Cant afford cloth :(

[MuslimMama]

Before DS was born we debated cloth vs. disposables and cloth won hands down. DH was advocating for a large upfront purchase of everything we needed but I decided on being economical and going with prefolds. Long story short we HATED the prefolds!! DS is a small build and the diapers just did not fit him well at all.

I would not mind going back to prefolds, but now I can barely get a disposable on him cuz he wiggles and turns.

I have 2 fitteds and LOVE THEM (one pocket and one Kissaluv)

Problem is we have had some very large unexpected expenses and we are not in the position to make a $300 upfront purchase (for 18-20 dipes).

Anyone have a cheaper alternative (besides prefolds)???

[inky leeuhhh]

we have pocket diapers from www.clothdiaperwholesale.com that work great for us. they are one size pocket diapers, but a bit on the small side- i think they'll fit dd through size med. she has packages and i think they come out to about 10$ each. you could also look into getting some previously owned diapers like from diaperswappers.com . coolababy diapers from ebay are cheap, but made in china which some people like to avoid. several sites offer seconds for sale at a fraction of the cost of their regular diapers with very minor flaws. i also like www.rainforestbabies.com . they offer seconds in the clearance section that are a very good price. they are ai2's so you can get some shells and then a bunch of inserts and just re-use like you would a prefold and cover. good luck!

[Carlyle]

Check out diaperswappers.com Great deals there on used dipes that are in fine condition. I got a full set of use-able (not pretty, but very functional) Bumkins All in ONes for $5 each.

[Drummer's Wife]

you can always start out with prefolds and slowly build your stash - buy one diaper a week/month whatever is comfortable. And yes, get used!

eta: tri-folded pf's in a wrap can be as easy as AIO's.

[LeahBoo]

It doesn't have to be expensive! When my sister was diapering her daycare kids (had a home daycare, and supplied everything, all the kids were in cloth at her house). She went to thrift stores, bought several different sized wraps for 50 cents - $2 each, a few prefolds from thrift stores, and a couple dozen flannel receiving blankets from yards sales for 10 cents each. She got a couple packs of plastic pants too, in case she needed them, but mostly used wraps. Receiving blankets work like flats. You can fold and pin them, or just lay them in the wrap.

[aikigypsy]

It might not work for you, since prefolds weren't doing the job, but I really like to use an oragami-folded flat with a pull-on wool cover at night (and I usually change it once in the middle of the night). It goes on really quickly. I use the big flats from Green Mountain Diapers, which can tie around my 19-month-old DD's fairly skinny waist, and I find it's faster than doing up the four snaps on my pocket diapers. However, this doesn't work in the daytime for us as she's very active, and I can't be bothered with snappis these days. You can make the pull-on wool covers out of the sleeves of old sweaters (as long as they don't have holes in the elbows... or I guess that would be OK with a patch, even). GMD is out of flats at the moment, though , but they're $15/dozen at Nicki's Diapers. That, plus the cost of a couple of thrift store sweaters and a bit of elastic will get you quite a way.

[battymama]

I use mostly flats, i love them flats with a snappi and a wool cover is the way to go

[Dreamer]

You should try to look for some prefitteds. There are some on the trading post I just saw on there a little bit ago. We have tinkle traps & piggy prefolds (both prefitted conversions of prefolds to fitteds) and really LOVE them!!! Its the convenience of a prefold but the containability of a fitted! AND they're usually cheaper than most fitteds, around $5-6 each if you buy used! And they fit us GREAT!! Both my 28lb toddler & 15lb newbie can wear our premium prefitteds.

Also, have you ever tried something like a fleece topped hemp doubler in your prefolds?! Thats the only way I use prefolds now that ds2 A) has toddler poop & B) pees a flood! The fleece part of the doubler allows the poop to come off WAY easier than trying to get it off a prefold and the hemp part of the doubler keeps him from literally peeing straight through the prefold, plus its added absorbancy so they work for us at night too, with wool on top.

GMD sells the fleece topped hemp doublers--I bought 15 large when ds was about 10 weeks old and they are constantly used in our rotation. Maybe a $30 investment that could save your prefolds?

HTH!

[HeatherB]

Used diapers are a great way to go. The Trading Post here is an excellent place to start looking!

And I agree with Drummer's Wife. Get some good PUL wrap covers, and just fold the prefold, tuck it into the wrap, and put it on like an AIO. Works really well!

[alison43]

all great suggestions, but if you are interested in cheaper new pocket dipes, check out www.smartipants.com. i haven't tried them myself but have heard great things about them. they are selling a three pack for 36.95, so you could get 18 dipes for about $200...

[EmmalinesMom]

I was thinking prefitteds too. You can check for used diapers, as well as seconds, which would be functional, but maybe not perfect in terms of stitching and cosmetics.

[Raene]

We got 80% of our diapers from freecycle. If there's one in your area, I'd post on there saying I was looking for some diapers.

Hope you have the luck we've had with them

[Teenytoona]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

eta: tri-folded pf's in a wrap can be as easy as AIO's.

Totally agree! We have some os pockets and then some flats and prefolds with covers. Stick a trifolded prefold into a wrap (bummis or thirsties, for instance) and pop on and pop off. DD is a total squirmer (like sometimes I need an "assistant" to change her diaper) and I can get these on and off her just fine. Of course, your covers might need washed more often, because without a snappi, the poo container becomes the cover, but it's really an economical and easy alternative.

[Ola_]

Those are some awesome ideas! I have heard great things about ClothDiaperWholesale also!

Some other options - one size fitteds like the MEOS (used would be even cheaper and they really hold up well): http://www.mother-ease.com/cloth-dia...zeClothDiapers

Or how about the Fuzzi Bunz seconds store? Most people get a lot of mileage out of the small and medium sizes, so depending on how big your little one is you should only need one or two sizes: http://www.fuzzibunzseconds.net/store/Default.asp

I've heard good things about Bella Bottoms fitteds also: http://www.bellabottoms.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21 Ok, one last link I promise! Cloth Diaper Clearance: http://www.clothdiaperclearance.com/

Even if you can't afford your whole stash now, I'd get 10 or 12 or whatever you can afford. Then you can buy more if you find you still need them, once you've had a chance to save up more.

[Galatea]

What size does your baby wear? I am some excellent used diapers of various types.

[SuzyLee]

I just sold a lot of like 10 pockets with inserts for 50$. They were stained and crappy looking but still held poop and pee! I would look for something like that, used, to start out and then you can always get nicer diapers slowly as $$ allows.

[MuslimMama]

how are chinese dipes from ebay?

We looked on ebay and saw one size pocket diapers from china were 12 for $100.

Has anyone used these? Were they good or awful?

[poppan]

There are some "pre-fitteds" called snugglebottoms that are around $25 for six. I don't think they are super absorbent, but probably comparable to the kissaluvs.

Look in diaper lots FSOT forum on diaperswappers.com -- frequently if you buy as a "lot" you will get a significant price break, plus they are used to begin with so should be priced well. (Most people make offers for below the asking price, so feel free to ask if they would sell for less too -- many mamas do, particularly if they've had the dipes up for a while with no buyers.)

I have 20 dipes total for two kiddos and I used to have less. I wash every day. I don't think you need 18-20 for one.

[Gabes Mommy]

Check out used diapers from the forums, Craigslist, and diaperswappers. I watched for good discounts and bargains, it's amazing what discounts you can find. Good luck!

[ssj77]

I would second all the ladies recommending used diapers. They may not all be in pristine condition, but it is the way to go if you are super tight on funds. I would be a little wary of the diapers on ebay. I've heard some pretty major horror stories of them. What a lot of people do is put aside a certain amount from each paycheck to slowly build their stash. You'll start to break even pretty quickly with cloth vs. sposies and then start saving pretty quickly as well. Just remember, you don't have to do it all up front
Hope you find a great diapering system that works for you!

Sultana