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Cloth diapers?

I told my mom that i am thinking of trying to use cloth diapers on my baby. (her first grandkid, over-excited) and she shipped me 5 dozen diapers. I think they are call the pre-fold. Just 1 big square. My question is, this quantities should be enough right? i can't imagine not washing them every 2 or 3 days. And if anyone has any website/instruction on how to fold these? and the quantity of diapers covers i need for each stage, and the brand they recommend? I am brand new at this baby business, not to mention cloth diaper. Any help or information will really help. thank you!

Public Comments

  1. http://www.thediaperhyena.com/diaper_folding101.htm http://www.diaperpin.com/howto.asp there are a couple. Good luck to you!!! My friend uses clothes diapers and loves them, I just don't have the time or patience.
  2. These are the worse ones I never really liked them but who knows you might love them. I ended up going for the All In Ones because there was no useing saftey pins or snappies and also covers to go on the outside. I ended up giving up with the aio's and opted for the Seventh Generations (earth friendly disposalbes) and the gDiapers which are my favorite because they flush right down the toliet. When using the prefold you will need to by a diaper cover or you will have pee everywhere. I highly reccomend the gDiapers if you want the cloth look with know washing and it will not harm the earth as regular disposables (huggies, ect) will stay in the landfill for 10 years. gdiapers flush down the toliet.
  3. I use pf on my son (check out my avatar!). I'm fairly new at it but I love it. I learned how to do these myself, because my mom used disposables and everyone else around me finds pf's and cloth diapers kind of silly. I simply googled "how to fold a cloth diaper" and found so many helpful sites. You have more than enough pfs, but I do have to ask you, what are the dimensions? If they are the infant size, you should be fine. If not, then you are going to have to hold off one those for a few months. To determine the sizing, just visit any cloth diaper site (www.cottonbabies.com, www.nickisdiapers.com, www.greenmountaindiapers.com) and see their dimensions in the prefolds section. You will have enough. I only have 2 dozen and am doing fine on them. With prefolds, you will need a cover so they don't leak. Go to the above sites and find some good covers. Most of the covers are made of PUL (waterproof fabric), fleece, or wool. Wool is the most expensive but incredibly breathable and soft. I use the Bummis Whisper wrap, Thirsties, Prowrap, and Mile High Monkey fleece covers. I usually go through about 4 covers a day, letting them dry in between changes, so you really don't need too many. When they get soiled, put them in a dry pail (just an air tight trash can with a waterproof bag) and sprinkle baking soda in there. If there's poo on them, you plop the poo in the toilet or you can even swish it around. Washing every 2-3 days seemed like a weird idea to me too, at first, but now I have stain-free diapers and don't find it odd. Washing instructions can be found on any website. I use All Free and Clear and use vinegar in the rinse. Drying in the sun does wonders for stains! This is long enough...but just to let you know, I'm also pretty new to this mommy thing, and to cloth diapering. I didn't have a very supportive mom like yours (even my husband doesn't feel that supportive yet) so I'm sure you'll do fine. *Forgot to add: You'll need to wash and dry the Pf's to reach their full absorbency level. They will fluff up, maybe pill a bit, and feel so soft. Also, it's not hard at all. I work full time and still manage to CD my son. And Snappis are great. You should buy some of those.
  4. 5 dozen is way too many! You will need 3 dozen at the absolute most. Maybe see if you can return 2-3 dozen of them and maybe get some covers and snappis instead. Or even some pocket diapers and AIOs to try. Here are the instructions for folding that we used with pre-folds: http://www.punkinbutt.com/article_info.php?articles_id=7 The Reverse Angel fold was my favourite. I am not sure if you were sent infant or premium size pre-folds, or maybe both. If you only got premium size the reverse angel fold is best to help fit the larger diapers on newborns. For covers you should have 4-6. You can use the same cover several times during the day, just rotate it so you are not using the same cover back to back, let them air out between uses. I have used PUL, nylon, fleece and wool covers and prefer wool over all the others. You can make your own wool covers, or buy them. I like the one I have from Sckoon because it can be machine washed and doesn't have to be lanolized often. http://www.sckoon.com/er-n69a000.html I liked Bummis covers the best otherwise. The Polar Bummi is the next best thing to a wool cover and easier to care for. http://www.bummis.com/en/Products/covers/PolarBummi.html I would only buy 4-6 covers in a small size first. You may decide you want to use something other than pre-folds! If you do like them then go ahead after a few months and buy some medium covers. I would not buy any larges though until you are sure your baby will actually need them. Many babies stay in a size medium until they are potty-trained. Pre-folds are definitely the most economical cloth diapers, especially since you got yours as a gift! There are lots of other options out there though. Don't give up on cloth diapers if you don't like the pre-folds, I ended up using pocket diapers and couldn't be happier. I am so glad I decided to cloth diaper my daughter!
  5. We are cloth diapering our 2 month old daughter. We used the disposible diapers from the hospital and the ones I was given at my baby showers. WHen those were gone we went straight to 100% cloth. 5 dozen is a VERY generous stash. Do you kow what brand they are? I have about 3 dozen prefolds unbleached indian prefolds. I always have diapers and I wash every 2-3 days. I bought them in a lot through e-bay before I knew anything about cloth diapering. Prefolds are very economical and are true work horses. I wash every 2-3 days depending on if I am running low on covers. Right now I only have 4 so I need to wash often. Which I would do anyways. Knowing what I know now I would have bought one size fitteds. They are a little more but I think totally worth it! They have gussets to help keep poopies in. I really like the ones through bella bottoms. They are priced reasonably and will fit her through potty training. Plus they are made by a SAHM. http://www.bellabottoms.com I LOVE my covers. I have not had ANY leaks with these. I got them at a discount price through Montana Diaper Store. They are called Wonderwraps and they too will fit through potty training. http://www.mtdiaperstore.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=225 For nighttime I have Haute Pockets. I love those too. They are bulky at night with both inserts but I have had no leaks and my daughter sleeps through the night. When I use them on outings I just use the longer of the 2 inserts. When its time to wash I just un snap them and throw them in. The inserts will aggitate out! I also bought these through the Montana Diaper Store at a discount price. I made wipes from flannel recieving blankets. Her skin is too sensitive and breaks out if I use wipes. I just used a wipes container from when my son was a baby. I wet them in the morning and ring out the access water and put them in the container. I have a waterproof bag I put the dirty diapers in at home. I would recomend getting a large one to put in a kitchen trash can with a lid. When wash day comes I put the diapers in the washer along with the bag. I have a smaller one I carry with me in the diaper bag. Right now I use prefolds and covers with a Snappi when we are out. I use WIntree detergent from Costco. About a tablespoon. I do a cold rinse, a hot wash, and then a cold rinse to get all the soap out. Then I dry on warm/hot. I do have stains on the prefolds and covers. Once it warms up here I will put them on the line out side to dry and the stains will sun out. There is so much information out there it's overwhelming. It's easy to get discouraged. Just keep it simple and it will work out great! Most on-line diaper stores like Montana Diaper Store and http://www.nopins4baby.com offer registries so you can get cloth at your baby shower. http://www.healthydiapers.com/video.html shows videos explaing cloth diapers and how they work. I use the fold she shows in the snappi video. Another great resource is http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/basics.htm GREAT info on what laudry detergents to use and not to use and everything cloth. Get some of those dryer balls since fabric softner is a big NO NO since it will make your diapers repell. If you need to use any diaper creams or barriers they are just fine on prefolds but most pocket diapers you need to use a barrier that is approved for cloth diapers. Most creams like Balmex will make your diapers repell. What I recommend: 3 dozen prefolds or 3 dozen one size fitteds 8 one size covers 8+ one size pocket diapers (for nighttime and outings) cloth wipes Magic Stick all natural diaper ointment. 2 Snappis 1 small dirty diaper bag 1 large diaper pail liner small kitchen trash can with lid
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