Question for parents who used cloth diapers...

[Dax]

What kind did you use, and why did you like them...We are going this route, and I have been putting a few of each brand on my registry, but I am looking for more advice from the DIS peanut gallery..

 

[Baliezer]

I really like Goodmama fitted diapers and Fuzzibunz pocket diapers.

The Goodmama diapers are a bit expensive, but they are very good quality and have the cutest designs. When we would stay at home all day, I left the diaper on with no cover. Goodmama has a huge community on facebook with people that use their diapers from all over the world. They stay in pretty close contact and it is easy to meet people in your area. Every Friday is stocking day and it becomes a race to grab the cutest designs before they sell out. Here is a link so that you can check them out.

http://shop.thegoodmama.com/


Fuzzibunz are really great a night. You can overstuff them and they provide great absorption. They are also very easy to use.

There are a number of diapering forums on the internet. The most popular is diaperswappers.com. You can get a lot of info from there.

Good luck!

 

[MdmMim]

We used a diaper service. This included diapers, the big bucket, pick up/delivery, and washing. It was great.

 

[JaneBanks]

I would go on to youtube and search out videos. There are tons of helpful people on there.

I would start with ObbsandLala, she is a great source! http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2CE681574C00E83D

 

[ols386]

We used disposable diapers.

I wouldn't have minded using a diaper service, but it seemed fairly expensive. Course that was many years ago.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I used a diaper service years ago. But mine were 13 months apart and it helped me allot. They picked up and dropped them off.

 

[J3nn78]

My suggestion...after cloth diapering 3 children is to not go nuts buying much ahead of time. What works for one may not work for another. With my oldest 2, who were in diapers at the same time, we preferred pockets like Fuzzi Bunz and Preston's Pants. They fit well.

With my current little one, we find that a Thirsties Fab Fitted Duos with a Duo wrap work best. I also like alvas. I was suler excited to try Goodmamas. I bought two and hated them. The fit was terrible on my little one.
I also dislike one size diapers. They did not exist yet with my first 2. Tried a dew different ones and they just didn't work on a newborn. My older 2 were in mediums from about 4 months through potty training.
I would get a variety to start with and then see what works best.

 

[JLiz]

Right now we are using BumGenius.

Pros:
1) Absolutely no diaper rash, at all. My DD has incredibly sensitive skin and will develop a rash and bumps from the disposables. We have tried Huggies, Pampers, Luvs, and Publix brand and they all gave her a reaction. But, with the cloth her skin is perfect. Obviously there are millions of babies that happily and comfortably wear disposables but for the sensitive-skinned babies the cloth diapers can be necessary.

2) They are significantly cheaper than disposables in the long run, even accounting for laundry costs.

3) They are significantly better for the environment.

Cons:
1) There is a large initial investment.

2) You will have to use special laundry detergent (we use Ecos) which can be difficult to find. Luckily we have a Whole Foods 1/2 mile from us so it's easy to get but I haven't seen any of the "approved" brands at big box retailers.

3) There is so much laundry. I wash them every other day (pre rinse the solids immediately) and dry them in the sun. I live in South Florida so we get lots of sunny days but if you live in area that gets cold winters or lots of rain, you may need to consider how you will keep them clean. The covers can't go in the dryer plus the UV light eliminates any residual odor.

Over all, I'm really glad we went with cloth but I wish we would have just signed up for a service for the convenience.

 

[fairestoneofall]

my favorite brand is Softbums.

i will say that what i thought i would like is not what i ended up loving. for me, i love that everything can go into the dryer (some brands require you line-dry the covers). i love the fit of them. i love that i can use the really long inserts for naptime and the regular inserts for the rest of the time. i use both the Omni and Echo shells, but don't stuff the liners on either (just lay the insert on top).

i have tried: BumGenius, FuzziBunz, Flip, Grovia, G diapers, Blueberry/Swaddlebees, Happy Heiny's, Rumparooz, and Bummis.

i do like the BumGenius Elementals, which can be dried. however, i already have a great stash of SoftBums (and still prefer the SoftBums anyway).

i do not use a diaper service. i thought i'd get tired of washing the cloth diaper laundry, but i haven't (it's been almost two years). if it had been this easy years ago, i would've used cloth for my older kids.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I can;t find the brand I used anymore I guess 16 years changes things

I liked the preshaped ones (no folding and tucking in required. I also used unbleached-- I thought it was probably better for sensitive baby skin.

My two wore cloth throughout (except when travelling) and it was so much cheaper. They never had any diaper rash (and my youngest has very sensitive skin, so that is a minor miracle). And, I liked the much lessened environmental impact.

I agree with a PP that getting one or two of a few varieties to try and then buying the bulk of them after you try them on your own baby is the best way to go

 

[teller80]

I made my own. My mom bought the fabric, and all I did was hem the two sides that were cut so they didn't ravel. They lasted thru two kids, and I used them for years afterwards for rags. I think the fabric store called it diaper flannel.

I also bought diaper liners - they looked like dryer sheets but they caught much of the bm, it made it much easier to clean them.

Are you doing it to save money or for environmental reasons? If it's for the first reason, I don't think it saved any money, because by the time you do all the extra laundry, plus the initial cost, it really doesn't.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I made my own. My mom bought the fabric, and all I did was hem the two sides that were cut so they didn't ravel. They lasted thru two kids, and I used them for years afterwards for rags. I think the fabric store called it diaper flannel.

I also bought diaper liners - they looked like dryer sheets but they caught much of the bm, it made it much easier to clean them.

Are you doing it to save money or for environmental reasons? If it's for the first reason, I don't think it saved any money, because by the time you do all the extra laundry, plus the initial cost, it really doesn't.

I think it saved a TON of money. I spent about as much on disposables just for travel as I did for the initial supplies of diapers and covers (which is all I ever needed for 2 kids). I cannot imagine that I spent as much on 1-2 extra loads of laundry a week really did not add that much cost (I saved even more line drying them on sunny days--which also kills even more germs, if somehow the hot water missed anything).

 

[Nette]

Right now we are using BumGenius.

Pros:
1) Absolutely no diaper rash, at all. My DD has incredibly sensitive skin and will develop a rash and bumps from the disposables. We have tried Huggies, Pampers, Luvs, and Publix brand and they all gave her a reaction. But, with the cloth her skin is perfect. Obviously there are millions of babies that happily and comfortably wear disposables but for the sensitive-skinned babies the cloth diapers can be necessary.

2) They are significantly cheaper than disposables in the long run, even accounting for laundry costs.

3) They are significantly better for the environment.

Cons:
1) There is a large initial investment.

2) You will have to use special laundry detergent (we use Ecos) which can be difficult to find. Luckily we have a Whole Foods 1/2 mile from us so it's easy to get but I haven't seen any of the "approved" brands at big box retailers.

3) There is so much laundry. I wash them every other day (pre rinse the solids immediately) and dry them in the sun. I live in South Florida so we get lots of sunny days but if you live in area that gets cold winters or lots of rain, you may need to consider how you will keep them clean. The covers can't go in the dryer plus the UV light eliminates any residual odor.

Over all, I'm really glad we went with cloth but I wish we would have just signed up for a service for the convenience.

I had the SAME experience with my son. No diaper rash. None.

We used BumGenius AIOs, but as everyone said, you have to find the diaper that works for you.

A great program for this is at jilliansdrawers.com, they will send you several types of diapers, and it only costs you $10 to "try them out". At the end of your trial, you send back what you don't want, and they only charge you for the ones you keep (or only the $10 if you send everything back). That's how we found out we love the BG AIOs. Jillians Drawers also has a gently used diaper section, which can save you a good amount of cash. I've found all of the gently used ones I bought were in PERFECT condition.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Wow, I used cloth diapers on my kids who are 26 and 24 now. The diapers just came in regular and preemie. And all rectangular. I had no idea there were all these different cloth diapers now.

We also used a diaper service until we moved to an area that didn't have it.

 

[CoP Luv]

We started with pre-folds and Thirsties covers when our baby was a newborn. I bought 24 non-bleach newborn sized pre-folds from Green Mountain Diapers and 5 or 6 covers from Amazon.

When he was about 10 lbs., we switched to Bumgenius 4.0 pockets and have loved them! Yes, he can still get leaks, but no diaper rash yet.

Laundry isn't too bad. So far, I have 26 pocket diapers and I do laundry every 2.5 days. I would like to get at least 30 pockets so I can stretch laundry to every three days.

I am so glad we cloth diaper and if you can handle snaps and do laundry, you can handle cloth diapering.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

We use hybrids (gDiapers) which are only technically cloth diapers. The inserts are flushable, which DH really likes. DD had a little bit of diaper rash early on, but we figured out what diaper cream works for her (Aquaphor) and she hasn't had trouble since we started using that.

Pros are that they look nice and I think they probably feel more comfortable on her than a paper diaper would (although, obviously, I don't really know). We have rarely had leak issues, which I know a lot of people claim is a downside of the hybrids. In all honesty, I think the design of the diapers prevents leaks pretty well because the offending matter has to get through the insert, then the inner lining, and then the outer cloth before it ever gets near clothes.

Cons are that you can't really flush them if you're out and about because the inserts need to be swished around a bit in the toilet. But we just toss the inserts or put them in ziplocs and carry them home in those instances. They are also a bit pricey (you have the initial investment and the monthly insert replacements), but it's not too bad.

 

[taitai]

For newborns, I would strongly suggest prefolds and some covers. They are so tiny and skinny that it is often hard to get a good, no leak, fit with them. However, if prefolds are not for you, try the Kissaluvs newborn diapers with covers in the beginning. My favorite covers are those by Thirsties (try the sized first and then move on to the Duo-wraps).

For regular diapers, I am currently pretty excited about Best Bottoms, bumGenius 4.0 (the print Irwin is my all time favorite) and Blueberry Simplex.

I agree with the previous poster who said not to go nuts at first. Once you start buying, it does become somewhat addictive with all the cute styles, colors and prints. Go slow, figure out what works for you, and then build up your stash.

My favorite site is www.cottontailbaby.com. They have a great selection.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Right now we are using BumGenius.

Pros:
1) Absolutely no diaper rash, at all. My DD has incredibly sensitive skin and will develop a rash and bumps from the disposables. We have tried Huggies, Pampers, Luvs, and Publix brand and they all gave her a reaction. But, with the cloth her skin is perfect. Obviously there are millions of babies that happily and comfortably wear disposables but for the sensitive-skinned babies the cloth diapers can be necessary.

2) They are significantly cheaper than disposables in the long run, even accounting for laundry costs.

3) They are significantly better for the environment.

Cons:
1) There is a large initial investment.

2) You will have to use special laundry detergent (we use Ecos) which can be difficult to find. Luckily we have a Whole Foods 1/2 mile from us so it's easy to get but I haven't seen any of the "approved" brands at big box retailers.

3) There is so much laundry. I wash them every other day (pre rinse the solids immediately) and dry them in the sun. I live in South Florida so we get lots of sunny days but if you live in area that gets cold winters or lots of rain, you may need to consider how you will keep them clean. The covers can't go in the dryer plus the UV light eliminates any residual odor.

Over all, I'm really glad we went with cloth but I wish we would have just signed up for a service for the convenience.

Bolding mine... You do not have to use a special detergent. I used Tide with all my cloth diapers.

OP, Bum Genius were my favorite followed by plain old prefolds with Bummis super whisper wrap covers.

 

[Dax]

Thanks everyone for your input...it is addicting...I have been reading forums and watching videos now for days. I have both prefolds/covers and AIO's for newborns on my registry. Not a ton of AIO's just a few. Worst comes to worse, I will just resell them. I have been leaning toward pocket diapers for when she is older, as I like how you can adjust absorbency by adding prefolds and such to the pockets. I have looked at Jillians Drawers and Cotton Babies..

I understand the initial investment is high, hence why some of it is passed on to my registry. Once my due date is closer, I will evaluate our stash and purchase from there. I am not worried about the extra laundry, and the soap can be bought reasonably priced. Disposable diapers are littered with chemicals and bad for the environment. So thats another reason to switch. Plus I am afraid my daughter will be fair skinned, and if she is anything like my DH, will get rashes.

 

[branv]

I don't have any experience, but I have been doing the research as well. My take away is what a lot of people have said -- figure out what you think will work for you and your baby, then be prepared to completely change your mind Like for us, I do know what our weakness is -- convenience. I know if it's too much work/hard for DH or I, we'll fail. But we're also cheap and want to save money. So, balancing those needs, AIO's seem to be the way to go. We don't really want to be stuffing diapers, etc. Our initial plan is to try out the BG AIO's, but only buy maybe 10 (since I'm only 5 months, every time I get a BuyBuyBaby coupon, I go buy a BG at the store, saving about $5/each).

But, we also know that it can be hard to get a good fit for newborns, and plus, you're so exhausted at first, this would likely be when we'd be frustrated enough to give up on cloth diapers. So, in the very beginning, we will use disposables. Easy to fit, gap for the umbilical stump, easy to put on and off, less laundry for the parental zombie.

While using disposables for the bulk of changes, we'll also try out the few BG's we'll buy. See how we like them, etc. If they don't seem to work, we'll start buying different brands (or using the trial service) to see what works. If BG's aren't for us, we'll sell them. If they are, we'll use the "complete your registry" discount to buy more.

Also, later on we'll probably use disposables occasionally. For instance, with longer trips outside the house. Even with a travel wet bag, I don't see cloth away from home being something for us. Also a supply will be good in case you get behind on laundry, for diaper rash (so the cream doesn't stain the cloth ones), and for any things like stomach viruses/bouts of diarrhea (both for containment and just b/c it's hard enough to keep up with laundry when they're sick).

In short, we're going for a balance of simplicity and cost savings. Fingers crossed!