Cloth Diapers - Crown Point,IN

When my first was born I did a lot of research and decided to cloth diaper, but didn't have much money to put into it upfront. So my choice of type was kinda made for me. I did prefolds and covers, with the Snappi closure instead of pins (highly recommended!). I bought 24 of the chinese prefolds in the infant size and 24 in the toddler size. I initially bought prorap covers, and I like them, but when they wore out (after baby #2) I replaced with Thirsties covers and like them a little better. I like to have about 4 covers per size. I am now CDing baby #4, so definitely cheaper for me. I estimate I have put about $300 into buying my diapers and accessories. I run a cold water rinse, then wash with a touch of a free & clear detergent and baking soda in the wash and vinegar in the rinse. Hanging in the sun to dry is great for stain removal, whitening, and freshness, then toss in dryer with dryer balls for a few minutes to fluff. But machine drying is fine too, that is what I have to do all winter. Aside from a few light stains on a few of them, the diapers have held up great through all 4 kids. As soft and white as ever. As I mentioned the covers needed replacing after #2, but that was not a big deal.
It would not cost you much to buy 12 chinese prefolds and 2 covers to try it out. You can often buy individual samples of other types of diapers to try them out too. Will you be staying home with your baby? Many daycares won't do cloth, or require the less-fuss (but much more expensive) all-in-ones. So something to consider. Hope you find something that works for you. Feel free to PM me if you want any more info, I am full of it :)

ETA: Just wanted to comment on time and bills. I do two loads a week and hang to dry when possible, I did not see an appreciable increase in my utility bills. (Oh and you should never use dryer sheets with cloth diapers, it leaves a residue that makes them less absorbant). When I do a load every 3 days I do not have a smelly nursery. I have used the Diaper Champ pail which seems to contain smells well. When my child was exclusively brestfed all diapers went straight in the paiI. When we start adding solid food I use flushable liners that catch most of the poop. If anything spills over a 20 sec dunk in the toilet isn't a big deal. I have never had to stay home because I use cloth, but when we are traveling for more than an overnight I use disposables for the trip.

Oh my gosh, YES, much cheaper and better for the environment. I have a front loading washer so it uses less water too...

I know there are tons of choices out there.

I used DSQ (dipe service quality) Chinese Eurofolds I think. They were regular, old fashioned cloth dipes. I bought them off Ebay. I bought dipe pins too and nylon dipe covers.

It's very easy. The washing machine washes them. The dryer dries them. I fold them in half and put them in drawer.

Yes, cheaper over the long-run and another good thing is that you never run out in the middle of the night!

My husband was skeptical, but we try to be eco-friendly and responsible, plus I didn't want those nasty chemicals next to my baby's reproductive parts. (There is some evidence they can cause cancer, not to mention fertility issues later on!)

We had leaks in the beginning because we were trying all kinds of diapers. The easiest thing I found to start was a pre-fold (a flat, old fashioned diaper that is sewn so it is thicker in the middle part to catch more pee) held together with a Snappi (rather than diaper pins.) To use the Snappi, catch one side, then the other, then the bottom/middle, then you can go back and gather the excess on the sides and re-hook the sides one at a time, making sure the diaper is nice and tight to the legs. Then, over the pre-fold diaper, use a waterproof cover. There are many of these on the market, and this is what keeps the diaper from leaking. Bummi is a great brand. Some of the homemade ones do leak. PUL is the material of the ones we used- it's the leakproof/treated material that holds in the moisture. Some moms use wool knitted covers that are treated with lanolin to waterproof it.

After the newborn stage, we moved to Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers and used those all the way through toddler-hood/potty-training. I had to buy several sizes as we moved up, but sold my old ones and recouped all of my money (which made diapering cost ONLY the price of an extra load of laundry/day!!!) The great things about Fuzzi Bunz: You can buy a lot of them on eBay at once for pretty cheap and get whatever colors/patterns you want, AND you can add double linings (called inserts) for heavy wetters/night time diapers, so you don't have to change the baby as much for pees. The diaper itself has a lining that wicks away moisture from the skin, so you have FAR less diaper rash than with disposables.

We used a homemade (by a mom on eBay) bag made of PUL that hung on the end of the changing table to toss in the dirty dipes all day. We used cheap baby washclothes for wipes, with a bottle of plain water for wiping. You can use an insulated thermos for warm water so the cold water on the wipe doesn't shock/upset the baby too, and just refill it daily. The bag was water-proof, so no yucky stuff leaking on the floor. On one wipe, I would put a drop of orange or peppermint essential oil and toss it in the bottom of the bag so things didn't smell.

Newborn poop is liquid, so it is going to soak into the diaper and you will just wash it in the washer- rinsing if there is any that is "sitting" on the diaper. We installed a sprayer to our toilet- easy to do and about $15 for the sprayer- for rinsing. No need to remove the insert from the diaper- you are rarely, if ever, going to actually handle poop- you're just going to toss the diaper in the bag/pail after a quick rinse, if needed.

Later, after the baby begins to eat solids, you will dump the solid poop in the toilet and then just wash the diaper.

After diapers run through the wash, most of the inserts will have worked their way out of the pocket diapers anyway, but check to make sure and remove any that haven't before tossing them in the dryer. Re-stuff them as you fold so you are ready with clean diapers for the next day!

We started out with about 30 pre-folds and 5 covers for newborn diapers and that was enough. You can re-use the covers after a pee a lot of times, by just wiping the inside. Later, we had about 15 Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers in each size as we moved up through the sizes. They have adjustable snaps for both waist and legs, so you can custom-fit a chubby/skinny baby too, which is nice.

Every mom is going to have her absolute favorite cloth diapers, but I wanted to let you know that of all the dozens we tried, these seemed to be the least frou-frou and easiest for myself and my all-thumbs hubby to manage. We rarely had leaks too! I did buy a few extra hemp inserts (off-brand) for night-time and we doubled those up for extra absorption.

If you have any questions, let me know!
M.

try osoCozy's or chinese pre fold diapers They are referred to as 2x6x2’s, 4x6x4’s, 4x8x4’s etc. These numbers refer to the number of layers in the sides and middle of the diaper (i.e., 4x6x4’s have 4 layers in the sides and 6 in the middle).

The Pros & Cons of Disposable Diapers:

The Pros:-

Ease of use; disposables seem like the easier choice. They are an all-in-one product, with less fuss than cloth.
Throw-away; disposables can be thrown away once used, unlike cloth which will need to be washed.
Easy to travel with; disposables are the easy choice to use when traveling.
Leak less; disposables tend to leak less than cloth. They have a tight, snug fit and are very absorbent.

The Cons:-

More expensive; over the years you will probably spend around $1500 diapering your baby in dispose
Bad for the environment; it is estimated that around 5 million tons of untreated waste is deposited into landfills via disposables every year.
Harder to potty-train; toddlers can’t feel wetness as much with disposables, so it’s harder for them to potty-train.
More diaper-rash; according to one study, 78% of babies in disposable diapers get diaper-rash, compared to only 7% of cloth diapered babies.
Babies health; the chemical used to make the super-absorbency of disposable diapers is Sodium polyacrylate, which has been linked to TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) and can cause allergic reactions.
The Pros and Cons of Cloth Diapers:

The Pros:-

It’s cheaper; cloth diapers can be expensive for the initial set-up ($250-$700), but in the long run they work out a lot cheaper than disposables, depending on what system you use.
Less diaper-rash; cloth diapered babies tend to have less diaper-rash, because natural cotton fibers breathe more easily.
Can be used for subsequent children; works out even cheaper because you can use for any more children you have.
Cloth diapered children tend to potty-train earlier, because the cloth tends to hold moisture closer to baby’s skin.
The Cons:
Some daycare centers won’t want to use them.
Not good for traveling with; can be messy and not appropriate for travel. Most cloth-diaper users will use disposables when traveling or just being out and about.
Can leak more than disposables; if not used properly.

Yes, cloth diapers are cheaper than disposables if you have your own washer & dryer, especially if you have more than 1 child and use cloth diapers.

The least expensive is are the prefolds with covers. I bought a dozen of each size (newborn/small, medium, and large) through ProRaps and the Prorap seconds. They are the least expensive to buy & maintain (ie, they dry quickly; some other types, like AIOs, need 2 dryer cycles to dry completely).

If you can sew (or have a friend who can), you can sew your own fitted diapers (I used the Mama Bird free online directions & pattern). I sewed about 6 each of 3 different sizes, and it cost me about $2.50 each for materials (I got the materials free or on sale or w/ coupons). If you do sew your own, it's worthwhile to buy good velcro (like Aplix or TouchTape brands--they hold up better than the stuff they sell at JoAnn's or Michael's) And I bought covers from Pro-Raps. Ask for the "seconds" and they are $5.25 each (you'll need 4 to 6 covers per size).

The easiest to use (and most expensive) are the All In Ones (AIOs) because they have a cover already sewn onto the absorbent layer. Fitteds & pockets are only slightly less easy to use (DH still sometimes forgets to put the cover on with fitteds, though..... silly guy! :).

If you buy the one-size, which are adjustable from small to large size (basically from a large newborn to a toddler), that might save you money. My friend likes the MotherEase one-size, but there are other brands.

Since I didn't know what I wanted, I bought some used diapers via myuseddiapers.com and diaperswapper.com to get some idea. Or, you could try the "sampler pack" that some of the online cloth diaper retailers offer; these are usually 6 or so prefolds, a couple of fitteds, 1 or 2 AIO and 1 or 2 pockets, and 4 covers usually of a variety of brands.

You can also post on Freecycle in your area and see if anyone has any they are willing to part with for free. Or, if you sew, ask for flannel, thread, 1/4 inch elastic, velcro on Freecycle for free materials. Also, post on Craigslist to see if anyone is willing to part with their stash. If you go to La Leche League (a breastfeeding support group), ask other mom's there if they know anyone who CD's and they may be able to hook you up with a source of used diapers.

The one thing we wouldn't do without is:
flushable liners
They add a tiny bit to the cost overall, but oh, so much less gross to deal with the poop.... :)

I think my time is worth something so cloth was not the option for me. I did not want to deal with the smell, the constant laundry going, the constant dryer buzzing, having to do all that plus pay the increase in the water bill, the higher electric bill for running the washer, the cost of the natural gas going up due to the dryer running 5-6 loads extra per week, the dryer sheets that got used up quicker, plus just having no time to go out and do something with the kids. I hated my very short time at cloth diapering. I had been given some and it made my bills go up a lot. People say it's so much cheaper but I think they are not counting the expenses that go up in their math. I bought disposable diapers after that and was glad I had the ability to spend more time with the kids and got to get out of the house.

So, in my opinion I can't afford for my utilities and other bills to go up for doing all the extra laundry. I also think that I am worth something and deserve to not have more work foisted on me when using disposable is so much less time consuming.

Have you tried BumbleBeeBottomsBoutique?

ALL styles of cloth diapers available and there are easy wash/quick dry styles that wash clean even in HE washers! They're great!

It's run by a single WAHM, raising 4 special needs kids alone, with out assistance- so not only do you get awesome diapers with a full guarantee BUT your purchase helps a single mom support her family vs some giant, out-sourcing company. Check them out!