cloth vs. disposable diapers

sarteratops

We've been using the disposable diapers we got from the baby shower since DS was born and are just about to run out. DS has a habit of leaking pee out the back of his diaper and poop out the leg. I've been considering buying some cloth diapers but I don't really have any experience with them or know anyone that has used them. I guess I'm really looking for some input/pros and cons. 

How often are you doing laundry? How do the costs compare? 

legaleagles

We use bum genius all in one diapers. We just started so I haven't gotten a water bill yet, but I have an HE washer so hopefully the water bill won't be too much higher. I do diapers 3 times a week. I have27 diapers...half were shower gifts and I bought the other so of diapers I only spent about $120 bucks. I have never had a leak or a blowout in them. Check out the cd board,that's where I got a lot of info on them.  

julieb00lie

We used cloth diapers for DD but stopped a couple months ago because of the serious drought conditions we are experiencing in Dallas. We would do a load every other day. We would do a rinse, a soak, and a wash cycle. So essentially three wash cycles every other day. Our water usage was out of control. Also, CD users will talk about how it's not much work to do it, but it actually was a pain for us. After dinner, bath, and bedtime was over we just wanted to plop down and relax, and then we would remember, "Crap! It's diaper night!" so one of us would have spray off the diapes and start the load. And DH would have to stay up to make sure all three cycles ran. In the morning, he would have to remember to put them in the dryer so they were ready for before DD and I left for work/school. Before we left in the AM i would have to sort the load and prep the diapers. And I always had to tote clean and dirty diapers to and from DC every other day. So basically, if was just one more project that we has to fit into our busy lives. Also, it usually take trial and error to find what kind of dips you like. Regardless of which type/brand people recommend, it really all depends on your LO and your presence. A diaper that fits one kid great won't necessarily fit all kids great. CDing can become very crafty and novelty and it's easy to blow through a bunch of cash on cute dipes. I actually ended up really liking the GroBabies in the beginning, so I invested in an entire stash based on that diapering system, which was supposed to last her through her entire diapering stage. But since she was a big girl, she outgrew them by only 4 months! So here I had this expensive stash that I couldn't use. And I couldn't get anyone to buy them (on Diaperswappers.com) bc the manufacturer fixed the sizing problem and came out with a newer version. Nobody wanted the old version anymore. So I got stuck with those. So then I realized that Bum Genius AIOs were perfect. So I invested in a ton of these very expensive dipes. Well, for some messed up reason, over the course of 8-12 months, the cotton inside slowly deteriorated until the dipes were trash. I was hoping to use these on my second child also! I contacted the manufacturer and they just said that the issue had been reported by other people, but not everyone. They couldn't do anything for me. So then i switched over to a pocket style diaper and had to buy a bunch of those. Needless to say, I spent a lot of money on cloth. I also spend alot of time researching brands and reviews. It was fun to be *different* and the novelty of cloth is cool, but looking back, if was a total PITA for us. Now, we use an Eco-friendly brand of dispos and I have a subscription set up through Amazon. We hate the amount of trash that we are generating, be we are a whole lot less stressed. This was just OUR experience. There are a growing amount of mammas out there who are having wonderful cloth experiences.

julieb00lie

Wow. That ended up being long. LOL. Sorry!!

Lady Leigh

I LOVE CLOTH! I use Bum Genius 4.0 pocket diapers with snaps I have 36 of them. Never a leak or a blowout in the 2 months I have been using them.  My son is a heavy wetter and leaked EVERY time I put a disposable diaper on him.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!! they are easy to me and I love the savings

( but I don't have to pay for water) 

Hope2Have

We use Flip diapers, they are cheaper and so much easier to use (IMO) and we are LOVING them! I do laundry every other day, and it's so easy... no trouble at all really.

pinksweetpea2

::delurking::

 

I personally have never really been interested in cloth diapering, so I thought I would offer a different perspective.  

You might want to try another brand of sposies than you have been using.  Every kid is different and finding the right brand can make all the difference.  Also, you might want to consider going up a size- the weight ranges on the package was never really accurate for my DD.  Pampers also has some half sizes (1-2 for example) that I found really useful at this age. 

My DD hardly ever leaked out of her diapers and never got a diaper rash with Pampers Swaddlers.

GL 

craxyrae

We started CDing DS at 5 weeks so have been using them for 7 weeks now.  I love them!  As far as laundry goes, I throw a load in every 2 days, wash hot, rinse cold (on my old top loader) and hang the diapers on a drying rack to dry - it takes maybe 10 minutes including hanging them on the rack.  When they are done, it takes me between 5 & 15 minutes to prep/sort them into our diaper drawer.  We use primarily GroVia one size with the cotton soaker pads, so my only prep with those is snapping them to the right size and snapping in a few soakers so they are ready to go.  I also have a small amount of Fuzzibuns one size pockets, so I have to stuff those to prep them (the first time takes a while because you have to size the legs etc.).

We just got a HE washer, so I am still working out the wash cycles to use more water.  Note I EBF, so no spraying/scraping is required at this point, but I understand that when solids are introduced, there will be more work during diaper changes.

I like the cloth so much that we recently started using cloth wipes as well!

We still use disposables when we go out for long periods of time and for overnight.  I haven't had leakage issues with the GroVia (hook and loop closure) diapers, but the fuzzibuns I have wicking issues sometimes.

If you stick with disposables, I think you need to go up a size.  We use Pampers Swaddlers and I always need the size where DS is at the lower end of the weight range.  He will be 3 months on Saturday and we have just moved up to size 3 (he's a big boy - looks like he is 6 months already!).

Best of luck!  If you have more questions, you should check out the CD board.  They have a good FAQ to review.  

SMJ1106

I use both CD's and disposables.  I CD at home during the day and then use disposables for when we go out for errands and at night time.  Last night was the first night I used a CD at night, too (and I will continue to do this as it was much better).  DD has blow outs constantly in disposables regardless of the size or brand - they just don't contain the poo!  With CD's I have had one "leak" out the leg gusset due to not putting it on tight enough and that's it!  Purely my fault.  Every single night I have to change DD's clothes at least once in the middle of the night due to a leak, too.  What a PITA.  That's why I will be doing CD's at night now too.  

We use BumGenius sized diapers and FuzziBunz sized diapers.  I don't really like the One Size diapers because they seem HUGE on DD.  I also don't like using fitteds because they require a cover and seem too bulky, too.  It's all personal preference, though.  I never thought I would like using cloth wipes but that is what I prefer now. 

Our water bill has not gone up significantly at all.  With a baby I tend to do more laundry anyway. We have about 35 cloth wipes and 40 diapers (although I only use the 20 BG's right now as the FuzziBunz small are still a little weird of a fit on her).  With 20 diapers I do laundry everyother day.  I live in AZ so I hang them outside in the sun to dry which doesn't take much time at all. 

Overall, I am SUPER happy with my choice to CD.  My whole family and all of our friends thought I was crazy for even thinking about it while pregnant.  Now that I use both CD's and disposable I am truly happy that I made this decision!  It is a bit of an expense up front to put a bunch of money into the diapers but it's worth it.  I would recommend doing a little research on what kinds you think you would prefer and buy a couple of a few different brands first.  That way you don't sink a ton of money into one kind of diaper to find that you hate it!  Also check out Spots Corner on HyenaCart or DiaperSwappers for some good deals on used diapers!  And make sure to read the CD board frequently!  I learned a lot from that board and the FAQ's on that board, too.

caja04

I also use the BumGenius 4.0 all-in-ones and really like them.  I've been using them since my baby was born.  I have 18 of them so I would really have to do laundry every day if I used them exclusively, but I've ended up adjusting to using the cloth diapers at home and using Pampers for going out and at night.  It is a good balance for me.  I'm doing a load of laundry every 2-3 days (I don't soak or do an extra rinse usually, btw--just throw them in like any other load) and have not noticed any difference in water costs.  I still expect to save quite a bit in the long run since a big box of Pampers now lasts me 4-5 weeks.

GdAsAu

ive been cloth diapering since the day we brought LO home from the hospital and we love it! I did tons of research upfront and lurked on the cloth diapering board for awhile before asking questions. The cloth diapering board was wonderful for getting me started, reviewing all the types of diapers as well as trouble shooting any issues. We have quite a variety of cds here...Kawaii, Lil Joey, BG, Fuzzibunz, Rumparooz and Blueberrys. Lil Joeys were great in the very beginning when the cord stump was still attached and even though they technically still fit in the waist since she is quite slim, her legs are too chunky so they were only used for a short time. We are now using BGs, Kawaii and Blueberrys....all pockets...and its really not that time consuming. I do a load every other day and thats only because I only have 2 days worth of cds in my stash right now...I actually just purchased some Grovias so I am anxious to see how they work out. We have had zero leaks/blowouts since we started with the pockets. LO last all night with no diaper changes bc they hold a whole nights worth of pee...its great to have one less thing to do when I am waking up to feed her in the middle of the night....

Cinderella522

We have been CD'ing our daughter for almost 9 months now (since she was a newborn).  We love it and wouldn't have it any other way!  It can be kind of expensive up front  to buy everything depending on what kinds of diapers you go with; AIO's, pockets, prefolds, etc.  I never have to worry about running to the store in the middle of the night because I ran out of diapers.  I buy them when I want them not when I need them, which is nice.  The laundry part of it is not difficult at all!! Newborn poop is the easiest because you just wash the diaper as is, no rinsing needed.  When the baby gets older and you start introducing solids into their diet, the poop is solid and you can just plop it in the toilet.  Occasionally I have a diaper that is really messy and I need to spray it down, but I do it right away and takes like 1 minute.  I do laundry every other day or every 3 days and I throw them in there on a prewash and then a wash with two rinses.  I do not have to sit there and monitor the washer like some people have said, so it is really easy!  I don't have leaks or blowouts like I would in a sposie.   There are great websites to help you with Cloth Diapering.  If you have facebook, Diaper Shops is a great page with tons of information!  They have a website also (Kellys Closet).  It is great for baby, great for your pocketbook and great for the environment Good luck, hope this helps!