Diapers Q&A - Do you use cloth diapers? Tips?

Do you use cloth diapers? Tips?

I really want to try and be less wasteful. I have been looking into 'G' Diapers that bio-degrade after 30 days or can be flushed. They would end up costing me much more. The alternative to that would be doing cloth at home and regular diapers in public until I got the hang of the cloth then I would be willing to possibly use that method more. Maybe? I just would like a lot of tips. From people with experience only please.

Public Comments

I hated cloth diapers, they smell so bad!!
if you buy the whole kit for cloth diapers you are actually not saving any money if you were to buy disposables..that's what I was told anyways...
I only ever used cloth nappies after each change drop them into a lidded bucket to soak and wash them all next morning and dry outside if possible Liners are also a good idea as well I found 3 dozen nappies are needed I had 3 children. Mind you disposables were not around then, but today I think they are great for going out
I used plastic training pants over the top of the cloth diaper to keep the baby from soiling their clothes so bad. I rinsed the poop out in the toilet, and used bleach water for the heavily soiled diapers. Then wash them in the washer with a baby detergent such as Dreft . When I was out with the baby I would take plastic baggies to put the soiled clothes in.
use plastic diaper coverings. let baby air out for a few minutes between diapering sessions because cloth diapers dont breath well especially with plastic pants, and can cause major diaper rash if area isn't cleaned well. also, double up for sleeping!
I used cloth and disposable. I liked the cloth but you have to change the diapers more often. This is what I did: I purchased about 4 dozen of the cloth diapers and several plastic pants, got a pail with a top on it to use to soak the diapers, used a small amount of bleach in pail. When there was a BM I flushed what i would down the toilet and soaked the rest. I washed in very hot water and with mild detergent. I used the disposable when I was out and at times overnight. I likes the cloth my children never had a diaper rash and they make great cloths after you are done with them.
I love, love, LOVE cloth diapers. They're WAY cuter, way softer, and have saved me so much money over time. The start up costs were semi expensive, but I'm using CDs that I bought for my first child for my 2nd. Moms who use disposables can't do that! I preferred pocket diapers. They're either Velcro or snaps and just as easy to use as disposables. Theyre also very absorbent. My favorite brands are Fuzzi Bunz and BumGenius. Actually, there's a site I left the link too that has a pocket diaper package where you get 5 different brands together for a little cheaper. You can decide your favorite from there. Cleaning is way easy too. I wash mine about every 3 days with a little bit of dye-free detergent and tea tree oil. There's too much stuff to leave on here, but if you look online - people have written novels about it.
I have several g diapers and have used them several times. As for flushing them, I had some bad luck with that, clogging up my drain several times. So, I now just throw them away when using them. I much prefer cloth diapers, though. THey are much easier than gdiapers, especially pocket diapers, all in one (aio) diapers, and all in twos because you just change them every few hours and don't have to worry about removing anything- you just completely replace the diaper and wash them. So far, washing has been a sinch for me. I don't notice that the diapers are particularly smelly- I mean, I'd already been peed on and cleaned up pee from my little boy so, this isn't asking much more from me. I started cloth diapers at home, like you suggested, and then just recently started wearing them out in public for small trips. I am, after about a month, becoming very familiar and comfortable with them. My favorite so far has been the bumgenius 3.0 because the velcro makes changes very simple, unlike using snaps with other diapers. I also really like Jamtots Plush diaper. Also, I am still experimenting at night and haven't found a good nighttime diaper. They get so full that I am tempted to just continue with disposable diapers at night. My little man gets so uncomfy unless I get up and do a middle of the night change, which I hate. :) I am still learning, too, so if you have any more questions or anything to add about your experiences, please let meknow! Good luck with everything!
My baby has been in cloth diapers for 2 months now. We have had a service, but I am going to get some myself now as our little one has already grown into the large size of prefolds. The service is about a hundred dollars a month and to get my own diapers is $180 or so, this includes bummis covers which are really good ones. These should last until my baby is out of diapers. The only thing about the service is that they don't give us enough diapers. We get 70 a week and tend to go through about 100. I don't know I guess our baby pees alot. So we end up using some disposables too and I would prefer not to. I find the cloth ones are easier to tell if they are wet. When the baby has a big poo, the extra bulk of the cloth helps to contain it, so it doesn't go everywhere. This also helps if she pees while I'm changing her, the disposable just doesn't catch it and everything ends up wet. Then of course there's less waste and it's cheaper. I also don't like the thought of my baby being wrapped up in a sleeper with all those chemicals. Used diapers are a bit smelly, but we keep the main bin outside and don't smell it. The disposables are easier to change on the go. They are smaller so they fit under clothes better. (We can't use her 3-6 month clothes at all, a good thing to tell people who are buying clothes for you!) And you have to watch what creams you use with your cloth wearing baby as some will make the cloth non-absorbant. My baby is totally rash free so far, I think it's because of the cloth and because we change her so much.
I cloth diaper part time. It took me about $100 to start my stash, all brand new and I've saved so much just from cloth diapering part time. I purchased mainly prefolds (premium unbleached chinese prefolds) and a few cheap covers. Learning how to fold prefolds can be tricky, but I love them. Instead of buying inserts and doublers, I purchased microfiber towels from the auto dept at walmart and they work great! I also used fleece liners (cut up strips of fleece) to keep baby feeling dry longer. I change my son about every 1 and a half hours to every 2 hours and I wash every 2 days. Sometimes I even hand wash and line dry. I have a few pocket diapers that are great for when we're visiting relatives or out and about, but I still use some disposables. You don't have to convert all the way overnight. It isn't hard and I love how soft cloth is. When wet, just drop into a bucket or pail and sprinkle with baking soda. If poopy, rinse away with water and then put into the pail with baking powder. So simple! Washing is easy too. You use very little detergent and vinegar is a great fabric softener. Leaving stained ones out in the sun works better than any bleach I've tried! If you're not queasy about trying used diapers, then I suggest diaperswappers.com. You can get used diapers for cheap there and it's great! I got my pockets from there and I love them! Also, if you try cloth and really don't like them, you can set up an account and resell them on diaperswappers. In the long run, if you buy only what you need (cloth diapering can be addicting because it's so darn cute), you will save lots of money. I only buy about 2 packs of sposies now, instead of a pack or two every week. I've saved lots of money, even though I don't have my own washer and dryer at home. I also like that I'm helping out the environment and not exposing my son to extra chemicals. Give it a try!