Diapers Q&A

Cloth Diapers?

I am looking into starting my son on cloth diapers... What kind do you recommend? I need some links and feedback on them please. I know nothing about them. I'm willing to do the time, I am a stay at home mom with 1. And I rather spend the time washing than filling landmines. :)

Public Comments

1. my mom used them for me...and then the regular disposable diapers for my brother...because she realized what a pain it was to have to wash them after they were used...its the most comfortable for the baby, but it is time consuming!
2. http://www.kellyscloset.com/ these are pretty good. some kids at the daycare i worked at used these.
3. I don't really know anything about them either, but my mom has a home daycare, and she said that one of her kids there had cloth diapers. She hated it because no matter how much the diapers where washed and taken care of, they always smelled!! She couldn't stand it. So just keep that in mind. Otherwise, it is a good way to help the enviornment.
4. Check out the yahoo groups on cloth diapering, you'll get a lot more useful information then here. http://groups.yahoo.com
5. *then filling landfills. Thats good for you that your saving the envirorment, cloth is also prolly better for the baby b/c its easier to tell when he did his business inhis pants, but also not that when your kid is going to wear clothing the cloth diapers may leak more so then the disposible.
6. Look in your local area under Diaper Services. Set up for a Diaper Service.It will cost a little more but their out there and worth the in vestment...And alot easier....on you they wash and drop off clean ones......And you have your hands full right now. But in joy your baby time....
7. I like the pocket diapers, the other thing I use- and environmentally prefer to cloth (less water, less detergent) are g-diapers; they have a cloth cover and a flushable insert which, in the event your plumbing doesn't 'like' them (older plumbing may have trouble with them) also biodegrade in about fifty days. I can't say enough god things about the whole concept! You can also buy a flush able insert for the cloth diapers but they are very thin (about like a dryer sheet) and don't reduce detergent usage, they just allow you to scoop the poop before you flush it. www.gdiaper.com Ecologically speaking, I love them. And they are *much* easier to travel with than traditional cloth..
8. http://diaperpin.com/ has _very_ useful reviews. Best advice I can give is to buy one or two of a few well-reviewed kinds, and see what you like. One parent's perfect dipe is another parent's nightmare, it seems. I wish I could tell you more; only started partial cloth diapering relatively recently -- but I'm waiting on more cloth diapers to show up in the post; I _can_ tell you I like cloth. There was already so much laundry here anyway -- we were using cloth wipes from the start, for one -- that the added laundry really hasn't been that much of a big deal. I find cloth diapering easy -- I use "all-in-ones" -- and given that Pampers @#$! _stink_ and the 'Seventh Generation' disposables we were using were getting to be 75c each in a size 5 here in Canada, it does not take much use for the cloth ones to pay for themselves.
9. My Favorites were Fuzzi Bunz for pocket diapers and Bummis Super Whisper Wrap covers for prefolds. I also absolutely loved Kissaluvs. Please do not listen to those who say that cloth diapers still stink even if you care for them. A little bit of vinegar, baking soda or Sportswash in the wash with the diapers quickly eliminates that problem. To lessen any staining put lemon juice on the diapers and dry them in the sunlight ( I always line dryed mine and then threw them in the dryer to soften them up a bit). That helps to save on energy costs. http://www.diaperpin.com This is a great resource for cloth diapering. It also includes links to many WAHMs who make cloth diapers.
10. I love cloth diapering! I wish I would have started from birth. I have tried many different kinds and brands and here is my opinion on them ... 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 (FYI: you are also supposed to do this with disposable diapers to keep human waste out of landfills!). 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