considering cloth diapering

[nixnc]

pregnant with 3rd, used disposable for first 2.

laundry is not an issue since i do at least 1-2 loads every day, what is 1 more load?

besides the new age of cloth diapers be oh so adorable, is it as convenient as some people are saying? having a diaper pale that has to be maintained, odors, ick factor, etc. how do husbands adjust to it? what about traveling?

what brands do you use?
i am really liking fuzzy bums and bum genius, and am looking into grovia and flips that are more the hybrid and a little more costly. considering i am going to have to go back to work and send baby to my sitter's house, i am wondering if it is fair to subject her to maintaining cloth diapers for me. would you say the hybrid cloth diaper is a good choice to send to her house? should i do disposables for her? should i expect her to wash the cloth diapers or bag them up and send to me every day?

[camprunner]

I would take the diapers home and wash them every evening for your sister and bring them back the day after you've washed them. This is what I did when my kids were in daycare. This way it isn't any more trouble for her than disposable really.

[Lady Lilya]

I've done both disposables and cloth.

An AIO type of diaper is no harder than a disposable. I'd provide the sitter with some AIOs and a PLU wetbag to put used ones into. Then you can take them home and dump the bag out into the wash and turn the bag inside out and throw it in too. Or you can let a few bags build up and wash every few days. I mostly washed every 3 days or so, and they didn't get horrendously stinky.

Re diaper pail, I didn't use one when I used cloth. I got a PUL wetbag. I found it did somewhat give off a scent after a few days (but I rarely left it sitting so long). So I started the practice of throwing in the bag, on day 1, a cloth wipe with a few drops of tea tree oil on it. That helped a lot. Also, I was keeping it on top of a dresser, but found that the scent was making its way into the pores of the dresser. But I got a plastic tray and put that under the bag, and it never happened again.

When we used disposables, I had a diaper pail. It kept the odor in very well, but over time the pail itself took on the odor and we couldn't get rid of it, no matter how much we scrubbed. So we got rid of it and just walked the poopy diapers to the outdoor garbage can immediately upon taking it off. In any weather. It was better than the smell of the diaper pail. (Pee ones I just threw in the kitchen garbage and they never bothered me.)

So, long story short, diaper pail for disposables stunk worse than PUL wetbag with cloth diapers.

[babymango]

We use rumparooz and I LOVE them (especially the double gusset and the fact that they are truly one size fits all - they fit my DS at 6 weeks when we started CDing, and they fit my friend's huge 2.5yo)
We use a metal IKEA pail (looks like a white garbage can) with a liner from Planet Wise. Because of the liner, the pail is pretty much sealed, there is no smell coming out of it. I don't have to do anything special to prevent odors.
I chose to go with snaps instead of velcro as they are easier to wash (no sticking to each other) and they are harder for a toddler to open
We use disposables when we travel
DH had no problem getting used to the CDs, he's even recommending them to his friends now (and he was NOT sold in the first place... The money saving argument was the only things that made him give in)
As for the sitter... You can always give her a wet bag and ask her to just dump the diapers in it, she wouldn't have any more work to do, you'd worry about the poop dumping and the washing at home. You'd have to get the diapers ready in advance if you don't go with all in ones

[roslyn]

We're thinking about cloth as well, primarily for money saving. I just don't think we'll be able to put out $300 in one big lump like that, so we might end up using disposables. I know it's more expensive in the long run, but that's a lot of money out of the budget at once.

[nixnc]

i've looked at local CD websites, they offer a gift registry.

thanks for your input, everyone! please keep adding info!

my husband is going to have to be swayed, but the money we save on disposables should sell him on the idea.

[WifeofAnt]

I'd like to suggest Osocozy on Amazon.

• 36 infant 4x8x4 and 24 premium 4x8x4 prefold cloth diapers - luxurious unbleached Indian cotton
• 4 small and 4 medium Bummis Super Whisper Wraps with velcro closures.
• Sale: $144.95

Maybe add in another two small covers, diaper pail, detergent, and a few other things and you're set. Its what I bought.

[english-mummy]

we tried most types of diapers and settled for Imse Vimse organic covers and simple prefolds inside (basically a rectangle of layered cloth Never any any blowouts or stinkiness. Occaisionally I would throw some vinegar into the wash to soften them and keep out odors. We also discovered BioKleen BacOut for stains and stinky diaper pails.

If you want to try out a few diapers before settling on your favourite check out www.diaperswappers.com We bought lightly used diapers at a fraction of the cost and then resold the ones that didn't work for us. It meant we were able to find the system that worked best for us without laying out too much.

I would definately suggest the All-in-ones for daycare as they are pretty much the same as disposables for the person not washing them. If money is an option though, maybe go for covers and prefolds at home as it is much cheaper.

Good luck and have fun.....there are so many cute diapers out there

[misskira]

Cloth diapers have been really easy for me. I say buy a few different brands and find out what you like. Also, you'll want to think about what kind of water you have. We have hard water so hemp or microfiber aren't the best choices for us because they can hold onto the smell and get stinky. Prefolds were my favorite for the first couple of months. I have some bumgenius, but they're not my favorite. I'm not a pocket diaper lover. I found that fitteds and wool worked best for us once he was big enough for them. I plan to use them again for this coming baby.

I work full time, and my babysitter was willing to use cloth for us. I sent a clean wetbag everyday, and just asked her to throw the diapers in. I did all the spraying at home. If you spray the diapers off at every poop, there really isn't any smell that hangs around. I washed every other day or every third day and had a large hanging wetbag that I used for a pail.

[tonimk19]

we started using cloth late- about 6/7 months. We stuck to pockets- mostly Bum Genius, Happy Heiny and Fuzzinz. We tried fitteds but I like not needing a cover. I never used prefolds. laundry was never an issue though a diaper sprayer was well worth the investment. I'm not sure if I would have used cloth for so long if we didn't have one.

I never used a diaper pail but a large hanging pail hung on the back of the door. Just separate the diapers (inserts from covers as needed) and dump everything (bag too) in the washer every 2-3 days. I had smaller wet bags for out and about and for the sitter (if DD wasn't at home).

Cloth is so much easier than I first thought!

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Diapering

[hoping42]

There are also diaper trial programs that you can try out a variety for very low cost. I would suggest trying several kinds before deciding on what would work best. Also relative to start up costs, depending on when you baby is due you can start now buying a bit at a time to reduce the overall start up costs.

Here are some trial diaper programs:

http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/produ.../tryclothfor10
http://www.giggle-britches.com/trialprogram.html

These are just 2 - here is a link to a diaperswappers.com thread in their forum on cloth diapering that went into much more detail about what each one offered with a direct link to the site when you click on it.

I am about to try cloth diapering full time for the first time with my third as well and I think you will find a way to do it! Good luck!