Does anyone know a reasonable place to purchase cloth diapers? My son is having troubles with diaper rash and I was told to try using cloth, even during the day to help with the issues! Any ideas? I found online how to sew your own, but even though i am a great sewer and have done quilts, resources to purchase the materials in our town are slim pickins. I would have to drive at least 90 miles to even find the materials! Help me help my poor son!
We are using a cloth diaper service, but you can find diapers at a Milwaukee area store called Well Rounded Maternity. It is in the suburb of Menomonee Falls. I am not sure if they usually ship items, but it is worth a shot as it's a super friendly small store.
We cloth diaper our 5-month-old twins. My mom and I spent a ton of time sewing fitted diapers and even though they are great and we never have blowouts like we do with disposables, unless you've got a lot of time, I wouldn't sew them myself. As far dealing with rashes, if you've got yeast rash, what helped our boys was a healthy dose of sunshine on their backsides.
If you want to go with prefolds and covers I highly recommend greenmountaindiapers.com They are the gold standard of prefolds. We have been using the same prefolds for 18 months and they are in fantastic shape. If you want to go with a one-size pocket or one size all in one diaper take a look at pinstripesandpolkadots.com
The great thing about pocket diapers is that you can adjust the absorbency and they dry faster than aio's. Prefolds are the least expensive way to go but are a little less convenient that pocket diapers. I prefer a one-size so you get more bang for your buck. Thristies Duo diaper will go from 6-18 lbs and from 18-40lbs!
Just to touch on Carrie S.'s concerns-you don't have to change that frequently. Typically it's about every 2 hours. If you have those kinds of issues it's usually the type of detergent you are using, using too much detergent, using other agents that you don't need like bleach, vinegar, baking soda or the diaper isn't getting rinsed well enough. Diapers need an initial cold rinse cycle, then a hot wash (with a tiny, tiny amount of detergent-like a tablespoon)/rinse, then another hot wash/rinse cycle with nothing just plain water. Water is your friend with cloth-gets them clean and non-smelly! Also, it's important to use covers designed for cloth diapers that are made with a breathable waterproof material. And you won't find those in wal-mart or babiesrus. :)
I tried gdiapers thinking they might be a good alternative when we were out and about. I didn't like them at all! They were far messier than cloth when baby pooped.
I tried cloth, and as much as I longed to keep it up for environmental reasons, I do believe it may actually worsen the rash situation. You pretty much have to change baby AS SOON AS there is urine on the cloth, and be sure to let the skin air dry as much as possible. BUT, then again, I used the basic-old-fashioned kind, SO don't be put off by my comment! There are new, awesome types that work much better. Check ebay for ideas.. and have you ever seen G diapers? gdiapers.com
Not trying to be a sales person, but I have some BumGenius 2.0's upstairs that I have been too lazy to put on craigslist. There are about 30 of them. Let me know if you are interested. I also don't think that you have to change any more often with cloth than you do with disposable. I think it depends on the sensitivity of your child.
I love Bum Genius (you can find them on amazon.com), and you can also check out http://clothdiaperclearance.com/ for diapers that have been overstocked or discontinued - they're a good price. You might also find out if there are any stores that sell them locally, because my favorite cloth diapers are made by a WAHM in my area. Good luck! I love using cloth.
