Cloth Diaper Reasearch.....giving me a headache

[momma E]

Hi All.
I have been reading up on CDing to get ready for my LO on the way. With my daughter I tried using a diaper service, but I was a single mom at the time and had a horrible go of it. Tons of leaking and messes.
So now that I am in a good position with number two (ie. I have a washing machine!!) I would like to give it a go again.
I had been thinking about using BumGenius 3.0 one size and buying a few xs Fuzzi Buns for the newborn months. But I have been reading some mixed reviews about both.
So then I started thinking about Mother Ease.
But now I just have a headache!
Any suggestions??

[fruitfulmomma]

My suggestion is to not commit to any one diaper or type of diaper until the baby is born and you've had a chance to try them out. Some diapers will work great for one child and not so good for the next one due to size or output differences or whatever.

I would get maybe 2-3 dozen prefolds and 4-6 good covers and a sampling of everything else you are looking at trying.

[Michigan Mama]

Agree with PP.

There are tons of diapers out there and every family has a different favorite for different reasons. Each style has it's own advantage.

What were you using from the diaper service? Prefolds, I assume. What do you think the trouble was? Not enought absorbancy? Poor fit? What kind of cover were you using? Some moms love pf's, some never quite get the hang of it. A proper fitting cover makes a huuuuuuge difference. Maybe we can help you trouble shoot.

Some people do use pocket diapers from the get go, but for a smaller nb, they will be pretty bulky. I (have nb #2 coming in Aug) plan to use mostly prefolds and fitteds (I think fitteds and cover are the best combo for keeping poop in, so I'll probably use that when we go out), with a few aio's thrown in for good measure.

I have my faves, but so does everyone else. But I'll tell you anyway! For pockets, TinyTush Elite have held up and fit better than any other style. We use snaps, not aplix (velcro). For covers and aio's - Thirsties have worked very well for us. For fitteds, I plan to use a combo of Sugar Peas (hemp), Thirsties, and homemade. And a combo of newborn and infant pf's. My last babe was under 7 lbs and I am certain that nb pf's would have fit him better than infant, though we didn't start cloth until a little later.

Keep asking questions and just remember....there is a bit of a learning curve for everyone who starts cd'ing... you'll figure out what works for you and you'll love it, I'm sure!

[cyncyn]

I'm a big fan of fitted diapers with covers. I found this setup had the best leakage control and absorbency for dd. If I'd had a snappi, I probably would have liked my prefolds better. DH preferred AIOs.
I agree with PP, don't buy a huge amount of stuff before the baby comes. Get some basics like prefolds and covers. Add some fitted diapers and perhaps a few pockets or aios. Use everything on the baby for 6-8 weeks. Then you'll know which ones you are always reaching for first.
We had the best luck with natural fibers. Microfleece + microfiber + PUL was not a good match for us.
Don't go crazy on the research - cloth diapering has changed a lot over the years and there is TMI out there. Cloth diapers can be simple, they shouldn't drive you crazy.

[tinyblackdot]

You could try a "Try it out" package http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/produ.../tryclothfor10

[momma E]

Thanks for all of your suggestions!
The trial run offer sounds great, I think we will do that for sure.

The diaper service I used was prefolds. My daughter was really tiny she weighed 5.6 lbs. So I could just never get them right. I did not have a washing machine so with all the leaks I felt like I was living at the Laundry mat!

Maybe what I could do is buy a small package from Mother Ease, a few prefolds/covers and do the trial run offer.
Does that seem like a good start?

[fruitfulmomma]

My daughter was really tiny she weighed 5.6 lbs. So I could just never get them right.

Green Mountain Diapers has prefold and cover choices starting at 4lbs. so that is an option that might eliminate the problems you had before.

Those first few weeks are kind of hard with diapers... Even with my 9+lb babies the small looked huge on them. One of my goals is to have a stash of newborns diapers if we have another baby.

I think your plan sounds good and I think you will do great.

[Juliacat]

Originally Posted by momma E

Maybe what I could do is buy a small package from Mother Ease, a few prefolds/covers and do the trial run offer.
Does that seem like a good start?

I think that's an excellent idea, and I also agree that the newborn phase is the trickiest. (not fair, huh?!)

[rosedoe]

I am so with you on this one. Today is my first day seriously looking at the cloth diapers. I just want to cry. So many choices. I definately want something like the bumGenius 3.0. They look amazing. Although I can't for the life of me figure out WHY they need to have inserts. Why can't they just have the extra absorbent stuff there and just leave it? Why does it have to come in and out? Maybe if I had the diaper in front of me it would make more sense. My Gma actually bought me a dozen Gerber Prefolds and I have yet to figure out how to use them. This is my first baby and I never thought I'd cloth diaper, but I'm going to stay working for my mom instead of getting a "real" job that would force me to put my kid in daycare. My husband works full time and goes to school full time so money is tight. Disposables are so expensive compared to the cloth diapers. The money alone makes it worth going to cloth...If only I could figure all these different options out. Oh if only I could have a drink. :-)

Good luck!

[fruitfulmomma]

They look amazing. Although I can't for the life of me figure out WHY they need to have inserts. Why can't they just have the extra absorbent stuff there and just leave it? Why does it have to come in and out?

The purpose of pocket diapers is to allow for easier drying and customizable absorbency. AIO (all-in-ones) take a lot longer to dry due to their bulk and if you have a baby that is a really heavy wetter you can double up on inserts with the pockets.

If you are looking to reduce a step you might think about Mommy's Touch Easy Cleans which have a second opening that allows the insert to come out in the washer so you don't have to remove it yourself.

[fruitfulmomma]

My Gma actually bought me a dozen Gerber Prefolds and I have yet to figure out how to use them.

They can be folded into thirds, like a burrito, and laid right into the cover. That is the simplest way of putting them on, but has the drawback of not keeping poop off the cover when they go. This is way I most often use them.

The other way I do it is to lay them flat under the baby and fold the bottom two corners into the middle and bring up to her tummy, then bring the back two corners to the tummy and use a snappi to fasten them together.

Oh, and if the Gerber prefolds are the ones with foam in the middle, rather than 100% cotton layers don't be surprised when they don't work particularly well. They will work in a pinch but if you are going to go with prefolds you will want heavy duty Chinese or Indian prefolds (CPFs or IPFs).

[Galatea]

Both the FuzziBunz and bumGenius are excellent diapers. Remember that as a product becomes popular and lots of people use it, there are more complaints b/c there are more people using it. Also, people generally go on the internet to complain about something, and not to praise it. I have tried many many many diapers and those two are two of my favorites, and I always come back to them. My advice is to try a few types and see which you like and then get more of that type in the larger sizes. I also recommend that people stick with easy diapers like all-in-ones and pockets when they are new to cloth, so that you will like it and stick with it.

[lilysmama1124]

I agree witht the pps. I was talking to a woman who brought an entire bumgenius pocket diaper system and her dd was sensitivity to the microfleece. With my first I did a sampler pack. Money was an issue for me so I mostly got prefolds and wraps but if money isn't an issue then I would suggest getting a few pockets, a few OS BumGenius, some fitteds, some different brands of wraps including some wool, and 12 or so prefolds. If you want to be able to cloth from the begining and are worried about the prefolds being too big I would reccommend either nb size kissaluvs contours or nb size fitteds and a few nb size covers. I liked proraps with my dd. I have a few Bum Genius OS organics and love them , I got them when dd was older and they really have grown with her but there is no way they would have fit her for the first 6-8 weeks (she was 6p 5o).

Good luck, hang in there it really is worth all the research and confusion in the end!

[rosedoe]

Originally Posted by fruitfulmomma

The purpose of pocket diapers is to allow for easier drying and customizable absorbency. AIO (all-in-ones) take a lot longer to dry due to their bulk and if you have a baby that is a really heavy wetter you can double up on inserts with the pockets.

If you are looking to reduce a step you might think about Mommy's Touch Easy Cleans which have a second opening that allows the insert to come out in the washer so you don't have to remove it yourself.

Thanks so much for the info!

Originally Posted by fruitfulmomma

They can be folded into thirds, like a burrito, and laid right into the cover. That is the simplest way of putting them on, but has the drawback of not keeping poop off the cover when they go. This is way I most often use them.

The other way I do it is to lay them flat under the baby and fold the bottom two corners into the middle and bring up to her tummy, then bring the back two corners to the tummy and use a snappi to fasten them together.

Oh, and if the Gerber prefolds are the ones with foam in the middle, rather than 100% cotton layers don't be surprised when they don't work particularly well. They will work in a pinch but if you are going to go with prefolds you will want heavy duty Chinese or Indian prefolds (CPFs or IPFs).

That make so much more sense then the little diagram on the package. Thanks!

[veedeepee]

If you're going to use prefolds on a newborn, I would highly recommend the orange-edge prefolds from Green Mountain Diapers. We tried using the standard infant size prefolds on our little guy, but they were just way too long for the first few weeks. All the folding instructions online say to fold the extra over (in the front for a boy), but we found that this created way too much bulk on his tiny body. Also, all that extra length and bulk was tricky when he still had his umbilical stump, as you need to have the diaper kind of low-riding during that period.

I already had a stash of the infant size prefolds, so I only ordered a dozen of the smaller ones from Green Mountain. They got us through those first few weeks (we just occasionally used a standard size prefold or a disposable if I got behind on laundry).

Hope that helps.