Cloth Diapering Yay or Nay?

doozenberg · November 2016

Hey everyone, I've started a new thread on cloth diapering as I'm hoping we could get a great discussion going! I have been doing some research and I think I want to give it a try. I've looked at lots of brands and thinking to try lil helpers as they are Canadian (like me

) and have very good reviews. Plus they are all in ones, something that I'm down for as I want to keep it as simple as possible.
I guess I'm wondering if anyone else is considering cloth diapers, and for those mommas who have done it before... did you like it? Was it that much more work? Brands you liked? How much did it add to your hydro bill? Do you think you saved money? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Koukonei · November 2016

We love cloth diapering. I honestly find it easier once you get into a routine, and there is nothing cuter than a little fluffy bum! We have a few diapers in our stash currently, mostly lil helpers, but we also have applecheeks and a couple of bum genius as well. I plan on grabbing a few easy peasies, rumparooz, and kangacare to try out this time around as well. Definitely check to see if your area has a cloth diapering facebook group.

Koukonei · November 2016

Oh and it's added nil to our water bill. even if it added a bit, it would still be far less than buying disposables.

BeachMommy2B · November 2016

We can't cloth diaper because of our daycare. However, I can't say that I would consider it even if we could. I'm lucky to get our normal clothes washed in a timely manner...

I couldn't imagine trying to keep up with diapers too. There are some services to send them out to be laundered... but then the cost savings is gone because laundering them in my area is about as much as we'd spend on disposables.

I praise anyone that has that time and energy, I just know from last time with DD I could barely keep it together the first few months so I don't want anything else added to my stress levels.

SnarkasaurusRex · November 2016

We cloth diapered in the beginning, until DS started in daycare at about 10 weeks. Then for a while we used them at night, but it go too annoying having to spend money on the cloth diapers (which are expensive up front) AND buying disposables. We didn't notice any significant change to our water bill. My favorite was the SoftBums Omni.

I am considering cloth diapers this LO in the beginning as well, since we have all of the ones left over from DS, but who knows how annoying it might be to have a toddler in disposables and a baby in cloth...we'll see.

HGRich · November 2016

Like @BeachMommy2B I'm not sure I'd consider it with this one because of the time consumption. Maybe with the second LO after I've learned the other basic mommy skills first, and all that, maybe I'd add cloth diapers. Not this time around!

schef070911 · November 2016

I am eager to hear responses to this one as a FTM. I was super gung-ho about cloth diapering a few months ago, watched the Cloth Diapering 101 series of videos on YouTube and everything (those are great by the way!), but I still get so caught up and overwhelmed with all the different options and now I'm not sure what I want to do.

Koukonei · November 2016

Just keep in mind, babies are all built differently. so what fits a chubby baby may leave your skinny newborn leaking or vice versa. Prefolds are a good option for newborns and pretty cheap. I wouldn't invest a ton in one brand before knowing what's going to work for you.

ashleym112 · November 2016

Koukonei said:

Just keep in mind, babies are all built differently. so what fits a chubby baby may leave your skinny newborn leaking or vice versa. Prefolds are a good option for newborns and pretty cheap. I wouldn't invest a ton in one brand before knowing what's going to work for you.

I found this to be true with disposable diapers too for what its worth. A lot of moms from my old bmb did as well whether or not they used cloth or disposable. Definitely something I wish I knew when I was a ftm.

doozenberg · November 2016

Thanks for the tips ladies. I'll def need to try a few brands before I commit. I was thinking of trying it after approx 6 weeks (using disposables before that), that way hopefully I'll be more comfortable with changing diapers/what it's like to have a child so I'll know if I can do it or not.

allybadry · November 2016

I don't plan on cloth diapering this LO. We talked about it before DS was born, but decided that the disposable would be simpler for us. Like @BeachMommy2B said, keeping up with regular laundry was enough of a challenge, especially after I was back to work, so adding 2 or 3 loads per week would just make it worse. Honestly, disposables weren't a huge expense. I buy a case once a month and we've never even been close to running out.

Another thing with cloth to consider is that they add extra bulk which can make it hard to fit LO into pants. It might not be an issue if you are somewhere warm and a diaper cover is enough, but it gets pretty cold where I am and I don' think DS would have been very happy without pants. Friends who have cloth diapered always had to buy a couple sizes up and then the pants were always really long.

HappyAnjel · November 2016

Definitely true for all diapers.. disposable ones for my daughter I could only use pampers all the rest of the brand's I tried (Huggies, parents choice and luvs) all leaked on her.. buy thankfully my nephew was the opposite build and used all the ones that failed us with no issues. But if I used a pamper on him I had to go up a size

kitkat8387 · November 2016

I'm also very interested in cloth diapering, so this thread is super helpful, thanks for starting it! Our tentative plan is to start out with disposables and once we get the hang of the whole parenting thing, transition to cloth (if we still want to). We will probably still use disposables when traveling or out and about, but stick to cloth at home.

lovelongdog06 · November 2016

I've cloth diapered full time since DS was born and wouldn't have it any other way. He was tiny and leaked out of disposables in the hospital, so it was nice to get home to the cloth we'd planned from the start. We do it to save money but found along the way they work better, don't stink, look cuter, and don't have the overwhelming waste of disposables.

It's really not hard, especially when they're tiny and breastfed...you just throw everything into the washer. When he started solids I got a diaper sprayer and it works great. I actually love that all the poop is removed and I don't have diapers stinking up a trash can or pail. I even use cloth while out and about and on vacation.

I love prefolds and covers for newborns because they go through so many and they hold everything in the best. I also love Best Bottoms, which are an all in two system with snap in inserts. I really don't care for pocket diapers. I find them annoying to assemble and clean, but they are popular!

LittleChick2 · November 2016

I'm a FTM and planning to cloth diaper. So far I have the majority of my newborn stash already, which is just GMD prefolds and Thirsties covers, I have a couple Prorap covers as well. I also have a chunk of my post newborn stash too, Blueberry AIO, Thirsties covers, Fuzzibunz pockets, etc. I ended up buying a lot of diapers from a lady and should have all I need if I wanted to do prefolds and covers from birth to potty training, but I'd like more AIO and pockets thrown into the mix.

I'm choosing to do cloth because of all the waste from disposables and the cost factor (I've only spent $140 on what I have so far). Luckily H is on board and so is my mom, who will be watching baby while I'm at work.

MWoodside · November 2016

We do only cloth. Disposable disowrs hsve chemicals I'm not comfortable with snd are wasteful. Cloth is super easy. It literally is like 2-3 extra loads of laundry a week. So not a big deal. We use mostly fitteds and wool. If you have specific questions I'm happy to answer. I've tried lost brands between my two older kids

pinkshades05 · November 2016

Probably not unless we can get into a bigger place where we have room for cleaning cloth diapers. I've always thought I'd try with my other 2 girls but my husband has been so opposed.

doozenberg · November 2016

@lovelongdog06, the best bottoms sound just like the lil helpers - they have a snap in insert so you don't always have to change the outer cover. I don't think I'll go for prefolds as it seems overwhelming. It's crazy how many options there are.
Good thing there are a bunch of pros here to give advice. Thanks everyone.

doozenberg · November 2016

One other question. Is it ok to buy used cloth? I've read that you can strip and bleach them. Just wondering as they are much cheaper.

Koukonei · November 2016

Most of my stash I bought second hand. Just make sure the elastics are still tight and springy unless changing them yourself is something you want to do.

lovelongdog06 · November 2016

You can absolutely buy second hand cloth. It's a good deal too! Many of my diapers are used. I've even traded before.

I like prefolds for newborns because they poop so often and it's so runny. Prefolds let us get away with only having a few covers around. They aren't for everyone of course, but I found the learning curve minimal and even my husband can snappi a prefold no problem. No pins involved now lol. you can also just fold a prefold in thirds and lay it in a cover. I highly recommend having a few good ones around even if you don't diaper with them. they make extraordinary burp cloths and "oh crap huge mess grab a prefold" cloths. It's also worth mentioning most "one size" diapers don't fit till about 8-10 lbs

Because a picture speaks a thousand words...here's one of my poo removal setup. So easy. Just clip the diaper in the plastic thing there to the side (A Spray Pal), turn on the sprayer attached to the toilet, and spray. Then, I toss the sprayed diaper in a wet bag for wash day.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/7v/5zle5cng66x9.jpg

lovelongdog06 · November 2016

...and with Thanksgiving approaching...who can resist turkeys!

doozenberg · November 2016

@lovelongdog06, that setup... is... AWESOME! Where did you buy the sprayer? Was it hard to hook up to your toilet? And just easy clean up too. Wow I'm learning so much. I never thought I'd get so excited over cloth diapering.
PS the thanksgiving diaper is ADORABLE. Thanks for the tips.

marshmallowmadness · November 2016

I wanted to with my first, but my mom (who is also hardcore anti-breastfeeding) talked me out of it and told me it was something "poor people have to do." So I dropped it. I had #2 14m later and was still in that mindset. Flashforward 4.5 years to baby #3, living 1200 miles from my toxic mother and her influences (different story) and I decided to both breastfeed and cloth diaper and I couldn't be more happy with either one!

I did invest in a pretty large stash (about 60) so I wouldn't have to do laundry every day. I LOVE my bumgenius diapers. and we will just use them for this baby and however many after that as well. My DD3 just turned 17m and they seem to be holding up really well.

ConstanceGoodspeed · November 2016

I use BumGenius and Thirsties. I got my entire stash as gifts, so free for me. I recommend a diaper trial like Jillian's Drawers does. It helped us narrow down styles and brands that we liked (it also forced my husband to practice changing diapers since he had never done it).

cafedisco · November 2016

We loved our cloth for about 16 months until DD went to daycare. We could no longer generate enough CD laundry so we gave up. Something to think ahead about in terms of saving money. This time, LO will be in daycare by 4 months so we will use our NB stash mostly.

I wouldn't buy a whole stash til you have a real baby to see what you like. I thought I would love all in ones and actually hate them (except for the diaper bag). They take FOREVER to dry. I loved pockets and prefolds.

Honestly, if you can figure out how to put on a disposable, you can put on a prefold. Skill level is about the same.

Used is totally fine. In fact, I think my NB stash is somewhere in New Jersey with a friend. They've been borrowed by 3 babies.

Bills did not go up for us. However, I started with a front loader and HATED it. I moved and got a top loading machine and it worked so much better for cloth. It's still a high efficiency machine.

BecNJake · November 2016

We love cloth diapering! We switched to cloth diapers when my little guy was 6 months old, so I can't say how easy it is for newborns- but once they start to poop solid it's not a big deal at all. We plan on having 3-4 kids so for us it's definitely going to save money in the long run. I think it would be hard to keep up on laundry if you work full time, I have 25 diapers and wash every other day. I work part time from home so it's easy to do. I know some moms can work full time and still pull themselves together but I am not that mom! We use Alva baby brand with inserts and recommend paying extra for the 5 layer bamboo inserts if you go that route. Bamboo seems to be extra absorbent and the stuff we have is a dark grey color so doesn't look dirty.

lovelongdog06 · November 2016

doozenberg said:

@lovelongdog06, that setup... is... AWESOME! Where did you buy the sprayer? Was it hard to hook up to your toilet? And just easy clean up too. Wow I'm learning so much. I never thought I'd get so excited over cloth diapering.
PS the thanksgiving diaper is ADORABLE.

The sprayer is BumGenius brand and was very simple to install. I think all we needed was a screwdriver for the wall part!

Limie · November 2016

We cloth diaper and love it! we started out using prefolds and covers because they were easier with a newborn until his one size aios fit. now we use bum genius freetimes and nickis brand all in one's. I wash twice a week with my normal detergent. and we bought a cheap diaper sprayer from lowes so clean up is a breeze. it took a couple of months to figure out what worked for us and we went back and forth with disposables (which we leaked out of all the time) until we figured it out. my son just turned a year old so we will have two in diapers a little while but my stash is big enough so I dont have to buy a single diaper for April baby !

doozenberg · November 2016

You guys have given me hope! I'm gonna try.
@lovelongdog06, I know what I'll be putting on my registry! Thanks.

doozenberg · November 2016

Sorry one other question. I read a lot about people washing the diapers in the wet bag. Any experience? Can you wash them in any wet bag or only certain kinds?

cafedisco · November 2016

doozenberg said:

Sorry one other question. I read a lot about people washing the diapers in the wet bag. Any experience? Can you wash them in any wet bag or only certain kinds?

You don't leave them in the wet bag. What we did was turn the bag inside out as we pushed the diaper out and then you wash it too. You'll want 2 bigger sized ones for home and a few for diaper bags or cars. We used Planet Wise for big ones and lots of brands for little ones.

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