Mom's who plan to cloth diaper

Murraydog

I'm making the switch this time.  How did you decide which diapers to buy?  Which ones and how many have you bought?  Are you getting a few different styles to try when baby is little and then you'll stock up on your favorites after you tried them for a while? What's your approach.

 

For STM's who CD - What is your favorite diaper and why?  Any tips for a newbie?

allonsyalonso

We're first-timers and I really want to CD. I have a few mommy friends who swear by it and I spent some time talking to them about their favorites. We decided to try BumGenius 4.0. They are an all-in-one diaper that seems super easy to use and clean which is important to us. It really depends on what you and your partner are comfortable with. Check out the CDing board. Moms there are helpful and can tell you more about the different types of CDs! 

keithsbride

I haven't bought any yet - I'm the least prepared person ever. 

I am planning to order the Newborn Full Set up Kit from Green Mountain and see what happens from there. I don't really want to commit to a particular brand or style financially. Deciding to use cloth was easy - but now ugh. There are so many different brands and varieties that it is very overwhelming. 

Elijah0915

We CD but use a service. We use prefolds and mostly bummis covers!

MrsR0208

We've decided to use disposables for the first month-ish, until he's big enough for the all-in-ones we're going with. I figure I won't feel like doing laundry immediately after coming home from the hospital, and you never know how long they'll be small enough for the newborn size diapers, so it is probably just as cost effective to go that route.

I'm waiting to see what shower gifts we get before I buy anything, but I'm intending to go with all-in-ones. I don't want to use pins and I don't want to spend time stuffing pockets and all. I think AIOs will be the easiest route for somebody who's totally lazy with laundry. I am, however, going to have a few prefolds on hand just in case. I'm planning to have about 12-15 AIOs, which seems to be what everybody says is necessary. (I highly recommend the Young House Love blog's cloth diaper entries. Informative and plain talk.)

rayofsunshine99

I don't think I had a "favorite diaper" necessarily.  I liked several different types & brands for different reasons.  I started out with 12 BG pockets and then added to my stash from there.  (I subscribed to several CD website's newsletters so I was always notified of sales, giveaways etc and it was easy to try out dipes for cheaper that way)  I also bought some off of diaperswappers.com and craigslist which can also save you some money.

We sold all of DS's dipes when he potty trained a year and a half ago (and made $460 back on them   so this time I'm starting from scratch but am pretty much done buying now.  Once baby arrives and I try out some of the ones I hadn't used before and find out what I like/don't like, I will probably sell the ones I don't like and buy more of the ones I do.  

Right now I have in OS (one-size)

8 AIO's (6 Imagine AIO's - they are only $11, plus 2 BG AIO's)
4 AI2's (1 Soft Bums, 2 Grovia and 1 Best Bottoms)
3 Pockets (2 BG, 1 Charlie Banana)
7 Fitteds (Sustainable Babyish fitted, Bagshot Row Bamboo and a couple WAHM ones)
12 Prefolds
4 Thirsties Duo Size 2 covers
1 Blueberry cover

34 diapers total.  Also this is just my OS stash, I have a separate NB stash that I will sell off once she outgrows them.  That stash is also made up of a variety of things like listed above.  I didn't CD DS as a NB so this will be new for me. 

 

NativeFloridian

I decided based on price, because my budget was (and still is) small.  So for the newborn stages with DD2 I ordered 24 newborn prefolds and a few covers from GroVia, Bummis, Thirsties and Flip.  For the record, I hated the Thirsties covers - bad quality snaps, seams coming undone, weak aplix; and I disliked the Grovia covers - too trim in the crotch which made it hard to cover the whole prefold, and the leg elastic broke in two of them.  I loved the Bummis Super Brites, but I only got newborn sizes so I didn't use them for long.  I love, love, love the Flips to this day.

For this baby, I'm adding a few All-In-Ones to the mix.  So far I've ordered a GroVia AIO in the hopes it will fare better than the busted shells, a Swaddlebees Simplex Newborn, and two Little Joeys.

For everything past the newborn stages, I've continued to rely on prefolds and covers.  Even being sized diapers, prefolds are totally worth it to me because they're not only inexpensive but they also wash better, don't hold onto stink, and treat DD2's bum a lot more nicely than microfiber or fleece (which both hold onto stink and minerals and detergent and anything else you can think of).  Still, I ordered 12 Kawaii pockets and they've been alright.  They don't leak and the quality is actually on-par with my other pockets.  I was also gifted a Fuzzibunz One-Size Elite, which I don't care for, and a BumGenius Elemental AIO in organic cotton, which I love.  I later bought a BumGenius 4.0, which I love.  And I own three Happy Heinys, which I hate (the cut just doesn't work for us).

If I had to choose an all-time favorite diaper, it would be the BumGenius Elemental AIO.  It's consistently leakproof, it's got the benefits of the prefolds (cotton, no stink issues, nice to DD2's butt) with the convenience of a disposable (easy application), and it fits gloriously - very trim and just the right width in the crotch. 

bumpuser2669861

Only way to get DH on board was to make it as close to disposables as possible.  So we are going with AIOs and gDiapers.  Adding the cover to a prefold may not seem like a big deal to me, but any extra steps and he would be out.  

principessa81

I'm a STM, but we used disposables with Tony. We will be CD this baby. 

The best advice I received from veteran CD moms is NOT to just buy one brand. Even if it has great reviews on websites, you will never know if it works well for your LO until your baby actually wears them. Buy a bunch of different brands, which is what we ended up doing. I also heard a lot of moms say that the AIOs/pocket diapers didn't fit their newborns well, and they recommend using prefolds and diaper covers until your baby gains some more weight (probably around the 4-month range). This is also what we are doing.  

Murraydog

Thank you all for responses! This is so super helpful.  I also posted something similar on the CD board but no one has responded as quickly as I want.  I'm in a "let's get this thing rolling" type of mood today so I was looking for quick responses and you all are awesome.

MrsR0208

Those who have sold diapers: What's the best way to go about doing that?

branmuffin2112

MrsR0208:

We've decided to use disposables for the first month-ish, until he's big enough for the all-in-ones we're going with. I figure I won't feel like doing laundry immediately after coming home from the hospital, and you never know how long they'll be small enough for the newborn size diapers, so it is probably just as cost effective to go that route.

This. We'll start CDing around 4-6 weeks.

old_time_girl

Buy used. It's an easy, cheap way to try them all out. If you don't like them, resell them.
I prefer Fuzziebunz and Lovely Pocket Diapers.
In the newborn stage, prefolds and covers are the way to go.

BoatsNHoes

I have used Sunbaby, alva, blueberry, bg, kawaii, swaddlebees and thirsties. You can not beat kawaii for the price. It's probably my favorite diaper followed by blueberry and then bg. I'm not crazy abut alvas or Sunbaby, but alvas are much better than baby if you're CDing on a budget (although you can get a kawaii for not much more). Nice inserts also make a huge difference. I'd recommend some bamboo to double overnight as they get older.

i use pockets with the exception of the thirsties which are AIOs with a space for an additional insert.  They don't fit baby until they're a little bigger so you probably want to start with prefolds and covers (bonus: prefolds make excellent inserts later on). My stash is around 30 and I launder every 2-3 days and never run out. 

MrsR0208

I'd heard about Kawaii diapers, and for some reason I've never come across them on my amazon searching. This just prompted me to look, and yep, there they are. Added to my registry! (I hate that basically none of the CDs on amazon are sold by amazon, meaning they won't qualify for my registry completion. But this gives people who want to give us diapers a MUCH cheaper option than the BGs.)

rayofsunshine99

Murraydog:

Thank you all for responses! This is so super helpful.  I also posted something similar on the CD board but no one has responded as quickly as I want.  I'm in a "let's get this thing rolling" type of mood today so I was looking for quick responses and you all are awesome.

A lot of CD websites also offer trial packages that come with a variety of dipes so you can try them out and send back what you don't like for credit towards dipes you do.  So that is something to look in to as well.

rayofsunshine99

MrsR0208:

Those who have sold diapers: What's the best way to go about doing that?

I listed mine on both Craigslist and Diaperswappers.  Craigslist is nice because it's local so you don't have to deal with shipping diapers anywhere (and I just meet people in public parking lots & get cash on the spot so no paypal fees either)

And Diaperswappers is nice because it's high traffic so you can sell things pretty quickly.  

Like I said I used both and the diapers went to whoever committed to buy them first.

ETA I listed prices for individual diapers as well as a slightly lower price if people bought, say, 6 or more etc. because it's nice to get rid of them faster/all to one person versus meeting multiple people and/or shipping out so many different packages.

OhSewCrafty

I read a lot of reviews and spent a lot of time on CD related forums. A lot. You can also try different dipes through trial programs.

For Charlie, we used bumGenius 3.0's and 4.0's and we love them. For this one, we're doing newborn cloth (we have a variety of prefolds and covers) and then going to the bumGenius. 

skoogirl

I bought one of a few brands each until DS was big enough to decide which ones we really liked.  The ones that work best for us with him are the Flip system.  We love them because if he just wets, you can reuse the cover and just add a new insert.  They wash easily too. So, we bought more of those later.

We did not cloth diaper for the first few weeks because the one size diapers are too big for newborns, but I do not recommend buying cloth diapers that small that will only be used for a couple weeks.

Fremdschamen

I'm a FTM, but we are excited to try CD-ing.  DH is on board because of the cost savings.  Since this is our first, and we plan to have more kids, I figured a NB stash was a worthwhile investment.  My NB stash consists of: prefolds (24 so far.. would like to get maybe six more), 4 covers (hopefully this is enough?) and 4 NB-size AIOs of varying brands.

I built that stash up first, and am still working on my OS stash, which currently has 2 Flip covers and 6 Flip inserts, 8 AIOs/pockets (many different brands), plus one additional Kawaii cover.  I'd like to get some prefolds too. 

Like PPs, I have read everywhere to try as many brands as possible.  My main concern now is how our HE washer will do with the diaper laundry!

crunchymnm

We started cloth on DS when he was 8mo old and love it! We'll use disposables on this next one until she fits into our One Size diapers, which should fit at 8lbs. If she's anything like DS she'll fit in them right away tho! (he was born 9 1/2)
We have a stash of Fuzzibunz, Sunbabys, and Alvababys. I prefer the old version of the Fuzzibunz, before the Elite version. Sunbabys and Alvas are amazing quality for their prices too!

GeorgiaGirl1230

I'm a first-timer and have been going off of references from friend who have had success with CDing. I've only bought 4 so far, and I'm going with a company called Just Simply Baby. They are a group of Moms who make them and they are based out of my home state. They are diapers with microfiber inserts, and I believe they also sell prefolds.

Although I haven't used them yet, I really liked what I received. They seem really well made! I've also registered for a few other brands just to try out.

I don't plan on cloth diapering for the first few weeks, or until I feel like doing laundry. I am going to get to stay home with LO and my plan is to have about 16 diapers and do laundry each night. That's worked for my best friend, and I would like ot try that way. If i find I can't do that every night, then I will add more to my collection.

Angela814

I will be cloth diapering DD3, but I did not for my first two. I'm choosing to use pocket diapers because they seem easier to me and are closest to disposables.

Right now I have 20 Kawaii Pure and Naturals and 6 Alva newborn diapers for the newborn stage. The Alvas only go to 12 lbs, but I think the Kawaii PN go to 22 lbs.

Then once baby is bigger I have one size diapers. I have 12 Alvas, 6 Kawaiis, 6 BumGenius 4.0s, and 6 BumGenius Freetimes. The Freetimes are all in one diapers.

I also bought Joey Bunz premium hemp inserts for overnight as well as some extra Kawii bamboo inserts. Bamboo is slimmer than microfiber and is supposed to be more absorbent. I've been cloth diapering DD2 at night, and it's working for us so far.

katie6/26/04

I CD'd DS who will be 5 before there were as many options as there are now.  We mostly used BumGenius one size pockets.  They were my favorite.  I have a few other pocket diapers too.  I have a few fitteds that were pricier and a few all in ones.  I liked the pockets best because they were very quick to wash and dry and just a tad bit less convienient than a disposable.  With fitteds you need to use a cover so there is an extra step.  I had also bought prefolds but never used them much, but intend to try harder with them this time (will only use until baby fits in the one size pockets).

FrecklesInside

I did so much research by looking at the CD forum on here, looking at other forums, websites, review sheets, youtube videos etc. I made a spreadsheet and began recording reviews and ideas for different products and would either leave them on the sheet or take them off until I got an idea of how many different types/brands I wanted to try out. Now I've been purchasing the different types/brands each week. I still have some of my newborn stash to fill up.

I'd suggest just doing a lot of reading/researching! 

NativeFloridian

Fremdschamen:

I'm a FTM, but we are excited to try CD-ing.  DH is on board because of the cost savings.  Since this is our first, and we plan to have more kids, I figured a NB stash was a worthwhile investment.  My NB stash consists of: prefolds (24 so far.. would like to get maybe six more), 4 covers (hopefully this is enough?) and 4 NB-size AIOs of varying brands.

I built that stash up first, and am still working on my OS stash, which currently has 2 Flip covers and 6 Flip inserts, 8 AIOs/pockets (many different brands), plus one additional Kawaii cover.  I'd like to get some prefolds too. 

Like PPs, I have read everywhere to try as many brands as possible.  My main concern now is how our HE washer will do with the diaper laundry!

I'd bump your cover number up to 6.  I had 4 and it worked, but just barely - especially on days when DD2 was determined to poo out the sides of the prefolds and I couldn't reuse the covers because there was poo on the inner part of the leg holes.

I've heard - but don't know from experience - that there are various methods to trick your HE washer into washing more thoroughly, including adding water to the cycle with a pitcher and adding a towel or two in with the dipes to make the load seem heavier.  Don't take my word for it, though, as I have a standard washer and only got this info from moms who have HE machines.

starlightstef

For the newborn stage we're doing exclusively prefolds with covers.  I've heard that's easier since so many newborns have issues with fitting some of the other styles.  For the covers, I heard good things about thirsties duo wrap, so we got a few of those and a few swaddlebees and rumparooz.  One of the last two (can't remember which one) has a little cutout for the cord stump, which I really liked.  I have 36 prefolds and 7 covers.

After the newborn stage, we're moving to pockets.  Seems like everyone loves the Bum Genius 4.0 pockets, so I got several of those and a few rumparooz and blueberries.  A lot of moms say the blueberries are their go-to overnight diaper, so that's the main reason I got those.  I don't have my pocket stash complete yet.  I just bought a few of each of the brands mentioned so I could try them out and see what we like the best.

lifesadance

We CDed with DS and will with this LO as well.  I took a friend's advice and started with a handful of Thirstie's covers (duo, size 1) and 2 dozen prefolds in the first size or two.  While using these we then tried out a variety of other diapers -- hybrids, AIO, pocket, fitteds, etc. -- intermittently.  We ended up using the covers and prefolds until around 6 months when we switched to an assortment of other diapers, mostly fitteds and wool, and eventually ended up using mostly GroVia AI2s. 

I will do this same thing again with covers and PFs to start but will then probably transition to the GroVias again.

I absolutely LOVE GroVia diapers.  They are soft inside and outside, don't get pinchy, are super absorbent, and handled heavy use and still could go through at least another kid or two.  I love them! I really do also love PFs because they're cheap, easy, and work great... DH just didn't like them as much as having the AI2 ready to go in the drawer.

Fremdschamen

NativeFloridian:

Fremdschamen:

I'm a FTM, but we are excited to try CD-ing.  DH is on board because of the cost savings.  Since this is our first, and we plan to have more kids, I figured a NB stash was a worthwhile investment.  My NB stash consists of: prefolds (24 so far.. would like to get maybe six more), 4 covers (hopefully this is enough?) and 4 NB-size AIOs of varying brands.

I built that stash up first, and am still working on my OS stash, which currently has 2 Flip covers and 6 Flip inserts, 8 AIOs/pockets (many different brands), plus one additional Kawaii cover.  I'd like to get some prefolds too. 

Like PPs, I have read everywhere to try as many brands as possible.  My main concern now is how our HE washer will do with the diaper laundry!

I'd bump your cover number up to 6.  I had 4 and it worked, but just barely - especially on days when DD2 was determined to poo out the sides of the prefolds and I couldn't reuse the covers because there was poo on the inner part of the leg holes.

I've heard - but don't know from experience - that there are various methods to trick your HE washer into washing more thoroughly, including adding water to the cycle with a pitcher and adding a towel or two in with the dipes to make the load seem heavier.  Don't take my word for it, though, as I have a standard washer and only got this info from moms who have HE machines.

Thanks, NF.  I will definitely get a couple more covers to make sure we have enough.

SimplyChic&Sassy

We are going to give it a try! We decided on G Diapers, as a friend used them and loved them.  I bought the newborn starter kit and a some smalls so far, and they seem like they are going to be super convienent and easy to use! Also, a lot of places (around here at least) that sell cloth diapers actually have cloth diapering classes, which are full of useful information. You may check local business around your area that sell cloth diapers.

SimplyChic&Sassy

We are going to give it a try! We decided on G Diapers, as a friend used them and loved them.  I bought the newborn starter kit and a some smalls so far, and they seem like they are going to be super convenient and easy to use! Also, a lot of places (around here at least) that sell cloth diapers actually have cloth diapering classes, which are full of useful information. You may check local business around your area that sell cloth diapers.