Cloth Diapering - Pataskala,OH

Yes, spend the extra money on the BG or Fuzzi's.

I asked for cloth diapers at my shower and ended up with over half my stash. It was great. I'm using them on my second kid now, and let me just say, I've saved a small fortune! My daughter also potty trained early (in trainers at 18 months, 99% trained at 23 months). I know it was because of the cloth.

BumGenius all the way! So worth it for the cost. You can get 12 for $200, which sounds like a lot up front, but just think of the fact that you don't need to buy more after that. I can answer any questions you have about them, but I am totally on the Pro side, so I will be a bit biased.

Oh, and I got my husband sold on the BumGenius too, and that is saying something. He now swears by them and tells all the expectant moms at his work about them. :)

I am a part-time cloth-diaperer, which is the best of both worlds for MY family (not for every family). I'm a SAHM, and we cloth-diaper while at home or while out for short errands. CD need to be changed more frequently than disposables, and so I find that they're a pain if we are out of the house for a long time. We also use disposables at night because our son needs Overnights, and wakes up when he's wet, so cloth won't work.

Having said that, I love cloth-diapering at home. It is really easy, and I think it's kind of fun. Plus, I feel so much better that I'm not as wasteful. I don't know where in Ohio Pataskala is, but if you're near Cincinnati, the Park + Vine has a wonderful selection of cloth diapers and they will give you a free explanation of all of them. I bought two Fuzzi Bunz, two Bum Genius, two Tinkle Traps (made by a local Ohio WAHM, their website is http://www.tinkletraps.com/store/Default.asp ), and some prefolds with snappis. Then, after using them, I've gone back to buy more of what worked for us. I really like Bum Genius and I'm addicted to Tinkle Traps with Bummis Covers. They are my favorites by far. If you spend over $100 on cloth diapers at Park + Vine, you get a discount, as well.

I just keep a covered trash-can and a bucket under the changing table, and dirty diapers go right into the trash can, poopy diapers go in the bucket. Then, when I have a free moment, I go and dump the poop in the toilet and soak the diapers in the bucket in cold water for a little while. I wash the diapers every couple of days (I wash poopy diapers same day, usually), and it's really easy. I highly recommend that you keep some of the disposable diapers that you get, and trade others in for some cloth diapers. Try a couple different brands of cloth as well, and then you can sell or give away what you don't like and go ahead and purchase a couple more of the ones you like. I'd be happy to talk to you about it if you send me a PM. Good luck.

I haven't read all responses, but wanted to provide my thoughts... sorry if this is repeatitive.... When I found out I was expecting, I decided I wanted to use CD, so I started getting a few here and there.... my LO is 9 months and we only have about 15 diapers. We are using them more now then when she was born. I was trying to get use to being a mom =).... I wanted to do it for the enivroment impact.... but I also still use some disposables. The cloth are definitely great - I bought BumGenius and Blueberry... friends of mine CD and went thru all kinds before finding good ones... these 2 were their favorites. As for laundering - I have always washed mine seperately. I do a cold rinse, then hot soap full wash, then another rinse to make sure all the detergent is out of them. I've always used regular detergent. Plus - I bought the liners that you throw in the toilet... they do seem a little rough at first, but are very helpful when there is poop involved, plus once they get a little wet, they soften right up...so - her CD are never stained - at her age now, I know if she just went poop, she won't again for awhile... in this case, I don't put the liner in the CD. . Hope this helps - even if you only CD part time - it still helps the enviroment and your wallet - best of luck!

Do it! I would have never thought I would cloth diaper but I found 2 bumgenius on clearance at Target for $9. I tried it and it is so super simple. I have ordered several and I use nothing but cloth at home. The only con for me would be having to rinse extra times in the washer. That is not really a con but its the worst I can come up with. The March issue of Pregnancy Mag and Mothering Mag has a coupon for a free bumgenius and 10% off 24 one size cloth diapers. I have only used bugbenius on size and love them. THey NEVER leak. If you are on facebook become a fan and you will be alerted to special deals.

I use FuzziBunz with my LO. I bought a one size to try, but she is really tiny so I went with the perfect fit.It is quite an investment at first, but it is really saving us in the long run.I have 15 diapers and have to wash them every day and a half. I use Charlie's powder detergent on them and bac-out as a stain pretreater on the dirty diapers. I do wash mine seperately because I like to use the hot rinse, and I don't like to use hot on my other clothes.

Also, my dd has never had a diaper rash in the cloth. We jsut got back from vacation where I used disposeable's and she had quite a rash! So I wouldn't worry too much about not being able to use diaper cream with them.

Good Luck.

I loved using cloth diapers, but I also kept some disposables on hand for times and places where I didn't want to mess with clothe diapers. I used Dreft for washing them and they did fine. They cleaned up very nicely. You do need to have a ziplock bag or something to keep the soiled ones in when you are out and about, but once you get the hang of it, it really isn't much more work than disposable ones.

It's been a while, so I can't speak on the brands you listed, but I do believe they have gotten better since my girls were babies. (They are now 19 and 14!) So, good luck and I hope this helps!

I used Bum Genius, my sister in law used Fuzzi Bunz. We were both very happy. Poop is gross whether its in a cloth or disposable diaper. If your baby is breast fed you can just throw it in to the wash. If your lucky when your baby starts solid food he will have those great poos that just fall right out in to the toilet and you can flush it away. If your unlucky your baby will have peanut butter poo and that will be a little more tricky. Bum Genius makes a great little gadget that attaches to your toilet and works like a veggie sprayer to spray the stuff right in the potty. The thing is that using disposable doesn't mean that you wont have to clean up poo. It comes out and leaks out and climbs up the back. To me, if you have kids your going to have to deal with poo. Why not save money and be environmentally friendly about it all at the same time? Good luck.

I'd have to say cloth diapers have come a long way now a days. I saw that they have inserts now to help save you from having to put a cloth diaper in the hamper after every diaper change. In the long run it'll save you money, but personally I prefer disposables, mostly because we are working parents with conflicting schedules and disposables are no brainers.
You can return diapers anywhere no problem as long as they sell them at that store. But, they usually give you a store credit if you don't have a receipt, so that could be a plus. I suggest you at least keep one package of diapers and purchase cloth diapers and find out which one works for you the best. Good Luck!

You have already received so much great advice so I won't bother repeating. I would suggest checking out www.diaperswappers.com. It's a whole on-line community of cloth diapering mamas that can help walk you through everything there is to know about CDing, There is also a for sale or trade forum there where you can buy new and used diapers. Don't be afraid of the concept of buying used CD. These ladies take really good care of their diapers and it's a great way to try a little of everything for even less of an investment then buying new. Also, once you find out what you don't like you can turn around and sell them there to recoup some of that initial investment.

In references to your detergent question. I use All Free and Clear as well as a scoop of baking soda and some vinegar for my CDs. I will also add extra vinegar in one of those drop in fabric softener balls and it works as an all natural fabric softener for the diapers.

I'm acutally responding to a side note on your question - concerning returning diapers. I have found it very difficult to return disposable diapers. Since many organizations give away diapers, more and more stores have a policy that you can not return them for cash or even credit - you can only exchange diapers for diapers. They are also specific bar codes, so returning the right ones to the right stores can be a pain. We had allergy issue and had to use huggies (our daycare has to use disposable so cloth were not an option), so finding the right stores to return was a pain, and most people won't think to put a gift receipt with diapers. Hope it turns out to be easier for you.

OH.MY.GOODNESS. I cannot tell you how much money you will save by cloth diapering. If it is the "extra effort" that worries you about cloth diapering, they have cloth diapers called "All In Ones", which are basically a cloth version of a disposable. The only drawback is that they take much longer to dry than typical cloth diapers, because they are much thicker and all one piece.

The next most convenient diaper is a "pocket" diaper. These diapers have a PUL cover on the outside with a fleece inner. At the back of the waist of the diaper is a pocket where you can put an insert and/or prefold (or two or three for overnight). These are easier than prefolds (the cloth that you fold and put in a cover), but you still have to take the dirty inserts out of the pocket cover. I suppose you could just put it in the wash in one piece, but I've never done that, because it seems it wouldn't get cleaned as well.

Next you have the classic PUL cover with prefold cotton diapers. The covers can be velcro or snaps. You fold the prefold in thirds and stick it in the diaper. Then you hold it in place while you close the snaps/velcro. You have to make sure that the cover is fastened snugly around the waist, and around the legs, to make sure that none is peeking out. If there is any of the cloth prefold sticking out, it will wick onto your baby's clothing and make it wet.

My husband and I use the cloth prefolds and covers from Prorap. They're super cheap and we've used 'em since her birth. We use One Size Fuzzibunz pocket diapers with two inserts for overnight. We also use two prefolds and an insert with a PUL cover for overnight. All of these have worked well for us and we are leak-free about 98% of the time. The only time she wicks is when her onesie gets squished into the leg gusset of her Prorap PUL cover.

There are great sites where you can get cloth diapers on the cheap, or you can trade for used diapers. Some are in Excellent Used Condition, others are in Good Condition (you usually wanna avoid these). Diaperswappers.com is a good one. There are also communities on Facebook, Livejournal, etc where you can find mamas willing to share cloth diaper wisdom and sell the diapers they no longer need.

If you prefer to buy brand new, check out diaperpin.com. There are reviews from other mamas as to their satisfaction with the diapers, what they liked, what they didn't like, etc.

Another nice thing about cloth diapers is that you can dry them in the sun and save on dryer energy. At the same time, the sun is a natural bleach, and will whiten up your diapers and help remove the stains - nature's bleach ball! :D

Good luck! If you wanna know anything more, feel free to private message me.

Personnaly I use disposible, but it's only because I can't bring myself to cleaning the poopoo out of the cloth ones... it drives me nuts when I have to clean my potty training son's durty underwear, so I can't see myself doing it with diapers for 2+ years.

My sister does use them & loves them... so much so that she now makes them & sells them on E-bay. She also has a few shops has them in & a few homes that buy larger adult diapers from her. She is willing to sell a diaper to large orders, so you don't have to buy $300 worth of diapers at one time. Also, when you get them through someone like my sister - you get to pick the fabrics and can pick from velcro or snaps for fastiners. All her orders are custom made... and they are super cute! She has also done some where people have sent her materials & she makes them - mainly because of allergies.

I know her daughter (who is 2) hates disposible - I mean hates them! She doesn't like how they feel, my sister had to use them after her accident & her daughter was very upset about not wearing her diapers. When I would go over to help my sister - I would put her daughter in the cloths ones, which made her daughter much happier.

If I ever get to the point where I can bring myself to cleaning them - I would get mine from my sister. I'm getting nursing pads from her - which is something else she makes.

If you want more info from her - send me a message & I can pass on your info to her. I know she sends care info with all her orders, I don't think you are to use bleach on them or fabric softner. I do know you are suppose to remove them from the drier before the are completely dry and finish air drying them. But I'm not sure about which detergents you can & can't use.

Congratz on the new baby & good luck on making you choose of cloth or not.

I also part time CD. We use one size fuzzi bunz and love them! They are a bit bulky due to the fact that they expand to fit up to 35lbs but I think it's worth it in the long run to not have to buy other diapers. I just put the DD in clothes that are one size up from what she really needs to accomodate for the bulky butt! FB also make a "perfect" fit diaper that you can get in small, med and lg.

There's a great store on High St near Worthington called Sprout Soup that sells cloth diapers and also host workshops on cloth diapering. I would definately check it out!

First, it isn't as hard as it seems to be. I think the most overwhelming thing is to try to sort through all of the options. I went with pocket diapers (like BumGenius and FuzziBunz) because I wanted it to be the most like disposables as possible. We've been very happy with the pockets and have pretty much stuck with them. I did add a few prefolds and covers in to stretch my stash to wash every 3 days.

A few things to keep in mind, I wouldn't buy too much of any one thing. I know some people have all the same diaper in their stash, but I find that as the baby grows and changes, my favorite diaper changes too.

The velcro (aplix) is easier to get on quickly and to get a more customized fit, but snaps hold up better. I found that I like the Happy Heiny velcro the best - it seems to hold up well and is very secure. You may have to clean out the aplix after 1-2 years (with a seam ripper), but I prefer it to my snaps now. BumGenius velcro does wear out fast, but they will give you replacements for free if you contact the company.

Also, a one size diaper does not fit a newborn. They are bulkier than a sized diaper, but it is cheaper to only have to buy one size. Most seem to fit around 10 pounds, but sometimes even later. Remember that most kids only need a small and a medium size before potty training, so you most likely won't need 3 sizes - maybe just 2. Many people find that newborns do really well in prefolds with covers. That may work in the beginning too. Prefolds seem intimidating, but if you just fold it in thirds and lay it in the cover it isn't too bad. Dirty diapers don't "fall" off quite as easily as on the microsuede or fleece of a pocket. Also, prefolds don't have that stay dry layer to help baby feel dry. It's all trade - offs!

As for the price, if you decide to stick it out for 6 months, your $300 investment will have paid for itself. Also, you can sell used diapers on Craigslist normally for around $10 each, so that would make your initial time to try and not lose money even shorter.

I would spend a little more to get good quality diapers. Generally, the ones they sell at Babies R Us are really just good for burp cloths. Good diapers are worth the investment!

I've had good luck with Tide and Eco Nuts for laundry. If you have any other questions, you can email me at ____@____.com. I haven't tried everything, but I'll tell you what I've found from my experience as a mom and a cloth diaper retailer. It is worth it - good luck!

Dear A.,
I just used regular, old fashioned cloth diapers on my daughter. She is 24 now and I never even heard of any of the things you mentioned as far as choices.
I really didn't intend to use cloth diapers, but she was terribly allergic to disposables. I found out the hard way when she had the worst rash on a baby I'd ever seen in my life and it was only where the diapers came in contact with her skin.
Cloth diapers are certainly not as convenient as disposables but you get used to them after a while. Like I said, in my case, with my first baby, I didn't have any choice it just all kind of came naturally. I didn't really know anything else.

I wish you the best and hope you get some great responses.

We used cloth on our 2 yr old and are now using them on our 2 month old. I found that my concerns about cloth diapering weren't at all an issue.

We also did it to save money and were concerned about spending so much on the fancy all in one diapers. We ended up using the prefolds and covers in the beginning and then switched to the fancy ones when we were sure we would stick with it. (would have just stuck with prefolds had we not been doing daycare)

Cloth is a lot easier than most people think. They make sprayers that attach to the toilet for rinsing the stool off the diaper. No dunking! (I was not about to stick my hand in the toilet!)

As far as the type of diaper, I would highly recommend buying the one size diapers. It will save you a ton of money and they really do work. We used them from about 3 wks of age all the way up to potty training. They just snap to adjust size. We have Bum Genius and Tiny Tush. The Bum Genius work great, but after all the use the Velcro isn't working so well. I'd go with ones that only have snaps, like Tiny Tush. I also just purchased econobum and love them. They are the prefold style. I prefer to have prefolds when I'm out bc they don't take up as much room in the diaper bag.

We have always used the Eco type detergents... I was afraid of ruining my investment. I like seventh generation. It's great and you can get it anywhere. I do add baking soda in the wash to help get the small out. We've never had an issue with "residue". If you are exclusively breastfeeding you don't even have to rinse. Sounds gross, but it's true. Once the baby starts solids or if you are formula feeding the sprayer is fantastic. The diapers don't affect our clothes.

It is super overwhelming when you are researching cloth. I found Green Mountain Diaper Comp's website to be the most helpful.

As you can see, cloth users love to talk diapers. ;) I'm sure you will get more info than you ever dreamed. Good luck!

i was given the bum genius all in one cd which i just love. I am a part time cd, I was full time but found my 8 mo has a super bladder and during the day she is on the go that disposables were better, but i use the cd at night for her since she is less active. They have these awsome "sheet" inserts that you put in for keeping the poop off the fabric and is also great if you have to put butt cream on their bottom. it says not to use cream but i have never had any issues. it is a bit more work with the "dirty" diaps but is worth it in the long run you will save a ton of money. In the beginning we only went throught one case of diaps every two months ( used when running errands or visiting friends). its worth a try. I have only 12 cds that i use you will be doing laundry every day, if you dont mind that, its great.

I just started to cloth diaper (after 9 months) because I was curious and because my LO kept on having blowouts up the back of his disposable diaper and onto his onsie. I couldn't believe how easy cloth diapering was, that it actually worked better in the poo-explosion department (great in the pee department too) and that it was fun.

I use thirsties duo covers with an inexpensive fitted diaper underneath along with a hand-cut piece of fleece fabric as a liner to keep his skin dry. I use a hemp doubler at night. I am planning on purchasing cloth-eez prefolds soon. I found some great info on diaper choices by googling cloth diaper videos. The following site has great reviews from other mammas on cloth diaper choices.

http://www.diaperpin.com/diapers/diaperpages.asp

Have fun - good luck!

I LOVE my BumGenius diapers. I was nervous as well at first because I was afraid I wouldn't end up liking them but I am so glad that I decided to go for it. I got some at my showers and bought some used. I started with maybe 10 so I wasn't spending a big chunk of cash up front in case I didn't like them. Once I realized how awesome they were, I bought more... I now have 30 of them and wash them about every 4 days or so.

We use 3.0 One Size. My son didn't fit in to them until he was 1 month old, so we used disposables until then. I keep some disposables on hand for emergency situations like if I happen to not have any clean. (I also keep some in my car in case I'm out and use all my BGs and will be using disposables on our 10-day vacation. Don't want to be toting around dirty diapers while driving state to state!)

I use Shaklee's Get Clean liquid laundry soap and it works awesome. (I'm actually a distributor... if you want a sample, I can send you some for free!) I do a quick cycle of cold water w/ half a pump of the detergent and no spin*, a normal cycle of hot water with half a pump of detergent with an extra rinse and no spin, and then another rinse/spin cycle at the end. (It sounds like a lot, but it only takes seconds to run in and restart another cycle.) Once a month I add a cup of bleach.

*The reason I do no spin between the cycles is because the inserts are very, very absorbant and I have a front loading washer, which uses a lot less water. I didn't think about this when I first washed mine but because they absorb so much liquid and the washer uses so little water, they were still all dry at the end of the first cycle! And therefore not clean! Now I throw them in a bucket of water as I'm unstuffing them so they are nice and saturated when they go in the washer. I haven't had any issues since.

I also use cloth wipes. I just bought a couple packs of baby wash cloths, and a used wipe warmer for $4. I mix some baby soap (I use Aveeno) into a container of water, wet the wipes and ring them out then stack them in the warmer. When I use them, I just put them in the dirty diaper and they get washed with the diapers! No extra work and saves me from buying wipes every week!

As far as being sanitary, I do suggest the BumGenius diaper sprayer. I love mine and it gets the majority of the poop off in the toilet. I do a hot cycle which should be good enough to rinse the washer, but if you are really concerned, you could do an extra hot or sanitation cycle, too.

I have not read all your responses, so I apologize if I repeat myself.
We started using Bum Genius3.0 when my now 13 month old was 2 months old. They have just payed themselves off probably a week or so ago. I calculated it out and came up with the number 10, 10 months of disposables would come up to about $300. So after 10 months in cloth, it'd pay for itself. We also have a HE washer and dryer, but now that spring is here, we'd only use the washer, I hope and save even more.
As for detergent, we use only natural for all our clothers, there are different brands, just pick which one you like, we buy the cheapest. But it is plant based, so no harsh chemicals on baby's behind.
We always wash other clothes with our diapers (1. because the diapers themselves are small load and that would hurt our washer and 2. because then we finally have clean clothes! 4 kids in the house and one being an active todler and add all that to a night shift husband...)
Anyway, the wash cycle is one cold wash, then a hot wash. The cold is for basic washing and stain removal, the hot is for sanitation. Then we do an extra rinse to be sure to get all the soap out (these are the instructions on the diaper).
If you do get Cloth, do not use Vinager! My friend did, then her diapers (pocket one size, off brand type) started leaking bad!
But as for you clothes, if they diaper isn't clean why put them on your babe? The clothes come out clean, too.
I love our diapers. After 2 weeks of using them (I planned on using disposable for outtings and such) I decided to use up the size 1 disposables I had left, and it just didn't feel right, it felt odd and stiff and we bought the good pampers swaddlers. So, I then decided to not buy any more. And we never have since my babe was 1 1/2 months old! I will not go back.
The price is steep at first, but it will pay off! Trust me! I love ours, and my son will wear them until he is potty trained!
And if you have another kid, even more savings.
We are not but a lucky sibling of our may get the diapers!

OH, and to be green... much better choice!

Love it Love it - would never go back. Loads of info here and Air Biscuits ROCK: http://www.mymammasmilk.com/WHYClothDiapers.html