diaper life span?

[Brownie~]

how long can one reasonably expect a fitted diaper to last? I have had DS in larges for about 1.5 yrs now, and I wash every 3 days. The elastic is shot in all of my Mutts, one of my Fluffymail AIOs, I have holes in the woven fabric of my other Fluffymail, etc...

I hate to buy new diapers at this late stage (DS is 2 and already uses potty once in a while), but who knows when he'll be fully done with diapers. Hoping to hear from others on this. Thanks!

[Michigan Mama]

I really think it depends on how many diapers you have in your stash, what type of fabric they are from, how heavily they are used and how they are made.

If you have a relatively small stash with diapers that are used more frequently, 1 1/2 yrs is a somewhat short life-span, but not too bad, imo. It also depends on your washing techniques and what you use. Bleach, of course, would wear things out a little sooner. I've heard vinegar can wear out the elastic faster, etc.

I have a moderately sized stash and most of my diapers are fine, but some of my faves that I made early on, and have been used a little more often are showing signs of wear: small holes or thin fabric, etc.

Prefolds, of course, last forever. I don't have any experience with the particular brands of fitteds that you mentioned. Maybe some other mamas can offer some more info!

[iowaorganic]

I think 1.5 years is good. You have had roughly 182 washes out of each diaper. That isn't too shabby.

I would buy a dozen toddler prefolds to get you to potty training if yours aren't going to make it.

[pampered_mom]

I'd agree with Michigan Mama that how you wash (and probably dry) them would impact how long they last. I don't have experience with the brands you mentioned, though.

I have MEOS that I bought when ds was 14 mos old and then used until he was somewhere around 33 mos, so 19 mos there. I've used them with dd for probably 7 or so months...so a little over two years I guess. I have a few where the terry fabric on the inside is thin, but no holes and the elastic is in really good shape.

I've bleached them on occasion, wash on hot, and use the dryer in the winter (line dry in the spring/summer/fall as weather permits), though. On the other hand I know of someone who had MEOS and they were incredibly worn by the time the first child was done with them. So I suppose some variability is to be expected.

I'm not sure mine will survive through the third child, though. That's probably not very helpful, though. In the end I'd agree with iowaorganic - go with some prefolds to get you through to the end. It'd certainly be much cheaper and if you're doing the GCDH this year you can 10% off at all the sponsors (plus addt'l individual deals) that'd make even that a bit cheaper.

For a more expensive option, but still relatively inexpensive, that's sort of a prefold/fitted hybrid you could always go with something like Daddy Flats which again is a GCDH sponsor.

ETA: On the ones where the elastic is shot, if that's the only issue why not see about having the elastic replaced? There's a tutorial over here on how to do it if it's a "casing style". She had mentioned putting on up for replacing elastic if it's the "gathered" type, but I didn't see a posting for that. She talks about doing diaper repairs on her blog so if you aren't comfortable doing it yourself, you could always contact her directly to see if she could be of service.

Another elastic replacing tutorial here.

Oh, and I've also read that you can probably find someone to replace the elastic in diapers over at DS.

[ChetMC]

Our Experience

Kissaluvs Size 0 - washed two to three times a week, some have been worn by three of our kids for five months each, we've also loaned them out twice, and they are still in perfect condition (elastic and snaps are fine).

Kissaluvs Size 1 - washed one to two times a week, I bought them used from someone who had two kids, but I don't know if she used them for both or for how long, two of our children have worn them, DD #2 for about a year and a half, and DS is still wearing them, they're holding up great, the elastic and snaps are fine.

Chinese Prefolds - five years of constant use, and of the two dozen I've got, one has a hole, and I'm starting to see some wear on a few of the others, but they all still work fine. Prefolds totally last forever.

Fuzzy Bunz - we've used size medium from five months to potty training, the water proofing wore off the first two that I bought after about two years of use, maybe a little longer. The waterproofing issue is one of the reasons I really like fitted or flats with separate covers, but i think two years out of my FBs is good.


Diapers that have not lasted particularly long for us are all All-in-ones :

Pro Services AIO - cover cracked and broke, only used for one child.

Re-uz-ms AIO - issues with waterproofing wearing off and the elastic going, we had two styles though, and one was significantly better than the other for the waterproofing, I would have been disappointed if I'd paid full price for them, but I got them all cheap at a discount clearance type store.

Kushies AIO - horrible diapers, covered cracked and broke, velcro wore out, glad that I got mine for free or at a discount store for super cheap.

i have some other diapers, but I haven't used them long enough to make a good call on their longevity. it is certainly possible though, to have diapers that last for five or six years of use through all of your children. I'm not at all happy with a diaper that only gets a year of use and that only one child wears. I've got some generic flannel fitted that have held up very well, the snaps and the fabric are totally find, but the elastic has started to go in some of them.

I have one Swaddlebee hemp fitted, pocket diaper that I got used. It's a size small though. Because I got it used, and because it's a size small, I don't know how much it was used before I got it, and I haven't used it as much as my larger sized diapers. I very strongly suspect though, that this diaper would last forever.

I agree that if you're looking for something cheap to get you through a few months before potty training prefolds would be a good option.

[ani'smommy]

Wow, I've gotten a TON of use out of my fuzzi bunz -- We bought them used, then DD used them, then we had two other babies use them for 8 months or so each, and now DS is using them. They aren't perfect anymore, but they work just fine with no problems with elastic or waterproofing. We machine washed and dried everything.

[Llyra]

I have some prefolds, some mother-ease fitteds, and some Fuzzi Bunz (old style) that have been washed several times a week for 4 1/2 years, and they're a bit worn-looking but still very much functional. The prefolds a a bit frayed at the edges, and the fleece in the FBs is thinner than it was and a bit pilled. The Mother-ease, honestly, still look brand-new. I also have some pocket diapers and AIOs that were too worn to be functional after only 8 or 10 months of use-- Wonderoos, Bum Genius, Sposo-easy.

My Kushies have, surprisingly, held up great. Some of them were handed-down from a baby before DD1, even, so they've been used for five or more years, and they still work fine.

I would expect an AIO or pocket to last 18 months at a minimum, and a fitted with no PUL should last even longer. I would be irked if I bought fitteds that didn't get me through multiple babies.

[Brownie~]

Originally Posted by Llyra

I would be irked if I bought fitteds that didn't get me through multiple babies.

Yep, I feel the same way. We use FuzziBuns as our nighttime diaper, and those are holding up just fine. It's been the Fluffymail (Little Caboose, to be precise) and Muttaquin Baby front-snapping fitteds (both WAHMs) that haven't held up, unfortunately, and they are some of DS's cuter diapers!

On the other hand, I have been extremely pleased with the side snapping fitted diapers I have from Lucy's Hope Chest. Those things are war-horses!

Another brand that has been good for us is SOS. I don't really like one-size diapers too much, but hers are really absorbent.

Another item that has kind of crapped out on me are my Imse Vimse covers. They are so cute, but the velcro (hook and loop?) is just not sticky any more. My Bummi Super Whisper Wraps are still all in good shape. I love those covers. The Super Brite, not so much.