Allright, darn it, I'm going to CD - Page 2

[LizD]

When my daughter was a baby we did not have our own machines nor were there any in the building. I took them down the street to the laundromat with the other laundry, from our walk-up, in the winter in nyc. When we moved to the country we also used a laundromat so we still needed to go a week between loads (there are ways in which I prefer the laundromat- it's all done in a few hours while you do your grocery shopping. none of this constant laundering as I seem to do with our own machines). We also lived in a building with machines in the basement, and had a small combination/stacked washer/dryer for a while. I never had difficulty fitting them in a load, but I did always have at least a full-sized machine.

[irishgreengables]

Ok -- I didn't read the whole thread so hopefully I am not repeating anything here.

I DID read that money is not an issue so I would like to recommend motherease (www.motherease.com) one-size with their airflow wraps plus the ME snap-in liners (liners we we only use when going out and sleep time). These with the rice liners are fabulous. We splurged and got these with our tax refund a while back and could not be happier. We have NEVER EVER had a blow out (and ds came home from the orphanage incredibly sick and pooping all over the place). There are times when we don't have a chance to change ds for a while and motherease holds the pee well. They fit both ds and dd, who uses them at night (dd is 4). They are well-constructed and last last last. It is nice not to have several different kinds to choose from, as we just spring for the whole system.

To wash (mind you....we don't care about stains on them), we just throw poopies into one bucket (dry) and pees into another (dry). DH (gotta love this), who I call the "diaper fairy", rinses the poopy ones at wash time (using weebees sprayer). We stick all in washer, including covers and do one pre-rinse with just hot water. Then we do a full cycle on hot with some baking soda and detergent (we use Target brand baby detergent for diapers) and a downey ball 1/4-1/2 filled with vinegar and tea tree oil (we put about 20 drops TTO in the gallon bottle of vinegar for this purpose). We dry in dryer on medium (would be better to air dry, but we live where it is either too cold or too muggy for that).

Using the simplicity of ME diapers, we only use disposibles (WHole foods brand) when we are on overnight stays (and only because we don't want to drive home in a car full of poopy diapers).

We actually find this to be easier than sposies becasue we have NEVER had to run to the store on a moment's notice to get more diapers and because ds' clothes are so much cleaner.

For our newborn, we will use pre-folds and a newborn velcro wrap until baby is maybe 2-3 months old.

BTW -- not that you need any more convincing, but when we DO use sposies on trips, ds COMPLAINS! He HATES them!!!

Peace,

[Smithie]

OK, I have scrounged 10 NB Kushies and 2 NB Fuzzi Bunz. I am going to get a couple of Proraps to use with the prefolds I got at my shower, and see if any of this works for me. Hopefully by the time I am ready for the next size up, I will know what I like.

[Smithie]

And I decided to get the Mother-ease Intro Pack. I have GOT to stop now, and concentrate on scrounging liners.

[Greaseball]

For those of you who use wetbags - what do you put in them so they don't smell? I don't have enough dipes for a whole pail, so I use a MOE wetbag at home that holds 4 or 5 fitteds or AIOs. It has a little fleece thing inside you can dab essential oil on, but even with 20 drops of grapefruit oil and only 2 wet dipes, in one day the smell was unbearable. Especially if I do move on to using cds in public, is there anything I can do about the smell?

[Modesto Doula]

Smithie,
When we are home, I use wet bags only until we get a couple dipes, then I take them out to the pail. Most of the time, I just take them straight to the pail. When we are going out all day, i use a deo disk or in a pinch, sometimes I sprinkle a tiny bit of detergent or baking soda in the bag. Usually I don't and the bag only stinks at the end of the day or when I open it to put in another dipe. Also, if we have a really stinky dipe (these dont really happen until solids), I wont put it in my wet bag, it will go in a tied-shut grocery bag or Ziploc to contain it.
I've found that wet bags don't really work for long term storage... Pulling a wet bag out of my diaper bag the next day and smelling my diaper bag for three days convinced me of that!! (BTW: I put a dryer sheet in my diaper bag to get rid of that smell... It stunk, but at least it was a perfume-stink and not a pee one!)

[oceanbaby]

(I'm actually from the July group, but hope you don't mind me piping in here.)

About the rice paper liners - I bought those originally, but found them to be really scratchy so I never ended up using them. I even tried washing them first, but still didn't like the feel of them. And honestly, the poop situation has never really been a problem. I would say that maybe 1 time every 3 months a poopy diaper comes along that makes me wish it was a disposable, but considering my son has always pooped all day every day, those aren't very bad odds!

And about fancy washing routines - I can't handle that either. I just dump whatever poops falls off into the toilet (maybe sometimes grabbing some with toilet paper), and then dumping everything into a diaper pail (with a washable liner). Then every 3 days or so I throw it all in the washer. I do let it do a cold rinse first, with no detergent, and then a regular hot wash and double rinse with just a little detergent. These are all just settings on my machine, so it's not like I have to be in there dealing with it. I do the cold wash simply to cut down on stains. If you don't care about stains, then it's not necessary. And you probably don't even have to do the double rinse. I do it because it makes me feel better for some reason.

I started by ordering a sampler package from naturalbabies.com.

Oh, and honestly, besides wool, I put everything in the dryer. Okay, well lately I will take my PUL pockets and just hang them in the bathroom when they come out of the washer, but otherwise everything goes into the dryer, and I've never had a problem.

I used disposables for the first year, and have loved cloth the past two years. Now the rare times that I have put ds in a disposable diaper, he keeps grabbing at it, acting all uncomfortable. He's gotten used to nice cloth dipes now! I am starting with cloth for this baby.

[lilzark]

This is our first baby so I am new to the diaper world. But my good friend has 2 kids and she just sent me like 4 dozen (!) of these contoured diapers. I think they are the Snugglebottoms, they are hourglass shaped. They look pretty easy to use.

She also sent me a bunch of Bummis covers in small size... which brings me to my question... are these going to be much too big for a newborn or will they be ok, and what about the umbilical cord with the Bummis?

I just bought half a dozen Kissaluvs 0's to try and they came in the mail today. They are one of the most adorable things I've ever seen. I almost cried when I opened them. I saw some people on here saying Kissaluvs are not as good in larger sizes, is that due to the drying time?

Does anyone know how long the Kissaluvs 0s will fit an average newborn? I just received these and they are so precious I am already thinking about more!

[eilonwy]

I don't have any wetbags or washable diaper bags, we just use plastic grocery bags and make sure to empty them when we get home. They contain the smells just fine, and as long as you empty them promptly you don't have to worry about mildew. If, by some chance, I should someday have a collection of canvas grocery bags (wouldn't that be nice!) I suppose I'll have to start thinking about wetbags, but for now the grocery bags are just fine.

My only concern about diapering NewBean is that I'm worried I won't have enough covers. We're using prefolds, and I'm told that fitteds hold those runny poops in (and off of the covers) much better. It's not a problem, unless I don't have enough covers to change them every time she poops, kwim? Hopefully I'll collect some from the TP before she makes her debut.

[Greaseball]

I have one Kissaluvs size 2 that I used yesterday and it was fine. It was kind of bulky and maybe wouldn't fit under pants, though. Once I used it with one of those Kissaluvs boosters, and dd soaked right through it. But yesterday we used it with a Joeybunz, and only the insert got wet! So we were able to use it as an AIO, and not have to put a cover over it. They are too cute to be covered!

[Modesto Doula]

I love the way Kissaluvs look, arent they adorable? Unfortunately my DS can soak through the size 2 with one pee! Its always the one last wet dipe in the dryer, it has to be dried for like 2 hours, when my CPFs and stuffins are done in one. So I take it out and put it on the dresser for a day to dry, and usually its usuable the next day.
The little 0s are so cute though... Buttercup Baby Boutique has them on sale, I just ordered a couple. I hope I really go as late as I think I will, I'll have plenty of time for them to get here!

Grease- my DS wears a 2t shorts etc when he is in cloth, but if I put him in a sposie they will fall off of him! I had to buy him a bunch of smaller shorts when he decided he didnt want to wear cloth most of the time, and dig out shorts I thought he'd outgrown last summer (size 18 mo and 24 mo) The size 2 kissaluvs is actually trimmer than lots of othe dipes!

[irishgreengables]

Originally Posted by eilonwy

My only concern about diapering NewBean is that I'm worried I won't have enough covers. We're using prefolds, and I'm told that fitteds hold those runny poops in (and off of the covers) much better. It's not a problem, unless I don't have enough covers to change them every time she poops, kwim? Hopefully I'll collect some from the TP before she makes her debut.

When I went to stay with my kids in Haiti, prior to their homecoming, I used predolds on them both, along with velcro wraps -- and I found I could still go several changes without a new cover (just by wiping cover in between). It was only when they had really horrid poops (which they did because they both had giardia)that I needed a new cover.

Peace,

[Greaseball]

(x-post from the main thread here)
OMG...I just went through my checkbook and saw that I have spent $275 on diapers since I've been pregnant! A diaper or two here and there from the TP and from Naturalbabies! That's sort of insane...I should have made a registry at NB and sent it to my family members and let them buy all the stuff, but somehow that seemed rude.

It doesn't even seem like I have that many dipes for all the money I've spent on them. For dd, all I have are 2 pocket dipes, an AIO and a fitted, and I'm waiting on 2 more pockets and 2 fitteds. For the new one, I have a few newborn and small fitteds, maybe 10 pockets, 6 proraps, and a few AIOs. That's not that much!

I'm glad dh and I have separate checking accounts. He never has to know...

[Smithie]

I've been keeping a list of everything I've bought, lemme add it up... $150 including shipping for James' NB layette which I am hoping will last through 15 lbs. I still need inserts. I will have to call MIL and beg her to get cracking, bc James has heat rash on his little butt! Unacceptable! He must begin with CD ASAP!

[eilonwy]

I don't think I've spent more than $250 all together for Eli and NewBean. The most expensive purchases have been Eli's prefolds ($60 total for 48) and his FuzziBunz (6 @ $10 each). Oh, and once I bought a HH for $14 because I just couldn't resist and I happened to have that much in my checking account. :LOL Mostly, I've been very well behaved.

[Modesto Doula]

I think Ive been pretty good, but without looking I really couldnt tell how much Ive spent on the new little one... probably a little less than you Less though, only because I already had a bunch from DS. In bits and pieces, it can really add up for your first CD baby. I have half dozen or so HH, a couple apronstrings NB (that I will resale in a few weeks), a doz preemies, two doz infants, ten fitteds, 3-4 AIOs and a handful of assorted covers. I only bought the preemies new (cause they are cheap), everything else came from TP. I have a couple of kissaluvs 0s on the way and am hoping to score a few more, for a total cost of $9 each on those. The HH probably averaged $9 too...
The thing is, whatever I dont use, dont like, or doesnt fit can be resold. Same with your stash. Whatever I keep is less I have to buy for the next baby, and the preemie/infant prefolds will make great stuffing for years...
I already had half dozen nb proraps (which I probably wont use much if at all) and some small/med/large stuff... I really havent spent that much on DS's dipes either, a new HH every couple of months is probably all besides prefolds and bummi whisper pants.
What I look at is how long will that investment last? Through 2 children? Traded/sold for larger sizes? You would have spent more on 6 mo of sposies, I think. And you have the benefit of CDing your baby...
If you want to save cash, you have to stay away from the cute stuff and stick to your guns with prefolds and covers!! Thats tough to do!

[LizD]

I don't think I could handle so many different kinds of diapers! I like the consistency and simplicity of prefolds and diaperaps. The diaperaps covers are easy, cute enough and don't require anything really special in terms of laundering. Also prefolds can be used for a million things, burp cloth, under baby's head or hips, wiping up spills, etc. I had the hourglass kind last time but this time got the regular chinese prefolds. (In the classic How to Play 5 String Banjo, by Pete Seeger, he mentions a diaper is just right for putting in the banjo to mute the sound. You know he doesn't mean a disposable! )

If I could afford it I might get kushies AIOs for the convenience, but I had a few hand-me-downs and really, they were no different from the prefolds. If anything the prefold/cover arrangement is more flexible for different size babies and changing absorbency needs. But that's just me. Where I really go crazy is wooden and natural fiber toys.

[curlygrrl]

Originally Posted by irishgreengables

When I went to stay with my kids in Haiti, prior to their homecoming, I used predolds on them both, along with velcro wraps -- and I found I could still go several changes without a new cover (just by wiping cover in between). It was only when they had really horrid poops (which they did because they both had giardia)that I needed a new cover.

ITA with Paula on this, we didn't start having probs with covers getting dirty till DS was much older. Even then we had probably about 4 covers and could just rinse them off in the sink and they dried pretty fast so we very rarely ran out before we ran out of diapers.

Tamara

[curlygrrl]

Oh, and we used plastic grocery bags to contain dipes while we were out and about. We stuffed the diapers in there and then put it inside the dirties bag that came with our diaper bag. Usually didn't have smelly probs as long as we took them out as soon as we got home.

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by irishgreengables

When I went to stay with my kids in Haiti, prior to their homecoming, I used predolds on them both, along with velcro wraps -- and I found I could still go several changes without a new cover (just by wiping cover in between). It was only when they had really horrid poops (which they did because they both had giardia)that I needed a new cover.

Peace,

Good to know! But what about the leg openings? If the poop gets on the elastic, it won't just wipe off...