Thinking of making the switch!
kaylakaylakayla
member
I've been wanting to CD since day 1, but was not 100% and DH was most definitely not keen on the idea.
We've discussed it a lot, I've given him all the facts of why CDing is better for us, baby, environment etc. and I think he's finally up for it 
The one reason I was not 100% was because of the large one-time cost. We aren't the most well off family, and I wasn't really wanting to spend our savings on new cloth diapers.
Well my friend on facebook just finished potty training and is selling all her old cloth diapers! I have no problem buying second hand, sorry if you don't think that's the way to go. She threw out any stained ones and will probably be willing to give me the following for somewhere between $150-$200. Let me know if this sounds like a good deal (I have no idea how much CD really costs, I'm very new to this) :
26 hip baby adjustable diapers
3 Med & 3 Large Sweetcheeks fleece covers
9 other cotton dipes
1 Med & 1 Large Bummis super whisper wraps
1 Motherease rikki wrap cover
1 Med. fleece cover
Stack of cotton liners (approx 17)
2 Large Nana's Bottoms AIOs
1 Med Long Nana's Bottom
6 petite long Fuzzi Bunz
4 Large Fuzzi Bunz
1 AI2 wonderworks diaper
2 med swaddlebees
4 WAHM Med long AIOs
I also have 10 of my own waterproof covers.
I'm assuming since she went 2 years with all of these, that this was all she needed, so this is definitely worth the $200 or so, right?
Anything I would need more of in your opinion? More liners?
I'm a little lost right now - no clue when to use which kind of diaper, or which I'm going to want to use, so kinda stressed out about spending the money.
I think I'm going to be spending a lot of time on this board asking (stupid) questions.
TIA! I know it's kinda long :S
Re: Thinking of making the switch!
Personally, I wouldn't do that.
If you are looking to save money you can use pre-folds and covers. If you are going to do the wash every other day, you really only need 2 dozen pre-folds and 4-6 covers.
That would only run you $130-ish if you got GMD pre-folds (which are said to be the best) and thirsties Duo Wrap covers. Of course you'd still need cloth wipes, but I made my own out of cotton flannel receiving blankets that I already had. You'd also need 2 pail liners (one for when the other is in the wash) but those aren't that expensive.
That would give you a good base to start with and then you could add little by little as you go. That's just my opinion and I should also state that I feel weird about buying used diapers (but that's just me).
I use prefolds and covers, so I'm never going to disagree with the pp. That said, there's some other stuff to consider.
First, some people don't like them. (I love them, so not a personal experience. It's really all we use.)
Second, they are often not enough for night time, so you will have to look at spending money on a few extra diapers if you want something that last through the night.
Third, if you do go with Green Mountain pfs (which I highly recommend) they come in sizes so you're looking at a little over $200 when you go through even just three of the sizes and covers.
Finally, I'm still pretty new at this but I'm pretty sure that's a good deal, maybe even a great one depending on the wear and tear of the diapers!
But used diapers wouldn't bother me, so that's a big part of the decision
BTW, even if you do get your friend's diapers, I would get two dozen orange prefolds from GMD, they work really well on newborns who are too small for other CDs. We still use them as burp cloths and doublers. We also used about 4-5 covers with those. GL!
I am not familiar with the Hip Baby diapers, but if they are one-size-fits-all/most, then I think spending $200 on diapers that will take you to PL is a great deal. I would ask her to not throw away diapers with stains on them and just throw them into the deal, so you will get even more diapers for $200. The majority of stains can be sunned out very easily. Besides, stains do not mean they are not clean.
Your LO is already more than a month old, so IMHO, you don't need to use prefolds. As PP said, prefolds is a personal preference. We do not prefer them but used them in the tiny newborn stage, which lasted only 6 weeks for us. If your DH is already a little scared of cloth diapers, he will probably not like prefolds. And, also as PP said, prefolds can cost more than $200, considering you will have to keep sizing up, while you can use the Hip Baby diapers (assuming they are one-size-fits-all/most) for as long as your kid is in diapers.
I know the upfront costs seems like a lot, but if you consider that disposables can cost up to $80/mos, the $200 you will spend in one day and will last you 2+ years is totally worth it.
And, I think buying used diapers is a non-issue, esp. since you are buying them from a friend you know and trust.
Welcome to the world of cloth diapering! I hope you love it as much as we do.
ITA with all this! My DH was a no-go with prefolds. But pockets he can definitely do. If the hip baby diapers are OS, that is probably all you'd need for a stash. That being said, you might need something to bridge the gap until your LO fits into them depending on his weight. And we have bought used with no issues, just make sure they have enough life in them to get you to PLing otherwise you may end up buying more before then and it would stink to have to buy a diaper stash twice.