Does anyone use cloth diapers or have any recommendations? I want to use cloth diapers with my baby due in June and I am clueless which ones are good.
I use cloth diapers.. you can get them from www.treecitydiapers.com or http://www.luvingmammadiapers.com/
Luvingmamma diapers.. the owner is local and is happy to help out.
I do the cheapest option possible which is chinese prefolds and cheap wraps.. it works for me, but isn't the best option.
I love my bum genius 2.0 all in ones....I ordered mine online...have you ever gone to babycenter they have a cloth diaper board there, very helpful and they have swaps so you can try for less...
good luck
elana
Cloth is so the way to go! Kudos to you for making that decision! The best way to do it is: to buy one "system" of a variety of kinds to see what works for your family. There's the AIO (all in one) style, the wrap with an insert, and the pocket style. All work very well, however are all different in the manner of which they are cleaned/used. All in ones tend to be the prettiest and most expensive, next being the pocket, then the wrap with the insert, but you only get one use out of them before needing a wash. The cost varies with the all of them, but your initial investment can be upwards of $100. You will need at least 12 diapers to begin with, so either 12 AIOs/pocket diapers or 5 or so wraps with 15 inserts. By inserts I'm talking the cotton trifolds, these are the most inexpensive/multi-use variety. The brands that work best in our family are as follows: Imse Vimse for the AIO & wraps, with Pocket Change, Happy Heinys and Fuzzibunz for the pocket diapers. I have friends that also like the Motherease brand as well. Now for the fun part! Cleaning the cloth diaper isn't as bad as one thinks... you use only about 7-10 extra toilet flushes a week of water, which is nice. We have a diaper hamper for the #1's and a bucket for the #2's, and at the end of the day we take the bucket and remove the goodies with a little spatula that we have on a hook near our toilet then rinse them a bit in our utility sink. Then they go in the diaper hamper until wash day, which is every two to three days or so. We use Seventh Generation laundry soap with a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle, and usually line dry everything. Make sure to close the velcro on the covers/AIOs before washing. Don't believe the hype on cloth: Babies do not have more diaper rash, that's completely false, my daughter has NEVER had it, it's all in how often you change a nappy, not the nappy itself that causes that. Travel is a breeze, just bring a gallon baggie for transport, or you can also buy special bags for this purpose. I think cloth is making a come back! Good luck!!
Something different... www.gDiapers.com
The simplest easy to use ones are going to be All in Ones (AIO's) where it's diaper and cover together. Also Pockets (like Fuzzi Bunz, Bum Genius, Happy Heiny, Swaddlebees) It's a cover with a pocket sewn into it where you can stuff the interior of the diaper with "inserts" or absorbant materiel. Next down the line would be fitteds and Diaper Wraps (Bummies Super whisper Wraps for example) then you have the cheaper option which a lot of people use (and actually prefer over the other diapering options) Chinese or Indian prefolds with a variety of diaper covers, Bummies, Imse Vimse, Bumkins, Knit Wool Shorts/pants/Skorts, Fleece covers. ETC.
What I suggest you do is buy one of the Sample Packs offered by several of the Online diaper companies and figure out what you like. :-)
You don't have to have another c-section April is Cesearean Awareness Month www.ican-online.org
I am old fashioned and cheap, i fold my own from cloth squares, either use purchased soakers or fold my own of these also. I then use flushable liners for all the nasties. I use a snappy to fit it to fit it to my girls and cover it up to keep it water proof with bummis super whispers covers. Very easy to manage and love the cheap enviromental angle as well. Good luck as it does take some organising, but once you have routine nothing to it. There are some great sites to give tips if you type in to google "cloth nappies".
Parents magazine ran a fun article on cloth diapers. Written from the perspective of the interested male, you might get some new (if not entertaining) information from it. I think it was from the March or April edition.
Hi Andrea,
I used cloth diapers for both of my children. It's a little more work, but it's well worth it. I feel much better about washing and reusing the diapers than tossing disposables. My husband doesn't even have a problem with it. We have a couple of different brands. We really like our Motherease the best. They work a lot better and we're able to re-use the covers (3) until we've gone through all of them (15) - rarely do they get dirty. On the other hand, our tri-fold ones hardly ever last - they usually get dirty as the urine/feces (breastfed liquidy poo especially) runs over the edges of the pre-fold onto the cover. I think the all-in-ones are nice, but they're a little more pricey and just add up to more laundry. The motherease are adjustable so they fit from newborn up (my daughter wore them until she was potty-trained at age 2-1/2, my son is only 7mo). They also have an insert that I use to last overnight.
Hi!
Good for you! I used cloth diapers and all I know is you need encouragement and Desitin! The amonia from the urine can eat away the delicate little skin pretty quick if you leave the diapers on too long..so be a little more quick to change. Desitin helped. Finally, after pin sticking and diaper-pail stinking, I went to paper. Keep the pail up high so the other kids don't get into it.We had a service that picked them up and gave us new diapers. Good Luck to you. I really appreciate your effort and research into the subject. You're helping save the trees, too!If you wind up going to disposable, don't feel guilty! You still love your baby!MS
I really liked the Curity streach diapers for newborns they can be folded smaller and have a little streach in them. Good for you there sure aren't many people that use cloth anymore!
Hi Andrea~
I don't use cloth diapers and my youngest will be out of them in the next year, so I prob won't switch to them. However, I wanted to offer you my support in choosing to cloth diaper your baby! Kudos to you!
~Lacy
I used cloth diapers and have five children. I used the ones right from the store. I didn't spend a lot of money! They worked great, their little bottoms were alway's big though. I used the plasic covers right from the store and wash the diapers myself. Hanging them in the sun helps them. I used hand made soap to was the the covers. No, I am not some nature lady, I just care about the environment and didn't feel it neccessary to spend a lot of money. My husband didn't like it much!!
I used cloth with both my boys I only used disposable when we would go on a long trip or at the in-laws (who could understand why I would use cloth diapers) With my oldest I used the plastic to cover the diaper when I had my youngest I found a cloth diaper cover at Kmart that all you did was fold the diaper and place it in the liner then it velecro (sp) together that was a god send made life that much easier. They come in different colors and patterns and are machine washable.
I cloth diapered our son for his first year and we used diaperaps brand (www.diaperaps.com). We ordered the kit online and they were very durable, washed well and lasted great. After the first year we put him in day care and had to switch to disposable, otherwise I would have continued with it until he was potty trained. My only hint would be to allow plenty of opportunities to sun-bleach your wraps and diapers-- that really keeps them white, and use lots and lots of baking soda with a little detergent, instead of the other way around-- its cheaper and a great disinfectant. Good Luck!
Hi Andrea,
When I started researching cloth diaper options about 5 1/2 years ago, I was overwhelmed by all the choices. We stumbled along until we found a system that worked well for our family: Kissaluvs fitted diapers and MotherEase PUL covers. This is our "workhorse" system and it has served us well for the past 5 years. Since then, we have expanded our cloth diaper "stash" to include other CD options: pockets, one-size, prefolds, wool covers, etc.
Other moms have shared how crucial it was to have someone walk them through the CDing process and if you don't know any moms who are currently cloth diapering I would be more than happy to do that with you. You can see the different kinds of diapers available, how you use them, the system for caring for them, etc. PM me if you would like to pursue that route.
A few other suggestions would be to check out Hopscotch Children's Store (on Cherry St.). They stock many types of diapers and are very friendly in explaining the different systems. Also, there is a Google group I participate in that is designed for cloth diapering moms in the GR area. It is called GR Cloth Diaper Moms and group members are helpful in answering any CD questions.
I hope this helps!
~Jenna
i use the happy heinies b/c they are like a regular diaper, all in one. you wash and dry them and then put the inserts in and you are all ready for diaper changes. plus you can use them from newborn until they are potty trained (they have snaps on the front for adjustment). you should check out treecitydiapers.com, they also do cloth diaper deminstrations once a month and they were really helpful. i did try the tri fold and i actually used them for a really long time, but then i purchased the happy heinies and they were alot easier to use. i wash my own so there is a lot of laundry and i almost gave up on the 2nd day, but i stuck to it and it did just get easier, well i got used to it. hope this helps and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We use cloth diapers and love it! We use fitted diapers and wool primarily, but there are many options.
Locally, Hopscotch Children's Store is a wonderful resource: http://www.hopscotchstore.com/
Online resources are:
http://www.diaperpin.com - reviews, how-to's helpful web forum
http://hyenacart.com/ - forum, online store for WAHM made diapers, toys, clothes, etc.
My babies are 26 and 23 years old so some of this may be out dated.
Good for you. Cloth diapers are better for baby's bottom, the environment and will save you money in the long run if you own a washer and dryer.
1. Where is your laundry room? If in a basement, you may want to opt for diaper service (if in existence) for a few weeks. That c-section needs time to heal. I was 36 when I had my last section.
2. Cotton or another natural fiber. No polyesters!!!!!!!!!
That bottom has to breathe.
3. I like the prefolded but had dozen non on hand for feeding, etc.
4. Stock up on Borateem and Deft. After I rinsed diaper out in toilet then sink, I started soaking in Borateem. Loved the scent.
5. I always did a double clear rinse.
6. If a diaper was very stained, I used bleach (love that smell too) but usually didn't need this.
7. Cloth diapers make great cleaning rags when you are done with them.
8. I used disposables if we were gone for more than a day and I didn't have access to washer/dryer.
9. Sitting and folding them afterwards is probably the only time in the day you will have to rest for a while.
Hope this helps. Many blessings.
Andrea,
YEAH congrats!! I have used cloth diapers with both my boys - 3yrs and 8 months. I love them and my daycare uses them too (I claimed the need for cloth due to a diaper rash problem with disposables).
We use Imse cloth covers with pre-fold inserts. The covers these days are great with velcro and are so easy.
If you have never read Mothering Magazine- check it out. They always cover great stuff like the cloth diapers, breastfeeding stuff, and other good info that I cannot find anywhere else. If you look at a local bookstore for Mothering Magazine- their last issue was all about cloth diapers- different styles, companies and the good and the bad of each- they even have tips on keeping them clean and your house smelling good.
Check out http://www.mothering.com/sections/current_issue/current_issue.html
Best of luck.