Cloth Diaper mommas come in!

kwrecks · November 2013

Before LO was born, we were gifted a ton of disposable, and MIL keeps buying more. Our original plan was to cloth diaper, but because we had so many disposable, and hadn't really researched cloth diapers enough, when LO was born we just started using disposable. Right now, we probably have 3 months worth of disposables left. I want to tell MIL to stop buying us disposables because I'd like to transition to cloth diapers, but I haven't even started buying any yet.

So, for those of you that cloth diaper, how much was your initial cost? DH now thinks that it will be too expensive to buy cloth and that we should continue to let MIL buy us disposables. I told him that because we still have a decent amount of disposables left, that we could slowly build a collection up until we run out of disposables. What are your favorite kind? How do you clean them? Do you soak them or just put them in a wet bag until it's laundry time?

LiylaRae · November 2013

I'll be looking back at this because I'm also interested in cloth diapering now too.

MommyKristin88 · November 2013

Check out the cloth diaper board. There's lots of info there!!

Initial cost: Depends on the type. I CD my daughter with just prefolds and one-size covers, so I spent less than $150 (probably around $100) total on diapers for her. This time we are also using all-in-one diapers which are more expensive. Additionally, I have an addiction and keep buying more, so I've spent way more this time around!

Favorite kind: I prefer pockets. I have 1 and love it! AIOs in good, but it's harder to adjust the absorbancy (sometimes inserts don't fit). If you're asking about brand, we use most BumGenius and Thirsties. I hate Imagine brand!!!!! I am waiting on deliveries of Alvas, Sunbabies, Kawaii, Rumparooz, and Fuzzibunz, all of which were highly recommended.

We just wet bags, no soaking. Wash routinge: 1 cold rinse/1 hot wash with detergent/1 hot rinse. I use All Free & Clear or Purex Free & Clear. Never had issues with either.

southernmama8813 · November 2013

The cost for us was about $150 for 16 diapers. I've tried Best Bottoms, Imagine, Baby Land, Charlie Banana, and Nicki's Diapers. All of them are pockets except for the Best Bottoms. I like them all and haven't had any leaks or problems with fit. They're a little bulky, but it's because I should have gotten smaller inserts (I went with the one-size inserts because that's what came with them and I'm too cheap/broke to order different sizes).

For dirty diaper storage, I actually have a mop bucket in her bedroom with a pillowcase in it and just drop the dirty diapers in. So far, smell hasn't been an issue. If it becomes one, I'll have to figure something else out I guess.

I wash them every 2-3 days since we only cd during the day at home. If we're out and overnight I use disposables. I do a cold rinse cycle, hot wash, cold rinse. All Free & Clear has worked well for us.

abarnett101905 · November 2013

I use Clotheeze prefold type diapers with Thirsties covers and love them. the initial cost is expensive but with more than one kid using them it's worth it! We spend about $25for a dozen diapers and about $15 for one cover. The covers you can

abarnett101905 · November 2013

Oops...
Use more than once before washing. I have 5 covers and 3 dozen diapers and do laundry every other day. my water cost went up one dollar a month and there's no changing my electric so I think it's totally worth it.

Don't let the inital startup cost scare you it will save you tons of money in the long run!

Good luck!

LEMSA · November 2013

I have a zillion CDs. I started buying from a local 2nd hand store so i have a combo of all in ones, some prefolds when he was a newborn, but mostly pockets.

I mainly use BG 4.0's and fuzzibunz fitted size small, but he is nearly grown out of the fuzzibunz. So I am going to replace them with BG's.

It's easy. I have a washable laundry bag from target I keep them in. Wash every other day. Use ALL free and clear.

Not sure how much I've spent on mine, maybe close to $300? But you can do wayyy cheaper.

See if there's a local CD FB swap page and buy a few different ones to try out. There's a cloth diapering 101 on YouTube that's very helpful.

Texasmomma13 · November 2013

We cd during the day and are about to make the transition to full time now that our daycare provider is on board. I tried to use the prefolds with covers at first because that is definitely the most economical way to go. I hated them though. I just couldn't get the fold right. They always seemed way too bulky. I must have watched a hundred youtube videos trying to make it work. I do however, love pocket diapers. I made a bunch myself while pregnant, but S is about to out grow them. We were gifted a 6 pack of Charlie Banana OS pocket diapers from our registry. I have to say I love these even more than the ones I made myself. So much so, that we bought 24 more the other day. Once those arrive we will have 30 which should be enough for 3 days. That way I'll only have to wash every other day instead of every night like I am doing now. Total investment will end up being around $500. I did make my own wet bags so that saved some bucks as well. If you are even half way proficient with a sewing machine you can make them. They are super easy. I haven't seen an increase yet in my water bill and we have a clothes line in the works too. Line drying, if you have the space, will help them last longer.

oh and I use biodegradable liners. It helps with the poopy diapers. I just leave everything in wet bag until wash time.

If you really calculate the cost of disposables, it doesn't take long to recoup your initial expense. We were spending about $80 per month on disposables in the beginning before we switched over to cloth.

thoughtfulmommy · November 2013

We CD from newborn so we had a newborn stash and a one size stash. We now have 24 one sizes and that gets me through for washing every other day.

We bought prefolds and covers and pockets and a few AIOs. I prefer prefolds and pockets. DH loves prefolds so don't be scared of them. We love our bumgenius 4.0 and our kawaii p&n.

We will be having a second so in my opinion the cost of the diapers is well worth it. We bought over time to space out the costs. Look for deals on Black Friday, Boxing Day, earth day, etc.

Our LO has never had a rash and we just love them. Oud wash routine is standard CD routine. We also have cloth wipes but you can just use old receiving blankets cut up. You need a few wet bags and that's it.

kwrecks · November 2013

Do ajy of you use a diaper cream too? LO was getting a red butt so I've been putting diaper cream on her butt at each diaper change and she hasnt had any sign of a rash at all. Is this something that I would need to do with cloth diapers?

thoughtfulmommy · November 2013

As I mentioned he has never had even a red bum. We put coconut oil on before bed. We have CD safe cream but haven't opened it.

LEMSA · November 2013

I have a grovia magic stick and grandma el's ointment. CD safe. I use it at night when he's in the diape for a long time. Otherwise I don't use it, haven't needed too.

southernmama8813 · November 2013

We haven't had any diaper rash issues with our cloth diapers, so no cream has been needed. With disposables, I always just put some Vaseline on her.

Edit: grammar

Soleil3 · November 2013

My favorite right now is a flip cover and a thirsties doubler. Trim and plenty absorbent for his age. I also have 6 bg freetimes for 80 bucks, they are on sale right now, but they are a little overkill, i wouldn't have to change him for hooours before it was soaked. Initial cost, I bought some here and there while pregnant. But I do a load daily, and could get away with 8 flips and inserts and sub in sposies if needed. We sposie at night anyway.

MommyKristin88 · November 2013

Do ajy of you use a diaper cream too? LO was getting a red butt so I've been putting diaper cream on her butt at each diaper change and she hasnt had any sign of a rash at all. Is this something that I would need to do with cloth diapers?

I haven't needed any cream for my son yet. With my daughter she got a yeast rash that needed to be treated for about 2-3 weeks. Besides that I didn't need to use anything on her.

MynaBird · November 2013

We use CJ's BUTTer, which is cloth diaper safe. We also use biodegradable liners — that was how I sold my husband on cloth diapering. He wasn't going to get on board with spraying, dunking, swishing, etc., but the liners make dealing with solids really easy.

We spent a few hundred bucks on our initial stash. I bought some prefolds, Snappis and covers for the newborn stage, and some gDiapers to try. If you want to test run gDiapers, I suggest eBay. There are always a ton of gPants for sale, and you can get some good deals. We have gFlappers cloth inserts for the gDiapers, but we don't really love the whole g-system.

We mostly use pockets now that she's big enough for them. We have some BG 4.0s, which are great and which we mostly use overnight, double-stuffed with two bamboo microfiber inserts. And we have a ton of Alvas and various Alva relabels (Just Simply Baby and KerrBear Kids, mostly — I know some people will tell you not to buy the relabels, but if you watch for special deals and coupon codes, you can get some great deals that make them the same price as or less expensive than Alvas, and I like the Just Simply Baby diapers because they have double gussets). And we're really fortunate that we have a friend whose daughter is potty training, so we recently inherited some BG Freetimes, SoftBums Omnis, and even more Alvas. I'm constantly experimenting with various soaker combinations. I love bamboo and hemp.

Definitely watch eBay and Craigslist, and expect to try a few different kinds of diapers before you commit to a full stash.

To clean, we remove the liner and throw it away (if it's wet) or flush (if there are solids). The dirty diaper gets a spray of half-and-half-diluted BioKleen Bac-Out, then goes in the "diaper pail," which is a pedal trash can lined with a large Planet Wise wetbag. We have two so we can alternate when one is in the wash. We wash diapers about every three days. We have a front-loading HE washer. We start with a cold light wash, and sometimes I put a splash of Bac-Out in if the load is smelly. Then we wash on warm with an extra rinse. We use Country Save detergent.

TL;DR - eBay, Craigslist and disposable liners are your friends, and you can totally do this. Tell your MIL that you appreciate her generosity, and if she wants to buy the baby diapers she can take the money she would have spent on disposables and put it into a Cotton Babies or Diapers.com gift card so you can try some cloth options!

FeetFirst · November 2013

We use BG Freetimes almost exclusively but I have tried about every diaper they make over the last 3.5 years

If you don't mind buying second hand you can get a stash of high quality diapers for $300 I would guess ( I suggest at least 24 diapers do you can wash every 3rd day)

Join the Cloth Diaper Compendium on FB too! Awesome ladies who can help with wash routines and answer questions. Also check out diaper swappers and hyena cart spots corner for second hand.

MagPie 1986 · November 2013

Soleil3 said:

My favorite right now is a flip cover and a thirsties doubler. Trim and plenty absorbent for his age. I also have 6 bg freetimes for 80 bucks, they are on sale right now, but they are a little overkill, i wouldn't have to change him for hooours before it was soaked. Initial cost, I bought some here and there while pregnant. But I do a load daily, and could get away with 8 flips and inserts and sub in sposies if needed. We sposie at night anyway.

@soleil3 where are they on sale?

Soleil3 · November 2013

Soleil3 said:

My favorite right now is a flip cover and a thirsties doubler. Trim and plenty absorbent for his age. I also have 6 bg freetimes for 80 bucks, they are on sale right now, but they are a little overkill, i wouldn't have to change him for hooours before it was soaked. Initial cost, I bought some here and there while pregnant. But I do a load daily, and could get away with 8 flips and inserts and sub in sposies if needed. We sposie at night anyway.

@soleil3 where are they on sale?

https://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?products_id=4548, and there is a code for a free freetime with purchase over 70, so 7 for 80 bucks is a steal!

Bunnyfer · November 2013

I am just starting a stash...and I have been getting kawaii and alvas for about 6 to 9 bucks a diaper. It's going slow, but LO still kinda small for them so its a work in progress

FeetFirst · November 2013

Soleil3 said:

MagPie 1986 said:

Soleil3 said:

My favorite right now is a flip cover and a thirsties doubler. Trim and plenty absorbent for his age. I also have 6 bg freetimes for 80 bucks, they are on sale right now, but they are a little overkill, i wouldn't have to change him for hooours before it was soaked.
Initial cost, I bought some here and there while pregnant. But I do a load daily, and could get away with 8 flips and inserts and sub in sposies if needed. We sposie at night anyway.

@soleil3 where are they on sale?

https://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?products_id=4548, and there is a code for a free freetime with purchase over 70, so 7 for 80 bucks is a steal!

I love deals like this! Too bad I have 50 BGFTs. Lol my hubby would kill me if another came in the house haha! I had a stash for my son and then my GF destashed her girly ones and I bought her 25 for $300. Awesome deal but I already had 25 myself, lol. I can basically go all week without washing if I wanted...yes I know I have a serious cloth addiction problem!

amaseya · November 2013

We use cloth and never have diaper rash issues anymore. It's great

amaseya · November 2013

Oh, for cream, if it's needed, we use coconut oil.

kwrecks · November 2013

What do you do with the poop? Especially right now when LOs poop is soft and you can't just flush it. Do you leave it in the diaper and put it in the container and then just wash it? Do you wipe it off? If you do leave it and just wash it, does it mess up your washer?

LilMissScareAll · November 2013

kwrecks said:

What do you do with the poop? Especially right now when LOs poop is soft and you can't just flush it. Do you leave it in the diaper and put it in the container and then just wash it? Do you wipe it off? If you do leave it and just wash it, does it mess up your washer?

BF & FF poop is water soluble. Just throw it right into the washing machine. It all dissolve in the pre-rinse and then you do a regular wash cycle. It doesn't mess with your washer.

When they start solids, than you have to scrape/spray the poop out before you do your pre-rinse.

We use fitteds and covers. I have a couple pockets we use for night time, because I can stuff them so they're really absorbent. I got most of mine used from Craigslist and Diaperswappers.com. I'm also part of a couple Co-ops on FB and have gotten inserts & pockets really cheaply.

Here's a great link for you: https://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/newmom.html

sparks4stp · November 2013

I've been using prefolds and covers and I love it. I have the Imagine Brand prefolds and I think they are great. I started off with the staydry better fit OsoCosys and I hate them. I also have a ton of JSB pocket diapers and they are starting to fit LO better now that he's bigger but I don't like how bulky they are still. My plan is to send those to my mom's house when she babysits because when prestuffed they are much easier for her. She can't figure out the prefolds and covers.

I've been experimenting with overnight solutions. I tried pockets and they work as long as I double stuff and use a bamboo/hemp insert with microfiber. But again....so bulky. Then I started trying fitteds with wool and no matter what I do, my wool leaks by morning. So now I'm using fitteds with covers at night and it's been pretty bulletproof. So now I've started collecting all kinds of fitteds and I'm getting obsessed. Hahaha

Cloth diapering is an obsessive habit. It's the only thing I've been spending money on lately. I stalk the swap groups and I'm constantly on the hunt for "deals." But so far I'm loving CDing

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