Will one-size diapers fall apart by baby #3?

[lizsky]

DH and I are new to CD but having some success with AIOs and Pockets with our 6wk old DD. At first I thought that one-size diapers would be more sensible because then we wouldn't need to buy as many diapers. However, we are hoping to have at least 2 more children, and I'm wondering if maybe sized diapers would have a better shot of making it through baby # 3 intact as they would be worn for a shorter amount of time...

What do you think? Did you notice any difference as to which of your diapers fell apart vs. which held together? We are CDing part-time with our small stash of 9 diapers, but planning to invest in more soon.

[inky leeuhhh]

imo, the sized diapers would hold up much better. i'll be happy if our one sizes hold up through one kid. three kids is a really long life span even for sized diapers, imo (although i'm sure its possible).

[Michigan Mama]

I think most of my dipes will hold on thru #2 but I was just thinking that when (if) #3 comes around, I'll have to pitch some of them.

Also, my kids don't fit into one-size dipes as nb, so I need nb sizes anyway. My kids seem to stay in mediums foreeeeeever. ds1 never really needed larges (in most brands like Thirsties or Fuzzibunz) when he PL'ed at almost 3 yrs. old.

My one-size dipes that look the best are my Tiny Tush, maybe Happy Heiney's, Fuzzibuns and the BG's that I converted to snaps.

As far as my sized dipes, I"m pretty sure my Mother-ease will last a long long time.

Good luck with your decisions!

[rightkindofme]

Most likely. If you are a sewer then you can get by with them. The problem is that the elastic eventually degrades from all the washing. Velcro also dies pretty quickly (it can make it through one kid ok but probably not a full cycle for two kids). This seems to be more of a problem with the one size than the sized AIOs or pockets.

I'll tell you right now that the BumGenius had both the velcro and the elastic completely die by 18 months. That was disappointing. The Happy Heiny's elastic is still in good shape but the velcro is going (and their snaps are not awesome). The velcro is completely shot on the Grobabies. The Econappies (Swaddlebee's one-size) are doing fine but they aren't as awesome on a tiny baby. The Rumparooz are in GREAT shape.

So far the diapers that are in the best shape are the sized Swaddlebees AIOs. We went from small to large because our daughter had a high rise. At nearly two she still has room to grow in the large. The diapers look brand new. I don't see any way that they will be in bad shape after kid number two and I plan to sell them and get back almost all the money we spent on them. Especially the smalls! They seriously look like they were never used so I can sell them for 75% or 80% of full price.

[Austin'smom]

I think the sized diapers hold up better for multiple kids. I have fuzzibunz that I purchased used that are still perfect and holding up better than the BumGenius 3.0s that I purchased new. I'll be luck if the BumGenius last to PL for one kid. I think that one size diapers that snap may hold up better than the ones made with velcro.

[mambera]

Does the difference between sized and one-size really make a difference to cost in the end?

It seems like you would get the same number of washes out of the diaper regardless... so whether that means you buy 3x as many diapers in the beginning and use them for multiple kids, or buy onesize and have to replace as your stash wears out, the overall cost should not be too different I would imagine.

Personally I'd rather get my savings up front with the one-size diapers and not have to rely on storing the diapers (and possibly having moths or whatever get to them) between kids.

[noobmom]

My guess is that the only diapers that could possibly last you through 3 kids are prefolds or flats. As a PP said, elastic tends to go out eventually, as does velcro. In fact, the elastic seems to die even faster while the diapers are in storage.

PUL can die too, my PUL wet bag started to wear out after a year and a half of being washed every 2-3 days.

[yamilee21]

The pocket diapers I have did not even last 6 months with one baby! I only have sized AIOs; they have made it through my second child, but I don't think they would make through a third if we were to have one; many are quite worn. However, our Mother-Ease one-size are in great condition after almost four years of use. Our Indian unbleached prefolds are also in excellent condition. Both of those would likely last through another baby.

[lunita1]

Originally Posted by yamilee21

The pocket diapers I have did not even last 6 months with one baby! I only have sized AIOs; they have made it through my second child, but I don't think they would make through a third if we were to have one; many are quite worn. However, our Mother-Ease one-size are in great condition after almost four years of use. Our Indian unbleached prefolds are also in excellent condition. Both of those would likely last through another baby.

Yes, I was going to mention the mother-ease. I have some that I bought used and used for one of my kids, and they still look great.

My prefolds made it through two kids. On the third, some got moved to the cleaning rag pile. Not all of them, though. I'd say that if you started with 3 dozen premium prefolds you might need to replace a dozen on your third kid. The infant size, however, with only about 4 months of use per kid, looked great after three kids.

[mmhinton]

We've used "one-sized" MotherEase (with snaps) for our 2 boys (now both PL'd, but still wearing dipes at night) and both the dipes and covers have held up. Now, we do have different size covers (though needed mostly the large..my boys were always chubby The dipes did fit the boys as newborns, though again, my boys were big (9 lbs and 11.5 lbs)...
There are a few of the dipes that, if we had another babe, may be more prone to be less absorbent; but would still work overall.
I don't know if this helps, it's just our experience

[lalemma]

Our baby isn't even 6 months yet. He moved pretty much directly from tiny sizes to mediums (no one-sized diapers here), so we've been using mediums for... 3 months? To be fair, we wash every 2-3 days, so our diapers are going through the laundry a lot faster than a family who washes once a week. But I am already seeing wear on the velcro on our fitteds (but it's worth it to me, since I think the only person who prefers velcro to snaps...) and on some of the edges of the material of the fitteds themselves - much more on the serged fitteds than on those that are turned and topstitched. Pockets made of PUL/suedecloth with snaps still look immaculate. Aside from those, the diapers that look best are the prefolds and flats - the Little Lions flats still look new. No pilling, no fraying, nothing.

I agree with PP that it's not that likely that elastic would hold up over multiple kids. If you sew, you can replace the elastic, but I agree that your best bet for getting your money's worth over subsequent kids is probably prefolds and flats.

[atlantafemme]

I'm only a few months into CDing but I bought all fuzzibunz one size after a lot of research. Each one comes with one set of replacement elastics that button in, no sewing required. Not sure how the rest of a fuzzibun dipe will hold up through multiple kids but at least that part seems simple to fix.

[LoveMyCloth]

Originally Posted by yamilee21

The pocket diapers I have did not even last 6 months with one baby! ... However, our Mother-Ease one-size are in great condition after almost four years of use.

Wow and Wow

[MyFullHouse]

I think a lot will also depend on how large your stash is, which would dictate how many times each diaper is worn.

I know people with ENORMOUS stashes who could probably cd through a dozen kids, lol. I happen to have a small stash, so each diaper has been put through the wringer. There are very few dipes (other than prefolds... and a couple of those are looking shabby) that my 3yo will pass down to the newbie. I've used a combination of sized and one-size, and they're pretty equally ratty.