Cloth Diapers

[Sokee]

so this is totally random question. Who, Is or Did, use Cloth Diapers?

My daughter who is due on the 31st of this month is planning on using Cloth Diaper. Her hubby is in the Air Force. He doesn't make much money, and she is looking at this to help save on the 'bottom' line so she can be a stay at home mom. I used Cloth myself but boy they have changed! & For the better! Those covers that they have now, some of them are soooo cute! I did put a call out on FB for ISO gently used diapers and was lucky enough that my cousin who used cloth is sending hers to Anna, so that will help on the start up cost.

She has really been doing research. And Amazing a lot of other military wives are also cloth users so she has gotten a lot of support there.

For those who are current cloth users, any brands you love? And brands to stay away from?

she had someone recommend bumGenius Original as a brand they love but the price!!! $19.95 for ONE! Say What!!? You do save if you buy in larger #s but still!

 

[michelepixels]

I started using cloth diapers on my oldest when she was 10 months old, in 2002. I used them a lot with my second baby too, and used them about 99% exclusively for my youngest (only used disposable on a few vacations with him). I mostly used Fuzzi Bunz pocket style diapers stuffed with the basic prefolds. But I also splurged on several adorable printed fitted snap style diapers.

I know my experience is outdated so I won't try to recommend brands. I do encourage anyone who wants to use cloth to go for it though! It felt so good to NOT be throwing away so many disposable diapers, I was sure my kids were more comfortable in cloth because I knew I would myself (I would have used cloth pads myself if needed, but my periods stayed away most of the 8 years I was breastfeeding, and then I discovered the Diva cup and even stopped using tampons). And washing cloth diapers was no big deal; I was doing a lot of other laundry anyway.

As for the cost, $19.95 doesn't sound outrageous. Think of cloth diapers as clothing. They're used over and over for a long time. I spent the most money upfront and then hardly anymore diaper money for the rest of the time I had my three babies, and those later expenses were because I couldn't resist more adorable printed diapers. Sticking with the basics, as you'd expect, is cheaper. And I found a local woman who sewed cloth diapers so I was supporting local business too.

 

[Sokee]

I discovered the Diva cup and even stopped using tampons).

And I found a local woman who sewed cloth diapers so I was supporting local business too.

My Anna also uses the Diva cup, she loves it too!

How nice this would be!

I have ordered a really cute diaper with roses on the cover. I'm planning on sending her a new one every month. Think that would be a nice surprise to get in the mail. The one I ordered for her off Amazon was ALVA brand and cost $8.79

 

[berniek]

I don't have kids and there are none coming in the foreseeable future, but I do know that IF I ever have a kid(s) in diapers, I will go cloth. It must be good to know you are not throwing away kilos of trash every single week just because of diapers.

So no advice here. But I really like the idea of your to send a new pretty diaper to your daughter every month!!

 

[Sokee]

So advice here. But I really like the idea of your to send a new pretty diaper to your daughter every month!!

I always send her homemade cards, she loves getting mail. Who doesn't!!!? But yes this would be my way of helping them out, I just think of it as The cost of a book/magazine. Starbucks a few times a month. Fast food.....

And the nice thing about Amazon is I can order it and have it shipped right to her with no shipping cost on my end!

 

[berniek]

I looooved getting cards when I lived abroad. I love it always. I even buy specific pretty stamps to match the kind of card or mail I send. But I need to send more cards myself.

 

[Juliestcyr]

Because all babies are different, a brand that one baby & mom love might not work for another. And, the brand that works on a newborn might not work as baby grows. What mostly happens where I live, is that you either inherit or borrow a few different kinds from friends, and try them out until you figure out what works. There are even some baby shops and diaper services that do trials.
Also- check out all the baby consignment shops and pop-up sales going around. As well as any local buy-sell, or BN (buy nothing) groups on Facebook. You can get a lot of baby stuff, including diapers that someone else invested in, and just aren't working on BN.*
*Look up to see if there is a Buy Nothing Project in your area here: https://buynothingproject.org/find-a-group/ . My suburb of 100 000 people has 4 of them. But, my Mom lives in a city of about 400 000, and there is only one BNON covering one neighbourhood. If there's no Buy Nothing near you, look up "Community Gifting," which is less organized, but pretty much the same movement.

 

[Sokee]

*Look up to see if there is a Buy Nothing Project in your area here: https://buynothingproject.org/find-a-group/ . My suburb of 100 000 people has 4 of them. But, my Mom lives in a city of about 400 000, and there is only one BNON covering one neighbourhood. If there's no Buy Nothing near you, look up "Community Gifting," which is less organized, but pretty much the same movement.

Thank You!

 

[bestcee]

I did. I bought a lot off of Craigslist that had a few different brands {2010}. I loved cloth diapers! We had disposables that we kept on hand for longer road trips, because it was easier than trying to keep the cloth from smelling. But I think we only used 3 packages of diapers in a year?
Yes, the upfront fee is spendy. But, like said above, 1 diaper will cover more than 1 box of diapers depending on the style. And it's more like clothes.

My kid had no butt. So I loved the ones with lines of snaps {bumgenius and sunbaby} because I could adjust it. They also lasted a long time on him. I ended up using them from about 3 months through to toilet training. The other day when I babysat I ended up using a cloth diaper on a chunkier baby than mine was. It fit him great! I just adjusted the snaps.

I actually have a photo of him in a Velcro one where he was scooting on the floor, and the diaper Velcro got attached to the carpet, so he was scooting out of his diaper! The Velcro ones were easiest for sitters, because they were most similar to disposable diapers.

 

[sm_amber]

We did cloth with both our boys, starting when the first was about 4 months old - also to save money.. We were pretty much broke when we started, so we went the least expensive route possible: a couple 12-packs of pre-folds + 2 or 3 covers from Thirsties. The covers are only about $12/each and I was able to do laundry often enough that it didn't matter that we didn't have very many. Over time we gradually grew our supply, and by the end of boy #2 (2013) we were pretty much exclusively using BumGenius All-in-Ones - although back then they were only $17 (and only came in like 5 colors). We also had a few Thirsties fitted diapers that we liked, but the price was close enough to the BumGenius that it made sense to pay a little more for the all-in-one and not have to deal with two steps of fitted + cover.

All that to say.. we loved it, and would do it again.. I'm glad to know she has a great support system.. I was kind of on my own not having a clue, and also having people think I was crazy for doing it.. Best of luck and congratulations to her!

 

[Tree City]

We were about 99% CDing (cloth diapering) DD for the first 1.5 years. Brands have changed, but yup, BumGenius for $20 is right. But a pack of newborn Pampers is $32 and probably lasts a week or two. Different brands fit babies differently. We got really lucky and only tried one brand that leaked on DD (minky covered gorgeousness, but not worth it if they leak!). She was an exclusively breastfed baby with thighs the size of ham hocks. DS was much thinner and had jaundice, so at first I had to supplement breastfeeding with formula. His CD experience is a little different than DD's, but the same diapers worked on him: bumGenius and FuzziBuns, mostly. I mention this cuz it is great to know sizes that work well on different babies. The Little Seedling is a great store and they've got a nice website she could check out for info.
I would recommend getting a FLUSHABLE CLOTH DIAPER LINER, esp. for the newborn stage when the poo is thick and pasty and glue-y and disgusting. There are different brands, but they're a lifesaver! There are different ones on Amazon, but maybe there's a place near her that sells CDs. When we lived in MI, we were so lucky to have a
Also: babies have sensitive skin. I suggest she get Tide (or whatever brand) Free and Clear so there aren't any dyes or perfumes sitting on a baby's wet bottom. Pee is acidic on its own, so adding chemicals can make a little rash turn horrible.
And have her play around with how to clean them. There are different "formulas" (vinegar and baking soda are options too) and it can totally depend on what kind of washer she has, so she's best off asking other CDing moms around her for advice.
Oh, one more thing: CDs are big. BIG! So that can affect clothing size. DD was in 12m at about 3m of age. She was in 18m around 6m. She'd swim in the tops (if they were onesies) and they'd be tight across her bum! Here's a pic I quickly found that shows her CD popping out of her onesie, and you can see the shirt is cuffed and still long (and large) in the arm! She's about a month old in this pic but I'm pretty sure that's a 6m onesie. Granted, she was never a small baby lol, but it did make dressing her tough.

 

[Sokee]

I actually have a photo of him in a Velcro one where he was scooting on the floor, and the diaper Velcro got attached to the carpet, so he was scooting out of his diaper! The Velcro ones were easiest for sitters, because they were most similar to disposable diapers.

This is so funny!

We also had a few Thirsties fitted diapers that we liked, but the price was close enough to the BumGenius that it made sense to pay a little more for the all-in-one and not have to deal with two steps of fitted + cover.

thanks for your recommendations! So that is another for BumGenius I will check out Thirsties. Thanks for the links!

The Little Seedling is a great store and they've got a nice website she could check out for info.

I would recommend getting a FLUSHABLE CLOTH DIAPER LINER,

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Yes to the Flushable Liners, I know she ordered these as that was a must by most of the moms.

I will check out The Little Seedling! Thanks for the link!

 

[bellbird]

we started with the best of intentions and bought the 'ye olde' cloth sort (where you fold it into like a kite shape and pin it/clip it (pinfree these days!) yourself) and the pre-folded; then reality set in and we found out the hard way that these 'nappies' (as we call them here) are no match for lactose intolerant, explosive bowel motions, even with the extra absorbant liners etc and were cleaning carseats and bedding and so much extra clothing with every poop that it was not worth it (the extra washing and electricity etc) we went to disposables and didnt look back; and if that happens, i've learnt in retrospect then it's by no means a failure, and when those days pass, you can be 'green' in other ways

 

[bestcee]

we went to disposables and didnt look back

We did that when we were potty training one week! Poor baby got the flu, and yes! There is nothing better than disposables when kids are not feeling well, or having reactions!

Do you still have lactose intolerance in your house? Or did they outgrow it?

 

[Sokee]

then reality set in and we found out the hard way that these 'nappies' (as we call them here) are no match for lactose intolerant, explosive bowel motions

Oh No! Hopefully this still an issue!? Lactose intolerant is not fun!

 

[michelepixels]

. . . no match for lactose intolerant, . . . we went to disposables and didnt look back; and if that happens, i've learnt in retrospect then it's by no means a failure, and when those days pass, you can be 'green' in other ways

True. I appreciated the convenience of disposables when my second daughter was a baby with severe eczema, as we entered the world of food allergies and visited many health care providers.

 

[bbymks5]

I had to go find the ones I still have from my middle daughter, who was the only one I used cloth with to remember the brands I used.

I went with Magic-alls AIO's by Baby BeeHinds ( paid $30.00 each), Swaddlebees pockets (paid $28.00 each) and Chunky Monkey pockets ($19.00 each was an Indy brand that is no longer made).

I preferred snap closures over velcro and preferred sized diapers vs ones that were one size fits all. I used Eco Nuts soap nuts to wash mine in and never had any issues.

 

[MrsGaramer]

I used cloth! I had all kinds, bum genius and some very expensive fancy ones I bought online but what I loved the most were prefolds and covers. prefolds are cheap and wash and dry very quickly. For days out, I used ones I could stuff or all in ones.

 

[Sokee]

I preferred snap closures over velcro and preferred sized diapers vs ones that were one size fits all. I used Eco Nuts soap nuts to wash mine in and never had any issues.

I will look into this soap, she said she is just going to use a clear&free soap.

I used cloth! I had all kinds, bum genius and some very expensive fancy ones I bought online but what I loved the most were prefolds and covers. prefolds are cheap and wash and dry very quickly. For days out, I used ones I could stuff or all in ones.

The first set that she bought for herself was this way!

 

[Sokee]

So I put a ISO on facebook and my cousin said she would send Anna all hers as she has been wondering what to do with them. And she is very happy to help out a military family (she has siblings in the military too) As you can see from the top of photo 2 there is a stack of pre-fold diapers too. Small size there are 10 covers with the inserts and the larger size there are 21 plus the inserts!!! They include brands like
Bumgenius
Sun Baby
Best Bottom
Thirsties
Alva

Anna is feeling so Blessed! As a thank you I'm planning on making Terri (my cousin) a quilted bird pillow, in Christmas colors, as a Thanks You gift.