cding from the start (for *Amy*)

[crsta33]

This was on the thread about preparing for baby and I thought it deserved it's own thread

Originally Posted by *Amy*

Oh that reminds me too - I wanted to ask you cloth diapering mamas, do you bring some CDs to the hospital too? I guess since we're at a birth center and Brynn will be rooming in with us, they won't like take her away to the nursery or anything, so they won't be putting sposies on her. Just wondering if there is anything specific I should know. Or bring.

If you want to avoid sposies completely, bring your CDs with you. Although, meconium will stain your cloth pretty badly. I think you can put some sort of liner in them to protect them from that tarry poop though...something disposable like kleenex (that might not be sturdy enough, I'm not sure...a really soft paper towel might work though) or maybe bits of fleece or some pieces of cloth that you don't mind getting stained.

I haven't decided if I'm going to put Landon immediately in cloth, or if I'm going to use sposies until the mec is gone.

Christa

[BensMom]

You can get microfleece from Joanns and cut small strips from it to line the dipes. It runs around $10/yd, and with a 40% off coupon, you could get 1/2 yd for pretty cheap. So even if you wanted to throw them away afterwards, it didnt cost you very much.

But personally, I will probably use disposies for those first few days, just because I would like a couple days repreive from *having* to do laundry. But we'll see. Maybe I will be tempted to just cover that cute little butt in cloth right from the start.

Plus, if you are birthing at a birth center (Amy?) I think they send you home within 6 or so hours, so its not like you will use that many cloth dipes in that time. If you were staying 48 hours at a hospital, you might be coming home with a big bag of poopy diapers.

[MrsMoe]

I would also use disposables for the first while - while you are recovering and getting to know baby- this way you are not discouraged.

[Queen of Cups]

I'm planning on starting using cloth as soon as I feel up to carrying a load of laundry down to the basement where our washer and dryer are located. The first 2-4 days I'll just use sposies, then switch. I figure I'll go through the one back of sposies the hospital provides, and then I'll go into my cloth. I'm not buying any newborn sposies - and it feels so good not to have to!

[zjande]

I like to use cloth right from the very start. I prefer never use disposables really. We use a diaper svc though so there's no laundry worries for me. I'll be bringing cloth to the hosp. with me.

[Kavita]

I got a pack of Tushies in nb size for the first few days until the meconium is gone and someone is up to doing laundry. I have heard mixed reports on how easy or hard meconium is to get out of diapers, but I have seen it stain some other things a bit, so I figure I'd rather keep the cloth diapers pristine at least for the first week! :-) Besides which a home birth does produce a few extra loads of laundry anyway--sheets, towels, washcloths, etc., and I don't want to start Mt. Washmore in the laundry room!

[flapjack]

Meconium will come out in a boil wash, or even at 60 degrees, apparently. When I asked over in diapering the mamas said it didn't stain, and this is backed up by people over here. (Breastmilk poo, otoh, does. But then you knew this already, right?)
I'm using muslin flats for the first week or so which were a) either cheap or free, and b) I can dye them dark colours for their primary function as burp cloths, bibs and whatnot if I need to. They also wash really easily, and there's a lot less gumph to be around the cord if you fold them right. Plus, if they end up in the bin, I could care more. TBH, I'm more worried about covers- what size? Small- or newborn? (Please, someone tell me what to do!)

[*Amy*]

Thanks Christa (and everyone)! Well maybe I just won't worry about it and I will use sposies for the first couple of days. Either that or buy some fleece, like Helen suggested. Yes, I will be at a birth center so our stay will be short if all goes well.

[DreamsInDigital]

I have some birdseye flats and hand me down covers I plan to use for the first diapers. I am really against the idea of bringing a newborn into the world and putting sposies on their bums first thing so cloth it is, no matter how yucky.

[Gunter]

I had just thought that I would use cloth from the beginning but had not thought about meconium or wanting to avoid laundry. I guess diapers are for dirtying, ultimately! Definately will use the prefolds or flats at first though.

And, what's a good hubby or best friend for if they can't do a few loads of laundry? Maybe I should print and posti directions on how to wash diapers though! My MIL will be around, too and she's really good at cleaning up for us; we've already talked about what her role will be at birth and after the birth. (She won't be in the room, as we plan it but she will be there to help with all the other little details like food, laundry, making coffee and walking the dog.)

[Slackermom]

When DD was born, we used disposables for the first week or so. I was too freaked out to used my cloth stash! I needed time to get used to everything else, and was having serious issues with letting people do stuff for me -- I have NO such issues this time!

This time, we'll be using cloth right from the get-go. MIL or DH will be doing the laundry. We always use a fleece liner in the dipes (just make them myself, as a pp suggested, easy and cheap), and we never had issues with staining.