cloth diaper newbie,,,HELP!

[contemplation31]

Help! I used a cloth diaper service with my last lil one, but figured this time I'd buy/care for the diapers. I started out thinking, "OK, Chinese prefold, cover, viola!!" But noooooo,,, someone made things more convenient with this AIO's, or fitted (which need a cover, right?), etc etc!! EEP! Any and all advice you mothers of cloth diapering wisdom can share would be much appreciated!
Next problem,,, I did go ahead and purchase and pay for some (23 groan!) diapers from Little Lambs . For those of you who have had problems with LL, I need not say more! Anyway! If anyone can drop me a REPUTABLE, and of course reasonably priced, LOL ; ) dealer, I would be that much more appreciative!!!

[masonite]

Agh! Where to start? There are a ton of options out there. I would maybe suggest a "starter" package that a lot of diaper websites have. It has a selection of some of the different kinds of dipes out there for you to start with. That way you can try out and see what you like before you invest a ton of money.

Pockets are a great idea. (Fuzzi Bunz, etc.) We really like those, and AIO's and AI2's (we like those better)...prefolds or fitteds and covers, wool...

I ordered a bunch of Fuzzi Bunz from Nickisdiapers.com. She was really great to work with. I've also ordered from SoftClothBunz.com, Babycottonbottoms.com, Clothdaddy.com...

There are a ton! Also, I know there are a lot of WAHM's on this site that have their own diaper sites, you might want to check those out!

Good luck!

[blondeviolin]

You might wanna' check out www.diaperdecisions.com They're having the "Great Cloth Diaper Hunt" and it's just a whole bunch of sites that are somehow associated with cloth diapering that you look through. A great way to find some place to buy. Sorry you bought from LL on ebay. Maybe you could file a complaint if it doesn't go through? Just keep on top of it. Otherwise, there is also the For Sale or Trade boards here where you can buy new and used dipes from mamas here.

[mommy2zander]

The diaperdecisions diaper hunt is a great place to see all the companies as pp said...

We bought all our smalls fuzzi bunz from fuzzibunzstore.com & continue to buy our Allens Naturally soap from them! I talked to the lady on the phone while still preggo & she was very sweet!! Helped me out with some of my last minute questions about which inserts to get... I have since gotten a few deals there & been happy with the service & prices!

We bought our large fuzzi bunz from time-for-a-change.org oops! She changed her name to littlediapers.com She was running a great sale & does often! So check for deals with her!! She is also very sweet, talked to her on the phone also, she threw in a nursing stool for a great deal & I still use it everday below my computer desk! She also sent my order with a replacement color wet bag when she ran out of the color I asked for, & sent the correct color free when she got it in stock!! Another great mama & business woman!!

I have also bought a few times from kellyscloset.com & I hear they currently have a sale going!! So you could check that out also!!

I'm so sorry you got taken by the Little Lamb lady! A friend of mine bought a bunch of stuff from maybe a little over a year ago & she was great at that time... even replaced a diaper with bad stiching no problem! I just don't know what happened to her...

[negrapy]

I think its best to just try a couple of each kind of thing and not get a bunch
that way you won't have a bunch if you don't like them
also i would go used first! and there is nothing wrong with prefolds and covers! Keep on trifolding!
for AIO reasonable new...try www.qleros.com, also found on ebay, or www.thefanicfulfanny has prefitted prefolds
i have to say we are mostly into cloth to save some money and not to put so much undisenagratable (forgive me i'm a horrible speller) trash out there
so we have mostly prefolds and are putting in some money into wool this summer. I think 13/ diaper has been my biggest expense so far and its for night and its a one size
happy hunting!

[mamagina]

Sorry you're first experience was a bad one!!

It's hard to know what works for another person. For us, I love prefolds, covers - especially wool, and pockets. I just can't keep track of fitteds and love the simple look of prefolds and the multiple uses of them. For the most cost effective way to go, it's hard to beat them. Dye them and they're cute-er.

I think if you're interested in trying something you can probably find a variety for a good price on FSOT. IF you like it and it fits - buy away

[Bridget Riedell]

So sorry about the LL! We use Little Beetles. www.betterforbabies.com Leah is wonderful to work with and I love the diapers. We use the Hemp Originals and Hemp Lites. These are fitted diapers and I use wool covers over them. I use Stacinator day/night stretch wool covers and a Stacinator fleece cover. I love them all. The Stacinator wool work wonderfully and are very trim under clothing. They're my favorite for day. The fleece works well too, but is more bulky.

I also use a couple Muttaquin Baby fitteds I bought off of DS. They're made of velour and I really like them too; although I'm finding they probably won't fit too much longer around the waist. I bought a Peewell. It's made out of sherpa and velour. I really like the absorbancy of that diaper, and it's too cute.

Surprisingly, I think my favorites are my prefolds though. I bought some quality Chinese and Indian prefolds and use them with a snappi under wool/fleece. Absolutely love them. They are so fun, and I might even dye a few for variety. I can fold them in different ways and under my wool stretch jersey covers; very trim combination. My pfds get more absorbant with use too.

A couple sites/moms I've bought from with fabulous results are Better for Babies which I gave you. Leah is great! Another is www.abbyslane.com. Free shipping in the U.S. and Stephanie is wonderful. Another is www.diaperjunction.com Another wonderful resource! I also had fabulous customer service with Jen at www.diaperco.com.

Check out the reviews on diaperpin too to see which diapers and covers are people's faves and why.

HTH! Look out, cding can be soooooo addictive. Also, if you try some dipes and decide they're not for you; they're very resellable!

[raceNzanesmom]

if you already know how to use prefolds i would go with 75% prefolds in the newborn stage. babies grow sooooo fast. then once the growing slows down you can buy more cute stuff if you want. my ds was early- weighed 5.13 when he came home- and he was still in a lot of mediums by 4-5 months. he still wears some mediums at 2yrs/29lbs. others were sold recently. unless $$ aren't a concern i'd go with prefols and covers with just a few pockets/AIOs or 2s until size medium. little-lions has agreat prefol pkd deal- like $70 for everything you need. http://www.little-lions.com/page19.html add 4 pockets/AIOs and you're set. i love snap-ez, but they're $$. i've heard good things about bumgenius fitting from newborn up.

pardon crazy typing. holdind sleepy toddler.

welcome!! and sorry about little lambs!!

[clothluvinmom]

my first experience was w/ little lambs too i know how u feel...but it gets better i agree w/ the rest try a little of everything, if your looking for cheap check these boards and the pin also has some good deals sometimes diaperpin.com theres also a lot of good info there too as well as here...
i used prefolds and covers w/ my ds until he was abt a med. then i figured out how to make fitteds and just had to buy covers, then i got some pockets FFS (free for shipping) from here, so that way i wasnt out a lot of money but got to decide what worked best for us....

(ebay's not always cheapest)

good luck and welcome, the mamas here are great abt helping w/ questions and advice

[jodi5]

I agree with this! This way you can find out what you like for that medium stage. For us, we have found we like prefolds and covers best so are sticking with that. Best of luck!

Originally Posted by raceNzanesmom if you already know how to use prefolds i would go with 75% prefolds in the newborn stage. babies grow sooooo fast. then once the growing slows down you can buy more cute stuff if you want. my ds was early- weighed 5.13 when he came home- and he was still in a lot of mediums by 4-5 months. he still wears some mediums at 2yrs/29lbs. others were sold recently. unless $$ aren't a concern i'd go with prefols and covers with just a few pockets/AIOs or 2s until size medium. little-lions has agreat prefol pkd deal- like $70 for everything you need. http://www.little-lions.com/page19.html add 4 pockets/AIOs and you're set. i love snap-ez, but they're $$. i've heard good things about bumgenius fitting from newborn up. pardon crazy typing. holdind sleepy toddler. welcome!! and sorry about little lambs!!