Cloth diapers

clickactual · April 2016

are any other mamas planning to cloth diaper? I've cloth diapered both my other kiddos, when I was bumping the first time it seemed like only a few other people on the board were thinking about it. But now it's gotten a lot more popular, so I'm curious how many will be now!

penelope4612 · April 2016

I'm definitely interested but it seems like there are so many options out there that I'll actually have to look into it more when the time comes.

princesslockness · April 2016

I tried with L, but he peed out of his hemp liners within 15 min. so we had to scrap that idea.

DiFazette · April 2016

I like the idea in theory, but I won't be doing cloth diapering. This will be our last child, and we didn't with DS, so it's not something I want to invest in for 1 child. Had I done it with DS, I feel like it would make more sense to use the investment for 2. I do have a question though just out of curiosity - how was your experience potty training your other kiddos coming off of cloth diapering?

FiancB · April 2016

I'm planning on it. We are hoping to have more than one kid, so it stands to be a big money saver, and we have a pretty good setup in the laundry room where I could easily set up a changing station right next to the washing machine, and there's also a bathroom next to it for scraping/hosing poo before throwing it in. Probably won't when they're newborns, though. Meconium is gross. And unless baby has some skin issues, I'm not hardcore enough to attempt it while traveling or anything like that.

I've done quite a bit of research and think we will probably go with Best Bottoms from Nicki's Diapers based on a friend's advice, but we'll try a few and see what works the best for us. I'm still a bit confused with liners and all that stuff.

clickactual · April 2016

DiFazette DS potty trained at 18 months and it only took about a week. Since I am working now and my husband stays home, my daughter is a bit tougher(he is not as determined as I am) she's pretty close and just turned 2 last week. So they have both potty trained pretty early!

DumbledoresArmy · April 2016

I'm planning on doing it! I have a friend who swears by Alva Pocket Diapers - supposedly they work for any sized baby and can be used until potty training. Plus the patterns are adorable! They also have the flushable liners if you're traveling and don't want to carry around gross diapers.

Sugargirl1019 · April 2016

I'm thinking about it. I need to learn more.

juliehollz13 · April 2016

Definitely going to try! I was cloth diapered and so were my cousins because when we were born there were no disposal diapers imported yet. we were all potty trained by our Grandma and we going to the potty by 12-18 months. I think we will still use disposable for going out because DH is not comfortable with the idea of carrying a poopy diaper with us when we go out. But I plan to work from home so I will definitely be giving it a shot.

DiFazette · April 2016

clickactual said:

DiFazette DS potty trained at 18 months and it only took about a week. Since I am working now and my husband stays home, my daughter is a bit tougher(he is not as determined as I am) she's pretty close and just turned 2 last week. So they have both potty trained pretty early!

Thanks for that info. I was curious if it would cause any confusion when it was time to potty train.

Samanthapohaku · April 2016

Yes! We will definitely be CDing again. Can't wait to see another fluffy little butt since the toddler is mostly potty trained (still in cloth at night and for most naps).

SchruteBucks · April 2016

I'm a cloth diapering mama. Can't wait to pull out all of my fluff for this little one if everything continues to go well

SmashJam · April 2016

Will be giving it a try again! Made it about 10 weeks last time and DS got rashy bc he peed so much and couldn't sit in his pee for any amount of time.

emisi · April 2016

Definitely going to CD again. It was kind of awesome to be at my mom's group last time and all the other moms had to bring three or four changes of clothes because their kid would almost always have a poopsplosion out of the regular diaper and the CD always kept it in, haha.

SchruteBucks · April 2016

emisi said:

Definitely going to CD again. It was kind of awesome to be at my mom's group last time and all the other moms had to bring three or four changes of clothes because their kid would almost always have a poopsplosion out of the regular diaper and the CD always kept it in, haha.

Besides the adorable fluffy buns, this is the greatest thing about CDing...NO poopsplosions! Also, folding a big stack of freshly cleaned diapers is very soothing. I hate laundry, but I always loved diaper laundry.

lalamomma · April 2016

We did I for a long time with DD, but eventually stopped. DS we were moving a lot and living in an apartment because of DHs job and I was alone with both kids 95% of the first 7 months of DS's life. I couldn't handle adding anything extra to my list, I was in survival mode!
We loved it with DD, and I never had blow outs of major leaks like with disposables.
I can't say enough good things about it, but I'm already nervous about 2 under 2 and a 5 year old so im pretty certain it's not happening this time.

jennbaylor12 · April 2016

Definitely!! We cloth diapers DS who just turned 2 and is almost potty trained. Love the Bum Genius diapers - no blow outs, no diaper rash, cute as all get out :-)

FiancB · April 2016

jennbaylor12 said:

Definitely!! We cloth diapers DS who just turned 2 and is almost potty trained. Love the Bum Genius diapers - no blow outs, no diaper rash, cute as all get out :-)

Good to know that people like the Bum Genius ones. They're way easier to find than the Best Bottoms. I think I'll get a few of both and see which ones I end up liking better.

slartybartfast · April 2016

We are CDing DS1 and will this next babe too - they have saved us so much money and are way less work than I thought. I'm just realizing, however, that we will have two diaper butts. I'll have to figure that one out

slartybartfast · April 2016

jennbaylor12 said:

Definitely!! We cloth diapers DS who just turned 2 and is almost potty trained. Love the Bum Genius diapers - no blow outs, no diaper rash, cute as all get out :-)

+1 for bum genius. We have the 4.0 pockets but don't put the liners in the pockets, we just set them on top. The liners are so much more absorbent than the pre folds I have

DiFazette · April 2016

Ok ladies... I know I said I wasn't interested but it seems it could be a good move financially. Would someone outline the logistics for me? Obviously there's the diapers,then there's liners - some disposable some washable. If washable, what's the process for BM? Do the liners hold everything and you just switch those out or is it a new CD and liner each change? Are the CD one size?

princesslockness · April 2016

@DiFazette, I am no expert, but for the ones I used with L the liners went in between the layers of the diaper. Unless there was a BM I just changed the liner. With a BM I had to change the liner and CD. Ours were a chinese knockoff for the CD(not our liners), but they were one size fits most. So when he was a size 1 of disposables he fit in the smallest size/folded of them.

jennbaylor12 · April 2016

@DiFazette: Great questions! I was intimidated by it before I was actually doing it myself. It's super easy!! There will be a few differences depending on personal preferences and the type of diaper but there are a lot of universal basics.

Regarding changing: I personally change the diaper as a whole if it is wet or poop in, either way. The diapers hold in everything. You will get a few wet bags most likely or some type of container you'll put them in until you're ready to wash

Poop: Breast milk completely water soluble until they start eating solids, so you don't have to rinse the diapers first before washing. As I didn't formula feed, I'm not certain about that. Once they start eating solids, you'll need to 'dispose' of the poop
prior to washing. There are several ways to do this

Size: The newborn CD's that I used were one size with velcro. Once he outgrew those, I used Bum Genius and they have snaps that allow you to grow with the baby. My 2yo is still wearing the same ones I transitioned him into after newborn!!

Financial benefit: There is no question! The start up cost is definitely there, but once established, you're good to go. I bought just a few each month during my pregnancy, which added up quickly and then a few the first couple months and I was done! I haven't purchased any in more than 18mths :-)

Hope that helps!

DiFazette · April 2016

Thanks @jennbaylor12. You are washing 8-12 diapers per day? Don't they need multiple wash cycles (from the limited amount of reading I've done I've heard 3 wash cycles for soiled diapers) Seems like a ton of work... I'll have to look up about experience with formula. I had a preemie previously and he had to have extra calories to thrive. Huge difference in BM's between when he was being supplemented with extra calories and just BM from pumping. I'll need to do research in the likely event I have another preemie.

Gizmo1231 · April 2016

We didn't CD for DS but thinking about it for this baby! It's all very confusing to me as well. Thanks @DiFazette for asking all my questions!

emisi · April 2016

You don't need multiple wash cycles - for mine, I do a rinse, then a full wash cycle with hot water on heavy duty with extra water. It's pretty easy to do, actually.

slartybartfast · April 2016

Cloth Diapering seemed so complicated to me before I started. Then I was like... oh. This is easy AF. This youtube series explains it all very well... But again, I use the pocket diapers but never stuff the liners in.

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

slartybartfast · April 2016

Oh yea there is a cloth diapering board on TB too for more questions:
https://forums.thebump.com/categories/diapering

jennbaylor12 · April 2016

@DiFazette - oh no! I only wash every 3 days or so. I have enough diapers to last so I only wash around 3xs/week

DiFazette · April 2016

jennbaylor12 said:

@DiFazette - oh no! I only wash every 3 days or so. I have enough diapers to last so I only wash around 3xs/week

@jennbaylor12 - ok, i'll need to look up some of the recommended CD's and their cost to stock up. Sounds like I'd need at least 30? Is that a reasonable number if the entire diaper has to be changed every diaper change?

Gizmo1231 · April 2016

@DiFazette I've heard 24 diapers works great after the yucky infant poop blowout stages. IF we do CDs I think I'm going to do 18 newborn and 24 regular with hopes of washing every other day (for newborn stage) then moving to every 2-3 days. I've also thought about just sticking baby in disposable during newborn stage until he or she can wear the normal diapers (I think it is about 8 pounds) which if they are anything like DS it may be a couple months.
I'm also tempted to get some now and put DS (19 months) in them to see how we can handle it. Newborn poop doesn't scare me- toddler poop does!

jennbaylor12 · April 2016

@DiFazette - I have to count and see how many I have, I'll do that to give you an accurate number of what I've been rolling with for the last 2 years. I think 24-30 sounds about right but I'll do a double check

LoveBugBites · April 2016

We definitely will. I cloth diapered DD straight through and we still have everything saved, so it will be easy.
If you're interested for research purposes, we used fuzzibunz pocket diapers with prefolds as inserts. She had bad diaper rash until we started using disposables for overnights, so I may do that right away this time.

emisi · April 2016

DiFazette said:

jennbaylor12 said:

@DiFazette - oh no! I only wash every 3 days or so. I have enough diapers to last so I only wash around 3xs/week

@jennbaylor12 - ok, i'll need to look up some of the recommended CD's and their cost to stock up. Sounds like I'd need at least 30? Is that a reasonable number if the entire diaper has to be changed every diaper change?

When M was a newborn, I mostly used prefolds and covers... I actually found that the "traditional" cloth diaper most people think of when they think of CDs was the best for us! We had about 24 of these (https://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/cloth-eez-prefold-diapers.html) and four covers. We changed him about every 2 or 3 hours. Once he got bigger, we switched to Grovia, I got a really great deal on a ton of them from a message board. However, another great place to get them is from Kawaii (https://www.theluvyourbaby.com/), where you can get a LOT of diapers for not that much. The Pure and Natural are very popular for newborns. (https://www.theluvyourbaby.com/mom-label-pure-natural-6-22lbs-newborn-cloth-diaper-u-pick-color-insert/)

MamaCoffin · April 2016

Did it with #1. Still doing it with #2. They were both in them at the same time for 3 months. It was a lot of laundry but I did the math and just in those 3 months with both of them in diapers I saved money on 800+ diapers. I'll do the same with this one!

H4aPartyof5 · April 2016

Any recommendation to cut down on the smell? I've tried cloth for both of our DSs and "had" to quit because my DH thought that they smelled worse than disposables (I used a wetbag, but evidently, it didn't do the trick). I'd like to try again, but I suspect I'll have the same results.

dmontgo · April 2016

I don't have any input except to say thank you ladies for all of this wonderful information. It's really great to read first-hand experience with cloth diapers, as I'm highly considering it. Thank you!

jennbaylor12 · April 2016

@DiFazette - okeydoke, I had to wash diapers today so I sat down and counted everything. I have right at 35 regular CD's. Those don't count the newborn diapers; I have 10-12 of those

slartybartfast · April 2016

For what it's worth, we have about 12 and it's plenty for us.

slartybartfast · April 2016

before buying too many, I'd recommend starting with a smaller amount and then scaling to the number that it seems works for your washing pattern. You can always fill in with disposables if you don't have enough in the meantime.

Also, it may weird some people out but you can buy them used - craigslist and ebay. do a wash with bleach and all is good

MaggieG183 · April 2016

Yes! But I need advice! I was cloth diapered as a kid and the industry has just grown to provide more opportunity for families; there are just so many options! Grovia cloth diapers are designed and sold out of my hometown so I'm looking into them first as it would be amazing to support a local business and save some dough and the planet. Any suggestions from anyone would be much appreciated...including winning over DH to the cloth diapering side. He's a bit skeptical at the moment about it all.

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