Cloth Diapers

clbness · May 2018

Let's talk fluff (because I've been obsessed with "window shopping" for new diapers)!

I know we have several cloth diapering parents on here and I'm sure there are a few FTM's out there that may have interest in CD. STM's: What's your preferred style(s) (prefolds, AIO, pocket, fitted, AI2, etc) and brand(s)? Why did you choose cloth? Do you have a wash routine or use a diaper service? Anything else you want to share. FTM's: Ask away!

PensiveCrayon · May 2018

We used Thirsties newborn AIO’s at the beginning and I didn’t love them. They leaked a lot. As soon as he could fit into them we switched to Bumgenius AIO’s (Freetime, I think?) and they’ve been great for the most part. Our washing machine here kind of sucks, so I don’t have any idea if I’m washing them correctly and they’re starting to develop an ammonia odor, which always comes back no matter if I bleach them or what. But! That can be avoided with a good wash routine and anot-dumb, not-cheap machine. (I have Feelings I won’t bother you all with here.)

I chose cloth because I thought it was cool and economical, I guess. It is nice to never have to worry about being out of diapers and needing to do an emergency run, but honestly...I’m kind of lazy and I almost wish I’d just done disposables.

My wash routine with the Dumb Machine is to do a “pre-wash” with the casual cycle on warm water, level 3 detergent. Then I do a hot & heavy “deep wash” with level 5 detergent. I’ve been drying them on low heat in the dryer but now that it’s getting warmer I’ll start drying them outside when I can. It seems to help the stink a bit.

clbness · May 2018

We started cloth at about 8 months and I wish we would have done it sooner! We had run out of all the sposies that were gifted to us and had bought about 3 boxes of our own and realized how ridiculously pricey they were (also, I like that they're better for the earth). MH all of a sudden said, "have you ever thought about cloth?!" I had actually googled it before he brought it up, but I didn't think that was something he would be on board for. So, I basically took that as a go-ahead to buy all the diapers.

I started my stash with some pre-loved diapers I found on Craigslist. It sounds gross, but they were in great condition, plus, I stripped and bleached them before I put them on my babes butt. Those pre-loved consisted of a bunch of Fuzzibunz OS pockets, Rumparooz pockets, Bumgenius pockets (except for one AIO). Since then, I have bought a few Alva pockets, some Green Mountain Diaper fitteds (with Alva covers) for night time and some WAHM (work at home mom) ones that I LOVE. I also had a monthly diaper subscription for a few months and got a couple ELF and an unbranded from that (and a cute flamingo cover that magically disappeared

).

We (Ahem, I...I do the laundry) wash at home every couple days. Since I have been getting a little ammonia in my fitteds (because they're thick as hell, y'all), I start with a rinse/spin. Then a warm quick wash with level 1 soap. Finish with a heavy duty wash with hot water and level 5 soap (I also bulk the load a bit with MH's t-shirts, underwear and socks). Dry on low in the dryer.

I'm planning to cloth this one as a newborn, so I'm looking at getting some NB sizes. Maybe some prefolds and covers with snappis?

@PensiveCrayon You make me wonder if I'm not using enough soap on my quick wash with your level 3!

gorgeousariel · May 2018

We started CD when DD was 14m. I had always kinda thought about CD but I'm such a couponer that I didn't mind buying disposables. But I wasn't getting the good deals anymore so we decided to switch. We mainly use pocket style with a couple of AIO. I'm not picky about brand, just the design. Lol. I don't have a local service so I just wash them. I get my routine from Fluff Love University. They have everything CD.

tumbleweed-1 · May 2018

Ooo, something I can play as a FTM because I was an infant teacher. My students were all at least 6 weeks (rules for how old you have to be to start day care), so I don’t know about cloth diapering fresh babies & the early poops (that I’ve heard tales of). I really like g-diapers, if they fit well and you check them often enough (same is true for a lot of wet cloth diapers). If the fit on it is off or they get too wet they tend to leak. A toddler I had wore them with cloth inserts instead of the disposable ones they’re advertised with. That’s the only specific brand name I remember.

I’m interested in using some kind of insert/prefold and the cover over it. I think even a pocket diaper would work as a “cover” if I take the pocket part out and put it against baby and use the rest like a cover? I think it’s too much laundry to do pockets/AIOs. At work, I’d change the kids’ inserts and only change the cover if it was wet or visably soiled, unless they had a pocket style or AIO, then the whole thing went in the diaper bag. I also had a few students with diaper sheets that catch the solid waste. They look like big dryer sheets. I’d like to find out the names of those and get that to make changes easier.

I’m curious about the laundry part & if a service is worth the $, or if I should just do them myself since I have a w/d. My only experience with the laundry part of cloth diapers is sending the wet bags home with the babies at the end of each day. I’m interested in learning the parent experience of this, since my cloth diaper experience is limited.

hkom · May 2018

Ooo I am totally following this. We are interested in cloth diapers mainly from a cost and less waste perspective. I've been looking into prefolds and covers, especially for the earlier phases. Those actually seem like much less work than the pockets/AIOs, especially with laundry. But I'm a FTM so what do I know?!

runrinserepeat · May 2018

We used bumgenius pretty exclusively. We favored the sized AIOs (which they don’t make anymore I don’t think), and had just a ton. I think 24 newborn, and then 20 in each size S, M, L, and XL. Then we also got a couple one-size pockets and AIOs. It was sooo many diapers. DH liked the convenience of the AIOs, but we needed the extra stuffing for overnights so we got the pockets.

DH did all the laundry so I can’t really speak to that.

Idk of we’ll use them again. Neither kid really ever got to the “ploppable” poop stage, diaper liners didn’t really work well for them, and by the time DS was probably 9 months, we were just done scraping sticky poop from diapers. Idk that I’d really want to use them for just 6 months, so... I guess we’ll see. I did love my Elementals and Freetimes though.

tumbleweed-1 · May 2018

PensiveCrayon said:

... ...level 3 detergent. Then I do a hot & heavy “deep wash” with level 5 detergent.

And

clbness said:

... ...with level 1 soap. Finish with a heavy duty wash with hot water and level 5 soap...

There are levels to soap? Does that mean a different type or an increased quantity?

PensiveCrayon · May 2018

@runrinserepeat Luckily we are in the plop stage now! I hate the poops I have to spray off, and on the off day he isn’t feeling well and there’s diarrhea...nope nope nope. I always keep some disposables around for stuff like that.

So there’s some advice! Even if you use cloth you’ll probably end up using disposables now and then, so it might be nice to have a few sizes on hand. I don’t bother with cloth when we travel, for example.

runrinserepeat · May 2018

@PensiveCrayon you’re so lucky! Our kids’ crap wasn’t even really sprayable. And we CDed DD until she was potty trained. It was just awful.

Oh also, she was very prone to rash, and the CD-safe stuff didn’t usually help her, so we had to switch to sposies sometimes with her to heal up her butt. DS never had that problem, so I guess it’s luck of the draw there? Agree about keeping some sposies on hand.

ebk20 · May 2018

I wouldn't recommend CDs for newborns because of the amount they are peeing and pooping and the whole exhausted mom thing. Cds are great when the get a little older and they are easier to clean up. I wouldn't recommend leaving the house in CDs or taking a long nap since they would often leak.

kadeephd · May 2018

tumbleweed-1 said:

PensiveCrayon said:

... ...level 3 detergent. Then I do a hot & heavy “deep wash” with level 5 detergent.

And

clbness said:

... ...with level 1 soap. Finish with a heavy duty wash with hot water and level 5 soap...

There are levels to soap? Does that mean a different type or an increased quantity?

I'm just quoting you left and right @tumbleweed-1! Yes can someone please explain the soap level thing?

I'm planning on cloth diapering for economic and environmental reasons. We have a combined washer and dryer and it takes forever to dry stuff, so I hang most things to dry. I'm hoping that will work for diapers too. A friend of mine said she would send me her cloth diapers since she is done having kids, so I will have a stash to start out with. I'm not sure what brand they are.

PensiveCrayon · May 2018

Ha when I say levels I mean like the 1-5 lines on the cap!

PensiveCrayon · May 2018

Also, it wasn’t so bad doing cloth diapers with a newborn, but he was also 3 weeks old when we got him home from the hospital, so I’m sure that helped.

tumbleweed-1 · May 2018

PensiveCrayon said:

Ha when I say levels I mean like the 1-5 lines on the cap!

thanks for clarifying! I just use one level for laundry, and I don’t even know which one it is. About 1/2-3/4 up the cap? So many new adulting things. I feel less prepared to have a baby since I clearly haven’t mastered laundry.

CecilB93 · May 2018

I have a "mutt" stash lol. Alva's (almost always leaked for my DS), Bungenius AIOs, Flip covers, Osocozy prefolds, Happy Flute for over night (LOVE these!!), another brand I can't think of...I think I preferred the pockets or covers and inserts. AIOs are great, but can be expensive, though I used AIOs for overnight as long as they had a pocket to add inserts. Even then though, some of the Happy Flutes didn't need extra inserts! I'm planning to make some for the next kiddo just because I can lol. We ended up switching to disposables simply because our old daycare wouldn't do cloth. It got to the point where DS was barely in cloth and I never had enough to wash until a week had passed, even then sometimes it wasn't enough. Our new daycare will do cloth though!! So I'm planning on sticking with it for this kiddo! Though I agree with having disposable on hand if your kid is prone to rashes or for vacation.

Also, covers work great for swim diapers!!

thetwistedwillow · May 2018

Lurking from Jan ‘19. I still have my Sunbabies (cheap china diaps) from years ago. They’re OS pocket diapers.

I have found that washing cloth in a front loader SUCKS. There's just not enough water to get the diapers clean. I’ve tried all the tricks and still had real bad ammonia issues. So, if we do cloth again, I’m getting a top loader. I regret the front load sooooo much. That’s my 2 cents. Good luck and happy diapering!

AdorkablePixie · May 2018

@ebk I haven't really had any problems with leaving the house or leaks during naps. If I think he might take a long nap, I just stick an extra insert in there (usually a NB insert from my BG diapers).

@tumbleweed-1 Just make sure if you use a pocket as a cover you don't put microfiber again baby's skin!

We cloth diaper to save money, it's good for the environment, and HELLO cute designs!! My favorites are pockets and prefolds with covers for the daytime. My husband doesn't quite get the prefolds thing so he uses only the pockets, which is fine. At night we ended up having to use bamboo or hemp fitteds with a fleece cover because he is a heavy wetter. They would stink SO BAD in the morning though. I found a huge box of diapers on sale for $34.99 so I bought them and we've just been putting him in sposies at night because it's easier. My favorite brand of diapers is Just Simply Baby. She's a mom with like five kids. Her diapers designs are ADORABLE. For my covers I love wink diapers, also adorable designs. We also use Bum Genius pocket diapers. A lot of my diapers I got off cloth diaper trader or yardsale sites in my area. I got ALL our night diapers off there and got a lot of my BG and some non-name brands on cloth diaper trader.

My wash routine I do a cold regular load with 1 line of detergent. The second wash is warm and heavy, with 3-4 line of detergent. Sometimes I bulk up the load with DS other clothes, but not always. I also use the unstoppables scent boosters to make his diapers smell amazing. Right now I use Tide Free and Clear (or something like that) and am thinking of switching detergents. Any suggestions?

In addition, any FTMs who are thinking of doing cloth, you may need to buy heavier diapers for night time. I think DS started leaking through his diapers at like 4 months. He also sleeps through the night though. If LO doesn't sleep through the night then it's not a huge deal because you can just change them.

ALSO, around Black Friday there are always amazing diapers deals.

coybig · May 2018

I didn't mind it... the laundry was fine (I'm in charge of most of the household cleaning - too bad I'm not very good at it). I definitely prefer the AIOs and would be willing to do it through the first couple months, but after that I would want disposables.

kadeephd · May 2018

Right now I make my own laundry soap out of borax, washing soda, and homemade soap (mostly made of Crisco). It's super cheap and it works well. I'm hoping it will work for diapers too? I'll have to experiment to figure out if it does and how much to use.

AdorkablePixie · May 2018

@kadeephd It will not work for diapers as it's soap and not detergent. There is a cloth diapering page on Facebook that has a wealth of information. Homemade soaps are not strong enough to clean diapers.

kadeephd · May 2018

@AdorkablePixie Oh no! What about a recipe like this one?

AdorkablePixie · May 2018

@kadeephd I doubt it since there is no actual detergent in that recipe either, but I'm no expert. I buy mine, that way I know mine are clean.

This link may help you out a little. https://www.fluffloveuniversity.com/how-to-wash-cloth-diapers/detergent-index/

runrinserepeat · May 2018

coybig said:

I didn't mind it... the laundry was fine (I'm in charge of most of the household cleaning - too bad I'm not very good at it). I definitely prefer the AIOs and would be willing to do it through the first couple months, but after that I would want disposables.

It's nice to get a dad's perspective on this

Thanks for sharing.

binxybaby · May 2018

Our plan is to use cloth diapers, but supplement in the early days with disposable. I know I hate the feeling of having a big ol pad in my underwear so the thought of a baby wearing a disposable just seems uncomfortable. Plus cloth is better for the environment and adorable. I'm a FTM so I'll probably need a lot of recommendations. Thankfully, two of my friends used cloth and I have you ladies

clbness · May 2018

@hkom I have heard that prefolds and covers ARE easier...especially for laundry purposes! If the baby just pees in the prefold and doesn't soil the cover, all you have to change is the prefold. I would really like to try prefolds for the newborn stage...you know, when they don't move around so much!

@tumbleweed-1 Your pic cracked me up!

As pensive cleared up, just the amount of soap used.

@kadeephd That's so awesome you can get a friends stash! That will help you get your foot in the door and then you'll be able to decide what you like/dislike at little to no cost. Also, I dry in the dryer because I don't have any racks or lines, but they say line drying is the best for the elastics, so I think you're good there!

@AdorkablePixie I use Tide powder and haven't had any issues with it, but I hear Persil is good too!

I also remembered when I first bought my stash, I got some Kawaii pocket diapers and I really like the fit of those too.

On the ones that I have issues with leaks, I just try swapping out the insert. I've found I get the worst compression leaks with microfiber. Hemp seems to work the best for me. I've also heard that flour sack towels are amazing used as inserts (or even prefolds). Does anyone have experience with this?

As for nighttime, I use fitteds with an extra hemp insert that has a fleece layer to go against babys skin to wick moisture away. My kid PEES. SO. MUCH. at night, so it's been a struggle finding something absorbent enough.

trucksntutus · May 2018

I sincerely admire all of you for using cloth diapers. I'd LOVE to and I really contemplated it with DD but ugh, I just don't think I have the patience. I hate laundry. DD right now is starting to use training panties and when she pees/poops in them and I have to clean it all off and wash it.... ugh. I'm just annoyed with it and I can't imagine doing it with a newborn. I love that they're overall cheaper and better economically but I'm sticking with my disposables probably again. But man I wish I had more drive to CD.

Gwyneddlesliegrace · May 2018

I’ve been CDing for 11 years.

Gawd.

Anyway, I’ve used about everything and CD from birth. For newborns I like flats and covers. I’m making stretchy bamboo flats this time and am in love with them. I prefer thirsties covers and wool for NBs.

As they get older I have a hodgepodge of a stash. I’ve found that different diapers work for different kids. Ultimately, I prefer fitteds and wool over anything else!

Top loades work work better for CDs because they use more water. I use tide original and it works like a charm.

Also, don’t ever let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t ever bleach. I am probably the crunchiest person on this board but you have to use bleach without human waist!

hkom · May 2018

Gwyneddlesliegrace said:

Also, don’t ever let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t ever bleach. I am probably the crunchiest person on this board but you have to use bleach without human waist!

This is probably the #1 thing I've been wondering about. What is the reasoning behind no bleach? It seems like it would be an absolute necessity!

AdorkablePixie · May 2018

@clbness My main issue with the detergent was all the suds it was making, it was causing our sump pump to leak bubbles EVERYWHERE. I think I solved the problem, though. I also feel like my diapers aren't getting completely clean, but I guess sometimes you're just going to have poop stains. lol

CecilB93 · May 2018

@Gwyneddlesliegrace and anyone else who uses fleece or wool covers, especially at night...how do you layer that? Do you still use a regular PUL lined diaper underneath? Or can you just use a prefold/fitted? I have a sewing pattern for a fleece cover and really want to try some for overnight as we did still have the occasional issue with our Happy Flute Heavy Wetters with DS, but I don't know how that truly works! We don't have fitteds, but I'm wanting to get some. The prefolds just didn't seem to hold the poop in off the cover and I feel like a fitted would do that better.

Gwyneddlesliegrace · May 2018

CecilB93 said:

@Gwyneddlesliegrace and anyone else who uses fleece or wool covers, especially at night...how do you layer that? Do you still use a regular PUL lined diaper underneath? Or can you just use a prefold/fitted? I have a sewing pattern for a fleece cover and really want to try some for overnight as we did still have the occasional issue with our Happy Flute Heavy Wetters with DS, but I don't know how that truly works! We don't have fitteds, but I'm wanting to get some. The prefolds just didn't seem to hold the poop in off the cover and I feel like a fitted would do that better.

@CecilB93 no additional PUL. They can go over fitters or I would put them over flats. I do t love prefolds because I don’t feel like I can ever get them folded well. Fleece does okay when they are little for daytime. I wouldn’t use it at night though. When I use wool they just wear that, no pants or shorts or anything. That’s why they have longies, shorties and even skirts!

hannelorre · August 2018

I'm trying to revive this thread because I've been thinking/researching about this for a few weeks. For STM+ moms, worth it to start CD from newborn stage or just get a stash of OS?
It seems that prefold and flats would give the most bang for the buck - can anyone share what a reasonable number of stash would be if I wanted to wash every other day? Thank you in advance!!

PensiveCrayon · August 2018

@hannelorre I wouldn’t get NB if I had it to do over again. Baby really isn’t in them for super long (especially if you use disposables during the meconium stage, which I would advise) and the ones I got were constantly leaking (thirsties AIO). If you’re planning on using them for multiple kids, it makes more sense. In spite of Munich dislike of them, I’ll be reusing our NB CD’s because I’m stubborn and cheap

We have a stash of 24 AIO diapers and it’s more than enough. Not sure about how that number translates to other types of CD’s though.

CecilB93 · August 2018

@hannelorre I've always read to have about 18 diapers per day during the newborn stage. I didn't cloth until DS was older, so we skipped the NB stage. I feel like we maybe used 8-12 per day. We mostly used prefolds and covers, that way we could reuse the covers and not need so many. Something to consider though if doing daycare, they probably won't reuse the cover, so we do have some pockets and AIOs I'll probably send to daycare and then just do the covers and prefolds at home. If you do the cover option with prefolds/flats/fitteds, I'd say about 3-5 covers and 10-12 of the inner part per day. I will say though that we were bad and probably didn't change diapers as often as we should have...so I used less than that per day...but that's typically what I see recommended. So about 24-28 would be good for every other day washing.

hannelorre · August 2018

@PensiveCrayon @CecilB93 thanks! I'll focus on the OS stash then. Good point about daycare - I'll have to look into whether the daycares allow CD and what kind.

AdorkablePixie · August 2018

@hannelorre As long as your baby isn't a premie, OS should fit. We didn't start CDing until DS was a month old though, just because I figured disposables would be easier in the beginning. When I was pregnant with DS I had a hard time finding a daycare that would do cloth, this time around every place I called was willing to do cloth! I love pocket diapers and covers with flats. The covers with flats are probably my favorite because I feel like they hold more, but DH can use pockets easier. So we do both here.

kadeephd · September 2018

I have a question for STM+ who have cloth diapered before. I am planning on cloth diapering once my baby can fit into one-size diapers (I don't feel like buying a set of newborns). I'm thinking we will also use reusable wipes since we'll be washing the diapers anyway. I went to sew a bunch today out of flannel and old t-shirts and am wondering if anyone has advice on how big to make them and how many layers? I started out with thick ones, but they seem pretty bulky I'm thinking I might do some single layered no-sew ones by using pinking shears. Anyone have advice on what worked best for them?

CecilB93 · September 2018

We didn't use cloth wipes, and probably won't with this one, so I don't have personal experience. I think anytime I've seen cloth wipes made they've been a couple layers of flannel and just serge or zig-zag stitch the edges so the flannel doesn't fray. You could do one layer flannel one layer tshirt maybe? Size wise I think maybe 5-6 inches? I'm not sure. Probably whatever your preference is honestly.

clbness · September 2018

@kadeephd I use cloth wipes occasionally and these are the ones I use. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GLBR3C0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They are a single layer of flannel with the edges surged and I feel like they do the job well! Oh, and they're 7.5" square. I imagine I will make some of my own with this baby.

kadeephd · September 2018

@cecilb93 @clbness Thanks! I think I'll make a variety of size and layer combos to see what I like. I probably should have just bought some because I'm not good at sewing though. It's going to take me forever.

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