Diapers Q&A - Cloth diapers?

Cloth diapers?

Has anyone used Baby Love one-size all-in-one cloth diapers? I wonder if one-size really works or if there are leaks. I found some really affordable Baby Love AIOs and also some really affordable diaper covers and thought that I would try a combination of the two (with prefolds and snappies). I'm 25 weeks pregnant with my first and have never cloth diapered before. I'm trying to save money and help the environment. Some of these AIOs are so expensive! What kind of cloth diapers did/do you use? Do you recommend any products over others? Did you use a diaper laundry service or wash at home? There are just so many choices out there. Any advise would be great!

Public Comments

oooh i am a first timer too. i have tons of questions... u just asked more questions i didn't ask b4. :) thanks a lot. good luck here is a link to my first question i just asked http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ai5JJAKdh6rUPulu7nmj227sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080422133057AALJygC and the second one... http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ai5JJAKdh6rUPulu7nmj227sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080422140401AAlTq9P just a few questions i had about cloth diapering too :)
I've never used the diapers you mentioned, but I do love cloth. :-) If you don't mind buying used diapers you can save a bundle. Try looking at the forums at http://www.diaperswappers.com http://www.diapertraders.com and http://www.diaperpin.com . My favorite diapers are Green Acre Designs fleece pocket diapers.
You're right, cloth diapering can get expensive, especially if you're a first time mom. I haven't heard of Baby Love diapers, so I can't give you the ups and downs of those, but I do have experience with some other options: Diaper Service! In the beginning, this is a life-saver. When you are developing you new-mommy sea legs, you will not want to be washing your baby's diapers (the first five might be quaint, but it wears off after a week or three!). If there is a service that delivers to your area, check them out. Friends and co-workers are usually happy to contribute to a month or two of diaper service. This allows you to get the hang of cloth diapers, try out a few different covers, and work on developing your system. It was really easy to toss the dirty ones into the pail that we bought from our service and then set them out before pick-up time. Very hassle free. When the dust starts to settle, you can explore other options. You can keep the diaper service and reduce your order so that you wash some of your own diapers. My daughter doesn't usually poop in the middle of the night any more (6.5 months), so I use the FuzziBunz covers with inserts. They're expensive, but I was able to find a large lot of used covers/inserts on Craig's List (you can also ask your diaper service if they have a cover exchange program where they link moms together to buy/trade covers). They feel less bulky than the prefolds with covers to me. Since they're mostly pee diapers, I just soak them in BioKleen BacOut and then wash them with a gentle powder detergent. I like the Basic Connection Litewrap or Cotton Wrap, and the Bummis SuperWhisperWrap. They are easy to clean and they keep her dry. We do well with about 4-5 (they're about $7-8 each) in a size, since the covers always need to be washed when she poops. We just make sure that the dirty covers go into whichever load of laundry is going in next. You can get by with fewer, and you can often find them used for less money. AIOs seem a little difficult to me because you'd need a lot of them. Babies pee and poo an absurd number of times in the early weeks (if you're not used to it). Prefolds are not too expensive (if you're brave and want to rough it those first weeks), and you only need a few covers to get started. If it's a pee diaper, toss the prefold in the pail, air out the cover, and re-use it later until it gets soiled or noticeably smelly. Bleach is a problem with the diaper service pre-folds, as well as transport, but no system is waste/pollution free. Whatever you choose will be better than the non-biodegradeable plastic diapers that are taking over the landfills. Good luck and feel free to email me if you have other questions.
I just use the regular square (or not so square as the case may be! lol) terry cloth fold-em-yourself nappies. Purchased in packs of 12 or 24 (can't remember which!) from Target very inexpensively. Also have cotton & fleecy covers from target/kmart/big W etc quite cheap. I use snappys rather than pins. Extra in the loo, dry-pail the dirty nappies. To wash, just a regular wash, with our normal detergent (you can buy eco-friendly detergents these days too!) and I just put them through an extra rinse to make sure all the soaps washed out. Line dry in the sun (sun is the best sanitiser - you don't need bleach or anything.) I will admit I use disposables when we go out though (and a few in the early days until I got into the groove a bit) Best of Luck.