@LoveLee85 I was worried about that too but for me it is just an extra small load every other night after DD goes to bed. Once you get a routine you hardly even notice it!
A few newbie questions: Can they be put in the dryer or hand dry? LOL I realllly want to. The guilt I feel every damn time I put a diaper in the trash is annoying! Just seems intimidating to add to my never ending list, but realistically if I knew more about it-I think I would?! I have a 14 month old currently and don't have to buy anything other than diapers and wipes for the new baby, So, what I'm trying to say is if it's more upfront, I don't mind since I don't have to buy any other baby gear.
@sehp8b What @LimeKrazy said! All of the used diapers I have gotten have been stain free but I washed them with bleach before using just in case. I just bought a used batch of 20 pocket Bum Genius for $50! Total score. I have gotten all of mine through Craigslist.
All three of my sisters did cloth diapers. I just don't think I can. I am sure they will try to convince me between now and July. I also just can't see DH doing it, so I know if we did it I would be changing/washing pretty much every diaper.
They are so stinking cute though.
I'm a STM and still debating on cloth diapering this coming up baby. I honestly just don't think I can?! I'm already so busy and can't fathom having to rinse/wash/dry diapers on top of everything I already don't get finished?! lol I'm hug in recycling and reallllly wanted to but I think I'm already at my sanity limit.
Honestly I don't really even notice the extra load, u fell the extra 15 min of work is worth saving $100 a month.
That's a great point! I think my lack of experience with it is making me hesitant to try it out. Are you a family that does cloth day and night no matter what? Or, if you are out and about put disposable diaper on? We are home a lot, so I don't think that would be an issue.
All three of my sisters did cloth diapers. I just don't think I can. I am sure they will try to convince me between now and July. I also just can't see DH doing it, so I know if we did it I would be changing/washing pretty much every diaper.
They are so stinking cute though.
I'm a STM and still debating on cloth diapering this coming up baby. I honestly just don't think I can?! I'm already so busy and can't fathom having to rinse/wash/dry diapers on top of everything I already don't get finished?! lol I'm hug in recycling and reallllly wanted to but I think I'm already at my sanity limit.
Honestly I don't really even notice the extra load, u fell the extra 15 min of work is worth saving $100 a month.
That's a great point! I think my lack of experience with it is making me hesitant to try it out. Are you a family that does cloth day and night no matter what? Or, if you are out and about put disposable diaper on? We are home a lot, so I don't think that would be an issue.
We do cloth 100% of the time, even at daycate and on vacation.
And I dry my diapers in the dryer on medium heat. you just have to let them completly cool before messing with them, because if you don't it can stretch the elastics. I out mine in the dryer right before I go to bed and they are cool and dry by morning.
@LoveLee85 I line dry them in my laundry room. I have a small drying rack that doesn't take up much room. I do a cold rinse cycle, hot wash cycle with detergent (both extra small so it's quick) for all diapers and inserts. Then I put the inserts in the dryer and hang the diapers and shells on the rack- all dry by morning. I do mine every other night but a lot of people wash less often.
like @GoogleMD said, you can use the dryer, you just want to take precautions so they don't stretch out after only a few months. (Mad props @GoogleMD I totally use disposable on vacation, you rock)
Thank you guys for all your great advice here! DH and I definitely want to cloth diaper. I'm thinking of doing disposable for the newborn time but switching to cloth when baby is big enough (speaking of which, keep your fingers crossed this baby is not taking after DH for birth weight...over 10lbs...and I'm short. I don't need that large of a baby in me)
@LoveLee85 I do very similar to @OperaSingerMommy I have a front load washer and do a prewash, hot main wash, and then 2 rinse cycles. I also set my washer on the Water Plus setting to make sure I'm getting plenty of water through the diapers. I machine dry my inserts but line dry the covers (DH hung a line in our laundry room for me) so that they last longer. Not only can the heat distort the elastic but it can cause the waterproof coating to break down. In the summer months I hang everything outside to dry in the NE wind lol. Saves some energy on not using the dryer and the sun helps bleach out any stains that may have happened.
Age 35, H 34
Married 5/09
Pregnancy #1, IUI, MMC, D&C Feb 2012
Pregnancy #2,IUI, MMC, D&C July 2012
Pregnancy #3 IUI, BFP 10/25/12 - Two heartbeats on the U/S!
I would recommend going to fluff love university, they also have a FB group fluff love and cd science. lots of information particularly sbout washing. You can find a wash routine for you washer model.
Did any of you cloth while the baby was a newborn or wait till later? I like the idea of cloth but I don't know if I want to use cloth for newborn since they'll grow out of them quickly. How many do you guys recommend purchasing? Any good brands or brands to stay away from?
@LimeKrazy Absolutely not, thank you for the advice and response! I would really like to explore the used option. To me, it feels like minimizing our footprint even more (I buy most things at thrift stores and the like), but I'm not sure if I can get my husband on board with the idea.
One more question. I live in a condo complex, and we have a laundry room. It costs $1.75 to wash and $1.50 to dry. In your (general 'you') experience, would the cost and environmental impact still be lower than disposable? I tend to think so, but I would be interested in hearing your experience. Does anyone else cloth diaper with a community laundry situation?
@sehp8b while I do not use community laundry I think you could still do cloth. I would just get more diapers so you are washing less frequently. there are also small portable washers on amazon for around $80- $150 that I know some people in your situation use.
I love cloth diapers! I didn't cd until baby #3. I tracked the diaper changes and by month 2 we hit 805 diapers. Thankfully my mom and I can sew.my first stash was figuring out what worked and what we liked: fitteds and GMD prefolds with covers, pockets. I started making hybrid fitteds and the squish is amazing. We didn't have a single diaper rash. Baby #2 had 20 diaper changes a day for the first 6 months because of health issues. I was tired of disposables and the smell. Plus the pants (maxaloones) werejist adorable and fun to make.
I do the same as @LimeKrazy - for wash (front load washer) and dry the inserts in the dryer and line dry the covers in the laundry room.
@Knottie1430947838 I used cloth diapers as soon as the meconium passed (in the first week). We used disposables when traveling and overnight. To start I would really recommend trying a few different styles to get a sense of what you like and what fits your baby best. Some babies have skinny legs and some have chunky thighs etc. which will influence getting a snug fit especially if you just don't use pre folds with a cover. We used bum genius once our son wasn't an infant - this was convenient since we had in home nannies - the all in one works more or less like a disposable diaper just with snaps. I would start with 12-20 and then buy more of the brand you like after the first few days. I have Amazon prime so things show up pretty much immediately at my door. For the tiny infant stage I really liked thirsties fitted diapers with a cover. I always felt a little insecure with how soaked they would get - though they never leaked. You just have to be comfortable with a wet diaper being on baby's skin.
There are loads of resources but the intro to cloth diapers that I used was from this YouTuber: Jaimee Gleisner, cloth diapers 101 ( she has 168k views). She does 4 or 5 videos in the series I think.
kellyscloset used to have a beginners stash with different brand offerings but I'm not sure that's still available. I think sweet bottoms has a trial stash that you can return within 30 days where you try one of each brand.
We did cloth while we were in the US, and still own all of the diapers, but the European washers take foooorrreever to do a cycle, and I can barely keep up with regular laundry as it is. (i.e. in the US, I could do a wash/dry cycle in 1.75 hours. Here wash takes 1.25 hours and dry takes 3.5).
I had different favorite styles at different stages. I like AIOs during the EBF stage. I really like prefolds with covers after that. My nighttime routine is fitteds with wool. Twinkie Tush are my go to brand for fitteds; they're amazing. (And if you go to their Ethos page, that's my DS1 when he was teensy).
I prefer upcycled wool and interlock because they can go through the washer/dryer. I am not a hand washer. At. All. My H set up a really nice diaper drying station in our old house, so it will be nice to get back there.
@Manda95816 We used cloth with my daughter while I worked part time, and my mom watched her while I was at work. My mom was very pro-cloth (and early potty training) so it helped to have the support. She even made the majority of our diapers, so I'd say it's definitely feasible as long as whoever is helping is on board.
Re: Cloth Diapers
That's a great point! I think my lack of experience with it is making me hesitant to try it out. Are you a family that does cloth day and night no matter what? Or, if you are out and about put disposable diaper on? We are home a lot, so I don't think that would be an issue.
And I dry my diapers in the dryer on medium heat. you just have to let them completly cool before messing with them, because if you don't it can stretch the elastics. I out mine in the dryer right before I go to bed and they are cool and dry by morning.
like @GoogleMD said, you can use the dryer, you just want to take precautions so they don't stretch out after only a few months. (Mad props @GoogleMD I totally use disposable on vacation, you rock)
Age 35, H 34
Married 5/09
Pregnancy #1, IUI, MMC, D&C Feb 2012
Pregnancy #2,IUI, MMC, D&C July 2012
Pregnancy #3 IUI, BFP 10/25/12 - Two heartbeats on the U/S!
Twin Girls! C (6/24/13) and E (6/24/13-5/20/15)
Surprise BFP! 10/23/16, EDD 7/2/17
One more question. I live in a condo complex, and we have a laundry room. It costs $1.75 to wash and $1.50 to dry. In your (general 'you') experience, would the cost and environmental impact still be lower than disposable? I tend to think so, but I would be interested in hearing your experience. Does anyone else cloth diaper with a community laundry situation?
May be easier and cheaper in the long run than paying for your community machines?
@Knottie1430947838 I used cloth diapers as soon as the meconium passed (in the first week). We used disposables when traveling and overnight. To start I would really recommend trying a few different styles to get a sense of what you like and what fits your baby best. Some babies have skinny legs and some have chunky thighs etc. which will influence getting a snug fit especially if you just don't use pre folds with a cover. We used bum genius once our son wasn't an infant - this was convenient since we had in home nannies - the all in one works more or less like a disposable diaper just with snaps. I would start with 12-20 and then buy more of the brand you like after the first few days. I have Amazon prime so things show up pretty much immediately at my door. For the tiny infant stage I really liked thirsties fitted diapers with a cover. I always felt a little insecure with how soaked they would get - though they never leaked. You just have to be comfortable with a wet diaper being on baby's skin.
There are loads of resources but the intro to cloth diapers that I used was from this YouTuber: Jaimee Gleisner, cloth diapers 101 ( she has 168k views). She does 4 or 5 videos in the series I think.
kellyscloset used to have a beginners stash with different brand offerings but I'm not sure that's still available. I think sweet bottoms has a trial stash that you can return within 30 days where you try one of each brand.
I had different favorite styles at different stages. I like AIOs during the EBF stage. I really like prefolds with covers after that. My nighttime routine is fitteds with wool. Twinkie Tush are my go to brand for fitteds; they're amazing. (And if you go to their Ethos page, that's my DS1 when he was teensy).
I prefer upcycled wool and interlock because they can go through the washer/dryer. I am not a hand washer. At. All. My H set up a really nice diaper drying station in our old house, so it will be nice to get back there.
For anyone interested in trying cloth for the first time, Jillian's Drawers has a really great trial program.
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015