Ladybug - April 2013 Dandelion - October 2018 Angel "Aurora" - July 2020 Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021 Angel "Maxine" - January 2022 Angel "Violet" - March 2022 Baby Dove due March 2023
@sammierose464 - we also both work full time and cloth diaper. I'm a cheater though and use a diaper service for laundry. I could probably manage the laundry myself, but for the cost vs. time, newborn snuggles and precious sleep won out for me, lol. We looked at probably 10 daycares, and at least half of them were cool with cloth diapering. We just provide a wet dry bag, and have to supply enough covers/dipes each day. We also keep a small stash of disposables there in case of catastrophe, which never happens, and always end up getting donated to the daycare
There's a place around here that launders for $22/week, a friend uses them. I have to decide if the cost is worth it. I might try doing my own laundry for a bit and see how I feel.
Laundry is the household task I like the best, so I'm strongly considering cloth diapering, but I don't really understand all the options. Thanks to everyone who posted links and explanations. We'll spend some time researching soon.
I have had gross results recently with biodegradable diapers on some of the babies that I care for, so I'm a little skeptical on anything that isn't Pampers or Huggies right now, but I'd love to find a decent solution.
I have had gross results recently with biodegradable diapers on some of the babies that I care for
Sorry -I don’t mean to hijack the CD thread (maybe we should start a general diaper tread?) but could you elaborate on what you mean by “gross results”?
@sammierose464 I really don't find the diaper laundry to be that big of a deal. Once you figure out what works best for your washer, it's basically autopilot from there. My thinking was that I'm already doing a lot more laundry with all the baby spit up, what's one more? But, I am a SAHM so take that with a grain of salt. It's still a great idea to research options in your area just in case you try it and decide you'd rather use a service.
I have had gross results recently with biodegradable diapers on some of the babies that I care for
Sorry -I don’t mean to hijack the CD thread (maybe we should start a general diaper tread?) but could you elaborate on what you mean by “gross results”?
They are always so wet and sticky when I change them, often with little chunks stuck all over their bottoms and legs. Takes some effort to dislodge. The dad uses tissues to pick off the pieces, then wipes, otherwise he says they go through wipes too fast. I'm only with these kids 1 or 2 times per week, usually, but I've had to deal with several leaks down the leg. Seems like a lot of mess for infants who get changed regularly, but then again, these kids are my first extended experience with infants (the other kids I work with are older), so I don't have a direct comparison.
@sammierose464 I really don't find the diaper laundry to be that big of a deal. Once you figure out what works best for your washer, it's basically autopilot from there. My thinking was that I'm already doing a lot more laundry with all the baby spit up, what's one more? But, I am a SAHM so take that with a grain of salt. It's still a great idea to research options in your area just in case you try it and decide you'd rather use a service.
I'm slightly worried about my washer handling it all. It's rather old. Our dryer is 70s avocado green, but since they recommend hang drying covers I don't see my dryer being an issue.
I will have to do some research on the best washing cycle. I joined Fluff Love and Cloth Diaper Chat on FB.
I'm leaning toward mostly pocket diapers, with probably a set of AIO for daycare if they will cloth.
I don't find diaper laundry to be a big deal. Dump the bag of diapers into the washer on a rinse cycle, do a regular cycle with soap, throw them in the dryer or hang them up (which I did depends on if I've procrastinated, haha) It takes 5 minutes every day and a half to do the laundry. I spend much more time than that bumping, knotting, social mediaing, and wasting time elsewhere on the internet per day. I can afford 5 minutes.
I don't mind *doing* laundry...it's the folding part. And since diapers don't really need to be folded... haha. And I can stuff pockets while watching TV no problem.
I don't mind *doing* laundry...it's the folding part. And since diapers don't really need to be folded... haha. And I can stuff pockets while watching TV no problem.
Yea, I hate folding. My diapers just get thrown in a drawer. I do fold my cloth wipes (most of the time, ), but they're small, so they're only folded in half.
@melbo444@knottieamusements and anybody else interested, I’ll start a diaper thread as I’d like to continue this conversation but also don’t want to hijack the cloth diaper discussion.
Would I be insane to consider using cloth diapers if we don’t have laundry at home? (I live on a boat, so it’s close by at the marina but not an option at home)
@sammierose464 you can go longer than two days between washes. I’ve seen that some people go up to a week in between. As long as you have a good wash routine it should be fine. You would need more diapers though, the longer you go in between washes.
Hi all, I’m a FTM due Oct 24. I love the idea of cloth diapering for cost and environmental savings. My husband is totally on board too! BUT, like others I’m worried about my husband and I both working full time jobs and staying on top of laundry. A laundry service would be amazing but I have to price it out. What are some questions to ask the laundry service? I want to make sure we get our own diapers back and check they are using good cleansers. Anything else? PS thank you for starting this thread, it’s been so helpful!!!
@redshoesies Not sure where you live but I'd make sure CD services are available in your area. Hubby and I are in the same boat and would've loved the convenience of a service and unfortunately there aren't any in our county so we'll have to launder ourselves.
I forgot to mention, for those of you on Instagram, Thirsties goes live every Friday at 1:45pm Mountain Time to answer all kind of cloth questions. They tackle a new topic every week and you can ask your own questions in the comments! They've done all kinds of topics like wash routines, potty training, travelling with cloth, CDing at night, etc. And if you miss it on IG, they also upload it to their YouTube account! Even if you plan on using a different brand, most of the info isn't specific to their brand so it's worth checking out!
@jellybelly114 thanks that’s a good point. I live in a small community too. I looked online and there seems to be one diaper service near me so I will check them out
At one of the daycares I visited today, the woman told me the state has regulations on cloth diapering that they have to follow at the center. I found this site today that lists what is required in each state. It was helpful. Basically, I have to make sure I'm providing my own container for the used diapers to be disposed in, and they won't do any spraying at the location.
We used Charlie Banana brand cloth diapers with my son and I loved them! They have a bunch of how-to videos on their site to show you how to use them. We prettt much used cloth at home but then would use a disposable if we went out.
Would I be insane to consider using cloth diapers if we don’t have laundry at home? (I live on a boat, so it’s close by at the marina but not an option at home)
No. My cousin does not have laundry at home. She bought a small washboard and does it all by hand and line dries them.
@Sailing_Mama There are many different washers you could buy even if you don't have washer/dryer hook ups. Up until last April we lived in an old apartment with no washer/dryer hook up and the laundry room on site was all the way at the front of the complex (We were in the back). I've used a hand crank washer, one that hooks up to the sink, and then there was this bucket one we had when we moved in, but the motor fell off the shelf and we had to get rid of it.
We've washed the cloth diapers in both the hand crank washer and the one that hooks to the sink.
Zuliliy has a sale on cloth diapers, inserts and some other items from Wink. Diapers start around $9. I'm resisting so hard since I bought baby boy like 3 onsies off there this week.. They have such cute neutral or boy themed ones!
@Laumb11 Amen! Please...just someone tell me what to buy so I don't have to decide. There's too many options and it's the only thing I feel overwhelmed about on my registry.
Im leaning towards pockets and all-in-twos. I will probably use disposables until he's out of newborn stage though. I don't want to spend a bunch of money on diapers he'll wear for a month. A friend has some newborns, but only like 5.
Think we decided on pre-folds for first few weeks, then pocket diapers. I have no clue if we did it right at all, but based on everything we read here, our to-buy/registry list is: -Green Mountain cloth liners -prefold cloth diapers for newborn -newborn cloth diaper covers -Snappi Cloth Diaper Fasteners -Pocket Cloth Diapers One Size Adjustable Washable Reusable (for after newborn stage, once he/she grows into one-size diapers) -wet/dry bag
I have always wanted to CD but the initial cost and overwhelming amount of choices made me give up. I'd really like to try it this time and am still trying to figure out the best route. There is a birthing center nearby that offers an into to CD class so I'm planning to sign up. Being able to see them up close and ask questions I think will really help me figure this out.
I'll go through my stash hopefully later today (or maybe this weekend. I'm lazy.) And put a list together of what I have and how many of each. Hopefully that will give you guys an idea of where to start!
Think we decided on pre-folds for first few weeks, then pocket diapers. I have no clue if we did it right at all, but based on everything we read here, our to-buy/registry list is: -Green Mountain cloth liners -prefold cloth diapers for newborn -newborn cloth diaper covers -Snappi Cloth Diaper Fasteners -Pocket Cloth Diapers One Size Adjustable Washable Reusable (for after newborn stage, once he/she grows into one-size diapers) -wet/dry bag
Grewn mountain diapers make great stuff but what do you mean by liners? If you mean the thin kind that catch poop, you truly don't need them for BF/FF babies. Later on it's an option but potentially problematic for septic system.
Which pockets do you plan to get? Make sure they actually come with something absorbent or add absorbency to your list (inserts, bigger prefolds or flats all work).
Id suggest 2 large wetbags for home and 2 smaller for the diaper bag. Then you always have one on wash day!
@mariek312 appreciate the feedback! Someone had suggested liners for inside the cloth diapers for extra padding at night on a blog. They're washable. Do I not need these? These are the pockets we picked (Alva brand) - shortened Amazon link here: http://a.co/fjDLSmX They come with some liners and then figured we could always keep using the Green Mountain ones and the cloth diapers? Will go add more bags, thanks!
@chopchop25 ah yes, also known as doublers or boosters which add absorbency. Good to have for sure, at some point baby will sleep at night and need to last much longer in a diaper in cloth diapering there are some terms used differently by different companies so I just wanted to check!
Ok, sorry this took me forever. This is going to be super long, but hopefully it helps!
My current stash:
24 GMD Newborn Prefolds
24 GMD Small Prefolds
24 GMD Medium Prefolds
12 GMD Cloth-eez Doublers (unnecessary to have this many. I was in the habit of ordering in dozens!)
4 Bum Genius Newborn AIOs
2 Newborn Covers (Can't remember the brand)
2 Thirsties Duo Wrap Size 1 Snap
2 Thirsties Duo Wrap Size 1 Hook and Loop
2 Thirsties Duo Wrap Size 2 Snap
2 Thirsties Duo Wrap Size 2 Hook and Loop
7 Flip One Size Covers
2 Large Planet Wise Hanging Wet Bags
3 Bum Genius Outing Wet Bags
1 Planet Wise Small Wet Bag
3 Snappis
I wash every other day, sometimes every 3 days if I'm feeling lazy, and I've never run out of diapers. I always planned on doing prefolds and covers but bought some AIOs for the newborn time since I wasn't sure what I was getting into.
Just some notes from my personal experience:
- I started it with 4 Flip covers and added the additional 3 because they came out with cute designs that I couldn't resist! 4 worked fine, but I was glad to have the extras on days when DD would have some super messy poops and I'd have to replace the cover more often than usual.
- I didn't need the Doublers until about 8 or 9 months when she started getting through her PJs overnight.
- I tried only using one hanging wet bag for a while and it was doable, but kind of sucked. I'd recommend two.
- Planet Wise wetbags hold in stink better than the BG ones.
- Thirsties sized covers we're nice when DD was very little, but once she fit into the one size covers, I actually preferred those.
I'll add more if I come up with anything else. Anyone planning in taking advantage of the upcoming Earth Day sales, if you want to post up what you are planning in getting, I'm sure we'd all be glad to let you know how it looks!
I think I have convinced DH to at LEAST try CD. So we will sign up for a service to see if we like it before we invest in all the diapers etc. Has anyone done a CD service where they bring you clean diapers every week and take away the dirty ones? Is still cheaper than disposables. Seems like the best of both worlds!
Me 33 DH 41 TTC since 2016 Due: October 12, 2018 Location: Ontario, Canada
Re: Cloth Diapering
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
I have had gross results recently with biodegradable diapers on some of the babies that I care for, so I'm a little skeptical on anything that isn't Pampers or Huggies right now, but I'd love to find a decent solution.
I will have to do some research on the best washing cycle. I joined Fluff Love and Cloth Diaper Chat on FB.
I'm leaning toward mostly pocket diapers, with probably a set of AIO for daycare if they will cloth.
I don't find diaper laundry to be a big deal. Dump the bag of diapers into the washer on a rinse cycle, do a regular cycle with soap, throw them in the dryer or hang them up (which I did depends on if I've procrastinated, haha) It takes 5 minutes every day and a half to do the laundry. I spend much more time than that bumping, knotting, social mediaing, and wasting time elsewhere on the internet per day. I can afford 5 minutes.
https://www.myblossombottom.com/pages/State-Regulations-on-Cloth-Diaper-in-Child-Care-.html
There are many different washers you could buy even if you don't have washer/dryer hook ups.
Up until last April we lived in an old apartment with no washer/dryer hook up and the laundry room on site was all the way at the front of the complex (We were in the back).
I've used a hand crank washer, one that hooks up to the sink, and then there was this bucket one we had when we moved in, but the motor fell off the shelf and we had to get rid of it.
We've washed the cloth diapers in both the hand crank washer and the one that hooks to the sink.
I have no clue if we did it right at all, but based on everything we read here, our to-buy/registry list is:
-Green Mountain cloth liners
-prefold cloth diapers for newborn
-newborn cloth diaper covers
-Snappi Cloth Diaper Fasteners
-Pocket Cloth Diapers One Size Adjustable Washable Reusable (for after newborn stage, once he/she grows into one-size diapers)
-wet/dry bag
Which pockets do you plan to get? Make sure they actually come with something absorbent or add absorbency to your list (inserts, bigger prefolds or flats all work).
Id suggest 2 large wetbags for home and 2 smaller for the diaper bag. Then you always have one on wash day!
Someone had suggested liners for inside the cloth diapers for extra padding at night on a blog. They're washable. Do I not need these?
These are the pockets we picked (Alva brand) - shortened Amazon link here: http://a.co/fjDLSmX
They come with some liners and then figured we could always keep using the Green Mountain ones and the cloth diapers?
Will go add more bags, thanks!
My current stash:
I wash every other day, sometimes every 3 days if I'm feeling lazy, and I've never run out of diapers.
I always planned on doing prefolds and covers but bought some AIOs for the newborn time since I wasn't sure what I was getting into.
Just some notes from my personal experience:
- I started it with 4 Flip covers and added the additional 3 because they came out with cute designs that I couldn't resist! 4 worked fine, but I was glad to have the extras on days when DD would have some super messy poops and I'd have to replace the cover more often than usual.
- I didn't need the Doublers until about 8 or 9 months when she started getting through her PJs overnight.
- I tried only using one hanging wet bag for a while and it was doable, but kind of sucked. I'd recommend two.
- Planet Wise wetbags hold in stink better than the BG ones.
- Thirsties sized covers we're nice when DD was very little, but once she fit into the one size covers, I actually preferred those.
I'll add more if I come up with anything else. Anyone planning in taking advantage of the upcoming Earth Day sales, if you want to post up what you are planning in getting, I'm sure we'd all be glad to let you know how it looks!
TTC since 2016
Due: October 12, 2018
Location: Ontario, Canada