Diapers Q&A

cloth diapers?

How many of you use cloth diapers? My mom used cloth diapers for all three of us. I consider myself "green" and my husband and I are thinking about having a baby. My question is if you have used cloth diapers how convinient are they? I know they deliver but what about going out to eat and having a dirty diaper?

Public Comments

1. I think its too much hastle.. and I don't think its worth it. But if you do want to be "green" then they do have enviromentally safe diapers.
2. I think if you can go green, and your comfortable with it.. then do it!! when you're out and about.. stick a disposable on, and when your home, and visiting friends and family.. stay green.. have plenty of carrier bags/ nappy sacks to pop them in.
3. Hi! I am due in Feb and am planning on using cloth diapers. They have gotten a ton more convenient. They now have diaper covers. You used them by putting a prefolded cloth diaper inside of a diaper cover which works the same way disposables do, only you reuse them. They are easy because normally the only thing you have to wash is the prefolded cloth diaper. Do a google search and you will see what I mean. I am like you and when I read that a single disposable diaper takes over 500 years to decompose fully in a land fill, I just coulnd't bring myself to using disposables. Even the disposables that are " green" still take up to a year to decompose in land fills. Plus cloth diapers are better for your babies skin and it's easier to potty train from cloth. Thank you for thinking this over!I hope more people will consider using cloth,too.
4. We use cloth exclusively right now, and it's really no problem. When we're out and about and change his diaper, we put it in a waterproof bag and back in the diaper bag, then put it in the diaper pail when we get home. It's the same thing you'd do if he had a blowout and you needed to carry messy clothing home. I say go for cloth! Less expensive, environmentally sound, and cute as can be!
5. i use hemp fitted cloth diapers and i LOVE them.....they are extremely convenient and you save so much damn money....not mention i am not contributing to landfill mess and pollution if i am out and i need to change her i just change her....and stick the used diaper in a bag and tuck into the diaper bag and we're off.....get home that diaper goes in the dirty diaper basket....easy as that and breastfed baby diapers don't smell....so it's not like i have a crappy diaper smelling up the place from the diaper bag do a net search for cloth diapers and you will be amazed!...there are wonderful vendors on the net for various types of cloth diapers i personally love hemp fitteds.....other moms go for pockets, all in ones, or good old fashioned prefolds and a snappi(no pins these days) good luck honey......in the end whichever you buy you have to purchase quality....that is the key to being happy with your decision.....you can't buy the cheapo gerbers flats from wal-mart and expect to end up happy
6. Cloth diapers are cheaper, better for the baby, better for the environment and many other benefits. Disposable diapers should be only for those times when you find yourself away from home such as "going out" or similar. Personally, I think people who use disposable diapers all the time are simply lazy. In addition, for what one pays for them, one could get a diaper service once a week or more often and never have to worry about washing them. The plastice and rubber lined disposables are NOT good for baby's sensitive skin as it holds the wetness close to the babys body - which leads to diaper rash and other infections in the diaper area.
7. Me, but they aren't your mama's diapers any more!! I use pocket diapers, with a waterproof outer layer, that attach with velcro-like hook and loop. They are VERY CUTE, and VERY CONVENIENT. When I go out, I bring a gallon ziplock bag with me, and the wet/dirty diapers go in there. Check out these diapers: www.chloetoesboutique.com they're my favorites. It's not my website, I just use that pattern when I sew my own. Oh, and they're MORE convenient, because I never have to run out to the store to get more disposables.
8. i do not use a service, so i don't get any delivered to me. i buy my own, i am also starting to make my own, and I wash them myself. I really do not find it hard, and the financial and environmental benefits, as well as avoiding all the chemicals which makes it better on baby's skin, make up and then some for the lack of the "convenience" of the disposable. Though, I really don't feel it is an inconvenience. As for going out, I have a small bag made out of PUL. I just change his diaper, if it is poo I shake it into the toilet(or use a wipe to wipe it in) and then rinse it off and stick in the bag. No odors and no wet. It isn't that hard.
9. I have been using cloth dipes on both of my children(2 1/2 years old and 10 months old) since the youngest was 6 weeks. I so wish now that I had known about them sooner! I really don't find them any more inconvenient than disposables. Just indtead of throwing it away once you are done you either but it in a diaper pail or wet bag. I don't use a diaper service(there aren't any that I know of here in Alaska); instead I buy most of mine online. I have experimented with every type of dipe made now. LOL I find that they all have there advantages and disadvantages.....but the pros STILL outweigh(for me at least) using disposables. I figured it out that I would be spending around $100 a MONTH buying dipes for both of my boys, and then add in the cost of wipes(I also use cloth wipes)...and it's amazing how much money I would have been throwing away every month. Sorry...I kinda went off on a tangent there. LOL I have 2 wet bags that I keep in my diaper bag that hold soiled dipes and wipes from while we are out. When we get home I just toss it down into the basement to get washed along with the rest of the dipes. There have been a few times that I didn't get laundry done and then I just used a gallon sized ziploc bag instead....works just as well!
10. If you were out and you used disposable diapers and your baby had a dirty diaper, what would you do? You would change him and dump the mess out of the diaper and throw it away. With cloth, you do the same, except you don't throw it away, you put it in a ziplock plastic bag and put it back into your diaper bag and when you get home you take and put it with the other diapers in the diaper pail. No big deal. Good luck.
11. I completely disapprove of disposables except for traveling. BUT cloth diapers- whether you clean them yourself or with a service, the amount of water used as well as the amount of bleaches and detergents going into the environment are significant. There are people who don't use bleach- THAT option is unsanitary. What works for me (and my green conscience) is a cloth wrap with a flushable insert. I originally invested in several g-diapers starter kits which include 4 vinyl shield, 2 cloth wraps and ten flushable inserts- And liked them. At this point I have found that the flushable insert also works in many other fabric wraps, so i have various kinds now and they all do the job wih the flushable. I really like them. When I'm out and don't want to 'test' someone else's plumbing, I shake the poop, flush it, and throw away the insert- no need to carry poopy and wet stuff around like with traditional cloth, and even when not flushed, the g-diaper insert breaks down in about 50 days. In my opinion it is a wonderful system. Breaks down, less detergents, less water and less HOT water energy usage.