too poor for cloth diapers

[TzippityDoulah]

ok I've heard the aruement that cloth dipes are cheaper in the long run.... but I'm having trouble coming up with a lump sum to purchase any. currently my 10 old baby is in pampers and I want to put her into CDs b/c of all of the yucky stuff in the disposables. But i cant seem to get it together.

I've tried using the Seventh Generation disposies but they leak so much and fall off of her butt b/c the sticky stuff doesn't hold tight enough.

I need simple b/c I live in a tiny apartment and not much room to hang dry 400 dipes a day. but i also need cheap and reliable and something that doesn't always leak. friends have suggested Ebay but I don't know what I'm buying so I'm not sure where to start!

ok frugal mamas; I need your best suggestions and advice!

[dharmamama]

I tried flat diapers and wrap covers first, because they are inexpensive, but they did not work for us. I could not get them tight enough around my daughter's legs, so she would just pee right out the gap. My mother, who cloth diapered both of her kids in flat diapers, couldn't get them to work on my daughter either.

So I bit the bullet and bought Motherease. I love love loved them, and they only cost me $148 for the dipes and the covers. If you're going the E-bay route, I'd suggest Motherease!

Namaste!

Ps. The holidays are coming up. If your family does gifts, ask for money for cloth diapers.

[Attila the Honey]

I just wanted to say that I love flat diapers, pins and plain old plastic pants. Definitely cheap, and they dry so quickly that I can air dry them. The trick is really playing witht hem until you find a fold that works for your baby. You can sew flannel diaper inserts yourself, very easily and cheapily. Those will make them much more absorbant.

Have you tried freecycle?

[granolamom]

When my older kids were babes ( now 21, 18 and 16) I used plan old pre -folds. The gerber type you can buy anyhwhere. I would hand wash them in the bath tub and hang them up to dry. I later added some homemade ones out of old towels covered in flannel. I used pull up plastic pants. I also made doublers out of hand towels with flannel covering them.


Integrity Diaper company has a package for about $60.00. Includes prefolds and some good covers.

If you were to come up with the intitial $60.00 you would have enough to start out and then save a little each month( $20-$25) for some nice covers or an all in one here and there. Check out the diaper forum. Those mamas have great ideas. I also believe there is a post regarding the same topic. Peace to you.

[knittingmomma]

WE have not bought any new cloth diapers - used what has been given to us, and traded some.. there have been times I have had to grab a hand towel and use it with a simple vinyl cover.

You know, with cloth diapers we just accept the occasional leek.

Also, for apartment living and quick drying the simple cotton flat diapers that you have to fold and the vinyl covers would be quick and easy to wash and dry.

Don't beat yourself up... buy or trade what you can and build up slowly.

Best wishes,

[Melissaak]

You could buy flour sack towels and use those as flats. They are $1 a piece and easily available. Definitely have to play with it to get the perfect fit but practice makes perfect.

[dharmamama]

Originally Posted by knittingmomma

You know, with cloth diapers we just accept the occasional leek.

My kids always leaked more in disposables than they did in cloth. In fact, once I was using Motherease, I think, between my two kids, we had three leaks. This is not a plug for ME, just a reminder that you don't have to put up with leaks just because you are using cloth.

Namaste!

[Momtwice]

You mentioned Pampers.

While you are gradually making the transition to cloth,

check into store brands in grocery stores, discount buying clubs, pharmacies etc. I used to buy occasional disposables and I almost never spent the money to buy a name brand.

The savings could be put into buying cloth a little at a time.

[jackson'smama]

i was lucky enough to be given 3 dozen chinese prefolds. were you to buy them, i think they are around 20-25 a dozen, so that's 75. i use nylon pullon pants from babies r us. they breathe better than the plastic/vinyl in my opinion. they sell for 3.99 for 2 pairs. i have 4 for my 11 month old son. we started with velcro covers and i didn't feel that laying a diaper in a cover and putting it on without pins provided good enough coverage. so, we pin prefolds on and most times i line them with folded up gerber flats (12 for $12). you could easily get plenty to last you (provided you launder about every 2-3 days) for $100 or less.
you don't have to buy fancy stuff. and even if you just bought a dozen a month, your baby would be in cloth in under four months! we did sposies for the first 2 weeks due to size issues and the cord stump. we spent $50 just in that time for pampers. just see it as a phase-out of sposies and a phase-in of cloth and you'll be there in no time! good luck!

[westernmamomma]

I use prefolds and covers as well. You can pick up a package of inexpensive prefolds at target for about $15 for 12. They're not the best, but they work for the beginning. Make sure you don't buy the birdseye ones, they're not as absorbant. I bought some covers on ebay, they're proraps which were about $15 for 3. With covers, you don't have to change them with each diaper unless they get poop on them, so you could conceviably use 2 covers a day. Which would let you wash them daily and keep them in rotation. The other cost saving measure I've done is using cloth wipes. You can make them yourself or use washcloths that you already have, small change, but can save you use huge in the long run.

[oetien]

Buy used diapers.. there's trading post in here, but you haven't posted enough, so I suggest you go to www.diaperswappers.com for that.
JennInSeattle makes diapers for moms in need, just send her a pm!

I don't think CD-ing is more expensive than using disposables (unless you talk about hyena stuff), just give it a try. Good luck!

[crazy_eights]

And you certainly won't go through even 1/2 of '400 a day'! Most people need (I'm not talking hyena 'need') around 2 doz. and do laundry every 2 - 3 days.

[gratefulbambina]

I also vote for One Size Motherease so you dont have to keep getting them as she grows & if you have any more babies they are for both genders

[pixiexto]

I can't see how prefolds & covers would cost more than disposables. Until our first DD was 2, we lived in an apartment with no washer/dryer. For the first six months, we actually did her diapers by hand in the bathtub! I'm not doing a "more CD-ier than though" thing, just encouraging you that it *can* be done if you wish to do it.

Prefolds are really easy to wash out, and when we were hand-washing them we'd do it every two days. Sure, it was work, but I got used to it. Later on, we did begin to use the laundromat which was in some ways more convenient and in some ways less.

[TzippityDoulah]

wow!!!!

Wow such wonderful suggestions!!! Thanks everyone!

just a few comments I wanted to make:

Jackson'smama: I have NO idea where you got your pampers but a newborn package would last me nearly 2.5weeks at 17-18$. that's craziness!!

oetien: how many posts do you have to have before you can trade? I didn't even know about that option!

Momtwice: I liked the idea of switching to store brand, but honestly the only reason i used pampers is b/c she is a heavy wetter and every other brand i have tired i end up changing her every 30 mins and i go thru them at lightening speed is seems. plus they fall apart and leak everywhere! good thought though!

as for now, I've tried freecycle... so I'm moving on the ebay and that diapertrading place someone suggested.

if you have anymore suggestions keep them coming!

my biggest worry? well... I have a wiggly hyper baby - to give you an idea: she is 10 mos old and she's ON TOP of climing furniture, trying to open doors, walking, hanging and doing chin ups off the sides of the kitchen table etc... she's a dangerous little girl! I've never seen anything like it! do I even need to describe diaper changing!? she goes into full throttle tossing turning and crying. I want something fast b/c we flings her whole body off the table or couch... and well you get the idea! so I'm thinking pins and stuff wont do - I need something faster so I'm looking into those snappy things and motherease I suppose!

[crazy_eights]

Originally Posted by punkymoma"

my biggest worry? well... I have a wiggly hyper baby - to give you an idea: she is 10 mos old and she's ON TOP of climing furniture, trying to open doors, walking, hanging and doing chin ups off the sides of the kitchen table etc... she's a dangerous little girl! I've never seen anything like it! do I even need to describe diaper changing!? she goes into full throttle tossing turning and crying. I want something fast b/c we flings her whole body off the table or couch... and well you get the idea! so I'm thinking pins and stuff wont do - I need something faster so I'm looking into those snappy things and motherease I suppose!

Sounds like Mothersease one-size with a doubler (since you have a heavy wetter) will be your best bet. There are usually a ton running around used. Good luck!

[oldcrunchymom]

When my kids were babies, most of the all-in-one kinds of CDs weren't out, so we just used wraps and flats/prefolds. I found that Nikky poly covers and flat terry/flannel diapers worked best. For the beginning, you could make due with a couple covers by rotating them and airing them out between uses, and maybe a dozen diapers. Then you could add a cover or two each month.

You might also try calling local diaper services as they will often sell their used extras for cheap. We got a big bag of prefolds that way.

[chel]

I want to second the Motherease stuff. The one-size fit my dd from a little after birth to 3.5yrs (often to loose at the legs for newborns). My dd was 23lbs at 2yrs. Even though ME claim 35lbs I feel that 30lbs was more the limits and my dd was on the skinny side. By starting at 10m your actually might be helping your situation as many babies grow quickly during the first year and slow down to a crawl for the next 1-2 yrs.
My best cheap cover tips is some I got of weebees (possible under a new name now) It was a snap cover with PUL on the inside and possible nylon on the outside (clear like vinyl, no prints). I could wash and pat dry and put right back on dd. Depending on how your dc is eating you are probably close to the end of the running breastfeed poop.
I also went the liner route so I could adjust absorbency as needed.

[oetien]

Originally Posted by punkymoma

oetien: how many posts do you have to have before you can trade? I didn't even know about that option!

You need to be a member for 60 days and post at least 50, I think! If you want, you can just post silly things around, like welcoming new members or something.. :LOL (sorry for a silly suggestion )

[carla72]

I also love motherease. I have never had one leak in 16 months. I have the onesize my daughter is a big girl and I think she can use them till she toilet trains. I get away with two covers. They have saved me so much money but the start up cost is expensive.