Has anyone discussed cloth diapers vs. regular diapers with their SO?

MedicMomma84

I am putting a lot of thought into using cloth diapers whenever possible. This is our first baby and I want to try to keep it as granola as possible with this one. We know that cloth diapers won't be entirely possible in some situations, but I'd like to use them on my baby because I was cloth diapered. My husband is freaking out and says absolutely not because he is not cleaning those diapers. Does anyone here have any experience with cloth diapers or can anyone recommend a diapering service?

SweetT

I did cloth with my first. H wasn't really against it but I think he was afraid I'd spend money building a stash and then realize I hated it and we'd go with disposable anyway. 
We got lots of sposies at my shower so I used those until we ran out which was like 3 months and then switched to cloth. There was some trial and error when she was like 8 months old where she was soaking and leaking through them but double stuffing until she was like 18 months solved that. I did all the washing and stuffing so all he had to deal with was changing them occasionally. 
We used a mix of Alva's, bum genius, with charcoal bamboo inserts and Twinkie tush. 
My husbad is cheap so he was thrilled we did it until just a few months shy of potty training. We were battling yeast almost constantly at that point due to some antibitiotics she was on for an ear infection. 
I definitely plan on using them again. Hoping for another girl since most of them are girly and I really don't want to have to buy new ones. 

rachoochoo2

I did cloth for 18 months with my second daughter because I had two in diapers and it got expensive. I didn't use them at all with my third and when I brought it up with my husband to use them this time I was told hell no and only if I planned on doing all the diapering on my own. My husband has always split diaper duty equally with me so I don't want to lose his help. Still tempted though. At least for a while I could have two in diapers again.

MLRocha

I have a couple of friends who did cloth and their experience made me want to look into it...  I recently found out the prices of the local diaper cleaning service and it seems reasonable compared to disposables.  But, H says 'no way'.  He has a big issue with the cleaning/disposal part.  He can't even clean up dog vomit w/o gagging; so, it would probably be insane to push this on him.  Plus, I have some concerns about whatever the day care we choose will allow (we haven't visited any yet, but I've heard that can be an issue).  So, I think we'll be in the disposable camp.

MrsDrKirkpatrick

I had a friend who used gDiapers and LOVED them because they have the option of cloth or disposable inserts. The disposable ones you can compost yourself or even flush down the toilet. DH has been on board with using them, so I went ahead and ordered the newborn bundle, and am really impressed. They seem really realistic and doable. I've already got my good friend, and sister in law interested in them. Definitely worth looking into! 

birdiejo

@MrsDrKirkpatrick So I decided to switch my daughter to cloth at about 18 months... Maybe this was a bad idea on its own but I went with G diapers and we couldn't make it past two days because she was crying and they seemed extremely uncomfortable on her. The insert didn't seem to stay put so it wasn't catching everything properly and the whole setup looked awkward. We took them off because they were making deep red marks on her. I have nothing to compare it to and had to give up very quickly. We're planning on attempting with our newborn and hopefully it'll be easier than trying to switch a toddler from something she's used to. But anyway I was planning on trying different brands/setups than G diaper because of my experience but I'm not trying to convince you otherwise. I'm just kind of putting this out there to see if anyone else had experience with that brand or attempting to begin cloth on an older baby. Did my bad experience have mainly to do with starting late? I couldn't really experiment with it because my daughter was so unhappy in them. 

birdiejo

Oops also i didn't mean to hijack your thread. My husband and I were both against and grossed out until we realized how much money we could save and how big of a CD community there is out there. It must not be too bad if so many people can handle it easily right? 

Partyof6?

We cloth diapered my others and I need to still inventory my stash to see what we'll need. I did most of the diaper washing.   As far as changing them, breastfed baby poop was easy, anything "ploppable" went into the toilet.  

My husband was skeptical at first, but got on board when he saw how much we saved and that we never had to run to the store at midnight for diapers.   We used disposables on and off, but mainly for back up.   

pennylucille-2

I'm the opposite of most of you. My husband wants to do cloth to save money, and I'm not so sure. The thought of cleaning poopy diapers, ugh. I don't know much about how it all works, so I definitely need to do some research.

yogadevil

My husband was surprisingly on board from get go. He's an EMT so bodily fluids don't really phase him much. The money savings, especially being able to reuse a CD stash for a 2nd kidlet sold him even further. I have ridiculously sensitive skin and he's convinced the baby will too, so it was kind of a no brainer to use something that will prevent harsh rashes.

I've started building our stash of fitteds/prefolds and wool covers. He's actually really digging using wool because it means buying less baby clothes lol. 

As for the cleaning part of it, we're getting a diaper sprayer and have a system in place. Theres going to be messes to clean up regardless, and more blowouts in disposables, hopefully your husband can see that and at least give it a shot. We looked into a diaper service but that felt a bit weird to us as those diapers would be in a rotation of several babies. But truthfully im still wondering if we should use one just for the first few months to ease the transition.

Check out Fluff Love & CD Science on facebook, they're an awesome group to learn from!

Partyof6?

I need to look at my laundry routine for my new machine, but as far as cleaning the diapers, this was it.  I had a couple of large cloth pail liners.  I used a stainless steel tall kitchen size trash can (simple human) as my diaper pail.  Diapers went into the pail after changing, we dumped solids if we could.   Since I used pocket diapers, we shook the diaper a bit to separate the inserts as they went into the pail.   On wash day, I took the entire liner bag down to the washing machine, dumped the diapers out, adding the liner bag and closed the lid.   The first wash was always water only, no soap and got rid of most of the mess.  Second wash was with soap and oxi clean, then into the dryer they went.   It was never as scary as it sounded! 

WinchesterGirl

I am a FTM but we plan to cloth diaper full time (except traveling)... and I may have gone a little overboard on buying them...

Xstatic3333

@Partyof6? is oxyclean standard procedure or just what you chose to use? It's kind of random, but I am horribly sensitive to it, and wouldn't even be able to handle anything washed in it. 

OP, we are considering a CD service. I found it just by googling, but sadly they have yet to call us back. H is going to give it a try and hope they're so shocked to hear from a dad that they call right back. He doesn't mind dealing with the diapers, but is really worried that our high efficiency washing machine won't get them clean enough. 

birdiejo

@Partyof6? You make it sound so much easier than it does when I go to websites like fluff love. I feel like I get stressed out whenever I begin to look into it again to decide once and for all if I'm going to take the plunge this time. 

tishb

We have thought about it in the past, but never did. And now, we are on baby 3, the last one, so it doesn't seem practical to start now because of the initial cost. I don't know, more research needed I suppose.

Starfish113

I found them to be pretty easy. In the beginning they washed out easily, and when the poop got more solid I just plopped it into the toilet. All-in-ones or Pockets will probably be easiest for your DH because they go on just like disposables. I found I liked covers and inserts as time went on and I will buy more of those this time. You save soooooo much money though. Even if you acquire a small obsession for buying cute prints

edited for spelling, oops. 

Gingersnap

I've also heard that HE washers don't work as well. Anyone refute this? 

Starfish113

Gingersnap said:

I've also heard that HE washers don't work as well. Anyone refute this? 

You can make it work! For the second rinse I set it to "no spin" so that when it added water it was "double" the water in there and that worked for us. Sometimes I forgot and washed them the normal way and they were still fine though!

Xstatic3333

Starfish113 said:

Gingersnap said:

I've also heard that HE washers don't work as well. Anyone refute this? 

You can make it work! For the second rinse I set it to "no spin" so that when it added water it was "double" the water in there and that worked for us. Sometimes I forgot and washed them the normal way and they were still fine though!

Nice! This thread just prompted some research, and I've actually convinced H to give it a try! We'll see how it goes. The existence of disposable liners seemed to really increase his comfort level. 

Kashy17

We started cloth when our DS was 4 months.  I loved it.  It was so easy.  I did all of the laundry for the diapers so my H never had to do that but he had no issues with diaper changes.  If you have pockets/all in ones/ or anything with snaps and velcro/aplix they go on exactly like a disposable so there should be no confusion.  Cleaning the diapers was easy.  I didn't have a sprayer so I just swished the poo off in the toilet, easy.  If anyone who uses disposables did it correctly they should be dumping the poop in the toilet as well because that is what you are supposed to do.  You just don't have to wash the diaper after.  

As for washing them it was simple.  I washed every 2-3 days.  First cycle was a regular cycle with a small amount of detergent as a pre wash then a second cycle of a hot/heavy soil wash.  Then popped them in the dryer.  Done.  No fabric softener.  And I used Tide.  

I think most people get caught up in the "I can only use Cloth diaper safe soap!".  Most of the soaps deemed "cloth diaper safe" are mostly just water softeners and have no actual detergent of cleaning agent in them.  There are some eco friendly options that work but Tide works best for us.  And we also have a front loader HE machine and haven't had any issues with getting them clean......

I am also an all or nothing kind of person so when I committed to cloth I did it full time including night time and vacations and everything.  We also had a day home that was very acceptable of them when 
i went back to work.  This worked well for us.

scottipino

I have had no issues with our HE machine and had to tweak things around more if we are away and using a standard top loader.  I have done cloth for over 3 years and 2 kids at this point and haven't looked back.  Yes we do disposables for vacations without machines and diarrhea illnesses but otherwise it isn't hard at all. Wash 3 days a week and hang dry.  We have done a combo of AIOs, AI2s, and pockets. Already working on newborn stash which I haven't done before so branching out to fitteds, prefolds, and covers. 

cinderin

I had a couple friends who tried and tried cloth diapers and they all had bad experiences  (educated, smart people with time and money). so I didn't try with my first son. I think we will just do disposable again. DH doesn't have a song opinion either way. 

Starfish113

cinderin said:

I had a couple friends who tried and tried cloth diapers and they all had bad experiences  (educated, smart people with time and money). so I didn't try with my first son. I think we will just do disposable again. DH doesn't have a song opinion either way. 

what does the bolded have to do with the success of cloth diapering??

Partyof6?

Thank you for the reassurances about our HE washing machine.   I will have questions when we get closer, I know!   

@Xstatic3333, I think it was just part of my routine, but it isn't required.   I actually loved Sun oxygen cleaner, but I can't find it anymore.  

MrsP052909

I started using cd's when my daughter was about 6 weeks old. We used sun baby pockets diapers and we were really happy with them. The figuring out our wash routine was the hardest but after a couple of weeks I had it down! (Run a cold rinse, wash in hot and add a bucket of hot water once the agitator starts, then hang to dry.) We used tide original powder and it seemed to work the best. If you get any stains you can just sun them and they generally come out. Stain removers and bleach can break down the pul in the diapers so they are not recommended.

Xstatic3333

Thanks @Partyof6? Sounds like we're going to need a HE CD check-in come February. If it's true that Fluff Love University is the ultimate authority, though, sounds like it's pretty doable.

Starfish113

Ooooog I've never heard of adding a bucket of hot water. I like it!!!

edit: LOL, I meant to type "oooooooh"

Kashy17

Xstatic3333 said:

Starfish113 said:

Gingersnap said:

I've also heard that HE washers don't work as well. Anyone refute this? 

You can make it work! For the second rinse I set it to "no spin" so that when it added water it was "double" the water in there and that worked for us. Sometimes I forgot and washed them the normal way and they were still fine though!

Nice! This thread just prompted some research, and I've actually convinced H to give it a try! We'll see how it goes. The existence of disposable liners seemed to really increase his comfort level. 

Just do not flush the "flushable" disposable liners.   They can survive a few wash cycles with your diapers and they can clog drains.

SweetT

Kashy17 said:

Xstatic3333 said:

Starfish113 said:

Gingersnap said:

I've also heard that HE washers don't work as well. Anyone refute this? 

You can make it work! For the second rinse I set it to "no spin" so that when it added water it was "double" the water in there and that worked for us. Sometimes I forgot and washed them the normal way and they were still fine though!

Nice! This thread just prompted some research, and I've actually convinced H to give it a try! We'll see how it goes. The existence of disposable liners seemed to really increase his comfort level. 

Just do not flush the "flushable" disposable liners.   They can survive a few wash cycles with your diapers and they can clog drains.

Yes to not flushing! We got lucky in our apartment but our friend destroyed her septic system. We have since moved into a house with a septic and no way will I flush them this time! 

SweetT

I did a cold rinse, hot wash with an extra rinse and have an HE washer I never had to add more water. I used all free and clear. 

Xstatic3333

Kashy17 said:

Xstatic3333 said:

Starfish113 said:

Gingersnap said:

I've also heard that HE washers don't work as well. Anyone refute this? 

You can make it work! For the second rinse I set it to "no spin" so that when it added water it was "double" the water in there and that worked for us. Sometimes I forgot and washed them the normal way and they were still fine though!

Nice! This thread just prompted some research, and I've actually convinced H to give it a try! We'll see how it goes. The existence of disposable liners seemed to really increase his comfort level. 

Just do not flush the "flushable" disposable liners.   They can survive a few wash cycles with your diapers and they can clog drains.

Hmmm, any chance this varies by brand? Green Mountain Diapers seemed pretty emphatic about not trying to reuse disposables and that flushing was okay if you're on a sewer and have newish pipes. We're on city sewer, not septic.

Gingersnap

Partyof6? said:

Thank you for the reassurances about our HE washing machine.   I will have questions when we get closer, I know!   

@Xstatic3333, I think it was just part of my routine, but it isn't required.   I actually loved Sun oxygen cleaner, but I can't find it anymore.  

I think I've seen that at the dollar store! 

Gingersnap

Partyof6? said:

Thank you for the reassurances about our HE washing machine.   I will have questions when we get closer, I know!   

@Xstatic3333, I think it was just part of my routine, but it isn't required.   I actually loved Sun oxygen cleaner, but I can't find it anymore.  

I think I've seen that at the dollar store! 

cinderin

Starfish113 said:

cinderin said:

I had a couple friends who tried and tried cloth diapers and they all had bad experiences  (educated, smart people with time and money). so I didn't try with my first son. I think we will just do disposable again. DH doesn't have a song opinion either way. 

what does the bolded have to do with the success of cloth diapering??

at the time, I didn't have a lot of time or money so I figured it would be even harder for me. 

these are people with a lot of resources, who tried a number of different (expensive) cloth diapers, and couldn't get it to work. 

Gingersnap

SweetT said:

I did a cold rinse, hot wash with an extra rinse and have an HE washer I never had to add more water. I used all free and clear. 

This is good to know as I use this for myself and Vi. We both have sensitive skin and new kid is likely so I'll probably continue with it. 
I've  found it doesn't take out stinks (like H gross yard work clothes) like regular detergents. 

becks13-2

My hubby and I are going to be doing the clothe diaper thing. I have a very close friend who used cloth diapers on her daughter and said it worked out just fine. I'm going to sound like a hippie here, but I am more into them because of all the horror stories I've seen from documentaries regarding disposables and landfills. Absolutely no judgement on those who use disposables, it's just my neurosis/freaked out nature.  Also, I've been told that while they cost a lot up front they wind up being WAY cheaper in the long run, which sounds pretty okay to me, I'll be getting pretty much squat for my maternity leave so I'm kind of worried about money.

Kashy17

BeckS13 said:

My hubby and I are going to be doing the clothe diaper thing. I have a very close friend who used cloth diapers on her daughter and said it worked out just fine. I'm going to sound like a hippie here, but I am more into them because of all the horror stories I've seen from documentaries regarding disposables and landfills. Absolutely no judgement on those who use disposables, it's just my neurosis/freaked out nature.  Also, I've been told that while they cost a lot up front they wind up being WAY cheaper in the long run, which sounds pretty okay to me, I'll be getting pretty much squat for my maternity leave so I'm kind of worried about money.

For my current stash of one size we spent maybe $600.  You can spend WAY less if you are choosy about which diapers you buy, new/used. Now I'm going to get some that will work for newborn and beyond - prefolds/flats and covers. I've already got it priced out for less then $200.  So for 2 babes I will have spent approx $800 on diapers and those will continue to be used for potential future kids.  I feel the investment is worth it.  

*my stash is a lot more then most would be because I was purchasing WAHM fitteds that I LOVE lol  they are a lot more $$  but you can do it for pretty cheap using prefolds/flats and covers.  Even pockets depending on brands can be pretty cheap. 

becks13-2

Kashy17 said:

BeckS13 said:

My hubby and I are going to be doing the clothe diaper thing. I have a very close friend who used cloth diapers on her daughter and said it worked out just fine. I'm going to sound like a hippie here, but I am more into them because of all the horror stories I've seen from documentaries regarding disposables and landfills. Absolutely no judgement on those who use disposables, it's just my neurosis/freaked out nature.  Also, I've been told that while they cost a lot up front they wind up being WAY cheaper in the long run, which sounds pretty okay to me, I'll be getting pretty much squat for my maternity leave so I'm kind of worried about money.

For my current stash of one size we spent maybe $600.  You can spend WAY less if you are choosy about which diapers you buy, new/used. Now I'm going to get some that will work for newborn and beyond - prefolds/flats and covers. I've already got it priced out for less then $200.  So for 2 babes I will have spent approx $800 on diapers and those will continue to be used for potential future kids.  I feel the investment is worth it.  

*my stash is a lot more then most would be because I was purchasing WAHM fitteds that I LOVE lol  they are a lot more $$  but you can do it for pretty cheap using prefolds/flats and covers.  Even pockets depending on brands can be pretty cheap. 

That's really good to know. I think my friend said that hers wound up costing somewhere in the area of $500 at first, so I was kind of prepared for a number like that. I didn't know you could get cloth diapers used to be honest, I'm assuming it's fairly sanitary if you do. I've only looked at a couple of websites so far, so I'm still kind of green, but I'll keep an eye out on those options for sure. Thanks for the info

LaurenAshley04

We did all disposables with #1, but I've chosen ...err pushed lol to cloth at least part time with #2. It's a huge cost saver which is a major part of my decision. Ive used cloth pads myself for the last year and it made a huge difference for my periods. It turned out it was disposables that caused much of my irritation. My daughters potty training so I'm aiming at switching her to cloth pull-ups.

I've chosen covers and prefolds for the majority of my stash. I've purchased 6 Flip covers durring a seconds sale. Next I'll get prefolds in 2 sizes. I might also add another few covers in another brand (I've been told flips won't work until 15lbs...) All in all it will be less the $200 or so. Another $60+ if we completely switch the toddler to cloth pull-ups.

scottipino

I killed our ejector pump with flushable liners- luckily not a huge cost but quickly stopped using them.  Breastfed poop is water soluble and goes directly in with nothing special.  We use a sprayer and spray pal for once they start eating solids.  Yes you will touch some poop but you do with disposables too.  Plus less blow outs which means less poopy clothes.  

MrsP052909

@Starfish113 I use to have a front loading HE and it never used enough water to really clean the diapers. Now I have an older model top loader and I don't find it necessary anymore, I just run a bigger load size.