Starting Over. Help? (Long)

[momEmac]

Originally Posted by RockinLou my daughter was long and lean at 12 pounds and One Size diapers were still tricky to get a good fit with her before about 14 or 15 pounds. As you are taking a break from cloth for now anyway, I say try again when your baby is a bit bigger, you might find that what isn't working for you now will work for you in a few more pounds. Also, if you have natural fiber inserts for your pockets (like you have the thirsties for the BG 4.0 then you don't HAVE to stuff, you can just lay it on top and use it like a trifolded prefold and cover. I would take a true break, put it all in a box and step away, don't stress over the money or the decisions, I know when I had the baby blues second guessing purchases I had made when I was pregnant just gave me something to fixate on and get upset about- you can't change it now- but the good thing you did do was buy decent brands (for the most part) that have high resale value, so its not a total waste. If you take a break and come back when baby has gained some more weight and the laundry isn't feeling like climbing a mountain, you might feel better about what you have in the box.

I agree with this. PPD can really effect how you view things. Your baby may also become a little less high needs in the next month. A lot of things can change in a month with a baby. Take a full break for a month(as in, don't think, talk or look at them!), then get back out your diapers and try them again, then come back here to ask questions about what to use, buy and sell. You might be surprises what you like and don't like then. That what I would do!

Posted from my iPhone/iPad, probably while breast feeding. Mistakes likey

[indigo152]

It is definitely ok to take a break! I don't understand how so many cloth diapering advocates say that cloth diapers add no extra laundry...ummmmm?? My guess is that they have a diaper service or babies that actually sleep
My son was the same as yours in that naps only happened while he was in my arms. His big sister takes 3 hour naps every afternoon, and I would get so frustrated that I still couldn't get anything done because I had to hold him. Then I realized, "I get to hold my baby boy all afternoon. This won't last forever, and I should be able to enjoy this time." At nearly 10 months he is finally a little better about taking naps, but not 3 hours like big sis!
Anyways, my stash was also just pockets (Small FBs and BG 4.0s). Like you, I started to not like stuffing pockets. Over the past month I have been changing up my stash to BGEs and Grovia snap hybrids with the TPU backed inserts (somehow snapping inserts in place is easier than stuffing pockets). I love them, but agree that drying time is very long. I have read several posts about mamas detaching the front part of the soaker pad. I plan to try this soon to see how much it cuts down on drying time.
I use double stuffed BG 4.0s for nighttime, but love the idea someone gave about just laying in a natural fiber insert. I would recommend that you keep the pockets you love (whether it's for fit or cuteness) and trade or sell some of your least favorites.
I also find it helpful for me to wash laundry every other day in the evening. That way, I hang everything in my laundry room overnight, and it is partially dry in the morning. I either leave things to dry on the rack (or carry the rack outside on sunny days) or toss in the dryer for a bit. I put the diapers together whenever I have a "free" moment, or wait until the evening.
Try not to get discouraged over diapers. Your lo will be perfectly ok whether you use cloth or disposables (I can't bash disposables because I used them on DD). There are much bigger things to think of with a baby than just what is on the bum

[MaMaJodiapers]

can you put the stuffer on top of the pocket liner- not stuffing it- so you would use your pockets as a cover? My dipes are pockets but many moms like putting the organic bamboo right on top and they reuse the "cover" once or twice

if you bought microfiber inserts- just get some prefolds and those could work nicely at very little cost

here is my story: daughter with horrible reflux. Litterally woke up 12-18 X on a good night- bad nigthts, which were many, slept in 2-3 minute spirts while held. Screamed all day- in my arms constantly and never ever slept or ate. Slept thru the night for the first time at 4...yadda yadda. All this to tell you i only started cloth diapering at 9 months- and i had spent like 1000$ but it worked out well later on- so you might make good on your investment- just put them aside and wait .

When new moms want to buy a bunch of my dipes i always say no. We all do this- and learn the first time around. not all dipes work with all babies, all situations, and you cant always CD right away. Just try to let that go for now- rest up and you will get your money back- just dont hurry into selling them- they will most likely get use later

take care of yourself first. sounds like you have a wonderfully supportive and understanding husbband.

[mama2Holden]

I would just continue on your break until you feel like cloth diapering but if you don't ever get to that point, that's ok. I had bad ppd with my son too. I took lots of breaks that first year. Now I love cd'ing.

Are you taking anything for your depression? I know some people are against taking meds, but I would have been a mess without zoloft.

If you do decide to sell your diapers, look at Craigslist. I don't know about where you live but we have a good market for used diaper here. You would save on shipping & paypal fees. Since the diapers have only been used for a short time, you shoul be able to get 75% of retail.

Now if you do decide to continue with cloth diapers, get something easy. I would nix the pockets because they can get annoying to stuff. I think a streamlined stash would probably be less overwhelming too. I like the idea of Flips with organic inserts. They are super absorbent, versatile, and wash easily.

ETA: The BGE's you have are also great diapers. They are SO reliable for us. I know they take a long time to dry but it's not too bad. I put a large towel in with them (that I keep in the laundry room). They usually dry within 1-1 1/2 hours.

[BabySnickerdoodles]

Hmmm...quite frankly, I think you would love wool and fitteds. I also think you should use flushable inserts with your fitteds to help with laundry, mentally...it helps me alot!

I totally agree with the PP...streamline your stash! This will also help mentally...having so many systems can really make it hard. I am streamlining now too, and it is SO much nicer!

You don't need to wash wool, since it is a reusable cover...so that would take ALOT of stress off of you.


If you don't think you could handle the monthly wool lanolizing, then I would stick with ONE brand of OS PUL covers...such as flips (which I personally dislike...). I LOVE my Fancy Pansy covers, and can highly recommend them. Again, this cuts down on your costs AND wash time, since they are reuseable.


Fitteds you do need to wash, but they dry super fast, and snap-in inserts are SO much better than stuffing pockets.


I would try to sell your stash for a desired amount, and then directly put that money into the new stash, and you could totally stay within budget

I'd say to start out with 6-8 covers (About $100-$150 total), and then start out with 10 fitteds (About $200 total?). Then go from there. If you are okay with buying used, you can even cut THOSE costs down...so its completely doable financially, even if you only recoup 50% of your original stash costs

And mama....I have been there! Overwhelmed, stressed, and I struggle with PPD too. Dry your tears, take a deep breath, do sposies for awhile, research and wait for the love to return, sell your stash, get something that works for YOUR needs and preferences, and know we are all a great community, so don't be afraid to vent and ask for encouragement

[FernHollow]

Originally Posted by southernbelle04 I agree with the PP. Take a break, a true break. Use disposables & don't think about cloth for a month. Are you getting help for your PPD? I've been there.

Yep, I agree. Box it all up and don't even worry about it right now. Stay off DS if you need to or at least stay off the diaper chatter forum until you are past this stressful time. You will start to feel better as you take time to deal with your PPD and your baby will get bigger, fit better into diapers and hopefully be less high needs. I totally understand where you are coming from, I had severe PPD with 3 out of my 5 kids and mild PPD with the other 2. I understand how stressful it is to be dealing with a high needs baby as well. It is so rough and I'm sorry you are going through this.

You may decide you LOVE your stash in a month or two once life isn't so stressful. Or even if you sell your stash you might find that something that is a cheaper option is actually the best option and then you won't be out a bunch of money. I sold off a big stash of BGEs that were in EUC for a great price and bought us a bunch of covers, prefolds and flats. I couldn't have handled that kind of thing when my baby was tiny though, in fact that is exactly why I had a stash of all BGEs at that time. I really like my simple stash right now that he's older. For what is worth, I never had washing issues with the BGEs and I think likely your baby is too small to fit them yet. They did take longer in the dryer (80 min) but they were super easy for us. There was a time though that even the easiest of AIOs was too much and we took a sposie break for over a month. If you end up going with disposables and that is what gives a stress relief, then it will be money well spent!

So just put it all aside and focus on caring for yourself and your baby, how you diaper your baby is a small consideration in the big picture of parenting. Don't guilt yourself! I'm going to say this as gently as I can as a mama that has been where you are - the diapers are NOT a big deal, let go of it for now

[alaskamum]

I would keep what you have and take a sposie break. My dd was also super skinny and I went nuts trying to find things that worked on her. The only diapers that wouldn't leak around the legs were prefolds, either snappi'd or laid in a Flip, but she hated being wet, and had reflux, so she would scream and vomit every time she peed, either from being upset about being wet or hating being laid on her back to be changed. Super fun, right? I just couldn't win.

At that size, if you were interested, a dozen medium Imagine prefolds and a few covers wouldn't be a big investment, and could really help with the leaking issues. I like the medium Imagines b/c they are a little bigger than smalls, but smaller than most mediums, so they won't swallow up a skinny baby. If you can sew (even barely--it was the first thing I ever sewed) you could make fleece covers from the free Katrina pattern. They will not be tight in the waist, so they are nice on a reflux tummy.

OS diapers really didn't fit her well until she was about 8-9 months old...she was only 18 lbs at 1 year, and had very skinny legs.

Good luck!

[lynn97]

I think AI2s would be great for you but your baby is still too little for the Flips to fit. My DS is long and skinny too and they didn't fit him well until he was around 14 lbs. I would just hold tight for now and buy sposies. Get your bearings and reassess in a few weeks. Maybe sell some of what you have to fund some AI2s or something else then?

Personally, I'd avoid fitteds too as I found them to be the biggest laundry quandary for me (so many layers to get clean).

Sent from my iPhone using DS Forum

[erkelly]

From what it sounds like, your husband is supportive. Have you thought of telling him you need help, and see if he'll take charge over the washing routine for a while? If he can wash/dry/stuff them for you, that would take a huge load off your shoulders when it comes to work and guilt for having spent so much.

[ck01036]

You should try the BG Freetime instead of Elemental. They dry much cheaper. I'm a pocket diaper mommy who didn't perfect my washing routine until 3 months into cloth, and once I corrected the stinky issues I was having now my LO is inbetween sizes and has leg leaks all the time. I really think just having a cd break will be what you need and as pp said ask dh for help with washing or stuffing diapers. Good luck.