I Need Help with Cloth Diapers...

Hi J.,
I have used cloth diapers for all three of my girls and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I personally prefer Kushies diapers (which you can find on-line at thanksmama.com). They are pretty much just like a disposable diaper, but without the environmental karma. They are called all-in-ones, meaning you don't have to have the liner seperate from the diaper. It's all one peice which makes them super easy to use.
They have a waterproof lining already attached, elastic at the legs and velcro straps at the hips. I don't even pre-soak them to wash....just shake out the poo into the toilet, then toss them in the washer on a sanitary cycle (if you have one). Turn them inside out to dry and then put them in the dryer. Super easy and they come in infant and toddler sizes.
The only time I don't use them is at night - they don't seem to be absorbant enough for night-time use, but day-times they are great!
There are also lots of other brands out there too, but I've found kushies to be more economical than other brands and the ease-of-use is fantastic.
Good luck!

You can also look into G-diapers- they are flushable and biodegradable- not so much mess to clean....if I have another baby i'm definitely using these! http://www.gdiapers.com/

If you are intrested there is a seminar at Chandler Hospital about cloth diapers on May 21st. If you need more info let me know.

I absolutely love cloth ! It definitely is better for my child, the environment and my pocketbook. I think the savings is $2k per child. Amazing. Plus, the dipes I use, when they wear out, they hit my rag bin!

I only use disposable when traveling and I dislike them. They are expensive, what is that plastic stuff next to my child's skin, and really bad for the environment.

I use diaper service quality (dsq) prefolds. I definitely recommend DSQ! I use them on my young toddler and they were used on my eldest toddler. I buy the nylon diaper pants covers too. I bought them off Ebay. If you want the seller I bought them from, just email me. (I have some newborn DSQ dipes/covers that were used for about a month and some new and barely used toddler dipes - if you are interested. I live in Mesa.) The kind you can buy at Target are really only good for burp cloths. I have those too. The others are good too but I have them all.

For newborns, you don't need to rinse poopy dipes in toilet.
Just toss all diapes in bucket (with lid). Usually fills up every day (10-15 dipes). Toss in wash. Do rinse cycle-cold. Then do normal wash-cold with 1/4 soap you normally use. Then 3rd wash on longest cycle in hot using normal soap. You don't have to do the first rinse, but I like that first rinse cycle just to get all that "stuff" out and then I do the first wash. I have a front load washer, so it doesn't use as much water as a top-loader - another environmental helper.

Once your baby starts getting the 'regular' poop, empty and rinse dipe in toilet. People "should" empty the poop from disposable too but I doubt they do. Then toss that dipe in bucket and do the optional "rinse", then cold wash, then hot wash on longest cycle.

It's a little more work but I love my child having cotton next to his skin. It is better for the environment, better for the world he will live in! (See how fast your garbage fills up with disposables-gross!) Anyway, the washer and dryer are doing the most work.

Oh, regarding the dipe covers. I wash them same as dipes...everything goes in the bucket. Only difference is, I hang the dipe covers dry.

I decided not to use a dipe service. I think it is about $100 a week, far less than disposable, but that would offset my huge savings by using cloth and offsets some of the environmental benefits too. Plus, I am a SAHM, so it was no big deal for me to do them. Other advantage, I assume - not totally sure, but since I washed dipes so frequently, it didn't ever smell that badly when I opened up the dipe bin. I have a friend that used a dipe service though.

Hope I answered your question. I would use cloth again, absolutely. I am still using them. You can even get DSQ training pants! :-)

When our boys were babies, I used a diaper service that would drop off clean diapers to our house, and pick up the dirty ones. It was a great service, and I felt it was much better for the environment, too.

In loo of a diaper service, you will have to "pre-wash" the diaper in the toilet (I did that for the diaper service, too) then wash the dirty diapers in your washing machine using very hot water, a good quality soap (not detergent), and a little bleach, and an extra rinse cycle.

http://wildflowerdiapers.com/
they are online and local for us in scottsdale. they ahve workshops once a month for locals. check it out.