Diapers Q&A

Cloth diapers?

Are any of you ladies using cloth diapers? I am considering it because I try my best to help the enviroment in anyway I can. Is it a hassle using cloth diapers and did you buy them or make them? I'm considering making my own diapers because they can cost $5 each or more. Will it be worth my time trying to figure out how to make them? I have seen patterns to do this. My baby is not due for another 2 months so I have a little time to prepare. Yeah I believe you on them being gross, I have seen there are disposable liner also that you can just toss into the toilet and flush so you don't have to deal with all the mess. It seems ridiculous that people would use "wasting water" etc. as an excuse to fill dumps w trash instead. I didn't know this was an argument. If this was the case we better not flush, wash hands, brush teeth, wash dishes etc too often. I'm a working mother also or will be, currently on bedrest for remainder of pregnancy. I know it is a bit more responsibility but I want to do my part to leave a planet worth living on for my daughters and their children.

Public Comments

1. I am a working mom and use to use it for 1 day..it is a lot of hassle to wash and it causes more nappy rash than any other nappies on the market.
2. ha?>u want do ur own cloth diapers??sure??buy at market lor...normally cloth diapers using in day time...diapers use at nite becox it will help ur bb sleep tight...make sure evertime u changing the diapers put on the bb powder...ok
3. i tried it as someone gave me a nappy service for the first month. they were good as someone came and picked them up and cleaned them then delivered more. but if i had to wash them myself i don't think i would bother. the environmental impact of washing nappies (use of water, chemicals, electricity etc) is considered to be just as much of an impact as disposables. there are some good envrionmentally friendly disposables available, not sure where you are but here in australia there are some good ones that are biodegradable etc.
4. I used them when my daughter was allergic to diposable diapers. It's cheaper just go and buy cloth diapers at Walmart. Believe me ,it is no fun dumping the poo in the toilet and having to wash the diapers. I had to put the dirty diapers out side in a plastic bag and then in a few days go wash them at the laundry mat since I didn't have a washer and dryer at the time. The one good thing is that my daughters rash did go away using the cloth diapers though. Believe me ,it's gross. Remember to use bleach when you wash them.
5. I use MCN's (modern cloth nappies) fulltime and it really isn't all that hard. If you use the right material it is very easy to flush down the toilet, or you are right, you can buy flushable liners. And it hardly uses any extra water, as you don't soak MCN's, so it's just one small wash every few days. I haven't made them though, so no help there, although I have a friend who has a nappy business and makes them all herself, and they are brilliant. Good luck with it!
6. I want to clear up some misinformation given in some of the answers. Cloth diapers cause less diaper rash than disposable diapers. Problems with diaper rash in cloth diapers are often caused by the wet diaper staying on the baby too long. Disposable users often take advantage of the absorbancy and the fact that the baby feels dry and will keep a diaper on the baby for hours longer than it should be. In 1955, 100% of American babies wore cotton diapers, only 7.1% experienced diaper rash. In 1991, only 10% of American babies wore cotton diapers. But 78% of American babies experienced diaper rash. "Ask nearly any disposable diaper advocate the environmental question and they will most likely say that while they are loading up the landfills in our world, cloth diaper users are wasting the planet’s water. Certainly 20,000 gallons of water seems like a lot to wash some diapers. But let’s put that into perspective. If we spent 640 gallons on our diapers per month, that’s .86 units of water (at 748 gallons/unit). In my household of 2 adults and 2 children, we use anywhere from 10-25 units a month, depending on the time of year. If we averaged 15 units of water a month, our .86 units of water would constitute about 6% of our typical monthly water usage. In the summer, we use more water to keep our lawn green than we do to wash our diapers. That’s just the numbers. I think it’s interesting that disposable diaper lovers (including the companies that make them) can make quite a fuss about the water used to wash cloth diapers. Nobody seems to get up in arms about the amount of water used to wash and sanitize bottles if parents feed their babies formula – or pumped breastmilk for that matter. In the event that a baby’s parents find the time for a 5 minute shower each day, they will each use over 27,000 gallons of water to keep themselves clean for that 2 1/2 year period of diapering their baby – that’s almost 60,000 gallons for two adults. But 20,000 gallons to wash their baby’s diapers is supposed to be an environmental problem? If disposable diaper users really think it’s a better choice to pollute landfills with long-lasting, bacteria-laden trash, rather than use water to wash and flush our children’s waste, then shouldn’t all of us adults quit taking showers, wear disposable diapers – and probably disposable clothing altogether - and quit flushing our waste down the toilet? That hardly makes sense. We have wise, environmentally safe and inexpensive ways to treat our sewage water (remember, it only costs about $17.00 for the TOTAL water of laundering one child’s diapers for 2 1/2 years!). Further, water is a naturally renewing resource – remember the “water cycle” diagrams we all came to know and love in our 5th grade science courses?" Cloth diapers gross? I think what's gross is all of those chemicals in disposable diapers and what they can do to babies. Changing cloth diapers is almost identical to changing disposable diapers. The main difference between using cloth and using disposables is that yes, you have to wash cloth diapers after a day or so of diaper changes. Now it's not as if we have to go down to the river and slap our cloth diapers against the rocks anymore. Modern washing machines are designed to handle a few messy diapers. If a baby is exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, baby's poop is completely water soluble so no extra work is done at all. Older babies poop is solid and will generally roll right off the diaper when held over the toilet. No toilet dunking is required. Sorry to get on my soapbox, mama, but people slinging myths around drive me crazy. Anyway, yes it is so worth your time! I wish I could sew, I'm having to buy them. Even though they are spendy, I hear the resale value is great, so I figure I'll get a lot of money back. If you get pretty good at making them, maybe you can start selling them.
7. I used cloth diapers on my son from the time he was 6 weeks until he potty trained at 3 years old. My only regret was not starting cloth diapers earlier. I loved using cloth diapers on him so much that today I am a cloth diaper advocate and have helped hundreds of families get their babies into cloth diapers. Most parents- even dads- tell me that it is so much easier than they thought! 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. The advantages of using cloth diapers are numerous; healthier for baby, better environmentally, cost efficient. They are also more comfortable for baby, create more opportunity for bonding, and come in whatever print and fabric you could imagine. Imagine how it feels to put an organic velour diaper on your baby's bum, as opposed to a paper and plastic combination that contains dangerous chemicals. The feeling you get for providing the best for your child is most definately worth the little more effort that cloth diapers require. I would think that you would get an even more satisfied feeling if you lovingly sewed those diapers yourself. If you are low income, and the cost of quality cloth diapers is daunting- check out Miracle Diapers http://www.miraclediapers.org/ They are a nonprofit that helps provide cloth diapers to families in need. Check out this link for fabric, info and more patterns... http://www.diapershop.com/ Their patterns cost- but they are worth it! They are the same patterns that many online retailers use.
8. I love the cloth diapers that I have for my sons. I started using them when my baby was about 6 weeks old(he is 7 1/2 months now). I am currently using them on both the baby and my 2 1/2 year old toddler. I honestly don't find them THAT horrible to clean at all. The littlest one is still exclusively breast fed, so his dirty dipes don't even need rinsed; and then for the toddler just shake out the solids and swish it in the toilet really quickly. No biggie. I do a load of laundry every other day or so, sometimes I wait longer. I have bought my dipes, but that is because I am TOTALLY sewing machine illiterate. LOL I have tried all sorts of different dipes, and honestly believe that they all have their pros and cons. My favorite by far is pocket dipes. I do have friends though that make their own dipes, and one has her own business(her site will be listed). My favorite dipes are: ~Pockets-Fuzzi Bunz ~Fitteds-Kissaluvs ~Covers-Bummis ~AIO-Pampered Bunz I have a couple different one size dipes though that are GREAT, just not favorites of mine. Those are Mommy's Touch, Mother Eve, and Bum Genius. I would reccomend looking into dipes that have snaps though. The ones that I have that are velcro(hook and loop) are quickly wearing out, were as my snap dipes still look new!