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Cloth Diapers

12K views 95 replies 27 participants last post by  mehndi mama 
#1 ·
I thought I'd move the cloth diaper talk to its own thread, so it'll be easier to find information again. I know there's probably lots of info elsewhere on the boards,but it's nice to have a conversation about it w/mamas we kind of "know," right?

So... let's see. I cloth diapered right away with my first. I was a bit scared but it turned out to be no big thing. I'm so glad I did - they were a lot cheaper, even with some nice ones, than disposables. We never ran out in the middle of the night. The prefolds have come in handy for other things. They didn't stink like a lot of disposables did. And we found it easier to clean a poopy baby in cloth than plastic - partly because you can use the clean parts of the diaper to wipe the baby's bottom before you use the wipes, and partly because with cloth, more poop ended up on the diaper and less on the baby than with plastic.
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A couple things to remember starting out:

* It's easiest if you find someone else (a service, dh, or a very very very good friend) to wash the diapers the first month, if you've never tried it before.

* The first couple days of meconium (tar-like poop, excess blood cells? something odd) are nasty. Using disposable liners (available at most online diaper sellers) or disposables at first keep your diapers from getting stained.

* Cloth diapers need a waterproof outer layer or a cover. This sounds basic but some people don't know. The layer can be plastic, PUL, wool, nylon, or fleece. If any of the diaper sticks out from under the cover, pee will wick from the diaper onto the baby's clothes, yuck.
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A great website: www.diaperpin.com
My website that is a bit out of date but has some info on washing and arranging things and such: http://real.oddfriday.com/Odd%20Frid...aos-index.html and click "diapers" on the left.

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We used cloth wipes. I bought flannel baby blankets at thrift stores and cut them up. Some people hem them but I never bothered. I washed them with the dipes.

I didn't have a wipe warmer because my son didn't react to cold water. I dipped the clean wipes in a dish of water with a couple drops each Dr. Bronner's soap and tea tree oil as I need them.

In the diaper bag I kept zip lock bags, clean wipes, diapers, and a small squeeze bottle of water w/soap and tt oil.
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Dh is giving me evil looks because he just bought some hardware he desperately wants to install.... washing info later (or check my site).

-sofia
 
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#77 ·
Joy, my dh was nervous about pins and prefolds (not that you have to pin them, but boy does it keep in bf poop!) but got over it quickly. The main thing that caused problems for him and my mother was that I had so many different types of diapering systems going that they got confused and more or less refused to try and figure it out - after washing diapers I was the only one who could pre-assemble or sort them, so that others could use them.
 
#78 ·
If money were no issue - I'd get a bunch more Loveybum Organic Velour fitteds - they are soooooo soft and squishy, can't wait to use them. And I would also get some more Tykie fitteds - I got my first Tykie dipe in the other day and it's gorgeous, she did a really beautiful job. As far covers go I'm wool soaker fan so I would get a bunch of wool soakers, I'd like to try some of the wrap around kind.
 
#79 ·
Okay, so to my earlier stash... now i've had added...

1 doz UBCPF's - teeny tiny ones, they've gotta be premie or infant
5 doz Flats in 2 different sizes. holy cow.
3 newborn covers... sorta look like prowraps, but they are a different brand
2 small rubber pants
2 small covers
1 small fitted
5 nb kissaluv contours
 
#81 ·
I haven't heard of any sanitary risks involved with used CD. Most of my stash I aquired from my sister and my friend. I would think that so long as they are washed correctly they would be fine. You may want to post this question on the CD section of MDC.

Take care! Enjoy CDing!
 
#82 ·
My whole thought on the used cloth dipes is... well, they're going to be pooped in. Do they really need to be brand new? I mean we wash them first, right. I think its fine.
But i'm a HUGE fan of re-using. MOST of my stash is used, to be honest.

And... i have to confess, i just went to BrU and bought a dresser/changing table with gift cards and shower cash.... Not because we needed the changing table persay but because I've run out of storage places for my cloth dipes and want them all in one place.
 
#83 ·
I've been asked that before about used diapers and no offense but I don't really get the question... like wtchyhlr said - they are there to be pooped in!!! :LOL I can't see any health issues with using used dipes, if there were then diaper services probably wouldn't be available as those are all used dipes. KWIM?
 
#84 ·
Hi -

I just popped over here from the diapering forum (saw thread under 'new posts'). I don't know if this has been suggested as I haven't read the whole thread, but I think you need to get this archived in diapering. There is tonnes of information here!

I am a cd newbie (have a 14 mo daughter), and I have been reading obsessively. There is lots of info right here on this one thread that I've been looking for, even just in the first page! There are lots of newbies who come to diapering (myself included) who ask the 'where do I start?' Well, here is the answer!
 
#85 ·
Ok, I'm diving in - this week for sure!

I have decided to go with the wahm who now also has a brick and mortar store. http://www.extraordinarybabyshoppe.com A while back, I ordered a variety of different cds to be able to see/feel them for myself.

I was going to go to http://www.diaper-eez.com/, where Shannon and dh got such excellent customer service, but somehow this weekend the information clicked, and I feel confident going with the options available through my original source, even though she is far away (a 6-hour drive). I may need to drop by Shannon's to get a demo on the folding, but if not, there are people in town I can call (the childbirth educator/doula who ran my prenatal class, the LLL leader..).

So, I will go over some questions I still have with Susie at extraordinarybabyshoppe, but I think this is what I've decided to start with:

2-3 dozen CPF, infant size
2 small aristocrat soakers
4 nb covers - Bummis and/or ProWraps
2 kissaluvs nb

Once babe is here, I will see if I want more of the kissaluvs nb or Wonderoos, for the nb stage.

I will likely wait until babe is bigger for a big investment in fitteds or pockets. Plus, I imagine, larger CPFs. I'll see how the ones I have work. Currently, for trial, I have:
1 Wonderoos one-size pocket
1 kissaluvs fitted size 1 (babies 10-25 lbs)
1 Sugar Peas 2-size diaper, size 1 (Babies 6-20 lbs.)
1 Med Sugar Peas snap-in diaper
1 Med Sugar Peas wool flannel cover (14 - 24 lbs.)
1 Med Sugar Peas wool jersey cover (14 - 24 lbs.)
1 Motherease sample (dipe, cover, doubler)
2 wahm (ecomum) hemp/cotton fitted diapers
4 wahm (ecomum) hemp/cotton CPFs
4 wahm (ecomum) hemp/cotton doublers
2 kissaluvs doublers
 
#86 ·
Just thought I'd pop in and tell you all that even though it's only been a couple of days I am just LOVING using fluff on a newborn.

So far the Kissaluvs are my favorite - they are so soft and they fit really well. I also totally love my one Tykie fitted
will definetly be getting more of those when I need dipes.

I've only been using a cover at night because he doesn't soak through and I just keep feeling to see if he's wet and change him right away. So far that's worked out great. The only cover I've been using is a Bridget's wool soaker because it's super soft and fits well. A lot of the newborn covers I have are clearly too big even though Max was a big baby (8 lbs, 14 ounces).

Also wanted to share my intense love of cloth wipes - OMG these things totally rock. I've been using a warmer and it's so cute the way Max reacts, he doesn't like being cold so he will start to cry when I take his dipe off but as soon as that warm wipe touches his butt he stops and is all content! :LOL The wipes I have are velour and sherpa - the velour side instantly takes off meconium (not n easy task - that stuff is like plaster).

I will start taking pics of the different dipes to share and will post when it's all set.
 
#87 ·
That's funny, I was going to post about what I'm loving too! Kissaluvs still seem pretty huge on Hazel, but she's growing in to them. I'm REALLY feelling the XS Fuzzibunz love. So much that I'm seriously considering going to an all FB stash. Although I have so many other things right now that I need her to outgrow first, I think. Well, I'm currently bidding on a bunch of them, so we'll see what, if anything, I win.
 
#90 ·
I'm actually a bit frustrated...I have a decent stash of diapers sitting unused while my 3 week old wears disposables...

Not one of the diapers I have fits!! I have infant CPFs with small bummi's whisper (snaps), I have one fuzzi bunz (small) which I can put on him but which is so bulky he lies inverted when he wears it. I have wonderoos which slide right off him and some wahms called "sweet cheeks" which are fitteds with fleece pull on covers. The diapers sort of fit, but the covers are so bulky I can't snap his pants!

Sooo, any suggestions, other than continue to wait for ds to grow?? I didn't buy any newborn diapers because I knew I'd have a baby over 8lbs and most diapers said small would fit...however, he's now over 9lbs and still in disposables. ??? UGH!!
 
#91 ·
my dypes are all clean and ready to go though they were given to me by a friend. some cpf with covers and a couple pocket dypes maybe? i also have a set from motherease but the crotch of the cover is like five inches wide and i can't comprehend how that would fit my dainty dd LOL!

is it necessary to use pins or a snappi with cpf and a cover? i'm so nervous LOL and am so clueless.
 
#92 ·
Susan,
I'm not sure if our babies are just shaped really differently, but Hazel is not yet 9 pounds and can wear both FB size small and Wonderoos. What are you stuffing them with? The MOE inserts or hemp inserts are really trim, whereas PF's will be bulkier. You might try the fitteds you have with the bummis covers, or other covers that are trimmer than fleece. It seems that many CD'ing families just buy clothes a size larger to cover the baby's diaper, but you can also search the diapering forum for suggestions for the trimmest diapers. I find the FB's really trim. Also, if you're new to CD'ing (like me) everything seems super huge and bulky at first, because you're used to the look of disposables. You get used to it.
 
#94 ·
Hey Susan...
Dominic is 22 1/2 inches long and 8lbs 6 oz as of last friday. He's long and thin too... what is working BEST for us is Fuzzibuns, size small, stuffed with one joeybunz. Also up there are kissaluv's contour's size newborn with a sugarpeas fleece cover. He just despises being wet, so pocket dipes with the fleece inside are working best for us. i totally didn't believe fleece wicked moisture away... i'm now a believer...


Joy
 
#95 ·
I am jumping in on this thread; I can't believe I hadn't seen it before! Joe is about 16 pounds now, at 8 weeks old, and has already outgrown some of his small diapers. (They're up for sale on the TP Diapers forum; I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link so I won't, but you can search for it under my username if interested.) What's working for him right now are the small Fuzzi Bunz and prefolds inside Sugar Peas wool covers. Fuzzi Bunz are the only diapers my dh can figure out for some reason
so I bought 15 of those to start with. Gotta have diapers the man can use so that he can change diapers! I am already at the last snap around the thighs, though, and they leave red marks, so I imagine he'll be ready to go up in size soon. That sucks 'cause I spent a lot of $$ on those FBs and he's only 8 weeks old! I guess chunky thighs run in the family :LOL or maybe it's just he and I!

What I do need is a good wool soaker. I have a friend who is going to make me some soakers, but until she can get to them I want to have at least one for overnight. I still have to change him twice a night or we wake up soaked. We're already waking up soaked in breastmilk and spitup, so maybe a little pee wouldn't hurt anything.
Any recommendations for a soaker? They're so spendy I am afraid to try anything in case it doesn't work well. Maybe I'll just go with an Aristocrat since I know those work. I just wanted something a little prettier.
 
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