Diapers Q&A

When switching to cloth diapers, what are some must haves to accompany them?

I am getting a few g diapers, fuzzi bunz, and BumGenius 3.0s. What else is great to have when using cloth diapers?

Public Comments

1. A good wash machine...........;o)
2. Plastic pants to cover them and keep you dry in case of leaks.
3. I totally suggest diaper pins in case your velcro goes out. I would get the rubber pants to go over of course so that they clothes dont' get wet. And I would get flushable liners... so when he or she poops, you just take out the liner and flush. Oh, and of course a diaper pail that is water proof for soaking.
4. plastic pants
5. diaper pins unless you get the ones with snaps (my favorite) plastic pants to go over diapers and under clothes diaper pail for soaking these are the basics probably a lot of stuff in baby aisles.
6. Cottonbabies.com Get prefolds, and a few cheap covers. 2-3 I have some kissaluvs, and a bum genius for night time, during the day though I just stick with the prefolds. I'm not sure what they are called, but they look like a Y, and you use them instead of safety pins to keep the pre folds on.. About a dollar each on cottonbabies Also get a bucket, from the tool section, like a paint bucket. I put the diapers in there till next washing. If its a poopy diaper I have a squirt bottle, I just rinse it off, toss it into the bucket, and sprinkle baking soda on top. When I wash I use vinegar when it goes through hot, then detergent for a cold quick wash.
7. Plenty of diaper pins and a heavy duty washer and dryer! Good luck
8. Some kind of pail helps. I use a plastic trash can from WalMart. Wipes would be useful. I buy WAHM ones but you can use baby washcloths. A wipe warmer if you're lazy like me... I only use it in the winter (when I'm especially lazy) and keep water and a little baby oil and soap in it then dip and ring my wipes when I need them. A nice basket to keep clean dipes and wipes in to go under the coffee table (again, only necessry when you're lazy- are you noticing a pattern? LOL) Prefolds and covers are great to have in your stash. A wetbag or two for traveling (check hyenacart.com- tons of cute ones) A list of WAHM sites (try diaperdecisions.com under the great cloth diaper hunt) for when you're up at 2 am nursing the baby and get that dipe buying itch. A paypal account LOL Madame is talking about Snappis, if you're interested. I have a few but only used them in the early days. They do mkake excellent velcro cleaner-outers though!
9. I suggest trying out a few other kinds of inserts besides the ones that come with the FB and BG. The microfiber ones are just fine, of course, but I really like Joeybunz Premiums hemp/cotton inserts for nights because they're so absorbent. I use two at a time for my 18-month-old at night and he *usually* wakes up dry. Also, any ol' hemp doubler is nice to have around. They're really thin but hold an amazing amount of pee. They're nice to use if your baby will be wearing his diaper just a little longer than usual, and they're not nearly as bulky as microfiber. Well, the ones I have aren't, anyway. :-)
10. The types of diapers that you mentioned don't require a diaper cover (or "plastic pants" as a few posters called them). I would say that you'll want to get some cloth wipes, some wipes solution, and a washable bad to line your diaper pail (so you can just toss the whole mess in the wash). I just started cloth diapering, too, and it's really addictive. Have fun!
11. If you want to go cloth full-on you may want to get some cloth wipes or make some. I cut up some receiving blankets that my daughter is too big for and hemmed them. If you plan to use cloth diapers outside of the house too you should invest in a wet bag or two. I have two small ones and one large one. I have the small ones for day trips, shopping etc. I have two incase one gets really messy and I don't have time to wash between outings. I have a large one for overnight trips and for when my daughter goes to day care. These are the bags I use: http://www.happytushies.com/category_s/36.htm http://www.happyheinystore.com/catalog.php?category=19 http://www.forbabywithlove.ca/en/cloth_diapers/inserts/wetbags_totes/p16832891.html I would also highly recommend getting some hemp inserts. They are more absorbent than cotton and much trimmer. I use them in many of my pocket diapers and they are great for doubling up for nights. You can also lay these inside the gDiapers instead of the disposable pads. The Jamtots products are great! http://www.jamtots.com/Inserts-C10.aspx