be every other day, a rinse with no detergent, then a hot wash with 1/2 of the usual recommended amount of detergent, then an extra rinse.  Most people line dry AIOs and covers, and machine dry inserts, prefolds, flats, etc.  I am a rebel and machine dry everything except my covers.  I use Tide to the 1 line, and have slightly hard water.  Your detergent preference and amount will be dependent on your water type, so it may take a little trial and error.  Pinstripes and polka dots has a chart showing what detergents are safe for cloth, but keep in mind that it doesn't cover efficacy.  So a detergent might be perfectly safe, but not work well, or not work will in your water conditions.  If you have trouble with your wash routine down the line, come back and we'll trouble shoot.

freezorburn

Just try all the diapers. Many people think they know what they are going to like before they even start, then when they actually try the diapers, they find that what works for them in reality is something else entirely.