bumGenius And Other Cloth Diaper Options

I'm expecting my first child any day now (!) and am going to use BumGenius One-Size. Between gifts at showers, sales and coupons, I've only spent about $200 and have 24 diapers. I plan on laundering them every other day and will buy more if I find that I need to. I plan on using disposables for the first month or so since everyone says they won't fit a newborn - unless he happens to come out a chunker!

I go to The Breastfeeding Center, it's in Massillon, OH. I don't know how close you are to here but there is also a website (which is www.thebreastfeedingcenter.com). If it's a far drive for you, you can call ###-###-####) and talk to Betsy Studer (she's the owner) and you can order online at the website. She will be able to tell you how many you need and answer all your questions. I don't personally use the cloth diapers but I am a regular at the store for breastfeeding supplies and going to the mothers groups. Good Luck! Hope this helps!

I recently switched to cloth and I love it! My daughter is 2 and I'm expecting in August. We made the switch for several reasons, but it's been great so far! I started out using a one size pocket diaper, then was lucky enough to win a few bamboo fitteds and bummis covers, then I bought some prefolds from a friend. I really like the pocket one size, but I really don't think they would fit a newborn, especially if their legs were skinny. I really like the fitteds and the prefolds, to be perfectly honest. I was really scared of the prefolds, but we just fold them into thirds, and stick them inside of the cover. I was told by every mom that I know that cloth diapers that you need at least 36 diapers for a newborn. That will let you go three days in between washings. But, you have to take into account that you will need a diaper on your baby while you wash, so it's actually 36 diapers if you wash every other day. For us, it was WAY more economical to buy the 36 prefolds and 6 covers. When the baby gets a little older, the one size diapers are GREAT! I really do love mine. Mine are Haute Pockets. I also have a few All In Ones that are Mommy's Touch that I love too! We use the prefolds and fitteds during the day and the one size and all in ones at night. There is SO much information out there on CD that it's overwhelming. I have lots and lots of great websites that I can give you the links to if you want.

I would also love to answer any questions you have! I'm such a HUGE advocate for cloth diapers now that I've tried them! :)

Chances are that BG OS are going to be to big to start CDing a newborn with right away. I have them and love them but couldn't imagine using them on a tiny NB. Even when snapped at the smallest setting they are still fairly large. Since you haven't started CDing yet I also wouldn't suggest dumping a ton of money into a single kind of diaper since you don't know what you will actually like yet. There are TONS of option out there. I actually prefer fitted diapers and covers for little babies and move up to pocket diapers (like BG)once the get older, more mobile and diaper changes need to be quicker but I know many women that prefer other things. I would suggest that you go to www.diaperswappers.com. This is an on-line community of women that CD! They also sell there used CD's at a fraction of the cost of new and is an AWESOME way to get into cloth diapering (it's how I bought my entire stash of diapers and I couldn't be happier with them as the women there take very good care of their diapers). You can buy a little bit of everything that interests you and once you know what you like you can stock up on that and sell of what you aren't using. If buying used is weird for you the site is also filled with WAHMs that sell their own products as well as places to buy the other name brand diapers. They will also be able to give you tons of advise on laundering and caring for your diapers as well as the advantages and disadvantages of all the different kinds of diapers. In fact here is a link to a thread there that I really think you may find useful.

http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=581835

If you have any questions you can PM me here or on diaperswappers under Dornmama (that goes for anyone reading this thread and wanting more info as well.

The BumGenius was too big for our little one for a while. I just used disposables until he fit into them. Also, like someone else said, I wouldn't dump too much money into one type of diaper. I thought I would like BumGenius the best too, but I found that the pocket was small to stuff and I like the snaps better (velcro wore out really fast - I don't think it could have been used on a second baby). I use the Happy Heiny one size. They fit pretty well now that he is 3 months old. Don't bank on the newborn inserts working for the baby - my little guy soaked through those in like 20 minutes even at the beginning. I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that it is trial and error until you find what you like. Buy just one of what you think will work and go from there. It will take longer to get in your groove, but you will have a stash you will like then.

I'd say go for the cloth wipes. To have to pick disposable wipes out of a cloth diaper to throw away always seemed gross to me. I used to have them ready in a wipes container, now I just wet them as I need them. There are tons of wipes solutions online if you want to have them ready.

I use the disposable liners for outings when they are older just so I don't have to dunk in a public toilet. Not an issue for a while b/c the newborn poop doesn't need to be dunked - just do a cold rinse in your washing machine before doing the actual wash cycle.

I purchased 10 fuzzibunz to start out when I decided to use cloth diapers. I went with only 10 because they are expensive and I didn't want to put in all that money and have it not work out for me. I'm glad I did. I have not had the success I was hoping for and am using both cloth and disposable. My husband has not been able to get the laundry sink installed, yet, so the rinsing is a problem. Also, we are on the go...A LOT. I decided carrying around 3-4 dirty diapers on a hot day at the ballpark was not something I wanted to do. Plus, my daughter developed a diaper rash at 4 weeks (none of my other kids got one that young) I'm not saying it was the cloth diapers, but you can't use diaper cream with cloth, so I had to have disposable to put on her until it cleared up. Now, once her diapers become a little less frequent and more "predictable"? I may invest in more cloth. However, at this point, I am more comfortable using both. So, my advice would be to try out a couple bumgenius, prefolds, etc. to see what works best and if you are successful before you go out and buy 36 cloth diapers. However, I also know moms who are absolutely committed and maybe that was my problem - I was a little nervous, so maybe that's why it didn't work perfectly for me right away. Good luck!

I'm not sure where you are, but I run a cloth diaper service in the Cincinnati/Dayton area. We also sell many kinds of diapers for laundering at home. How many you need depends on how often you want to wash diapers. Count on 8-10 changes a day for a newborn. bumGenius should come with an insert, but then you'll want a few doublers for nighttime.

We've switched to disposable wipes (to answer the other poster's question: we had a bag next to our dirty diaper bag that we dropped disposable wipes in), and I wouldn't go back to disposable wipes ever! They do a much better job, and you need much less for a poopy bottom.

If you'd like more help navigating the cloth diaper waters, feel free to e-mail me at A. (at) goodnaturedbaby (dot) com.

Yay for cloth! I switched to cloth when my baby was about 4 months old and haven't looked back! I agree with the others who say that you might want to try a few different kinds out before buying a stash. Check diaperpin.com for reviews on many different kinds. For example, komfykidz.com is a WAHM who sells one-size cloth diapers, similar to BG, but for a little less, and they have great reviews (I just ordered one!). There are lots more like that.

About wipes, I use both. I just cut up a receiving blanket into little rectangles (didn't sew the edges or anything, they just fray a bit) and use a squirt bottle full of water with a little baby oil and baby soap. I generally use a disposable wipe (I tear off about a third) for the yucky first wipe on a poopy diaper, and cloth wipes for everything else. I feel like the cloth wipes get him cleaner. You'll figure out pretty quickly what works for you.

We used thirsties, and they were great! however, cloth diapers are still pretty bulky no matter what kind you use. we moved into a place where we dont have daily access to a washer and dryer, therefor, it is impossible to cloth diaper now. Have you looked into G-daipers? I cant wait to try them with our future children! It's too late to get started now because we're almost ready to potty train, but I will definately be investing in them in the future. It is the best of both worlds, eco-friedly, and mostly mess free. They have flushable liners, they kind of look like a big maxi pad, and a cloth outter. you should look into them!

I made a lot of milk and had a heavy wetter. We changed them ever 1.5-2 hours, sometimes more often! We decided to do disposables for the first few months and then go back to the cloth when he wasn't nursing as often. You get so many NB diapers in the hospital anyhow:)
Now I have around 25 and wash every 3 days or so without having used them all. I don't know why you'd need more than one insert per diaper.

I have both disposable and cloth wipes. Both have advantages and disadvantages. I really like using flushable wipes so you can wrap them into the diaper and flip them with the poop into the toilet and then flush it all. But they cost more, so I only keep them in the diaper bag for when we're out and about.

There is a local store in columbus that offers clothdiapering 101 classes on a monthly basis. it would be a great way to get your feet wet! its called Sprout Soup, check them out at: http://www.sproutsoup.com/newsletter/0905.html

newborns will need more than older babies. if you plan to go with a pocket style like BG's i would recommend at least 15-20, ideally 24 or so. this will allow you to launder every other day. as they grow you'll need less and be laundering less. its a personal preference whether you use cloth or disposable wipes. ive tried both and ended up liking disposable's better. i still put the wipe in the diaper and into the wet bag (which is really 'dry', i dont soak in water) i just have a garbage can next to the washer and i toss them in as im loading the washer.

you might also consider trying a variety of styles before purchasing a full supply of pockets. All in one's and two's are just as easy as pockets, but without having to stuff inserts. BumGenius also make a one size that's an all in one. i ended up liking prefolds with covers the best, and using pockets for outings and overnight. good luck and have fun with it-cloth diapering can actually become an addiction! :)

I am due late June and also plan on cloth diapering. Luckliy, I have quite a few friends who are/have done it so I've gotten lots of input. I purchased BumGenius - also here Blueberry are really good. The BG's I bought came with a newborn and infant insert - once they outgrow the newborn insert, you can use it as an extra for night-time. I also purchased flushable liners, (this was the only way to get my husband excited about them) this will cut down on the mess and cleaning. They sell these on Cotton Babies.com and Diapers.com. One of my friends only bought 10 and they wash everyday - the others bought around 30 so they can go every 3 days before washing. It is a large cost up front, but a huge savings to your pocket and the environment in the long run. So - buy what you can now.... we are up to 10, I plan on getting more right before my due date. Best of luck and congrats on your upcoming arrival!

Kuodos to you for your excellent choice!! I'm cloth diapering my third child, so here's my best advice. I prefer the tri-folds with a diaper cover and plastic pants on top. Yes, I recommend the gerber plastic pant on top even though some die-hard cloth diapering mamas shun my idea:) It has worked the best for me. The tri-folds can be found on-line, but my local K-mart does carry them. K-mart, as well as on-line, is where I find the gerber plastic pant. For added night time protection for the older baby I use gerber padded training pants. Works great on top of the tri-fold and cover for added protection at night. As far as covers, ebay is an excellent source. I've bought new, slightly used, and (my favorite) ones handmade by CDing mamas. For a newborn, I have to say a lazied up for the first couple months and used seventh generation. After that, I'd say 8-10 would be a good start. I wash diapers everyday. So, I guess how many you have depends on how often you'd want to do laundry:) My youngest is 2 1/2 and he probably goes through six a day. As far as wipes, old washcloths do the trick. GOOD LUCK!! CONGRATS!!

I can't wait to hear what people suggest, I'm planning on using cloth with my next child. Right now I plan to make my own. I do have a thought on wipes though, when diapering a child in sposies you take off the diaper, wipe and the wipe goes inside the diaper to get thrown away. that's just the natural way to do it. if you CD and use disposable wipes that method won't work, so where do you drop the dirty wipe?