Diapers Q&A - Cloth diapers?

Cloth diapers?

I was thinking of using cloth diapers when I have a baby. I know a little about them. Do you just need the cloth diapers? Do you need liners or anything else? For the most part I'm clueless. Any info would be a big help. how much of a supply of them should i have?

Public Comments

You need a cover or you'll end up with a wet couch : ) Consider a diaper service if you have one in the area, atleast for the first few months. They will pick up the dirties and drop off cleans. The last thing you are going to want to do is wash diapers. Modern clolth diapers close with velcro. You won't need safety pins.
yes liners safety pins bucket to hold dirty diapers in bleach
How sweet... you want to keep it old fashioned ... think thats really cute! If i ever have a kid.. i want to do the same thing... sorry though i dnt know much about cloth diapers but i imagine all you need is the cloth, baby powder or baby rash cream and lets not forget the baby saftey pins... Good luck girl!!
OMG, go babysit someone with cloth diapers, especially one that doesn't have diaper service before you make that decision. Your house will smell like that terrible chlorox smell. You can't launder the diapers with your clothes. You will have to be doing diaper duty all the time! Think about it, you may have to change the diaper 6-12 times a day! look for a greener choice. They do make a flushable diaper. Really expensive though.
You need cloth diapers, diaper pins, a diaper pail, laundry soap, bleach, and covers to use to keep things dry. That's it. The washing of diapers is no big deal considering you have a washer/dryer in the home, you just toss a load in to wash, keeping the smell down is the same you do a load a day. I would rinse in them out( you gotta get the feces off) in the toilet then put them straight in the washer which I had already filled in the am with hot bleach water when it was full just turn it on. Always rinse twice!
Cloth Diapers are a whole lot better for the environment and unless you get a Diaper service they are a whole lot more work. Get a good diaper service and they are defiantly the way to go.
I have a friend that used these cloth dipers for all three of her kids and just love them. Best of all they do not leak. You can get the starter packs that will save you money. Go to www.motherease.com to check them out. Hope this helps. They have everything you need and you use no pins which I think is great. The best package is the CONVENIENCE PACKAGE. You get: Includes - 36 Mother-ease diapers 18 Absorbent Liners 6 Air Flow Covers (3 white, 3 print)
I used clothes diapers with my first baby, and I really did not have any problems...you need to have at least 4 dozens, plastic diapers covers, so the baby don't wet everything, you need to put corn starch, or powder or some ointment for possible diaper rash, (this won't happen if you change often...don't wait until is soaked!!!), safety pins (specially for diapers..) I had a container with baby soap in the bathroom, and when I changed the diaper I usually rinsed in the toilet, YOU NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL, if you do this.....hold the diaper really well......soak it in the toilet and shake it as you flush!!! this will rinse the pee and also the poop...and then put in the container. DON"T LET GO OF IT!!!! Every time I washed, I would load a machine, ONLY with baby detergents (no regular bleach!!!), and only diapers!! never mix adults clothes with baby clothes!!!! .OK? then drier, and fold them again!!!!!! Honestly I loved it!!! and I only used the disposable diaper when we went out.
If you decide to go with cloth, you can safely estimate that you'll go through 10 to 12 diapers a day at first; having three or four dozen cloth diapers on hand will save you daily laundry bouts if you're washing your own. If you elect to use a diaper service, ask friends about their experiences with local services. You will also need to get plenty of waterproof covers, for the baby's bed, furniture,etc...anywhere the baby will be before you potty train. Cloth diapers are unfortunately extra work. If you have a diaper service, you must remember to put out your dirty diapers every week to be picked up, and you'll probably need to fold the diapers before you put them away. If you buy your own cotton diapers, you'll need to wash them. (This isn't nearly as hard as it sounds--you just shake out any fecal matter into the toilet, soak the dirty diapers in a pail of water with vinegar or baking soda, then throw them in the wash.)...I know this sounds a little gross but it is the truth! As far as your baby's comfort is concerned, if you're not scrupulous about changing your baby's diapers when they get wet, he can end up with a nasty case of diaper rash-you may dislike the idea of the chemically treated layers in disposables, but they do a good job of whisking moisture away from the skin. And unless you wrap very carefully, cotton diapers can leak more than disposables do. Finally, many daycare centers won't use cotton--they insist on disposables because of convenience and hygiene concerns-so you might end up buying disposables for the center even if you use cloth at home. If you really want to do cloth diapers they do have their positive points. Advocates of cotton diapers say they are more comfortable (i.e., softer), healthier (because they're free of chemicals), and more environmentally friendly than disposables since they're reusable and won't end up clogging a landfill. In some ways, they are also more convenient: If you use a diaper service, they'll bring you a nice pile of fresh, snowy-white diapers every week, and you don't have to haul those bulky packages of disposables home from the store. They also can save you a bundle of money. Disposable diapers cost between $.15 and $.30 apiece, which can set you back between $36 and $100 a month, depending on the age of your baby. Over the course of three years, you've shelled out about $2,000 in diapers alone. Diaper services can cost up to $60 a month; over the course of three years you can spend some $1,500 on the service, plus another $100 on wraps. But buying, say, four dozen diapers for your growing child, at about $25 per dozen, plus a range of diaper covers, can cost you as little as $300 for those same three years. Hope this helped! :)
You need about 24-36 diapers. There are many different kinds of diapers ranging in price and level of convenience. It really depends on your budget, lifestyle and baby when it comes down to the question of "what's the best cloth diaper?" And sometimes, you will want a few different kinds for different times of the day. Do you prefer economical diapers? Do you prefer convenient diapers? Do you have the time and patience to fold diapers, get them on the baby, fasten them and then put on a cover? Would you prefer one step? Do you need diapers that dry fast? The cheapest route is pre-folds with covers, but it is the most inconvenient. You will need 24-36 pre-folds and 6-8 covers. You also may want to buy some snappi fasteners and liners or doublers. You have to fold the pre-fold diapers to fit on the baby, then fasten, then put on the cover. Example of pre-fold diapers: http://www.parentingbynature.com/201_unbleached_prefolds.htm Example of fastener: http://www.parentingbynature.com/04_snappi.htm Example of cover: http://www.bummis.com/en/Products/covers/SuperBrite.html The middle option (for both price and convenience) is fitted or contour diapers with covers. Again, you need about 24-36 diapers and 4-6 covers. Fitted diapers and contour diapers don't require folding. Fitted diapers will have fasteners included, either velcro or snaps (poppers). Contour diapers require a fastener, or a snug fitting cover. Both types need to have a cover over them. Example of fitted diaper: http://www.bummis.com/en/Products/covers/Bamboozle.html Example of contour diaper: http://www.softclothbunz.com/Kissaluvs-Contour-Diaper_p_0-166.html The most expensive route is pocket and all-in-one (AIO) diapers. These are the most convenient though as they have either velcro or snap closure and their cover is built-in. All-in-one diapers consist of a waterproof outershell (normally PUL or nylon) and layer of absorbent material sewn on the inside (flannel, hemp etc). Pocket diapers are also a PUL outer shell with a stay dry liner (normally fleece, mirco suede, velour or minkee) interior --- there are no absorbent layers in a pocket diaper, they must be added. Pocket diaper have an opening in the back or front of the diaper where you need to add absorbent inserts, usually micro terry or hemp fleece. All-in-one diapers will take longer to dry, while pocket diapers are quick to dry since the absorbent layers are separate. Again, you will need 24-36 of these diapers, but you do not need covers, as these diapers are already waterproof. For pocket diapers you may want to buy some extra inserts if your baby is a heavy wetter. Same with the AIOs, you may need to buy some doublers to increase their absorbency. Example of AIO diaper: http://www.thebabymarketplace.com/securestore/c153258p16870526.2.html Example of a pocket diaper: http://www.jamtots.com/Baby-Kangas-One-Size-Pouch-Diaper-C502.aspx Personally I chose to use pocket diapers during the day and fitted diapers at night. You can save some money by buying one-size (OS) diapers so you only have to buy the diapers once instead of multiple times as your baby grows. I use the Tots Bots Bamboozle diapers above for night -- they are highly absorbent and are one-size. I use the Baby Kanga OS pocket diapers shown as an example above and I also use bumGenius OS pocket diapers during the day. I prefer pocket diapers because they are quick to put on (my baby is an acrobat on the change table), they dry fast and the absorbency is adjustable by adding or removing inserts from the diaper. You can lay doublers inside AIO diapers but they bunch and just don't work as well I find. There are two methods of diaper pails for cloth diapering. Wet pail and dry pail. Wet pail is a pail of water that you stick the diapers in until they are ready to be washed, many people add some baking soda to keep down the smell. DO NOT put your diaper covers in the wet pail! Wet pail method is best for pre-folds, flat, fitted and contour diapers. Most places do not recommend using a wet pail for all-in-one or pocket diapers. The cons on using a wet pail is you MUST find a lockable diaper pail to prevent pets and children from getting into the pail. Also, it is HEAVY to carry the pail around when it is time to wash! I used a wet pail method briefly when using pre-fold diapers but I really didn't like it! Please, if you do use a wet pail method DO NOT add bleach to the water (it is hard on your diapers and your babies bottom!). With dry pail method you put some baking soda or a citrus circle in the pail to keep down odor. Diapers and covers can go in the dry pail together. Some people use a "wet bag" in their dry pail. This is a waterproof bag that you can carry the diapers around in easily and it can be washed with the diapers. I just use a Rubbermaid step can that came with a removable plastic liner pail in it. I carry the liner pail to the washing machine full of diapers and then rinse the pail in the bathtub or in the backyard with the hose! An important note: When your baby is exclusively breast fed all their diapers can go directly into the diaper pail to be washed. If your baby is formula fed or starting solids you need to shake or scrape or spray the poop into the toilet before putting the diaper in the pail to be washed. Diapers with fleece inside makes it easy to shake solids into the toilet. You can also buy fleece liners or disposable liners to set in your diapers that help taking the solids out easier. Or you can also buy a sprayer that attaches to your toilet to spray down the diapers. Example of flushable liners: http://www.jamtots.com/Flushable-Diaper-Liners-C87.aspx Example of fleece liners: http://www.jamtots.com/JamTots-Microfleece-Diaper-Liners-C88.aspx Example of a diaper sprayer: http://www.parentingbynature.com/05_minishower.htm I wash diapers every three days. When it comes to washing I always do a cold rinse cycle for my diapers first. The cold water prevents stains from setting and the rinse gets all the excess solids and urine out of the diapers. Then I run a long hot full wash cycle. In the wash I add 1/3 of the recommended amount of detergent. I like to use Tide Free on the diapers and all our clothes. Any dye and scent free detergent will work. DO NOT use any natural soaps on the diapers. Soaps will build up on the diapers and make them ineffective! Also, DO NOT use any fabric softeners or chlorine bleach! If you want to you can use an oxygenated bleaching agent like Oxy-Boost or Oxy-Clean. Once the wash cycle is done I either put the diapers in the dryer for one cycle or on the clothes line in the back yard for a few hours. During the summer it is great to dry the outside in the sun! Sunlight is a natural stain remover and kills bacteria! During the winter I use the dryer because I am in western Canada and it is wayyy too cold and dark to dry them outside! Email me from my profile if you need anymore information!
You need 24-30 cloth diapers, 6-8 waterproof wraps (I recommend Pro-raps), doublers for diapering at night and you can use rice paper liners to make poopy clean up easier. You need to figure out the kind of diaper you want to use first and go from there. Lots of sites offer "trial" kits that let you try out two or three kinds of diapers. Also, look into using a diaper service. Here is a site that give lots of great info: http://diaperpin.com/home.asp This site has the best deals I've found: http://www.thanksmama.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y
Don't listen to what anyone says about the diapers being inconvenient. The first couple of weeks with my newborn it took some getting used to, but now I can change a cloth diaper just as fast as a disposable. They are not hard to wash at all. I did it the cheapest way possible. I bought a few nylon covers from Dappi, a couple fasteners called Snappis because they are way easier than pins, and about 24 chinese cotton prefold diapers in newborn size. She is already outgrowing those, so I bought some more in the next size up. I also got a couple covers called Bummis Super Whisper Wraps. They run about $12 each, but they will last forever from what I hear from other cloth diaper users. The only complaint I have (which I really don't mind at all) is that when using the Bummis cover it is a little bulky so I'm putting a size larger clothes on my daughter so they fit right. You can use liners to cut down on the mess when they poop, but you don't need to. Besides, most of the liners are disposable, and I feel that defeats the purpose. I also use baby washcloths for wipes. OR, you could just go for the more expensive all-in-one diapers so you don't need to Snappi them or use a cover. If you want to discuss this further, please email me at agillung@juno.com and I would love to give you some advice. I bought my diapers at www.babycottonbottoms.com and they have great prices and the shipping is really quick. One last thing, I actually think that cloth diapering is fun. My baby loves having her diaper changed and that is the time that we really interact together. And she hasn't had any redness or diaper rash since she was one week old, which happens to be when I was still using disposables. As soon as I made the switch the rash was gone. Good luck and I hope you make the decision to do cloth!