Talk me into switching to cloth for 8 mo DS!

[whozeyermamma]

After 'sposie diapering my DD (now 7) and for the first 8 mo of this little DS's life- the environmental guilt is getting the better of me and I'm contemplating a switch to cloth. He also tends to be a bit rashy so I'm also looking at it from a health standpoint.

I've read a lot here, but I think I need that extra push to know that it won't be too hard, the laundry won't be overwhelming and the smell won't be either.

I'm leaning towards something like FuzziBunz - a pocket all in one (I think that's what it's called right?) I liked the fuzzibunz style from the website; and would probably look to buy them or a similar brand/style used.

I think the things that concern me the most are;

1. Laundry - I keep reading about soaking, pre-washing, "stripping" - which soap to use, what soaps you CAN'T use, cold rinse then hot rinse, bleach or no bleach. It seems so complicated!  I don't mind doing a load a night, it's all the steps that confuse me.

2. Smell. This is DH's biggest beef. We have a basement so I can easily toss poopy diapers down there. Do you have to soak them? Stain treat the poop stains?

3. On the go. With a 7 yr old, we spend most of the summer out and about - the idea of carting around poopy or wet diapers - bleh. I might wind up using 'sposies now and then ( like a day at the beach.) Do you do this?

4. Overnights. Right now we use overnight 'sposies and they are SOAKED by AM. DS is a crappy enough sleeper as it is, the last thing I want is for a wet bum to wake him up.

5. Is it "too late?" I should have been doing this since birth - should have done it with DD too - is there really any point in switching now?

Help!

[ammiga]

For my 7 month old ds, we have 24 Thirsties Duo diapers.

1. Laundry- I do a load of diapers every other day. Never soaked, bleached, stripped, or anything. Dirty diapers go into the diaper bag, then I dump that into the washing machine with 1/2 oz of Allen's Naturally. Same as what  did with my dd, only she had 24 Bum Genius.

2. Smell- We EC and ds is still ebf, so this isn't really an issue for us. But I gag every time I go to friends houses who use sposies. They always stink!

3. On the go- nope, just cds for us. Dirty diapers get put in a sealable wet bag, then into the main diaper bag when we get home.

4. Overnights- I usually change ds at night, but if I didn't want to, I'd add an extra hemp stuffer to his diaper.

5. Is it too late- No! Think of all the chemicals you can stop putting on your son's genitals, all the space you can spare the landfills, etc. Plus, you can sell the diapers when you are done with them, so you'll save a ton of money.

[MaryElizabeth]

Oh this is an easy sell :) FB hold up really well and have great resale value. You can most definitely cloth diaper your babe cheaper than you can 'sposie!

They also have Hybrid diapers, such as GroVia's with throw away liners that you can use when you know you will be out of the house for hours on end.---they are biodegradable so no worries there!

For overnights--- easy! Use a hemp/fleece doubler such as a KnickerNappie and you won't have leaks! My DD fills up a sposie at night but sleeps soundly with a cloth and good insert.

As for the washing its this easy --buy a good soap such as Charlies Soap and use it in the wash when you do diapers. The system is this---every other day (more or less dependant on your stash...) throw the wet bag into the washer--do a cold rinse--run a hot wash with the detergent-- do a final rinse. Then you're done! Every once in awhile if you have significant staining or repelling you can throw some additional steps in there but in reality it's far and few between.

The stink is not really an issue especially if you are doing your laundry often. We have our wetbag hanging on a hook in the "cleaning closet" beside our laundry closet in the kitchen and I can only smell something on my laundry day when I reach for the bag and it's in my face haha

In my opinion it isn't too late at all!! You have a good 2 years of diapers and potty training left! You can make 50% of your money spent on diapers back on diaperswappers.com, and think of all the diapers that won't go into a landfill in that time!!

I would def. recommend FuzziBunz, BumGenius, or Happy Heiny to any diapering newbie. I have converted many people on these. Super easy to use, care for, and have great value to them. They also allow you to customize your inserts for your absorbency needs. I also find that they have the most broad range of fit from a chunky baby to a lean toddler.

p.s.---I know most people freak about the poopy diapers. I never even "knocked off: the poop until DD's poop was solid enough to just "plop" into the toilet. The baby poop has always rinsed out with the initial rinse in the machine and I have never ever ever had problems with poop in my washer or on my clothes! ---I'm a clean freak, so trust me---the washer stays clean!

[bonjourmama]

This is an awesome question. 

[LeighPF]

You are asking all the right questions.

Fuzzi Bunz are the matriarch of modern cloth diapers and they know their stuff. They are great diapers for a lot of people, but like all diapers, different ones fit different babies. Buy a few to make sure they are the right fit for you. Fuzzi Bunz come in sized and one size options. Other pockets (pockets absorbency is inserted into the pocket rather than being sewn in) to look at Thirsties Duos (which unstuff them selves in the wash), Bum Genius one size, Happy Heinys (if chunky) and a whole bunch more. Plan on 12-18 diapers for washing every day and a half to two days and buy a few more until you have enough to get you through the laundry interval you want.
1. Laundry. Cloth diapers are the easiest of all my laundry. No competition. For pockets with fleece next to the skin, cold rinse, warm or hot wash, cold rinse. Some washers need you to press the button three times, some let you program the whole thing in at once. Use a cloth diaper safe detergent, like Country Save or Rockin Green, which have no optical brighteners, dyes, perfumes or enzymes. Whatever diapers you buy will come with washing instructions. No sorting, or even touching just dump the diapers in from the wet bag or pail liner, set the machine and go. Most people tend to have enough diapers to wash every other day. Dry the inserts on temperature in the dryer. I hang dry my few pockets (which dry in a flash), but they are also fine in a warm dryer. Stuff the inserts back into the diapers, either all at once, or one at a time from the laundry basket as you need them and off you go.

Stripping is only done if your detergent is building up in your diapers. If you are using the right detergent and you wash routine is working, you may never need to do it. Usually it just involves running the diapers through the wash over and over again with a different cleaning agent (often blue dawn dish detergent) and is not hard.

2. Smell. Because you are dealing with them very regularly smell does not have much time to develop. Breastfeed poo is water soluble so EBF diapers can go strait into the diaper pail and then the laundry. Once you start solids and the poop changes you it needs to go in the toilet. (Poop should also be removed from disposables before they are thrown out as it is human waste and does not belong in the landfill, not that anyone does it). You can shake or scrap the poop off right into the bowl. More effective methods are to use a diaper sprayer (basically a mini shower head that attaches to your toilet) to spray it right into the bowl (my method choice) or use flushable liners (which are like thinner, stronger toilet paper) which you then take out and flush (as long as you are not on septic). Both are easy to learn and very tidy. No soaking. Since the poop comes off right away, there is not a lot of opportunity for stains. When they happen, the best thing is to dry you diapers out in the sun and let that take them out. Not only is it very very little effort on your part, it is very green.

3. On the go. We bring a zippered wet bag and toss everything in there. Flusable liners would let you get rid of the poop right away. I use disposables occasionally, mainly for flying, but generally find it nicer to bring my cloth. Plus wet bags have really really cute fabric. At the beach/pool, we use a cloth swim diaper.

4. Using pockets with fleece next to the skin will wick away the pee and keep his bum feeling dry. The great thing about cloth is that you can always add more absorbent layers. Hemp inserts tucked in under the microfiber inserts will hold a lot of pee. You end up with a bubble butt, but it keeps everything else dry.

5. It is totally not too late. You have lots of time until you are done with diapers. I don't know how big DS is, but that age they can get a lot of use out of a medium sized diaper. If you did Thristies, he would likely go right into the size twos and that is all you would need to buy. Remember too that a used disposable is a liability (it costs money to dispose of it) where a used cloth diaper can be used again or sold.

[dayiscoming2006]

I have been happy every time I've tried thirsites brand stuff. I've tried a few fuzzibunz OS and didn't like the fit and they wicked for me. I also like Dream-eze AIO's. Jillians drawers has those in the clearance section still I believe. The grovia one-size is like a OS version of the dream-eze AIO's but they are a bit spendy. Possibly cheaper than buying more than one size though depending how they fit your kid. It's a good idea to try a couple styles of diapers to dip your feet in and make sure to pick one that you will like. I found that out the hard way after many bulk purchases. Don't know why I was so stubborn. Always felt I was getting a deal buying bulk, but it's not a deal if you end up not liking it. So, maybe buy one of each kind your are thinking about purchasing and see which one ends up being your fave. Snap closures hold up better over time than velcro/aplix, but velcro/aplix is more like a sposie when in use and creates a tighter fit. Some kids find snaps harder to open than velcro, which could be helpful if your kid likes to take their diaper off. Use cloth diaper safe detergent and cloth diaper safe diaper salve/ointment. It's really not too tough to figure out in the end though. Arm and Hammer essentials perfume and dye free is safe on cloth and pretty inexpensive. I also really like soap nuts liquid soap in my FL. I have the naturoli brand.

I like northern essence diaper salve. They have a website. My wash routine with a front loader is one full wash on cold and one full wash on hot with an extra rinse. Then toss everything in the dryer. Although, it is good to hang the PUL shells up to dry for extended life. I haven't had any real issues with it though. I also have appreciated cloth training pants. I used the imse vimse training pants when it came time. I only got 8 of them and that was fine. I also highly recommend a diaper sprayer to make life easier. 

I don't think you'd be starting too late. Your kid may be in diapers for 1-2 more years still. I have used sposies while out, but if you have AIO's or pockets, that's really easy to use while out too. I only use the sposies if I was lazy about getting diapers in the wash or something. 

It seems complicated but it's just a matter of jumping in. It really isn't bad once you try it. I'm a lazy bum sometimes and cloth diapers and cloth diaper laundry is pretty simple to me. 

As far as smell, I think that sposie diaper stink worse. The chemical smell mixed with the pee smell is icky.

[Nicole730]

1. Laundry - I keep reading about soaking, pre-washing, "stripping" - which soap to use, what soaps you CAN'T use, cold rinse then hot rinse, bleach or no bleach. It seems so complicated!  I don't mind doing a load a night, it's all the steps that confuse me.

         Reading so much makes it more complicated.  We do a rinse cycle. Heavy duty cycle. Rinse cycle.  Use Tide and Vinegar.  Every 3-4 washes, bleach.

2. Smell. This is DH's biggest beef. We have a basement so I can easily toss poopy diapers down there. Do you have to soak them? Stain treat the poop stains?

         Disposables smell about 100 times worse that cloth diapers.   I do not soak poopy diapers.  I do dunk/rinse them in the toilet, wring them out and put in a diaper pail or the open mesh garbage can next to the toilet.   No stink.  The only time we get stink is when we are being lazy and using sposies.  I do not stain treat poop, nor do I care about poop stains in a diaper.

3. On the go. With a 7 yr old, we spend most of the summer out and about - the idea of carting around poopy or wet diapers - bleh. I might wind up using 'sposies now and then ( like a day at the beach.) Do you do this?

       I do use sposies occasionally.  For the beach, I would not use them though.  A good pocket diaper makes a great swim diaper!  If the kid poops while we are out, I just put the whole thing in a wet bag or plastic grocery store bag.   Then have it soak in the toilet for a bit when we get home.

4. Overnights. Right now we use overnight 'sposies and they are SOAKED by AM. DS is a crappy enough sleeper as it is, the last thing I want is for a wet bum to wake him up.

        We use sposies or a decent pocket over night, depending on how I'm feeling.

5. Is it "too late?" I should have been doing this since birth - should have done it with DD too - is there really any point in switching now?

       Of course it's not too late.

[sosurreal09]

I LOVE the Flip stay dry hybrids. Easiest dipe ever! It grows with the babe until like 35lbs so if you buy 2doz of them ($50 for 6!) then they will last until she's out of dipes. They are awesome at night too just use two pads microfiber side together. Never a leak!

I just was mine in warm with a little detergent, then dry them normal. No special care. You should get a dipaer sprayer for the bathroom too though to spray off poops.

[mamabev]

1. I have a sprayer attached to the toilet so I spray any poo filled diapers so they don't smell or stain. I have a wet bag that hangs on a door knob and just run a load on hot once the bag is full, so no soaking. I don't do an extra rinse every time, I probably o one once a month though.

2. No smell at all if you spray them as you are changing them.

3. We use all in ones or all in twos when we are out although prefolds with a cover can be good too as you can reuse the cover and the prefold isn't too bulky. Also, you would be carrying around disposables anyway. Or maybe just using sposies when you are on the go would make it easy enough to CD the rest of the time?

4. My guy soaks through any kind of overnight sposie. We use cloth instead and it is way better. My favourite is a hemp diaper with one or two extra inserts and a wool cover. Wool covers are amazing and can absorb up to 30% of their weight in water before soaking through. Plus they are simple to care for once you are used to the routine.

5. Only you can decide if it's too late.I don't think so, maybe you can get on a CD trial program for a couple of weeks. Lots of online diaper stores do these and it would let you try both CDing and lots of different kinds of diapers so you could see which ones you would like best.

PLUS.. once you have bought your CD supplies you will save a fortune not buying sposies all the time ; )

[boomer78]

Here are my 2c:

1. Laundry.

* As long as you have your own W/D it will really become just another load.  You can find a routine that works for you.  You can pre rinse, some mamas don't some do, wash on hot or warm (some wash on cold only), you can run extra rinses (some don't and some run multiple).  For starters I would recommend a cold rinse (can be very short), long(er) wash on hot, and a (preferably warm) rinse or two.  A lot less detergent (I only use a very small amount) than recommended.  You can check for sudsing in the first/second rinse and go from there.  As far as soaps go, you want to avoid ones with enzymes, brighteners, dyes, fragrances and softeners. 

http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

* This is our routine - prewash on cold/how wash/warm rinse/extra rinse when water isn't very clear. I have had to strip a few times, we have a very hard water and it turns out our detergent (Planet Powder) has no softeners.  Our prefolds became very crunchy.  Ever since I started using Calgon with every wash (small amount) the problem went away. 

* You only need to worry about stripping when diapers are very smelly after washed or repelling.  The easiest way to strip is to wash on hot multiple times, you can you calgon or [a very small amount of] dawn dish soap.  You can also boil your diapers. 

2. Smell.

* We dry pail.  We only smell the diapers a little if I don't use enought detergent.  They will start to smell after a few days.  I wash every 3rd day.  It's not an over powering smell though.  If I had my own washer, I would wash every other day and I'm sure we wouldn't have this problem. 

* When dd poops, I toss the poop into the toilet (using our poop spatula if too soft), and if it's bad I rinse it in the sink or bathtub to get the worst out.  Then toss in the pail.  The wet ones go straight in the pail.

* I don't know if it's just us, but we always smelled poops when we had used a sposie.  We hardly ever smell one now. 

3. On the go.

* We pretty much only use cloth now.  Even when out and about.  I just use a fleece liner a lot when out, so dd's bum doesn't get wet right away.  It wicks away moisture from the skin.  We put the wet/dirty ones in a bag.  If I don't feel like rinsing out a diaper in case of a poop I use a disposable insert (we use gDiapers).  So far I've only used them intentionally on a plane ride, other than for 'testing' purposes.

* Of course you can use sposies when you're not comfortable with cloth all the time. 

4. Overnights.

* Because I still nurse every 3-ish hours at night I just check dd's diaper and change when wet.  If I couldn't change I would definitely use fleece and a doubler inside a prefold for sure.  Haven't tried that at night yet though. 

5. Is it "too late?"

* Don't sweat it.  It is not too late if you want to start now.  We have when dd was about 7 months.  And don't feel bad that you didn't think about it sooner.

[Fulhouse]

I could have written the original post - I need to be convinced too.  You guys are doing a good job, especially the person who said you don't need to first rinse the poop off the newborn / bf-ing exclusively babies' diapers.  LOVE that suggestion!!  Nicole you scare me - rinsing the diapers in the toilet, ugh, and then WRINGING THEM OUT?  I am way too germ phobic to do something like that. And the sprayers freak me out -- anything sprayed in a bathroom will send molecules all over the room, and it just sounds gross.  As does rinsing poop in a tub or sink. 

But if I could get away with putting the poopy diaper into the laundry and using the sanitary cycle....  I am pretty tempted.

For my 3 previous kids, it was disposables all the way, total convenience, no extra laundry, the lazy mom's way.  The price of the packs of diapers just became normal for us.  Not one boy ever had a rash other than at teething time or from an illness.  But I did hate those little balls of poison that clung to his privates, and the artificial smell of the hideous perfumes in there.  I like the sound of cloth diapers.  Not convinced I could handle it, but getting more convinced every day.

[dayiscoming2006]

Fulhouse. I was totally squeemish about the poop until I tried cloth diapering too. It's not as bad as you think. :) I'd put a small investment into it and give it a try. Diaper sprayers are amazing and much better than what I used to do before I had a sprayer - with solid poo: put on cleaning gloves and dunk the diaper in the toilet and scrape any of the poop out that wouldn't dunk out. Bleh! LOL

Also, for me, the health factor plays a huge part. You should look more into the dangers of disposables and maybe that will help give a better motivation. I do find cloth diapers to be less expensive and that with running a cold wash and a hot wash every other day. And if the environment matters at all, cloth would be the winner there too. I can't imagine tons of plasticy disposables in the landfills and the production process don't have a higher impact than washing some laundry. I'm not a big environmentalist but maybe that is a bit of extra motivation for you as well. 

The other thing I found with cloth is with the EBF baby, my thirsties covers really held the poop in and prevented 98% of blowouts. With disposables I nearly had a blowout with every single poop no matter what brand I used. Then you have to clean their poopy clothes. And their clothes get stained sometimes.

P.S. 

I'm not perfect - 100% of the time cloth diaperer but I try to do it the majority of the time.

[mimie]

Quick summary of my experience -

CD'd DD for 20 months, first with Kissaluvs/covers, then with BGOS.  The toddler poop/BGOS combination eventually got to be too much, so she wore sposies/pull ups until potty learning at age 3.

CD'd DS from birth to about 6 months, using the same KLs and BGOS.  By 5 months or so, DS was leaking out of every BGOS, and they didn't seem to fit right.  Plus they were raggedy from use, and starting to be difficult to get clean (stink/buildup issues).  He also was having some issues for which he was getting physical therapy (torticollis/plagiocephaly), and the large diaper did seem to be hindering his movement at that age.  So we switched to sposies until this past month (he's 11 months old now and has no mobility problems anymore).  I bought 2 dozen prefolds and a few covers.

I am LOVING the prefolds - oh my gosh, they are SO EASY!  I do a cold rinse, wash on HOT, dry on HOT.  I can throw in a little bleach if I feel like it, and have no need to worry about buildup, stink or other problems that seem to happen with other materials.  Not to mention, these things are so absorbent!  DS is practically dry when I change him.  And I can use any diaper cream I want.

1. Laundry - prefolds are so simple.  Cold rinse (sometimes with a little bleach thrown in), hot wash with any free and clear detergent.  DS has really sensitive skin, we have battled diaper rash with sposies, and his little butt is doing GREAT with the pre-folds washed in Target's Up and Up brand of free and clear detergent.  

2. Smell. - large step trash can with lid and reusable liner (I have a Planet Wise bag).  I use flushable liners in the diapers, so MOST of the poop goes in the toilet.  What is left on the diapers has not caused a smell in DS's room.  I wash every 3 days.

3. On the go. - I thought I would use sposies, but I have found that the prefolds are so absorbent, I love using them when we are out and about.  I just stick the used dipes in a Ziploc - I've found it contains mess and smell better than a reusable wet bag.  We will use sposies when we travel.

4. Overnights - I use Pampers Extra Protection for overnight.  They are soaked, so I just don't think cloth would cut it.

5. Is it "too late?" - DS didn't seem to notice a change at all.  I spent $100, that included 2 doz. prefolds, liners, a few covers (I still had a bunch already), and the pail liner.  The prefolds I got should fit DS through potty learning.  Even if I get a year out of them, I've still come out way ahead financially, and way, way, WAY ahead ecologically.  Even WITH using sposies at night and for travel, I am still reducing our waste by such a great deal, saving money, and using something that is softer and more comfortable for DS's sensitive, rash-prone skin.  

Just a note: I pin the prefolds, which some people are nervous about.  For me, it gets the best fit, and is the easiest way to fasten.  DH is picking it up pretty quickly.  It has been a month, and he is starting to reach for the PFs and pins instead of a sposie.  I did give him full license to just tri-fold the PF and lay it in the cover, though, so he has tackled pinning of his own accord. :)

[Twinklefae]

CD are not scary.  If you are scared, see about getting a trial - I think Jillian's Diapers does one in the US, Nurtured Products for Parenting does one on the East  Coast of Canada.

Laundry:  cold rinse removes poop and pee, long hot wash to get them good and clean with a little bit of detergent (we use Tide free and gentle) and then a rinse or two to get the soap out.

Smell:  Smells better than disposables, even if you use a Diaper genie or sim.  We used flushable liners, so there wasn't poop sitting around the house.  The idea of poop sitting around actually really grosses my BFF out, she hates when visitors are using disposables and put them in her garbage.

On the go:  They are bulkier than disposables.  No more difficult though, as long as you have your stuff with you.  I prewet my wipes and use a Huggies portable container, a wet bag and a diaper.  If you choose to use disposables, no one will think less of you.

Overnight:  We used two prefolds and a wool Aristocrats cover until he got too big, so we switched to a Toddle prefold.  Then he started soaking out of that and we switched to pullups, which he still wears at 3.  For DD, we just wear a normal diaper - a Fuzzibunz or hemp fitted generally.

Too Late:  Never!  You child will be in diapers for more than likely another year or more, so you'll get lots of use out of the diapers - size M Fuzzibunz should fit now and take most kids to potty training.