Cloth Diapers? (Question for Parents and Caregivers)

[AnaKhouri]

Has anyone here used cloth diapers recently? This is something I am very interested in pursuing once Peanut is born. The statistics on disposable diapers in landfills just make me sick, and it seems like cloth diapers would be much cheaper as well.

Everyone I have told about this acts like I am letting myself in for a special circle of Hell. How hard can it be? Only cloth diapers were available for thousands of years. And the ones I have found seem quite advanced, even dispensing with pins in favor other types of fasteners.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[flybye023]

They are going to be more work--the whole rinsing and washing thing. Newer diapers have that special moisture-wicking ability to pull wetness away from the skin. Cloth diapers don't so you will have to be more vigilant because diaper rash and diaper burns will be more of a concern, especially when the weather is warm. Also, since you will have to wash and re-use be really careful about detergents and getting all the soap rinsed out. The scent/dye free would be best.

Don't completely discount disposable diapers. There are some out there that are supposedly biodegradable.

[BlaqueKatt]

They are going to be more work--the whole rinsing and washing thing. Newer diapers have that special moisture-wicking ability to pull wetness away from the skin.

from the new parents guide

According to the Journal of Pediatrics, 54 % of one-month old babies using disposable diapers had rashes, 16 % having severe rashes. A study done by a disposable diapers manufacturing company (we won’t name the company, but its one of the largest manufacturers) shows that the incidence of diaper rash increased from 7.1% to 61% with the increased use of throwaway disposable diapers.

actually the only time my son got diaper rash was when he was in disposables from the "moisture wicking chemicals" plus they do make disposable/flushable liners that keep the moisture off the baby's butt, and eliminate rinsing-plus you can easier tell when they need to be changed unlike the disposables. I used cloth diapers until my son was potty trained at age two(one more advantage to cloth-they feel "wet" to the toddler unlike the disposables. I bought my diaper covers from the local diaper service-most will sell the covers and liners without having to be a member of the service.-total cost of my son's diaper years-under $200(compared to my SIL who just spent $40 for two weeks worth of diapers for her newborn).-I did one extra load of laundry per week, and I never had to rinse them-just flushed the liner and threw it in the pail.

you will need at minimum 4-6 covers in each size and around 2-4 dozen diapers depending on how often you plan on doing laundry. I also had some of the "all-in-one" diapers for when we went out as they were a bit more convenient(I had 6 and never used more than 4)

this site actually sells Packages of diapers and wraps-5 dozen diapers and 8 wraps for $170 and that package will last from birth to 30 pounds. Another site I found that has some nice covers/diapers. Now you can even get Bamboo cloth diapers that "grow" with your baby-and there are several "diaper swap" websites to buy sell and trade diapers.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me-I'm always willing to talk diapers/eco-friendly stuff-heck I even made my own reuseable wipes rather than use disposables-

[Cat]

Green Daily.com had a few articles on the pros/cons of cloth diapers....might be worth checking those sites out.


I've walked past a few stores that really seem to be pushing the cloth diapers...so I am sure someone will develop the "perfect" cloth diaper soon

[worddork]

My mom used cloth diapers on me and my brother, she used a diaper service that dropped off clean diapers and picked up the dirty ones, all she had to do was rinse off the poopy ones.

She claims the one time we got diaper rash was when we went on vacation and she used the disposal ones on us.

So diaper service best way to go when considering cloth diapers.

[Kiwi]

Just be prepared to use some disposables, when your going on holiday or they are staying at grandparents house etc.

http://www.tushies.com/ and http://www.natyusa.com/products/diapers.php

are about as "green" as a disposable goes.

an article about cloth diapers, its not so much a pro/con its more of a a-z of cloth diapers. The main problem seems to be with a diaper service, they seem to use a huge amount of bleach that is just as bad for the environment as disposables are...

clothdiapers

here are cloth diapers that look and act like disposables (none of that folding into a million things anymore)cloth that look like disposable

[delidewd]

This is not the normal poster but his wife. I have to say you are thinking of getting into cloth diapering in one of the best times of cloth diapering history. There are so many different types of clothe diapers. There are pocket, prefolds, fitted, cloth diaper covers, all-in-one diapers, snappiable and there are many more coming out everyday.

If you have a cafemom account there are a few groups you can join. I am on one called Cuties With Cloth Booties group.

The most popular diapers but I consider them to be too expensive but are very cute are thegoodmama.com. These are made to be stylish but they do need a waterproof cover. You can also go to some of the sites provided by one of the articles that was posted earlier. they are good sites. A few of my personal favorite sites are abbyslane.com(she has free shipping, and if you put the word "abby" in th discount box you can get 5% off!) hyenacart.com and etsy.com (these sites are wahm made diapers so if you want to help another mom out by giving her your business you can buy diapers there and they are much more fairly priced.) nickisdiapers.com (has some good prices on babylegs (baby legwarmers) sometimes, if you are into those as much as I am) clothdiaperclearance.com is a spin-off of nickisdiapers.com.

Pocket diapers are exactly what it sound like. it is a diaper with a pocket in it that you stuff full of microfiber, or any kind of "insert." And insert is what soaks up the pee in a pocket diaper.

A fitted diaper in my opinion is most like a disposable diaper. But it does need a water proof cover most of the time. This is my favorite kind. Bamboo, wool or hemp made ones are the most absorbent. I don't use a cover on bamboo absorbent diapers because they are so absorbent.

All-in-one-diapers are most like disposable diapers. It comes with everything you need in the diaper. These are my least favorite kind. They take the longest to dry in the laundry. but they are very nice to use when you are on the go and need to change a diaper quickly.

Prefolds or flat diapers are the old fashion way of cloth diapering and the cheapest. If you are in it to save money this is the way to go, but if you were to do it this way only I recommend getting a service.

You can also get one-size diaper on most of these kinds. I have a lot of one size diapers. They work well enough. If you put a cloth diaper on wrong like a disposable diaper it will leak. I wish you the best of luck and I hope I did not overwhelm you. There are a few diapers I was unable to mention on here because I have not used them so I have no experiance. If you do get into this PM my husband if you have any questions and I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities.

Good luck with making your decision!

[AnaKhouri]

Thank you all very much! This has been most helpful. I think I am ready to plunge into the cloth diapering adventure.

[mandaliz8704]

These seem pretty cool: http://www.gdiapers.com/gdiapers101

I'm pregnant with my 4th now, and I'm thinking about using these this time.

[Seshat]

Inner surface: any hydrophobic fabric. Most forms of polar fleece work fine. These will pull the moisture from the baby's skin and into the middle layer.

Middle layer: any hydophillic fabric. Water-loving. Towelling is one example.

Outer layer: PUL, or any waterproof but breathable fabric.


In your bathroom: a nappy (or diaper) cleaning hose. Hold the cloth nappy over the loo, squirt the solids into the loo, flush.

Also in your bathroom or laundry: a covered bucket. Or two. Put a bit of enzymatic nappy/diaper cleaner (Napisan is an Australian version) and some water in, drop the nappies in to soak.

Every time a bucket is full, or you think it's been long enough, or whatever, drop the contents of the bucket into the washing machine, put them through a cycle.

And that's it. Not hard at all.


BTW: the same techniques work for adult continence issues, and for menstrual pads. And we made piddle pads for our dog with the same overall system. We've actually had people admire our dog's piddle pads! Piddle pads as decor!

[Kogarashi]

Seshat, those sound neat.

In your bathroom: a nappy (or diaper) cleaning hose. Hold the cloth nappy over the loo, squirt the solids into the loo, flush.

I have a neighbor who uses cloth diapers who swears by her cleaning hose. She highly recommends it.

I can't offer much help. I'm a disposables mom. With the research I did, the detergent cost/environmental impact of cloth diapers balanced out with the landfill aspect of the disposables, so it really came down to a decision of ease and monetary cost for us. I wish you luck with the cloth diapers, though!

[mandaliz8704]

OMG, that toilet hose would be a weapon of WAR in this house. I have 3 boys. I can see the toilet water firing squad already.

[PhotoChick]

I'm a disposable kind of mom but that's because I can't put them in the wash here at the condos. Everyone else covered the basics but some other things to think about. Are you going to be a stay at home mom? Or are you going back to work? If you're going back to work, will you have a nanny or a day care. Will the nanny be onboard? Does the day care allow cloth diapers? Will anyone else take care or the baby? Will they be onboard?

The gdiapers are also a alternative if you can't have cloth. Less goes in the trash (At day care for example.)

[AnaKhouri]

I'll be staying home for at least 4 months (6, if we can swing it and longer if daycare is too expensive). If I wasn't able to stay home I wouldn't even consider cloth diapering.

I also think the toilet hose will be a weapon here too. I have a husband and will have a son.

[PhotoChick]

You have good timing. Here's a link from Baby Cheapskate: Cloth Diapering Resources Of particular intrest is the 2nd link down. It's a diaper trail program that allows you to try out the different kind of diapers and see what you like. It requires $100 deposit but it only cost $10. (Apparently the link changed to here.)