cloth diapering internationally

bahamachick242

hey everyone, so i'm not pregnant yet, but H and i will start trying soon.  i've been researching cloth diapering for a while now and really would love to go with cloth.  however, i'm a bit afraid to as i live in the bahamas and we do not have access to much cloth diapers or related items.

i will have to order online and have them shipped in.  i am unsure of what to get because i see most people post not to buy a bunch of the same kind as it might not work for you baby.  however, each time i order i'm going to be paying extra freight to get them to the bahamas and there will be added time for customs clearance and what not.  also, if i have to "troubleshoot" any issues i will have to more than likely order online and wait for those items to get in before being able to continue with the cloth (that is once we do have a baby).  all of this makes me feel like i almost have to choice but to go with sposies.

any thoughts or advice? TIA

tokenhoser

As long as you have access to a washing machine, I think you can do it. Shopping will be more complicated, but you don't have to be shopping all the time - people who are in CD to save money just buy the basics and get on with it.

I would stick to just buying what you'll need for the newborn phase, then placing another order when your baby is about a month old and you see how it goes. All you need for NB is about 6 covers and 24-30 prefolds. If you wanted, you could add 1-2 different one-size diapers to that order so you have them to try out with a bigger baby. A couple nb or small pocket diapers or all-in-ones could go with that first order, too. 

So in other words: I'd buy the NB basics and a couple of trial diapers right off the bat, and then worry about the rest much later. You could probably sell locally anything that doesn't work for you.

roundtheworldgirl

I live in Russia and CD without trouble.  I have access to domestic post so I don't have to pay extra shipping, but it does often take a month or more for packages to reach me.  I was in the U.S. when I started, but I have always ordered all diapers online.  I've never seen a CD brick-and-mortar store.  I suspect most women here are in the same boat. 

As far as troubleshooting, there are few issues that would actually stop you CDing until you were able to order something else to resolve a problem.  You might at some point find you need more absorbency - if you are waiting on the post to bring you more inserts or more absorbent diapers, all you have to do in the meantime is change more frequently.  I don't think living overseas is a barrier to CDing at all.  Good luck!

laxchick60

tokenhoser:

As long as you have access to a washing machine, I think you can do it. Shopping will be more complicated, but you don't have to be shopping all the time - people who are in CD to save money just buy the basics and get on with it.

I would stick to just buying what you'll need for the newborn phase, then placing another order when your baby is about a month old and you see how it goes. All you need for NB is about 6 covers and 24-30 prefolds. If you wanted, you could add 1-2 different one-size diapers to that order so you have them to try out with a bigger baby. A couple nb or small pocket diapers or all-in-ones could go with that first order, too. 

So in other words: I'd buy the NB basics and a couple of trial diapers right off the bat, and then worry about the rest much later. You could probably sell locally anything that doesn't work for you.

 

That's pretty much what I was going to suggest.  Many cloth diaper websites have multiple brands available so you don't have to pay separate freight/customs charge.  I live in the states but still did what tokenhoser suggested and have purchased my NB stash (mostly prefolds/fitted/contours with a few NB/XS AIO's/pockets to try out) and also have a couple each of the one-size diaper systems I'm interested in using (fuzzibunz, bumgenius, bestbottoms, etc) so that I can try them as our LO gets big enough. 

I don't imagine you'll have an issue with stains with all the sun you have down there!  Good luck and have fun shopping

bahamachick242

thanks everyone.  just needed some you can do it encouragement i guess.  and for someone to confirm that starting with prefolds is most likely the best thing for me to do since i can't run into stores all the time to try new things.

roundtheworldgirl

bahamachick242:

thanks everyone.  just needed some you can do it encouragement i guess.  and for someone to confirm that starting with prefolds is most likely the best thing for me to do since i can't run into stores all the time to try new things.

I personally really like pfs, so I think that's a great idea.  If you're going to go that route, I'd recommend trying a few different covers and buying a few doublers that you can lay inside the pf to boost the absorbency when you need it.

pandi02a

Do you have family in the US that you visit? I am in Germany but I ordered all of my diapers and sent them to my MIL's house. We picked them up and brought them home with us when we visited over the holidays.

Just a suggestion if you have that option.

mantle

pandi02a:

Do you have family in the US that you visit? I am in Germany but I ordered all of my diapers and sent them to my MIL's house. We picked them up and brought them home with us when we visited over the holidays.

Just a suggestion if you have that option.

 

Great option, especially since you aren't even pregnant yet, which gives you 9+ months to plan and accumulate! We used a lot of PFs folded in thirds placed in covers with our NB. We didn't even fuss with snappis most of the time. Plus, PFs may be pricey to ship, but over the long haul they are by far the cheapest option. (Plus you can use those little PFs as soakers later on too!) And with your sun, you are golden on getting rid of stains...now if  only you could send some sun this way. Single digit weeks are getting kind of old around here. :-)  

bahamachick242

mantle:

pandi02a:

Do you have family in the US that you visit? I am in Germany but I ordered all of my diapers and sent them to my MIL's house. We picked them up and brought them home with us when we visited over the holidays.

Just a suggestion if you have that option.

 

Great option, especially since you aren't even pregnant yet, which gives you 9+ months to plan and accumulate! We used a lot of PFs folded in thirds placed in covers with our NB. We didn't even fuss with snappis most of the time. Plus, PFs may be pricey to ship, but over the long haul they are by far the cheapest option. (Plus you can use those little PFs as soakers later on too!) And with your sun, you are golden on getting rid of stains...now if  only you could send some sun this way. Single digit weeks are getting kind of old around here. :-)  

i've been looking at the bummis packages, which seem to be a good deal.  i see others mention green mountain diapers as well.

i don't envy you guys with the cold at all!  sending warm wishes you way