Diapers Q&A

What does everyone think about cloth diapers?

I am in my third trimester with my 3rd child and we have ALWAYS used Pampers--but we just got my youngest potty trained and I really don't want to start buyng diapers again every week. Is it hard to use cloth diapers? Is it hard to keep them clean? Good and bad experiences are appreciated! Thanks!

Public Comments

1. I dont have kids, but when I do I will be using cloth diapers. They are so much better for the environment!!! Less waste at the landfills, less raw material being used to create diapers
2. I didn't use cloth diapers with my son and I won't when this child is born either but some women use them and love them. I remember that my aunt used them and had loads of nasty diapers to wash everyday and I personally just didn't need anymore laudry. There are websites you can go to where ladies use all natural ways for parenting and maybe someone there can give you more insight!
3. I would stick to disposable diapers, I use cloth diapers as burping cloths. If you want to wash every 2 days then use cloth diapers, but disposable are the way to go.
4. I'm 20 weeks pregnant and just the thought of having to wash out cloth diapers gives me nightmares. I'm going with disposable
5. I plan on cloth diapering with my kid and have done a lot of research. There are a ton of forums out there for mothers who cloth diaper where you can get tips and such. Also, if you are using a midwife, as her if she cloth diapered. If she did, she'll be able to help you out. As far as "experiences" I only know my mother's experience cloth diapering me, which, ironically enough, was the exact opposite of every other experience I've ever heard about cloth diapering. She said it was nearly impossible to get the diapers clean enough and that they irritated my skin, so she had to switch to disposables. I don't know how she washed them, but you do have to wash them a specific way. Seeing as how they didn't have the internet and no one really taught her how to do it, chances are she didn't know the "proper" way to wash cloth diapers. That's my guess, at least, props for her trying! On a personal note, I applaud you looking into cloth diapering. Disposables have been linked to increased risk of childhood allergies and asthma, not to mention adding ten thousand tons of waste to our landfills a year. It's a mature choice, and just the fact that you're considering it gets kudos from me. :P
6. I use cloth 90% of the time, and I like it fine. You end up doing laundry every other day basically, but they come clean enough. You use just a little bit of detergent because you don't want soap build-up on the cloth. If there's stains, don't sweat it (it's just a diaper!) but once a month I'll add a scoop of Oxyclean and that seems to do the trick. I can't imagine buying disposable diapers for everyday use... seems like a waste of money to me! You can use a regular diaper pail. If it's a poopy, there is a sprayer that attaches to your toilet that you will want to spray off the solids. One of the benefits is the cost in the long run. It's an investment for covers and diapers but if you're expecting more kids, then it's way cheaper. If you are not expecting more than the 3rd you're having soon, then I'm not sure it would be worth it to you. I bought all mine with my first and I plan on having 1 or 2 more kids. I still use disposable when she's being babysat, or if we're going to be out and about all day. Here's some good websites to order diapers and look up more info. Don't buy cloth diapers in the store, like Gerber brand.. those don't absorb and are meant more to be burp cloths than diapers. http://www.babycottonbottoms.com/index.html I ordered diapers from here - I use the Diaper Service Quality Premium Chinese Prefolds and the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap covers. This page also sells cloth wipes and the sprayer. You'll want about 6 covers and 2 dozen diapers. There are things like flushable inserts, but with the sprayer, you don't really need those. You will also want Snappi's (about 3 or 4) to use instead of safety pins. Here's a good "getting started" page like how many you need: http://www.diapersafari.com/diaperinfo/clothdiaperinfo/
7. do you have the kind of schedule that allows you time to deal with cloth diapers? im not knocking them but after reading what other mothers do to store and clean them i simply dont have the time. if its really something u want to do, look into a "diaper service" where they come pick up ur soiled diapers and clean them and bring em back.
8. if you have 2 bathrooms in your house it's much easier. use one toilet for diapers and the other for regular use. rinse the diaper out in the toilet, flush, rinse again, do laundry at night. borax instead of bleach cascade crystals instead of borax (the best to use is borax, the next best is cascade (regular not lemon) the least best to use is bleach)
9. I love using cloth diapers and find them very easy to use. I would suggest using all in one dipaers or pocket diapers. This makes diaper chaning a breeze since the cover and diaper are all one it just closes with velcro or snaps. My favorite All-In-Ones are bumkins. They come in super cute prints or just plain white. I also like Kuskie they are a great and a little less costly. You may also want to look into pocket diapers. The most popular and my personal favorite are Fuzzi Bunzs. They come in a wide arrange of cool colors and some prints, they also have a microfleece linning that help whick moisture away from babies skin and the bowel movements just kind of roll off of it into the toliet. I would spend a little extra money and get hemp liners by hemproo. They make these diapers super trim and you can add one or two more for night time and not have to worry about leaks. The best part of cloth diapers is what it does for the enviroment, just think off all the diapers that will not be filling up landfills. It also exposes your baby to less chemicals since there are things like chlorine and other chemicals in disposables (what do you think makes them so absorbant). Also kids who are cloth diapered will on average potty train earlier than other kids because they can feel when they are wet. As far as cleaning goes, some people say you need to use a natural detergent to wash them, but I just use Tide free and clear and they get super clean. The main thing to remeber is to use that detergent should not have dyes or perfumes added. Also don't use fabric softners. They coat the diapers and make them less absorbant. An don't use bleach it breaks down the fabric and they don't last as long. I find if you get enough to last a few days I would go with between 15 and 20 you are not washing them all the time, I usually do a load about every three days. If you leave them any longer than that they start to get an amenonia(sp?) smell which washes out but isn't pleasant to smell when you walk into a room.
10. I LOVE cloth diapers!!!!!! I just placed another order to replace the ones that have been loved to pieces by my two girls. Cloth has changed a lot in the last ten years or so. The internet has done wonders. Just google Fuzzi Bunz or BumGenius if you don't believe me. Cloth diapers are easy to use. Sure, there is a learning curve, but the same can be said for everything worth doing. Once you get the hang of it, the only difference is you put cloth diapers into a different bin. You don't even have to rinse newborn poopy diapers if your baby is breastfed. Diapers are not hard to keep clean. My current routine is this: Throw wet diapers into pail (trash can with good lid) Dump poop into toilet--dunking optional Wash on cold in the largest setting your machine has. Use 1/4 to half a dose of detergent. I like to add some baking soda, too. Wash again on hot, adding some vinegar if you like. Vinegar kills yeast and softens the fibers. It also restores pH. Line dry if possible, if not I separate the absorbent stuff (into the drier on high) from the waterproof stuff(lay on top of drier or hang). If your diapers are stinky, they have detergent residue. If they are stained, they need to be dried in the sun. My current favorite diaper system is a Chinese prefold with a homemade wool soaker and an optional fleece liner to keep baby's butt dry. I use a Snappi because pins scare me. I love fitted diapers for newborns (like Kissaluvs) with a Prorap. Proraps are ugly but indestructible! Bummis SWW are really nice too. For going out, I like BumGenius one size pockets because they're trim and cute. Start researching now and your baby will never have to wear a plastic diaper! You can also buy cloth pads for yourself. I really like the way my flannel pads feel compared to the disposable kind. Good luck! ETA: Those who have had issues with cloth used cheap diapers, period. If you buy Chinese prefolds from a reputable online retailer, you'll be much happier than someone who buys a pack of Gerber prefolds from the Wal-Mart.
11. I started out using cloth diapers with my first child thinking that it would save money and would be better for the environment. It is a pain in the neck. Time spent washing, needing plastic pants, using pins and hoping that you don't stick your child with the pin. My parents came to visit and brought two huge packages of disposable diapers. I was ever so grateful. Use them for burping or cleaning.
12. cloth diapers are cool but the disposable ones are more convenent... as for keeping them cleaned that depends on how much cleaning you want to do...the kid has to be changed as soon as they go to the bathroom, and i found that if you dont use those plastic coverings everything will get wet but the plastic bloomers have to seem unconfortable the the elastic always seemed to leave red marks on chubby baby thighs. and then we all know who much a baby goes potty and having to change a nappie everytime theres a mess leave a bunch of nappies laying around waiting to be washed. so if you like to do landry then cloth maybe the way to go but i couldnt handle it. also if you can afford it there are diaper services in most major areas, you keep all the dirty nappies and then on collection day a van comes and gets the dirty nappies and leaves some fresh and clean nappies and then ya start all over again.. so yeah cloth does have a lot of advantages but i couldnt do a load of cloth diapers in the machine everynight it was just easyer to use disposable ...now if i had someone that would wash the poopy nappies for free then yeah i would deffently use them.. good luck and congrats on the new little one...
13. No, they are not hard to use and no, they are not hard to keep clean. Today's cloth diapers are a lot different than the Gerber pre-folds you can buy at Wal Mart (that require pins and covers to be used as diapers-we use them as burp cloths ourselves). Modern cloth diapers are fitted just like disposable ones are. They fasten with velcro or snaps depending on the brand you choose. There are also disposable liners available to put inside, which catch most of the waste and you toss that in the trash (these are also biodegradable-disposable diapers are not). You machine wash and line dry. The sun has a bleaching effect, which is good for both stains and to make sure any bacteria has been killed. Some women do use the dryer instead of line drying, some do use clorox. I have two children and am expecting my third. We have used cloth and disposables in the past. Even when out and about, I did not find the cloth to be inconvenient. We just put any soiled diapers in a ziplock bag until we got home. On average, children who are cloth diapered potty train earlier and have fewer problems with rashes, etc. I also believe it is better for them because they do not have the chemicals, etc against their skin. I have nothing against disposable diapers, though-as I said we have used them in the past and will use them part time this time also. I hope this helps!
14. I have always used disposables and will use them again with #3. I am a working mother, and daycare surely would not be amused with cloth diapers. It is a lovely idea, though- for those who are home most of the time.
15. I think cloth diapers are more healthier.But I use disposables because I couldn't find cloth.Now that I found them,I got used to disposables.They are alot easier.
16. We started out with "disposable" diapers and switched to cloth when baby was 4 months, but now I really wish we had done cloth from day 1. Like others have said, using cloth is just as convenient as using Pampers except you don't have the 8,000 diapers per child filling landfills waiting 500+ years to disintegrate. Ouch! I'm providing some educational links and diaper resources below.
17. Cloth diapers in 2007............... I have a 6 month old 300 diapers a month So I buy 3 packs of diapers (100 per pack). Therefore I have to buy diapers once a month. $40 Luvs MY grandmother brought a pack of cloth that I will use in an emergency (blizzard or something LOL)
18. I cloth diapered my son from the time he was 6 weeks old until he potty trained right before he turned three. I loved it! I can't say that there were no issues, but even disposable users have issues... They have blow outs and leaks and rashes, yet if someone has those same issues in cloth diapers, then they blame the cloth. I am a cloth diaper advocate and have helped many families get their babies in cloth and they are always surprised at how easy it is. The worst thing about using cloth diapers today is fighting people's stereotypes about them and the people who use them. We shouldn't have to defend ourselves for making the best choice for our babies. The good thing is that most people change their minds about cloth diapers once they are exposed to them and realize how much easier they are than they previously thought. What a lot of people aren't aware of these days, is that there is a whole world of cloth diapers available on the internet. There are enough choices to make your head spin. Those gauzey flat diapers, plastic pants and oversized safety pins that you find in the baby section of your local department store are a thing of the past. And if that is someone's only experience with cloth diapers, I'd be surprised if it weren't horrible. Diapers are meant to be changed everytime they are wet or soiled, yet dispoables are made so absorbant that many consumers are spoiled and don't change the wet diaper until it is falling off the baby. Therefore if someone is conditioned to this mindset, they will end up causing a rash on a baby by leaving a wet cloth diaper on for 8 hours or so at a time. If used and washed correctly (it's not hard- just use a hypoallergenic detergent such as All-Free and Clear) , cloth diapers do not cause rashes. However, disposable diapers contain so many chemicals that they have been known to cause severe diaper rashes. If you breastfeed, baby's poop will just disolve in the wash. Once baby has solid poop you can use a flushable diaper liner to "catch" the solids. So, clean up isn't hard at all. My advice to you would be to wait on the All in One or Pocket Diapers until your baby is eating solids regularly. You will need a cover to help the diaper hold in all that liquid poo. ;) Fitteds and prefolds work great as long as you buy a quality brand online. And don't worry about prefolds being hard to use- they're not. You can just fold it into a rectangle and place it into a velcro closing cover. No pins needed. Good luck with your choice!