Cloth Diapering Mommas

[StrongFeather]

Wondering how my fellow Sept. CD Momma's are doing? Who was planning on and decided against it, and why? Anyone decide to CD last minute? What are you favorite diapers, combos? What is working for you? What is not?

Who loves it?
Who hates it?

[zenproof]

been on the kissaluvs since day 5. going great!

[coldandsleepy]

So far we're in the love it camp! We've been using prefolds and Thirsties covers and have only had one leakage incident (more on that in a sec) so far despite our little guy making a couple of massive messes.

The one time we had leaks, it was our fault. :P Half of our covers are adjustable size, and my husband was like "oh no, we don't need to snap it down to size, it fits him like this!" Well, if you don't snap it down... the leg holes are huge and the prefold sticks out around his thighs... and then when your little super soaker lets loose, his nice outfit gets soaked. Ah well, live and learn.

[Carolyn_mtl]

We've been using bumgenius xs aio's since day 4. We also use bamboozles with bummis covers, and love both styles. No leaks yet, aside from the time she must have peed a river because the poor bg was soaked, couldn't possibly hold any more!

[MichelleAnnette]

Going well here, but also CD/EC'd ds. I love Kissaluvs 0. Girls are so much easier to diaper! At night, I put a wool puddle pad on the bed, then a prefold, then the naked from the waist down baby. When she pees, I just throw the prefold on the floor and replace it. That doesn't work with a little baby boy. =) Much easier than changing diapers at night and no chance of diaper rash.

[robbins611]

I've cd my last 3 kiddos and love it. It saves a ton of money and is just as easy as sposies. My favorite combo is fitteds and wool covers or longies. I like mutts and bububebe diapers for nb and piddlepoddle/goodmamas until potty training. I bought all my diapers second hand on diaperswappers. I did chinese prefolds and motherease covers for a long time when I first got started....very economical and still easy with a snappi.

Much Love,
Gini

[bright_eyes]

We've been doing cloth since about the first week. I'm doing prefolds during the day and fuzzi buns at night and when we go out. I had a leak last night with a fuzzi bun and I'm not sure why- they are super absorbent. I love the fact that I got my diapers all second hand, so we are saving a ton of money!

Those of you doing prefolds, how do you keep up with all the changing? I have to change ds every single time he pees, and man, do newborns pee a lot!!! Yesterday I changed him 3 times in the span of 30 minutes!!! I can't even imagine doing prefolds at night!

Also, ds has a bit of diaper rash- what do you find works well for diaper rashes when you are doing cloth?

And what is your washing routine? I've been doing cold prewash and a hot wash with Nellie's laundry soap but I am still getting some stains, which I've been sunning out. I don't know what I'll do in the winter, when it is too cold out to sun dry.

[LibertyBelle]

I'm planning to join you mamas in your CD adventures, but I need a baby first!

My stash is a mixture of different types. For newborn phase, I'm going with flats and prefolds, plus a few fitted Sandys with covers.

I also have Mother Ease one-sizes and Bum Genius pockets for later, as well as a couple of Apple Cheeks and Sandys.

Can't wait to try them out!

[KayleeZoo]

Like Gini, I'm CDing for the 4th time and loving it. Using prefolds w/snappis, Fuzzi Bunz (still the XS), Kissaluvs 0, Loveybums NB/SM fitteds, and a variety of covers.

[Auroara Bobcat]

Lovvvve cloth diapering! We have been doing it since day one. This is my first time useing cloth and I enjoy it so much.

We use pre-folds 95% of the time (fastened with pins) with wool wraps (my favorite,) some fleece wraps (my next favorite,) with some pul covers.

We have 5 aios that we use on outings. And a friend just gave us some contour diapes and I like them so much that I will probably get some more.

For night time I use a hemp prefold with a doubler inside a wool or fleece wrap. I do change her diaper 2 times through the night but thats when the contours really come in handy.

As far as washing goes. We do a "heavy duty" load with hot water and cold rinse with an extra rinse. We use Planet detergent and some "oxy clean" stuff. Super easy not much different from our other clothes. And sometimes we get stuck with a stain but we really don't care as long as they are clean.

Yay for cloth!

[diana_of_the_dunes]

We've been cloth diapering Ethan since day 1. We're using Thirsties covers and prefolds, and it's working out really well so far. I did have to use a disposable twice during laundry time, but we got more covers today, so I doubt we'll run out now. I wasn't sure we were going to like the Thirsties, since we've never had a baby let alone cloth diapered, so I only ordered 3 covers to start. Oops.

My family thought I was nutty when I said I was going to cloth diaper, and I had my doubts about whether it is really as easy as some people make it out to be. I'm definitely a convert, though!

[confustication]

I love my cloth, but other than the prefolds it's on a temporary hiatus until the thrush issue is cleared up. He's got a yeasty rash as well as the thrush and I'm using creams I don't want on the dipes, and i want to be able to boil the foolish things to de-yeast them. (Wash once, boil, wash again with vinegar in the rinse... it's the only time I have an iffy wash routine.)

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by bright_eyes

Also, ds has a bit of diaper rash- what do you find works well for diaper rashes when you are doing cloth?

We got a really bad diaper rash right off the bat. Tried several things. An all natural "un-petroleum" but that seemed to be washed away too easily with the pee...just making it worse and the poor babe was burning. Then I had my mom bring whipped Shea Butter to me. It was a miracle or worked miracles. My mom gets the shea butter and whipps it herself so I know there is nothing else in it, but I am sure you could get the same at a health store. This stuff formed a great barrier and like the greek family in "Big Fat Greek Wedding" who uses windex to cure everything, I use Shea for everything. Babe scratches her face...Shea buttter and wala it is gone, diaper rash, dry skin, I use it for all things!

As far as CD, it is ok, sposies in the hospital were so much easier. Sophia is so chubby that we are already between sizes of diaper covers and the tri folds don't really fit in the NB diaper cover...maybe I just don't have the right stuff, I don't know. We are getting the prefolds from a diaper service though so at least I am not washing them, just the covers and the occasional diaper.

[hipmummy]

We just started today. So far not loving it. With ds we started when we got home and I was anti sposie. This time we started with sposies becuase we have so much extra work and the basement is two floors down. Ds2 is not loving the cloth. I am going to use sposies at night because he sleeps a long stretch. Ds1 never slept and I am starting to think cd's had a little to do with it. Once we are in the BG's I will use cloth 100%. I can't believe I even wrote this post as I was so against sposies with ds1.

[lisa_nc]

I LOVE it. I used disposables until the meconium was gone and he is SO much happier in cloth. Even my mom commented that he seems more comfortable and she thought I was nuts for wanting to CD. I have three BGs that I use at night. I use fitteds with covers when I am out and about and prefolds at home. At first I hated the prefolds but then I got the angelwing fold (LOVE it) down pat and now they are SO growing on me. I am starting to be brave enough to use them every once in awhile when I am running around out of the house.

I made a simple butt wash/wipe wetting formula out of water, Dr. Bronner's mild, and Burt's Bees apricot oil that I put in the peri bottle from my birth it. I use it to wet the cloth wipes or just squirt some on his rear. I haven't had any diaper rash yet.

I am washing every morning with Charlies and have not been religious about swishing off the poo and I haven't had any stain or stink issues at all. I love that my front loader has an actual cycle for cloth diapers. They call it "Baby Wear" but it's pretty much a cloth diaper cycle. I was so worried about having a front loader, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Knock on wood!

Thumbs up so far! We are going on vacation in a couple weeks and I am buying disposables to take with for convenience reasons and I am SO not looking forward to using them.

[hipmummy]

Originally Posted by lisa_nc

I LOVE it. I used disposables until the meconium was gone and he is SO much happier in cloth. Even my mom commented that he seems more comfortable and she thought I was nuts for wanting to CD. I have three BGs that I use at night. I use fitteds with covers when I am out and about and prefolds at home. At first I hated the prefolds but then I got the angelwing fold (LOVE it) down pat and now they are SO growing on me. I am starting to be brave enough to use them every once in awhile when I am running around out of the house.

I made a simple butt wash/wipe wetting formula out of water, Dr. Bronner's mild, and Burt's Bees apricot oil that I put in the peri bottle from my birth it. I use it to wet the cloth wipes or just squirt some on his rear. I haven't had any diaper rash yet.

I am washing every morning with Charlies and have not been religious about swishing off the poo and I haven't had any stain or stink issues at all. I love that my front loader has an actual cycle for cloth diapers. They call it "Baby Wear" but it's pretty much a cloth diaper cycle. I was so worried about having a front loader, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Knock on wood!



Thumbs up so far! We are going on vacation in a couple weeks and I am buying disposables to take with for convenience reasons and I am SO not looking forward to using them.

What front loader do you have? I may have to get that one! I have to run downstairs three-four time for one dipe load hence the reason I waited until at least 2 weeks pp to start cding.

[lisa_nc]

LG Tromm

[Julia24]

I'm in the 'eh' category. I really enjoyed it with dd2, but this time - neither she nor I are feeling the love.

I got all xs aios for starters, and she was so darned skinny that I couldn't get them to fit right. It took a good month just to get them on her without her screaming her head off. Now, I kaboshed the ones that I used once and leaked in a matter of minutes (the dangers of using diapers you don't know about - or using secondhand diapers, I'm not sure which?) so I don't have that many.

Plus, I am such a laundry degenerate that I'm just not doing a great job keeping up with it. BUT, I do believe it's SO much better for the environment and for baby, so I'm at least doing it parttime. (we're out a LOT too, maybe that's got me down? I just can't put my finger on my displeasure).

I did go ordering the smalls, and a different variety, so maybe I'll like that better? I am committed to using them at least at home. Hopefully I'll start using them more as she gets bigger.

[StrongFeather]

I started off great, but lately I have been dreaming of more pockets and or aio's for my stash. It might be that Sam FINALLY fits into the "modern" cloth diapers I had purchased and the new stuff has me lusting after more fancy stuff. Or it very well could be that I just came off of a VERY tough week with Sam (we are doing MUCH better btw) and trying to get a prefold and cover on a screaming-at-the-top-of-his-lungs-baby was trying my patience?? Who knows. All I do know is I have a gift certificate that I got at my baby shower that is dying to be used

What I used for Diaper rash Sam had a teeny tiny starting of a diaper rash early in his life and I used the California Baby Calendula(?) Cream on it with my cloth prefolds and I haven't seen any damage, maybe try that?

Wash Routine I had been just washing as normal no prewash. Just a regular cycle, but that was with my old washer (which broke last week) New washer arrived today and I will have to test it out and see what works best. Just finished a load and one stained prefold, which I'll sun out, but I am wth you Bright_eyes, I am not sure what I will do in the winter (except dream of moving to California)

So what keeps me going is really the money we are saving, and the fact I HATE having to go out just for diapers. We are still searching for a nightime solution. I just don't want him sitting with a soaking wet diaper on all night since he's really only waking once or twice a night these days..

[Julia24]

We have tried and failed with cloth at night for all three of my girls I just buy one size up until they can fit into the 'overnight' sposie dipes. I'm just not up for changing sheets and a kid in the middle of the night. not. worth. it. yk?

I tried everything under the sun, but my kids pee a lot at night, and by the time I got enough 'stuff' in between their legs - they just looked SO uncomfortable, I couldn't stand it. SO, we just accepted that we were doing a great service to our planet by not using sposies during the day and didn't feel bad about the ONE a day we used for overnights. (and my other justification is that we potty learn early around here - like by 2nd birthday, so I'm saving roughly a THIRD over most sposie users right there, yk?)