Tidee Didee Diaper Service

mrsmip

Anyone used this service or heard anything about them?

They charge $18.50 for 70 diapers - which they say lasts about a week. You get cotton prefolds.

It seems cheaper than disposables and more convenient that laundering cloth diapers at home...

Any thoughts?

estherandgeoff2

I don't know much about cloth diapering, but to me that doesn't seem like it's cheaper than disposables. I buy one large pack of diapers )180-200) for $30-38. and that lasts about a month. If you spend $18.50 per week and we assume that a month has 4 weeks that's $74 a month, so about double that. Of course if the diaper service uses environment friendly laundry products, it's better for the environment than disposables. I just couldn't do it bc our day care doesn't allow cloth diapers.

enail5

We use cloth the majority of the time.  We own our own supply though.  I didn't care for prefolds which is what Tidee has.  I also couldn't figure out where to store a week's worth of dirty diapers x 2. 

Mother Nature's on SE Clinton is really great about teaching people the whole cloth diapering process.  They sell a variety of diapers, but they also have information about Tidee Didee at the store.   

My current favorite cloth diaper is Knicker Nappies.  I also use Bum Genius, Fuzzi Bunz, and Happy Heinys.  They're surprisingly easy to use and clean.  It also feels great to not throw dirty diapers away.

PDX

We decided against a diaper service because of the expense and because we wanted control over what products were used on the diapers (biggest upsides in our mind is we know our child won't be sitting in a chemically treated cloth and it is better for the environment). Families that wash their own say it really isn't hard or time consuming, but I don't have first hand experience yet.

Disposables will probably be cheaper than the service, especially if you go with Costco's brand and the big packs. Cloth diapering and washing at home can be even cheaper. It can also cost a lot, depending on what type of diapers you buy, but in the end it is definitely kinder to the environment that disposables. Keep in mind you'll probably still need to buy covers for the prefolds if you use the service. They usually run $7+ but there are cheaper options too. Most people seem to recommend having at least 4 covers around in each size. That isn't a big investment, and you can usually resell them to reclaim part of that money.

I don't know of anyone that has gone with Tidee Didee, but I think they're the only diaper service company around. It does allow you to use cloth diapers without the hassle of washing them at home, but I don't think it'll save you $ over disposables.

mrsmip

Thanks for the info. I'm researching all options at this point!

Initially, I wanted to go for cloth diapers, but I am not sure if it's better for the environment. Ask Umbra reviewed a study that said disposable & cloth were pretty much the same as far as environmental impact.

https://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2008/06/18/index.html

Who knew diapers were such a complex issue!