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North Dakota Babies
Cloth Diapering
Who is doing it?
Why/Why not?
Thoughts?
The more I think about it, the more I get interested in it. Mom did it with us, and it really intrigues me, but I'm also lazy, and not sure how DH would feel about it lol.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Cloth Diapering
DH and I would like to do it, but I am a little overwhelmed as to where to start. I've been lurking on the EFF board to get some tips/advice, but am still overwhelmed!
I'm doing it!
Honestly? Because they're cute and cheap. Everything else is just bonus, those two are my main reasons. Being eco-friendly and better for your babies behinds (a lot of babies are very sensitive to the chemicals used in the gels and can get chronic diaper rashes which was the case with me when I was a baby) are also reasons.
I like that I only need to buy 50 or so diapers (I'm getting 25 NB diapers and then about 25 one-size diapers) and you're set. That's a $750 or so investment but you can use them for every child you have! Some may wear out and need to get replaced as the years go on, but in the end you are saving THOUSANDS!
Plus, uh... Look at the cute!
The one thing I will admit to- I'm worried I'll be too lazy, too. So my plan is to not have any disposables in the house at all. I figured if I'm forced to use them, I will be able to do so with no problems. Hopefully!
Why/Why not? We are doing it because I want to save money and they are cute.
Thoughts? I don't think that I will be too lazy. If there are no disposables then there is no temptation. I think the little covers are so adorable. I am more worried about finding a detergent that doesn't give the little one a rash. We are going to try tide free and clear. But it will be trial and error, hopefully there will be no error!
We are doing it!
Both DH and I can't stand the thought of 80+ diapers going into a landfill each WEEK as a result of us. Plus, the chemicals that they put in the diapers are nasty, and CDing is cheaper! (I really don't know why people WOULDN"T do it?!?!)
We are going to use a diaper service, that drops off clean diapers, picks up our dirties and cleans them. This is important for us because we have a septic system that would not be able to handle the extra loads of laundry and poops! If you are not willing to wash your own this is always an option!
Eleise- if you are interested I would say prefolds and covers are the most simple route to go. If there is a CDing store in your area, it helps to have someone explain your options in person
It really is pretty easy!
Also, diaper services will save you money too. They are cheaper than buying diapers. I would have done that but the diaper service doesn't come this far into the boonies. So we are going to try it ourselves first. You can still get some of those adorable covers!
You use a wetbag. You can get a large one with a draw string and keep them in a hamper or garbage can.
That's what I was thinking too. I just checked their website and they said on there that they normally start people off with 80 diapers, but the $20 is for up to 100 diapers, if needed.
So if you use a service, then you just have to buy covers?
Carollyn- what service are you using?
I was thinking about this too. But you're still going to need wipes. So I am hoping that with a note on top of the registry and no disposables on the registry. People will get the hint and get wipes only. My mom mentioned doing a raffle and you got a ticket for each box of wipes that was brought to the shower. The other thing I was thinking was adding it to the invite. I know that is tacky, but I would want to know if I was a guest.
This....I wouldn't want to get someone a gift that they would never use so I don't see anything wrong w/ a note saying that you're going to be using cloth diapers.
Started TTC Nov. 2011
1st clomid cycle June 2012- No response :: HSG August 2012- Left tube blocked, right tube clear :: 2nd clomid cycle Aug. 2012 BFN :: 3rd clomid cycle Sept. 2012 :: BFP Sept 30th :: DS born 6/15/13 :: BFP #2 7/29/14 M/C 8/5/14 :: BFP#3 10/20/14 DD born 7/1/2015 :: Applied to be surrogate April '17 :: Transferred 1 Embryo for IFs Dec. '17 :: Surro Babe born 9/11/18 :: Started 2nd Journey May '19 :: Transferred 1 Embryo for new IFs 9/24/19 :: HB 138 at 6w6d
The diapers that the service that we were going to use came with covers. The only reason that I have covers (besides their adorableness of course) is because the diapers we have are not waterproof and I don't want pee leaking all over the place. I have issues with messes.
So if you use a service then you don't really have to get anything (besides wipes of course) unless you want different covers.
But if you don't use a service then you have to go through the mess of figure out the sizes and the covers or the one size and all that crap?
Am I close to being on track?
Yes, exactly.
What about trips and vacations? Will you use cloth diapers then or disposables?
I think I also heard some daycares won't CD. Is this true? We plan on my mom watching the babies so I know this won't be a problem for us.
The service I looked into today offers disposable diapers for trips/vacations/daycares, but they are eco-friendly. I am not sure if we would go that route or not, but it is an option.
Also, another benefit to CD is that babies are potty-trained approx. a year earlier than disposables. Diaper rash is also not as rampant with cloth as it is with disposables.
Depending on the length of the vacation and where we are going will make my decisions to keep CDing on vacay or not. If we go to Hawaii and stay in a hotel for a week in Sept./Oct./Nov. as planned, we will do disposables. I am not bringing my dirty diapers back with me. But if we stay in a house with my mom, aunt, and grandma and papa (which is currently under discussion) and the house has laundry then we will still CD and I will just have to do laundry...on vacation. Blah.
As far as I know, the CD policy varies from daycare to daycare. I haven't looked into this very much since I won't need daycare until Aug and my grandma is thinking of moving here to watch the baby.
Some states have regulations on CD'ing in daycare. Here in MN they can't use them at DC.
~Kimberly & Eric~ April 21, 2008 ~Tensing Pen ~ Negril, Jamaica ~ My Blog: One Sunset at a Time
Weird! It posted without me writing anything- oh well.
Just like with most things- if you have a doctor's note for CD-ing the daycare has to allow it. Ask your diaper service provider- I'm sure they are familiar with laws in your area. Seriously, what is the difference between putting a diaper in a bag for you to take home compared to taking them out in the trash? Some "rules" are so rediculous!!!
Esther- I am using a girl that just started her business in my area, her name is Christel Cline. Previously there were no services that would deliver to me!
We're going to CD. DH is still a little iffy, but I told him this was one thing that I'm not compromising on. I just can't throw that many diapers into a landfill every day when there is a better, cheaper alternative.
Diaper services are great because they take all of the work away, but most of them do use bleach or other chemicals to clean the diapers. Some babies will have reactions to that -- so you ladies might want to have a backup plan in case that happens.
And don't forget you can use cloth wipes, too!
My local service includes cloth wipes with their packages, actually. Though I prefer to make my own.
I second cloth wipes!! Baby wipes are just as full of chemicals as disposable diapers. You just need a stack of wipes and you can keep them moist in a wipe warmer.
We are going to CD. DH has never changed a diaper so he won;t know any different. We want to save money and be environmentally friendly. After nannying and throwing out however many HUNDREDS of diapers it was huge motivation to do things differently.
Oddly enough, Chicago only seems to have one major service in the north suburbs so I just emailed them to see if they will deliver to the city. I don't think I would mind the laundry too much tho. There's constant baby laundry anyhow.
I feel like my biggest challenge will be to decide what diapers to start with!
I agree that it's good to have a backup plan with different styles of diapers or different materials/detergents in case your LO has a bad skin reaction.
As far as choosing a diaper I thought for sure I would want to go with Pocket diapers like BumGenius and Fuzzi Bunz. There was no doubt in my mind! But then back in September I went to a Cloth Diaper Garage Sale and picked up a bunch for my SIL. I prepped them for her and found pockets to be the BIGGEST PITA for me. I hated them! But then I loved the fitted diapers I picked up.
Of course, they're SO expensive, which is part of the reason I'm collecting them now when I find a deal. At the lower end you're paying $20-25 per diaper up to about $40 on the high end. And if you're going to leave the house for an extended period of time they require a cover which can be anywhere from $10 to $25. However, they are OS and usually fit from about 8-10 pounds until potty trained. So it's still cheaper then getting disposables, but more expensive then, say, prefolds and covers or even pockets. But it's what I like.
So I recommend buying some. Maybe look for some used diapers on CL or go to your local EF Baby store and see if they have cloth diaper tutorials and just try things out. If not for my SIL's stash I probably would have bought dozens of pockets before I realized I wasn't a fan. Now I'm only using them for nighttime since I hear they are the best nighttime options.