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January 2013 Moms
chance_encounters
member
10 losses 1996-1998, 2 losses 2001-2002, 3 losses 2010-2012, loss 1/2014
Cloth Diaper help please!
chance_encounters
member
I am stressing myself out and probably unnecessarily. As of yesterday we are cloth diapering. I started with a diaper service to even see if it was something I wanted to do. I really like cloth diapers but I do not like the cloth diapers they provide....or maybe I am doing something wrong.
They provided me with Little Smudgeez size 1 all in 2. DS is 4 1/2 weeks old and a little chunky (weighed 10 pounds 5 oz at 4 weeks and 22 inches long). Well with the little smudgeez when he pees it goes up and out the front top. I thought maybe I was not making them tight enough...nope still leaked. He pees and poops ALOT and I change his diapers about once an hour during the day.
Well now that I know that cloth diapers are what we want to do I have been researching them like crazy and I am stressing myself out! I know I do not want a trifold. I have been looking at the bum genius 4.0, bum genius freetime and fuzzibuns.....and tons of other diapers. I am so lost!! I really do not want to spend a bunch of money on diapers that will not work or that I do not like. I need some guidance here!
On top of diapers what other accessories do you suggest (diaper pail, wet bag etc)? I have read through 10 pages of the cloth diaper history pages and the FAQ's and I am on information overload right now. DH wants to go back to disposables and try to find a more natural one as DS is allergic to pampers and huggies. I however do not want to do that. I live in a dry climate so hang drying is not a problem at all. BUT I do need something that is fairly simple or DH will not want to do it.
Sorry this is so long but please! Guide me!!
**I also posted this on the cloth diaper board so I am sorry if this is a duplicate, I have just spent the last 10+ months with you ladies and would like to hear from you too**
Paige 8/5/99, Kara 7/22/03 and Benjamin 1/19/13
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Cloth Diaper help please!
I have a white garbage pail with a lid that I keep in our bathroom for diapers at home (this is what my sister uses as well). Then I have a wet bag for when we are out.
So far I really like them. They still look huge on her (she is 12 lbs) but I do them up with only one snap left and like I said no leaking!
BFP #1 05/03/12 DD: 12/18/12
BFP #2 05/26/14 MMC: 6/26/14 D&C: 7/18/14
BFP #3 10/09/14 MC 10/24/14
TTC since 11/2009; Lap/HSG/Hysteroscopy: 5/2011 (endometriosis - removed; endocervical polyp - removed; high pressure in bilateral tubes - cleared)
BFP #1: 8/4/11; DS1 born sleeping on 11/16/11 at 19w1d
BFP # 2: 5/7/12, EDD 1/10/13, DS2 born 1/4/13
BFP # 3: 11/8/13, EDD 7/17/14, mmc 10wks
BFP # 4: 5/16/14, EDD 1/15/15, praying for our 2nd rainbow baby
Haven't read through the other responses yet, but wanted to share my opinion while I have a minute!
Definitely don't get discouraged. Just because those particular diapers aren't working for you definitely doesn't mean that all cloth diapers won't work. Some people prefer different styles/brands over others. I know we tried out several different brands and, for example, DS always leaked in Fuzzibunz, which is so odd because the legs are adjustable and people typically love them. Nope, they just didn't work for us when he was a baby for whatever reason. We've always loved bumgenius the best.
We started out with bumgenius. I would pick up other brands when I could get a good deal on them (whether used or on sale new) and if I found I didn't like them I would sell them and because they were so gently used I didn't really lose money doing this. That's an option, but it will take some patience to get the best deals. Another option to try out several different styles/brands is a cloth diaper trial. Some people swear by these. It might be a good option for you, and also for your H who sounds hesitant.
As far as your H, I know my husband was a little skeptical at first, but we use pocket diapers, which go on just like disposables, and he was instantly hooked on cloth when he saw we didn't have to deal with leaks, blowouts, tons of trash, and the expense of frequently buying diapers like with disposables. I'm not familiar with Smudgeez, but an AI2 hints to me that there are multiple pieces to deal with. Maybe a pocket diaper (or AIO) will be a better fit for your H. Some people who even do flats or prefolds will keep some "easy" diapers on hand for their H or babysitters/grandparents who aren't as into dealing with the diapers. You don't have to go with one particular diaper for your whole stash, so keep that in mind! Just remind your H that he needs to have an open mind, they don't have to be any harder than dealing with disposables, and really play up all the benefits of cloth diapering!
As far as accessories, I have cloth diapered for nearly 3 years now and here's what I use:
- diaper pail (just a step trash can)
- pail liners (I have 2 so I can rotate them when one is in the wash)
- wet bags (again, I have two for when one is dirty. I have a small size, which will hold 2, or 3 if I really push it, pocket diapers, and a larger size that's on par with the Planetwise medium that will hold plenty of diapers for like an overnight trip)
- cloth wipes (so much easier than dealing with disposable wipes so they can all go in the same place)
- spray for the wipes (I just use a squirt bottle filled with a squirt of Dr. Bronner's and water)
- Bac-out (I didn't start using this until DS was a toddler and we started to have trouble with getting the diapers clean enough. Now I keep a spray bottle filled with 50/50 bac-out and water and use it to spray dirty diapers to help with getting them clean. You shouldn't have to worry about this for a while if at all though
)
- Coconut oil for cloth diaper friendly diaper cream. We hardly ever have had to use this though. Just 2x when DS was teething with molars to protect his bottom from more acidic poo.
That's it. And I've been using this stuff (minus the bac-out) for 3 years now. We don't use a diaper sprayer, disposable liners, etc. I like to keep it simple! I do use wool dryer balls, which I guess you could count as an accessory. I use them with diapers, but I use them for all my laundry so I don't really count it and I hang dry when weather permits so I guess a laundry line
I know it can be overwhelming at first (I was TOTALLY overwhelmed. Totally. It nearly scared me away completely), but eventually I got it all sorted out, figured out what works best for us, and so on. Feel free to ask us any questions you have! I can't speak for the other mamas here, but I know that since I eventually gained all this CD info I love to share it with others to help them navigate the waters and find their way because I know it can be confusing!
GL!
ETA: Also wanted to mention diapeswappers.com is a great resource. You may already know about it, but if not, start hanging out on their boards and you'll learn a lot of practical advice quickly. Also a good place to buy/sell/trade diapers.
*My Blog*
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I started out with a homemade detergent, which worked just fine for the first year, but once DS hit toddlerhood it was NOT cutting it! I tried several different things and after nearly tearing my hair out in frustrating tried a regular detergent and haven't looked back since! We use All Free & Clear powder (I played around with it a bit and found that 3T per load is the magic amount for us rather than the 4T recommended on the box for a regular laundry load). Cheap, works well, haven't had any issues using it on the diapers.
*My Blog*
10/50 Read
my read shelf:
I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on them before I knew for sure that we would cloth diaper long term. I bought 12 sunbaby pocket diapers with 24 microfiber inserts for about $70. They ship from China so it took about a month to get them, but I love them so far! They was really well (with 2 Tbs Tide Ultra powder) and they are really easy.
I also bought 18 prefolds from cottonbabies.com and use them with Thirsties covers.
There are things I like about both kinds, but very few cons. But my DH won't use the prefolds. Big baby.
I just have a white trash can with lid in the nursery and a pail liner that I bought off amazon. I also bought a wet bag to keep in the diaper bag. I use baby washcloths instead of wipes, and I mix warm water, a squirt of baby body wash, and a few drops of olive oil in a squeeze bottle. I just keep it on the changing table and wet a washcloth with each change. Then they get washed with the diapers. When going out, I wet a couple of washcloths and throw them in a ziploc bag. I use coconut oil on her bottom instead of diaper rash creams.
I was really overwhelmed at first too, but you'll establish a routine quickly. And now that I'm so used to the softness of cloth diapers, I hate having to put a scratch disposable on her! (Not to mention that the day she spent in them with my MIL, she ended up with diaper rash.)
I love bumGenius 4.0.
I have...
19 BG4.0
3 FB
1 Blueberry [I don't really like this one but it's so cute]
1 Charlie Banana
2 Planetwise large wet bags
1 small wet bag for on the go
30 cloth wipes
a spray bottle
coconut oil for baby's butt
disposable liners for when she had a rash from the disposables we used in the hospital
fleece liners - i made them, so cheap & easy, they provide a wetness barrier & are useful especially overnight
rockin' green detergent
I do laundry every day.
When buying you might look at Diaper Junction, I bought 15 of my BG through them. They were ding 10% back, not sure of they still are, so I bought 12 in one pack and got a $20 credit and that day bought 3 more so they were $15.80 each with free shipping.
Here is what I recommend. If you want a simple solution that will work for you and your husband (since he is leaning towards disposables), buy AIOs. Yes they take more time to dry, but much easier in terms of changing the diapers and don't have to deal with a lot of stuff like inserts.. etc..
Get one-size AIOs - recommend Bum Genius Free time, Swaddlebees
Get tide or hard rock green for washing
Use wet bag or a diaper pail to store the diapers.
They could be an option for your DH. You could have a bunch prestuffed for him to use as pocket diapers, but you could keep them as AI2 so you would need fewer covers.
We use tide with no problems. A number of people have recommended oxy clean for stains, but we haven't tried it yet.