Need advice on starting CD w/older infant

I wanted to jump in on this for a few reasons....1 being I am brand new to this too! Its nice to have company on this confusion journey! LOL My dd is also 10 months old and I seriously started about a week ago.

And I thought I'd could share what I've done so far and also see what others had for advice to offer.

So far I've found this site and www.diaperpin.com very helpful. You can see all kinds of product reviews there and that has helped immensly! It sorts them by rating or you can enter a brand and read all kinds of stuff about them. I wish I had found that forum sooner.

I agree its very confusing, but I think the advice about starting slow is best.

So far I only have 4 diapers and they are all happy heinys (2 regular pockets and 2 happy hempys). I bought the hempy stuffins to insert in to them and I'm waiting on my aristocrat wool cover to put on the hempy pockets at night.

I wished I had 12 dipes before I even bothered to start using them, because 4 just doesn't cut it! LOL And of course I wash Sat night and try to have them all ready for when she gets up the next day so I can use again on Sunday! LOL

I am partial to the Happy Heiny's at the moment, but I'm feeling brave and would like to branch out and try some others. I'm looking at the organic valour fitteds by loveybums www.loveybums.com at the moment and also the happy heiny fitted dipes. I do have some small prefolds too that I can add to my pockets if I think dd needs a little extra in there. That's the beauty of the pockets you can stuff them with whatever you want (some woman suggested the micro terry towels found in the automotive section at walmart) its whatever works for you.

I have heard with the HH's the solids are not as prone to leaking or wicking like the prints, but prints are ok for day use and solids for day or night.

Lots of neat stuff out there! I'm having a blast learning about it all!

I'd suggest Fuzzi Bunz, Very Baby AIOs, Magic Alls AIOs or Swaddlebees for a first timer Measure your babies waist, thighs, and rise(Crotch length) so you can get the best fit. My dd can wear mediums in some brands and larges in others.

Oh, don't just go and buy a dozen of one brand before you try it out first to make sure it works for you and your baby Cloth diapers are like shopping for a pair of jeans. Some fit better then others!

I started cd'ing when dd was 10 months old, too! She was a little bit bigger than your baby, but not much. We started with larges and she's still in the same size nearly 10 months later. I bought mostly Fuzzi Bunz and AIO's (all-in-one's). I added random fitteds here & there, then some prefolds and covers (wool, PUL).

For us, what has worked best is the prefolds & wool/PUL, with a few AIOs for diaper bag use.

Prefolds & covers can be a little more work (finding the folds that work best for your baby, snappi'ing/pinning if necessary), but I've found the laundry to be much easier than when I had a big variety. I finally bought some Iindian prefolds (as opposed to Chinese) and find them to be MUCH, MUCH softer! I wish I'd gotten them months ago.

DD is coverless most of the time we're at home. When we're out & about, she's in either PFs and wool or Bummis Super Whisper Wraps or an AIO.

My absolute, no holds barred favorite AIO is from The Enchanted Nursery. They are very hard to come by, though, and I don't know any that are comparable.

I hope that helps some. It can be VERY overwhelming at first, and may quickly become addictive.

Have fun!

I started CD'ing DD when she was 6 or 7 months old. I was "afraid" to try prefolds at that time so we started with fuzzi bunz. I still love fuzzi bunz, but I have branched out and now use all sorts of things. I think its a good idea to try one thing though because it can be extremely overwhelming at first. If you decide to go with a pocket type diaper like fuzzi bunz or swaddlebees or happy heinys then you can get some of those and decide which fits best on your baby. If you decide to go with fitteds or prefolds then you would also need covers. There are alot of choices! One thing I have learned in my years of cd'ing is that what works for one baby may not work for another so don't go buy a huge amount until you've tried one of that item to make sure it fits your baby. Good luck!
Amy

I used a service up until nine months, so similar starting point to you (and quite economical, since she's just into med sizes, and is growing much more slowly).

I'd assume you'll change him every couple of hours on average, and most people seem to wash every 2 or 3 days - so 20 or so should be enough. size will depend on the brands/styles. in some it's important to look at measurements as well as weight.

Assuming you already know the different types and their pros and cons, I'd have a good hard think about how much things like drying time, convenience, the ability to go coverless and being able to get everything very clean matter to you.

I'd get a little bit of everything to start with, so you can try it all out and see what you like.

My preference is for things that are quick to dry and easy to clean, so I rule out AIOs. I like being able to go coverless, so I like the idea of a fitted, but the slow drying, etc makes me prefer a non-waterproof pocket.

If you were me, I'd get a dozen prefolds (and trim them), incorporate some receiving blankets into my stash as flats (to try), one prorap cover (velcro), one bummis super whisper wrap cover (either snap or velcro) and one imse vimse night cover (velcro), one fuzzibunz (snap), one happy heiny (velcro), one swaddlebees (either snap or velcro) - inserts (some hemp and some microfibre for those three pockets), and one or two fitteds.

That way, you can try them all out, while jumping straight into full time cloth but with stash to build. If you don't like the prefolds you can just have them as backup - $24 is a small investment, or you can make them into fitteds, or cut them down and use as stuffing for pockets or sell them. You also get to try velcro and snap closures, and different fabrics. I thought I'd love microfibre, but I love hemp instead! The pockets I thought I'd love, I don't, and the ones I thought I'd just try - I love. And you can bet it'll all change as she grows.

One-size-fits-all fitteds will get you from here to toilet training with just 2 or 3 rounds of cheap pull-on covers in increasing sizes. This route is much cheaper than pocket diapers. Also, while a lot of people like the microfiber fleece's dry feeling and easy cleaning, as far as I can tell (after extensive searching and posting questions) it has NEVER been tested for safety, and tiny synthetic fibers on delicate organs sound like trouble to me....

I recommend Mother-Ease diapers: soft fabric, durable construction, plenty of snaps for a great fit, unbleached cotton. Their covers are all right, but the only covers I really like (and we tried half a dozen) are the cheapest: Dappi nylon pull-on pants. As long as you get them pulled into place all the way around, they do not leak, even if every square inch of the diaper is totally saturated! Nice soft leg and waist bands, too. They wash up well with a squirt of liquid hand soap and a quick rubbing--no need to machine wash, and they air-dry in just a few hours.

The other one-size fitted diapers we like are Dri-Line Snug-to-Fit. The fabric is just flannel, not as soft as Mother-Ease, but they're just as absorbent and durable, at a lower price! They come in cute prints too.

We have 40 diapers and 4 covers. I only have to wash every 4th day! We typically have 1 cover on him, 1 on the changing table ready for next time, 1 in the diaper bag, and 1 drying on the towel rack.