Cost ?s

lafamiliamarino · December 2010

[hands up]

I surrender! No Gerber birdsweave diapers, no plastic covers, no pins!!

I like the sound of prefolds ... simple ... but there are so many suggestions for covers, it seems everyone has their favorite.

I guess I will still need to work on covers, as I've been given several suggestions.

My new question is this: How many prefolds and how many covers?

That way, I can work up a figure to take to DH and hopefully his eyes won't fall out of his head. I just have to remind him what a package of Pampers costs!!

lafamiliamarino · December 2010

Follow-up question ... do you change the cover each time you change the diaper?? No, right?? So, presumably, I should need about (what?) 1 cover for every 3-4 changes? Or should it be 1 cover for every 2 changes??

Nikki1007 · December 2010

1 Cover for every 3-4 changes sounds about right. I keep 2 in rotation. When I change one I lay it out to air dry and put on a new one, then switch them. Even when you wash the covers they dry really fast. For the newborn stage estimate you will be changing every 2 hours so for 2 days worth you will need about 24 prefolds and probably 2-3 snappis (Its good to have extras in case one breaks, I have never had one break, but I have heard it does happen when they wear out).

jennterrell · December 2010

as long as everything is contained in the diaper, you can reuse the cover. Our system is to have 2 covers in rotation each day, airing the alternate out between changes. If a cover gets soiled or extremely wet, into the pail it goes. With this system, you want 6 covers for a newborn (more poo gets on covers then) and 4 covers from 4 months or so on out. It is nice to have a few spares, but you could use some fleece covers to fill in gaps, since they are cheap and easy to make. We liked Thirsties covers for our newborn.

for newborns, you need 24-30 diapers to do laundry every other day.

I love the Green Mountain Diapers prefolds, but I think that other brands such as Little Lions and Cotton Babies are a very close second. you will also want to get a 3-pack of snappi closures, A pail liner (you could use a pillowcase for awhile, we did) and a plastic kitchen sized trash can with a lid. Wipes can be as simple as cheap washcloths or cut up flannel blankets.

although a lot of ladies on here spend crazy amounts on diapers, you could theoretically CD a child start to finish for $200-300, less if you make things yourself. (this is assuming you sell your outgrown diapers to fund larger ones, or use something that is one-size such as flats or Mother-Ease One Size diapers)

Dr.Loretta · December 2010

I tried a few different covers and they all worked well, so I don't think you can go wrong with anything you use.

I'd say 2-3 dozen prefolds and 6-10 covers. I reused covers as long as they weren't soiled, or stinky after a good airing. Like Nikki, I'd hang up the one I'd just used and it would dry out pretty quickly for another use later in the day.

I got prepped and never used prefolds (and I think covers as well) for under $100.

a.bartholomew · December 2010

I bet you can find used NB prefolds pretty easily also-people don't use them for very long and they are typically in EUC. Good luck, I wish I could have stuck with prefolds-it is SO much cheaper than getting sucked into the pocket/fitted route

lafamiliamarino · December 2010

I can't make anything. I'm ... err ... challenged when it comes to domestic things. I can't cook/bake/sew/crochet/knit/make arts & crafts/et cetera. My poor children. They have a sad mommy!! :-((

As for selling outgrown items, I had thought of that, but knowing that DH wants to continue to add to our family, I thought perhaps I'd be better off hanging onto them, just in case. I would appreciate thoughts on this - sell or pack?

Prefolds, even, seem a little expensive - as I have to buy 2-3 dozen of each size ... or do you guys have experience using a larger size on a smaller baby??

Nikki1007 · December 2010

Once the prefolds dont fit around the baby any more you can trifold them and lay them in the cover and get more use out of them, but this guarantees poop on the cover.

Dr.Loretta · December 2010

lafamiliamarino:

As for selling outgrown items, I had thought of that, but knowing that DH wants to continue to add to our family, I thought perhaps I'd be better off hanging onto them, just in case. I would appreciate thoughts on this - sell or pack?

Pack

Prefolds, even, seem a little expensive - as I have to buy 2-3 dozen of each size ... or do you guys have experience using a larger size on a smaller baby??

I really only used prefolds in the nb stage, and very rarely use them any more (though I have a half dozen larger ones for occasional use). I've moved on to pockets and fitteds. Don't try and cut corners by using one large size on a small baby. You'll be back here talking about issues you're having with a huge, leaky diaper. Make the investment and you'll be a happier CDing momma.

jennterrell · December 2010

I'd keep things like prefolds. Elastic in fitteds and pockets sometimes goes bad in storage for some reason, so keeping them is a gamble if you are spacing kids out.

you can always use larger prefolds on a child, but they are more bulky, more prone to leakage, and you have to do more folding. (When my siblings and I were in diapers, there were only 2 sizes available, infant and toddler.) If your families tend to have large babies, skip the orange and go straight to the yellow edge ones. You could always buy 1 dozen of the orange, and 2 dozen yellows, and then from there you could be in one-size pocket diapers if that's what you end up liking.

I also like having just a few fitteds for outings -- it is nice as they are usually more absorbent, and it is more protection against blowouts.

also, start looking in Craig's List and any local mommy boards, I've gotten lots of free/cheap diapers that way. Some did require repair, but there is bound to be someone you know that is good at sewing.

Quizzle · December 2010

I love our GMD prefolds. They're way too small now, but I can't bear to get rid of them because they're so handy for burp cloths!

I'd say 2 or 3 dozen prefolds + at least 6 covers for the newborn stage. Proraps are cheap and easy. Thirsties hold everything in. They rock. My DD seriously pooped every time she ate (I remember clearly changing her diaper 3 times in 10 minutes) and I would not have survived with only 4 covers.

Kim72508 · December 2010

I had 3 dozen GMD prefolds and 6 covers for the NB stage. We usually used 2 covers per day and rotated them unless they got dirty. Otherwise, I just wiped them out and let it air dry between changes. We also used Kissaluv fitteds (we had 6 or 8 of them) b/c they were more Daddy friendly for us. You can probably find those pretty reasonably priced used. Don't scrimp on getting good quality prefolds- although they might cost a bit, when compared to disposables you are still saving a TON! Also check spots corner and/or Jillians Drawers for gently used items. Jillians gently used items are wonderful! I have purchased a few diapers in "fair" condition and I would have thought it was new. I'd definitely recommend them!

Blackvelvet · December 2010

I would reccomend 3 dozen PF and 6 covers to start with I spent about $80 to get started that is 3 packs of pampers or about 3 weeks worth. DH made the switch the first time we went diaper shopping he just about lost it when he found out how much they cost. We expanded to pockets, AIO and just about everything else over time so it wasn't to expensive. I don't use PF anymore though I do have lots of covers in xl I just lay a microber insert in them this never would have worked with a Newborn but with a toddler it is great. I used Little lions PF seconds they workd fine not much differnt them the GMD I got latter, just a little size differnce. I also still have the same three snappis in rotation.

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