Just starting...which cloth diaper or training pants?

[GuavaGirl]

I want to start EC with my 8 month old. "The Diaper Free Baby" suggests using some cloth diapers or training pants if I'm currently using disposables. (which I am)

Any advice on which to get (diapers or training pants) ...and what kind/brand.

All I know is that I'm not supposed to get something too absorbent. I want something that's easy. I'm wondering if the training pants would be too small for his little bum and we'd have a mess all over the floor. I'll probably only be using them when I'm at home...and maybe not the whole day at first. (well, I don't know.)

[N&M]

I also have an 8 month old and we've been EC'ing since birth. Here's what I've learned so far:

Training pants are great because they are easier to slip up and down and facilitate frequent potty offering. And, at this age, my dd does not want to be laid on her back to fuss with snapping on a diaper (luckily she stands very well and we do everything standing up!) But the downside is you don't really want to have a poop miss in them because it would be messy to get it off. So I would use them when I knew she wouldn't poop, and for going out (since about 4 months, I think). We just began a full time move into training pants. My favorite ones are made by Bongo Baby. However, they are pretty pricey ($18-$25). I bought most of mine at EC Wear

My favorite diapers have been her Kissaluvs. They are a cotton terry, and you and your LO will definitely know when he's wet, as long as he is coverless. I have never had anything leak out of them, they have worn like iron and were not too pricey (I bought a lot of mine gently used and on clearance). I think they are around $12 new. You will definitely want to change these after every wet, as you would with training pants, but that's pretty necessary for successful EC'ing, IMO. I think any fitted diaper made out of mostly cotton will work for you. Really, the only difference between her Kissaluvs and her training pants is that I can snap the diapers on and off if I need to. There are also training pants made with side snaps. I have a nice pair made by Continuum-Family. Deirdre also makes a very nice training pant similar to the Bongo Baby. But again, these are pricier than the diapers.

If I were you, I'd move full time into cloth diapers, take the cover off unless it's really not ok to have wet pants (like maybe in the car seat), and get a few trainers to play with until you are confident that the poops are going in the potty.

Good luck!

[GuavaGirl]

Thank You! That was very helpful.

[Carlyle]

I found Bumkins all in one diapers to work really well for our family.  I wasn't so into the "without a cover"  thing because my dd pees through things and then the sofa/rug/bed got wet, which I didn't like.  THe All in Ones were super easy to use (just like a disposable to put on and take off), and as a result they were really easy to get on and off for potty-ops...I've even gotten so that I can take one side off, flip it out of the way, offer, and then re-velcro.  Nice.  Also, they're cotton so baby definitely knows when she's wet.  But as pp mentioned it is a bit harder to tell when they've peed (i.e. you have to stick your finger in or peek instead of just getting a visual from farther away).  Good luck!

[emmaegbert]

We used what we already had- coverless motherease Sandys (fitted diapers) and slightly loosely fastened fuzzibunz (these were hand-me-downs, and turned out to be really useful) as well as some cotton trainers (you are right, they do not contain much). Now that DD is 18m I did buy 6 cotton trainers from Hanna Andersson, and we've been happy with those. But misses are rare and certainly for poop, so I am not too worried about that.