I am looking for advice on brands, websites, and any advice or tips you can give me.Cloth diapers: Experiences, Brands, Tips, and Advice?
I LOVE cloth diapers! I find them to be easier than disposables because it's hard for me to go to the store. I have to load up both kids every time, so laundry is far easier. I'm washing diapers right now.
My favorite diaper combination is a Chinese prefold, Snappi and a Bummis SWW. In the summer, you can use a printed Bummis cover and that's all baby needs to wear. For going out, I like BumGenius one size pockets because they're trimmer and cuter.
For a newborn, I like Kissaluvs fitteds with a Prorap or a wool cover. Have someone knit one using a free pattern from the internet. I like the Tiny Bird Pattern best.
I have a bunch of links in my blog. Email me if you're interested.
In response to Marie C's consumerist answer, I do use cloth pads because they feel nicer than paper and plastic. Much softer, no noise, smell better, all of the benefits of cloth diapers hold true with pads. Sure, handling soiled pads is gross, but so is a stinking pile of pads sitting in a landfill for hundreds of years while rain carries the runoff from them into our drinking water. That's what disgusts me.Cloth diapers: Experiences, Brands, Tips, and Advice?
My baby is 6 months old and is cloth diapered.
DO NOT get the Gerber diapers from Wal Mart or Target or anywhere. They are pretty much only good as burp rags and to clean up spills or shine your silver. I used them for 2 weeks when my son was a newborn. He quickly outgrew them in the absorbancy department and I was stuck layering them in twos, threes, fours... Talk about extra laundry.
Personally, I like to use homemade fitteds (I just use flannel bedsheets, towels, t-shirts, anything soft and absorbant I can buy at a thrift store/Goodwill type store). It allows the best fit you could imagine, because you will be able to custom-fit them to YOUR baby... I have never used pre-made diapers, just started out with the Gerber brand and started making my own after that.
However, there are awesome diaper covers out there. My personal favorite is the Prorap, it's not very attractive, but it fits well and I've never had a blowout (very roomy). They are a little stiff, but after a few uses they soften up.
DO NOT bother with Dappi covers. You may be able to find them for cheap, but unless your baby is a light-wetting newbie, they tend to wick moisture out of the diaper and onto the clothes. And they wear down VERY quickly (especially the velcro).
I've used Chummies covers, which are a little convoluted when fastening, but because they're polyester, they are alot more breatheable than the PUL (polyurethane lined) covers such as ProRap. They best suited my son for night-time use, as they're very roomy.
I am currently trying to figure out how to make my own fleece covers. I have heard great reviews on these.
For me, cloth has been the best thing I've ever used. I've never had a leak or a blowout (I cannot say the same for the disposables I've used on occasion!!). I am not ';grossed out'; by baby poop, either, and alot of people simply cannot fathom cloth diapering because of this. If nothing else, TRY IT. I've never regretted any of my investments.
Hi, I'm an incontinent male and have to wear diapers 24 / 7 and I use nothing but cloth diapers. What holds true for me would be true for babies as well. Cloth is much better than disposables.
I make my own. I watch the sales at the fabric stores and buy absorbent flannel, terry or micro fleece fabrics and cut the two large pieces and the 6 panels that make up the soaker down the middle and sew them all together. I make them contour with elastic in the waist and leg openings.
Cloth is much more comfortable than disposables. Babies can't tell you that but as an adult that has worn both, believe me, cloth is much, much better. On top of that, in the long run they are much, much cheaper too.
When it comes to cost in money, it may cost more up front to get the cloth, but the longer you use them the cheaper cloth becomes compared to disposables that you buy today and throw away tomorrow.
Speaking of throwing away, cloth is much better for the environment also. With the cloth you don't have the ongoing cost of manufacturing and the chemicals and materials used to make them, plus you aren't throwing all that paper, plastic, chemicals and human waste into our landfills where it will stay for decades and slowly destroy our water supply.
Stay with cloth, it really isn't any more inconvenient than disposables. I think that those who use disposables exclusively are selfish and think of no one but themselves and what is easy for them instead of looking at the overall picture and how it affects everyone.
Good luck.
I thought about using them with my last child, but after doing lots of research, I decided against it. I didn't want to deal with the laundering and all that. Your already going to have enough to do with a newborn. That was my take on it. I am looking forward to hearing from moms that have used them though!
Brands I loved fuzzi bunz at night and bumkins when we went out. At home I used lots of different types of WAHM(work at home Mom) made diapers. www.naturalbabies.com is where I bought most of my diapers from try www.diaperhyena.com and www.diaperpin.com for reviews of diapers. both pages have lots of into of cloth diapers. Good luck and warning it is addicting. My sons stash for large diapers was upward of 300 diapers. Granted I made about 75% of his diapers he still had lots of diapers. Heck he's been outta diapers for a few months now and they are all still sitting in baskets in his closet LOL.
My personal favorites are Swaddlebees fitted diapers. They are very easy to take on and off since they snap, and they are very soft and absorbant. I use wool of fleece covers, but I have also used pro wraps that worked great also. This is something that I would get later though seeing as they are great for wigglly babies.
I would start off with old fashioned pre-folds with snappis. They are inexpensive and dry a lot faster than fitteds, which is a blessing b/c newborns go through alot of diapers in a day. I had Pro-Wraps and Bummis Wraps that worked great with these. What I liked about the Bummis is if you were in a pinch you could fold up the prefold and just lay it in the cover. Worked great after I accidently dropped the snappi in a trash can once. The main reason I think to start out with prefolds is b/c mine outgrew the newborn size really quickly we are talking in about 2 months. So in my eyes it is not worth the investment in size small. Buy the nicer ones in Med. which usually fit babies starting out around 10 pounds.
I have also used and enjoyed Fuzzi Bunz with hemp liners. You can stick two liner in them for nights and long trips with out having to worry about leaks and if you have a smaller toddler like mine the size medium has lasted me from when she was 3 months old till now and she is 23 months.
I got my diapers from www.kellyscloset.com, www.wildflowerdiapers.com. I would also try e-bay or craigs list. Once I figured out exactly what I wanted I could get great deals there.
I am a big fan of the Motherease wraps myself! I use 'doublers' for overnight- have found I actually like cloth diapers, don't mind the extra laundry, save a ton of $- I am stay at home, if my little one were in daycare, i wouldn't bother.
http://www.mother-ease.com/
One bit of advice- don't but more than 1 or 2 of any wrap until you know you like them! Also, I now (my little one is 15 months) use the Walmart/gerber vinyl pull up covers- my guy simply won't lie down for changing anymore, so these 'pull ups' are the easiest for now (with the exceptions of big poops!). I don't recommend them for very wee ones, but give them a try when your little one is older- they're cheap and work great.
Love cloth diapers! Cheaper, better for the environment, and better for babies skin! I get my cloth diaper on http://www.hyenacart.com
It is a site with a bunch of earth-friendly work-at-home mom shops. I use mostly fitted diapers with wool covers. I have a few All-In-Ones and a few One-Size Tie Nappys. Cloth wipes are great too!
You've gotten some excellent answers, and I only wanted to add this site to your list of cloth diaper resources:
http://www.diaperswappers.com
It's a forum for buying %26amp; selling, but more importantly, it's a group of mamas who KNOW cd'ing and can help you out with any question you might have either now or down the road.
Oh, I guess I do have one bit of advice. The first 3 months can be such a fog, I'd consider going with a diaper service if there's one in your area, at least at first. I was so not able to keep up with sleeping, much less anything else. I waited until 3 months to start doing my own laundering. If you have family and/or friends around who can help you out, though, you may not have that problem :)
Good for you for going the eco-friendly route.
**ETA: most sites will have a sampler package available so that you can try different brands %26amp; styles and see what you like best before you buy a whole stash**
Cloth diapers are horrible. How would you like to use cloth sanitary pads when you had your period? God gave man the brains to invent disposables (in both cases!) and they are a much better choice. Many of the newer disposable diapers are biodegradable, and not harmful to the environment. They also have a stay-dry lining, so the baby does not have all that wetness next to him for any length of time.
My advice on cloth diapers is to buy some disposable ones! I had to use cloth ones as a last resort once and they are a mess. They don't fit well, are horrible to clean, and frankly don't really do the job. Today's disposable diapers are great. They wick away moisture from the baby and prevent diaper rash, are easy to secure and fit well...best of all is you can throw them away!
only experience happened with my mom....she used them for my brother....and my aunt was over to help. My aunt changed his diaper and then put him to bed....guess he wouldn't stop crying....they tried everything....and then my mom went to check his diaper again....and my aunt had pinned the diaper to him. OUCH!!!!
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