Cloth Diaper Help Needed-too Many Choices!

You have a lot of good info already, so I'll keep this short. I have tried the Chinese prefolds with a cover and they were so bulky she couldn't fit in to her pants! It is a cheap way to do it, and a good backup in case you run out if the ones you like to use, but I do not recommend them for daily diaper use.

By far my favorite it the Bumgenius 3.0 one size pocket diaper. It fits both my newborn and my 2 year old. It is so easy to use and not too bulky. Rarely leaks. (Only leaks if I don't change her as often as needed. But even disposables leak at that point.)

Good luck!
M.

I just responded to the Mom whose cloth diapers broke down her washer. I was a Mom in the 60' and 70's. There must be a great number of diaper choices now than there were then. All I can do is repeat what I said to the other Mom:"What I wouldn't given for a paper diaper that actually taped onto the baby, didn't leak, didn't need rubber pants, didn't stink, and you could throw it away!!!

Way to go! There is really good info on the diaper sites (cottonbabies.com, abbyslane.com, nikkisdiapers.com), that will walk you through, and there was a good post with a summary. Here's what I wished I had known:

1. It helps to have a top loading washer-- I use it as used diaper storage by filling it with cold water and a scoop of baking soda (sam's club has the mongo boxes cheap), then washing the diapers every 2-3 days when the washer is full. Doesn't stink, diapers get squeaky clean, and it has NOT broken my really old Maytag washer!
2. Most of the modern diapers out there are really good. We found bumgenius one size fit our style best, and the new generation has a newborn insert (the full insert made the diaper pretty bulky for our baby when he was a newborn).
3. It's nice to have cloth wipes, too. Flannel or bamboo, and a wipes warmer. We mix a teaspoon or two of Diaper Lotion Potion to a gallon of water and put the wipes in the warmer and soak them with the water. Just the right dampness and smells nice, too. Then, you don't end up with disposable wipes fluff in the dryer with the clean diapers.
4. You can't use diaper rash cream with cloth diapers, as it makes them less absorbant, but our baby has been wearing cloth for 14 months, and hasn't had diaper rash yet!
5. I became a little intimidated with the lingo of cloth diapering, and what seemed like very involved processes for washing them and all, but it is such a breeze.
6. If you breast feed your baby, the diapers won't stink, even the poopy ones.
7. Email me if you have questions along the way. I wished that I had known anyone who used cloth diapers that I could have asked questions of! Best wishes!

Hi!

I'm due in January too, and I'd like to suggest that you join www.diaperswappers.com. Not only can you find cheap used diapers there on FSOT, but there is also all sorts of information about the various kinds of cloth diapers. I'll try to summarize a bit of the basics below:

1) Prefolds, flats, prefitteds and countours -- These are basically like your old-fashioned diapers. Pfs and flats are essentially flat peices of material that you can fold into a waterproof or water-resistant cover. Prefitteds and countours are like these, but are shaped so that they do not require folding. These diapers are generally pinned, snappied or used with a cover to be secure on the baby. Pros: They are cheap, versatile and wash and dry easily. Cons: You have to fold, fasten and cover them.

2) Fitted Diapers -- These diapers look quite similar to disposable, but are much cuter and come in a much wider range of styles. Like the first category, they are not waterproof and will require a cover if you want to avoid leaks. Pros: They dry fairly quickly, come in all kinds of cute prints, are easy to use and versatile. Cons: They are not waterproof so if you have a heavy wetter you have to cover up the cute prints with a cover. (I am planning to use mostly fitteds and prefolds and go coverless around the house)

3) AIO/AI2 diapers (all in 1 or 2) -- These diapers do not require a cover because they have an internal or external layer of a material called PUL which is waterproof. AIOs have an internal soaker pad sewn in while AI2s have a fully or partially external soaking pad. Both are pretty much like disposable diapers. Pros: They are very easy to use. Cons: They take FOREVER to dry. (AI2s dry faster than AIOs)

4) Pocket diapers -- These diapers look like covers, with waterproof material on the outside and a thin layer of absorbent material on the inside. What people like about them is the fact that they contain a pocket which can be stuffed with doublers so that you can customize the diaper to your child's needs. Pros: They are waterproof, versatile diapers with a short drying time. Cons: You have to stuff them before you put them on the baby and unstuff them when they are soiled. This can be easy or hard depending on the type of diaper. Some pockets have very specific drying and washing instructions.

5) Covers -- There are 4 basic kinds of covers 1) PUL, 2) Vinyl, 3) Fleece and 4) Wool. The first 2 are waterproof and the last 2 are water resistent.

6) Doublers and liners -- Doublers allow you to increase the absorbency of your diapers. They are often made of microfiber, bamboo or hemp. Liners allow you to wick moisture away from the baby's skin to avoid rashes and to minimize mess (lkie meuconium poo).

I would suggest that you first figure out what kind of dipe you're looking for, and then you can navigate all of the brand names. Check out www.diaperpin.com for reviews of various diapers. Ebay has a decent selection of diapers sometimes, but hunt for reviews before you buy. You can also check out craigslist, www.etsy.com and www.hyenacart.com (I like the spots corner for used diapers). You can also order WAHM (work at home mom) custom diapers once you figure out what basic kind you think you'll like. Both Etsy and Hyenacart have a ton of options.

Your baby will probably be in NB sized diapers for the shortest time of all, so you might want to get a combination of NB and SM sizes. I have a ton of One Size diapers which, although bulky on a newborn, will fit after the baby is about 10 lbs or so. If you use covers, try to find NB covers that have an umbilical dip. I like Prowraps and Imse Vimse.

HTH,
C..

Way to be brave. People are so scared to use cloth but I LOVE it. I used disposable for the first year and haven't looked back since I switched. Nicki's Diapers is a great online source for tips and info. Also prices are competitive and free shipping helps :)

I haven't tried a lot cuz I had friends who had and I took their word for it. I use diaper covers (Bummis) and good old cloth diapers.Things I like:
-Cost to get started (you don't have to buy as many so it's much cheaper to get started),
-sizing (you don't have to swtich sizes very often,
-absorbancy (I hardly ever have leaks now that I know how to do it)
-cute (I like the SuperBrite style)
-Less irritating to my son's skin than disposable
-Easy to wash (I just put them directly into the washer until I have a load-it's very easy-way nicer than having to go to the store when I ran out of disposables.

Good luck! and congratulations :)

I bought nearly all of my cloth diapers from cottonbabies.com. I have (had) Kooshies all-in-ones, Bum Genius 2.0 all-in-ones, and Bum Genius bamboo ones that needed a cover. I LOVED the bamboo ones because they seemed to wick the best, but an extremely close second was the Bum Genius 2.0. No covers, no stuffing, just slap it on like a disposable and go! They also washed very easy and held up like a pro.

I also bought a few from SAHM's on Ebay. There are some really cute ones for reasonable prices, also all-in-ones, and they worked well.

I wish the G-Diapers were available in my area when my boy was a baby. I would've used those for traveling and nighttime, too.

Have a great one!

Hello..I cloth diapered from the time my daughter was a year to when she potty trained at age 2. My all time favorite is the Bum Genius 3.0 diapers(you can get free shipping on them at nickisdiapers.com) They would be a bit big for a newborn(if your baby is under 8-9lbs) but the great thing is after that, they are one sized..you can snap them up to be smaller. The same diaper you use with your 2 month old, you can use till they are potty trained. These absorb the best of anything I have tried(they are a pocket diaper) For newborns, I have heard that buying chinese prefolds and thirsties covers work the best. It wouls all be ont the nickies website. The BG come in about 6 different colors and I just bought all gender neutral so I can use them with my next baby due in March. Good luck!

I've had 3 babies. I used the trad cloth diapers (rectangle, fold em) and velcro diaper covers. I did NOT like the pre-folded ones, too bulky. I ended up getting a pack of gerber? cloth diapers. my midwife told me about diaper clips. they are not pins. they are metal with a hinged piece you fold up to open and down to shut. they hold pretty tight. I had to replace them maybe 3 times over the time of having three overlapping babies and tods. good stuff maynard. diaper covers are tricky because not all babies have the same body type. I found some cover the diaper better than others, but the main deciding factor for me was strong velcro. don't spend a lot on covers, you have to replace these fairly often as your baby grows.

Just had to add a couple websites for great cloth diapering tools. Best cloth diapers by far are the Pocket Change diapers at www.mtdiaperstore.com. We've tried all kinds of brands!! I've also found the Happy Heiny's to be a great diaper. Not so impressed with the Bum Genius all-in-one as the water proofing on them breaks down quickly. We use bleach free, biodegradable disposables for my son when traveling and part-time day care otherwise we use cloth and I love them! Aside from the enviro. factor, they're far more absorbent and you can stuff or unstuff to your hearts content. I found hemp to be more absorbent than cotton so when I double stuff (at night) I put the hemp closest to my son's body and the cotton as the outer layer. I also found that velcro fasteners will start to wear out so snap is best though anything 'snap' drives my husband crazy. lol Also using cloth wipes when cloth diapering helps a lot as you just tuck everything together just as when using disposables. The website to find this is www.cottonbabies.com along with a the wipe warmer which can be used for cloth and disposable wipes. Also Allens Naturally Detergent gets diapers clean no problem! For laundering, I do a cold rinse then put in the detergent and do a hot wash followed by another cold rinse. I usually hang dry but now and then I'm in a hurry and need to just throw them in the dryer. Also a little more mess and smell is to be expected with cloth diapering so if that's something you simply can't handle then you won't want to go the cloth diapering route. I myself love it! Oh and check out the Magic Stick for diaper rash at the Diaper Company (mtdiaperstore.com). I just put it on everytime I change a diaper and we're at 8.5 mos. with never a rash yet! Hope this helps some.

I didn't like the factory diaper choices very much so I bought some diaper flannel and tore it into squares. Then I hemmed the edges. This is nice because I can fold them to any size I need as my baby grows. Sometimes I fold two together to make for extra absorbtion. I like being able to fold it into any size I need and its not as bulky as some diapers. ( To fold these I hold one corner and fold a triangle shape to fit the babys hip size,then I fold the tip up once and again. Finally I fold the opposite end to cover the other one.) These diapers do take pins, but for me they were the best choice. Diaper flannel is also good for cleaning rags because it's soft like tee shirt fabric. Sometimes diaper flannel is hard to find, but if you call the fabric stores in your area someone should have it. I diapered all my kids with cloth diapers. I think its a great idea. Good Luck P.

Bumgenius 3.0 hands down...I have not had a single leak!! They are super to easy to put on, to wash, and look really cute too! I read a ton of feedback from other moms on lots of internet sites and bumgenius was always a top winner. Fuzzi bunz is also recommended, but the bumgenius has an extra flap on the interior and more elastic at the top of the back to keep everything contained. The bumgenius also come with two different liners so you can choose your absorbency. I spent about $400 total... 2 doz. diapers, and a friend gave me a few.the 3.0 model is also one size fits all...so I won't have to buy any more diapers, these go all the way till potty trained. I even tried them on my 3 year old to make sure they would fit...and they did. They also fit my newborn really well 6 months later she hasn't had a single diaper rash either!
With 27 diapers I do diaper laundry about every 3rd day....so easy. www.cottonbabies.com has lots of info in an organized way about cloth diapers...and lots of comments from moms. good luck!

Hi-

I bought fuzzy bunz as I had a few friends who loved them. I was unable to use them since we had to move to a rental during some construction and we did not have a washing machine! If you are interested in that brand, let me know and I can sell them to you at a discount :) They are in perfect condition!!

I ditto everything that Cynthia wrote.

When we first started, we went with Bum Genius 2.0 and 3.0 and with Happy Heinys. We loved our pockets but DD was sensitive to them and would brake out.
So I tried fitteds and I fell in love with them. We mostly use Mutts, Bububebe and Piddle Poddles OS diapers. We also have few Cuddlebunz. We choose bamboo because DD is a heavy wetter and it's the most absorbent fabric. I loved our pockets but after using fitteds I don't get along with them anymore.
We have few PUL covers but I prefer wool. It's little pricey if you don't know how to knit but it's worth it.

http://www.muttaqinbaby.com/diapers.html
http://hyenacart.com/BubuBebe/
http://hyenacart.com/piddlepoddles/

I haven't tried these myself but they look cute http://hyenacart.com/nanipoo/index.php?c=10

What I recommend is that you check out Diaperswappers and buy used ones (that's what we do anyway) and try them first.

I have been using Fuzzi Bunz, and they're great, no complaints here at all. I'm an affiliate on NuturedFamily.com, they have great selection and decent discount prices for bulk buys (it's where I bought my 2 dozen).
I used G-diapers for a while, and really like them but their more expensive than just switching to cloth.
I thought The Switch was going to be difficult, but it was a lot easier than I expected!
Good JOB mommin'!

hello, (I know this may be a little late) I just wanted to add that you can sometimes get cheap bumgenius (pocket and aio) at cottonbabies.com in their clearance section. They have different items available depending on inventory...I just bought the 3.0 for $8.50. Although, you don't get the soakers and they may need a small repair, but if you know how to sew this is one of the best ways to buy. Also, we know have, a diaper service locally... Nature's Own Diaper Service (____@____.com) they have store to buy the products they use...and The Birthing Center sells fuzzi buns...if you google boise cloth diapers you will find other local sources. I think one is monkey bottoms, she sells the starter kit from bummis. I have searched and searched for the right cloth diapers for my girls and it can be overwhelming! What is easy for me is not easy for my husband, so we have different types diapers. I hope this helps a little...if you have any questions please send me a message. Have a great day.

I currently have three babies in cloth diapers and I use Fuzzi Bunz. They are really easy to use. I've also heard good things about BumGenius diapers but they weren't around when my first born was a baby so I've never tried them. They all cost a lot of money up front but save you money in the long run - especially if you plan on having another child.

I know you said you don't want to mess with pins, but I'm going to say it anyway because I wish someone had told me. I researched nearly my whole pregnancy and even before gettoing pregnant which cloth diaper I would use. I was determined I'd get an all in one as I thought it would be easier. As I researched I found many peole complaining of bulk. In the end I decided to go with the old rectangle ones you fold and use pins and a plastic cover. I was determined to not use these, but they were and are great. I am so happy with this choice. My son is nearly 10 months has never been poked, always has a diaper fitted to his size, and they smell great each time I take them out of the wash. They are little work. I breastfed my boy, never any formula so the poop didn't even need to be rinsed. What I did was I took a diaper pail and filled it about 1/3 with water and added 1/4 cup borax (can us baking soda but I tried it and didn't like it as much). Then just add diapers as they are soiled. When your ready for a load...wash on hot and I do the longest cycle and an extra rinse. I add 1/4 cup borax, 1/2 cup vinegar (which keeps them smelling fresh as it counter acts the urine), and about as much detergent as you would use for a small load (too much can cause a weird smell for diapers). I use Tide and the diapers smell good even after 10 months of use. I then dump the diaper pail with the borax water and diapers into the wash and wash. The diaper covers are washed at the same time. When they are done I pull the diaper covers out and let them air dry (although a few have gone through the dryer without any damage being done). Oh, and I got some asorbent pads that are made to put under your babies crib sheet to protect the mattress and used them for changing pads which I threw in the wash with the diapers too. I'd recommend using the pads as there are lots of times a new baby will poop when you are changing a diaper. It saved having to do extra loads of wash for blankets or other items. Best of luck and don't be intiminated...cloth diapers are SO easy.

You are soooo brave. Do they offer a service or do you have to buy them and launder them yourself? If you know these company e-mails contacts write them and maybe they could send you a sample .
I would also suggest to have a bag of disposibles on hand for a last resort. And if you don't use them you can always donate them to a church that helps out single moms. Good luck and god bless

I cloth diapered my son and loved every minute of it. I used the websites diaperpin.com and diaperswappers.com for getting all the info on the kinds of diapers out there. They were a lot of help to me, and had me in a great diaper system that worked perfect for us. They also helped with any problems I had along the way. Good luck.

Hi there!

Good for you for going cloth! I did so many hours of research for diapers before my baby was born (I also posted on MamaSource looking for suggestions) and was so overwhelmed! I knew 1 person who used cloth diapers and she used the bumgenius one size diapers- so that is what I went with. I have been very happy with them! Very cute, not bulky and a very wise investment.
Another brand I recommend are the Thirsties Pocket All in Ones. They have a liner sewn in, but also have a pocket, if you need to add more abosrbancy (like for night time).
Overall, if you do the sized diapers (like the AIO's) the diapers will more than likely be able to be used for several children. The One-Size from bumGenius have been wonderful, but after 2 years they are starting to see some wear, so I don't think we will be able to use them for baby number 2. (but, we do have an older version- the 3.0's have better velcro) If you get pocket diapers- don't stuff them right out of the dryer- it will mess up the elastic, just let them cool 15 minutes are so first.
I sell cloth diapers, and have used cloth on my baby since she was born, so if you have other questions, please feel free to contact me. I have always had about 24 + diapers in my rotation,and have never bought a package of disposables "just in case". I love using cloth and have been very happy with our cloth diapers! (also consider cloth wipes- they are so great!)
here is a link for the diapers I recommend. If you can, try to find a local shop (it may be a sahm business) where you can get a good look at your options- that will help tremendously! http://www.naturalchoices4baby.com/catalog.php?category=3
Please let me know if I can help further!
H.
www.naturalchoices4baby.com
____@____.com

There are a lot of choices. One lady did a good over view of the various types. If you want to get a hands on I would suggest taking a cloth diaper class, they show you all the various options and how to use each. I have done this in Colorado Springs and it is great: www.babycottonbottoms.com

Cotton is truly the easiest to wash and easiest on the budget. I have had good luck with pocket diapers (once I found a good detergent) which I stuff them with prefolds (the synthetic stuffing is like a sponge, it will absorbs but if pressure is added it gives it right back). To wash your diapers I highly recommend Charlies Soap: www.charliessoap.com We have tried a half dozen other detergents and this is the only one that truly leaves not residue.

Personally, I use predominately prefolds, I like my pocket diapers when we are on the go (we have been in size medium from 3.5 mo to 19mo with room to grow). I have tried several fitted diapers but sold most of them because they are hard to clean, slow to dry, expensive and a bit fussy...I have never tried an AIO, but I assume they are hard to care for too. For covers I prefer the Bummis Super line.

If you decide on prefolds the best place to purchase is: www.greenmountaindiapers.com they have a variety of sizes that really fit babies, and you never need to use a pin, however, you will want to check out a snappi, they are easy to use and wonderful. Prefolds do not have to be bulky if you use the appropriate size. I am expecting my second in May and will be adding the newborn size prefold to my diaper collection.

Finally, there is a local diaper co that will let you try/rent the diapers before you buy...I have not done this personally but it may be a good option if you are not sure what you want to use, I could find them again if you are interested...let me know and good luck!