Calling All Cloth Diaper Mamas!

ToasterCat · September 2014

It looks like a lot of the ladies here are already doing it or interested in trying it. I am one of those moms looking to switch over to cloth for this child.

If you are an experienced CD-er, tell us what you love about it, what you don't love about it, and maybe share some insights with us newbs?
What are your favorite brands/types, and how do you do what you do?

torileea · September 2014

To be honest I suck at actual laundry lol.. But I suggest getting a few different brands every baby is different. We used bum genius and gdiapers and then a local wahms(work at home moms) i much preferred 4 layer bamboo inserts or charcoal bamboo, micro fibre was alright but not as good and can irritate babies skin. Oh and a diaper sprayer!

CoozieInMyPurse · September 2014

Anyone a working/commuting mom who CDs? I want to do it (as long as the day care goes along), but I spend eight hours at work and nearly two hours a day commuting. I'm worried the extra laundry will just be too much.

Lark425 · September 2014

My sis has used CDs for years on all 7 of her kids, she says that she likes the brand Simplex the best and that she stays away from all things Velcro. She likes snaps because they last longer and she is not a fan of AIO because they take too long to dry.

On a side note to those interested, all the day cares that I've been looking into don't allow cloth diapering because they think it takes too long and that it's a health risk. They also don't allow breast milk because it's a hazardous waste! I am trying to research in home day cares now. Ugh, it's so hard.

MrsLaurenandDan · September 2014

We have CDed since Owen came home from the NICU. We used mainly gmd prefolds and thirsties xs covers in the beginning with a stash of fuzzibuns xs pockets and some fitters for nights or when we were out.

Once he fit into OS we had a variety of mostly pockets. We did Velcro for night (it fit extra stuffing better) and snaps for day. I'm glad we didn't do all Velcro, because my Velcro is wearing out and needs to be replaced.

We scouted daycares,. But didn't use them at the last minute. But I only looked at ones that took CDs. Our local CD store had a list on their website of which local daycares would accept cloth. Our preschool here allows them too.

The biggest difference I've noticed from friends that use disposables is mine take up way more room in the diaper bag. But diaper laundry never seemed like a big hassle. Oh and my kiddo has terrible reactions to disposable diapers and wipes. That was part of our potty training push, was our preschool provided wipes and he had a terrible rash from them.

kellbell1982 · September 2014

I'm really ignorant to how cd works. Do you flush the bm into the toilet and does it stain the diaper? Do u need to use safety pins to hold it on? H really wants to use cd

Ardmhs83 · September 2014

Thanks for posting this!! I'm thinking about making the switch too!

SaltandVinegar · September 2014

I posted a question in the CD area (board?forum?) and got a very detailed and helpful response

clicky

I have been watching a ton of youtube videos too because I am totally sold but DH is not. He has agreed but not very enthusiastic about it so I want to figure out as much as I can upfront before he gives up on the idea

I've called a few daycares in my area and most already have accommodations for it. A few said they had never been asked that question before and said they would consider it. Only one said no way.

I don't mind doing laundry (just hate folding) I am most worried about making sure they come clean & stink free.

kellbell1982 · September 2014

Thank you @south_myst‌ and @Chunkymonkeylvr‌!! I didn't know those things and am embarrassed to admit that I used to throw out most of DD's poopy diapers.

FrecklesInside · September 2014

I'm late to this party so I might sound like a broken record.

I did A LOT of research before starting and read a shit ton of reviews. I knew what the best diapers were and started with a variety. We CDed staring the day we came home from the hospital and haven't looked back. It just went along with all of the other extra work that comes with taking care of a baby so it never felt difficult or like a challenge. Our favorites ended up being BG 4.0s and Blueberry Simplex AIO. The Simplex are trimmer than the BGs but more expensive. We liked Apple Cheeks in size 1 but the size 2s aren't working. We hated RaRs and are selling ours, as well as our Tots Bots (never fit right). We use hemp doublers for added absorbancy. I totally recommend MonkeyFoot Design for larger wetbags (we have two that swap out for each wash cycle), and Blueberry for smaller on the go wetbags. Don't bother making your own diaper sprayer, the parts cost the same as just buying one. Cloth wipes are easy and make sense if you're going to CD, so that is another cost to factor in. We either use water or a mixture of water, tea tree oil, baby wash and witch hazel and just pour it over the wipes in a plastic container. We have a small MFD wetbag that is our on the go cloth wipe wetbag. We have some fitteds (mostly Twinkie Tush) but that is a whole other CDing world. Some people do just fitteds, but in order to do that without covers (which is the only way it would be worthwhile), my kid would have to walk around in a diaper and I like to get my kid dressed. We do use fitteds overnight.

There have been no cons in our experience. CDs are environmentally friendly, cost effective, cute, easy to use, and comfortable for our LO. Whenever we have to use disposables (more than a 2 day trip) I hate putting them on E because they feel so gross compared to her cloth. Think about what you'd rather wear...Anyhow, the upfront cost can get pricey, especially when you have more than needed (like me), but think about what it would cost to do disposables for years and you can't ever sell those back while my diapers will retain quite a value even after being used for two kids! Win, win, win, win, win. CDing is awesome.

JEPES1348 · September 2014

I work full time, and the laundry isn't a big deal. It's not like it takes any time really- you push a few buttons, walk away, push a few more, add detergent, the end.

Our daycare is fine with using our CDs, and they've never thrown any out. We provide a wetbag everyday and they put her diapers in there at each change and we take the bag home at the end of the day.

I love not caring how often I change (because it's already purchased- it's no extra cost), and I love that we'll never run out of diapers and have to go to the store to get more. We've had zero diaper rashes that we couldn't clear up in a few hours to a day or two at most. And we've never had a poopslosion in cloth.

The only part I don't love is the spraying of poo once LO starts solids. BF and FF poo is totally water soluble, and can just be spun out in the pre-wash and it goes away. Solids are a different story, and you have to get rid of it before putting in your washer. A diaper sprayer is a must, IMO. Makes life so much easier.

We use Best Bottoms (AI2 system) with both the stay dry and the hemp/cotton inserts. I like that they dry faster, I can add absorbency, and if it's just pee I can reuse the cover. We use Twinkie Tush fitteds with Blueberry coveralls for nighttime. They're expensive, but hold a ton, and can also be used without a cover for a few hours during the day before the outside starts to feel damp. Best Bottoms are our daily go-to diaper though.

You also have to have a newborn stash- OS diapers will not fit a newborn, even if they're 9 lbs (spaghetti legs). The NB stash is pretty cheap and has excellent resale value, since its only used for a couple months. Also, it will hold up well for future kids, which is awesome when you consider how many changes a NB needs each day. I don't have to purchase any diapers for #2, so I feel it was worth my investment.

I remember being overwhelmed when I first thought about cloth diapering. Once I jumped all in and just did it, it was really NBD.

spectacularfailure · September 2014

Definitely don't consider myself experienced. I actually didn't start cloth diapering until my daughter was 16 months. She's 20 months now... Wow, it seems like longer than that. Anyway, we use Best Bottoms with large inserts and love them! She used to wake up wet every single morning and now she is dry every morning. We use the microfiber (because it's cheaper) but at night we use either a large mf insert with a hemp overnight one or a large mf insert with a small one underneath. We have eight covers and enough inserts for about 2.5 days with a toddler. We wash every other night. Just throw them in before bed and hubby hangs up the covers and throws the inserts in the dryer before he leaves for work in the morning. We haven't had any problems with leaking until recently. But I think that's just because she's getting closer to potty training so she holds it for longer and pees a lot all at once. She'll be dry, dry, dry, then leaking! But as long as we pay closer attention, it's fine. Also, we were using disposable wipes when we first started using cloth diapers cause we had some left, but they were such a pain because then we had a poopy wipe without a diaper to wrap it up in. Cloth wipes are soooo much easier when using cloth diapers! I just bought some cheap baby washcloths. The first few times I made a nice wipes solution but right now I'm just using water. Now that I am expecting again, we aren't planning on using the small inserts with a newborn because they don't cover a lot of the cover and ebf poop get everywhere. I ordered a bunch of Clotheez prefolds from Green Mountain Diapers and when they get here I'm going to sew them into fitteds to use under our Best Bottom covers. Hopefully that will contain more and I don't have to buy more covers.

ashleyrh661 · September 2014

We cloth diapered from about 6 weeks. I bought all fuzzibunz to begin with and loved them in the beginning until I had to adjust the fit. So hard and annoying to change the elastic. I'm going to get Flips this time around. I have a girlfriend who loves them. I had a couple Bum Genius and loved them.
Get a sprayer once you start baby on solids. I consider it a must!
We used rock n green detergent and NEVER had issues with stink. And we have very hard water.
No downsides of cloth diapering.

uneek1323 · September 2014

I'm so completely overwhelmed by all things CD. I would love to. I've done a lot of reading on it and watched a lot of youtube videos but I can't get over all the lingo. Thirsties and squishies and prefolds. Gah!

This question might be better for the CD board, but I'm here and not there so you're stuck with me. My daycare doesn't CD and it's not worth looking into another place because I work in the same building as the Infant Center and I get a huge discount on tuition. So knowing that I'll have to buy disposables for during the day Mon-Fri, is CD still worth it for evenings, nights, and weekends?

copperrose · September 2014

I was a bit of a CD junkie back with DD and am seriously sitting on my hands to not buy more. When we started out we found a local store and they actually did info sessions. I also immersed myself on the CD board here and just lurked a lot and paid attention to people's stashes and how they built them.

I can't say we have a favorite because we tried any and everything and I found different ones worked better at different times-crawling, walking, pee often v. pee a lot.
Our newborn stash is kissaluvs, workhorse diapers, and prefolds. Prefolds are the cheapest route and you don't need anything too absorbent in the beginning so they were perfect.

We've never had an issue with DC but I've heard if you bring a diaper to show them during the initial visit it helps because there is usually some misunderstanding.

salmphil · September 2014

This info is a goldmine! I'll be sure to check out the other, CD forum too. How many CDs do you buy to start out?

honkytonk_kid · September 2014

salmphil said:

This info is a goldmine! I'll be sure to check out the other, CD forum too. How many CDs do you buy to start out?

Depends on how often you want to do laundry. I would recommend counting on at least 10-12 changes a day in the beginning. So if you want to wash every other day 20-24 diapers. That can be 24 all in ones, or 24 prefolds and 6-7 covers, or some combo of the different types.

crunchymamaof2 · September 2014

We cloth diapered are first and attempted with our second but the diapers we had just didn't fit him the same. I say my first got the cloth, my second got the boobs lol. I started by buying a bunch used, all different types and brands. I'd save what I liked and resold what I didn't. Then target started selling BG pockets and my redcard began to hate me. I preferred all in ones (these don't come with an insert) as I hated stuffing pockets. Bumgenius was one of my favorites, as was a wahm named Rachel who created the chelory brand. She custom made me a few before she blew up and became the new it thing. I also really like thirsties products, kiwi pie organic fitteds, and bummis covers.

I ended up selling our entire stash (at least 30 bgs, a dozen fitteds, a dozen or so covers, 1-2 dozen pockets, plus other various prefolds and diapers) for $300. I won't lie, I cried a little that day.

My advice? Don't be scared of newborn diapers. Everyone said they'd be a waste of money as they wouldn't fit long, etc. both my kids fit into newborn size for 3 months. One size diapers were massive. I'd rather have well fitting diapers that cost a bit more than have my newborn have extreme bubble butt

honkytonk_kid · September 2014

I love cloth diapers!! We rarely if ever had blowouts in cloth, never leaked unless I went way too long between changes, never had diaper rash problems, saved a ton of money. The laundry is not even that bad, I see it as different from regular laundry because they are cute and fluffy

In the beginning we used greenmountaindiapers prefolds and a variety of covers. My favorite covers were Flip, love the stretchy tabs. Always snaps, not velcro. I had some snappis but I preferred to just trifold the prefolds.

I got into sewing my own, and my favorite pattern is/was Nykibaby pocket. I like pockets because you can stuff anything absorbent into them- we continued using the yellow edge infant prefolds from GMD and a extra soaker when needed. I also love covers made from the Nykibaby pattern.

Tossed them into a pail or wetbag (this time I think I will do pail with liner and lid). H thought it stunk sometimes, I didn't unless you stuck your face into the pile, so umm... don't? The whole wetbag went into the washer every couple days. Cold rinse, hot hot wash with cd safe detergent, extra rinse. Line dry covers, prefolds in the dryer. Easy peasy

We started looking for childcare when P was almost a year- to be honest I did not consider any place that would not accept cloth diapers. Not because I was so hardcore, we definitely sent disposables sometimes, but because I felt it was indicative of a further problem of not being flexible with parent's wishes.

Oh my, now I can't wait to get my fluff out and/or sew more!

crunchymamaof2 · September 2014

And get a diaper sprayer!

crunchymamaof2 · September 2014

@katydid2014 the soft bums are great but can run on the bulky side. It's nice to only have to change the insert. You don't need a separate cover. The soft bums omni allowed you to snap the insert or stuff the pocket as well.

Robi1 · September 2014

Add me to the CD love group. My favorite thing? For baby #2 I will not have to buy a single diaper, wipe, diaper storage device, or any accessories. I might buy some more diapers because they're cute, but I don't have to buy anything, and I don't have the regular expense and chore of buying diapers and wipes.

We use Bumgenius 4.0 pockets for one size, and have about 30 in our stash, which is more than we need, but should be plenty if we end up with two in one size at the same time. The laundry is such a small deal - I don't know why people worry about it so much. It takes 2 minutes to dump it in the washer, 2 minutes to move to dryer, maybe 5-6 minutes if you want to hang them up to dry, and maybe 10 minutes to stuff pockets and put stuff away (less if you use prefolds or AIOs). So a few minutes here and there over a day or two, and I do that 2-3x/week. Seriously no big deal.

My DD has never worn a disposable diaper - she's been CD'd since she was born. We were very glad to have a full newborn stash (we used fitteds, prefolds and covers) and we used it for about three months. I bought it used and it's still in great shape for the next (several?) kid(s). Definitely worth the investment.

While in comparison, a CD definitely takes up a lot more space than a disposable, I never felt like my diaper bag is an bulkier than others, in fact I have a pretty small diaper bag. It easily fits 4 pocket diapers, which is what I usually bring, though I rarely need them all. If I'm going out for an all day event or something, I might bring an extra bag, but I usually want an extra bag for clothes, food, swim/sun gear, toys, etc anyway.

We've successfully CD'd on planes, road trips, camping trips, all sorts of outings and events and vacations. It's really no more difficult than disposable, except you have to figure out where to do laundry if you're out and about.

We have had almost no blowouts (only time we've had blowouts is with a few ill fitting diapers that I tried early on a sold, and occasionally some leaking when she's ready to move to a different size setting) and very little leaking. No smell issues, except with her overnight inserts which get 13+ hours of pee in them, and that was solved by soaking. We have had ZERO long term staining. I sometimes sun the stains out, but to be honest even when I go a while without sunning, the small stains that do appear come out in the wash on their own after a few times.

I've used disposable bamboo liners when we had a yeast rash, but other than that I found them pretty pointless. We use coconut oil and CJs for rashes, but not on a regular basis, and she's been pretty rash free for the most part.

I've had success selling and trading diapers as well as buying diapers used. There's definitely a market for used diapers and you can make back a decent amount of money for diapers in good shape. Can't say that about disposables!

It helped my husband to use cloth from the start, so he never got used to disposables and didn't have to make a "switch". He actually changed his first disposable diaper ever last week (a different baby) and talked about how glad he was we didn't use them and can't believe everyone else does. There's nothing inherently more difficult or more "gross" about cloth than disposables, IMO.

Ultimately, there are really no downsides that I can see. We love them and can't wait to continue to use them and reap the savings for our future kiddos.

FrecklesInside · September 2014

Oh, things I didn't address: We use Grandma El's for a CD safe cream. Coconut oil didn't cut it and we tried GroVia's stick and didn't like it.

For daycare: Before you accept a no, bring them in some samples. A lot of people, I mean A LOT have no idea how incredible modern CDs are. They might be swayed by actually seeing, touching, and using one. The daycare E was at before I left my job was hesitant until I pulled them out of the bag, then they were fine with it. They never lost any or threw any out. We were able to use one wetbag for the day but some will want a wetbag per diaper. There isn't a good reason a daycare would refuse CDs, you could do whatever you need to to accommodate them. Last ditch effort: get a doctor's note. Most pedi's wouldn't mind writing a note saying your kid needs CDs (skin sensitivity or whatever). All of that said, if you can't have CDs at daycare, still worth it for evenings and weekends, IMO.

thejucheidea · September 2014

We're using a cloth diaper service, so they'll take care of the laundry for us. They wash the prefolds weekly and we're just responsible for the covers. Husband is way more into it than I thought he would be, so I'm pleased.

copperrose · September 2014

@crunchymamaof2 I was around when chelory blew up. I had one and totally did not get the hype. I've done my fair share of diaper stalking and never felt the need to stalk for one of those.

colleen4019 · September 2014

FTM here, hoping to CD- what's a wet bag & where do I get it?

colleen4019 · September 2014

katydid2014 said:

colleen4019 said:

FTM here, hoping to CD- what's a wet bag & where do I get it?

You seriously couldn't google this? Here.

Sorry- I for that, I did google but I still wasn't sure. I mean more, do you use it at home for all dirty diapers? Or Just when you're out?

SaltandVinegar · September 2014

@ honkytonk_kid

Sew your own? I am not a great sewer but have a machine and have dabbled a bit. Is it hard? I feel like once you get the pattern down this would be best because you could customize to fit your baby- chunky vs skinny legs, etc. Also, how does cost compare? I know fabric itself can get expensive too.

crunchymamaof2 · September 2014

@copperrose I liked her diapers, and she turned my husbands shirt into one for my son, which I loved. But I wasn't paying $30+ for one of her diapers! and did a lot of trades with her as well. There are very few diapers I'm willing to pay that for, and I'm not into the whole stalking thing.

Now Zabi baby made us some customs and I'd pay that for hers!

colleen4019 · September 2014

jcar2 said:

colleen4019 said:

katydid2014 said:

colleen4019 said:

FTM here, hoping to CD- what's a wet bag & where do I get it?

You seriously couldn't google this? Here.
Sorry- I for that, I did google but I still wasn't sure. I mean more, do you use it at home for all dirty diapers? Or Just when you're out?

Both. I use a large wet bag at home to store dirty diapers and a medium wet bag for the diaper bag/daycare. You can use a pail liner or wet bag to store dirty diapers at home. It's up to personal preference.

Thanks! I've done some reading in Pinterest/blogs but I think I need to actually buy some supplies to see what I'm going to be working with. I've never known anyone who CD'ed (in person) and I feel like some if the blogs assume that you've got all of your stuff/know what it all is.

colleen4019 · September 2014

jcar2 said:

colleen4019 said:

jcar2 said:

colleen4019 said:

katydid2014 said:

colleen4019 said:

FTM here, hoping to CD- what's a wet bag & where do I get it?

You seriously couldn't google this? Here.
Sorry- I for that, I did google but I still wasn't sure. I mean more, do you use it at home for all dirty diapers? Or Just when you're out?

Both. I use a large wet bag at home to store dirty diapers and a medium wet bag for the diaper bag/daycare. You can use a pail liner or wet bag to store dirty diapers at home. It's up to personal preference.

Thanks! I've done some reading in Pinterest/blogs but I think I need to actually buy some supplies to see what I'm going to be working with. I've never known anyone who CD'ed (in person) and I feel like some if the blogs assume that you've got all of your stuff/know what it all is.

For blogs, Dirty Diaper Laundry has a good one with reviews of diapers as well as a lot info. She also has a YouTube channel. I would check her out.

Thanks- I will!

honkytonk_kid · September 2014

KATE732 said:

@ honkytonk_kid

Sew your own? I am not a great sewer but have a machine and have dabbled a bit. Is it hard? I feel like once you get the pattern down this would be best because you could customize to fit your baby- chunky vs skinny legs, etc. Also, how does cost compare? I know fabric itself can get expensive too.

It's not hard, per se, there is just a bit of a learning curve and some start up costs, ie fabric, snaps, snap pliers, etc.

I would recommend reading some tutorials and checking out this babycenter group: https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a4718385/cloth_diaper_sewing_101

I have used PUL from etsy, fabric.com, and Joanns. I like the babyville line at joann's. It's thick and easy to sew with, and there are always coupons so it's not too expensive.

As far as overall cost, it really depends on how into it you get! It can be done VERY cheaply, or you can get sucked into making more and buying cute fabric. Or so I've heard

I still don't think I have spent anywhere near what I would have on disposables, and now I still have basically a full set for future kids, or I can sell them... to buy more fabric...

Skrittens · September 2014

This thread is awesome! I thought I couldn't cloth diaper because I work full time and I hate pins and soaking things (maybe a bad excuse but I know myself and how lazy I can be). My only knowledge of CDs is from my mother - who used them on me 37 years ago - and things have changed a lot!! My H has agreed we can try it on the babe - I am actually excited about it - and how much $$ it will save!

meremor23 · September 2014

We use Just Simply Baby and I also have some Charlie Bananas, Jungle Roo, and Lotus Bumz. For newborn diapers, I have all in one THX from a co-op on facebook. I LOVE cloth. It doesn't blow out like disposables and before six months, literally all you have to do is toss it in the washer. I much prefer to clean poo in my washing machine without ever touching it than clean it out of my car seat after a blowout. After six months it really isn't bad either, you just need to plop the poo. I don't spend money on diapers each month, don't have to worry about how many in what size to buy, don't have to coupon, don't have to run out to the store, nothing. Love cloth.

drudolph11 · September 2014

Wow oh WOW! Lol I didn't realize how expensive they were each going to be lol. I know they are deff cheaper in the long run. My question is, for those who do use them how many do you own for one child? And how long do they last before having to get rid of them all together and how easy are they to clean?

drudolph11 · September 2014

FYI...I just checked eBay and they are much much cheaper on there lol and OMG they are too too freaking CUTE!!! I want them all now!!

crunchymamaof2 · September 2014

drudolph11 said:

FYI...I just checked eBay and they are much much cheaper on there lol and OMG they are too too freaking CUTE!!! I want them all now!!

@drudolph11 be careful with ebay. A lot of them are rip offs of actual diaper brands. The best place to get used, cheap diapers is craigslist, joining a coop on Facebook, or check out the fsot on diaperswappers.com. Some people love the ebay diapers but just realize what you're buying. I loved Alvas personally. If you're okay with them only lasting one kid go for it, see if you like cloth! But if you want long lasting diapers I'd spend more tbh.

When my first was around 6-8 mons old I got bored and created a spreadsheet to compare costs. I have a cloth addiction and went a little nuts, and by that time we had probably spent close to $500-$600 on diapers and accessories. That doesn't factor in money I made back by selling so it was a bit less than that. If I had used pampers, the sposie I would have used at he time, I would have spent closer to $1000. So even though it seems like a lot up front you will save money in the long run. We don't have a water bill so that helps too.

All that said, I could have easily diapered either baby on $200 or less. 24-36 diapers, a wetbag, diaper sprayer, and a couple accessories and you're good to go. There are rental programs too so you can try before you buy.

@toastercat this thread is making me want to go back to cloth for this baby!

Bluebell0315 · September 2014

I work in a daycare, but I've never had a baby with cloth diapers. A couple of my coworkers have, and they just take it off and put a disposable one on after the parents leave. They don't really know what to do with the used ones other than putting them in a bag or something, and then the room smells like whatever's in the bag for the rest of the day. Disposables are taken to the dumpster outside.

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