Questions for Cloth diaperers (more questions)

AggieCouple

1.  What do you think the cost difference is between 2 years of cloth diapers vs disposable?  I'd like to go that route even if it costs a little more, but not if the price difference will be exorbitant (more than a few hundred $)

 2.  If you don't use a diaper service, please explain your process for dealing with poop.

3.  How many did you start with?

4.  What brand(s) would you recommend?

5.  Did you use them even when traveling? 

TIA! 

Mrs Manners

1.  What do you think the cost difference is between 2 years of cloth diapers vs disposable?  I'd like to go that route even if it costs a little more, but not if the price difference will be exorbitant (more than a few hundred $)

We didn't start to CD until he was about 13 months old so I only bought one size, the Large. I spent about $300 on BumGenius AIO diapers. Our disposable diaper bill prior to these was $60ish per month so I figured about a 5 month ROI.

 2.  If you don't use a diaper service, please explain your process for dealing with poop.

Because he was older when we started, his poops were more "formed" so it was very easy to just dump in the toilet. Our washer has a sanitary cycle so I used that for all diaper washes. I thought about getting a diaper sprayer but never did...I probably would have if we'd started any earlier.

3.  How many did you start with?

18 - two fuzzibunz pockets and sixteen BG AIOs

I also bought two cloth swim diapers which I adored

4.  What brand(s) would you recommend?

I went for BumGenius AIO for ease of use and lack of intimidation factor with grandparents, church MMO program, etc. They look just like a disposable except they are cloth...no stuffing or extra care required. After I showed them to his preschool program, I even convinced them to use them even though they'd never allowed cloth before.

5.  Did you use them even when traveling? 

We used them when we traveled to my parents or when we stayed in a condo on vacation - anywhere we had access to a washer, we used them. We did use one disposable and a disposable diaper doubler overnight because we were never able to find a cloth combo that would hold his super heavy overnight wetting. Even now we have to use a disposable and a Poise pad that's made for adult urine accidents to contain his nighttime wetting.

CleoKitty

1. Cost difference can vary wildly- you could spend no more than $200 for two years worth of prefolds and covers, or tons of money if you bought crazy fancy diapers in a variety of sizes. Your best bet, IMO, is to go with a couple dozen good quality one-size diapers.

2. Newborn poop just goes straight into the diaper pail. Once they start eating solids I use a diaper sprayer, spray off diaper into the toilet and then into the pail. 

https://thegreennursery.com/mini-shower-diaper-sprayer.html

3. I think two dozen is a good number for just about anyone. 

4. I would suggest any one-size diaper with snaps. Lots of people like the velcro, but IME the velcro is the first part of the diaper to wear out and might need to be replaced before the child is potty-trained. If I had another baby I would look into GroVia or Flip diapers.  The GroVia are nice because they also sell both cloth and disposable inserts (think like a big maxi pad, LOL) so that you can use them as a cloth diaper or a hybrid for when traveling. You could get a very nice sized stash of one-size diapers for probably $500-600 total (and those are the more expensive ones.)

5. With my first ds I did use them when traveling. With dd I got lazier and tired of always having to search out laundromats so would use disposables. 

Mrs Manners

CleoKitty:

4. I would suggest any one-size diaper with snaps. Lots of people like the velcro, but IME the velcro is the first part of the diaper to wear out and might need to be replaced before the child is potty-trained. 

I liked the way the velcro fit better than the snaps. However, my velcro did wear out. The BG diapers have a one year warranty so I sent them back right at the end of the first year when the velcro was all worn and they sent me all brand new diapers. I totally forgot about that.

hikerbeth

I spent around $400 on cloth diapers for DD (she didn't potty train 'til age 3).  I've added a few hundred dollars for DS because different diapers seem to work for him and some of my old ones were just trashed.

Breastfed poop, just throw in the wash.  Once it gets thicker, plop into the toilet before washing.  With DS I'm using some viscose liners (thinner than a sheet of toilet paper) that's really helped with the cleanup. . . they're flushable and take care of most of the poop without any extra work (spraying/scraping/etc.)

I started with DD with a few dozen prefolds and 3 covers in each size (NB, S, M) and added about 15 pocket diapers and a few all-in-ones that worked for her overnight.  I have a bunch of pockets for DS, probably around 30.  We use disposibles overnight for him.

I use and have used: chinese prefolds, Bummis super whisper wraps, Blueberry wraps, BumGenius, FuzziBunz, Kissaluvs, Cutiebaby (DO NOT recommend), Sweet Doll Baby (really good economy option), Nubunz, Swaddlebe's, Rumpsters

I've only used them when traveling to my parents house where I'll definitely have a washer/dryer at my disposal.

Kapalua

I'm a cheap diaperer...mostly prefolds and not fancy fitteds-some I bought used.  Plain covers.  I knit wool covers for her to use at home.  I do have a few pocket diapers but I hardly use them.  So, for me there was definitely a $$ savings over disposables.  I do still use them sometimes, but it takes me a long time to go through a pack.

how many you need sorta depends on how often you care to do laundry-but I would probably wash every 3 days at least.  A couple dozen is definitely more than enough-and can hold you over if you don't get the laundry done! 

again, I'm a big prefold user...which isn't everyone's cup o' tea.  The only others that I have are Kissaluv fitteds & contours and a couple of Bumgenius.  I agree about the snaps, though...my BG velcro is kinda crap and I don't even use them a lot. 

I traveled with cloth with my first, but like Cleo have gotten lazy with #2 (ha! pun intended).  I tend to use disposables when out and travelling with her.  I will travel with them if I know I will have easy laundry access (like, going to my parents house...)

cokt

1. I have probably spent $500 total on cloth diapers. James was in them from birth to potty training and we are reusing them for Mac.

2. When EBF'd, dipes go straight into a plastic flip top trash can lined with wet bag. Whole bag goes straight in washer for cold soak and then a sanitary cycle. Once they have solid food poops, I use a rice paper liner and change diapers in the bathroom and liner goes in toilet and is flushed.

3. I use prefolds with covers for newborn-3ish months. I have about 30-40. Then I use pockets and I think I have around 25.

4. I mainly use Bum Genius and Fuzzibunz

5. I use them if we got to our cabin or condo for a night or two. Longer trips I use disposables. I also use disposables at night with newborns when I am changing them in the middle of the night. Once they aren't being changed in the middle of the night I use cloth.

AggieCouple

But, you just leave the poop on for... what?  24 hours?  Are you washing diapers every day?  Does the stink not become formidable?  MIL said back in the day, they had a bucket of solution they let them sit in.  

Also, if your washer doesn't have a sanitary cycle, what did you do? 

cokt

I wash every 3-4 days. The pail doesn't smell at all. I find the only time I can smell BF poopy diapers is when he is in disposables. It is like the chemicals in the disposable do something weird that makes the poop smell. When I take the bag out to put it in the washer I can smell it, but it is not awful and it does not make his room smell or anything. I honestly think that diaper champ/genie things full of disposables smell much worse. We did not used to have a sanitary cycle on our old washer and I washed in hot and then did a second rinse. I only do the cold soak when BF'd poop goes in. Once the poop is flushed I do not do the soak anymore.

hikerbeth

AggieCouple:

But, you just leave the poop on for... what?  24 hours?  Are you washing diapers every day?  Does the stink not become formidable?  MIL said back in the day, they had a bucket of solution they let them sit in.  

Also, if your washer doesn't have a sanitary cycle, what did you do? 

ditto cokt.  My pail is a trash can with a flip top lid lined with a Bummi's webag.  I don't smell it until wash day.

I do a prewash on cold and a hot wash with a small amount of detergent.  Sometimes I'll soak in cold + oxyclean if I want to get some stains out before the hot wash.

Temp970088312507122

1.  What do you think the cost difference is between 2 years of cloth diapers vs disposable?  I'd like to go that route even if it costs a little more, but not if the price difference will be exorbitant (more than a few hundred $)

 I started CDing DD1 when she was around 11 months. I spent a little over $200 to get all the diapers. I think I figured that it was about 5 months worth of disposables. They also held up well and I'm using them for DD2 now, so I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of them!

2.  If you don't use a diaper service, please explain your process for dealing with poop.

Their poops are more solid now so I just dump it in the toilet. If you're going to BF, BF poop is water soluble so you can just throw it in the diaper pail, no rinsing really necessary. I also like to use a flushable liner in case the poop is mushy. 

3.  How many did you start with?

I think with DD1, I started with 16ish? Now I have about 2 dozen for DD2 - we got four for her first Christmas and my MIL had a few she gave us.

4.  What brand(s) would you recommend?

I use the Bum Genius one size pocket diaper. It has velcro tabs, but like I said, I've been using them for a while and with two kids and they've held up fine. I also like that you can put more pads inside of them if you need more absorbency. At night, I put the normal pad that comes with the diaper and a hemp liner which is more absorbent. 

5.  Did you use them even when traveling? 

No, I always keep some disposables on hand and use those when we travel for convenience. 

Temp970088312507122

My wet pail is also a locking flip top garbage pail with a wet bag liner. When I wash, I use the powder Tide detergent. I do a cold wash with detergent, hot wash with detergent and then a warm rinse. I was about every 4 days. It can start to stink but I have an air neutralizer thing in her room now and that has helped.