Flips---As great as they sound?

[MamaPhilly]

I'm wondering about the Flip system. We are expecting #3 and have never CD'd, so this would be a first. I'm still trying to convince DH that it makes sense in terms of finances (if we CD we could have as many kids as we want, right?) He likes that aspect of things, but is really really really worried about the extra laundry.

Here's my question or questions:

1. Can you really reuse the diaper covers often? So in this case you're essentially just washing the inserts, with the covers here and there?

2. Could you, with enough inserts, just keep them in a wet pail and then only do the laundry every 5 or 6 days?

Any help, insight or advice is greatly appreciated. I really would love to try to CD but it does seem a bit intimidating.

[Lynda&Jenna]

Hi,
Congratulations on the new baby. My dd uses a variety of cloth diapers. She really likes the flip diaper system. You can re-use the cover if it doesn't get dirty. Most perfer to wash at least every 3rd day due to smells. You don't use a wet pail any longer. A dry pail with a lid is fine. Good luck.
Lynda

[Katie T]

It seems more intimidating than it really is.
If you go that long in between washes you will have more than one load on wash day and will need a bigger stash of diapers. For me it is easier to wash every 3 days. As the pp said you don't need a wet pail, the are a hazard to a child anyways.

I have never used the flip diaper system so can't comment on that, but cloth diapering is fun and addictive.

[mambera]

I don't use Flips but I do use a different AI2 system with inserts and covers (Softbums).

Originally Posted by Oliversmommy

1. Can you really reuse the diaper covers often? So in this case you're essentially just washing the inserts, with the covers here and there?

Yes, I only pail my inserts. I do the covers with the regular baby laundry. I hear Flips have a wipeable inner so you can still wipe and reuse even if the cover gets a little dirty.

2. Could you, with enough inserts, just keep them in a wet pail and then only do the laundry every 5 or 6 days?

Wet pailing sounds like a bigger pain to me than more laundry, honestly. I wash about every 3 days and I really don't find it burdensome. There's not any folding to speak of, I just dump the diapers in the machine and press a few buttons.

Any help, insight or advice is greatly appreciated. I really would love to try to CD but it does seem a bit intimidating.

It's not all-or-nothing. You could just buy one Flip (or a day pack or whatever they sell) and try it out for a while, using sposies the rest of the time. I wouldn't commit several hundred dollars to a stash without a trial period anyway.

[lunita1]

I think it's ingenious marketing, especially the fact that they've caught your eye with the fact that the cover can be used over and over again. So can pretty much any wrap.

The unique part of the flip system is the one-size prefold that can be folded both ways and comes with a stay dry option. Pretty much every other wrap on the market can be used over and over, and it isn't the only diaper that can be used with disposable inserts. The cover is also quite economical for a one-size cover (but I haven't tested its limits with a newborn or a large baby. I don't know for sure, but I suspect that the rise would be too high and irritate an nb's umbilical stump.) I like it as a cover with prefolds, but I haven't tried the flip inserts.

I can't imagine washing less than twice a week. I think that would get pretty yucky and stinky. The only problems I've ever had getting my diapers really clean (um, some actually developed mildew) were when I was using cloth part-time with a toddler. I was washing only about weekly because there weren't very many diapers to wash. I was using a dry pail, though (I don't know how it works for diaper services! they do pick-ups only once a week, right?) Maybe it would work with a wet pail but that would be one huge, heavy wet pail!

Diaper laundry is probably the easiest laundry I do since there's no folding involved. I'd just get enough to wash every 2-3 days.

[Juvysen]

If you get the non-natural fibers, you may have problems with lingering stink if you wash less often.

I wash every day or two and it's no big deal - as others have said you just dump it in and start it and throw it in the dryer later. No folding necessary - folding and sorting is the hard/time consuming part with normal laundry, imo.

[thefreckledmama]

I've been using the Flip covers which I bought alone on my almost 4 week old, and I love them. He was 7lbs, 13oz. at birth, and we've been using them for almost 2 weeks. I have a HUGE stash of infant prefolds, so I just use those trifolded, but fanned out to give a little better coverage than leaving them folded the same width up and down (my guy only poops every couple of days, if he pooped every day or a few times a day, I would pin or snappi the prefold as that helps to contain poosplosions). I like them a lot more than the Prowraps or Bummis we used with my toddler when she was a NB. They do wipe out easily, but if any poop gets on the trim you'd probably want to do a full wash. I also just toss the covers in with the regular laundry.

I originally thought it was nice that you could buy the disposable inserts to use with the Flip covers, but was disappointed to find out they contain SAP (the same gel regular disposables use), which isn't healthy for baby.

[SleeplessMommy]

plan to launder dipes every other day with a newborn. they pee lots! we liked infant prefolds+snappi+cover for the first month, then started with pockets (nighttime) and flips or pockets (daytime)

Every time the baby poops, you will need a new flip cover. just how it is. flip does not work well with snappied prefolds, but does work with a folded prefold. we have 4 dozen regular prefolds to use with the flips. 2 dozen would have been enough!

to start, try 2-4 dozen infant prefolds plus flips or covers. the flips ARE very cost effective, and there is a discount code/coupon out there right now for a free sized aio when you spend $10 on flips. (cottonbabies.com)

[sbrinton]

I just bought a few flips for our 18 month old. I used fuzzi bunz for 4 years with our older kids, but eventually got tired of cloth diapering. After a year of disposibles, I'm back to cloth!

I'm new to washing the cotton prefolds. I have both bummi's prefolds (6) and flip organic cotton prefolds (3). I know I may need to wash daily until I get more, but I wanted to start with this. Any suggestions on laundry?

[lunita1]

Originally Posted by SleeplessMommy

Every time the baby poops, you will need a new flip cover. just how it is. flip does not work well with snappied prefolds, but does work with a folded prefold. we have 4 dozen regular prefolds to use with the flips. 2 dozen would have been enough!

(cottonbabies.com)

FWIW, my two month old is in a snappied prefold and flip cover right now. It works great. It also saves the cover from getting dirty every time he poops. On the other hand, I didn't like the way the prefold fit unsnappied when I tried to used the flaps in the front and back to hold it in place.

[Blueone]

We use Flip almost exclusively and have been for over 3 months. I like them, however I do wash them every other day. It's easy to wash them and doing every other day prevents stink build up (we use the Stay Dry).

However, my son is very very energetic and 10 months so it can be a pain to change him. He gets wiggly and the insert will move around and snaps take time that he doesn't always want to give. I'm going to start having 3 covers down here (he poops once a day and it always gets on the cover) that way I can rotate diaper shells and have one already set up to not take so much time.

I did buy 6 BG's (that will make 10) so that I can rotate between those 2 when he gets super wiggly and active.

ETA: We don't use them overnight because he sleeps on his side and one time all the pee ran out the side of his diaper because there was no insert around the hip. We switched to fitteds overnight and occasionally use BG's.

[Beauchamp]

I just bought 12 Flip stay dry inserts. They work really well for us, and my husband actually likes them. I thought he wouldn't because of the insert moving and Baby Wiggle Factor. But he uses them a lot!

Washing is SO much easier than with BG 3.0, since the Flip covers dry so fast just with hand washing (with a bit of Bronners) and the inserts go in the dryer.

I love how the Flip cover is thin and stretchy, as opposed to my old Thirsties covers, which I liked, but seem bulkier and stiffer than the Flips.

[MamaPhilly]

After a lot more research (and a day and a half thinking I should just do pockets) I think these could work really really well. Cotton Babies also sells 6 microfiber multi-layer towels for $9.99, which they say you can easily turn into the inserts. So I could get 10 covers and enough inserts for $150! That to me makes a ton of sense, especially b/c you could add disposable inserts for travel!

I think I may have to order a bunch and play around....see if they work on our toddler and then use for our newborn in November!

[MyLittleWarrior]

I have 3 flip covers (no inserts) and I use them like any other cover with snappied prefolds.

[lunita1]

Originally Posted by Oliversmommy

After a lot more research (and a day and a half thinking I should just do pockets) I think these could work really really well. Cotton Babies also sells 6 microfiber multi-layer towels for $9.99, which they say you can easily turn into the inserts. So I could get 10 covers and enough inserts for $150! That to me makes a ton of sense, especially b/c you could add disposable inserts for travel!

I think I may have to order a bunch and play around....see if they work on our toddler and then use for our newborn in November!

I'm not sure, but I don't think those microfiber towels are intended to be placed next to baby's skin. It can dry out/irritate their skin. They're sold to be used as inserts in pocket diapers like bumgenius or fuzzibunz where there is an additional layer of fabric between baby and the microfiber..

[Galatea]

I don't love them. They won't work on a newborn b/c the poop will get on the cover almost every time you have to change the baby. Also the covers run pretty big and will likely not fit until 2 months old.

[lunita1]

Originally Posted by Galatea

I don't love them. They won't work on a newborn b/c the poop will get on the cover almost every time you have to change the baby. Also the covers run pretty big and will likely not fit until 2 months old.

I think that when you take away the flip insert they're just another PUL cover -- and for what you get, they're a good value. My average size 2 month old was not on the tightest snap setting when we got our flips, so I suspect they'd fit before two months. I'd guess maybe as soon as 9-10 lbs. For a cover with cute colors that will fit probably from 4-6 weeks (can anyone verify how early they were able to use it?) until potty training, the flip is a really good deal. Using a snappi will solve the problem of poop getting on the cover, just like it will when you're using prefolds with a bummi, a prorap, a thirsties, or whatever other wrap style cover.

[Galatea]

Originally Posted by lunita1

I think that when you take away the flip insert they're just another PUL cover -- and for what you get, they're a good value. My average size 2 month old was not on the tightest snap setting when we got our flips, so I suspect they'd fit before two months. I'd guess maybe as soon as 9-10 lbs. For a cover with cute colors that will fit probably from 4-6 weeks (can anyone verify how early they were able to use it?) until potty training, the flip is a really good deal. Using a snappi will solve the problem of poop getting on the cover, just like it will when you're using prefolds with a bummi, a prorap, a thirsties, or whatever other wrap style cover.

You can't snappi the stay-dry insert. I see the cover on tons of babies in my store and it is the rare baby who fits in it before 2 months old.

[Juliacat]

I think the covers are pretty cool. They're not my favorites, but they're worth trying out. The inserts I'm less crazy about; a regular prefold is lots cheaper and gives you the option of pinning if you want to go coverless, or Snappi fastening if you want to keep EBF poop off the cover.

I am a big fan of prefolds and wraps in general: pinned coverless prefolds around the house, Snappied prefolds with covers for catching frequent loose stools, tri- or quad-folded prefolds laid in wraps for older babies that poop less frequently. It's an inexpensive, easy-to-care-for system that has stood the test of time. I don't think the Flip is necessarily the best option, but it's not a bad one either.

[MamaPhilly]

I'm going to make the inserts---and figure I can add snaps to the inserts if I find they don't stay put. I think we're going to try them out on our 22 month old first, and then if we like them, I'm going to make some prefolds or fitteds for the newborn.

I am having some trouble deciding on the fabric for the inserts. I'm thinking I'll do two layers of microfiber (I know a lot of people don't love synthetics, but if I'm going to get DH on board, I need it to be zero leak) with maybe a bamboo terry or hemp outer (so two layers of that too). Do you think this would be absorbent enough for daytime use? And then just use two for nighttime?