Cloth Diapers. Never Used Them but Really Want to with New Baby..... Help!

I used bumgenius pockets, which was much easier for me because they dry a lot faster. I just put the inserts in one basket and the cover part in another and stuff when I change him. I also used a combination of the pockets and chinese prefolds and thirsties covers. Both worked very well for me and I found the combination to be good because the prefolds and covers are much cheaper and dry faster, but the pockets were a lot nicer for nighttime absorbency and outings. I only used prefolds until he was about 10 lbs because the BG just seemed so big.

For wipes I just bought a large piece of flannel fabric and cut it into squares. They went into the pail with the diaper and it was easy. I thought having to throw away a disposable would be an annoying extra step.

I washed my diapers in Country Save laundry detergent. You can find a list of appropriate detergents (and not appropriate ones) here: http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html
Drying them outside in the sun got rid of any stains when he was BF and most of them even after he started solids.

We didn't have a diaper sprayer and I never felt the need to have one. BF poo can go right into the pail and gets rinsed out in the wash and when he was on solids it just got plopped into the toilet.

I do mostly what Janet B said, just a little different as you will find with every person that cloth diapers. There are no two people I have ever met that do it exactly the same way. As with anything in life, you do what works for you.

I have two children in diapers, both in cloth. In about a month we will start working on potty training with the oldest, when she is two and a half and we are done with vacations for the summer.

I use flip diapers. I think prefolds and covers are the easiest. I have been cloth diapering since my oldest was 13 months and I still use all the same diapers. I did buy a few Thirsties covers for the new baby, but thankfully I bought them used becuase they were nice when she was newborn and skinny, but now that she is 3 months, 13 lbs, and a little chunky she has quickly outgrown them.

One size and the ones with snaps to adjust the height and either snaps or velcro to close. I use One Size (Flip or Econobum) with snaps for both, in my experience with the extra small, small, and size one thirsties, the velcro just comes undone to easily. I can't leave her in just a diaper and t-shirt she has to have pants or a onesie to keep the diaper closed. Thankfully she fits in the Flip covers now, on the smallest snaps. They say 7 lbs -35,but I think it'smore like 12-35. My two year old is only 23lbs, and she still wears them on the medium setting. I think prefolds and covers, or inserts and covers are the easiest way to go, you also don't have to change the cover every diaper change. Only if it gets messy. So when we go out I have extra inserts, a wetbag, and one extra cover balled up in my bag. With All in Ones or Ai2s you have to carry the whole extra diaper which takes up more room in your diaper bag.

I LOVE my diaper sprayer. My two year old has lots of tummy troubles, so her poo doesn't just "shake off" most of the time, one of the glamours things about being a mom! The sprayer is awesome! I was also getting baby poop stains in my cloth (even though she is EBF) so I spray those off real quick before throwing them in the bin. Google how to make your own diaper sprayer from homedepot. It much much cheeper than buying a sprayer.

I did use disposable for the first 6 weeks or so, when they are going constantly it was a little easier. Now I wash diapers about every 3 days with two kids wearing them. I have about 8 covers and almost 30 inserts. Which is a lot I think.

I wouldn't buy newborn inserts, they are so tiny and don't hold much at all. I only use them as doublers occasionally at night.

I do still use disposable wipes, though I'm not sure why. My husband is resistant to cloth diapering so I know he wouldn't go for cloth wipes.

PM me if you think I can answer any more of your questions. I can't even tell you how much money we have saved by doing cloth!

I have had good luck with the BumGenius 3.0 which I have used for baby #1 and #2. I have the One Size, All in one, which is likely the older model of the diaper you are referring to. I love them. I had a few leaks with them with my son, because even though it says it fits 7-35 lbs, they didn't fit so well until both my kids were closer to 10ish pounds. I used disposables the first 3 months.

I don't know if you NEED a diaper sprayer, but I have one and love it. Really makes cleaning up poopy diapers quick and easy, esp. if you have one or more kids in tow :)

I use disposable wipes, but occasionally when my daughter gets diaper rash, i will use a washcloth. Stuffing the diapers is no big deal either.

I have a separate diaper pail for the cloth diapers that has a laundry bag in it (as opposed to a garbage bag). Before the diaper goes in, i quickly pull out the insert and put both pieces into the pail. I dump out the bag and put the bag into the laundry as well when I need to wash them. I put them in the dryer and one round is enough for drying. I put the inserts back in as i put them away. Sometimes my toddler will "help" me with the diapers. it takes maybe 5 minutes to put them away.

I have like 24 diapers and that would last me a 2-4 days. I use disposables when we go out and I think that we might be gone long enough for a diaper change, at night, and the 2 days a week the kids are at day care.

AIOs take a long time to dry, regardless of brand. In the dryer, it can take 2 full dryer cycles to get them dry. You can dry them on the clothesline, but then they are stiff and you'd probably want to run them in the dryer for a little bit to soften them up. I don't know how long it takes to dry on the line, though.

If you're averse to pocket diapers, then I would suggest instead of AIOs, you do fitted diapers with covers. You can use Prorap "second" covers (see below) and use them with most/all fitteds, and there are one-size fitteds you can buy. A friend let me borrow her MotherEase one-size fitteds; they work really well for us from age 6 months & up (she lent them to us at 6 months, so I can't speak for when the baby is newborn). The ME fitteds have a snap-in layer for more absorbency, and they stay snapped in the dryer, but because of the design, they dry pretty fast. Kissaluvs has a fitted (but not a one-size I don't think) with a similar partly unattached extra layer, and this style does well drying fast in the dryer. I do not like the ME covers, though, as they tend to hold the smell.

If you really are trying to be cost conscious, I highly recommend prefolds and covers. They are the least expensive way to go--both in terms of initial cost and in terms of energy usage for laundry--, and take the least amount of time to wash & dry. If you don't like the thought of using diaper pins, they make these rubberband-like attachments called "Snappi" or "Snappi's" that you can use instead that doesn't have the "stab" hazard that pins do (that being said, in the thousands of diaper changes for our son, I've never once stabbed him, though I have stabbed myself once or twice accidentally). You can buy really good quality prefolds and diaper covers "seconds" from Prorap Services, phone ###-###-#### (in Washington State) or (800) 397-8594. I don't remember the lady there, but she is super nice, super accommodating, and can help you find the right size diapers & covers. The "seconds" covers, which work just fine but sometimes have slight cosmetic issues (i.e., wrong thread color) are currently $5.25 per cover, which beats pretty much any other cover out there except maybe the Gerber rubber pants (and I'm not pulling a nasty poopy diaper over the bottom & legs so no Gerber pants for me!). Prorap sells prefolds (they are really good, "diaper-service" quality diapers) for a good price.

The other option you could try is one of the starter packages, which offers some prefolds, some fitteds, a couple or more of different covers, and usually a pocket or AIO or two or three (depends on the package). This would be an economical way to try a variety of styles without breaking the bank.

I also suggest checking out myuseddiapers.com and diaperswappers.com. They are ebay-like sites where you can bid on and buy used diapers. It's a less expensive way to try out a variety, or pick up more of the kind you've come to like without paying full retail. Also, if there is a diaper service near you, call them and ask if they sell their used diapers. A lot of times, if they can't get the stains out, even though it's clean and safe to use, they won't put it back into the inventory.

Also, don't be shy about checking out the children's consignment shops around you. Call & ask them if they have cloth diapers. If you have any "natural baby stores" in your area (selling wood toys, fair trade baby stuff, pregnancy tea, etc.), they may carry diapers. The one in our area offers a diaper swap 2x per year, where people can sell their used diapers.

Some of the brands have websites where you can sign up for notifications of sales, seconds, etc. Kissaluvs has this, and some of the others do too.

A good overall website is Green Mountain Diaper. Lots of good info and good prices on new: http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/.

One thing that clinched it for us to jump in was the fact that we use flushable diaper liners. So no handling/scraping/hosing poop into the toilet--liner and poop just go in with minimal (like no) handling. That was what made the difference for DH.

DH found prefolds "confusing" so I did fitteds/AIOs/pockets (prestuffed) for him, and for me, I do prefolds.

There is a TON of information out there (like you, I had information overload) but mostly it's because, like raising your kid, you have to figure out what works best for you and your baby.

I found that using prefolds were the easiest when my daughter was very little. I used a Snappi because I hated the thought of poking myself or my baby with a diaper pin.

I didn't switch to the "one size" diapers until she was 5 or 6 months old. They were always so huge and bulky on her before that. I tried the all in ones (I thought not having to stuff would be great), but I found that they tend to hold in the ammonia smell more and they do take forever to dry. I found pockets actually took less time to wash/dry/fold than the All-in-Ones. Prefolds still win out in the "least amount of time" department though.

Definitely try one of those "variety"/trial packs from an online site like Monica recommended. You can usually just keep the ones you want and send the rest back. I never thought I would like prefolds, but they were so much more convenient!

I used cloth wipes. They just went into the diaper pail/bag with the diapers. Using disposable just meant a separate trip to the garbage can. I washed my diapers with Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin (we already used this at our house) and stripped every few months or so.

Never used a diaper sprayer....even with formula-fed poo. Just dunked/swished/soaked in the toilet and moved to the diaper pail, and once you get onto solid food it's even eaiser since it mostly just rolls off. :) You can also look at flushable liners, although we never used them.

I will have to say that I did use disposables for overnight. She was a heavy wetter at night, and even with liners and doublers, she would end up irritated from all the wetness (plus, it was like forcing her to sleep with her legs really far apart due to the bulkiness required to keep her even partially dry).

Good luck!

We've used cloth for both kids and have used a number of different brands. Here's my suggestions:

1. Find an online place that does diaper rentals in a variety pack. You basically buy a set of 10 of different kinds and then return what doesn't work for you. It's a good way to see what fits your kid.

2. We've had GREAT luck with pro-wraps. They're cheaper than many others but do require an insert. In practice, it only takes a moment to get the insert folded even while dealing with older kids.

3. We use microfiber car wash rags from costco that are about $15 for 30 rags. As a newborn, we used a rag cut in half. Then a full size one, then a full and a half, and now we use two full sized rags for the almost 2 year old. At $.50 cents a rag, it's the most cost-effective insert I've seen available and they hold up well. Our "inner liners" are the rags we bought for our oldest and the ones next to the skin we bought over a year and a half ago. Both could go next to skin, but the newer ones are softer and will get through potty learning so we won't need to buy more.

4. No, you don't need a diaper sprayer. They're convenient, but only to a point. Newborn poop (if breastfed) doesn't smell horrible and you'll be washing diapers often. Once solids are introduced, the poop gets firm enough to just ball it up (by folding the diaper- you'll figure it out) and put it in the toilet.

5. We found that having different sizes is better than the one size diapers. One sizes (and pockets) both started leaking. Our prowraps have yet to leak. Occasionally the stitching by the velco gets damp if the diaper has been on too long, but that's an easy clean up vs the mess made from true leakage. We've been using the same prowraps (with green stitching) for about a year and a half. The newborn covers were good with the belly button dip though. I think we had 5 or 6 of those and washed often and then now we have about 10 green stitch sized.

6. You don't have to change the cover with every change. The nice thing about inserts is that you don't have to change the cover with every poop. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on the kid. :)

7. There are some great resources available for cloth diapering. Diaperswapper is a good one generally. Many of the cloth diaper websites wil do deals or groupon type things too so keep an eye out since you have some time.

8. We use a dry pail (and old plastic garbage can) for diapers until it's time to wash them. When it's time to wash, we put as much solid waste as possible in the toilet. Then we rinse the rest of the solid in the sink (and promptly clean the sink!). Then covers and inserts go in the washer. If you google "strip cloth diapers", there's lots of info about how to clean them. We strip ours every couple months.

9. We use disposable wipes. We just have cases of them and figure it's better than throwing the cases out. You could also use the aformentioned car wash rags as wipes. A friend of mine does and it seem to work well for her. I think that's what we'd use if not for the cases of wipes. Just a simple spray bottle with water and maybe a little grapeseed oil.

I am on kid #4 and have two in diapers right now and I cloth diaper. I have a very unconventional way of doing my diapers. I have tried a bunch of others but find ease and success with my method. Here is what I do:

I just buy the regular old pre-folded diapers that you can buy anywhere. They fit newborn to potty training.

I use plastic covers with cloth lining to extra absorbency.

I use old fashioned safety pins

When the diaper is dirty, I go to my bathroom sink and wash it with a diluted laundry soap I keep under the sink, I squeeze out the excess water and hang the diaper on a plastic hanger on the shower rod. The diapers are dry within a couple hours to be used again.

It sounds like a HUGE pain, but I always have a diaper ready and it takes moments. Once in a while I get a really bad diaper and I actually let it soak in the toilet. That is what my mom did and it seems to work. Those really bad diapers I typically need to run in the washing machine with bleach as well, but that is not too often.

Good luck on the cloth diaper quest!

If you buy cloth diapers which I used for my children and bought for my grandchildren as well was them in Ecover and you will never have any stains in the diaper or any allergic reactions.