August 2016 Moms

Cloth Diapers

Who all is using cloth diapers? FTM, have you started your stash yet? What brand/style are you getting or do you recommend?
We are thinking of using GroVia Hybrids and GroVia ONE's for nighttime. We're also leaning towards using disposable during the newborn phase until the one size fits. 
I'd love to hear other opinions from both those just starting and those who have experience!

Re: Cloth Diapers

  • I have a LO and started using cloth diapers once he out grew the newborn disposables...In my opinion it is not worth purchasing specific newborn size cloth diapers, however some claim to work on newborns (and grow with the baby).

    I use rumparooz one size https://www.kangacare.com/ (pocket diaper) and love them! they have snaps to make different sizes.  I will be trying these out on my newborn this go around.  We currently have 12 of these diapers and have to wash diapers about every 2 days.  You really don't want to go much longer than 3 days without washing because the smell can just get really bad. 

    I also have thirsty diaper covers and inserts (https://www.thirstiesbaby.com/products/cloth-diapers/duo-wrap)  i personally like these best with the duo hemp prefold, however i do have their other hemp inserts.  I will admit i do not like these as much as the rumparooz pocket diaper.  It's a little difficult to get the insert in right, and when my son was smaller we had a lot of leakage issues.  Now that he is a bit bigger these fit great and aren't as bulky

    For night time diapers we use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JXN61XK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00 I add an extra hemp insert (from the thirsties) and I haven't had any leaking issues.  My son is a heavy wetter, but we have been able to slowly reduce the amount of inserts and he is now fine with just the 2 inserts that come with the diaper

    I have also tried out these 2 diapers for night time.  I did not care for them though
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X4SDKKW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00
    I still use these because we have 2 of the Kawaii and 2 of these (that's it for night time).  What i don't like about these is that the insert is actually part of the diaper so it takes longer to dry.  

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KP676DS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00
    I tried this one with a thirsties cover over it and it just doesn't work.  We have leakage all the time.  So i'm sure this would be a great diaper, if I could find a better cover for it (because this diaper alone does not have a waterproof cover) this might work great with a wool cover over it.

    Please let me know if you have any questions!  I think it's great you are wanting to do cloth diapers.  it is a bit of trial and error until you find what works for you.  But once you find it, it's AMAZING!  i wish i had pushed for cloth diapers sooner, and found the rumparooz sooner so I could of had them on my registiry and done a diaper shower and everyone just bring one cloth diaper (you'd be set then!) Instead, i ended up using a lot of my gift cards for the diapers.  I think i spent maybe $300 total
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  • charmedlifex3charmedlifex3 member
    edited March 2016

    I'm a crazy person, so yes we have a stash. We have about 20 covers, 10 "small" prefolds, 10 large pre folds, 10 "size one" (6-18lbs) and 6 "Size two" (20 - 40) AIO by Bumgeniu sand 13 fitted one size "mother ease" brand (which require covers, but are a little easier than prefolds) We bought a variety to get us started (upon recommendation of other CD mommies!) since we don't know what we'll like, what will work for our baby. One mom said even from kid to kid, she found different tactics / brands worked best.

    We also bought some disposables, seventh generation chemical free, to keep in the diaper bag for emergencies.

    We also have one large wet bag, and one small wet bag.

    I've mostly been buying used, and I've spent less than $200. One woman I met through diaper buying went through the "how to's" and also threw in a baby bath, so don't be afraid of Craigslist... just meet in public and don't go by yourself!





  • We're going to CD and I have a mini stash started. I plan to try out prefolds with covers as well as pockets to see what works best for us. So far, I have a couple Bumkins one size pockets, Imagine baby all in ones in small, Rumparooz lil Joey (I know the baby won't wear these long, but they were so freaking cute, I couldn't help myself) and a few Fuzzibunz in small. If you're not afraid to buy used, Cloth Diaper Trader is another great place to look. Since it's still early, I'm not paying full price for anything. I'll wait until after the shower to do that. 

    The Rumparooz get great reviews and if you go to their website, they actually put the discontinued designs on clearance and they have a rewards program. 
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  • Thanks!! 
    @erinmarie86 how many diapers do you go through a day? I'm hoping to only have to do wash every three days.
    @Allisun85 I believe I remember you talking about your daycare search... is your daycare willing to use cloth? Just curious!

  • I have CD'd my son since his circumcision healed and still do at age 27 months. We used 6 Thirsties covers with about 2 dozen prefolds for the newborn stage, and those fit him til about 12 lbs. (he is a slow weight gainer so that was about 3 months old). Since then, we have used BumGenius 4.0 pockets that I bought on Craigslist. We have a stash of about 14 diapers and I wash about every 1.5 days. (That number would probably seem a little low to most CD moms but I'm ok with it.) They have been great, though I just replaced all the elastic in the legs because they were getting stretched out (been through two kids).

    My son is a heavy wetter at night, so after much trial/error/frustration, we finally decided to just put him in disposables at night. It wasn't worth the headache anymore. We also use disposables when we travel.

    Good luck! I think the hardest part about it is getting your wash routine down. But we have saved so much money and I highly recommend it!
      


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  • We did part-time cloth. Our daycare wouldn't take cloth and DS1 was a terrible sleeper so we went with disposables at night too. Even though he didn't leak, he felt wet and that woke him up. Sleep was too precious, lol. 

    We really liked one size pickets. He started fitting into them when he was about 2 months old, and lasted until we potty trained at 2.5 years. They have snaps to make them bigger or smaller and come with different inserts, depending on size and level of absorbancy. We used BumGenius, Fuzzibunz and Rumpsroos, mostly, with a few other randoms thrown in. We also tried a few all-in-one (also one size) but didn't like those as well as pockets because they take forever to dry. 

    Tip; get bamboo liners for when you're out in public. That way if you have a poopy diaper you don't have to try to rinse it or stuff it back in your wet bag. Just peel the liner out and flush. 

    I would also highly recommend PlanetWise wet/dry bags. We got a couple small ones to keep in the diaper bag. We also got a couple PlanetWise liners for the diaper pail. Just toss the whole thing in the wash. 
    BFP #1 10/6/11 | EDD 6/15/12 | MMC 11/7/11 @ 8w3d | D&C 11/14/11

    BFP #2 8/22/12 | EDD 5/5/13 | DS1 born 5/9/13

    BFP #3 4/25/15 | EDD 1/7/16 | MMC 7/2/15 @ 13w1d | D&E 7/8/15

    BFP #4 12/9/15 | EDD 8/22/16 | DS2 born 5/18/16 at 26w2d

    Just keep swimming.
  • charmedlifex3charmedlifex3 member
    edited March 2016

    @court5608 Yes! Apparently it's VT state regulations, they have to, if it is a registered daycare. Leftover from Shumlin attempting to criminalize disposable diapers back in 1988, lol. It is also technically illegal in VT to put human fecal matter in the garbage, so disposables aren't "supposed" to go in the garbage poopy.

    Luckily, I live in a very CD friendly state :)

    The thought of spraying off diapers in the toilet,  or removing and flushing a liner bothers me much less than the idea of poop sitting in a trash can, probably in my childs room...

    Everything I have read says to plan for between 8 and 12 when they are newborns. Covers don't have to be changed everytime you change an insert, according to mom's I have talked to.

    The other thing I have heard is CD a baby on non solid food isn't bad. Once they start on solids, you'll want to look into flushable liners, because it starts getting "chunky" and harder to get to the point most people are willing to toss it in the washing machine.






  • bananers said:

    We really liked one size pickets. He started fitting into them when he was about 2 months old, and lasted until we potty trained at 2.5 years. They have snaps to make them bigger or smaller and come with different inserts, depending on size and level of absorbancy. We used BumGenius, Fuzzibunz and Rumpsroos, mostly, with a few other randoms thrown in. We also tried a few all-in-one (also one size) but didn't like those as well as pockets because they take forever to dry. 

    Agree about AIOs. It seems like a nice idea, but it's not recommended to put them in the dryer so they have to hang dry and it takes forever. The nice thing about pockets is you only have to hang dry the shell. Mine only take 4-6 hours to dry, which is really nice.
      


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  • We have cloth diapered my daughter since day 2.  We bought a newborn stash because we knew we'd want more than one kid.  We also loaned our NB stash out to three different moms so far, who all returned the stash in perfect condition, so totally worth it for us, and the environment! :) 

    There are a lot of myths out there, but we've found using a good quality detergent (and quite a lot of it), as well as putting the diapers (all of them!) in the dryer, worked just fine for us. 

    After much trial and error, my favourite diapers were BumGenius (snaps), TotsBots (Aplix/Velcro) and Kawaii (snaps).  I encourage you all to try a variety of different diapers to start.  I loved the Grovias in theory, but found they stained easily (and stain remover didn't work well on them), bunched up, and took forever to dry. 

    Once your baby gets on solids, a diaper sprayer is totally worth it.  We never felt the need for liners.  Now that DD is potty-trained, we still use it for the occasional accident. 

    BFP #1: 08/17/2012  DD1 born 05/01/2013

    BFP #2: 07/31/2015  M/C 09/23/2015 (11.5 weeks)

    BFP #3: 12/16/2015 DD2 born 8/27/2016
  • I love pockets. Easy and I like to customize the inserts. I started my stash with a bunch of pockets I made (I actually used to have an etsy business a few years ago but it got so popular I couldn't keep up with demand and gave up). 
  • I didn't start cloth with my dd until she was 6 months so I am really excited to start from day one with this baby.  I have tried several different brands and have settled with my three favorite- Lalabye baby, smart bottoms, and Sustainablebabyish (sloomb). 

    Lalabye are some of my favorite because they extremely versitile.  They are an all-in-two and one size, so can be used a couple different ways.  I have seen them fit both newborns and toddlers.  The company did just come out with a newborn diaper so I will definitely be getting a few to try. I can't justify spending too much on newborn diapers when I know the rest of my lalabyes will fit from day one.  

    Smart bottoms are an all-in-one that are really trim. I didn't find the brand until right before my dd potty learned so I only have a handful of them but they are definitely a favorite.  

    Sloomb are my go to for overnight and wool.  I was so intimidated by wool at first that it took me a while to get up the nerve but now I'm hooked.  Their obf's are extremely absorbant and breathable but need to be used under a wool lanolized cover.  We have yet to have one leak with sloomb.  Sloomb is an obsession though and not a cheap one.  Even though my dd is pt'd she still wears their wool pants which are amazing for winter.  

    I have a pretty large stash (70ish diapers and a ton of wool) so I only wash every 3 days.  I use a garbage can with a swinging lid with a planet wise liner and it works great with almost no smell. We found that a sealed lid actually made the smell way worse.  I also recommend getting a spray pal and diaper sprayer for solids when the time comes- truly a time/life saver.

     Also, as other momma's have recommended it is best to try several different types of diapers. Each babies skin is different and some can't certain materials.  If you don't care about used diapers then definitely look at the b/s/t boards on fb.  The boards have been pretty slow so there are some great deals happening right now.  


  • Thanks for everyone's input. I am pretty set on the all in two/hybrid, as that is the kind my hubby is on board with. He will def not do prefolds or pockets and the all in one are a little pricey but if we got a good deal we would consider them. I used prefolds on a little girl I used to nanny for and didn't mind them, but I know hubs will not like them. Hopefully the style we buy will work for our little one... I'm going to check out the b/s/t facebook boards @Sekerambo thanks for the suggestion.
  • @court5608 let me think about how many diapers we go through a day...We use one night time diaper at night and it lasts all night...wake up and change...change before nap time, change after nap time...before and after nap time...and throw in an additional change or 2....so i'd say we average 6-7 diapers a day and one at night.

    we do also buy a big box of disposables from costco (it's the best deal)...disposables are just easier when we travel (and don't have laundry) or are going to be out all day (at like disney or something).  the box of disposables lasts us FOREVER (pretty much until my son grows out of that size).

    we also have one large wet bag for our diaper pal (aka trash can with the wet bag in it) and we have a medium one that we were using as our primary but it was just too small to hold 12 diapers...and then we have a small one for the diaper bag.
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  • ****Squueeeeeeeee! This is, like, my favorite topic!*******

    We do prefolds, pockets, and AIOs with DS. We're working on a newborn stash for this baby. I really wish we had done a newborn stash for DS from the get-go. We'll be using mostly prefolds because got a ton for free from a friend of mine. 

    The wash routine can sometimes be tricky, but we lucked out with a good washer and detergent. We do an RLR wash every two months or so. During the winter, we break the rules a lot and put everything in the dryer (no issues in two years!), but we hang dry in the sunshine during the rest of the year. 

    For what it's worth, DH wasn't too keen on prefolds or AIOs until he actually tried them. Now he loves them. He even does the majority (okay, almost all) of the dunking and diaper laundry. 

  • I did not cd my now 18 mo old but have been testing out the os we have been accumulating .he hates them lol we have a stockpile of newborn size sposies and will swit ch to cd once she fits in os .i have a ton of diff ones.aios ai2s pockets etc of various brands everything from.grovias to China cheapies.....join some of the 5 zillion cd fb groups 
    Fluff love photostream , fluff love cd science,China cheapies , I can't even remember the names of all the dang groups I'm in trying to learn and absorb as much info as possible.tho I have learned thus far proper laundering seems to be the #1 key to success ?? .... experiences cd ers feel free to tell me if u agree :-) 
  • karaszoo1 said:
    I did not cd my now 18 mo old but have been testing out the os we have been accumulating .he hates them lol we have a stockpile of newborn size sposies and will swit ch to cd once she fits in os .i have a ton of diff ones.aios ai2s pockets etc of various brands everything from.grovias to China cheapies.....join some of the 5 zillion cd fb groups 
    Fluff love photostream , fluff love cd science,China cheapies , I can't even remember the names of all the dang groups I'm in trying to learn and absorb as much info as possible.tho I have learned thus far proper laundering seems to be the #1 key to success ?? .... experiences cd ers feel free to tell me if u agree :-) 
    Ehhh...I'd say that a good quality diaper is #1.  Your wash routine won't matter much if your diaper isn't well made. Also, it pays to be discerning about the group's because not all cloth diapering advice is good advice. 

    Ultimately...
    1. With CDs, you get what you pay for. That doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune, but there are materials and brands within each diaper option that might work better for you. For example, Gerber flats probably won't be great for much more than burp cloths and cleaning rags. But Green Mountain diapers has (slightly more expensive) prefolds and flats made of better materials that many moms swear by. Some people love their China cheapies like Alvas, but others find that they have to replace them so often that they might as well have just bought a better diaper to begin with. 
    2. Fluff Love has gotten some bad press lately for the inaccurate advice offered. Check out the Cloth Diaper Tech Support group. It's smaller and offers really good support/tips that won't compromise your diapers.  
  • @skelly70  I have often wondered about the fluff love laundry group....their advice is THE only right advice yet so many women have problems after following the admins "approved routines" ..... just my 2 cents lol I asked a question once and you would have thought I was asking ladies to sacrifice their first born....lol
  • I am definitely not a fan of fluff love.  I was a part of the group when I first started but after being told to bleach diapers, that would void warranties, and questioning some of their methods I left.  In the end I listened to a cloth diaper retailer and the diaper companies to figure out a great wash routine.

    As @skelly70 said you definitely get what you pay for with cloth.  After a year of use (toward the end in large rotation) my diapers still look new.  I even have a few diapers I bought used that are in great condition after going through a kid or two before getting to me.  I also know that if I continue to care for them properly I will be able to sell them for at least a fraction of what I paid for them.  Spending a little more will definitely pay off in the end.  
  • I started looking into cloth diapers but haven't started a stash yet. Does anyone have experience with Flip Hydrid diapers, Charlie Banana, and/or Sweet Pea pocket diapers?

    Flip seems to be in all the stores I've been to that carry CD, and I'm curious. I found out my local baby consignment store had some gently used ones, too. Are they compatible with non-Flip inserts?

    I saw BuyBuy Baby carry Charlie Banana. Are they good? If they are I may put them on my registry.

    Sweet Pea pocket diapers - One of the brands carried by a local CD store. The owners say they like these because there are openings on both sides, so you wouldn't have to pull out soiled inserts (especially after the diapers have been sitting in the wet bag at day care all day). This sounds attempting! Anyone used them before?
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  • We did cloth diapers with our first son (he is in cloth trainers right now). His daycare will use them, so we get pockets for them for ease of use. At home, I have Flips and Softbums that I prefer. I only had a small newborn stash with him, but I was glad I did. Even though he was almost 8 lbs. at birth, he lost some at first and had such skinny legs that it took about 6 weeks to even potentially fit a one size diaper and at least 3 months before they fit him well. 

    So I will stay with our one size stash (maybe get a few more Velcro pockets for daycare) and possibly add a couple more newborn diapers.
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  • Also wanted to add, the Flips can be used with other inserts, but they would have to have a skin-friendly material on one side or put a fleece liner between the insert and the baby. You don't microfiber directly touching skin. We love our Flips and I think they (and the Softbums) are way easier than our pockets.
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  • kiwico14kiwico14 member
    edited March 2016
    jjang27 said:
    I started looking into cloth diapers but haven't started a stash yet. Does anyone have experience with Flip Hydrid diapers, Charlie Banana, and/or Sweet Pea pocket diapers?

    Flip seems to be in all the stores I've been to that carry CD, and I'm curious. I found out my local baby consignment store had some gently used ones, too. Are they compatible with non-Flip inserts?

    I saw BuyBuy Baby carry Charlie Banana. Are they good? If they are I may put them on my registry.

    Sweet Pea pocket diapers - One of the brands carried by a local CD store. The owners say they like these because there are openings on both sides, so you wouldn't have to pull out soiled inserts (especially after the diapers have been sitting in the wet bag at day care all day). This sounds attempting! Anyone used them before?
    We got two Charlie Bananas because BRU carried them and we could use gift cards to buy them. They're nice and trim, which I love. They have a smaller pocket, which meant that we really could only use the inserts that came with them, not the other inserts that are interchangeable with most of our pocket diapers. They're still in our rotation, but only at home, because they just can't keep up with our toddler's bladder anymore. I probably won't buy more, but I'll keep using the ones we have. 

    We also tried one Sweet Pea. I never found that the inserts would actually come out in the wash, but it really isn't that big a deal to just separate them when you're doing diaper changes. You'll touch worse as a parent. I feel about the Sweet Pea like I do about the CBs--like it, will use it for the next LO, probably won't buy more. 

    No experience with Flips. 

    FWIW, our stash is made of gifted prefolds, some BumGenius (we won't buy any more because of their business practices and declining quality), a few Nicki's (cheap, USA-made, have held up well for what they cost), and a growing collection of Blueberry Simplex/Duplex (by far our favorites). We use Kawaiis at night because they're huge and can fit 7000 layers for our heavy wetter. 

    Edit: words at 3 am
  • @skelly70 : Thank you for sharing your experience! This is helpful!
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  • Third time mom here and we use bumgenius freetimes diapers and completely skip the newborn ones and use disposables. We also mostly use disposables at night, but if we cloth, we use fitteds with a wool cover over it (amazingness) I found it helpful to get an all in one diaper that you can throw in the dryer, less time prepping for me makes cloth diapering work! I also LOVE disposable liners, this way you don't have to mess with the sprayer and you can easily dispose of poop while out and about. 
  • Forgot to mention that we have a cloth diaper store near us that lets you try out 10 different diapers for a month for $20 plus a deposit of course. That helped us figure out what worked and how many we needed. I am pretty sure that some online cloth diaper shops let you do that as well, it's usually called a cloth diaper trial :) 
  • I plan to use cloth diapers as well. I have not started my stash yet. I am still researching brands and this thread has been very helpful.  :)
    Me: 38, DH: 37
    Married: 8/10/13
    BFP- 12/18/15, D&E- 4/8/16 @ 21w5d- confirmed Thanatophoric Dysplasia
    BFP- 11/7/17, M/C- 11/18/17 @ 4w6d
    BFP- 8/25/18 ~ EDD- 5/9/19 ~ DD born 5/2/20 *Lillian Hazel*
    BFP- 10/9/20 ~ EDD- 6/21/21

  • I used bum genuis with my son for 7 mos. I loved them... and  loved that I didn't constantly have to buy different sizes. I also got some alvas bc they were cheap and  didn't and i didnt want invest a ton into it. I was super happy with the BGs. I also got the liners (those dryer sheet things) so  never had to deal with the poop. I will definitely be doing it this time around too.
  • my son is 21 months and we primarily use BG freetimes but I do have some 'china cheapies' too that we use.   I love the BG's for ease of use and the fact that he's been able to wear the same diaper since he was 3 months old. We do use liners in the diapers so that when he poops we just dump the liner, I don't have time to rinse diapers and so forth.  and we use sposies at night. we have wool diapers w/ covers for night but don't use them unless we run out of sposies.
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