Cloth Diapering

suzycupcake · June 2019

Not sure how much traction this thread will gain, but calling all Moms who do, plan to do, or considering cloth diapering to give advice or ask questions.

Image: https://media.giphy.com/media/3ohryvJOFr0JGobizm/giphy.gif

wanderlustsoul · June 2019

I was also going to start this thread but kept forgetting.

We are cloth diapering! I couldn’t handle the amount of waste generated by disposable diapers. We have all of them ordered and packed into the drawer.

I got a bunch to try in the beginning to see which brand I like best for him. I went with all-in-ones and all-in-twos to make it easier but it’s also a bit more pricey.

We got Thirsties and Motherease for the newborn stage and then Flip covers, Motherease, Lil helpers, best bottom, and Thirsties for one sizes.

I did so much research on them so feel free to ask!

suzycupcake · June 2019

Me personally, I'm doing pre-folds (size newborn and small; a dozen of each) from Green Mountain diapers with some Snappis from Amazon and Nickis one size snap diaper covers (10 solid colors and 2 cute patterns). Then I got some GMD Workhorse fitteds (6 newborn and 3 small for my husband to make it easier on him when he changes).

I might switch up the brand of pre-folds and fiitteds if I find a cheaper organic option. The covers I don't care too much since they won't really be touching my son's skin.

@AKuzReve Two ladies today told me that Flip diapers get pretty small for one size. I'm not sure if they meant that as a bad or a good thing? What do you like about Thirsties? They recommended that as a good, solid brand.

wanderlustsoul · June 2019

@suzycupcake, a mom who cloth diapered sent me her list of all she bought and she loved the Flip covers. She used them until potty training I believe so I got 2 to try.

I like the Thirsties because it had good reviews on the trim and fit (specifically the natural fibre one), the sizing for newborns seems to be one of the better ones, and easy to use (wanted to make it easier for my H and our families to use). I got extra absorbers to go in them for the night.

Allycat11 · June 2019

We most likely are not cloth diapering this one but did with our last two and loved it. We got rid of all of ours and not sure we want to make the investment again for our final baby. I may change my mind once baby arrives though.

I do have 5+ years experience cloth diapering so if I can help at all let me know.

aukeev · June 2019

I've been back and forth on cloth diapering. I have a substantial stash of Honest disposables that I suspect will take us through almost the first year, but I only built it up because I was nervous about cloth diapering and day care. Do your day care centers allow cloth diapers, or will you ladies use cloth at home and send disposables during the day?

wabash15 · June 2019

Veteran cloth diaperer here... all of my kids have been in cloth, and this one will be too.
I suggest trying one or two of a few different kinds to see what you like best. Also snaps over velcro all day. Its harder when your sleep deprived at night but the velcro wears out too fast...
another note depending on how chubby your baby is when its born you may need to go the disposable route for the first few weeks until their little legs fatten up otherwise it can be leak city. (unless you buy a bunch of infant/premie diapers... but they can only wear them for the first few months so you don't get so much bang for your buck).

BigBadWolf12 · June 2019

We did/are doing combo with DS. Disposable until umbilical cord came off and then continued at night and when traveling (like to Canada) or sometimes if I'm lazy also just if I expect him to poop when out even if we are just leaving for the morning. Cloth at home and for day trips.

We got best bottoms covers and used prefold inserts for the first 3-4 months then used medium snap-in inserts that actually are meant for the diapers.

Just got some large inserts and a couple of the "bigger best bottom" covers (and some girly one size covers for little sister) because we will need more when diapering 2 and I figured having bigger sizes would be good so we don't feel a time crunch for potty training ds. He's going great but I think part of that is that there's no pressure to train by a certain deadline and he's still young too.

The best bottoms diaper covers do run small/trim compared to other cloth diapers, but I have no regrets with choosing them. They've been great and I've never been nervous about leaks with them.

Double gusset is awesome. I wouldn't personally buy a single gusset diaper. (I have one random one I bought for a specific print and a few hand me downs from a friend and they're the last ones i reach for)

suzycupcake · June 2019

@wabash15 Thanks for the scoop on skinny legs starting out!

BigBadWolf12 · June 2019

Ditto on snaps over velcro! Velcro anything is so annoying in the wash. I also preferred snap bibs. (But I put velcro bibs in a mesh washing bag so it wouldn't snag other stuff.)

sw1122 · June 2019

I'm torn on this - my husband and I are considering cloth diapers, but I can see myself not sticking with it and convincing myself that the convenience of disposables isn't worth the hassle of cloth diapers. Has anyone/is anyone planning on using a diaper service? I know two moms who have used cloth diapers and both were like, 'you can't use cloth diapers without diaper service'. Is this true?

BigBadWolf12 · June 2019

@sw1122 that's not true at all (what your friends were saying). We have done all the diaper laundry DS makes - no service. We do laundry regularly, 3x a week, so diapers dont sit around long.

wabash15 · June 2019

@sw1122 it actually isn't that hard... we did it with the twins and it wasn't that much more work. I would just suggest getting enough shells/inserts so you can go 3ish days between washes. the initial baby poops are NBD and I just tossed the whole thing in the wash. as they get older and the poops are more solid the will either just pop out or having something to scrape or rinse the diaper is helpful.

Allycat11 · June 2019

@sw1122 I despise laundry and find diaper laundry to be no big deal. For best results you should hang dry but I often used the dryer because it is convenient and you can only dry outside here a few months out of the year. Even folding is no big deal or there would be times we would just be pulling clean diapers from a laundry basket.

suzycupcake · June 2019

Some women told me that exclusive breastfeeding business is water soluble and you can just throw the diaper in the wash. Is that true? It sounds believable but I don't want to add anything to my husband's list of things to fix.

Allycat11 · June 2019

@suzycupcake yep! When EBF you can just throw it all in! For me the worst phase was always starting solids but still taking a lot of breastmilk. At that point it was not water soluble but not really firm enough to just dump in the toilet. A lot of people like diaper sprayers for that phase.

wabash15 · June 2019

@suzycupcake +1 for just tossing in EBF (and even some formula supplementation) diapers... until they start eating solids it all seems to go away in the wash.

suzycupcake · June 2019

@sw1122 Have you looked into a diapering service? What did you find out?

@wabash15 What brands and styles do you like best?

wabash15 · June 2019

@suzycupcake we have a mish-mash some were hand-me-downs... we have best bottoms (where the insert snaps in)... those are good. I also like apple cheeks (where you stuff them with what ever inserts you have). Grovia-one's are amazing for when they are a little bit older and you need all night absorbency. (We used them on DS till he was 3.5) Also when it comes to inserts bamboo is more absorbent than microfibers... they are more expensive but in my book worth it. and as the kiddos get older you may need to double stuff the diapers to get the absorbency you need.

sw1122 · June 2019

@suzycupcake - I did a little bit of research into diaper services. I'm just north of NYC, so there aren't as many options to choose from, but pricing seems more reasonable than NYC. I think the recommendation is 70-80 diapers/week (not sure if this is at all accurate) and the average weekly cost is just under $30.

We may consider using both cloth and disposable, at least at first to see how it goes. We'd use cloth at home and disposable while out or while traveling.

agpandme · June 2019

We are cloth diapering at home and using disposables when not at home. That is the plan at least. I have 12 new Mama Koalas and an assortment of other pre owned brands and types to try. My mom was SUPER excited when I told her I wanted to cloth diaper. She did it with us in the 80s/early 90s.

I do have quite a stash of NB and 1 sized disposables so I will likely just use those up and saves the cloths for when the baby is grown.

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