Clothe Diapers

Updated on June 19, 2008
S.G. asks from Springfield, PA
14 answers

Does anyone use clothe diapers and what do you think? Any advice will be great, we are currently Huggie users for our 8 month old and looking for a more Eco-friendly option.

2 moms found this helpful

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

Awesome advice from everyone. I also looked at past requests (as suggested) and it looks like I am going to give this a try. Thank you to everyone that replied, I took a little bit of something from all the reviews and I am excited about our new baby-venture!

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.K.

answers from Harrisburg on

I use Baby choice diaper service www.babyschoicediaper.com . It severs many areas in Pa. Its local, easy and affordable. Its also a bit more eco friendly as many more diapers are washed at a time.

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

I LOVE MY Cloth Diapers!! I use prefolds with bummis super whisper wrap covers. This is the cheapest way of diapering. I tried a bunch of the pocket diapers, but my son leaked with them (he is a side sleeper - he leaked with all the disposables too). the only time he leaked with this system is when we didn't completely tuck the diaper into the cover. This is a great system b/c you have 2 layers of protection, the diaper & the cover. We have not had poop leak out of the cover onto his clothes. I buy my diapers from www.greenmountaindiaper.com. they are awesome & will answer any questions you have. They also ship a how to packet with your order. (For free). I have 3 dozen of the regular size diapers (my son is 10 months old & weighs 21 lbs now) and medium diaper covers. I also have 4 snappi (you use this to fasten the diaper to itself, instead of pins). I have 2 large diaper pail bags & a plastic kitchen trash can from walmart. The diaper pail bag goes in the trash can (with a few drops of tea tree oil -which you can get at GNC - it kills the odor) & the wet diapers are thrown right in. The poopy diapers need to be shaken out into the toilet. I have a sprayer hose I attached to the toilet to spray the diapers clean, really comes in handy with the messy poops. I also have a couple of wet bags (they are really pretty) for my diaper bag. I do cloth most of the time that I go out & the dirty diapers go in the wet bag. (I use the bags with zippers). I also keep a wet bag in my son's room for the few times I change him upstairs.
I was a little intimidated with the idea of folding a diaper at first, but its really easy & you learn quickly.
I wash the diapers myself, about every 3 days. I wash with a little bit of Arm & Hammer vegetable detergent (green bottle) on hot, extra heavy cycle. Then I line dry on nice days, dryer on other days. Occassionally, I wash again with out detergent before drying.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.C.

answers from Scranton on

stick with huggies i used cloth diapers many years ago and they were a paine to clean.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.W.

answers from Lancaster on

We LOVE CLOTH!!!!!!!!! my favorite part is no poop on clothes all stays inside we have been using fitted diapers on our ~5 month old. We don't do a diaper service we wash them ourself (well my husband does.)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.F.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Another CDing mom! We're going to change the world... once we get the laundry done, lol. I echo what the other moms have said: I bought mostly used on diaperswappers.com (it takes a bit of figuring out, but worth it) or craigslist. I would recommend buying a couple different kinds, maybe a couple prefolds (flats) with a Bummi Super Whisper Wrap (BSWW) cover and then a couple pockets. I've used Happy heinies, Fuzzy Bunz, and Bum Genius 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. We mostly us the BG 3.0s now, but I have a huge baby. Different diaps really do work better for different kids, so don't buy $200 of diaps until you find what you like. diaperpin.com has lots of good reviews, but I will say that the upside of the BumGenius is that they grow with the baby. But since you have an 8 month old you will be in mediums or larges anyway, so that is less of a concern. Also, don't feel like you need to be all-or-nothing-- we do mostly cloth but some disposables when he is sick or we're traveling, etc.

Oh, the other thing is definitely get some of the flushable liners to go in them-- that makes a HUGE difference in stains and yucky poopy diapers. Most of the time I can just flush the liner out of the diaper and poop has never touched the diaper.

I also dry pail, wash every 3 days(with about 15 diapers), cold wash (w/extra rinse), hot wash w/extra rince , and line dry. I use the trader Joe's detergent and some of the baby OxyClean. Don't use a lot of detergent-- just a tiny little bit. Let the water do the work.

Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

V.F.

answers from Scranton on

first off let me just say that they aren't as difficult as most people think that they are, They are bulkier and take up more space. It does add a tad more work in the laundry dept. What you need to decide is if you want to buy or sew them yourself. If you have any sewing abilities than go online and find some free patterns. Just google for diaper patterns. There are tons of sites online to buy patterns, get them for free.
There are many places online to buy cd's as well.
As for types prefolds and covers are the cheapest way to go. I don't recommend prowrap covers I don't like them. Try Bummis or thirsties. They work better. Buy Real prefolds don't buy Walmart diapers they suck and don't hold any liquid.
You can also get micro fiber towels to absorb as well in the auto motive dept in Walmart or Sam's club
V.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.M.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Are cloth more work. Yes and no. In the long run -- no imo.
Are they better for the environment - absolutely. And with todays ecostar washers there is no doubt about it.
Are they better for baby. You do the research. You will find that there are NOT links to cloth relating to asthma, male infertility, extreme rashes, allergies, swolling the toxic gels, etc.
I need to feed my sons lunch so my reply is going to be shorter than my normal.

Attaching a link to the four locals who sell. I know two of the three personally and they are retailers. One I don't know who sews her own. I am in the 4 and in bus for almost 7 years selling and supporting charity with cloth.
http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/08079/866124-51.stm

There are tons of other sites out there. I personally don't feel diaperswappers is always the most accurate/best source of info, but it is a place to buy and sell.
there is also www.mothering.com/discussions -- diapering
www.diaperhyena.com (Good Source and long Good history)
www.diaperpin.com (Lots of info) www.diaperjungle.com

good luck, have fun!

T.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

m

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

P.C.

answers from Scranton on

I used cloth diapers with both my children. I use the cheapest method which is prefold diapers and pins. I crochet wool soakers to use for the covers. But there are tons of options depending on how much money you want to spend. I love cloth diapers and would never use anything else on my children. We rarely have problems with blowouts and never have leaks, even overnight. I think we probably have blowouts less often than sposie users. Once you get a system down (with both changing and washing) it will be a breeze. It was really easy for us because we did it right from the beginning and don't know any other way. Just search around the internet and you will find lots of info. Good luck!

Beth

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.C.

answers from Scranton on

Hi S.. I posted a similar request on here just a few months ago, and I have recently switched to cloth. It is definitely a lot more work, but it is also cheaper and much more eco-friendly. I use prorap diaper covers with indian prefolds during the day, but still use disposables at night because they leak.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.P.

answers from Allentown on

Cloth is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used a service for my daughter starting @ 18 mos but had I known it was so easy (not to mention cheap & FUN, I'd have done it myself!). We have done cloth ourselves w/ our son since his meconium passed at 4 or 5 days (he's 10.5 mos now).

The cheapest system is something called Prefolds w/ covers (PUL covers are waterproof).

But the easiest & probably most versatile system is a pocket diaper. They are many companies that make one-size pocket diapers (so the diaper "grows" with your baby. That way they don't outgrow it & you don't have to keep buying new sizes). You just stuff the diaper w/ a prefold, a soaker, stuffin or doubler ahead of time & then you don't have to assemble the diaper during a change. Then, when the baby pees or poops, you just "unstuff" it before putting it in your diaper pail.

One thing you might want to look into is hosting a Diaper Party. It's a great way to introduce friends to cloth & for you to all learn about the different systems & then you earn 10% towards whatever you want from the store. A company up in ME called Everything Birth sponsors them (they send everything to you UPS & you send it back pre-paid). Their sites are:
www.EverythingBirth.com &
www.DiaperParties.com
(*you can tell them A. told you if you want to. The owner's name is Crystal).

Please feel free to email if you have any questions! Cloth really is easy & fun (and SOOOOOOOOOO cheap!!!!)
Good luck & congratulations!
A.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.M.

answers from State College on

After trying a LOT of different kinds (I bought a bunch on eBay when I was pregnant 2 years ago - now they've banned selling 'used' dipes, so you have to go to www.diaperswappers.com or somewhere similar), I settled on FuzziBunz. Yes, they're an investment, but they were the best I found in terms of preventing leaking, even overnight. No, not 100% of the time, but I have yet to find a disposable that's 100% leak-proof as well if your child is a heavy wetter.

Anyway, I tried all-in-ones from various sources, mostly WAHMs selling on eBay. I also bought a ton of prefolds, various wraps, etc. I think trying a lot of different types is probably the way to go b/c every single mom I know who CDs has a different preferance!

Good luck on a great decision!

M.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I would recommend going to greenearthbaby.com website - she also provides free informational 'classes'. Right now, my hands are full with a premie (2mos early), but once his health/weight are up to speed, we'll be doing cloth (and disposable for some things). In the meantime, we're using Seventh Generation and Whole Foods diapers, which are great (super absorbant, better fit, chlorine free).

Edited to correct link for greenearthbaby.com.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.B.

answers from Lancaster on

We recently purchased Bum Genius 3.0 diapers. So far I really like them. They are adjustable to the size of your child so you buy one size to fit your child until potty trained. Right now I can put my 25 month old and my 9 week old in the same diapers. (snaps allow to expand or make smaller) They are easy to transition to because they are worn like a dispoable using velcrow tabs and they fit snugly. Diapers.com had a promotion that if you buy 6, you received 3.00 off your order.
www.diapers.com
www.bumgenius.com

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches