Thinking about switching...

[missjessicajames]

nak
so my dh and i are discussing make the switch to cd... My dd is currently 4 months old and has been in disposables her whole life so far.
I've been looking through the forums and doing some research and honestly I'm completely overwhelmed I see lots of things on where to start with NB but what about older babies. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Also i just found out there's a cloth diapering service in my area which seams like it may be a good place to start. But I have no idea what else I'd need to get and how many diapers i should have delivered.

[RGsMom]

That is awesome you are looking into making the switch. We didn't switch until our DD was 9 months, our new baby, we started right away.

Washing on your own really isn't that big of a deal, that is what prevented me from starting earlier, plus I didn't know about these great forums to help you get started!

We just started out sampling a couple of One Size diapers, Prefolds, All In Ones, Fitteds to see what we would like the best or what would work best for us. Knowing we'd have more kids eventually, the One Size diapers appealed most to us. The upfront cost was/is more, but it's so much cheaper than disposables and diaper services in the long run.

I'm sorry if this isn't much help, but essentially everyone seems to find their own system that works best for them. I know a few that get 1 BumGenius One Size and a couple others to try them out for a week, really like one, then get more of their favorite. I'd be happy to help more if you have any other questions!

[Maine Mama Doula]

I would have saved a lot of money if I had just started with prefolds, snappis and covers. You'll need at least 2 diaper pail bags, a couple of wetbags for travel, cloth wipes and I use a peri bottle for wetting them. The simpler the better! Then if you want to splurge for birthday's or whatever then it's just fun. Keep in mind that they're diapers!

[bremen]

i am all about cloth diapers, but i go the super duper cheap and easy route.
2 dozen prefolds and medium proraps.
they are theasiest and cheapest, and wash and dry the easiest, too.
washing is super easy as well.
i only wash diapers twice per week. a service woulod not be worth it to me. a service also would mean you would have to have enough diapers on hand to last a week.

a few dozen premium prefolds and 4 medium proraps will have you set for the next year, easy.
you can use a regular diaper pail/trash bag.
you can also use disposable wipes.
there are lots of cloth diaper accesories, but you don't really need them.
i have used aios, bumgenius, fuzzybuns, and fancier covers as well.
the plain, easy, cheap system we have now is my favorite

[Galatea]

That's about when we started with my ds1. We started with a prefold and cover kit that included 3 FuzziBunz, and to be honest, the prefolds were too overwhelming. If it weren't for those 3 FuzziBunz, we would have quit cloth altogether. I think the key to starting cloth and liking it is to get easy diapers like pockets or all-in-ones. We bought 15 more FuzziBunz and loved them - they were easy to put on, cute, kept ds's bum smooth and rash-free, and did a great job at containing the poop and pee. At this age, your baby would be in a small FuzziBunz. A dozen diapers would last you probably a day and a half and all you would need otherwise would be a few hemp doublers like Joey-Bunz to add into the FuzziBunz for overnight, a wet bag and pail liner and some cloth wipes.

I would not do the diaper service and here's why: it will be prefolds, which many find intimidating, and washing the diapers yourself is really no big deal. Diaper laundry is my favorite laundry b/c you don't have to fold it and it is so cute and fluffy. This is my laundry routine:

Spray off poop (once the baby starts eating solids) with the Diaper Sprayer. Put diaper in the pail (13 gallon kitchen trash can with pail liner.)

On wash day, dump diapers and pail liner into washer. Cold prewash with 1/2 cup white vinegar (to get out the majority of the poop and pee and prevent staining.)

Hot wash with small amount diaper-safe detergent (you can call the manufacturer but we like Allens or Mountain Green, which I order online.)

Rinse twice.

Dry on medium.

I hope that helps. Cloth diapers are better than sposies in every single way, foremost of which is that cloth diapers actually contain the poop and pee inside the diaper - no up the back explosive poops! Also, don't be intimidated by the initial expense - you will save so much money in the long run, and as long as you buy good name-brand diapers, you will be able to resell them for 50-60% of their purchase price when the baby grows out of them (or you can save them for the next baby.)

Good luck!

[missjessicajames]

Thanks momma's you're awesome. I know I shouldn't be so intimidated by this but everything else with my LO has just been me following my instincts (bf, cosleeping, etc) and my instincts don't know what to buy for CD

[Michigan Mama]

I like the idea of buying a smattering of dipes to see what you like. When we first made the switch (I remember it being inimidating!) I got 4 different brands of pocket dipes, and 6 or 12 prefolds with 2 covers. Used them for a bit and started sewing some. Now I've tried about 6 brands of pocket dipes, and TinyTush are m faves, I often reach for my fitteds, though, because I get sick of stuffing pockets!

Even though it seemed like a huge deal, and was a little scary, my switch went much more smoothly than I expected and now I can't imagine ever going back! Who would ever think diapers could be fun?

Good luck and keep asking questions!

[Galatea]

Originally Posted by Michigan Mama

Who would ever think diapers could be fun?

Good luck and keep asking questions!

Yes, that is what I say - you're going to have to change diapers, but if you use cloth, it will be fun and you will look forward to it!