Cloth Diapers - Glen Allen,VA

Dear Y.,
All four of my children had nothing but cloth diapers (through a local diaper service), courtesy of my parents in providing them up through the time they were potty trained! We were so blessed! <smile>
I loved having cloth on my babies' bottoms! The only aspects I did not like were (1) the smell of the diapers in our home as the dirty ones were only picked up one time a week; (2) how many times I pricked myself with diaper pins while trying desperately to avoid pricking my babies; and (3) the leakage problem (even the plastic pants did not hold urine and BM in as well as disposable diapers do).
My children are all grown now and having babies of their own. They all use disposables and seem to do well with them.
I hope my comments help you decide eth best way to go for you and your new little one!
Blessings!
J.

We use Fuzzi Bunz and like them. They are not cheap and it takes about 6 to 9 months of use (depending on if you use them exclusively) to just break even with the cost of disposable diapers. I wash them with Charlie's Soap (it's a powder detergent that Fuzzi Bunz company recommends). I never ever bleach them and I don't dry them in the dryer. I would recommend googling the Fuzzi Bunz care instructions to find out the "no-no's" about washing them before you get them. I would imagine that the care instructions for Fuzzi Bunz are similar to other all-in-one cloth diapers. Good luck.

I use Mother-ease and love them. They are less expensive than some alternatives, and quickly pay for themselves (plus, I think you can easily make due with 18 diapers). They aren't all-in-ones, but they look and fasten similar to disposables, although they do require covers (which are very soft, not too plastic-y). I have fewer leaks by far than when I use disposables. It's very, very easy - just a simple load of laundry, with no bleach needed. I use Seventh Generation free and clear detergent (HE compatible), borax and rinse with vinegar.

I have friends that use All-in-ones and like them. However, those with HE appliances have a little trouble getting them to rinse completely, which can cause leaks. I suspect it's because they aren't completely cloth-based (makes it harder to rinse fully).

Just some food for thought.

all that I have read indicates that there is no environmental net benefit (paper v. water used) to cloth diapers, and there is a lot of hassle, so we just went the traditional route