Cloth Diapering

roo_baby

I've been building my registry, and while I know I want to try cloth diapering I am getting overwhelmed with all of the options. I imagine I'm not the only one, so let's get down to the dirty details. 

- Are you planning to CD and why?
- What products and sizes are you planning to start your stash with? 
- If you are a STM+ who has cloth diapered before, do you have any advice for us FTMs?
- What questions do you have about CD'ing? 

ksf13

For the longest time I planned on CD this time, but then I realized how much I already hate doing laundry lol. 

dajocl

I will cloth diaper this one, just like I did with my first, but probably starting at one month or 6 weeks. I wanted a pocket diaper and we used Bumgenius 4.0's with great success. As far as advice and options go, I highly suggest checking out the cloth diapering board. Lots of info there. 

buttercream_frosting

STM who *thought* about CD. I did a lot of research and was super close to buying a bunch for the newborn stage. I am so glad everyone talked me out of it. I ended up having a traumatic labour which left me in a bad mental and physical state. I couldn't even carry a conversation or watch any tv without feeling like fainting. So not having to worry about another load of washing was a big relief. We were sending out our laundry for the first month. So my advice is to be prepared for the extra work and how you can handle it if you are not so mobile.

ETA; because my comment is so negative. I think CD is wonderful if it works for you and your family but have a plan B.

shan24

I'm currently cloth diapering my toddler, so I'll continue with this one. The best bit of advice I have is to not buy a full stash of any one type or brand right away. I was *positive* I wanted to use prefolds and covers. Turns out, I hated them. Now, we use glow bug pockets lined with a microfibre insert and then the prefold during the day. At night, we were finding that the glow bugs leaked, so he wears fuzzibunz at night. Also, don't buy into the "you need to use cloth specific laundry soap."  That's bull. Regular powdered Tide works just fine (along with dozens and dozens of other regular brands). 

roo_baby

I'm planning to CD because I don't like the idea of the chemicals in disposables on my baby's skin, nor do I like the idea of the chemicals and plastic in our landfills. My DH isn't sold yet on CD but he's willing to try. We may give up and switch to an eco-friendly disposable brand, or do a combination. My plan is to get enough to start out without over investing. Most of my friends with kids use 100% disposables so I've been trying to figure this out on my own. 

From what I've read, not all diapers work on all babies so I am planning to get an assortment. I have a spreadsheet that I'm often second-guessing, but here is what I have on it right now:
4 Newborn/XS AIOs (BumGenius, Grovia and Tots Bots)
4 OS AIOs (BumGenius, AMP, Bumkins, Blueberry Simplex)
5 OS AI2s (Buttons, Flip, Softbums Echo)
6 Newborn/XS covers (thirsties, thirsties duos, bummi whispers)
2 OS covers (Blueberry, Rumparoos) + the covers from the AI2s above
6 flats, 6 novice prefolds, 6 medium prefolds, 6 newborn fitteds (all from Green Mountain Diapers)
I've over-indexed a bit on BumGenius/Flip because I can get them from BBB and return them if they don't work out. 
1 set of 3 snappis 
1 Diaper Dekor Plus bin + 1 set of 2 Diaper Dekor cloth liners
I'll also keep an eye out for people selling their stashes on CL or other sites as I get further along. 

My stupid question (and I'm sure I'll have more):
- Is it better to get a variety of fun colors and have baby wear a t-shirt with them? Or get mostly white/grey to go under a onesie/pants? 

carries2018

I dunno anything other than biddies go cray cray for diaper covers. So the fun ones. But be ready to fight. 

hippiegirl884

I clothed diapered both kiddos. Each stash ended up being different so I wouldn't spend too much on getting a large stash up front. Start with a couple styles and brands. Ds1 I ended up with fitteds and covers. Anything with micro suede would irritate his skin and needed more airflow. his body type didn't fit certain brands well because he had a big booty and thighs. DS2 started with fitteds and wool covers, but I liked the way aio's fit him better and was easier for me with a toddler and baby. DS2 ended up completely different body type than Ds1 so even the clothes I had didn't pass down well for him. So now I have a stash of hybrid fitteds/wool/Aio. I'm going to try and do NB sized ones this time around. 

hippiegirl884

Oh and I found I hate stuffing pockets so I avoid them or turn them in to Ai2 so I just snap in a absorbent inserts and call it a day

flowerintherain

I cloth diaper DS and I'm 100% with @shan24 about not buying too many of one brand. It's a trial and error process finding what works best for your LO. I highly recommend checking out fluffloveuniversity.com and comparing diapers and finding a good wash routine. The water where I live is super hard and if you don't use calgon or borax, you'll destroy your diapers. 
Like I said, everyone is different, but I absolutely hated microfiber. I like the organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, and blends of those. AIOs are expensive but are worth it imo. I really like smartbottoms, thirsties NAIO, blueberry organic simplex, and glow bugs (but not glow bug inserts). But beware, it becomes an addiction! You'll end up spending more on cloth to get exclusive prints than you would have on disposables lol..but it's fun and totally worth it.

yenrec

I use Thirsties for my now 18 month old and will continue to use them with the LO. Ive been very happy with our purchases, and even though everyone suggests not buying a big stash up front, that's what I did. Since I'm happy with ours, I don't know anything different really.
We use the microfiber/hemp cloth inserts (they're two sided and snap together) with the covers. Thirsties has a great website and great customer service for FAQs. 
Also contrary to the norms, I've bought my original stash and not spent a penny more on seasonal prints and color options. This is just how I am though. I know women are obsessive over them and trust me you can get reeled in very easily lol. 
One last thing I'll add is that I do a load of diaper laundry every day, and some women do them every other day. It's up to you. But I'll say do your research because it is quite a physical and monetary investment all around. I'm happy with our choices, and I wouldn't change a thing because it has saved us money in the long run. 
Good luck!

Boobopgirl

I've done cloth with both of my children.  I love fluff butts.  I've used pretty much all the types. I'm in the "I hate pocket stuffing" camp, but we have a few velcro pockets because once they're stuffed, they're easy enough for daddy to figure out (3 years, and he still pretends he can't change a snap diaper).

erink7211

I cloth diapered my son from 3 months until I went back to work when he was a year old. We felt it was easiest to start out with disposables until we had a firm grasp on the whole newborn thing. 

We used BumGenius Freetimes (all in ones) and I loved them. The inserts are attached so no stuffing required. We never had leaks or any rashes. We had 15 and it was the perfect amount for a wash every other day or sometimes two days. 

We will not be CDing this time because I am going back to work much sooner and it's too difficult with daycare IMO. I'm actually trying to sell our stash so if anyone is interested let me know (I hope I'm allowed to say that).

gheti

My advice is to get a good wash routine! FLUFF Love has some good material on how to clean them properly. 

I use bum genius 4.0 and freetimes. What I live most about the 4.0 is I can add hemp inserts for nighttime to keep him dry. 

Expecting twins 10/5 and we are going to cloth diapers them too! 

virginiaham

- Are you planning to CD and why?

I also don't want diaper chemicals on my baby's skin 24/7, and want to avoid a huge contribution to our local landfills.  (The picture that shows like 3,000 disposables from a baby's diaper-wearing days next to a CD stash sold me on it.) I'm planning to start with Honest Co. disposables for the first 4-6 weeks to get used to caring for a baby first, then switch to CD.  We anticipate travel and moving around 6 mo and will need to do disposables during that few weeks as well.

- What products and sizes are you planning to start your stash with? 

I'm honestly looking at a hybrid bundle through GroVia, both to save a little $ on the stash and because I like that they have solid colors that I like and I can choose exactly which colors I get.  It's a hybrid diaper so I'm hoping it could maybe work for the times that we need to go disposable.

- What questions do you have about CD'ing? 

It's not really a question but I love reading what works for different people at night as baby gets older.  I'm going into this knowing that we may have to invest a little more (or do heftier disposables) to cover nighttime soaks, which is okay with me.

dogperson11

We cloth diapered DD and will CD with this one, too. We started the evening we got home from the hospital. We used newborn AIO until she out-peed them and then used pockets. I actually LOVED Sun Baby pockets. They're super cheap but they were the most trim and had the best fit for her skinny legs. Before she was born I bought a bunch of different brands used and ended up selling what didn't work for us. By the end of our CD journey I was tired of stuffing pockets so this time I've built a stash of Smart Bottom AIOs. I still have all my pockets and various inserts just in case. I'll sell what doesn't work for us again.

My advice would be to just stick with it. It's REALLY not that much extra work. Honestly.

natleilynn

I didn't cloth diaper, but considered it. My only advice would be to have maybe one or two packs of disposables on back up just in case. My SIL was dead set on cloth diapering...until baby came and my nephew was having blowouts constantly. I think if she had had some back up disposables for the first few weeks to help ease up on her laundry, it wouldn't have worn her down so quick. But when she couldn't keep up, she just gave up.

MamaStreeter

I cloth diaper my son currently and have since birth. So I'll definitely use cloth with the next one. For newborns, someone gifted me with a set of Kawaii Baby newborn pockets. They worked well but I might sell them for Grovia newborns or covers and newborn prefolds. After newborn size, we use BumGenius Freetimes, some Imagine pockets, first stuffed with CBIs and now we have to use prefolds, and Green Mountain prefolds with BG Flips and Grovia Hybrid shells. I definitely plan to double my stash with mostly Grovia hybrid shells and Green Mountain prefolds. Feel free to ask any questions! 

MamaStreeter

@virginiaham we use Grovia ONES for nighttime and they are awesome! I definitely plan on buying more for baby #2. And I second whoever mentioned Fluff Love for wash routine advice! Such a huge help! I definitely recommend buying several types then selling what doesn't work for you to buy more of what does. 

kailaann1

Lots of great info shared by everyone. I'll just add that I bought my entire stash off of a few different people on Craigslist. People who cloth diaper tend to take great care of their diapers, or only do it for a short time and switch to disposables, so most I came across were in excellent condition. I was able to get most of my diapers for $5-$10 each and then just strip them to ensure that they are totally clean and ready for baby. 

Also, all-in-ones all the way in my opinion! Just as easy as disposables. 

nhoover88

I had thought about it. A LOT of my friends do it & love it! I talked about it with my husband (He does the laundry) and he didn't only say no...he said, "Hell No! I'm not washing a shity diaper with our clothes. I already have a hard enough time keeping up with laundry as it is." Sorry for the language, my husband has NO filter! I really wanted to give it a try, but I understand his point. We both work full time jobs (he works more hours then I do in a 5 day week) and there will be extra clothes due to a new member in the family already. Good luck to all the new mama's or 1st time cloth diaper-ers that are going to try it out! All my friends tell me, to have a good laundry schedule/plan and everything will fall into place, but it does take time to get a system in place.

dogperson11

nhoover88 said:

I had thought about it. A LOT of my friends do it & love it! I talked about it with my husband (He does the laundry) and he didn't only say no...he said, "Hell No! I'm not washing a shity diaper with our clothes. I already have a hard enough time keeping up with laundry as it is." Sorry for the language, my husband has NO filter! I really wanted to give it a try, but I understand his point. We both work full time jobs (he works more hours then I do in a 5 day week) and there will be extra clothes due to a new member in the family already. Good luck to all the new mama's or 1st time cloth diaper-ers that are going to try it out! All my friends tell me, to have a good laundry schedule/plan and everything will fall into place, but it does take time to get a system in place.

I always find this response by non-cloth diapering people interesting. As if people who cloth diaper take a poppy diaper and throw it (poop and all) in the washer with their clothes. We CDd my daughter until she was potty trained and never threw poop in the washer. That stuff goes in the toilet, and if it doesn't all come off the diaper it gets sprayed off (or some people scrape). Sometimes we would throw our regular clothes in the wash with the cloth diapers (to bulk up the load), but only after the first rinse cycle.

nhoover88

@dogperson11 That's what I tried to tell him! LOL! I even showed him videos and the actual attachment for the toilet.I just think he doesn't want the extra laundry! He probably hates laundry like I hate washing dishes! I would rather wash dishes than clothes and he would rather wash clothes than dishes. Fair Trade in my book!

StacieGle

I cloth diapered my 3rd and I agree with PP's don't buy an entire stash of one brand.  Try different types, styles, brands.  They are all different and your baby might not like how some fit.  We also didn't buy the newborn sizes and started at around 6-8 weeks when he fit into the regular sizes better.  In my opinion the newborn sizes aren't worth the money in the long run for the amount of time you actually use them.  

We ended up settling on Bumgenius AIO's and pockets, Rumparooz Pockets, Smart Bottoms AIO's and Niki's Diapers pockets.  I preferred snap closure over velcro's.

dogperson11

StacieGle said:

I cloth diapered my 3rd and I agree with PP's don't buy an entire stash of one brand.  Try different types, styles, brands.  They are all different and your baby might not like how some fit.  We also didn't buy the newborn sizes and started at around 6-8 weeks when he fit into the regular sizes better.  In my opinion the newborn sizes aren't worth the money in the long run for the amount of time you actually use them.  

We ended up settling on Bumgenius AIO's and pockets, Rumparooz Pockets, Smart Bottoms AIO's and Niki's Diapers pockets.  I preferred snap closure over velcro's.

My DD was very petite so we stayed in newborn diapers until she was 12 weeks old. I think it just depends on your baby and what kind of newborn stash you have.

Snaps will last longer and you won't get a giant chain of diapers out of the dryer all stuck together.

PizzaMonster3

I seriously considered CD until I realized that my HE washer takes an hour for a normal, light duty load. If I was going to wash every day, or even every other day, with multiple rinses/cycles - I would loose my damn mind.

I may toy with the idea again soon, but I've got little support for the endeavor with DH, MIL, SIL, or my parents - all people who will be helping me a lot in the first year. 

dogperson11

PizzaMonster3 said:

I seriously considered CD until I realized that my HE washer takes an hour for a normal, light duty load. If I was going to wash every day, or even every other day, with multiple rinses/cycles - I would loose my damn mind.

I may toy with the idea again soon, but I've got little support for the endeavor with DH, MIL, SIL, or my parents - all people who will be helping me a lot in the first year. 

Have you checked to see how long a "heavy duty" cycle would take? I know on my HE washer it's only a diffeeence of about 10-15 minutes.

PizzaMonster3

@dogperson11 my HD plus presoak plus "aquajet" power rinse is 1:53. I do that for DH work clothes. 

StacieGle

dogperson11 said:

StacieGle said:

I cloth diapered my 3rd and I agree with PP's don't buy an entire stash of one brand.  Try different types, styles, brands.  They are all different and your baby might not like how some fit.  We also didn't buy the newborn sizes and started at around 6-8 weeks when he fit into the regular sizes better.  In my opinion the newborn sizes aren't worth the money in the long run for the amount of time you actually use them.  

We ended up settling on Bumgenius AIO's and pockets, Rumparooz Pockets, Smart Bottoms AIO's and Niki's Diapers pockets.  I preferred snap closure over velcro's.

My DD was very petite so we stayed in newborn diapers until she was 12 weeks old. I think it just depends on your baby and what kind of newborn stash you have.

Snaps will last longer and you won't get a giant chain of diapers out of the dryer all stuck together.

I didn't even think about this!  All my boys have been chunkers.  LOL She makes a great point here, though!  

hopeby2015

I went against the norm, i guess.  We cd-ed until about 3 months and then went to disposables.  Mostly cuz my mom offered to buy them for us and she was watching dd.  We plan on cd-ing again.  I'm hoping that by being my moms laundry service will alleviate the issues she faced the first time aeound and save us all a great deal of money.  Its really not difficult, you just have to get into a routine.  So dh usually gets home hours before i do.  He will start a load or 2 by the time i get home from work.  He's willing to do because he's seen how much money's been spent on these things and he doesnt wanna do that for 2 babies this time!

dogperson11

PizzaMonster3 said:

@dogperson11 my HD plus presoak plus "aquajet" power rinse is 1:53. I do that for DH work clothes. 

Wow, that's nuts!