Switching to CD at 18 months...

[mudpuddle]

I have been interested in cloth diapering since my first son was born... but never took the plunge. He is now 3 and potty trained (during the day) and my youngest is 18 months. I want to start building up a stash and gradually stop using disposables all together. I just need a push in the right direction.... I figure we will be using them for at least another year and they would pay for themselves after a few months... I do want to get mostly one size to use with our next child - makes me feel better about the investment.   

My main concern, the thing that has held me back, is the fear that the washer would not be clean from washing dirty diapers all the time and it would smell or make our clothes gross. I know this is probably silly, but it has always concerned me.

I'm going to get over it.

So far I am leaning toward Charlie Banana, I love the colors and like the options for different inserts. They also seem pretty affordable in the 6 packs.

I also like BumGenius, they seem to have a good reputation. Right now they have the buy 5 get 1 free sale going on so I would probably pick up 6 of those as well.

Would those 12 dipes be a good place to start? What else will I need?

Should I buy extra inserts? My son is a heavy night time wetter. He soaks through disposables at night if not changed half way through.

Also, my oldest is still doing pull ups at night and I would like a reusable alternative for him that won't make him feel like he's wearing a diaper. Any sugegstions there??

TIA for any help!

[blessedwith7]

I started using cds for one of my sons last August; he was 21 months.  It's never too late to start especially if you have more little ones.  Here is my advice based on my experience. 

Do not worry at all about your washer!  The diapers are clean and fresh when the wash cycle is done and so will your washer be.  I promise that won't bug you.  No smell or yuck in the washer ever.  I do use a diaper sprayer on the toddler poopy dipes before they go in the wet bag.

For the daytime we use flats with XL mother ease air flow covers or Thirsties large covers.  All but the two Thirsties were given to us and I really like this system.  He usually goes through 4 or 5 diapers a day.  I have 6 covers on hand and double up the flats.  12-15 diapers would probably be plenty if you plan to wash every other day.

So here is the important part for you.  Right away I bought 2 one size BG 4.0 pocket diapers for nighttime.  He grew out of them within a few months, before he even hit 30lbs.!  The velcro also started to curl and lose its stickiness before 6 months of use easily and I almost always hung them to dry.  I am now using them on my daughter who was born in November so it's no big deal but I was just surprised at how short a time they fit him.  Now for night we use an XL Happy Heiny pocket diaper with 2 long hemp inserts folded into a flat.  With one size dipes you still need something else for newborns and toddlers in my opinion.  If you do get one size I would go with snaps.

Good luck!

Cloth diapers are fun and not at all difficult or yucky.

[Jaimee]

I agree that one-size is the way to go OR prefolds and covers (which are way cheaper and don't wick so when he wets he feels wet, which aids in potty training).  I generally tell new CDers not to buy random diaper brands b/c you just never know and it would be a shame to be scared away from cloth by a bad diaper choice.  The top brands are the top brands b/c they work well.  Unlike the pp, I ADORE my bumGenius diapers.  Yes, the velcro can start to curl a bit, but I didn't need to replace my velcro tabs until they had been through about 200+ washes.  I was very careful to always use the laundry tabs and I did dry them on a line most of the time.  Replacing the velcro wasn't too hard, either.  Most diapers are going to need something fixed once they get over 200 some washes.  My Fuzzi Bunz needed their elastic replaced.

I also like Thirsties Duodiapers, Happy Heiny's, Knickernappies, Smartipants, Romparooz, and others...  I always suggest getting a variety of styles and brands.  You never know what's going to work best for you and for your child.  Plus different people prefer different kinds of diapers so if you're not the only one changing him (and I hope you're not) that's something to take into consideration.  And lastly, one diaper may work better during the day vs. at night, etc.  Yes, definitely get some doublers.  I recommend hemp- my personal favorite was a hemp prefold, trifolded like a letter and stuffed in the pocket.  Great for heavy wetters.  Good luck!!

Edited by Jaimee - 5/3/11 at 6:16am

[mudpuddle]

Thanks for the tips. Interesting about the BGs .. my boy is already over 30lbs and I hadn't even thought of him being too big. He has worn a one size Tiny Tush given to us by a friend, and it fit but leaked a little around the legs. He still has chunky thighs so I thought maybe it was just a weird fit. Maybe I should just get one of a few kinds and try them out first.

Does anyone have experience with the flip system? I like the thought of it but I tried gDiapers with my first son and did not like them at all and the two seem kinda similar.

Can all these different types and brands be washed together? Can you wash flats etc with pockets or AIOs?

I was also wondering about the really cheap pocket diapers I've seen on Ebay. I see them going for $4 a piece - lots of 10 for $40. Are they worth a shot? Or too good to be true? I don't want to waste my time but also don't want to spend a fortune if it's not necessary.

[Jaimee]

I personally would not go for a $4 diaper, but that's just me.  :)  Yes, you can wash them all together.  When you purchase hemp brand new, you will need to prewash it 5 times separately to get rid of the hemp oils and maximize absorbency, but after that- all together.  Brand new cotton prefolds take 7-10 hot washes and dries to maximize absorbency, but they do not have to be done separately.  Oh, and be sure to get a proper cloth diaper detergent!  My favorite is Planet.

I actually don't know anyone who has liked Tiny Tush one-size dipes and I know a lot of CDers, so that says something about them.  As for the Flip system is is quite different than gDiapers.  It's a one-size PUL cover without that snap in lining that g pants have.  Plus Flips have three choices of inserts.  I know people who like their Flips.  It wouldn't be my choice, personally, because I would just go for regular prefolds and covers.  Plus I've heard that Flips don't fit newborns for a few months, if that's a concern.

Yes, definitely get a few different kinds to try.  I know it's super tempting to cash in on the package deals, but if the diapers don't work for you, you're stuck with them or have to sell them at a loss.  You can check out www.diaperswappers.com for deals on used diapers if that interests you (it's a forum like this one).  I teach CD101 seminars at natural parenting stores and by request I uploaded my seminar to youtube (in 7 parts).  If you'd like more tips on getting going with cloth check it out: http://www.youtube.com/user/JaimeeGleisner?feature=mhum

[Emma Bryan Fuller]

Not to take over the post but I just bought some on e-bay ....not super cheap. I think $10 each. All in one. Handmade so not a brand. Great feedback. After reading the posts I am thinking that I should have stuck to a brand name. The choice of patterns was oh so cute though!!   and they are paid for now! 

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by Emma Bryan Fuller 

Not to take over the post but I just bought some on e-bay ....not super cheap. I think $10 each. All in one. Handmade so not a brand. Great feedback. After reading the posts I am thinking that I should have stuck to a brand name. The choice of patterns was oh so cute though!!   and they are paid for now! 

You never know!  You might have scored, but it's a risk that I generally tell new CDers to not take just in case.  There is a learning curve to cloth diapering and some newbies will be scared away by things that could have easily been fixed or avoided.  I try to minimize these things when making recommendations.  Once you get into CDing more then it's great to experiment with WAHM wares and unknown brands b/c you might just find a gem!

[Smithie]

Hey OP, PM me if you want 10 Mother-ease Toddler-ease fitted dipes and a bunch of covers very, very cheap. Like $30 shipping included. My chubby-thighed toddler outgrew her large FBs so I bought these (used and cheap), and now she has gone back down in thigh size, thus I have way too many diapers.  

Which brings me to a question for other mamas: those of you who have bought the one-size FB, does it fit a bigger baby than the large FB? I always wonder what to tell people about that, since I only have the large FBs myself...

[Emma Bryan Fuller]

fingers crossed!! If nothing else they will look adorable!....and maybe at night I can add something? Do you know what I can put to soak up and also stay kinda dry next to her skin, if there is such a thing? I thought of fleece, but it's sooo, I don't know...just not cotton.  Thank you

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by Smithie 

Which brings me to a question for other mamas: those of you who have bought the one-size FB, does it fit a bigger baby than the large FB? I always wonder what to tell people about that, since I only have the large FBs myself...

The one-size FB's will fit up to about 35 pounds, which is similar to the large FB's.  But the biggest difference is that the crotch is much slimmer than their sized dipes.  This works well for some babies and not so much for others.  I am personally not a fan of the OS FB's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emma Bryan Fuller 

fingers crossed!! If nothing else they will look adorable!....and maybe at night I can add something? Do you know what I can put to soak up and also stay kinda dry next to her skin, if there is such a thing? I thought of fleece, but it's sooo, I don't know...just not cotton.  Thank you

To absorb more you can add a doubler.  You can trifold a cotton or hemp prefold like a letter and add that to the diaper, but neither of these fabrics will wick.  In order to pull the moisture away from the skin you need a synthetic like fleece/suedecloth.  Texture does add a bit of wicking and there are some "fluffier" hemp doublers out there that will wick a bit, but really not  much.  Most babies don't have an issue with the wetness of natural fibers.  But some sensitive skinned babies will and those babies will need something with wicking properties.

[Emma Bryan Fuller]

Thanks....I learned a lot here :)

[mudpuddle]

Thanks for all the information and support. I went ahead and ordered a few different styles from cotton babies. I got a bum genius 4.0, a couple Flip covers and inserts, a grovia cover, and a few econobum covers and prefolds. I am so glad I went with a variety to try out. I'm finding that what works best for us is not what I originally thought we would like. There has been a bit of a learning curve. I still have a few questions...

So far I've been washing with a sample pack of rockin green ... is this a good detergent to use?  If I switch to something else now will I have a problem?

With the diapers I got I've had a hard time finding a solution for night. I got a kissaluvs super soaker from a friend and that seems to work pretty well in the bum genius or with the flip inserts. With that we can sometimes get through the night dry. I'll have to go back and figure out something else to try. I know the diapers should get more absorbent after a few weeks... should I wait it out and see if it will work? Or try something else?

I wish we had a local diaper store! It would be so much easier than ordering online!