Community› The Bump Month Clubs› February 2018 Moms
February 2018 Moms
New Discussion

Cloth diapering & post partum depression

manniebethmanniebeth member
edited July 2017 in February 2018 Moms
Hey guys! I have been reading awesome things about cloth diapers and am very interested.

 But, I suffered from post partum depression the first time around and had a hard enough time managing everything as it was. 

Basically, I am wondering how much of an extra work load is cloth diapering really?

Disposables you just toss, so I'm worried about all the cleaning, soaking and extra laundry. 
What is everyone else's experiences? Can anyone chime in? 
Report Reply to Post

Re: Cloth diapering & post partum depression

  • marissajcmarissajc member
    I had a friend who really wanted to cloth diaper, and she tried for months, but her HE washer would not get the inserts clean! She tried everything. That said, I do know a lot of people who happily cloth diaper. I personally didn't want to keep up with the laundry!

    One friend does cloth diapers at home, but disposables if they will be out. That way she can clean the inserts right away and not worry about it if baby has a huge blowout while shopping :)
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • mbirdiembirdie member
    We cloth diaper our DD and have since she was about 2 weeks old. It's an extra load of laundry every few days and honestly with a newborn I was doing at least that with just her clothes. EBF poops can just be thrown right in the washer without being sprayed off. Once she started eating solids we started using biodegradable liners so we don't have to spray any poop. 
    Also for us there has only ever been "blowouts" on the rare occasion that she's been in a disposable so I still use cloth out and about. The only difference is putting it in a wet bag instead of the garbage.
    We've already saved money and will be reusing them again for this next baby. I recommend getting you SO on board as well. My DH likes using them and helps with the laundry and the stuffing.
    DD - 4.15.16
    Report Reply
  • manniebethmanniebeth member
    I'm watching videos and mentioning the financial aspect of it. I'm in love with all the options! 
    Report Reply
  • sabriel1sabriel1 member
    You could always just wait until you feel like you are in a good place to add something extra into your schedule. With our first we started cloth diapering at 6 months because my first 6 months I was busy just trying to survive

     DD born Oct 2011 - DS#1 born Jan 2014 - DS#2 born Apr 2015 - DS#3 born Sept 2016 - LO#5 due Feb 7, 2018

    Report Reply
  • Ashoes123Ashoes123 member
    sabriel1 said:
    You could always just wait until you feel like you are in a good place to add something extra into your schedule. With our first we started cloth diapering at 6 months because my first 6 months I was busy just trying to survive
    I agree with this.  I'm not a cloth diaperer myself but I know several moms who  wanted to and quickly gave up.  I think if  you're worried about PPD maybe make it easier for yourself and not set any high expectations by adding the additional burden of cloth diapering.  Taking care of a baby and an infant is hard enough!
    Report Reply
  • Aeml1985Aeml1985 member
    I've been cloth diapering exclusively (other than a week to the Bahamas) for 2+ years. It's just an extra load of laundry (seriously it all goes in one wash) every 2-4 days. If you use all in one diapers there's no folding or stuffing inserts but pockets really only take 5 min to stuff a load full. My husband has always been on board so he help a ton with stuffing and the washing. 

    I dont know that we've saved money, we bought more mainstream brands mostly from new but there is a very big market for buying and selling used diapers plus a wide range of price points for purchasing new diapers

    id be happy to answer more specific questions if anyone has any 
    Andrea (31), married Aaron (36) September 2012
    Parents to fur babies Tiki and Gizzmo and 2yr old Georgia
    IF veterans; #1 conceived on second clomid+HCG+IUI, #2 conceived on 1st Letrozole+HCG+IUI
    EDD: Feb 5, 2018


    Report Reply
  • GoogleMDGoogleMD member
    Once you get the swing of it, it is a piece of cake. I love using cloth. I reccomendations looking fluff love university website, and FB. They have a ton of info about wash routines for specific washers, detergents, ect. 
    Report Reply
  • mbirdiembirdie member
    Watching YouTube videos helps get the idea of them as well. We use Applecheeks exclusively and have from the beginning but a lot of people recommend trying out different styles to find out what you like.
    DD - 4.15.16
    Report Reply
  • essentialpeaceessentialpeace member
    I agree with joint Fluff Love University website. They have an abundance of information.  Just keep in mind that it is a troubleshooting groups, so people being their issues and others help fix them. I was overwhelmed at first with all the information. HE washers can pose more difficulty, but the site has information on them too. I've really enjoyed CDing my son. I had PPD/PPA but for some reason the diapers brought me joy. I have no idea why. I just love the way they look and feel. The laundry is totally worth it and I don't mind it (coming from someone who HATES all laundry). Fluff Love Photostream has great pictures and topics about cloth. It is like the happy sister of the troubleshooting Fluff Love University and CD Science.  :D My son is 18 mo by the way and we cloth still. I can't wait to cloth a new little and reuse my favorites. I swear, I enjoy the patterns on diapers like others enjoy LLR leggings! Haha
    Report Reply
  • GoogleMDGoogleMD member
    essentialpeace said:
    I agree with joint Fluff Love University website. They have an abundance of information.  Just keep in mind that it is a troubleshooting groups, so people being their issues and others help fix them. I was overwhelmed at first with all the information. HE washers can pose more difficulty, but the site has information on them too. I've really enjoyed CDing my son. I had PPD/PPA but for some reason the diapers brought me joy. I have no idea why. I just love the way they look and feel. The laundry is totally worth it and I don't mind it (coming from someone who HATES all laundry). Fluff Love Photostream has great pictures and topics about cloth. It is like the happy sister of the troubleshooting Fluff Love University and CD Science.  :D My son is 18 mo by the way and we cloth still. I can't wait to cloth a new little and reuse my favorites. I swear, I enjoy the patterns on diapers like others enjoy LLR leggings! Haha

    Yes!!! I can't wait to get pictures of my son and new LO in some matching fluff. My son will be 2 in Nov.
    Report Reply
  • mpp06mpp06 member
    It isn't too bad. Maybe wait and see how you're feeling after delivery and go from there. I try and rinse mine as soon as I change them, just rinse in tub and then I spray with a vinegar water mix. I hang them on a bar in the bathtub and found even after rinsing they would start to smell at the end of the day (that could just be my sensitive pregnancy nose bc I started cloth right when I became pregnant). Anyway, the spray helps and no smell since. I have an HE washer and I have a special setting for *my load*. I set it on the longest setting, add a prewash and extra rinse, put vinegar in as the fabric softener and it's worked perfectly. I bought a small pack of 6 so if you are interested maybe buy one pack and see how you like it. You'd have to wash daily but that way you aren't spending a bunch up front if you don't like it. Good luck!!
    Report Reply
  • mpp06mpp06 member
    O but what brands do you CD moms like?! I have Mama Koala and Alva baby and am loving them! They seem to be a little less expensive as well!
    Report Reply
  • Ashoes123Ashoes123 member
    I feel like cloth diapering moms are always going to tout the easiness and efficiency but if you were overwhelmed and had PPD with the first I would definitely wait.  Having to do laundry every other day definitely doesn't sound "easy" to me.
    Report Reply
  • manniebethmanniebeth member
    @Ashoes123 that's kinda how I'm feeling. Its easy to be in a daze for me, and having the disposables with the wetness indicator was an awesome reminder to make sure baby got changed as soon as they were wet. I also have OCD and like being able to just toss the gross stuff out. I'm thinking it maybe isn't the best choice for me. I might go with something like the honest diapers-printed and cute but also a little more eco friendly while still being disposables. 
    Report Reply
  • mpp06mpp06 member
    It's just not super difficult, maybe that's a better way of saying it. If rinsing out diapers and having to wash them sounds like too much then don't do it, but if the question is asked I figured there is a willingness to do it. Have you potty trained a child yet? If so, it's no worse than that. If you don't want to have to deal with non solid poop and getting it off the diaper then I would say don't do it, lol. I'm constantly doing laundry so no, an extra load every few days isn't bad, but if you have a smaller household and don't do a lot of laundry or don't like it, it wouldn't be for you either. I will say, the laundry part of it is simply washing and drying then sorting. There's not much folding or anything like normal laundry. There are a lot of blogs that go in to detail (some too much bc they make it seem like it's a major process and it isn't.) I was very much opposed but my sister in law started cloth diapering and was shocked how easy it was so I decided to try. I'd wish I did this from the very beginning.
    Report Reply
  • AcreativephippsAcreativephipps member
    We cloth diapered my daughter until she potty trained and currently cloth diapering my son, but with both we did disposables until around 8 weeks old. I think this really helped us stay on track with everything.
    Report Reply
  • MamaRoniMamaRoni member
    I would love to cloth diaper BUT..... this is baby #6 and I just don't think I will have the time... :(
    Report Reply
  • mpp06mpp06 member
    edited July 2017
    @MamaRoni, this is baby number 6 for me too! I just started when I found out I was pregnant. My youngest turned 1 in November so he should only be in diapers a few months at most once this baby is born. I feel you though, it's a little crazy. It really hasn't been that bad. Do you stay at home? I'd think it would be super hard if you worked. Whatever you choose will be right for your family, just wanted to let you know it isn't as awful as you'd think. I had been throwing the idea around the last few kids and always decided against it. I tried it and loved it. I also find it helpful with the 1 year old who loves taking off his diaper, especially if it's poop.
    Edit: bc it cut the end of my post off. 

    He hasn't figured out how to take the cloth ones off!
    Report Reply
  • farmrosefarmrose member
    I started using cloth on the way home from the hospital with DD1, mostly bc I was stubborn and wanted to prove everyone wrong...But it wasn't bad at all. A little learning curve, but the extra laundry really isn't much. And ebf poo goes straight in the wash so no spraying until solids. Maybe check with your SO and see if they'd be willing to help with the laundry. But really, with all the poosplosion cloth contains you'll be doing the extra laundry with clothes or diapers. Another option is wait until LO is ready for one size diapers about 12ish lbs and start using cloth then. You don't have to buy newborn cloth and one size and you can ease into a new babe and cloth. But, really, it's not any extra work IMO.
    Report Reply
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"