Thinking of Switching 2 to Cloth Diapers

Hi C.,

Welcome to cloth diapering! Yes it will be cheaper in the long run. A little more work laundry-wise yes, but it's not that bad...and this coming from someone who hates laundry!:-)
I have two in diapers as well and I mostly use cloth diapers. I use a combination of pocket diapers (fuzzi bunz: www.fuzzibunz.com), fitted diapers with covers (Thirsties fitteds with thirsties covers: www.thirstiesbaby.com), and hybrid diapers that can be used with a cloth insert or a biodegradeable, flushable/disposable insert (gdiapers: www.gdiapers.com). My youngest (6 months) is fully cloth-diapered (he uses the pockets, fitteds, and gdiapers with cloth inserts), while my oldest (2 yrs) mostly uses the gdiaper with the disposable insert, so for her it's less laundry since you can reuse the gdiaper covers.

Anyhow like some of the previous posters have said, cloth diapering has come a long way! There are many options out there and they are not all messy/dirty like another person said. Many like the AIOs (All In Ones) are almost exactly the same convienence as disposables, although they are the more expensive option. Anyhow, I'd highly recommend doing some online searching about cloth diapering before you make any decisions. Read up on the pros/cons like I did. To help you out, visit some of the following cloth diapering sites for good info:

These sites have good basic cloth diapering info: http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/basics.htm
http://www.diaperjungle.com/index.html

This site lists many of the online diaper shops sales and clearance postings (so you can find good deals):
http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp

This site has some good video reviews of most of the major diaper brands out there: http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/cloth-diaper-video-reviews/

There is also a really good online cloth diapering video tutorial that I direct anybody considering switching to cloth diapering. It's divided into 7 segments, but about 30 minutes long total. It's a good intro to what you'd need to know before getting into cloth diapering. It discusses the different types of diapers, the costs of each, how many you'll need, laundering, diapering accessories you may need/want, cloth-diapering terminology, etc. It's here if you have the time (I'd really recommend viewing this first before doing anything else): http://www.youtube.com/user/JaimeeGleisner#g/a

Finally, once you decide on what type of diaper you want to try, you can pick up a couple cheap on many sites (sales, etc.) or buy used (that's what I mostly did) from Craig's list, ebay, or a cloth-diapering forum called diaperswappers.com. You can also do diaper trials (places like Jillian's drawers www.jilliansdrawers.com do them) where there is a fee upfront, you test out the diapers, then keep and pay for only the ones you like and return the rest and get your money back. Or if you decide it isn't for you, you can return all of them and you're only out like $10. It's nice for those who just want to get their hands a little wet (excuse the pun!) to see if they can handle cloth diapering before making a larger investment into a cloth diaper stash. The nice thing about cloth-diapering vs disposables is that once you invest in a diaper stash, you're set for your child and any successive children. I plan on having more kids so my initial investment into cloth diapers will save me so much money over the next so many years.

Well good luck and I hope that helps! Happy researching!
M.

5 moms found this helpful

Absolutely not! We have cloth diapered our 33 month old from 12 weeks and my 9 month old exclusively. I do an extra load of laundry every other day. That's it....no real extra work.

And you get to save money, know that your diapers aren't going to a landfill, and putting something healthy on your kiddos.

Here is a link that is great: http://www.diaperjungle.com/cloth-diaper-types.html
It explains the different types of diapers. There are lots of retailers on line now that will let you buy a sample of various diapers and then when you are ready to decide, you trade those in for credit.

Or, if you aren't squeamish and there's no reason why you shouldn't be, you can buy them used off of Craigslist. Lots of times they are brand new because the new mama just didn't use them.

I am a cloth diaper crazy lady. I love them and buy all kinds of custom ones. I have spent probably $600 on them which is a lot for cloth and that is for both boys for their entire diaper career! Not bad for price.

Check out the real diaper association....their goal is to educate and get more cloth users. Their are also chapters around the country. You can get online or in person and ask questions.

Don't listen to those that say it is messy....once in a while it is, but so is changing a blowout in a disposable! Kids are messy.

Have fun and welcome to the cloth diaper world!!!!

2 moms found this helpful

I used cloth diapers on each of my 3 daughters, and now the two of them with children are using cloth diapers on their sons. Yes, the initial investment is higher but if you look at the long term financial situation you are going to be saving a LOT of money!! There are several different ways to go, in my day it was simple...you had 2 choices....prefolded or flat diapers...now there are a jillion choices!!! My daughters use "Fuzzy Buns" http://www.clothdiaper.com/ they are really pricey...but I know they purchased some of them through a diaper exchange online.
You can do laundry every other day or so....and they are so much better for the environment. I think you will love it once you get into the routine!!!

2 moms found this helpful

I switched when my son turned 8 months. I found that they contained the poop explosions (up the back) much better - and with the right cover and doubler/insert, I don't have to change them any more frequently than I would a disposable. I couldn't believe how easy it was...it's even fun with all the different colors, etc.

Check out greenmountaindiapers.com - it's really informative and has great products. For me, it was all about finding a good and inexpensive product. The diaper pin, http://www.diaperpin.com/diapers/diaperpages.asp, has fantastic reviews of the latest diapers and covers.

2 moms found this helpful

No it is not too much work, a little more laundry BUT way less money out of the monthly budget! I have two kids, the first I cloth diapered exclusively, the second I use cloth at home and cheap store brand disposibles (Target Up & Up) when we go out, just doing it at home where a leaky diaper isn't a big deal easily cuts the disp diaper bill in half. As someone already said, cloth diapers have come a LONG way. I recently bought a 5 pack of All In One (AIO) diapers from walmart.com and I am very pleased with them. I also have nice pocket diapers that are just as easy as disp. but do cost more in the cloth diaper market. You are not crazy to think this will save you money and it is a small load of laundry every couple days, I usually wash at night after the kids go to bed and start the dryer during breakfast the next morning so my youngest wears two disp. (one at night, one when he wakes up) every other day. Think of the savings! good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

It is absolutely worth it! Absolutely! You can buy one size diapers and use them on BOTH of your children. Lots of companies offer a sample pack of diapers that contain different brands and types of diapers. You pay a small deposit and return what doesn't work for you.

As far as daily cleaning, it just depends on how many diapers you have as to how often you have to wash. Obviously, with 2 kids you'll need a lot of diapers, but you can still get away with washing every other day. It's not that bad. Just a cold rinse, a hot wash with cloth diaper approved detergent, then another cold rinse. I line dry my diapers when I can.

I just bought a $20.00 diaper (way out of my usual price range), but I look at it this way.. My daughter is 1. I use the diaper once every 3 days or 2 times a week. I'll use the diaper for at least a year. So, I'll get at least 104 uses out of that one diaper. So, not all that much when you break it down that way. One size cloth diapers can get really expensive, depending on what brand you buy. Look around on the internet and see if you can find a local company. Check diaperswappers.com or Craigslist.com for used diapers (they're not a gross as you might think). clothdiaperclearance is a good place to look too.

I love my cloth. I still use disposables every once in awhile (for the babysitter and when we went camping) but over all I'm a cloth lover. Congrats on your decision to save a LOAD of money and helping to save the environment!

1 mom found this helpful

Melissa already set you up with pretty much all the resources I would have, so I just wanted to say go for it. I had 3 in cloth diapers for, what, almost 2 years (my oldest was 20 mos old when my twins were born, and a late potty-trainer; I had started cloth diapering him at 3 mos), and I still have 2 in cloth now. I think it's a little much to say that it's no extra work; of course it is. if nothing else, there's more laundry, and it does take more time to get the poop out of a cloth dipe than it does to fold a 'sposie up and throw it away (which, of course, you're not supposed to do, but I don't know a single person who actually shakes the poop out of their disposable diapers as you're supposed to). however, it is also true that cloth dipes tend to hold poop blow-outs better than disposables. which means that you're dealing with fewer poop stains on clothes. and, all in all, the money saved (and the environmental impact, and the fewer-chemicals-on-your-babies'-genitals-24-hours-a-day impact) is worth it. just go into it with your eyes open. and, there's nothing wrong with using 'sposies now and then in a pinch if it makes your life easier.

1 mom found this helpful

Oh heavens no. For the sake of money, one extra wash every other day is not bad at all. I just recently switched and I don't mind the extra wash. Although for your 18 month old my blog might help out with different sizing. My son is the size of a 2 year old and he's only 9 months. So maybe checking that out might help.
I really love the new diapers i'm using (sposoeasy, if you go an all in one route, which is the easiest to transition to) and i'm about to try some envibums as soon as they arrive. But I would most defiantly say invest in a covered trash can so you can block out any smell, flush-able liners for the poopy diapers (it makes life easier to clean out the poo since you just take it off the cloth and flush), a squirt bottle with water and some lavender and tea tree oil (I use this as an air freshener and spray 2-3 into the pail when a new diaper is put in. I can't smell a thing after doing that)
http://largebummies.blogspot.com/

I bought great quality, new, cloth diapers off of ebay! I saved a ton! I have quite a few of the name brand cd's, and honestly, the ones off of ebay, made by smaller corps, or sahm, are great quality, and I actually like them More. They were half the price, can't beat that. My son is 10 months old, and they long ago paid for themselves. For about $100 I have enough cd's that I do washes about every 4th day, and I have 2 older kids. The extra laundry is hardly noticeable.

Good Luck!

Everyone else gave you good advice, so I just wanted to add that I don't wash my diapers every day. I wash them every 2-3 days. They still get clean, they don't smell up the house (I toss them in a covered trash can when soiled) and it isn't nearly as much work as my disposable-using friends seem to think, especially since I never have to run out to the store to buy more because I just realized we only have a few left! So it doesn't really add daily cleaning.

I started out using disposables - when my son was about 7 months old, I began part-time cloth diapering. Now, I cloth diaper ALMOST exclusively, and I hope to try to CD exclusively with my next baby, due in Sept. It sometimes takes a little while to get the hang of CDing (I think it takes a few tries to get the disposables right, too, in the very beginning), but then it is easy and inexpensive, especially if you plan to have future children that will be able to use the diapers, as well. And check out cloth swim-diapers! They're soooo much nicer than the "little swimmers" you can buy. Good luck.

my brother used cloth diapers.. and it was so messy.. so dirty... and a lot of the time it leaked thru... it was horrible... You can buy cheaper diapers.. the throw away kind.. you don't have to buy pampers.. also you can try putting your 16 month on the toilet seat.. and see what happens... my two kids.. i put them on at 16 months old..every few hours... and by age 2 they were both trained.. one was a boy... one was a girl... it just worked.. my sister in law started her daughter at 17 months..and she was 2 when she was trained.. so it can work... i would try the cloth.. but try it.. see what you think

C.,
I asked a similar question a few days ago, and got some wonderful responses from all the ladies. If you want to check them out, they are located at: http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/7899582907965112321#re...

Good luck!
H.

Hi C.,
I don't think you're crazy at all. Cloth diapers have changed so much over the years. People don't even soak them anymore. I used cloth with my last 2, and loved it! There are lots of diaper forums online that you can use to research brands/types, methods of cleaning them, etc. Have fun!! BTW, I used pocket type diapers, and found them very much like disposable ones in ease of use. I just had to throw a load of them in every other day or so. How often you need to wash them depends on how many you purchase.

I love them for the meer fact that there are never midnight diaper/ wipe runs, ever! The initial start up is expensive, but diaper swappers have some for sale cheap. I love cloth diapering, and I honestly think I will miss changing diapers when they are done with them!