Cloth Diapers - Woodbine,MD

I would only say that I wanted to use cloth diapers on my son and spent $400 on them and then was too overwhelmed to use them and used disposables and then early potty training at two years old. So my advice is, after the babies are here, see how you are doing and buy SLOWLY. When you think you're ready, buy a few packs and see if it works for you. I have a friend with twins and it is an amazing amount of work just getting by...best of luck to you!!!

Hi M.. I also have twins and here is my honest advice. DO NOT START CLOTH RIGHT AWAY. Wait until at least three months to start. In the beginning there is just too much for you to grasp and you can't do it all. Also tiny baby diapers are so much more gross, and you are changing them SO often. The bigger the kids get the more expensive each diaper is and it makes more sense to buy cloth for the next stage. I did not start cloth diapering until almost a year, but I still saved tons of money by going to cloth. Also most websites recommend using completely different types of diapers for really little ones than for older infants so you'll end up buying the diapers twice anyway. Instead of a service I would actually go with the more expensive easy care diapers that don't need a lot of folding and extra work(pocket diapers of all in ones). It will be worth it when you are getting so much use out of them and changing two diapers at a time. I tried a couple of homemade diapers on ebay at the beginning and they were terrible. There is a website www.jilliansdrawers.com that offers a free trial program where they will send you a variety of diapers and then you can send back what you don't want after you have tried them for 30 days. You can then buy whichever kind worked best for you. We loved our bum genius one size diapers because I didn't want to have to buy more as my kids grew. They realistically only worked until my son was 26 or so pounds because he pees a very big quantity. So eventually we went back to disposables since it will only be a couple of months before they are fully trained.

I used cloth with my two and laundered them myself. It was two extra loads of laundry a week. My youngest is now 8 and I still have some diapers to use to dry the car, clean up spills etc. Chinese cotton prefolds are the best. ( I had to find them online the last time I ordered) They have 8 layers in the center and 4 on the edges. I placed them in a cot'n wrap which held with velcro and had polyurithane between the two layers of cotten. My daughter still has the newborn ones for her dolls. I even used a bounty select a size as a liner for ease of cleanup and carried large ziploc bags to put the soiled diapers in for outings and travel. After the initial investment it was a huge savings for us along with breastfeeding. If you have any more questions feel free to respond and good for you!

Hi M.

I was so happy to hear you are leaning towards cloth! Cloth diapers are a wonderful alternative to disposables. They are easy to wash and care for and in my opinion, MUCH better looking and healthier for your baby's skin and the environment. After using them for just a little while, you may find yourself becoming a cloth diaper addict, sworn never to return to sposies! After cloth diapering my own kids over a period of 20 years as well as sewing my own line of diapers, my advice is to ask yourself what features are most important to you and then try several brands and styles. Diapering communities like DiaperPin and DiaperSwappers list used diapers that you can buy cheaply to test them. I prefer all-in-twos because they are easy to wash and dry and the covers can be re-used between changes. One thing that sets the small brands apart from the major manufacturers is customer service and personal attention. A small manufacturer/retailer will take the time to help you choose the diaper with the features that are important to you. And if you have problems, a small company will pay attention and refund or replace anything you're not happy with. Some of the larger companies have stricter policies about returns, but all cloth diapers can be re-sold so they are an investment that can be at least partially recouped!

I use cloth diapers and started at about week 3 or 4 with my little girl. I started with the prefolds and when she outgrew those I used Motherease onesize. It is a cloth diaper that "grows" with the baby and has either a snap or a velcro outer lining. Overall it is very easy to use. When we started with solids, I added a thin flushable sheet that will contain the poop. I have about 15 one size diapers and 2 covers and do laundry every 2-3 days. I do continue to use disposable at night as I couldn't figure out how to keep the cloth diapers dry enough not to cause a rash when she's sleeping for 10 plus hours. The only thing I didn't factor in is that my girl is very tall for her age (takes after her 6'5" daddy) and will outgrow the onesize diapers sooner than I though and I will have to get her the toddler size. Or maybe I could potty train her first!

From affordable good diapers check out Sammy's. www.thebabymarketplace.com. Then try the covers from www.prodiaper.net. These were recommended to me from my friends who have triplets. :)

Congratulations on your pregnancy AND on your decision to use cloth--it's such a great thing, both for your baby and the environment! I am cloth diapering my third baby right now, so I have lots of "advice", but the best thing I can tell you is to try out lots of options and find what you're most comfortable with, then decide what works best for you. For my first son, I loved pre-folds and covers, for my second, I used gDiapers with cloth inserts, and for my third son, I've started to use some all-in-ones and pocket diapers too! Needless to say, I have a HUGE cloth diaper stash (I'm a bit of an addict). Now that my baby (most likely my last) is almost 6 months old, I have a TON of newborn and infant sized diapers that I'm ready to pass on. If you're interested in any excellent condition second-hand diapers, let me know before I post them to Craigslist! I'm also happy to give you specifics and answer any questions you might have about the different types of diapers and their pros and cons. Feel free to email me at ____@____.com

~M.

I used cloth diapers for both of my children, just reused them the second time around, check out http://comfybummy.com/ they have a wide selection and I loved all of the products I got from them. I did not use a service I just kept cheap garbage bags in my diaper pails and pulled them out and carried them to the washer where I just emptied them in. I was also just talking to someone the other day who said there is someone who sells cloth diapers in a store around here VA beach or Norfolk but I don't remember the name.

Good luck - R. A

Hi M., I am currently cloth diapering my 1 year old and have been pretty much since she was born. I say "pretty much" because it took me a while to have the confidence to cloth diaper full time. I use Bum Genius diapers I got from diaperswappers.com (used, if that doesn't gross you out). They will have ALL KINDS of diapers for sale and every person has their preference. I liked that these were pockets (nice fabric against the skin. I understand that Bounty select-a-size might be easy clean up, but doesn't sound that comfy against the bum), and they were one size fits all. Only one purchase. I do a load of diapers every 3-4 days. You are going to be doing them every other day I'm afraid, with two. My biggest worry was managing cloth because disposable seemed "so easy." Well, ease into and you will find that it's all what you get used to. Great to hear you want to cloth diaper! Good luck.

I used a mix of disposables, all-in-one cloth, and g-Diapers, and was also a part-time EC'er (elimination communication, or infant potty training). The big thing for me was being flexible. g-Diapers ended up being my favorite solution. They are a cloth waterproof outer wrap with a flushable, (or biodegradable or compostable) insert. They are "green" from manufacture to disposal, which was important to me. I put both my kids on the potty from infancy, and both went through a long period where even as 3-9 month old babies I changed very few poopy diapers- that certainly made using cloth easier!

I would suggest that you don't cloth diaper until the babies are about 4 to 6 months old. That way you won't have to buy newborn sizes. I lalso think you are more likely to start and stick with cloth diapering when you are over the crazy newborn stage.

All in ones are my favorites although not as cheap as trifolds. I use fuzzy bunz and also use cloth wipes . These have lasted me form 6 months to 22 months. However, for sleeping and going out I still use disposable sometimes. I would just suggest that you be flexible and don's go out and buy a million diapers. Start with a few and integrate them into your routine. You can always buy more once you see how it works for you. FOr instance, start with 4 all in ones, 8 cloth wipes, a small spray bottle, and a go from there.