What are your thoughts on cloth diapering?

babybrooks1213 · August 2014

At first I thought maybe I'll just stick to disposable diapers, but now I'm considering cloth diapers.

Have any of you BTDT moms think its easier? If so, is it wise to start cloth diapers with a newborn or wait till they are a little older?

I clearly need to do more research as well, because the thought I have in my head is a really shitty diaper and me tossing that in the washing machine which I'm just not about, is that how it works?

What are some of your favorite cloth diapers?

Someone enlighten me, it would be greatly appreciated

HappyCianci · August 2014

There is soooo much to learn about cloth diapering, and to many different ways to do it. I diapered my first in disposables, and will diaper this baby in cloth.

From my research, you need a separate newborn stash of diapers to really make cloth work, then size up once they get past the itty bitty stage. Prefolds with covers are a cheap and simple system for the newborn period. We bought enough disposables to get us through the first week home, then we'll switch to the newborn prefolds.

If you're EBF, you CAN just throw the poopy diapers straight into the wash. Once they start solids, you have to start scraping/spraying off the poop into the toilet.

I love the company Green Mountain Diapers for prefolds!

Tabithahaileyc · August 2014

Gdiapers has a disposable insert for their diaper covers. Might look into that.

babybrooks1213 · August 2014

scrape poop into the toilet?! can you tell i am FTM or what lol

this sounds like a huge commitment, def going to do all the research i can.

babybrooks1213 · August 2014

thanks

MollyC20 · August 2014

I use CD for my daughter (now 2) and really love them. I wouldn't say they're EASIER... They're not difficult, just different ... You have to be ok with doing a load every other day (it becomes second nature), spraying poop off, stuff like that!

But literally I've spent about $800 total on my CD (and that's with me getting name brand diapers), and that's it the whole 2 yrs (I bought FuzziBunz one size so they fit from newborn to when she's done with them). I use cloth wipes too. So financially they're awesome!

I also love them because my daughter has only had a rash when she had diarrhea from medicine.. Great for they're little booties!!

If you have any questions feel free to PM me!

Liss1481 · August 2014

Definitely check out the cloth diaper board, and cotton babies is a great site. We didn't start cloth with DS1 until he was about 1.5-2 months old, but we're planning on starting right away for DS2. We're planning on prefolds/covers for the newborn stage and then will switch to one-size pocket diapers when he's big enough.

It's intimidating in the beginning with all the information and options available, but it's actually really easy and convenient. MH wasn't sold in the beginning, but he actually didn't mind it at all. Good luck!

ETA: Oh, and some sites offer diaper package trials so you can see what types you like, etc.

babybrooks1213 · August 2014

thanks so much!

miss.brittany · August 2014

We use cloth with our oldest and have loved it. I truly feel we have saved so much money. And DH and I both work full time jobs and we still have time to use cloth. We wash diapers every other night. I have tried several brands. My absolute favorite are the BumGenius freetimes (they are more expensive but they're adjustable so they are one size fits all, and they're all in one so there's no putting them together it's already one piece). I feel they are the most absorbent, the best quality, and are very user friendly. The only downside to a one size diaper is despite sizing down to fit an 8 lb baby, they just aren't designed for tiny newborn legs. We used disposables until our first was big enough for the one size cloth, which was at 3 months old. She'd 18 months old now and still wearing the same diapers with no issues and they fit great! If you want to start with cloth from day one you will need some sort of newborn cloth diaper. We have enjoyed cloth so much that this time I did buy a newborn stash so we can start earlier.

Check out the website kellyscloset.com. They sell cloth diapers and accessories but they also have lots of informational and how to guides as well. Good luck!

DaniGrace89 · August 2014

I plan on trying it out with prefolds and covers after meconium up until the introduction of solids...because breast milk poop is water soluble....meaning no poop disposal, just toss in laundry.

I'm not committing 100%, but I'd like to try it.

mrshudson618 · August 2014

Seriously visit the CD board.

I cloth diaper DS who is 13 months right now. We decided on cloth mainly to save money, which is especially great as we will have 2 in diapers. I have spent about $700 on diapers, and I didn't have to spend a single thing on diapers for this baby. (Didn't HAVE to, but I did buy a few new ones just because.)

Exclusively breast or formula fed poop is completely water soluible. You literally just throw the diaper into the washer as is. Once baby starts solids, poop needs to be removed. Lots of people use a diaper sprayer, but I prefer the "dunk and swish" method.

Most "modern' cloth diapers(pockets, All-in-ones, and All-in-twos) come in either "one size" or newborn. One size diapers usually start to fit around 10 lbs, or 6-8 weeks, but it depends on the baby. Most OS diapers say they will fit from 6 or 8 lbs, but the skinny nb legs actually prevent them from fitting that soon. Many brands also make sized diapers that come in XS,S,M,L that arent adjustable. With "old fashioned diapers" (prefolds or flats) there are many different sizes. Flats can generally truly be one sized, fitting a nb or a toddler, depending on the fold. Some prefold brands come in 5 differnt sizes, some only come in 2.

I highly recommend this 7 part series on youtube for anyone considering it. It explains all the different kinds of modern cloth diapers and how they work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVo6SMebcX8

I personally preferred prefolds and covers until DS was almost a year and diapers changes became a wrestling match. Now we use a mix of prefolds and pocket diapers.

My personal recs: (These are all basically the cheapest you can get, while still having great quality)

Prefolds: https://www.nickisdiapers.com/indian-prefold-diapers-dozen.html

Covers: https://www.assuntastore.com/Diapering/Tiny-Diaper-Cover-p129.html

Pockets: https://www.superstash.net/kawaii-redesigned-square-tab-snap/

https://www.superstash.net/kawaii-redesigned-pure-natural/

Saragoeswest · August 2014

I'm a FTM but I'm going to answer anyway. We're committing to the gDiapers system. It's a hybrid between cloth and disposable. Their website explains the whole deal. Very easy to read and understand. Maybe give it a look.

babybrooks1213 · August 2014

you are amazing, thanks so much! def gonna check this out.

babybrooks1213 · August 2014

i definitely will, thank you.

mrshudson618 · August 2014

@saragoeswest Do you mind me asking what made you choose gDiapers? Like you said they are a hybrid of cloth and disposables. Why not choose one or the other? You are basically choosing both, so you have the worst of both worlds. Not to mention they are one of the most expensive options out there.

Not trying to hate, just genuinely curious what is attractive about them.

SCMomma · August 2014

We did cloth with #1 and loved it. Definitely doing it again. We spent less than $300. We used mostly Flip covers and a few pocket diapers (like three) for night time.

Prefolds or flats with covers are awesome for newborns. If you want to spend a little more, you could go with fitteds and covers. I don't remember what prefolds I used for the newborn stage, but I know I was pretty happy with Thirsties one size covers. (I don't like the larger sized Thirsties though..they have a funky fit to me) BumGenius is a good brand, and I have a few cheaper Kawaii diapers that are still in good shape after a years use.

As a PP mentioned, there are disposable options for several cloth diaper brands. A lot of people use them while traveling.

As for the poop...you get over it really quickly. After being on solids for a while the poop pretty much just rolls off the diaper into the toilet. I've also never once experienced a poopsplosion with a cloth diaper...disposables on the other hand have left me dealing with poop halfway up the back of a onesie. *shudder*

Cottonbabies has already been mentioned (free shipping!). greenmountaindiapers.com has pictures of newborns in different brands.

Saragoeswest · August 2014

@mrshudson618‌ hi there! My neighbor gave us all of her size small gPants. That is what got the ball rolling. I read about them and like that they have reusable inserts in addition to disposable. I foresee us using the reusable ones at home and the disposable ones on the go. I like the idea of using the disposable inserts versus disposable diapers bc the wet ones I can compost (I already compost) and the dirty ones are flushable. So there's no trash no matter which inserts we use. I got a great deal on a set of mediums on Zulily. I hope I haven't made a mistake in going this route but I feel good about it right now.

hippohat · August 2014

I tried it with DD and never looked back! I waited until she was 2-3 months old to start and will do the same this time for 2 reasons - part of why I use cloth is for saving money, I don't want to buy a newborn stash that will only get used for a number of weeks. The other reason is that newborn-hood is crazy, I'm fine with using disposables until we're settled in with BF, etc. Take you time and do some research, if there's a cloth store in your area see if they have an intro class and a way for your to see/feel the different diapers. That was SO helpful. I started with pre-folds, then realized how quickly she outgrew everyhting and went with all AIO's, I use BG 4.0 snaps. I have a tiny stash, 15 diapers - just enough for 2-ish days (with a disposable at night once she was bigger). They were all worn for over 2 years and beyond replacing the leg elastic they are in perfect condition for #2. I've converted a number of people to cloth, I really love it! As for poop - with disposables there will be many a blow-out, meaning poo on lots of baby's and your clothes. Those go in the wash, so there's no difference to me. Older poo just rolls off, I never needed a sprayer.

lisamahrt · August 2014

For how much money we save it is totally worth it! But we were looking at ways to save money when I deciding to stay at home with the LO! Look up places that sell cloth diapers near you. Usually they offer free classes! I personally love cotton Babies. They have free shipping, free customer service support, great blog with info and I love their diapers. I used their flips with prefolds up till LO started walking then found it didn't stay put as well. From 1 month on I have used bum genius 4.0 , freetimes and flips during the day and their elemental (organic) at night. they are one size, so diaper grows with baby. The 4.0 works well as a swim diaper as well. I have spent less than 500 for diapers and wet bags. I do buy disposables for travel and when she is at a babysitters.

But I think going to a class is your best bet to really see what options you have! Good Luck!

DiannaVB · August 2014

Our favorite brand is Blueberry Simplex but they are on the pricey side. You can't go wrong with Bumgenius. G diapers don't get the best reviews but different diapers work best for different babies. Just don't put all your money in one place.

We bought a full newborn and a full one-size stash. For this second baby we don't have to buy anything. We also did mostly pockets and all-in-ones. If I could go back it would be entirely all-in-ones. They are easy to grab straight from the laundry basket to baby butt.

Definitely check out the youtube videos a PP suggested. They are really informative.

If it doesn't work out you can always resell. The more mainstream brands really hold their value.

ashleyvictoria · August 2014

I'm a FTM, but really wanted to do cloth with my LO. But he's going to be in daycare full time starting at 4 months and I don't know of any daycare (outside of a home daycare) that would be willing to accomodate CD. I'm a little bummed about this, but have decided to go with the Honest Co disposabes to at least eliminate the chemicals.

windwithfingers · August 2014

I'm going to use a diaper service after I get the hang of diapering. My MIL cloth diapered both her kids, so she's been really encouraging and will provide advice and support. I still plan on using disposables when out and about and when convenient (I got A LOT at my shower in all different sizes). My mom will be my primary caregiver, and I told her if she wants to spend money on disposables, she can, but I'll be using cloth at home.

krazyinsane · August 2014

DD#1 was fully disposables.
DD#2 was sposies until 16 months when she had a horrible rash I couldn't get rid of (I had bought a few cloth for DD#3 since I could just toss her BF poppy diapers in the wash)
DD#3 is 98% cloth with occasional sposies and DS will be the same. I use mainly pockets once were out of the newborn AIO's.

MsMacual · August 2014

I researched cloth diapering a ton before we had our son and we decided against it for a few reasons- first, it is a huge committment on two fronts- financial and laundry. All of the parents that I know have said that building their stash of diapers was expensive and they saw the savings when they had their second child and beyond. In terms of laundry- I'm not the biggest fan of doing laundry as it is and the thought of having to run loads of diapers pretty frequently made me rethink if it would work well for us.

Second- I work full time and spent about 2 hours per day commuting at that point. I realized that I had to prioritize our parenting decisions and breastfeeding until a year or longer was more important to me than using cloth diapers. Some nights, it was a struggle just to get dinner on the table, take care of our son, and get pump parts washed and ready for the next day.

Third- our daycare wasn't going to allow us to use cloth while at daycare.

I'm totally envious of the moms who make it work b/c I think it is awesome. I just knew that it would be a total disaster and stress point for me.

Roseypants · August 2014

If I were a stay at home mom and wanted to commit the time to it, I would try it. I would rather pay for disposables and just throw them away. I definitely don't want to deal with that in the middle of the night. Newborn's poop and pee soooooo much, It just seems like such a pain IMO.

miriamm08 · August 2014

FTM and I plan on CD after about the first week (I just couldn't imagine that I'd want to come home from the hospital and immediately do a load of laundry, that's just me though). I got my NB stash from green mountain diapers. I plan on using prefolds and covers in the beginning, and go from there after we see how we like using them. I've done tons of research from almost as soon as we got pregnant because I was pretty certain that was the route I wanted to take with diapering, one because of the cost savings, and two I just feel better about putting cloth on my babies bottom. It's taken some convincing for DH, but I think for the most part, he is on board for at least trying them.

Edited because I wasn't finished typing.

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