Frustrated and Intimidated by CD Lingo, Options, and Washing

[JudiAU]

We use 7th gen disposables with our first. I would like to CD our second child but reading these threads is overwhelming. Everywhere there are terms I don't understand and when I finally figure out what they mean I can't figure out how everything fits together. And then there are a million opinions about what works and what doesn't and all I can see is the expensive of figuring it out. And then there are millions of washing threads which seem to point out a lot of people are having trouble. People post lists of what they use and everyone seems to use 20 different products. It also seems that CD might limit my clothing choices because of bulkiness.

I came to this thread having a pretty high opinion of the ease of modern CD and now I wonder if I even want to master it!

We live in an apartment building. Our washers work well but they have a single cycle option: wash. We used cloth wipes for the first six months with DS and it was pretty simple: wash.

DS was 8.1 and 22 1/2 inches long when born. At 21 months he remains tall and medium weight. He never had chunky thighs. I am assuming DS will be the same-ish.

I feel frustrated. Can anyone point out a resource that will take me through Cding from the birth of man to modern practices and have clear descriptions of terms and how things works together.

[Kelly1101]

ROTFL no advice, but man do I feel your pain.

I'm trying to get ready to CD my first baby coming in about two months, and "overwhelmed" doesn't even begin to describe. I especially laughed at your description of your washer: It just does "wash." Mine is the same. Maybe because it's old and cheap, but I can't set it to "cycles," or, at least, I never have. I just wash clothes with it.

If someone posts your request, I'd love to read it, too. Right now I've been settling for making about a zillion threads on this forum asking for opinions, then ignoring most of them and just doing whatever random thing I read that makes sense, haha.

[big-mama]

I felt the same way at first, so I just bought some of a few different kinds and tried them out. If you want to try an AIO, which I like best for the simplicity, do a google on toilebudz. These run 6-8 bucks a diaper and are great. You can order your own choice of patterns. No I am not the seller :-) For a 23 pound baby I am using the size L.

I would get a few wool covers for night.

I got Natures Love (ebay) pocket diapers for about $10 each. Those are good as well. Turtle tails on ebay makes good ones - I tried a fitted and a cover. I think they were about $7 each.

Also, as far as washing, I just wash on cold and dry on low, have never had a problem.

[Ifluffedthree]

20 different products, you mean like 2000 different products.

There are so many any more. Since I started in the boards about 5+ years ago the amount of choices is mind blowing.

All you have to remember is catch poop and pee. Wash, rinse dry - reuse. And get a routine down.

Whatever you use in the middle is really always going to be your choice. It does not need to be anything more than a functioning fiber of your liking. Period.

If the lingo, which is also mind blowing, is unclear -- ask. Many really enjoy just helping another successfully enter into the world of cloth.

It will all fall into place -- honest.

I don't have a collective location to send you too. But wish you luck

[Lindsay1234]

So I CDd dd1 7 years ago and there were minimal cloth options and now there are thousands!!! I was a little overwhelmed when I recently went looking again but I remember that with DD1 I had EIGHT Kushies AIO (all in ones) and a few gerber prefolds with pins AND I lived in an apt with a shared washer/dryer. It worked out fine too! I washed with a eco-friendly and "free" soap (the same I used for whole family), regular wash, regular dry (no dryer sheet). Or I sunned on the front porch on nice days.

The things I learned are that, like a previous poster said, you just need something to catch waste, thats it.

Now Im preg with dd number 2 and the amount of choices are CRAZY!! So what I did was buy a whole bunch of different used dipes for really cheap on diaperswappers.com (Kushies got more expensive even used so I wanted to try something new) and Ill just see what works this time. And I looked on diaperpin.com for other mamas opinions. (But I didnt put too much weight on them cause I liked my Kushies, and no one else seems to!!)

Hope that helps!

[contactmaya]

I have cloth diapers handed down to me, and found at markets. I have no idea what any of them are called, or what brands they are. I just use them. I have all kinds. I dont know what most people are talking about either. ;-) One of these days, i have to ask someone what stuff i actually have,...

[Smirkin]

got this off a MDC thread - very helpful hints, pics, & anecdotes:
http://diaperpages.com/index.php

this one has great info & pics but they are very anti-synthetics:
www.greenmountaindiapers.com

check out the "Diapering Guidelines Resources and FAQs" sticky in this forum. I read this from there and it is refreshingly simple:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ad.php?t=64985

fwiw, I am having some minor frustrtion with finding "what-works-for-us" but I am still very much enjoying the whole experience.

hope you still give it a shot!

[EdnaMarie]

I cloth diapered one and bought diapers for another expected and I still only know a few acronyms. Honestly, my kids are more or less normal size and normal eliminators though we do use the potty, and we don't need anything fancy. Usually you can get a relatively cheap diaper that works. If your kid has exceptionally large BMs or huge thighs or really really skinny legs I guess you might need a "stash" of many different kinds of diapers costing up to $30 each (or more, I have been SHOCKED by what people will pay for cloth diapers!) but believe me, most of us do not have that. I just had a bunch of regular pre-fold cotton diapers and for this one I have fitted (meaning, they have snaps to close and are shaped) cotton diapers. I just got the cheap covers (from Bummis) and they worked fine!

[Michigan Mama]

Entering the world of cd'ing can seem crazy at first...but little by little, you'll figure it out.

It is totally true that every family likes something different, wash in a different way, use different detergent, etc.

When i first started, I bought a few pockets and prefolds. Made a few pockets and fitteds... and we are still using them! You will start to find out what you like. I think it's a nice idea to try a few brands and styles so you can see what you really like.

Once you start, you'll be happy, I"m pretty sure. I'll never go back!

[michelle123]

I was totally overwhelmed at first as well. I waffled back and forth a few times before finally taking the plunge, and I'm so glad I did!

There are a lot of different options, so it's best to think about what you want in a diaper and narrow it down from there. If you want all natural fabrics, then prefolds and wool are a good choice. If you want inexpensive, prefolds and PUL covers are great. For something similar to disposables in use, then pockets or all-in-ones are the way to go.

I finally had a break through when I realized that I didn't need to pick one kind of diaper. If you really aren't sure what you want, then try one of 3-4 different diapers that interest you before investing in a whole set. Cloth diapering does save money over time, but it's best not to buy 2 dozen of a diaper that ends up not working for you.

As for washing, it's always best to start out with a simple routine. We've found that what works best for us is just putting the diapers through two full cycles-no extra rinses, soaks, etc. Everyone's washers, water and detergents are different, and that's why there are so many different ways to wash. Only add fancier touches IF your diapers aren't getting clean!

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by Smirkin

got this off a MDC thread - very helpful hints, pics, & anecdotes:
http://diaperpages.com/index.php

Oh, wow, I really love this site. Thanks for posting... it seems to go along well with my attitudes and reasons for CD.

[readytobedone]

yeah, i know what you mean, OP. not everyone likes the CDing thing as like a hobby, and that's okay.

for me, i just wanted to settle on a CDing system that worked--i am not interested in amassing a wealth of info about diapering or a "stash."

so while i was pg, i asked around and most people who CD'd seemed to like fuzzi bunz, and they had cute colors and seemed simple to use. so i bought 21 FBs in the small size, then when DD outgrew those i bought 16 in the next size.

we exclusively use FBs. i have no interest in exploring anything else. in retrospect, it might've been good to try them before buying a full supply. but eh, it worked out.

my advice would be buy a few of one kind, try them, and if you like them, just go with that kind. i myself am partial to FBs

so anyway, i to this day don't understand how prefolds and covers work or what AIOs are. i know FBs are a pocket diaper, that's all i know!

[brietta]

I also agree with the previous poster (PP) that sometimes it's as simple as buying something and just making it work. When I started CD'ing, I didn't have money to try a number of different kinds and then go on to buy more of the ones I really liked. I, too, bought a whole lot of fuzzi bunz-- and I LOVE them.

There were kinks to work out in the washing system, it's true. What really helped me was to actually go right to the diaper manufacturers AND the detergent manufacturers (I use Charlie's Soap, for what it's worth-- it's one of the most inexpensive eco-friendly daiper-safe detergents and you can get free S&H if you spend $20 or so at one time: www.charliesoap.com) in order to tweak my process. I'd started by trying to get recommendations right from mamas here, but it's true that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for the next, and you can get some really conflicting advice. That was why it ended up being most profitable (and simplest) for me to go to the manufacturers.

Anyway, I know it can be overwhelming. But look around at some online diaper stores, contact the owners in order to ask what they recommend for you (Kelly from kellyscloset.com is super helpful, in my opinion), and then once you make your decision I think you can make most anything work.

[Mom2SammyJoe]

When I started Cding my son 2 years ago, I thought that NO ONE else used cloth. I got what my MIL told me to. I registerred for Gerber prefolds and that is what we used. I was glad that at least I found out about Snappis instead of pins, and those sure impressed her. People bought me diapers from Target for shower gifts, and those worked fine. I even washed with our normal, regular, non-environmentally friendly Era detergent and that worked great. It wasn't until DS was 9 months old and peeing through everything (and we got a new computer) that I became completely overwhelmed with diapering. I don't think my husband can handle much more diaper talk, especially withnew baby on the way.
What others have said is true. Keep it simple, both in your diaper supply and your washing routine. Only if what you are doing isn't working will you need to tweak your system.

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by Smirkin

this one has great info & pics but they are very anti-synthetics:
www.greenmountaindiapers.com

I second this! Check out Green Mountain Diapers website. They have very good explanations with PHOTOS (on real babies) that take you through it, especially with prefolds and covers. True, they don't ALL of the kinds of dipes, but it's a great place to start.

For me, I am going very basic. A lot of people's diaper "stash" on these threads are totally overwhelming to me!! I am getting infant and premium prefolds (think of these as "newborn" and then "regular baby" sizes), waterproof covers for the prefolds (Bummis Super Whisper Wraps and also Thirsties brand), and Bum Genius 3.0 diapers (these are the absorbent middle and the cover in one piece. They have a "pocket" inside which you can stuff with additional material to absorb more as needed. They are "one size" and should fit from a few weeks old until potty training.)

[verdepark]

Keep It Simple

I can feel your pain.

We have been successfully and happily cloth diapering our babe all of his 9 months. We decided in the beginning to keep it very simple; Diaper Service Quality prefolds, fastened with a snappy, and covered with a wrap. The first wraps were Bummis Super Whisper Wraps (PUL) and Covered Caboose (wool). The wool was so great that we are going all wool, now.

So my advice is to keep it simple. Prefolds and wool covers. They wash well and last forever. Oh yes, they are inexpensive, too!

[JudiAU]

Thanks all. I really appreciate your assistance and your patience.

I found the greenmountain.com site on the FAQ for this page. It helped me understand the FAQ. =) For some reason, although I thought I understood the terms involved, I couldn't figure out who everything got put together. The pictures were really helpful.

I am going to go through the others today as well.

We are also considering going with our local diapering service Dy Dee Diapers, perhaps at least early on while we make the adjustment.