We are considering cloth diapering (Altho everyone in our family has some smart-butt comment to say about it ) who cares tho, my baby not theirs, but anyways I wanted a little information on it, and I figured who better to ask than the mama's who currently do it themselves! SOOO here's a few questions, I hope you don't mind me asking, and thanks so much!
How many cloth diapers do you need to start off with? (at birth)
As far as washing them goes, does it get messy?
How long can babies wear cloth diapers until?
What brands are the most reliable, dependent, comfortable for baby (in your oppinion?)
:goodvibes: I really will appreciate any feedback!
Kestlyn
02-08-2008, 01:12 AM
Welcome to the world of cloth diapering Mama!
Do a search for "new to diapers" or "types of diapers" etc and you'll get more info!
How many cloth diapers do you need to start off with? (at birth)This entirely depends on how often you want to do laundry! Infants wet'dirty a LOT of diapers so plan on like 12 a day. Later around 8 a day is normal
As far as washing them goes, does it get messy? Again you have options. Some people dump poo in the toilet and throw the diaper directly into a pail. I rinse mine to make sure that I won't have stains. Wet dipes go right in the pail
How long can babies wear cloth diapers until? Uh...potty time!What brands are the most reliable, dependent, comfortable for baby (in your oppinion?) I love one size bumGenius pocket diapers. They go on and off quickly like a disposable. The insert comes out for quick wash and dry, and then you just stuff it back in. GMD prefolds are great as are bamboo velour. Bummis covers are an inexpensive cover option if you go fitteds or prefolds, instead of an All in One or a pocket. Wool is also a great option for a cover.
Ooey
02-08-2008, 01:23 AM
How many cloth diapers do you need to start off with? (at birth)
I'd say bare minimum, if you were washing every day, 15-20... you'd probably want around 25 to be comfortable. And this doesn't mean you'd have to go drop a load of cash on 25 fuzzi bunz, it's nice to have a few easy diapers like that but you could do fine just tri-folding prefolds in covers for the nb stage, which would cost you under $100 for everything.
As far as washing them goes, does it get messy?
No it's super easy. For the nb stage you just throw the whole diaper in the washer, the poop washes right out. Once they start having solids poop you just have to dump the poo in the toilet, then wash.
How long can babies wear cloth diapers until?
Do you mean what age? Any age can wear them. If you mean how long can they stay in the same diaper, I'd say 3 hours, although I like to change every time the baby goes, that's one luxury with cloth that you don't get with sposies, it's not more expensive to keep your baby's bum clean and dry!
What brands are the most reliable, dependent, comfortable for baby (in your oppinion?)
GreenAcreDesigns, berryplush, a snappi'd prefold with a luxe wool cover or a tri-folded prefold with a wigglewormbottoms cover.
BlsdMama
02-08-2008, 05:48 AM
How many cloth diapers do you need to start off with? (at birth)
As far as washing them goes, does it get messy?
How long can babies wear cloth diapers until?
What brands are the most reliable, dependent, comfortable for baby (in your oppinion?)
:goodvibes: I really will appreciate any feedback!
We've diapered with as few as 18 and as many as 2.5 dozen. At birth I want two dozen, three would be nice. :)
Washing them is easy, especially in the beginning. Breastfed baby poo is water soluble and will just wash away. No need to dunk. We use a dry pail and wash about every other day. Abigail is the fifth child I've cloth diapered and it goes pretty smoothly. We wash on warm with half the normal amount of detergent and then once on hot with no detergent.
Wear cloth diapers until? Not sure I understand the question. The nice thing about cloth (especially without a cover) is that you are able to be responsive and change them right away. Mine went from cloth to panties and I'm pretty sure they all potty trained earlier because they actually recognized wetness and urination whereas if the diaper feels dry all the time (like with a disposable) there isn't that connection. They've potty trained at anywhere from 17 months to 24/25 months.
My opinion on your last question is going to be really different from everyone else. I started with prefolds and moved on to a collection. With our next, I thinned out the stash, eventually moving to just prefolds. I stuck with prefolds for the next three. I think fitteds and AIOs are nice to have, but for me, they just don't make sense. I've had prefolds last through three children. They don't have any elastic to spring, any sizes to change, any snaps to break. I don't cry if they get stained, I'm not heartbroken if one rips, and they are SHOCKINGLY durable. I hang them on the line and they look so beautiful, clean, and sunshiney fresh. :) For me, knowing there will probably be more babies, an investment in AIOs which can eventually leak, or in fitteds where there is elastic, snaps, etc. to worry about doesn't make any sense. My diapers aren't going to go through the normal 1.2 children... They're going to need to make it through 3.... Prefolds agitate wonderfully in the wash machine and they dry super quick. So I'm a little biased because at this point, I'm all about efficiency. ;) I will admit that I've been actively seeking out Very Baby Diapers for nighttime cloth. And as far as covers I haven't yet found any I like as well as ZtoA Baby covers.
viettasgirl
02-08-2008, 05:57 AM
How many cloth diapers do you need to start off with? (at birth) Not sure- since I only cd'd dd since 15 mo. But I am starting off with this for the new babe: about 2 dozen fitteds, 2 dozen nb prefolds, 2 dozen infant prefolds. I do not think you need all this but I have the luxury of time to build my stash.
As far as washing them goes, does it get messy?
Sometimes it's stinky, but no messier than using disposables. It's very easy to do- throw them in (mine are all pfs and a few cotton fitteds so I don't have any special care needed), give them a cold rinse, one hot wash with detergent, one hot wash without, and then dry for an hour. Poof! You've got clean diapers and didn't have to lay down one red cent.
How long can babies wear cloth diapers until?
I think you're asking how many years? :headscratch: DD is 2 this month and her premiums still have to be folded down in order to fit. So I don't foresee her outgrowing them. There are literally diapers to fit every size until potty learning, which is what we're going for.
What brands are the most reliable, dependent, comfortable for baby (in your oppinion?)
All we use around here is prefolds. I agree with pp totally. I have bought some fitteds for our nb to see if they help with the runny EBF poo, and 4-6 for the diaper bag because they make changes on the go a little easier with dd. But otherwise, we have all pfs and a variety of covers- some PUL, some wool, some knitted.
Quiteria
02-08-2008, 06:27 AM
How many cloth diapers do you need to start off with? (at birth)
We started a little late, so I'll let the others tell you. But i will say that I like to have about 3 days worth, and wash every 2 days. That way if something goes wrong and I don't get them washed (like if we go somewhere all day long and get home late), I still have a days' worth of clean ones to keep wearing while the laundry washes and dries.
As far as washing them goes, does it get messy?
I actually mind less than taking out the disposable trash. If you wash every two days, they don't have time to get nasty, and you just dump the load in, rinse, and wash. It's my easiest load of laundry compared to sorting light and dark clothes, hunting for evewryone's dirty socks, etc. (I hate laundry in general)....no sorting, no hunting, just dump the whole bag of diapers in.
How long can babies wear cloth diapers until?
Ditto what they said...up until potty training. Since we started late, I have a 2.5yr old who isn't interested yet; hoping the cloth diapers will help him get the idea.
What brands are the most reliable, dependent, comfortable for baby (in your oppinion?)
Little Lions sells good quality prefolds and flats really cheap, so you could buy dozens. If you don't like them and decided to go with fitted diapers (the kind that looks like disposibles with elastic on the legs and velcro or snaps at the waist), you can still use the prefolds and flats as burp cloths once you give them a good washing on hot.
Another good option--Jillian's Drawers has a try-it package where you get one of each type, and most of your money back (all but $10, I think) if you send her back the ones you didn't like. A couple other sites have something similar...Sunshine Diapers, I think, and maybe Cottonbabies. You might want to order a few extra prefolds or flats to make sure you have enough to cloth diaper full time, but those samplers would give you a way to sample different types and only have to keep the ones you like.
S Starr
02-08-2008, 09:06 PM
I have a baby about the same age as your first, and didn't start CDing her till after a year, so can't answer most of your q's, but will attest to the messiness: Some babies seem to have more foul poop than others after they start solids. Lots of moms talk about just shaking the poop off or dunking the poopy diapers in the toilet. huh-uh. Some of dd's poops are like nasty liquidy peanut butter, and even a sprayer is insufficient to keep them stain-free.
I suggest you start with used diapers to keep the cost down. We've found great deals here on DS for FuzziBunz, which I like. I think AIOs would be just as nice. The sellers are explicit about condition. Pick sellers with at least some feedback.
