Cloth Diapers and Carseats

I have had success with pre-fold inserts in Thirsties diaper covers. There is a great store in Plano- http://www.babiesbottomsandmore.com/
Diana is the owner. She was very helpful.

I use the all in one diaper, bumgenius and it is great. We got them at Brees Bums. www.breesbums.com. She has a store in Richardson.

If you need help with diapers, I can help. That's my business, Babies Bottoms and More. I carry 14+ brands of diapers from prefolds to pockets and everything in between.

In general I recommend prefolds with a good cover for the newborn age. For newborns, prefolds are easy to use and very inexpensive compared to other types of diapers. But I have plenty of customers use fitteds, pockets, or all-in-ones on their newborns. If your babies tend to be born over 7.5 lbs, there are one-size diapers that could work well for you and save you from needing larger sizes down the road.

If you want to talk one-on-one, you can call the store at ###-###-#### or visit downtown Plano Tuesday-Saturday. I have some info online too at www.babiesbottomsandmore.com.

YOU GO GIRL... you sure know what's best for your little one.
Cloth diapers are a hassle but they sure are worth it, my son was ready to potty train because I was pre potty training him as a baby with cloth. I used a Diaper service for a few months and I was able to buy a load of diapers when they went out of business. I can sell you my bundle- they aren't the thin Gerber kind, they are the soft thick kind. They are the single diapers (fold and pin) and you get plastic pants to put over them to keep their pants dry.
Let me know if you’re interested. ____@____.com

As for the car seat- any Britax is good. I haven't used the Boulevard but I do know all have helmet foam around the back of the head and even the sides. They are the best car seats out there!!

Val

I used the all-in-one diapers from www.clothdiaper.com

You can buy just one if you want to check them out before buying alot....they were wonderful!! I also really loved their flannel wipes!

We bought the cheap seats the first two times and then splurged on the third for the Britax (not sure which model) but it was completely worth it. It is just more comfortable and easier to install especially if you use the system that hooks directly into the car instead of the seatbelt. I think they are worth the money. We have not had an issue with the baby's view being blocked, but since he has been in it since birth I don't know if he would know any better.

i have just started using cloth diapers, but because of the cost i decided to just make my fitted diapers & use covers. i personally prefer fitted diapers bc i just put it on & its done, i dont worry about pins or folding or anything like that.

Not to sure about the cloth diaper, but the car seat I can help. We have two kids and they both have the Marathon. We even bought an extra one for my husbands truck because we love them so much. Our daughter who is two loves her car seat we have never had any trouble with it. Good luck with your search.

I love the Boulevard, but my daughter is 7 months and has complete neck control. The headrest on the seat is quite wide, but you could call the company for solutions on support of a newborn's neck and head. I can see the point with a little vision blockage, but I only get that when I am backing up, never driving, so there is no safety worry from that perspective, at least for me.

Good luck.

Re diapers.

I would suggest some of both. The prefolds are inexpensive --use snappis instead of pins. The pocket diapers are expensive but well worth it and you can just keep putting inserts in as they grow and pee in larger amounts. I co-own a diaper service with my partner who owns a baby store in Richardson. She has every imaginable cloth diaper in her store so you can go see, touch and ask questions. She also has a myriad of slings.

Bree's Baby address is 630 Campbell Road, Suite 306. West of 75 immediately west of Nantucket and east of Floyd Road; two doors down from CiCi's and behind CVS. Phone: ###-###-####.

I really hope you will go check it out. Better than reading about it online.

Congratulations on your growing family and best of luck in grad school.

B.

I don't have any experience with cloth diapers, but other moms I've talked to liked bumGenius 2.0 & fuzzi bunz. We have 2 Britax Decathlon seats & love them. I really like the adjustable crotch strap on the Decathlon, we tried the Boulevard & had to return it because he was sitting on the crotch strap (it's not adjustable.) We didn't use them for a newborn though (got them when he was 5 months old.) When he was a newborn, I liked the convenience of being able to leave the baby in the seat undisturbed & just pick up the whole seat. When he reached the weight limit, we just kept it in the trunk for use in shopping carts, etc. Good luck!

Any Britax seat is great. We have the boulevard and a couple of older versions...and the kids have no issue. The side impact for the boulevard, my son doesn't know any better so we don'thave an issue.

good luck!

A diaper service is great for the first few months and costs about the same as using disposable diapers.
I recommend that because the baby is growing so fast that it is going to cost alot of money to buy cloth diapers for that stage.
Around 3-4 months I started using a mixture of pocket diapers (fuzzi bunz), AIOs, and prefolds. I always keep the prefolds around incase everything else is dirty.
but just a word to the wise, DO NOT get the bumkins AIOs. They are not very soft or absorbant and they really start to stink after being used for a while. I tried stripping them and laying them in the sun and nothing worked.
Oh also, you want to use a natural detergent, like Charlie Soap or Allens natural detergent. All Free&CLear or other commecial soaps will start to build up on the diaper and cause a loss in absorption. The soaps cost a little more, but you will only use a tiny bit each time.
I know it can all be a little overwhelming, but I think that cloth diapering is really great. They look soooo much cuter in cloth diapers and you are doing your part to save our environment and keep nasty chemicals away form your babies butt!

The SIP on the Boulevard is a great feature, and I've really never heard of a kid being "annoyed" by not being able to see out the sides. If the baby has been in the same seat from the beginning, then he/she won't know any different! It really isn't that big of a deal, and if anything, it gives the kiddo extra cushion to lean on when he/she falls asleep. :-)

I don't personally CD, but I know lots of people who do! Try taking a look at these websites and see if they help you out a bit!
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=270287
http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp
http://www.diaperswappers.com/

Hey K.--

There's a store in Richardson--the website is www.breesbums.com. She actually has cloth diapering classes that can teach you how to use cloth diapers, as well as familiarize yourself with all of the different kinds they have--it does seem like every baby and person is different, so different systems work better than others. If you want the cheapest and most effective way, pre-folds would be the way to go--I love the snappies and the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap--they hold up very, very well--my daughter's been in cloth diapers for over a year. Babies Bottoms and More is really nice, too. Diana and her mother Karen are VERY helpful (but I thought you might like the class at Bree's Bums--she also teaches you how to make your own cloth diapers). Anyway, goodluck--it takes a little getting used to, but I don't think you'll regret it--I have enjoyed it so much with my daughter, and it's nice to know I'm doing my part in helping the environment, too.

there is a place in plano where you can put a deposit down and they give you a trial pack so you can try all different kinds before you decide and then your deposit goes toward your final purchase if you choose
http://www.babiesbottomsandmore.com/ & http://www.breesbums.com/

on the carseat we have the britax decathlon and our son can see out the window fine the boulevard is the best option of course but the decathlon is great too

good luck

Check out www.gdiapers.com and watch the three little video about how/why they are advantageous. They aren't cloth, but they are a nice bridge between the two. And I hear you can even stuff cloth diapers in them to save money. But they are much better for the environment - even than cloth diapers because of all the washing / detergents you release into the environment with cloth. And they are so cute! They sell them at Whole Foods.

We use the Britax Marathon. A car seat inspection guy told us to go with it over the Roundabout because of the significant increased weight limit. You can use it a whole lot longer! We love it!

Hope that helps.

I moved my little one over to the Decathalon Britax at 4 months and she loved it. She was long and skinny and she fit just fine. We looked at the boulevard and tried it out but she loves to look out the window and they cant do that in that seat.

I'm also intrested in cloth diapers if you could share your tips!
Thank you!