silly question! cloth diapering. - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[Munchkin08]

Please help me out CD Mamas!

We registered for a CD service - and it seems someone has contributed to it. Because we wanted to start with a CD service I didn't really give it much thought. But looking over the "start up packages" it seems more cost efficient to purchase a few of our own covers. 

The big question is how many do we need to start with?

And I was thinking of buying a few different brands..... bumgenius 4.0, bumgenius freetime all in one snap, bumgenius flip cover, OR  thirstie du snap and aplix .... any feedback on these?

TIA!

[MaineCoastMama]

One thing I found very helpful when I started gathering cloth diapers was to buy from other mamas who were reselling theirs, so...very good used condition. I didn't want to buy or register for all of a certain kind I'd never seen before, or without checking out a variety of types of diapers.

A few places to do this are here on mothering in the sale/trade forum, but also I am part of a really active cloth diaper swap and sale group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/ClothDiaperSwapCDS/

I liked this, because, when I started out, I wasn't sure what brands I would like, even if I could guess from other people's opinions, or the looks of something. I actually thought I wanted to gDiaper, and then I thought I'd be really into pockets, like Bumgenius and Fuzzibunz. I bought a few on the facebook forum, and from a mama I know, and she happened to add in some Good Mama diapers. They retail for like $30, but you can buy them for $10-$15 gently used, and to me they are like heaven. They are a fitted, so they do require a cover, but they have several layers, and are soft, durable, and adorable!  I have gotten into wool for covers, another expensive item, running about $30 but you can find them in great condition about half off, being resold every so often. 

So, now, my collection consists of about 45 diapers, 1/3 being newborn sized, mostly fitteds, the rest are half pockets (many of which I'm hoping to resell to someone on here or in the FB group) and half are fitteds from Good Mama or Kissaluvs or miscellaneous WAHM companies.  I have about 6 or 7 wool covers, and about 5  more standard type covers. I anticipate when the baby comes I will really start to see which ones work for me and which don't, and eventually I will have to acquire some slightly larger sized diapers, although  most of the pockets I have are one size, which should be useful.

[firespiritmelody]

If you're signing up for a service, they usually provide prefolds and you provide the cover. You don't need anything fancy like flips or pockets etc. Basic covers like thirsties and bummis whisper wraps are the lease expensive way to go. Many one size diapers don't fit newborns well (my youngest was 9 1/2 pounds and even she wore the nb size for a couple of weeks!)

[alaskanmomma]

I don't think its been covered, but it's definitely an important part of cloth diapering.. a wash routine and detergent! I'd stock up on a few different detergents like Rockin Green, Charlie's, Ecos, etc. and look up good wash plans for your water type :) 

[bmcneal]

Originally Posted by bambihelton 

I really would prefer to use cloth diapers. It seems much more cost efficient. However, I am SO clueless and can't really find too much information online. I am already starting to stock up on baby stuff because I know that with only six months left, the time is going to fly by and I don't want to end up in a fluster at seven months pregnant. 

Anyway, I planned to get a few different kinds of cloth diapers to see what kinds fit baby the best and what works for DH and I best. I'm a little clueless. With gDiapers, are you supposed to use liners AND inserts... or just one or the other? 

This *really* confused me for a minute. Then I glanced at the "date posted" date, and I understood. 

Originally Posted by camprunner 

I used disposables for the newborn period last time and it was a great relief to not do the diaper laundry for the first couple of weeks.  If we had a diaper service around here, I'd go for that for the newborn period.

I'm thinking of doing this. It seems like it might be the best way to go, at least for us.

With my second child I used fuzzi bunz and they worked fine even with the merconium but were expensive.  I'd suffered a birth injury so the laundry was a bit overwelming.

With my first child, she passed her merconium quickly and we started using cloth in the middle of the night when she was three days old.  The laundry wasn't overwelming at all because she was my first.  With her we used the combination of fitteds and prefolds.

Another option, I've heard is to use  thick wash cloths and covers for the newborn period because a lot of newborns have to be changed so often and really don't pee that much. You would just lay the wash cloth folded in half in the cover.

I totally was/am planning to do this! My friend mentioned doing this with her DD back around the time DD was born. We didn't use cloth then, but that always stuck with me, and I always thought it seemed like a really neat idea.

As the baby gets older, and you don't have to change him/her as often I'd recommend investing in pockets which help the baby not feel the wetness OR invest in some wool soakers which allow the baby's bottom to breath and therefore prevent rashes.

ETA: Regarding which diapers for the newborn phase.  Most babies aren't in this phase too long so I'd use the wash cloths or prefolds if you aren't intimidated by them.  OR purchase some fitteds used.

Originally Posted by 1babysmom 

Actually, there is kind of a benefit to the backwards velcro thing...babies can't as easily undo them.  I have some friends who went to g's solely because their little ones were taking off their diapers, and it solved the problem! LOL

That's a really good point! I remember when DS was just a tiny babe (okay, not *tiny.* he was 10.5 lbs when he was born), he would reach down, unfasten his diaper, then look up at me with the biggest poo eatin' smile I'd ever seen. It was as adorable as it was annoying.  (He even managed it a couple of times through a onesie and pants. I went to pick him up, he was soaked, and when I went to change him, his diaper was halfway down his thigh!)

Originally Posted by alaskanmomma 

I don't think its been covered, but it's definitely an important part of cloth diapering.. a wash routine and detergent! I'd stock up on a few different detergents like Rockin Green, Charlie's, Ecos, etc. and look up good wash plans for your water type :) 

I need to figure out a wash routine and a detergent. I've watched a ton of cloth diapering videos on youtube (spent a whole weekend watching them when we were sick. That and baby wearing ones.) and heard that you need to use a special detergent, but could never manage to catch what detergent(s) you *could* use. Would you mind sharing your wash routine?

[alaskanmomma]

I've heard of people using their regular ol' detergent on their diapers, idk how well that really works out, but they don't ever complain it seems lol! I personally use Charlie's liquid soap since I get a discount on it. 

I do a cold rinse, hot wash, warm rinse, cold rinse. Every two washes or so I add a very small amount of bleach in the first cold rinse and do a hot rinse after the hot wash cycle. 

[firespiritmelody]

We generally did a rinse/soak, then a hot wash with an extra rinse. We use Ecos (from costco!) on all of our clothes and have never had a problem with it on our diapers. I did buy a bag of rockin green just for fun this time though, so we'll give it a try.

[1babysmom]

I have to alternate detergents about every 6-8 months when washing regularly.  And vinegar is a big no-no in our water because of the acid/alkaline imbalance we already have.  Just makes diapers nastier.  Our water is EXTREMELY hard (we have a softener AND an EdenPure ScaleRid but our water is still off the charts out here in the boonies) so it makes things a little more difficult.

[Kara9080]

I had no problems CDing last night but this time I'm nervous. I've bought my entire stash I'll need for several months but now I have a front loading HE washer and worried how washing will be different this time. I don't remember my wash routine before either but I'm planning on cold prewash with hot wash/cold rinse. I don't even remember what detergent I used last time but I think it was just our regular detergent. This time I'm (planning on) making my own detergent which is CD safe. I also have ordered some Rockin Green and RLR.

[Seth's Mommy]

Oh wow!  Just found my entire stash on Craigslist!  A mom right in my town is selling ***25*** assorted pocket diapers in girl colors, with inserts, and a xl wet bag for $120!  

Oh please oh please let them not be sold yet!

[Seth's Mommy]

Got it!  And just returned from picking up newborn prefolds and covers.

This brings the stash to:

24 osocozy newborn prefolds

4 thirsties covers

3 bum genius xs all-in-ones

3 snappis

plus the 25 assorted pockets and liners plus a wet bag.

Folks, I think I can do this!

[alaskanmomma]

Sounds like you have a pretty good start up Seth's Mommy ! You could probably get by the whole birth-PTing with that stash if you like the diapers(but it's addicting!!!)

[bambihelton]

Originally Posted by MaineCoastMama 

One thing I found very helpful when I started gathering cloth diapers was to buy from other mamas who were reselling theirs, so...very good used condition. I didn't want to buy or register for all of a certain kind I'd never seen before, or without checking out a variety of types of diapers.

A few places to do this are here on mothering in the sale/trade forum, but also I am part of a really active cloth diaper swap and sale group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/ClothDiaperSwapCDS/

I liked this, because, when I started out, I wasn't sure what brands I would like, even if I could guess from other people's opinions, or the looks of something. I actually thought I wanted to gDiaper, and then I thought I'd be really into pockets, like Bumgenius and Fuzzibunz. I bought a few on the facebook forum, and from a mama I know, and she happened to add in some Good Mama diapers. They retail for like $30, but you can buy them for $10-$15 gently used, and to me they are like heaven. They are a fitted, so they do require a cover, but they have several layers, and are soft, durable, and adorable!  I have gotten into wool for covers, another expensive item, running about $30 but you can find them in great condition about half off, being resold every so often. 

So, now, my collection consists of about 45 diapers, 1/3 being newborn sized, mostly fitteds, the rest are half pockets (many of which I'm hoping to resell to someone on here or in the FB group) and half are fitteds from Good Mama or Kissaluvs or miscellaneous WAHM companies.  I have about 6 or 7 wool covers, and about 5  more standard type covers. I anticipate when the baby comes I will really start to see which ones work for me and which don't, and eventually I will have to acquire some slightly larger sized diapers, although  most of the pockets I have are one size, which should be useful.

What brands of pockets do you have that you are wanting to resell? I am finishing up my stash and have chosen to do pockets. I'm praying that this baby fits well into Bumgenius diapers because that's what I've ended up with mostly! I bought mostly one size pockets so far because I had initially planned on using disposable diapers to begin with, simply because they don't stay in newborn sized diapers very long and most newborns are too small to fit into the one size diapers to begin with. So now I've ordered several of the newborn size AIO Bumgenius diapers to get me started, because I'm pretty sure that I don't want to deal with disposables at all. I guess I'm a little bit afraid that if I don't get started out using cloth and get into the routine of washing and whatnot, I will fail miserably when I DO try to start. And on the bright side, Bumgenius diapers (even used) resell on Ebay for almost as much as you purchased them new for. If I hate them, I can resell them. If I love them, I'll save them for my next baby. I find the idea of prefolds and covers to be a bit overwhelming. I feel like I won't be able to get the hang of folding and I just think I'll be better off with a pocket or AIO. I'm such a noob! Fitteds are nice and all, but you're right, they do end up being pretty pricey! Maybe one day I'll move on up in the cloth diapering world.... but for now, I'm just going to do what seems the easiest for me, especially since my family and DH's family are already on the edge about cloth... I think it will be much easier on them to just have one big piece that goes on just like a disposable and that they can throw into a wet bag for me to take care of later. 

[Kara9080]

yay for cloth! Pockets really are easy and that's what I'd suggest to anyone who is thinking about cloth and can afford more than prefolds and covers. AIOs seem great in theory but I've always worried about them getting clean. I didn't use them before but I do have several newborn/small sizes for this time to try (bought used).

I used a little bit of everything with my last and this time I've bought a little bit of everything. In practicality I'd like to find a system and stick with it (prefolds & covers/wool, or pockets or ______) but I'll probably use it all like before. I LOVE cloth diapering. I love changing the diapers

Anyway, I'll whisper this because it isn't always popular, but I've been buying diapers from co-op's on Facebook that buy diapers in bulk from China. It's usually $3-5 per pocket and $1-2 for inserts, either microfiber, bamboo or charcoal bamboo. I've got quite the stash now between used diapers and the "china cheapies". There are also several buy/sell/trade diaper groups on Facebook.

[alaskanmomma]

Pockets are my favorite diapers, BUT the OS ones don't fit newborns very well, unless your kid has thunder thighs and then some :P I make 8.11 babies and my son was swimming in the smallest setting on a OS for awhile. For the NB stage(and being that Calliope is the first baby I'm going to try to 100% CD from the get-go), I bought prefolds, fitteds, and covers for her. I've been told they are the must-have diapers for newborns. 

[1babysmom]

I love KL0 fitteds for newborns, especially if EC'ing. I also love just using small flannel receiving blankets in an origami fold...they are extremely trim!!

[Munchkin08]

What are examples of pocket CD?

[1babysmom]

Originally Posted by Munchkin08 

What are examples of pocket CD?

Fuzzi Bunz and BumGenius are two really popular ones. (Or is that even what you are asking? lol)

[Munchkin08]

Originally Posted by 1babysmom 

Fuzzi Bunz and BumGenius are two really popular ones. (Or is that even what you are asking? lol)

Yes, thank you. Just trying to get an idea about the different options. While we are getting a diaper service for the very beginning I imagine we will get away from prefolds soon there after.

Are pocket diapers and fitted diapers the same?

[1babysmom]

Originally Posted by Munchkin08 

Yes, thank you. Just trying to get an idea about the different options. While we are getting a diaper service for the very beginning I imagine we will get away from prefolds soon there after.

Are pocket diapers and fitted diapers the same?

Pockets need stuffed but dont need a cover. Fitteds need a cover. They both have different advantages but it really depends on the size of baby, how heavy of a wetter they are, etc. I prefer to buy used so I can have a variety of diapers on hand and then I just sell whatever doesn't work for us and use that money to buy more of what does.