Rookie questions

[livacreature]

So I'm pretty oblivious to the whole diapering thing.  Pardon the simple questions.

We know we want to do cloth.  At least most of the time.  Hopefully whatever daycare we use will be on board, otherwise it might be some disposables. 

My mother is intrigued by Gpants.  They look kind of neat, does anyone have any experiences, good or bad? 

What about just the traditional white ones that you pin? 

What fabric is best if you are making your own? 

How many do you need if you plan on doing laundry every other day?

[corrabelle]

I have some of the same questions as you....

I did find this to be helpful on finding sewing suggestions, pattterns, fabric types etc...

http://www.diaperjungle.com/sewing-cloth-diapers.html

Many of them suggest flannelette type materials for making prefolds and flats. I might give that a shot.

A "diaper expert" told me that g diapers aren't all that they're made out to be...they tend to clog toilets pretty badly and shouldn't be composted in the family garden (durrr) and many city compost programs won't take them either.

Also, they're like a pocket diaper and tend to bunch down between the legs once the baby starts moving around.

I haven't actually USED them, so i can't say for sure, but that's what I was told;)

As of now, i'm planning on using the traditional white prefolds and flats with snappies or pul covers and wool soakers...but I still need to do a bit of research.

I too would like to know how many i'll need for say..2-3 days...while i usually do laundry every day anyway, i'd like to have back up just in case im unable.

I do know that you need a lot fewer covers than prefolds (if you're using that method) because they can be washed and dried so much faster than the flat/prefold itself. Even by hand if need be.

[LeighPF]

G diapers. Some people love them, most people can not get the three parts to line up and work together and never buy any more.
 

The traditional ones are called prefolds. You can pin them. You can use a Snappi (which is like the ace bandage holder). Or you can just fold them in thirds and lay them in a waterproof cover that velcros or snaps closed (easy and what most people do). You can use wool or PUL covers on top for waterproofing.

Talk to your daycare and see what they are open to. Most people use all in one, all in twos or pockets for daycare since from their end they are just like disposables but they go in a wet bag instead of the trash.

Little ones go through 8-12 diapers a day, older babies less. I liked 24-30 prefolds and six covers to start with.

[livacreature]

I talked to our first choice daycare today about cloth diapering and they are very supportive of it, so that is great.  I have time.  Thanks!

[Marissamom]

I used gDiapers with their cloth inserts for a while, and I switched to plain old-fashioned prefolds and covers and am so much happier. with the gDiapers there were a lot of issues with the fit not being rights, so she would leak out the leg every time she peed or pooped, and I had a lot of issues with them being a huge pain to wash. for a newborn, 24-36 prefolds and 6-8 covers (you don't have to change covers with every diaper change, just if it gets poop on it)

[texasfarmom]

I used the plain white prefolds when my DD was younger. I really liked them, but found I could not just tri-fold them and set them in a cover. She would get poo all over her covers if I did that! So, I folded mine (you can google how-to). But, as she has gotten older and more squirmy I have started using a fitted with snaps. I can't imagine trying to fold a fitted and pin it on her now!

I would agree you need at least 24-30 diapers if you want to wash every other day with an infant. We went through a lot of diapers.

I have no experience with gdiapers myself, but have also heard they are not the greatest.

[cristeen]

What about just the traditional white ones that you pin? 

Either flats or prefolds qualify for this.  Either one has it's followers and it's dissenters.  EIther way, you'll need to learn to fold them. 

What fabric is best if you are making your own? 

It really depends on what type you're making, and what your goal is.  Personally, I hate flannel for dipes.  It's unyielding and not really all that absorbent.  I far prefer something with a bit of give like a fleece or a terry.  If you're talking about making flats, just about anything will work, including receiving blankets, but as the babe grows, you may need to add absorbency with doublers.  I like fitteds, and I prefer a body of (cotton) fleece, although I do use flannel for the body sometimes, because it's easier to work with.  But I don't expect any absorbency from the body.  For absorbency I use a cotton microterry soaker pad, and that works really well for me.  You can get all sorts of recommendations in the diaper sewing subforum here on MDC. 

How many do you need if you plan on doing laundry every other day?

For a NB, plan on a dozen a day.  As they get older, that number goes down a bit.  For my 18 mo, we can go through 8 some days, and 5 other days (plus 1 for overnight).  But his poos are pretty predictable at this point.  If you're doing pfs and covers, you'll want at least half a dozen covers, whether you're using PUL or wool.  I will say that snappis and (knit) wool don't work so great together IMO - if the snappi comes loose, it can really easily snag the wool and has been known to do some pretty serious damage.  I also am not a fan of PFs and wool in general - but that in part is just because i hate washing my wool, and particularly hate washing poo out of wool.  And pfs + wool is a really good combo for lots of poo leaks, IME.  But my skinny legged guy blew out of most pfs until his legs chunked up anyway - and that was well after a year. 

[bonjourmama]

Don't waste your money on Gdiaps. Well, we never used the flushable kind, but the cloth ones were horrible. DD started leaking from these at 2 months, and now I can't even imagine how much she would leak. They are cute and fun,  but really just a big PITA. What about BumGenius or Fuzzibunz, these seem easy to me!

[SynEpona]

G-dipes are excellent for back country camping! I never used mine at home, but there were perfect for canoe trips with our son when he was 6mths old, and again when he was 17-19mths old. If you're willing to use cloth, I'd just get 'real' cloth diapers, and skip the G-dipes. :)