What has your diapering evolution been like?

We started with prefolds and vinyl pants. Didn't work because of leaks and my inability to pin properly. Tried Kushies with the vinyl pants, still leaked. So I quit.
Then I bought a big lot of Bumkins, Kissaluvs, Bummis, Snug to Fits and Proraps on ebay (whole lot of white diapers!) and fell in love with CDing. I wish I still had that person's email to thank her!
Since then though I only have the Bummis left and have switched to all WAHM type dipes, plus a few Fuzzi Bunz. I thought I would be a pocket/AIO person, but I use 99% fitteds. I used my PFs when they fit my DS (they're too small now).
My newest thing is hemp, and one size diapers!
But I am not a real hyena . Just too expensive. I buy mostly gently used diapers to save $ and then buy new ones of the ones I .

My cd experience started when my dad saw a case of diapers for sale at a garage sale for $5. He bought them and sent them to me. He thought they were disposables. Nope. They were gerber ez covers with 35 contour diapers. I didn't know what I had, so I started getting some info, and decided I needed some smaller diapers as the contours did not fit well in the smallest covers. I found orangestarfish.com where I could try several different types of diapers at once, and pay one shipping fee. Then I started buying auction "lots" to avoid those one by one shipping fees. Once I had a decent amount of diapers, I started buying diapers and covers one by one based on my "I want to try one of those", or "my God that is gorgeous" need. I don't stalk wahm often, but I have before. Right now, I am back to buying in "lots" so I can increase Angelo's stash as I had sold off some of Emilio's smaller diapers that I didn't REALLY love. (I only saved the really great ones because of storage issues). That is pretty much where I am at right now, but this morning, I realized that I might someday have two in larges at the same time. Emilio is only 11 months, but he was in a large by 5 months I think. That might cause me to buy more larges than I have right now. We will have to see how that plays out.

Well technically I started out the cloth diapering evolution in this house with a set of 5 kooshies ultras ...I say technically because they were so awful that I barely ever used them and wound up using disposables for the first 3 months of my dd's life (I hated using them ...the huge bags of waste ...the stench of the chemicals .... and all those horrible little gel beads in my baby's precious little parts ...UGH!!!!!!!!! It was litterally depressing .... some people get post partum depression ....I had disposable diaper depression). Fortunately for my dd and I I had become part of a large array of women online over the course of my pregnancy ...and I got up the nerve to ask a friend who I knew was using cloth ....where she bought her stuff (there was NOTHING local ... no one uses cloth anymore right?) My good friend put me in touch wit www.earthbaby.com outside of seattle and it was there that we REALLY began our cloth diapering evolution ...we started out with 24 premium sized prefolds (should have gone with the Infant but didn't know any better at the time!) and 8 Bumpy covers (2 night and 6 day) ... We only ever used four of the day covers so I wound up selling two of them unused. Bumpy covers were AWESOME ...I still think they're one of the best on the market (and that's after having tried just about everything else over the past 2 years). However the prefolds were HUGE ... I used them anyways ...but I HATED how bulky they were and I grew to despise having to fold them and snappi them onto dd's wiggly little bum ... I couldn't afford to buy any fitted diapers though so I convinced dh that I could learn to sew to make better ones for her ... we bought a sewing machine at the local thrift shop and off I went. I have tried just about every type of cloth diaper available in the cd world fromAIO's to pockets to fitteds and covers ... I have also made just about every type of diaper available ... our favorites didn't ever stay the same until recently. Currently dh's favorites are the pocket diapers that I made for Sahara from microfleece and lightweight windpro ...and my favorites are some combo of my diapers or fitted diapers like FCB and RB and a wool cover/soaker.

Well, my evolution took place mostly in my head! I knew I wanted to CD before my son was born, when I saw a MOE ad in Mothering, and those FB just looked so sweet! So I was looking into it, but then I found SO much information and my DH wasn't very enthusiastic, and I kind of got overwhelmed and backed off the idea. Then when Devy was about 5 months old, I decided to just bite the bullet. I was waiting for payday to buy my initial stash, so I had almost two weeks to surf the net and decide what to get started with. We sell Bumkins where I work, and I knew I didn't want those. At first I wanted to do all FB, but then I decided they were too expensive. I didn't like the idea of not being able to reuse the shell/cover part. Just seemed wasteful to me. I knew I couldn't afford fitteds, so I skipped right to prefolds and covers. I almost ordered Bummis covers about a million times, but then I found WAHM stuff and figured, why not get PUL covers for just as cheap as Bummis, but with cute prints and support a WAHM at the same time? So I ordered 18 UBIPFs, 3 Bee-Bo's PUL covers with cute print outers, 2 snappis, and a lot from Ebay that had a couple of FBs, a PUL AIO, a butt sweater that could never possibly fit a human baby, and a couple of proraps. The only thing I use from the Ebay lot is the AIO, for a swim dipe, and some Polar Babies happy pants. The FB went back to Ebay, just didn't like stuffing lol, the butt sweater went into the garbage, and the proraps went into storage for the next babe because they run teeny. Now I have found the wonderful world of dyed PFs, and ool . and I finally got some AIOs that don't suck, thanks to the TP!

I started out with a dozen Kooshies, a dozen prefolds, and about 6 vinyl pants. I used the prefolds as doublers w/the Kooshies and I didn't have a nighttime system so I used sposies at night. Then I found MDC and jumped into the world of "other dipes." I sold my Kooshies on eBay, gave the pf's to a mom who needed burp cloths, and gave the vinyl pants to Ross's babysitter at the time.

I moved on to Luke's Drawers and still have one left. It's a beloved John Deere tractor print and I'll keep it forever. It's a very special diaper for some reason.

From there I have tried just about everything and my current favorites are Sugarpeas, MuttaQin Baby, my Bridget's soakers, Knickernappies for nighttime, Cloud 9 Softies, and Celestial Baby. I think I'm finally happy with my stash and won't be buying for awhile unless there's something I totally can't live without.

Yikes -- this may take me a while!

I started with all organic cotton contours and dappi covers (yuk on the covers). I also had 6 infant CPFs and two Bumpy night covers. I used the contours and dappis for the first 3 months. He out grew the covers but I still had contours in the next size up and I loved them so I got Proraps covers in the next size and used that system for the next two months. Along with JBs and SMJAE liners and doublers.

At 5 months I bought a dozen Kissaluvs contours and 1/2 doz fitteds. That was all we used until about 7 months. Oh along with premium CPFs and larger Bumpy night covers. At that time I learned about diapers on ebay and here on the TP and went crazy.

I tried:
Cuddlebuns
SOS
Sugar Peas (fitteds and covers)
LL AIOs
AW AIOs
Bummis covers
Bumkin covers
Stacinator wool covers
Liz's Cloth fitteds
FBs

I am probably forgetting a million things. Anyway I tried stuff learned what I liked and didnt and sold what I didnt.

Mainly we stuck to SPs fitteds and covers, SOS, bummis covers and AW AIO for days and SPs with Bumpy night covers and Stacinator wool for night.

Then I had to go back to work so we needed something simple for preschool and I discovered Wonderoos. I also fell in love with wool. So now we use SOS, El Bees and a few other fitteds with wool soakers for home and weekends and Wonderoos for weekdays. I have gone overboard with wool soakers, shorts, longies and pants and also WIOs which I have ordered too many of in the recent past.

I JUST LOVE CDING!!!!!

Pretty much full circle.
The first real CD purchace I made were for Snuggle up fitted, Tiny tots fitted, Kushies Ultras prefolds and Bummi wraps
I liked I loved they worked (even the Kushies once DD was a bit older) soon I did need a better nighttime system so I seeked....
Bought Cricketts Hemp diapers because they were so highly reccomended I loved the fit over all and the assorbancy was great but the snaps lets welts and the edging was annoying and I needed more but they were expensive. I then bought a bunch of kisaluvs after hearing the raves. The WORST!!!!! Then about a dozen other fitted, diffrent prefolds, some AIOs ect some I really liked such as my stork saver AIOs, or my diaper babies fitted, but I just could justify an entire system of them. Then I discovered Little lambs and found prints to die for so I tried some and at first LOVED them, so I ordered more they worked great for about two months then wicked like crazy, I swear those things are designed to self destruct. Then I finially tried my first pocket diaper an apron strings that I loved. It was the perfect nighttime diaper. Latter I tried FB for the first time and again fell in love. DD had reached the wiggly stage, so I bought 15 FB to use full time. I was pround I was happy, My DD was leaking I tried to fix it, bought $200 worth of detergent tried sports wash, calagon, no detergent, dish soap, scubbing by hand, prayer groups everything so I reverted to prefolds and wraps, they were reliable but even the bargin buyer in me needed more!
So I thought Humm I never had problems with the tiny tots or snuggle ups?? The kushies were nice for sitters?? So I bought again what I had bought 13 months earlier, to rejoin the few I had kept. I latter discovered despite all warnings the only detergent that would not repell my FB was Dreft and calagon was the worst.
So in the end I'm pretty much back at where I started!

Deanna

I've only been doing this a couple of weeks but here goes...

Round 1
1 UBCPF & Prorap
1 Bumkins AIO
1 Bumkins cover
1 FB

Round 2
6 FBs

Round 3
2 Muttaqin Baby

Latest Round
1 Muttaqin Baby
3 Muttaqin Baby AIOs
1 Pinhead
1 Tykie Wool cover
1 Flames Cover from Crystal's Cloth
1 Doz Kissaluvs Fitteds
1 Rouser's Trousers

I told myself I need to stop...now. The only thing I need is a few more covers. I'm going to have my mom make some wool soakers and hopefully that will be all, for a while at least. My DD is on the small end of the range of her diapers (except the FBs) so we've got a stash to last a while.

I knew I wanted to use cloth when I was prego with ds. I got really nice newborn flannel diapers (with snaps even) by ? for my babyshower but no covers.

I got nervous about how to wash them and bought paper diapers.

Paper leaked and he had little gel crystal thingys on his privates.

Soooooooo I got smart and looked around online for cd. I got confused about all the different kinds and went to Sears and bought Kooshies Ultras AIO pkg of 5 to start. I fell in .

Then I went to ebay and bought some Luke's drawers (cotton kiss quick dry) I loved these! I can't find them anymore.

I did some pocket diapers. Fuzzi bunz didn't fit properly. I tried kissaluvs, honeyboys and a few wahm diapers. I had my first wool cover from angel luv. Wool was just starting to get popular.

Now I have a huge assortment of cloth diaper/wool covers.

SOrry that was so long. I hope it helps a newbie.

I started with hand me down dappis and infant size gerber DSQ prefolds and a few homemade contours.

In the Med I tried a variety of wraps and reg size gerber dsq and homemade pocket fitteds.

My dd went from med to large in less than two months so in the L I tried MEOS, MEAF, premium and toddler prefolds and Litewraps.

I liked these but worried about breathability in the summer heat so I bought some bumpy wool covers. I loved the breathability of wool but hated icky sweaty wool compression wicking so for the next year I waded into WAHM wool and fitteds hoping to find a combo that would work on the go for my daytime super soaker.

Also I bought a snap press and learned to make my own FLUFF

Now I'm burned out on washing wool and sorting through my crazy lot of WAHM and homemade fitteds. I'm moving back to MEOS and MEAF and starting to make myself PUL pocket diapers.