Cloth Diapers vs Disposable Diapers - Fenton,MI

HI J.
I loved using cloth diapers. Yes they are a commitment in the washing. But so is being a good parent and keeping a schedule, so it's not that much harder. I liked fuzzibunz, but found them expensive, and you have to wash w/ each use, so you need more of them. So I only had a few of them. I mostly used bummies covers with prefolds. I like to cut a bit of polar fleece to cover use as a liner. Keeps baby rash free, and makes it easier to plop the poo into the toilet.
What ever you pick get a cover w/ gussets they help hold in the mess.
If you sew there not to hard to make, just buy a few different ones to test out what you like best.

Disposables take an average of 400 years to decompose in a landfill.
I'd suggest something not bleached, the bleaching process makes dioxin. And thats bad news for the reproductive system.
Good luck what ever you choose. A. H

I know you got a ton of replies- but I just needed to add that cloth diapers are the way to go! Much more economical and very easy. Also- no diaper rash, so you save on the expensive creams!

Hi J.!
Have you thought about using a cloth diaper service? Dirty Deeds Diaper Service is an Earth-Friendly diaper service located in Rochester, MI. and delivers to many locations in Southeast Michigan. We deliver the diapers in biodegradable liners. We have 3 different sizes of diapers; preemie (babies under 6 lbs.), infant (6 to 13 lbs.) and regular (13 lbs. and up). The service is $23.00/week for the first child and $13.00/week each additional child for an unlimited amount of diapers! Our diapers are washed using a 10 step extractor process. There is no rinsing on your part, just toss it in the pail! The website is deedsdiapers.com and the phone # is ###-###-####. Hope this helps! Happy diapering~Nicole

I have a 12 month old and I have been using cloth diapers since she was about 1 month old. I like the chinese prefolds with a Bummis Super whisper wrap. They work really well for us. I have saved SO MUCH MONEY by using cloth. I have bought 3 different sizes of prefolds and covers and spent about $500 total. Plus, I can use them on the next kid because they wash up so nice. SO, anyway it will save a lot of money and I definitely recommend it. I have 36 prefolds and 7 whisper wraps (I also have an aristocrat wool soaker cover for overnights). I do laundry 3-4 times a week. I recommend reading up on the diapers at GreenMountainDiapers.com the site is very "I run a basement business" but she has TONS of information about the positives and negatives of all diapers. I buy my diaper covers from Nickisdiapers.com because she has free shipping on covers.
One thing I do recommend if you do cloth diapers is a diaper sprayer attachment for your toilet because it makes it SO much better for dealing with dirty diapers.
I have lots of other tips so feel free to send me a personal e-mail. I used a home made detergent for diapers and save a ton that way too. I will share the recipe too.

Good luck!
K.

Luving Mama Diapers - home business based out of troy. I have purchased cloth from her. I have done my research and she is VERY competative with cost.

Cloth is expensive up front but in the long run it is much cheaper.

I recommend it. I am going all cloth with my second. My first I started late.

Brandy can answer all your questions!

We use Fuzzi Bunz and absolutely love them! My son has been in them for the last 1 1/2 years and they show no sign of wear. They are so durable.

With the cloth diapers I have to change my son every 2 hours or we could have a leak. He is a heavy wetter, so this could be different with your child.

Over the past 1 1/2 years we have saved so much money. The diapers are so cute and much safer than the majority of disposables on the market.

We bought all our diapers at a natural parenting store in Ann Arbor.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

I know you've got a lot of responses, but I wanted to let you know that BumGenius One Size pocket diapers are available at some Target stores. Because they're one size you can use them on both your children. "Pocket" means that you use a cloth inner layer in the diaper for absorbency purposes. They are SO easy. We use a combination of the BumGenius diapers and prefolds with Dappi covers.

Good luck!

J.,

I commend you for being a SAHM!! You have the best, hardest, and most under appreciated job there is. My sister who actually lives in NC tried cloth diapers and changed because she went back to work and it was a bit expensive than the disposable, but not by much give or take $10-$20). But I'll suggest weening the 3 year old off of diapers and that will open up wiggle room in your finances. Try making him sit on the potty 10-20 minutes after eating/drinking and make up a song/dance to do if he goes/stays on long enough.

My youngest is 8, so it's been awhile for me since I've had to use diapers. But for my 12 year old, I started out with cloth (used only for my trial period and then it was over), then I went to Huggies (which I used for a month, I didn't like the white beads it left on his behind). So finally I went to Pampers and I remained there with him and then for my 8 year old. Even to this day, all of my sisters who've had kids after me (I have 2 nephews under 1)use Pampers still to this day. So ultimately it depends on you and your lifestyle and what'll best fit for you.

Good luck with your decision,

A

Cloth will be more economical and environmentally friendly! I have a cloth diaper business I run from my home in Byron. My website is www.thebabylane.com and I have a coupon available on Mamasource. If you want to come and see the diapers before you buy, I am available by appointment and have a large variety in stock for you to see and touch. Hope to hear from you - C.

J., i ve used both cloth diapers, and disposable, the cheap disposables, leak, use name brand like huggies or pampers, you will be more pleased, cloth diapers i loved them, as a stay at home mom not afraid of more work, they worked fine, however th emore kids i had, the less time i had to devote to the cleaning and washing of cloth diapers, therefore resorted to disposables, they offer cloth diaper services ive heard were really good, i personally could not afford it, i got a good borax for the wash, and baby detergent, the cloth diapers went through a hot wash with bleach and borax, and then another wash with baby detergent, they cleaned up nice, i kept a diaper pail but filling it with water was more of a mess, i would dump the soil in the toilet immediately, then put that wet diaper in the pail, then i would wash them, or if wash was caught up i would put them right into the washer, to wait for others, to wash with them, when you use cloth diapers, and pins, make sure your hand is always between you and the childs tummy, so you dont prick them with the pin, the cloth diapers, used with plastic pants worked pretty well, i felt they were clean and i felt good about using them as well, anyway, like i said once i had more kids, disposables came easier, hahahahah so just enjoy life, and be happy, with either, D. s

I am a disposable diaper fan.

I looked at the price of the nice cloth diapers and I doubt they are a money savings.

I always buy pampers baby dry diapers.. I have tried other brands but always go back to pampers.

I get them on sale with a coupon and they cost about .21 a piece (size 4)

The cloth diapers that I have seem cost $15 to $20 each. + you have to buy laundery soap and spend your time washing them. Also cloth diapers have to be changed more often than disposable.
My 18 month old son - only gets 3 disposable diapers a day and his skin is dry and we have no rashes.

Hi J.,
I use the old fashion cloth diapers with the plastic pants. I've never used anything else. They work great for me. I use the premium ones though. The cheap ones don't work quite as well. You have to change their diaper every hour, on the hour. So, premium is the way to go. As for economical... there is no question how great it is for our planet to not use disposable diapers. Did you know that disposable diapers NEVER decompose? That's right, never. So, I use cloth for many reasons... the earth, better for the baby's skin, and cost. I will use disposables when we go for long trips and at night. There are probably better diapers out there that you could use all the time, even for at night. But I think they cost way too much and we don't take many long trips. So the old fashion ones work just fine for my family. Good luck with your search for diapers. I hope I was of some help to you.
God Bless,
A.

I second the recommendation to check out Jillians Drawers. We used the trial package to get started with our little girl, and have been cding for a little over a year. I love my cloth diapers! Washing and caring for them is easy...don't let people worry you! It all becomes part of the routine and its not a chore at all.

If you want a diaper that will fit the 3-year old and the baby, check out one-sized pocket diapers. We really like Mommy's Touch diapers and BumGenius diapers. The BumGenius diapers have a 1-year warantee that is wonderful. I had some trouble with the elastic (which they think they've fixed) and they replaced 6 of my diapers.

I use a combination of pocket diapers, fitted diapers and prefolds w/ covers. Pockets are easiest for when you are out and about, but they are fairly expensive ($20/diaper). We use mainly prefolds with fleece soakers at home. Fleece soakers are SUPER cheap to make (and fairly easy) and prefolds are only about $2.50/diaper. We use a bamboo fitted and a hemp fitted for overnight. They are more absorbant and we were having trouble with my lo making through the night dry. All-in-all, we have spent $650 on cloth diapers over the last 16 months, but I consider it money well spent.

Good luck! There is also a cloth diaper store in Grand Rapids called Hopscotch, and jilliansdrawers.com has a display in Lansing at the Okemos birthing center. If you can manage a trip to an actual store, it might be really helpful to see them before making a decision. It is hard to know what to do.

We started my son on cloth at 7 months old. We use Fuzzi Bunz, did purchase additional liners, and on occasion have used the flushable liners. We love them and do our own washing. We do have disposables for night time, and sometimes going out. I suggest getting the trial pack from www.jilliansdrawers.com. You get a few different kinds of cloths, 21 days to try, and credit back for those you don't keep. Once you decide what brand you are, there are many different places to order. In Michigan I know there are cloth diaper stores in Ann Arbor and Traverse City. Cloths do come in different sizes so it may be a large upfront cost for you. But it sure beats the high monthly costs of disposables & all that trash!

I've used both when my kids were babies. Gerber brand cloth are a classic. I also scrounged up some unknown, as I was living overseas and the general population used some really weird 2 piece disposable, until 'all-in-ones' came on their market. And I still used both, but when I got back to the states I just opted for disposables, just because with cloth, there weren't any real good plastic pants to put over them.

It's a real individual choice. How much laundering do you want to do, plastic pants. Cloth diapers are more environmentally sound, tho. Disposables .....too much non biodegradable stuff.

I have never bought a pack of disposables. I researched cloth diapers before we even conceived :) I loooove them and would have it no other way. Yes there is a lot of information to take in at first and the start up cost can be scary but ITS WORTH IT. The laundry honestly isn't that bad. You can also register for them on different sites. I really love www.abbyslane.com . She has customer service that can not be beat, you can create a registry, free shipping after spending a certain amt, and its FAST. Most of ours we received as gifts so Ive probably spent under $200 and my daughter is 21 mos old. We really love the bumgenius pockets. When she was little we used some cheap proraps, still use the bummis and thirsties (great diaper covers), and a few adorable mama made diaper covers. You don't even need pins. I just lay the prefold in covers or you can use a snappi. I use a dry pail to store dirty diapers in and do laundry every other day. It only takes a few minutes. If you live near Rochester there is an adorable new shop downtown. I think it is called Green Baby. They don't have a lot of variety in the cloth diapers and some of them are $$ but you can get an idea and see them in person. I know they have the bumgenius ones there. Around $18 each but they go from 8-35 lbs so both of your little ones can use them and the little guy can use them the entire time. A friend of mine asked about CD's and did the switch. She also loves them :)

If you have any questions feel free to send a message. I love diaper talk. Oh and also a few reasons to use cloth..

http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

Not sure where you are located, but there is a cloth diaper store in Ann Arbor. The owner Molly is very helpful and gives demos and the different types of diapers (The Little Seedling - formerly Tree City Diapers is also online.)

We've used a combination of "pre-folds" and "pocket diapers. It's very economical to buy and wash your own, depending on what you buy, etc. The flat pre-folds are used with stretchy "snappis" to secure them and velcro covers - the most economical choice and easy to launder. (There is also a fairly new diaper service in Ann Arbor that provides this type.) I've very rarely had a leak using prefolds. I also appreciated not having to fold or "stuff" anything after laundering, especially during the newborn stage.

The pocket type are nice, especially for others that may change the baby as they fit more like a disposable (snap or velcro on). Leaks can happen depending on how the particular diaper fits your babe. We've used Fuzzibuns with 2 liners pretty successfully. (Some folks say babies with skinny legs are harder to fit.) It's a little more work after washing to stuff the pockets back into the covers.

Another great benefit of using cloth diapers is using cloth wipes. The are easier (and gentler) on messy bottoms and get washed right with your diapers. We only buy disposable wipes for travel/messy hands (more savings).

You can find used cloth diapers on craig's list, Ebay, etc. There is also a listserv tied to the store I mentioned. We bought about 1/2 of our Fuzzibuns used, and they've held up just as good as the new ones.

Good luck! Even if you don't use cloth 100% of the time - I find them more economical (and greener) than using disposables - especially if you wash with a high efficiency washer, etc.

If you want cheap and relatively easy... use chinese prefolds and covers. You can get covers at The Little Seedling in Ann Arbor (going there or ordering them online). You can buy a snapee to use instead of pins.. it's easy and cheap.

With a 4 month old it's very easy to wash the diapers too.. at least until they're on more solids.

We rinse our's in a utility sink and then throw them in the washer. I soak mine overnight in vinegar for disinfectant purposes and to remove any stains, then I wash them once in hot and once in cold. We use Trader Joe's detergent so I just use it in all our clothes and diapers.

Hello, J.! My kids are older now (12 & 8) however, I had always used disposable diapers..they were still cheaper then than cloth. I did take advantage of area centers that offered baby items (Salvation Army, etc.). This would not be a bad request for a Christmas gift, either..or maybe ask for a gift card for Walmart, etc. if someone asks what they can get you. I'm 40 also and a SAHM. I have started my own home based business to help off-set extra costs and bills. Plus it keeps my mind busy! Visit my website at www.lorriedomack.scent-team.com if this is of interest to you. PS Start potty training as soon as possible..the earlier, the better! L.-Michigan

I absolutely LOVE the Happy Heiny's one size. The only problem was that they didn't fit my son at first and we had to use disposables for the first month or so (until he got to 10lbs, he was 7lb 12oz at birth). Since we've started using cloth he hasn't had even the tiniest bit of diaper rash and it's SO much easier to throw diapers in the wash than it is to go out to the store and buy more. Cheaper too. We've actually had fewer leaks with the cloth than with the disposables. We do have to change him more frequently - unless we double the stuffing for night or naps - but he hasn't had any poop explosions since we started using the Happy Heiny's and he used to have AT LEAST one a week with disposables. I was constantly soaking his clothing in OxyClean.

Here are some good websites:
http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php
http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/products/pc/home.asp
Both places sell diapers and also have LOTS of great information on detergents, especially the second one. I also recommend visiting the diapers in person before making your choice, I would have chosen Bum Genius if I hadn't actually gotten to see them. While there isn't anything wrong with the Bum Genius I liked the Happy Heiny's better.