Info on Cloth Diapering

I'm cloth diapering my 15 month old right now. We're using fitted and pocket diapers from Wallypop.net and I'm happy with the price ($10 a pocket) and quality. Very cute too. We did all pockets for Mediums--great but expensive--and prefolds with wraps for smalls, which I didn't like as much. We wash at home and it's no problem for this horrible housekeeper. Wind Fresh at Sam's is incredibly cheap and has no additives or enzymes. I just do a normal wash unless things are really messy.

Do get a diaper sprayer (I got mine from Amazon); I wouldn't want to be without it. I also use a bummis bag to hold the dirty ones.

Well, I am a mother of 4 and I used cloth diapers for my oldest. They are a good idea for use at home I felt, but were a pain to use when going out somewhere. What are you confused about?

I used cloth diapers for my sons first year. I found that the Bumkin covers were great--easy to use, dry, and durable. The Bumkin bibs are great too. I have used 3 bibs for 3 kids and they still look and work great (same fabric).

I stopped using cloth diapers because I found that I used disposables when going out and it ended up being more work for me.

Good luck!

GREAT decision! I'm about to CD my third baby. As for the confusion, you are right. There are a lot of great choices out there. I do a class at the Birth Center on cloth diapering. It's at http://www.bodymindandspiritabq.com. The class helps parents see, touch, feel the different types of diapers, ask questions and figure out all the lingo on the internet so they can figure out the best choice for them. We also go over WHY CDing is a great choice and ways to make it even more convenient for a family. The next class is scheduled for Nov. 27, but I'm also open for private meetings if need be.

I'm also a Fuzzi Bunz lover and have loaners for families to try them out before they buy them. But FBs aren't for everyone and I show lots of other options and their pros and cons. I also do cloth diaper registries to help parents with the initial investment:
http://www.freeclothdiapers.com

You are about to enter a special community of CDers. WELCOME!

Hi H.,

I've been using cloth diapers with my two little ones for the last 2.5 years. One purchase of $100 has carried us through from birth to potty training. It's been a great experience for us. We found diapers called "Snug to Fit" (also sometimes called "Snap to Fit") that we've been extremely satisfied with. One of the greatest benefits to this diaper is that you only need to buy one size rather than the small, med, lg, etc that most of the diapers require of you. They offer diapers that have velcro closure or snap only closure. It's been my experience that most moms prefer the velcro closer as this is much easier than snapping when baby is squirming about.

They don't have a website of their own but their products can be found on many different diapering websites. Simply do a Google search on Snug to Fit and you'll see all many sites that carry this product. If cost is an issue, they can usually be found on Ebay for a discounted price as well. Best of luck in your search!

J.
www.holisticbirthing.com

congrats! Well there lots of advice already on here about what to do if you are willing to wash everything yourself, but if not (and it IS a lot of work, especially if both parents work outside the home) I have a great diaper service based in Boulder called The Changing Table. Price varies on how many diapers you order per week.
http://WWW.THECHANGINGTABLE.NET/
Definitely try to get the wraps used (gently) from friends who used cloth- but if not, the cheapest online source i found was
http://WWW.jardinediapers.com/
We just get the plain jane Proraps- they do the job- but a few Bumkins are always fun too. :)
If you do go with the Changing Table, tell Julie that Suzy K. in Denver sent ya! She is a start-up, mommy owned business that really emphasizes personal service- you never feel like just another account number with her. We had Rocky Mtn Diapers out of Longmont but they kicked us off their route due to rising fuel costs, and I think the only other diaper service serving Denver is EarthSmart and some place called Uniserv... (don't have their numbers) but shop and compare, they're all going to save you money over those "nasty disposables" which make up a third of our landfill garbage and are bad for your baby's skin.
Good luck!

Love the Bummis diaper covers. My only recommendation is to have at least 5-6 wraps minimum.

I use the Gerber vinyl covers when I'm out for the day or overnight somewhere. The reason I use them is that if we have a big messy poop the vinyls take up less space so I can bring more of them. We had a day where the baby had a huge blowout in the Bummis wraps two times and it got on both covers and we didn't have any vinyls with us. I had to try to wipe the wraps off and use them. Awkward!

I was surprised to see so many people using cloth.

My favorite part of using cloth... honey I'm out of diapers... want to run to the store at midnight? Nope... just start a load of laundry and in a few you've got diapers. We've even traveled while using cloth.

Hi H.! CLoth diapers rock - better for your baby's bum and the environment. They are kinda a pain getting used to in the beginning just b/c you have a new baby to care for all the time. Don't worry, you develop a routine and get the hang of it. My favorite diapers are made by Rouser's Trousers (google that name and you will find it) - a SAHM mom makes the diapers and they are wonderful. My favorite cd combo is a fitted diaper with those cheap plastic dipaer covers. Fortunately those plastic covers never seemed to bother my son's skin and he never leaked when we used those. I haven't has as much luck with fancy covers. Good luck and congrats. C.

H. -
WOW! I had no idea there were so many cloth diaperers out there. Kudos to you all! I used cloth with my three, ages 21, 18, 16, it seems forever ago! I used the regular prefold diapers you can find at Target or WAlMart and the Gerber vinyl pants. If you don't put the vinyls in the drier, they last longer. I started washing in Dreft with bleach, later went to Simple Green, and doing a second rinse with or without fabric softener as your baby's skin responds and hangin out on the line to dry. This was the only load of laundry my husband would do, he figured he couldn't mess up dirty diapers! Bonus for me! Congratulations on your pregnancy and your decision to use cloth diapers!

Blessings,
R. CD(DONA)
from heaven to earth

I love the fuzzi bunz. I've been using them since my son was a month old. I got mine on ebay and at the clearance store of seconds. I'll look up some sights for you.

My favorite site is wildflowerdiapers.com for great info and customer service. I also LOVE diaperswappers.com for great deals! Congrats on your pregnancy and good luck with building your cloth diaper stash!

congratualtions on your pregnancy. i have two sons one 28 and theyoungest is 16. i used cloth for both of them. it was more economical driven i guess. i was a teen mother in 1978 and i sure couldnt afford disposables then. i lived with my parents ina very rural area so running to the store for diapers was not an option. my mom used cloth on all of us 6 kids so being the oldest i was used to washing diapers for my siblings as part of my chores. i never had any problems with diaper rash etc and it made me accustomed to doing laudry daily and as a result i rarely have piled up laundry. bck then i used to hang them out to dry because we didnt have a drier. when my youngest was born, i had gotten married but things didn't work out. i thought having another baby might resolve thins.. boy was i wrong. so i was again a single mom with a baby on the way and again i couldnt afford disposables. luckily my doctor gave me a moth of free diaper service and i just never went back. that first month allowed me to buy my own and i used the supply until my son was potty trained. my sisters and brothers were having babies at the same time and they couldnt fathom having towash poopy diapers. they felt sorry for me and onece a sister gave me a package of disposables and my son got a terible rash so i just kept on. i just couldnt imagine buying diapers on a weekly basis now. sometimes i babysit my 2 yr old neice and ive had to buy them for her. its so nice to see the other readers that use diapers. what i would have given for some of these new types. i used the gerger plasic pants and they were the only thing i ver had to replace. the used diapers are great for dusting etc. so recycling goes on. i usually put in a load before bed at night and hung them out to dry overnight bring them in and fold them in the morning and you never have to have a load waiting. again congratualtions and good luck

First of all, congrats on your pregnancy! How exciting - I miss being pregnant!

I have cd'ed both my kids (my son is almost 3 and potty trained, my daughter is almost 1). Different things definitely work for different people, so I won't tell you my bias. Here are some really good references:

www.diaperswappers.com - message board, swap board for 2nd hand dipes - lots of knowledge here
www.diaperpin.com - reviews - this is a really good place to start checking. Definitely check the reviews before you buy.
www.diaperdecisions.com - another good resource

That's probably enough to get you started.

I will tell you that if you plan to cd a newborn, kissaluvs size 0 are wonderful. They will need a cover, though. If you get on their mailing list, you can see when they stock their outlet store, and also check for them on diaperswappers. I wouldn't buy them full price, especially since they've just raised their prices.

Good luck to you and congrats again!

Congratulations!
And again congratulations on your choice of cloth diapering! My husband was the one who wanted to do cloth diapering and at first I thought he was crazy! First off we looked into diaper services and they were so expensive my DH started to look into pocket diapers and found a few types he liked. Once I read into it I went along with his wacky idea, thinking that in a month he would hate it and we would use disposable ones. 16 months later we are still in cloth and I can’t say enough good about them! Nathan has NEVER had diaper rash and in the 16 months we have had about 4 leaky diapers, and to be honest I think he would have leaked even in disposable ones as he is a huge drinker!
So where to start. We chose a diaper called Fuzzi Bunz. They are a pocket diaper that you put inserts in and you can layer the inserts for more protection, like night sleeping we use two. When the diapers are dirty we put them in a bag designed for the cloth diapers. I chose to have 18 diapers so I would not need to do wash every day! Now as we all know newborns don’t have solid poop but there is no need to soak these diapers. You put them in the wash and do a pre wash and then a full cycle. Don’t let people bully you on how terrible that is and how unsanitary it is. The company recommends using a detergent called Allen’s Natural, but there are others you can use. And it is a very small amount. You dry them in the dryer or hang them outside. We also found an awesome site where you can join a program called Growing up in Pockets. You buy your diapers and it is an exchange program, Nathan is 16 months old and in the medium size diapers so in 16 months we have had to do 1 exchange from small to med. The diapers are a little expensive at about 14.95 a piece but 305.00 for 18 isnt even close to what you spend on the disposable ones. I hope this helps! If you have any other questions please feel free to email me at ____@____.com

http://www.fuzzibunz.com/ the site for info on the diaper itself

http://www.cottonbabies.com/ is where we buy the diapers and have the trade program.

Congratulations!
Contrary to what you might read, cloth diapering is actually cheaper than using disposables, even when you use a diapering service. My husband and I sat down and figured out how much it would cost to buy cloth diapers and wash them ourselves, and then we compared that cost to the price of using a service. It's not that much cheaper to use the service, but it is cheaper, and both alternative are cheaper than using disposables, which are truly horrible for you baby's skin and for the environment. If you can find a service that will deliver to you, that's what I would recommend that you do. If not, buy a sample package of cloth so that you know which ones you like best before you commit to spending money.
Good luck!

I actually have my two year old and my little preemie guy in my own cloth diapers. I have sewn my own All in Ones and pockets and love them. I have spent less than $100 for all I need till they are potty trained. I am getting ready to make some more in the next couple of days for a friends new baby. It is easy and a great time. You might try www.diapersescisions.com as well. I would be more than happy to show you how to make them or any info that you may want.

J.

Cloth is a great way to go! We used fuzzi bunz (fuzzibunz.com) with our son and loved them. They are easy to use, wash and wear. I bought all my fuzzi bunz off ebay--most of them were factory seconds which are posted every couple weeks. The factory seconds are new diapers with flaws that I could never find. I bought some inserts off ebay, but ended up making most of my own inserts (very easy).
Every mom I know that did or is doing cloth diapers has loved fuzzi bunz and uses them exculsively.
Good luck!

I used the Bumpkins all-in-ones. they were a little expensive (18 per diaper I think) but held up really well and came in really cute designs. I used a diaper champ to store the soiled ones until we could throw them in the washer and then just washed them in hot water. They became stained on the inside but who cares? We used diaper liners and threw them into a second diaper champ for the garbage. I got the diapers at a store near me but I am sure you can get them on line too.

If you have other questions, you can reach me at ____@____.com

Good topic. My 2 year old is in a childcare center that uses clothe and now I have new baby who won't be going there but I want to contiue what me and my 2 year old have learned there. I know that she is just about potty trained and I KNOW it is because of the clothe diapers. If there is a service that would be more affordable than disposables I would jump on that in a heart beat.

H., I went with Fuzzi Bunz beginning when my son's umbilical stump fell off (too uncomfortable until then). My friend gave me 13 small fuzzi bunz that she'd used with her daughter. They worked great. I bought used medium fuzi bunz off of E-bay from different sellers. I got some great ones and I got some really crappy ones. I learned my lesson and bought new large fuzzi bunz from www.fuzzibunzworld.com
The only thing that you have to watch for is the size being right for your baby. The legs must be snug to help prevent leaking. We ended up buying a new washing machine (LG) that has a sanitary cycle on it. It cost a pretty penny, but we calculated costs for 1 1/2 dozen cloth diapers at four different stages, S, M, L, XL and the new washing machine and compared it with a diaper service and with disposables and it works out to be the better deal in the long run. And I have a brand new washing machine to boot! Good luck with whichever choice you make.

I use Mother Ease diapers. You can read more abgout them on-line at http://www.mother-ease.com/
Their is also a local diaper delivery service in Brighton that I used for about 4 months until I had my own set, but the diapers were a little hard to use and started to really smell by the end of the week. The plus was I didn't have to wash them. Congratultions!
B.

I wanted to do that but since I decided to go back to work, I had to go with the normal diapers. But on the way I found some cloth diapers called "bumkins" that are really easy to use and they already have the "plastic" cover attached to the cloth. They are not cheap but you can buy them according to your baby's age and weight and just wash them. They also sell some liners for the cloth diapers, so that they don't get so soiled. You can just get rid of the liner and wash the diapers. Search a little more on the Internet, because there are placer that sell them a little less expensive than others. When my baby was born, he would ear every two hours and for each bottle I fed him, came a diaper change.Good luck!