Cloth Diapers

Dizzle131 · April 2015

So I've been thinking about doing cloth diapers, mostly to save money. I just found out today that I'm having twins, and they will be my first babies. So I'm wondering if it will be too much work?

Any tips or experiences?

MadBloom · April 2015

I love cloth! I didn't start until my girl was about 6 weeks old. You're babies might be too small for cloth in the beginning too. I'd say start in disposables until they hit at least 7 or 8 pounds or you'll probably have a lot of fit issues. You COULD get newborn diapers but thats quite an investment..... you'd have to get newborn ones and then a whole other set of the one size ones.

It'll be a big investment in the beginning but totally worth it in the end. The extra laundry becomes pretty routine. It was hard in the beginning because I had to wash every day but once i had enough diapers to last 2-3 days and was only washing every few days then I was golden! We go through 6-7 ish diapers a day now and do laundry every 3 days. (My daughter is nearly 1) So with 2 in cloth be prepared for every other day.

JLW0504 · April 2015

I've never used them, but I can honestly say that I never will. Sure, they're better for the environment, but when you have someone care for your infant when you go out say like a date night, grocery shopping, work or whatever, that person will have to do cloth diapering too.

I don't know a lot of daycares that do the cloth diapering either. and then if you're out and about with LO, you'll have to carry that shit, literally, the shit with you all day...

If you do the cloth route, I'd keep disposables on hand, just in case other people don't want to do the cloth thing or you go out for extended periods.

MadBloom · April 2015

JLW0504 said:
I've never used them, but I can honestly say that I never will. Sure, they're better for the environment, but when you have someone care for your infant when you go out say like a date night, grocery shopping, work or whatever, that person will have to do cloth diapering too.

I don't know a lot of daycares that do the cloth diapering either. and then if you're out and about with LO, you'll have to carry that shit, literally, the shit with you all day...

If you do the cloth route, I'd keep disposables on hand, just in case other people don't want to do the cloth thing or you go out for extended periods.

haha you dump the poop in the toilet!!
I also carry a little "wet bag" in my diaper bag and that's where the dirty ones go while I'm out. They get zipped up and you don't smell anything unless you unzip that bag and stick your face in it!
I did use disposables while out and about for probably a good month while I was getting use to cloth but it has never been an issue while out of the home.

I haven't had any issues with other people using cloth with my daughter either. It's so simple. I had my teenage cousin spend a month with me last summer and she changed dozens of cloth diapers and helped with laundry. She even commented, "this is so easy! why doesn't everyone do this?!" and that's coming from a 16 year old!
The child minding centre at my gym didn't even blink when I brought up cloth either.

Maybe it's my area but it's becoming so common to see babies in cloth.

MadBloom · April 2015

https://www.fluffloveuniversity.com/

worth checking out

they have a great facebook page too. fluff love and CD science.

nano1 · April 2015

We've been using Charlie Banana's (ds is 17months now) they're adjustable with bra strap looking things on the inside of the fabric. I love them, but we do use disposable when we are out and about. We also have these liners that we use around poop time they're really thin so you can just remove the poop and wash the diaper.
I say try some out, it's not an all or nothing type of thing and they're cute!

arosejp · April 2015

OMG, I really give cloth moms credit! I couldn't even imagine! I can barely handle one baby on disposables, but two! Omg, I could not do it!

Pontot31 · April 2015

I love cloth too!
We used a service for the first few months and just had our own covers to wash. We switched to our own diapers around 8 months but I wish I would have done it a little sooner.
That might be a good route with twins.
We plan on using the service for the first few months again this time just to get into a routine.
You have to be prepared to throw a laps of laundry in every other day or so but it's not much more work, in my opinion. And they are so much cuter than disposables. Plus we never had a blow out and disposables have my daughter a rash.

Pontot31 · April 2015

Oh and a lot of our local day cares cloth diaper here. You just have to ask!

BooBerry137 · April 2015

I'm thinking of making the switch once DD 1 is fully potty trained.

youenjoymyself · April 2015

I used cloth from about 3 months to 15 months. I finally got sick of washing after work. Lots of kids in DD class wear them, so daycare was more than happy to oblige. I used pockets with 2 inserts, but towards the end she started wetting through. I'll probably use them again with this one, at least part time.

oxley09 · April 2015

JLW0504 said:
I've never used them, but I can honestly say that I never will. Sure, they're better for the environment, but when you have someone care for your infant when you go out say like a date night, grocery shopping, work or whatever, that person will have to do cloth diapering too.

I don't know a lot of daycares that do the cloth diapering either. and then if you're out and about with LO, you'll have to carry that shit, literally, the shit with you all day...

If you do the cloth route, I'd keep disposables on hand, just in case other people don't want to do the cloth thing or you go out for extended periods.

We have 3 kids and are expecting our fourth, and we started cloth diapering with our youngest and we plan to keep at it. I can honestly say I have never, ever had to carry poop around with me! And it's really not much more to carry in a diaper bag either. We used All In One 2's and it's SO simple, maybe even easier than disposables. You just dump the #2 if you need to, put the insert in the hamper, and replace the fresh insert. So simple and quick - even our 13 year old son said it was easy. We never had to use disposables while out and about with our youngest, so I'm not anticipating it this time around either. We've never had anyone who cared for our daughter say it was too complicated or a hassle, and when you do as much laundry as we already do, it's really nothing. We don't need daycare, but I know friends who cloth diaper and I haven't heard of it being a problem. And then there's all the $$$ we save! It's not for everyone, but it's not incredibly difficult or inconvenient either!

I think that if it's something you're interested in, give it a try! Diapering twins will be a challenge at first, no matter what method you choose. You just have to find your groove. Best of luck!

tugskenyonkel+1 · April 2015

When I cloth diapered I loved prefolds and pockets (rumparoo brand was the only brand I really liked). The initial investment is quite large. I honestly don't know that we really saved any money doing it by the time I bought the special soaps, creams, and supplies. Plus there is the added water and utility expense.

aprilwillis · April 2015

Best thing I ever did financially speaking!!!!

We had to use newborn disposables for a few weeks like others mentioned, but we got those at baby showers so it didn't really make a difference budget wise.

The only pain in the butt is if you get too overwhelmed or too tired to keep up with the washing. I found myself with a load in washer or dirty and needing one!

Also, I had to use disposables at the sitters, but I still saved a ton of money with using cloth on nights and weekends.

thistle8677 · April 2015

I plan to use both cloth and disposable.

lilyellowduck13 · April 2015

I already have a full stash of cloth that I can't wait to use! I also recommend the fluff love page on fb, lots of great info!

lulamagoo · April 2015

I love when people who don't do or don't plan to do cloth diapers have advice on cloth diapers...

It will be harder with twins, but like other posters have said if you wait until they around 8 pounds it will be easier to find a good fit.
Even if you do a mix of cloth and disposable you will still save money. We do disposables at night just as a personal preference.

drowe214 · April 2015

We used cloth with my first from about 3 weeks to 4 months but my utility bill went through the roof so cost wise, personally I didn't save much. I did like that in the early stage when they are pooping while you are putting a new diaper on and you can literally go through 3 diapers in 1 minute, I felt good using cloth versus disposable. We used prefolds and covers and found that a cheap and easy way to cloth diaper in the newborn/infant stage.

jeanlee123 · April 2015

We started using cloth diapers as soon as we got home from the hospital. Prefolds and fitteds with wool were the easiest for us and the easiest to launder. We love the quality of green mountain diapers clotheez prefolds and fitteds. Pockets were too much work with stuffing so I don't recommend those with twins. Highly recommend a diaper sprayer. At one year, we started using disposables at night when my son's skin wasn't so sensitive anymore. Laundering nighttime diapers became stressful for us as he got older. Check out diaperswappers.com for a lovely community where you can also purchase diapers.

lizerspitz · April 2015

MadBloom for the fluff university link. Ive been intimidated but intrigued by cloth diapering and I think that site will help me get more into it before I actually put things on a registry or plan a wash routine.

MadBloom · April 2015

ecwyoder said:
MadBloom for the fluff university link. Ive been intimidated but intrigued by cloth diapering and I think that site will help me get more into it before I actually put things on a registry or plan a wash routine.

No problem! It's a great resource for sure!

never2late4happilyeverafter · April 2015

We still use the cloth diapers (Bum Genius 4.0) with our 2 yr old. Newborn disposable was a must: DS didn't fit in cloth well enough until about 4-6 weeks. DS was BF until 3 months & prescription formula for major food allergies until 15 months... The BF diapers were def harder to "clean" than FF ones, BUT, DS NEVER had a blow out. Still hasn't...

I bought 25 diapers. Went through 10 or do a day until he was about 9 months: partly because that's when I went back to work & my parents insisted on using disposable during the day. I did use disposable for longer "outings" simply because the wet bag held 1-2 diapers... My point, I did wash every other day. I have a sprayer on the toilet in my bathroom. Once we started solids, #2 diapers much easier to clean.

ussromanoff · April 2015

I wasn't planning on using cloth because california is in such an awful drought I didn't like to buuuut my dad offered to pay for one year of cloth diaper service (they take and wash your dirty diapers and bring back new ones) so I'm going to go ahead and do it because one free year of diapers? Yes please.

nachomama27 · April 2015

Cloth isn't like it was when we were little - no folding, pins, or plastic pants. Check out Bum Genius cloth diapers. My sister swears by them, broke even money wise at 5 months, and they're still using the same diapers at 13 months they were using at 1 week. We have them on our registry and we're looking forward to being both thrifty and green.

efflerc11 · April 2015

I'm in the same boat. First time mom with twins.
I plan on using cloth to save money, but if they're being watched by someone else, I'll just buy a pack of disposables for that person to use.

Pontot31 · April 2015

My husband, who had no prior diaper changing experience, found cloth easier to change. So for those worried about baby sitters it's not much different.

Marystacy81 · April 2015

Err cloth diaper, and will continue with this baby too...
My utilities went.up a whole $5 sooo... Still cheaper than sposies...
I'm still laughing at the coolant from the chick who's never cloth diapered and doesn't plan to... Lol none of that is at all accurate.lmao

Joyou5 · April 2015

Experienced Mamas. I'm hearing a lot that you used cloth because your baby was sensitive to disposable. But I've heard the opposite. That cloth caused rashes because of the moisture that was held in the cloth. Did you not experience this? Maybe these were old types of cloth?

knichols1085 · April 2015

Cloth diaper have inserts that pull moisture away from babies skin. There are also several different types of inserts depending on material used. A lot of rashes appear because of poor wash routine. Many cloth brands say that only "cloth diaper safe detergent" can be used but MOST cloth users wash with mainstream detergent and have success. Check out the fb group mentioned above and their files, they have a list of detergents that are mainstream and cloth safe.

Pontot31 · April 2015

Joyou5 said:
Experienced Mamas. I'm hearing a lot that you used cloth because your baby was sensitive to disposable. But I've heard the opposite. That cloth caused rashes because of the moisture that was held in the cloth. Did you not experience this? Maybe these were old types of cloth?

Probably old cloth. My daughter just couldn't take the chemicals in disposables.
She never got as rash in cloth, not even when she wore them for 12-14 hours at night with out being changed.

Bad wash routines can cause issues, but even then it's rare.

Cloth holds its resale value too so you can always sell diapers you don't like and buy ones you do.
Once you buy for the first kid you're good for the next ones too. I plan to add a few more fun covers but I'm good with prefolds and my pocket diapers so this one won't really cost me anything to diaper.

Joyou5 · April 2015

Ya. That's a huge advantage. I'm on my first so if I do go the cloth route i can reuse them for all future babies.... I think that's when you really start saving money.

nmmacinnis · April 2015

Love my cloth diapers! Started using them right before my son was 2 months old. They were much too big on him before that, plus they poop round the clock when they are super tiny. I love Gro-via. I just put the poop in the toilet and the diaper in a diaper pail and every couple days I wash them. It's very easy, cost effective and you never have to run out to the store for more diapers! I always have a stash of disposables and will say that if someone is watching him and he hasn't pooped already that day, I spare them the trouble and put him in a disposable. They are intimidating to those who've never used them. My son is almost two and he still wears them. Hopefully he will potty train before this baby comes and I can use them again!

Pontot31 · April 2015

Joyou5 said:
Ya. That's a huge advantage. I'm on my first so if I do go the cloth route i can reuse them for all future babies.... I think that's when you really start saving money.

And don't forget @Joyou5 you can sell them if you don't like them or decide not to use cloth again. You will get some money back. They hold up really well.

I think we spent $300 - $400 up front for all the diapers we have. (Which is a lot, you can do it for less) Once she reached about 18 months we had to switch to over night disposable because she was a heavy wetter and I got lazy finding solutions.
Even then we only used 1 a day so we kept our costs way down compared to using disposables.

dalzien · April 2015

lulamagoo said:
I love when people who don't do or don't plan to do cloth diapers have advice on cloth diapers...

It will be harder with twins, but like other posters have said if you wait until they around 8 pounds it will be easier to find a good fit.
Even if you do a mix of cloth and disposable you will still save money. We do disposables at night just as a personal preference.

This completely.

Another good thing with cloth is that they potty train faster. Our DD just turned 2 and is almost completely potty trained. If she gets wet she feels wet... and nothing motivates them more than staying dry.

Our daycare has no issue with cloth either, we asked and were told a lot of their students were cloth diapered or used cloth wipes (we use both).

As far as disposing of waster goes we made our own wet bags for the diapers... and we never carry poop with us. With disposables you are supposed to throw that poop in the toilet anyway... most that use disposables don't because they honestly don't know, or they're too lazy and think it's gross.

We use the profold system and have never had leaking issues. We used disposable for the meconium stage... then went straight to cloth as she was over 8lbs when she was born. Our diapers are still in like new condition and will easily make it through another baby for even bigger savings.

dalzien · April 2015

Joyou5 said:
Experienced Mamas. I'm hearing a lot that you used cloth because your baby was sensitive to disposable. But I've heard the opposite. That cloth caused rashes because of the moisture that was held in the cloth. Did you not experience this? Maybe these were old types of cloth?

Cloth shouldn't rash as long as you're changing baby when they get wet and making sure they are dry before putting them into a new diaper (disposable wipes can leave baby wet). It's not like a disposable where they can sit in their excrement and it isn't so bad because of the absorption from the diaper filler. If you're worried about moisture a cloth diaper fleece liner (which can easily be made at home by cutting up some fleece) will vastly improve the wicking of the moisture. It pulls it away from the skin and reduces chances of rashes.

In the beginning we changed DD every 1.5-2.0 hours. She was exclusively breastfed and this worked for us and her.

Ceridwen77 · April 2015

FTM and considering cloth diapering. How many cloth diapers do I need in order to avoid doing laundry daily? I have no experience so not sure how many diapers is normal to go through in a day. Thanks.

Pontot31 · April 2015

Ceridwen77 said:
FTM and considering cloth diapering. How many cloth diapers do I need in order to avoid doing laundry daily? I have no experience so not sure how many diapers is normal to go through in a day. Thanks.

We have 40 prefolds and 10 covers and did laundry every 3 days, usually. Think 10-12 diapers a day. I used some fleece covers with microfiber for night time for the first 18 months too.
Most people do diapers every other day.

Squirtgun · April 2015

Joyou5 said:
Experienced Mamas. I'm hearing a lot that you used cloth because your baby was sensitive to disposable. But I've heard the opposite. That cloth caused rashes because of the moisture that was held in the cloth. Did you not experience this? Maybe these were old types of cloth?

The ONLY way (in my experience) that the cloth causes or prepetuates rash is if you don't strip the diapers after a yeast infection, or impetigo, or something like that. My daughter has a really sensitive booty, and she's never gotten a rash from the cloth. She did get rashes when she was too little to fit into the cloth and had to wear (premie and then newborn) disposables for a few months.
Also, I worked at a daycare for about 7 years before I had my daughter, and we were fine with cloth diapers, as long as parents provided a small wet bag with a zipper.

connorsmama86 · April 2015

I'm a cloth diaper lover. Always end up using bum genius pockets.
I've tried fitteds, all in ones, prefolds, gdiapers, good mamas, mutts, and I've always loved bum genius diapers The most

Joyou5 · April 2015

Thanks ladies. This thread is SO helpful. I'm definitely going to look for some second hand ones. Once I am
Ready to announce.

CarismaG · April 2015

CLOTH DIAPERS all the way!
#GoGreen

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