CD. opinions, advice, tips, con's, pros???

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

So I am really considering making the switch to cloth diapers. I really wanted to with dd but was talked out of it by some people who honestly didn't really know what they were talking about. I've researched and looked around. Just want advice from someone btdt, like tips l, best diapers, overnight etc. I'm pretty sure my mind is made up but just want an idea about what I'm getting into since I'll be a newbie.

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

I feel disposables are wasteful, all the money to just throw away plus its a lot of trash and I don't like being overly wasteful. Its a nice idea to save the money overtime, instead of continuing to throw it away. Also all the chemicals in disposables, they even smell funny. I just feel like over all they are better for planet and lo. I've looked at a lot and I like the idea of AI2s bit would appreciate seeing how they are for others. And thank you I will check out the check ins.

Alaska_Bride · November 2014

We use prefolds and covers (diaper rite prefolds and thirsties duo covers with snaps). They are super easy to wash - I just do a cold rinse, hot wash with detergent, followed by another cold rinse. Then I sun any stained diapers on a drying rack (works even through a window), throw the rest in the dryer and hang the covers to dry. There are easier diapers out there, like AOIs, but I like our prefolds because they are cheap and easy to get a good fit. We are using disposables at night right now, but we're hoping to make the switch to fitteds with a cover at night soon.

bumpuser10150228 · November 2014

I hated it at first but now I love it. I do the cheapest option, plain prefolds, a snappy to fasten it, and a couple of thirsties covers. We use disposables overnight and when traveling though.

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

Thanking you ladies so much. I was looking at the best bottoms and liked those so good to know those are a good pick. I saw a couple other brands i was looking at too so I'll try them out. I now have a few different options to try, you guys are really helpful.

gahorseygal · November 2014

Do a diaper trial program. I did one with Diaper Junction and it was great to try out a variety of diapers and then send the ones we didn't like back. There are quite a few trial programs out there, check them out!

SLMckinnon · November 2014

I use pockets and don't mind stuffing them! I also am not working so it can see that being more of a hassle to find the time. I wash every 3rd day, cold quick wash and a long warm wash surf detergent and borax (because I have hard water). No extra rinses also due to the hard water

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

Is there a test for hard water? I'm also staying at home so extra prep time etc won't really bother me.

kaitm22 · November 2014

dobbysocks33 said:

Is there a test for hard water? I'm also staying at home so extra prep time etc won't really bother me.

Do you have a well or city water?

SLMckinnon · November 2014

dobbysocks33 said:
Is there a test for hard water? I'm also staying at home so extra prep time etc won't really bother me.

You can get them at hardware stores or online. I joined a local Facebook cloth diapering group and learned there that my city has hard water so I didn't actually test mine

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

@kaitm22‌ we have city water.
@SLMckinnon‌ so I can get it at like home depot or lowes ? Something like that?

SLMckinnon · November 2014

I believe you can! That's what I was told anyways...

ETA: just looked it up, lowes sells one (in canada at least)

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

Okay thanks I'll have to check into that.

shevaCC · November 2014

I use prefolds and covers. I just tri-fold the prefold (like you're folding a letter) and set it inside the cover then put the cover on DS. I tried pockets but found stuffing them annoying.

Strangely enough, I find pee and poop much less gross in cloth than disposable diapers. I guess it's the strange chemical smell that gets to me more than the actual pee.

noycela · November 2014

I have some AIOs, pockets, and prefolds. My fav (and by far the least expensive) is prefolds and covers. I have 4 Flip covers and 24 OsoCozy prefolds and end up having to do laundry about twice a week. We've had no leak issues and do nothing special at night.

Robinischo · November 2014

I love CD, and so does DH! We have a variety of diapers because I wasnt sure what we would like. We have flats, prefolds, fitteds (GMD wh), pockets, and AIOs in a few different brands. We like flats and workhorses best, but the pockets and AIO are good for daycare.

Our favorite brands are GMD for WH, flats, and prefolds, Blueberry for covers and AIO (simplex), Thirsties for covers and sized Duo AIO, and BG for pockets.

I think I want to destash my RAR and Moraki, and I'm not sure how I feel about my nickis baio and kawaii diapers.

I work full-time, but I don't mind diaper laundry. We do a rinse on cold, hot wash with tide, and then throw half of it in the dryer and half we hang to dry. We wash every 2 or 3 days.

I could talk diapers all day. Feel free to pm me anytime.

(Edited bc of autocorrect)

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

You guys are awesome. Its helped me pick a few things to try out. I'm trying to build a stash so I can start soon. Just hard to budget with the holidays. I also hate paying for shipping lol, so trying to find things local as well but that's almost impossible. Ive ordered enough to at least do part time for now, once they get here, may have to get the rest after the holidays. And I have a better insight as to washing. I'm sure I'll come up with questions so I'll remember you @Robinischo‌.

kaitm22 · November 2014

dobbysocks33 said:

You guys are awesome. Its helped me pick a few things to try out. I'm trying to build a stash so I can start soon. Just hard to budget with the holidays. I also hate paying for shipping lol, so trying to find things local as well but that's almost impossible. Ive ordered enough to at least do part time for now, once they get here, may have to get the rest after the holidays. And I have a better insight as to washing. I'm sure I'll come up with questions so I'll remember you @Robinischo‌.

Check on Facebook for local Cloth Diapering Mamas. I know in my area we have a group and lots of people sell on there, and if you are close enough you can just meet up.

kaitm22 · November 2014

The group I'm in is called Central Wisconsin Cloth Diapering Mamas, but obviously that wont work for you. Hopefully you have one in your area though!

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

I will have to check out the black Friday deals, I can do that since it will be online anyhow(not going out in the hulabaloo). I will check to see if there's any groups in my area, I don't know really any moms at all so maybe I'll find a new buddy too lol.

tamarar5 · November 2014

I love CDing! And my husband does too! We are now on baby #2 using our initial stash so he is absolutely LOVING the phenomenal savings now. I use gDiapers with my littles and I have two in diapers. E, my 22 month old, is in the Large size, and A, my Au14 baby, is in the smalls, but about to switch into mediums.

I can't use gDiapers overnight with DS, so we use pockets stuffed with an ozycozy flat and a Hemp babies little weeds hemp doubler. FTR, I hate the pockets and would gladly switch them all to just Flips covers. I'll never buy another pocket. But unfortunately for me, the damn things are built fantastic and I just can't justify replacing them when they still work. I just don't like stuffing them.

The thing about cloth diapering is knowing what you want out of it. You can get what you put in. With my (now 7 year old) DD1, I used the plain Gerber prefold diapers that you can buy at walmart, with pins and plastic cover pants. IT. WAS. HORRIBLE. But I also did no research, and no investigating in to why my diapers weren't absorbing. I did literally everything wrong.

The second time around, I decided to do more research and fell in love with the gDiaper brand. People either love or hate gDiapers, there is no middle ground. And people tend to have more success with gDiapers with girls rather than boys-- I of course, had a boy first. It took a few trails and errors, but 22 months later, I still love my gDiapers.

I'm with the PP who loves Velcro and hates snaps. You can get a much more customized fit with Velcro than with snaps. I also prefer the sized diapers to the One Size (BumGenius 4.0 are my pockets and they are One Size (OS) diapers). The OS are SUPER bulky on littles, and I've noticed that the rise snaps (the sizing ones) are pulling and poking holes in my BG covers. (Yippy! I might be able to replace them eventually!) But the trade off between sized and OS, are needing to invest in the next size diaper cover.

Something else to look at is the different fibers that you will use as inserts. I **dispise** microfiber. I actually use my BG 4.0 microfiber inserts on my floor mop. They don't absorb enough for my kids, and they can't touch your kiddo's skin, so its kind of a wasted effort to me. I LOVE hemp. My favorite Hemp is Little Weeds. They make two sizes, but I've found the Little Weeds (that's the name of the smaller size) is more than enough for just about everything I need. I also use regular cotton flats in my overnight diapers, and the Cotton Fleece/Hemp gCloth inserts in my day diapers.

Washing is kind of a pain for me. With two littles in diapers, I am washing daily. I also have terrible city water, so our washing routine is a bit more excessive than should be. But since doing daily diaper laundry, our expenses have only gone up pennies in water consumption, and maybe a couple of bucks for laundry detergent. So still tons of savings.

Wow, that turned into a novel! If you make it through all that, you deserve a cookie!

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

tamarar5 said:
I love CDing! And my husband does too! We are now on baby #2 using our initial stash so he is absolutely LOVING the phenomenal savings now. I use gDiapers with my littles and I have two in diapers. E, my 22 month old, is in the Large size, and A, my Au14 baby, is in the smalls, but about to switch into mediums.
I can't use gDiapers overnight with DS, so we use pockets stuffed with an ozycozy flat and a Hemp babies little weeds hemp doubler. FTR, I hate the pockets and would gladly switch them all to just Flips covers. I'll never buy another pocket. But unfortunately for me, the damn things are built fantastic and I just can't justify replacing them when they still work. I just don't like stuffing them.
The thing about cloth diapering is knowing what you want out of it. You can get what you put in. With my (now 7 year old) DD1, I used the plain Gerber prefold diapers that you can buy at walmart, with pins and plastic cover pants. IT. WAS. HORRIBLE. But I also did no research, and no investigating in to why my diapers weren't absorbing. I did literally everything wrong.
The second time around, I decided to do more research and fell in love with the gDiaper brand. People either love or hate gDiapers, there is no middle ground. And people tend to have more success with gDiapers with girls rather than boys-- I of course, had a boy first. It took a few trails and errors, but 22 months later, I still love my gDiapers.
I'm with the PP who loves Velcro and hates snaps. You can get a much more customized fit with Velcro than with snaps. I also prefer the sized diapers to the One Size (BumGenius 4.0 are my pockets and they are One Size (OS) diapers). The OS are SUPER bulky on littles, and I've noticed that the rise snaps (the sizing ones) are pulling and poking holes in my BG covers. (Yippy! I might be able to replace them eventually!) But the trade off between sized and OS, are needing to invest in the next size diaper cover.
Something else to look at is the different fibers that you will use as inserts. I **dispise** microfiber. I actually use my BG 4.0 microfiber inserts on my floor mop. They don't absorb enough for my kids, and they can't touch your kiddo's skin, so its kind of a wasted effort to me. I LOVE hemp. My favorite Hemp is Little Weeds. They make two sizes, but I've found the Little Weeds (that's the name of the smaller size) is more than enough for just about everything I need. I also use regular cotton flats in my overnight diapers, and the Cotton Fleece/Hemp gCloth inserts in my day diapers.
Washing is kind of a pain for me. With two littles in diapers, I am washing daily. I also have terrible city water, so our washing routine is a bit more excessive than should be. But since doing daily diaper laundry, our expenses have only gone up pennies in water consumption, and maybe a couple of bucks for laundry detergent. So still tons of savings.
Wow, that turned into a novel! If you make it through all that, you deserve a cookie!

Yay! Cookie please.
<:-P

dobbysocks33 · November 2014

I hope dh ends up liking them. I told him we were switching explained pros and con's and he was just like OK whatever you want to do...I have gotten a few Different kinds and brands And also joined diaper swapper so I've gotten a few used an if I don't like I can sell those. I've put in a lot of research before deciding so hoping this will be fun.

mdarmetko · November 2014

bkroxfan003 said:
I love our cloth diapers! I have a mix of pockets, prefolds with covers, and Best Bottoms (ai2). My favorites are the BBs because they're super easy to use, don't leak, and fairly inexpensive. I'm not really a fan of the pockets because it's annoying to stuff them and I can't get them to fit correctly so they don't leak at the legs.

I wash every other day. I do a short cold wash with no soap, then a heavy duty regular wash with an extra rinse. Then it takes about 2 hours to dry my inserts and prefolds in the dryer and I line dry the covers on a collapsible rack. It's about 4.5 hours total.

Exactly this. We use exclusively BB bc they are so easy.

dvmmomma · November 2014

Man I wish I wasn't mobile. I could talk diapers all day just like @robinischo.

She and I sound similar. I currently have GMD pre folds (selling those- don't like em), GMD workhorses white and organic and like organic more (much softer!), had blueberry newborn simplex AIO (LOVE) and now simplex one size, Thirsties covers (LOVE), blueberry Capri covers (love for prefolds), best bottoms AI2, Thirsties AIO (they're ok...), BG 4.0, Charlie banana AIO, tots bots 4 and have had BG elemental and freestyle.

Did I even answer any of your questions? Probably not. Feel free to message me too. My LO is a string bean (24th percentile weight and 98th length) so im real particular about finding diapers that fit her slender hips. I've done more research than i care to admit on CDing.

Sorry this was such a ramble. Hopefully it makes some sense. I've had mad thumbs going while texting and now LO is finally asleep so I want to eat dinner while I've got a shot

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