I recommend reading up on CottonBabies.com - they have a lot of helpful information about proper washing/drying routines and what products are CD approved (diaper creams, soaps/detergents, etc). Their blog is searchable and answers a lot of these questions.
Also, for anyone with hard water (orange residue around sink drains), look into a water softener to add to your loads and learn how to strip the diapers. This will help keep the diapers from getting build up and leaking, also from stinking. All of this info is on cottonbabies, and I'm sure other sites, too, we are just 100% BG so that is where I always go. They also have amazing customer service available to help 'trouble shoot' if you have issues with the diapers, washing, anything.
How many CD moms also use cloth wipes? Would you recommend cloth wipes or disposables?
If you use cloth wipes, what is your wash routine for them and how do you use them, i.e. do you store them wet or only wet them as needed? We are really interested in "going all the way" if we CD, but I've heard that storing them wet can cause them to get musty and mildewy. Just wondering what has worked for everyone else.
How many CD moms also use cloth wipes? Would you recommend cloth wipes or disposables?
If you use cloth wipes, what is your wash routine for them and how do you use them, i.e. do you store them wet or only wet them as needed? We are really interested in "going all the way" if we CD, but I've heard that storing them wet can cause them to get musty and mildewy. Just wondering what has worked for everyone else.
Love my cloth wipes. I bought some Bumkins, I think 6 packs? They are starting to unravel after 2 years, but I still use them. Those six packs last me all week, 2 washes. I wash with the diapers. I also bought some from Cotton Babies when they were on clearance a while back.
*SIGGY* Baby G born 6/6/14, 37 weeks 1 day due to preeclampsia. 5lb12oz 19" #2 due Christmas 2016.
@1982Babies If we start out with newborn size disposables and then switch to cloth when baby is big enough to fit in them, can we wash the cloth wipes with baby's regular clothes during those first few weeks?
@1982Babies If we start out with newborn size disposables and then switch to cloth when baby is big enough to fit in them, can we wash the cloth wipes with baby's regular clothes during those first few weeks?
Especially if you're breastfeeding. Exclusively breastfed babies waste is 100% water soluble so until they start solids, you won't have to rinse the diapers (or wipes) out at all. I wouldn't wash a load of diapers with my laundry but I'd do the cloth wipes with my towels
@ashbozso The two most common methods of using cloth wipes that I've seen are: 1) store cloth wipes in a wipe solution, usually made up of water and baby soap, or 2) store the cloths dry and keep the solution in a water bottle, wet the wipes as needed.
We will probably going with the number 2 option, I've heard of lots of issues with number 1 including the wipes drying out or getting musty/mildewy from sitting in the damp solution.
@1982Babies If we start out with newborn size disposables and then switch to cloth when baby is big enough to fit in them, can we wash the cloth wipes with baby's regular clothes during those first few weeks?
You can! I usually just washed dirty diapers and wipes separately from clothes.
*SIGGY* Baby G born 6/6/14, 37 weeks 1 day due to preeclampsia. 5lb12oz 19" #2 due Christmas 2016.
@ashbozso I used the peri bottle from the hospital for about a year until it got gunky, and now I use a mason jar with a Cuppow drink lid and I use some wipe solution someone bought me (mix with water) and pour it on the wipes as I use them. I tried pre-moistening wipes, but they got moldy on me. Ew.
*SIGGY* Baby G born 6/6/14, 37 weeks 1 day due to preeclampsia. 5lb12oz 19" #2 due Christmas 2016.
FTM mom here, planning to CD. The best resources I have found came from a friend's recommendation. There is a website called fluff love university, and they have washing guides, videos explaining different kinds of diapers, how to's etc and WAY more. We don't put much in the dryer, so I think we will hang dry our CD's as well (inside, I am paranoid they will get stolen outside LOL). Amazon has a hanger that would hold something like 20 CD's at a time. AIO (All in One) is what I plan on using when people who are not so excited about it are around (grandparents, babysitters, etc). But I am looking to stock up on pockets as well since you can add inserts, etc. as needed. I am on a CD facebook page, and what several people recommend is bringing your diaper with you (for me, probably an AIO) into the daycare you are interested in. Other mamas have had much more success getting a daycare to allow CD's when they can see they are just like a disposable. It would also help other caretakers be more on board My budget is about $250 to start with, but I am buying some preloved.
I've sort of avoided this thread cos I don't have much to add. We CD and love them. We use bum genius 4.0 pockets but we don't put the liners in the pockets so we can use the shells more than once. We're finding sometimes we need to double up on liners now that DS pees less frequently but higher volume. We have 12 I think. We use a disposable at night now too. I think we will get a few more since we'll be on double diaper duty for a while.
For those who are overwhelmed by the world of CDing - I was completely til we started. It really works for us and has saved us hundreds and hundreds of dollars. The Cloth Diaper board has a ton of great information and helpful people too. https://forums.thebump.com/categories/diapering
DEFINITELY watch this you tube video. She's thorough and clear. For us, prefolds have never been our go-to though I do have a bunch. I also do have bacout bio spray handy to keep poop diapers from really smelling in the bin... though for the last like 5 months it's not been a thing since his poops easily plunk in the toilet for the most part. https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12316280/faq#latest
@ashleaf2018 we use cloth wipes when we are home and disposables when we are out. I purchased cheap packs of thin baby wash clothes and use those as wipes. We kept the peri bottle from the hospital and have it filled with water and just squirt the wipes before wiping her. Cloth wipes have been really helpful because prior to switching I was constantly accidentally washing disposable wipes and they would come out all shredded and stuck to the diapers. Now, we can just wash everything together!
This is a great thread. While DH and I have discussed this a lot, we both got together to do a lot of research. He did his, I did mine, we made sure we were finding sourced materials (yes, we are a little nerdy). I just wanted to share with you guys because people will think I'm crazy if I put this on my FB thread! Lol
We came to the conclusion that while disposables contribute to land fills, CD uses massive amounts of water. Water is an important resource, especially during drought years (we had a bad one last year). And especially in CA. And while we would spend about $50/month on diapers(Costco), how much would the additional water and detergent used for CD cost? About the same. We also don't use bleach or other chemicals in the household as we have asthma in the family. We also have wetlands in our backyard and a septic tank, so what we put in there can really harm that little ecosystem. And no bleach/ harsh detergents would have made cleaning them a little rough. We had the biggest debate about diapers ever. We are pretty crunchy and try to make good environmental choices, so this was tough. Then came the tie breaker. We already struggle to keep up with laundry as it is. We always have a clean mountain of laundry by the bed and a dirty one on the hamper. Sp while initially we wanted to CD, after considering the water/chemicals/time needed for CD, the environmental impact is really the same. One site said that no matter what, when you have a baby either choice will impact the environment about the same. So the best thing to do when you have a baby is to plant a tree to make up for it! Trees, here we come.
Super interesting, @yellingbanana. That's especially tough news for me, because I live in Las Vegas where the drought is a real thing that no one seems to be doing much about.
Me: 31 | DH: 31
Together since 2003 | Married 2010 TTC #1 January 2016 BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016 Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018 BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
@yellingbanana it takes more water to produce disposable diapers than it would for you to maintain some extra diaper laundry. Approximately 9 gallons of water goes into the production of ONE disposable diaper.
also, $50 seems like a stretch for detergent/water usage. We buy a huge box of tide powder for roughly $27 I think and it lasts us 2 months or so... And we use it for all of our other laundering as well.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that you should do what's best for your family and totally support either disposables or cloth, but some of your findings seem a bit off... Then again, I'm in CT so I can't attest to the cost of water, etc in CA.
And besides the water usage thing, it's more cost effective to do cloth, especially between multiple children. We plan on having more kids after this so cloth was an easy choice for us, but not everyone is in the same boat as we are. I think at the end of the day you just have to do what's right for you and as long as something is on your baby's butt, it doesn't really matter what that is.
And besides the water usage thing, it's more cost effective to do cloth, especially between multiple children. We plan on having more kids after this so cloth was an easy choice for us, but not everyone is in the same boat as we are. I think at the end of the day you just have to do what's right for you and as long as something is on your baby's butt, it doesn't really matter what that is.
I had a friend who was a sahm who decided after her baby was 2 weeks old that diapers were no longer needed. I think she called it something fancy and claimed her 4 month old was potty trained..........but in reality, she was just cleaning up messes all the time (and obviously only posting the omg my baby is potty trained stuff on Facebook). She moved away shortly after that and I couldn't keep up....but I saw a picture of her now 3 year in a diaper. Maybe it didn't work out. Just thought it was a funny story after you said as long as something is on their butt haha.
Eta: nothing against sahm, just felt it necessary to clarify since that no diaper arrangement would never fly at a daycare.
For us, I think the cost saving was just the tie breaker in the decision. #1 reason being the hope to potty train sooner. And I won't lie, just how cute they are is actually a pretty strong motivator for me. Cost comes in next. And honestly, for me, the environmental factor is really just a bonus. I'm all for doing the better thing, but will admit that when the better thing starts to become too troublesome or expensive, I'll slip back into easier ways. Not something I'm proud of, but just how it is.
@sourlemon That is too funny! Well, to each their own. I've seen people let their kids run around naked (on private property of course) but I don't know if I'm brave enough for that!
I said on one thread somewhere that I would come back and update what the cloth diaper class was like and what I learned. We went to one on Sunday and the class was so good. FI who was a little skeptical about it is ready to let me start our stash! The class was about 45 minutes long and was held by a local store of ours that supports baby wearing, CDing, BFing, etc. and they also have yoga classes, LLL meetings, etc.
It was most helpful for us because they showed us all the different kinds of cloth diapers from flats to AI2. They told us about the cost effectiveness of each one and the pros and cons, and they did all of it without seeming biased. The main lady who was talking to us said that she uses fitteds and wool covers for her kids, but I left really interested in the AI2s, so I felt like they were very knowledgable about everything and not trying to steer people in a certain direction. They also showed us a diaper sprayer, a spray shield, a wet bag, the different kinds of covers. They talked about wash routines, how often to change LO, how to tackle things like yeast, diaper rash, etc. I'm a very visual learner so being able to 1. see everything and hear an explanation on how they're used, and 2. be able to go up after and see everything up close, actually touch the diapers, and see where I can buy them once I get ready to start our stash, was very helpful. If you're on the fence about doing it or you are like me and need more of an in-person visual aid to understand everything, I would highly recommend a class if there are any in your area.
@sourlemon Some SAHMs do what is called Elimination control. I'm not very well versed in what all it entails, but from my understanding baby has cues to when they are going to eliminate, and mom/dad/whoever gets baby to a 'safe' place then does the cue noise. Baby then knows it is ok to eliminate and does.
Formerly known as Kate08young August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Me: 28 H: 24 Married: 7/22/14 Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017. Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
I agree, do what is best for you, but just a heads up - I did the math on what our water and soap costs were and it came out to >$11/month. We used a regular washer (not HE) and Allen's Naturally powder.
@Annie and Frank Just curiosi, how did you figure out how to do the water math? I've seen people on both sides of the fence if the water costs eat up any diaper savings. I'd love to be able to know ahead of time what my extra water would be. I feel like that could really sway the cost savings one way or another. And moving back to Southern California, I know our waters not cheap...
@tinattt23 I found out how much water each cycle takes on my washing machine. Then I counted how many loads a week I would need to do. Our water bill has the number of gallons and how much water is used, so I could do a little math and figure out price per gallon. Then I counted how much water CD would be per month/year and compared to what it would cost to do disposables.
Formerly known as Kate08young August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Me: 28 H: 24 Married: 7/22/14 Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017. Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
I haven't figured out the cost of water around here but I have found a helpful way to deal with the upfront cost of developing a stash. After a lot of research I picked the BumGenius 5.0 and they are about $20 a pop. I get paid biweekly and have Amazon Prime so every paycheck I just order one diaper. I would probably blow $20 on fast food or something anyway so it is a better investment and by the time baby is here I will have a nice little stash. I will have showers but most people I have seen CD, don't get them at showers because many of them have stopped after a few months so I am planning ahead Not sure if this would help anyone else but it has helped me with a way to spread out the start up cost. I have 4 now and will be ordering number 5 tomorrow
@BenNSarah I'm doing the same thing. I've also been looking on Craigslist and eBay for gently used ones. I am also going with BumGenius 4.0 and 5.0's and have found a few. Definitely makes it easier on the up-front costs!
I haven't figured out the cost of water around here but I have found a helpful way to deal with the upfront cost of developing a stash. After a lot of research I picked the BumGenius 5.0 and they are about $20 a pop. I get paid biweekly and have Amazon Prime so every paycheck I just order one diaper. I would probably blow $20 on fast food or something anyway so it is a better investment and by the time baby is here I will have a nice little stash. I will have showers but most people I have seen CD, don't get them at showers because many of them have stopped after a few months so I am planning ahead Not sure if this would help anyone else but it has helped me with a way to spread out the start up cost. I have 4 now and will be ordering number 5 tomorrow
This is exactly what I did! I bought one or two Bum Genius per paycheck, adding on more when they were on sale, starting right around this time in the pregnancy until the baby was born and was pretty well set by the time he got here. I continued to buy a few more every couple weeks after he was born and haven't bought any more for the two years! Great plan :-)
We get billed for water/sewer quarterly so I just went back and look at what our bill was before CD and then after and did the math. So, technically, that includes the increased baby laundry and baby bathing, too but it was so small that I didn't try to parse that out.
@ajstevenson check out that cotton babies website that someone mentioned previously on here. They have Bumgenius 5.0 for 12.95 in a blue pattern because they misspelled the word "crescendo" (cressendo) on the pattern and it's barely noticeable. (the pattern is all musical terms, super cute) They don't come with the inserts but you can add them for $1 more or just order extras somewhere else for cheap. I stocked up on a few of those.
@ajstevenson check out that cotton babies website that someone mentioned previously on here. They have Bumgenius 5.0 for 12.95 in a blue pattern because they misspelled the word "crescendo" (cressendo) on the pattern and it's barely noticeable. (the pattern is all musical terms, super cute) They don't come with the inserts but you can add them for $1 more or just order extras somewhere else for cheap. I stocked up on a few of those.
Cotton Babies!! That was me! Lol I'm so glad you found it helpful!
I went to a CD swap today and got to talk to a lot of ladies who CD. They showed me the different types and how they work, etc. I ended up picking up 5 AIOs (3 bum genius, 2 totsbots) ,2 pocket ones (lotus bums, jungle too) with liners, and a thirstie with a cover for about $40. I figured I will try a few different types and see which one will work for us. I also entered a $10 raffle and WON (I never win anything) a diaper basket with three refolds, a flower sack tower, a happy flute diaper, an econobum diaper cover, another pocket diaper, homemade flannel cloth wipes, a snappy, booty balm lu sa, a diaper caddy and a changing pad. I have a couple more on my registry but I think that is good start! If anyone is interested check out a swap event - everyone is so supportive!
Me: 38, DH: 36 Married Jan 2008 DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18" so in love Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
If someone knows they're having a boy and wants to snag them, there's someone selling 15 used bumgenius blue/boy diapers for about $80+s&h. I wish I knew what I was having or I'd snag them myself.
I'm so glad I checked out this thread! I had always been less than excited about the idea of cloth diapering because it just seemed like such a PITA, but I've totally changed my mind. It really seems doable, and I love the idea of saving money wherever we can.
@yellingbanana it takes more water to produce disposable diapers than it would for you to maintain some extra diaper laundry. Approximately 9 gallons of water goes into the production of ONE disposable diaper.
also, $50 seems like a stretch for detergent/water usage. We buy a huge box of tide powder for roughly $27 I think and it lasts us 2 months or so... And we use it for all of our other laundering as well.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that you should do what's best for your family and totally support either disposables or cloth, but some of your findings seem a bit off... Then again, I'm in CT so I can't attest to the cost of water, etc in CA.
Well said. The idea that it's more wasteful somehow to use cloth diapers is absolutely ridiculous and doesn't add up - not even close. Life cycle analysis of disposable manufacturing and waste vs. cloth is just not even on the same playing field. Detergent cost is not any issue either, unless you're going hog wild. We are only on our 3rd detergent box for the diapers after 15 months... at $8 a box...
Cloth diapering is definitely not for everyone but skewing some crazy calculations to justify disposables is just ridiculous. There's no contest - environmentally and cost-wise, cloth is better unless you're doing something extreme. However, it's more work for sure.
I cloth diapered my first and I'm planning on trying it for this baby too. We still have all the supplies so I see no reason not to. I used fuzzibunz pocked diapers stuffed either with an insert or a prefold. I think we had around a dozen pocket diapers and two dozen prefolds and inserts. When she was exclusively nursing I just threw them straight in the wash. I called the company that made my washing machine and asked what setting I should use for cloth diapers. I didn't use a lot of extra products or anything for washing. Just my regular unscented detergent. When she started eating solids we got the sprayer that attached to the toilet and sprayed off #2 diapers. We used a big diaper pail with a carbon filter until there was enough for a load. My daughter had some diaper rash in the beginning, but it went away when we started using disposable for overnights and cloth for the rest of the time. The problem is that she wasn't waking up when she peed and then she was just sitting with it against her skin. Once we switched to disposable overnight I felt like we had it all figured out.
I just purchased 15 Grovia hybrid shells and 30 organic cotton inserts...plus some prefolds to help take up space when the baby is small as I don't want to buy newborn sizes (...my hubby is part Viking so I don't think we'll have to worry too much about small baby bums for long). I cannot wait to prep all the inserts! And I cannot believe I'm so excited about my baby peeing or pooing in a CD!
Re: CLOTH DIAPERING 101
Also, for anyone with hard water (orange residue around sink drains), look into a water softener to add to your loads and learn how to strip the diapers. This will help keep the diapers from getting build up and leaking, also from stinking. All of this info is on cottonbabies, and I'm sure other sites, too, we are just 100% BG so that is where I always go. They also have amazing customer service available to help 'trouble shoot' if you have issues with the diapers, washing, anything.
If you use cloth wipes, what is your wash routine for them and how do you use them, i.e. do you store them wet or only wet them as needed? We are really interested in "going all the way" if we CD, but I've heard that storing them wet can cause them to get musty and mildewy. Just wondering what has worked for everyone else.
Baby G born 6/6/14, 37 weeks 1 day due to preeclampsia. 5lb12oz 19"
#2 due Christmas 2016.
We will probably going with the number 2 option, I've heard of lots of issues with number 1 including the wipes drying out or getting musty/mildewy from sitting in the damp solution.
Baby G born 6/6/14, 37 weeks 1 day due to preeclampsia. 5lb12oz 19"
#2 due Christmas 2016.
Baby G born 6/6/14, 37 weeks 1 day due to preeclampsia. 5lb12oz 19"
#2 due Christmas 2016.
I am on a CD facebook page, and what several people recommend is bringing your diaper with you (for me, probably an AIO) into the daycare you are interested in. Other mamas have had much more success getting a daycare to allow CD's when they can see they are just like a disposable. It would also help other caretakers be more on board
My budget is about $250 to start with, but I am buying some preloved.
For those who are overwhelmed by the world of CDing - I was completely til we started. It really works for us and has saved us hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
The Cloth Diaper board has a ton of great information and helpful people too. https://forums.thebump.com/categories/diapering
DEFINITELY watch this you tube video. She's thorough and clear. For us, prefolds have never been our go-to though I do have a bunch. I also do have bacout bio spray handy to keep poop diapers from really smelling in the bin... though for the last like 5 months it's not been a thing since his poops easily plunk in the toilet for the most part.
https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12316280/faq#latest
We came to the conclusion that while disposables contribute to land fills, CD uses massive amounts of water. Water is an important resource, especially during drought years (we had a bad one last year). And especially in CA. And while we would spend about $50/month on diapers(Costco), how much would the additional water and detergent used for CD cost? About the same. We also don't use bleach or other chemicals in the household as we have asthma in the family. We also have wetlands in our backyard and a septic tank, so what we put in there can really harm that little ecosystem. And no bleach/ harsh detergents would have made cleaning them a little rough. We had the biggest debate about diapers ever. We are pretty crunchy and try to make good environmental choices, so this was tough.
Then came the tie breaker.
We already struggle to keep up with laundry as it is. We always have a clean mountain of laundry by the bed and a dirty one on the hamper.
Sp while initially we wanted to CD, after considering the water/chemicals/time needed for CD, the environmental impact is really the same. One site said that no matter what, when you have a baby either choice will impact the environment about the same. So the best thing to do when you have a baby is to plant a tree to make up for it!
Trees, here we come.
TTC #1 January 2016
BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016
Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018
BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
also, $50 seems like a stretch for detergent/water usage. We buy a huge box of tide powder for roughly $27 I think and it lasts us 2 months or so... And we use it for all of our other laundering as well.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that you should do what's best for your family and totally support either disposables or cloth, but some of your findings seem a bit off... Then again, I'm in CT so I can't attest to the cost of water, etc in CA.
Eta: nothing against sahm, just felt it necessary to clarify since that no diaper arrangement would never fly at a daycare.
It was most helpful for us because they showed us all the different kinds of cloth diapers from flats to AI2. They told us about the cost effectiveness of each one and the pros and cons, and they did all of it without seeming biased. The main lady who was talking to us said that she uses fitteds and wool covers for her kids, but I left really interested in the AI2s, so I felt like they were very knowledgable about everything and not trying to steer people in a certain direction. They also showed us a diaper sprayer, a spray shield, a wet bag, the different kinds of covers. They talked about wash routines, how often to change LO, how to tackle things like yeast, diaper rash, etc. I'm a very visual learner so being able to 1. see everything and hear an explanation on how they're used, and 2. be able to go up after and see everything up close, actually touch the diapers, and see where I can buy them once I get ready to start our stash, was very helpful. If you're on the fence about doing it or you are like me and need more of an in-person visual aid to understand everything, I would highly recommend a class if there are any in your area.
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
Our water bill has the number of gallons and how much water is used, so I could do a little math and figure out price per gallon. Then I counted how much water CD would be per month/year and compared to what it would cost to do disposables.
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
Married Jan 2008
DD Baby Bells born Dec 2016 5 lbs, 12 oz, 18"
Due with #2 Baby Arya EDD February 2020
Cloth diapering is definitely not for everyone but skewing some crazy calculations to justify disposables is just ridiculous. There's no contest - environmentally and cost-wise, cloth is better unless you're doing something extreme. However, it's more work for sure.
I used fuzzibunz pocked diapers stuffed either with an insert or a prefold. I think we had around a dozen pocket diapers and two dozen prefolds and inserts. When she was exclusively nursing I just threw them straight in the wash. I called the company that made my washing machine and asked what setting I should use for cloth diapers. I didn't use a lot of extra products or anything for washing. Just my regular unscented detergent. When she started eating solids we got the sprayer that attached to the toilet and sprayed off #2 diapers. We used a big diaper pail with a carbon filter until there was enough for a load. My daughter had some diaper rash in the beginning, but it went away when we started using disposable for overnights and cloth for the rest of the time. The problem is that she wasn't waking up when she peed and then she was just sitting with it against her skin. Once we switched to disposable overnight I felt like we had it all figured out.