So I didn't know where to start either. I have 3 kids, they are 8, 5, and 19 months. I always wanted to cloth diaper but I was just really scared it would be really hard, time consuming, gross... really it's not any of those. I got started out of pure need because my son is going through medical troubles and it just costs a lot to drive around to specialists. But I found The Rebecca Foundation at (they won't let me post the link... but it's cloth for all dot com without the spaces) who helped me get started with a day's worth of cloth for my son, and since I have been slowly building my own stash. I found this app called PatPat that has really cheap stuff especially cloth diapers. Seriously though, some of the diapers the foundation sent me were these china cheapies as people call them and some were Fuzzibums and other "expensive" brands, and the china ones are really great. Anyways.... here's a code for PatPat to get you $5 off your first order and free shipping. It'll at least give you the chance to give a diaper a try for little out of pocket. Most are $5.99 to $8.99 a piece so you'll spend $1-$3 out of pocket for that first order. I think it's totally worth a shot because of the money you can save in the long run. Honestly I wish I had started when my eldest was a baby, we'd probably have more money in savings for our kids. It's easiest on your phone just download the app and on the checkout screen type in Promo Code cvwEN3
Here are my recommendations! At 4 months, you probably could go right into one-size diapers. Since writing the article, I have found a better pail liner: Rumparooz.
We used covers and flat diapers very much the same as my parents used on us 50 years ago. I think they're called trifolds? I got the cheapest covers I could find on the internet, which were Proraps. They worked fantastic. Honestly, our cloth diapers leaked less than the disposables (we used those on trips), especially with the liquid poops of little babies. Came in different sizes and we worked our way up. We got diapers from this place:
They also sent us a great informational handout with the diapers. There are cheaper diapers out there, but these were very nice and soft, and our kiddos both had sensitive skin.
We did not use a fancy diaper pail. We used a little plastic trash can with a hinged lid from Home Depot or Target, and lined it with cloth sacks that we washed with the diapers. We wiped out the trash can with vinegar pretty often, but that was easy. It never got as gross as you'd suspect it might have - only if there was too much liquid left for too long. The trash can joined us in other roles after our kids left diapers - it is unscathed by its experience. The key was the cloth sacks, which were technically very thin, low-quality laundry bags, don't remember where from.
Washing them was the biggest challenge. Our daughter was sensitive to a lot of laundry products. We ended up using something recommended by greenmountaindiapers, Charlie's Soap, which we have stuck with for environmental reasons. It doesn't have reflective oils and particles to make your clothes appear "brighter," but we're happy about that. We always scraped very clean, then washed with Charlie's and non-Chlorine bleach. We have a high-efficiency front loader so the environmental tradeoff of water use vs. landfill seemed good. The financial benefit was tremendous.
If you have the opportunity, pick up some used ones and give them a try before going all-in on a system. We had a diaper service in town when our first child was born, and that was our introduction to both Proraps and the process of changing cloth diapers with covers without committing to buying the supplies.
We alternated between disposable and cloth. Our son ended up preferring the cloth as they were softer and less bulky when he began crawling but we still used disposable if we were going to be out all day. I would definitely recommend giving it a try! Saved a lot of money in the long run, even with the cost of a diaper service.
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