Best Cloth Diapers for EC?

[lactatinggirl]

I'm 14 weeks pregnant with my second (DD is 28 months) and I want to do EC as soon as possible this time. I didn't even hear of it until DD was around 5-6 months last time and by that time she was mobile, so our efforts to EC didn't work out (only ended up catching a few pees and maybe one poop ever). This time around I'm going all for it, but I'm thinking our current diaper stash isn't going to be the best for EC. We used mostly gDiapers with cloth inserts that I made from the get go. We have a few other types of diapers (all pocket one size) that could work for EC, but still seem inconvenient for while we're at home.

I was thinking maybe prefolds and we have a bunch that I actually bought for spit up rags last time (just the Gerber kind). I'm thinking it'll be more obvious when the baby pees and therefore I can get cues better? Or would I want to use a cover? I think that would kind of defeat the purpose. 

[AliceMay]

I didn't plan on ECing before my LO was born but I bought hemp prefolds because i thought they would be versatile. Really glad I did. Started EC at 2 weeks, and my daughter is now 12 weeks and we are pretty into it! She pees in the toilet probably 3/4 of the time. Sometimes in the evenings she is a little unhappy/fussy and doesn't want to do much, so I sometimes use a diaper, or just have her held in one and cue her when she goes, instead of holding her out to pea (if she is grumpy she just tends to get upset). Prefold were great for diapers early on, and I use them with a cover (I have two Bummis whisper wraps and a wool soaker) when we go out just to play safe (though I still try to take her to the toilet/somewhere to pee, even when we are out). The rest of the time I use the prefolds under her when she is lying down so she can be nappy free. She sleeps nappy free too at night, and I have a prefold under her, although she almost never wets it (night is very easy to catch pees, for some reason). You can also use them without a cover when you want to use a diaper but be very aware of when she goes. I hold her with out when I'm nursing. AND you can use them with a diaper belt for quick access, or tucked into split crotch pants - something I'm just beginning to explore. Obviously I'm still new to this but I'm happy with the prefolds. I have heard some other mention diapers that come off quickly and easy - maybe sort of all in one things, and liking that, so it's all your preference. But I also figure I can use my prefolds to make diapers/training pants, if I decide to go that rout. 

So I vote prefolds! I would also recommend not spending much money until you see how things go and you can decide if you want something different.

[JelloPanda]

http://teamkemendo.blogspot.com/2011/07/best-cloth-backups-for-elimination.html is a good blog post :)

[ashleybrook]

Originally Posted by JelloPanda 

http://teamkemendo.blogspot.com/2011/07/best-cloth-backups-for-elimination.html is a good blog post :)

very helpful... interesting more towards the end to me. thanks for posting :)

[Deepfeet]

We went with prefolds and i'd definitely recommend them for the first few months.

Now that DS is getting older 5 1/2 mos I'd like to get some sort of training pants but I'm in no rush and am fime with the prefolds until the pants come.

I wouldn't recommend anything too waterproof - if you miss something, you want to know right away. Sometimes if DS is playing and I don't want to disturb him but I can tell he is about to pee, I make the 'psss' sound as soon as he starts to pee (I can see the diaper darkening as it gets wet). DS things the 'pss' sound is hilarious whenever he's not sitting on a potty, but I think it reminds him what's going on, plus, as soon as he's done, he's out of the wet one and in something dry.

[CaliforniaKetus]

Since we started EC we have used prefolds without a cover in the house.  It also makes my diaper laundry much easier, as they can all go in the dryer and there is no stuffing.  I secure with a snappi, but I want to look into a prefold belt.  I've never tried them, but I've heard that the Gerber prefolds are not very absorbent, so if you have any trouble with them - don't give up.  I like Indian Cotton prefolds (Like $1.50 each new) because they are a bit wider than the Chinese cotton.

If LO pees once into a prefold (esp newborn) you may have some wicking onto your clothes or furniture if he/she is sitting, but you won't get a puddle.  I wouldn't worry too much about a cover unless you want to protect a carseat, or a grandparent or something!  :-)

[heatherr30]

I would ditto the prefolds for younger babies.  Once they start to get mobile it may be easier to go with something that pulls up and down.  It only takes a second to snappi a prefold but try getting a crawling baby to hold still that long!!!

[howeberry]

I second pre-folds, although I recommend something thicker than Gerbers like GMD prefolds. Gerbers don't hold more than a squirt, even folded over for more coverage. I have some I use as emergency back up and will sometimes double them even though they'll be worn less than an hour.

Originally Posted by heatherr30 

I would ditto the prefolds for younger babies.  Once they start to get mobile it may be easier to go with something that pulls up and down.  It only takes a second to snappi a prefold but try getting a crawling baby to hold still that long!!!

True enough! DS has been crawling about 2 months now and I wish they made trainers small enough to fit my skinny 17 lb 8 mo! Sometimes having a snug cover that works without a snappi is a help.

[AndreaOlson]

I am a lazy diaperer, which is perfect for EC! :o) We are now onto almost-full-time diaper free at 11 mos, but in the beginning I used a cover/prefold combo or a diaper belt.

I use prefolds folded over in thirds laid gently inside a Grovia velcro cover...for daytime cotton, for nighttime, hemp/cotton blend wth an Imse Vimse wool cover. No Snappis, pins, or extra stuff! Grovia grows w/baby and are very sturdy! We've used them for 11 months straight. The wool covers are amazingly containing for big night pees (think: newborn!).

I own about 20 cotton prefolds and about 6 nighttime hemp/cotton ones. 4 Grovia covers and 1 Imse Vimse. Here's where to get them all, with my reviews: http://ecsimplified.com/gear/

Also, you can fold a prefold in half and hold in place with a diaper belt (think: Sumo wrestler!) and know immediately when baby is wet. I find that to be the easiest by far!

Good luck starting w/your new babe. I wrote a post on starting here, too: http://ecsimplified.com/starting/

Warmly,

Andrea

DS 11 mos.

[LalaithYamainu]

I want to ec from day one, but am concerned - all the diaper stuff I'm reading talks about how hard it is to contain newborn BF poo.  I really love the idea prefolds for easy on/off, but I don't want to end up with poopy sheets (we're co-sleeping)!  Does a snappi'd prefold contain it well enough?  Or are you really able to catch all the poos from the get go?

[AndreaOlson]

Originally Posted by LalaithYamainu 

I want to ec from day one, but am concerned - all the diaper stuff I'm reading talks about how hard it is to contain newborn BF poo.  I really love the idea prefolds for easy on/off, but I don't want to end up with poopy sheets (we're co-sleeping)!  Does a snappi'd prefold contain it well enough?  Or are you really able to catch all the poos from the get go?

First of all, a snappi'd prefold would catch the skid marks and poo-farts, but a whole poo, not probably. The way I did it was a Grovia diaper cover (here: http://ecsimplified.com/portfolio/grovia-diaper-cover/) velcroed shut over a folded prefold...don't affix the diaper....Snappis get in the way! The cover is very waterproof, but cloth inside. Although, I doubt you'll miss many poos pre-crawling...more on this below....

In my opinion and based on the reports of numerous EC parents...newborn poos are the EASIEST poos to catch! That's because the poo takes so much grunting, grimacing, and such to get it out. It is much harder for babies to poo lying down, so when you notice that "obvious" face or sound that says your baby is beginning to "work on one"...get him or her into position and grunt along ("mm, mm"). The EC position both helps get the poo out and tells baby it's okay to let it go. Baby *will* start holding it and consolidating. And, as newborns, their timing is extremely easy to notice a pattern in. Some babies poo every breastfeeding (you can BF over a bowl, when baby pops off, offer the bowl); some babies (like ours) poo at 6am every morning on the dot; other poo every 5 days (totally normal, too).

The moral of this story is that you will have WAY less to clean up if you EC your newborn. Imagine cleaning the splatter off a rear end? I did it...TWICE. I caught all the rest of the poos because I coslept, baby-wore, and breastfed...that kind of intimacy lends itself to not being able to miss a poo face!!

One last note, even at 11 mos, we catch all of the poos still. There's enough notice, we have an ear open to his signals, and WOW ... they come out so clean that we never need to wipe!! As a newborn, we would "wipe" after pooing at the sink (washes right down!) with the warm water from the faucet, pat dry. ZERO Diaper Rash. :)

Hope that helps you wrap your mind around newborn poos, EC, and what kind of diapering back-up to use!

Andrea

DS 11.5 mos.

EC Simplified

Edited by AndreaOlson - 8/19/11 at 11:55am

[LalaithYamainu]

Thank you soooo much!  That does put my mind to rest. :D

[AndreaOlson]

Yay! You are SO welcome. Please reach out anytime during your beginning stages...the yahoo! groups are a great resource and I'm happy to help as well. Best wishes!

Andrea

DS 12 mos.

EC Simplified

Edited by AndreaOlson - 8/19/11 at 11:56am

[lsmama]

ITA with pp's on catching poo's.  We are part-time Ec'ers EC'ing DD#2 who is 7 mos.  We started with older DD when she turned 10 mos and just offered time on the potty.  She caught on quickly and was out of diapers and into trainers by 18 mos.  We actually used disposables b/c we did not have laundry in our apartment then and it still worked.  We focused on catching poop at first (DH is a SAHD and was extremely motivated by the prospect of avoiding poop diapers!) and just kind of gradually caught more and more as we learned her signals.  She began signaling to us around 16 mos and that was that though, of course, we had our misses.  With DD2, we started around 4-5 mos bc she would get super gassy between 4-5 am and rather than watching her labor, I would just take her to potty and that was that.  In hindisght, I could have probably started this by 6-8 weeks or so.  With her too, we are taking a gradual approach, but we very rarely miss a poop at this point.  I think she actually waits for the potty at this point.  We use Bum Genius all-in-ones and find that these are very easy on and off.  That said, they might be a little too absorbent for full-timers. 

GL!

[Tjej]

OP - We did EC from a couple of weeks old with my DS and used FuzziBunz.  I think anything is really fine if you're paying attention to them and you have mess contained to your level of comfort.  We were successful with relatively early graduation, so I don't think having pockets or even the stay-dry liner part mattered - DS never liked to pee on himself or poop on himself, and I offered plenty.  I didn't find it that difficult to pop the snaps or re-do them after (or pull stuff down when baby was older).

Tjej

[EchoSoul]

Prefold and prefold belt, ECApants, EC trainers, and I'd honestly think GDiapers would work well with ECing..especially during the moving stage since they velcro at the back. Hrm.

[LalaithYamainu]

I've pretty much settled on our EC/CD stash!

It is:

two dozen infant prefolds (to be used with a prefold belt during the day)

two dozen flats (for padfolding in a cover, and to lay on during diaper free time)

two flip covers (for outings, daddy time, and possibly overnight)

six stay dry inserts (for outings or nights, to be sold if we don't use them)

two dappi pull on covers (in newborn, for when baby NEEDS to be in a cover, but the flip doesn't fit yet)

I'm also going to knit up at least one zippered wool sleepsack to use as a night time cover over a snappied prefold or flat.  I don't know whether we'll prefer the sleepsack or the flip at night, so we'll see.

I'm debating buying more flip covers (not sure two will be enough for outings and evenings, especially if we use them at night as well) and some orange edge newborn prefolds, so I don't have to do any fancy folding at night.  Buuuut... my thrifty/simplicity loving side is protesting.

[lactatinggirl]

What is the prefold belt that you're all talking about? I'm thinking we're going to use prefolds (I'm going to make some wool covers for them), but haven't heard of the belt. Is it better than pins or a snappi?

[LalaithYamainu]

http://continuum-family.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_27&products_id=293

It holds the prefold in place like a loin cloth.  You use it without a cover for easy access (just pull the prefold off to potty and tuck it back in when your done).  You can make one yourself, if you'd rather do that - it's basically a giant scrunchy.

[EchoSoul]

It depends on what you like in a fastener. Belts are great if you don't wanna take away what secures the diaper every change. They hold the diaper to the baby and allow you to slip the prefold in whether they're laying down or moving. Only problem is poosplosions can blow out of 'em, though I don't see why you can't do an angelwing fold with the prefold to help lessen that.