Disposable Vs. Reusable Diapers

If you are going to try cloth diapers I really recomend softbums or babysoft wraps. They both have a cloth snap in soaker and unless they entire diaper gets dirty you just change the soaker. If you dont want to deal with the messy clean up you can use a disposable liner on top of the soaker it allows the liquid to pass through to the soaker but keeps the solids on top. Gdiapers are pain in the butt and are more expensive than disposables so I'd stay away from them.

Hi!

You've received great feedback already so I won't repeat it all but we also use cloth diapers and I love them. We use the Fuzzi Bunz and they are just wonderful. I have tried various types adn prefer these. There are many different types and styles and surely you will find something that you like.

www.diaperswappers.com is a good site for buying/selling/trading both new and used diapers so can pick some up at a good price to try out and resell if you don't care for them. It helps to cut costs as you are figuring out what works for you and your baby.

I am not sure where you are in CT but there is an WONDERFUL store in West Hartford called The Papaya Patch that carries a wide selection of cloth diapers. It is the only store I have found in person to look at and learn about cloth diapers. It's so rare to find a store like this- I love it! It's been wodnerful to be able to spend time there looking at the diapers before ordering online. The staff is wonderful and helpful adn they even cloth diaper classes to get you started. It's worth a trip if you aren't too far. THey have a website adn newsletter with the info about their classes, etc. I like to purchase from them as well to support local business. Definitely worth checking it out if you are in that area of CT.

GOOD LUCK!

C.

Lots of my friends use cloth diapers and love it! I am pregnant with my first and will use them as well, but not in the beginning. Most people don't use them right away because there are SO many changes in the first few weeks. But I plan to use the 7th generation diapers that are better for the environment and not bleached with chemicals until we switch to cloth.

I use cloth diapers for my kids, well did, they are potty training. I suggest going to a cloth diapering forum where you can buy used diapers that others have out grown.

My favorite brand is Preston's Pants, I like to support WAHMs

Check out http://www.gdiapers.com a friend of mine swears by them and I definitely plan on using them someday.

Sheree touched on all the points I was going to make! For one, using disposables adds about 2 TONS of trash to landfills, and it is estimated that each diaper will take 300-500 years to decompose. Disposables have also been linked to asthma, male infertility, and of course, diaper rash. Unless you have a detergent issue, most babies in cloth do not get rashes. You will also save hundreds or thousands of dollars using cloth, and when done you can use them on future children, sell them, or donate them to someone in need. I make and sell cloth diapers for a living, so if you have any questions, please let me know.
Just wanted to give my opinion on gDiapers in case you are considering them: They are not nearly as flushable as they advertise. When I tried half a starter pack, I ended up clogging 2 toilets! After it happened at home, I threw away the part that doesn't break down in the toilet as easily at my fathers. His toilet clogged so bad that I had to drive to a hardware store to buy a toiler router thing. It took a while to get it unclogged, and my father's toilet is all scratched up now. They weren't too bad to use, but I still question the materials in them, and don't consider them flushable.
Warmly,
A. G

I have been using only cloth diapers on my daughter for about 6 months. It's truly much easier than I thought. We use prefolds and covers, bum genius, happy heiny's, and a couple fuzzi bunz along with a couple other random dipes we've picked up along the way.
It's not nearly as gross as you would think. We didn't start using cloth until after I took a class and realized how easy it is. The washing machine really does almost all the work. You just shake off whatever poo you can in the toilet and then put the dirties in a pail (we just use a kitchen size garbage can with a tight lid) and on wash day just throw them in for a rinse and then a regular wash.
When you really get down to it, using disposables is such a waste of money, not to mention harmful to your baby (disposables, except seventh generation in some respects, are loaded with chemicals) and the environment. I also recently just found out that throwing poo in the trash is illegal, but obviously not enforced.
You can save a ton of money using cloth, not to mention the headache of just having to go to the store to get them. My husband and I were recently at Target and saw a couple buying 3 cases of diapers. We looked at each other and said "I love cloth diapers". We would never go back to disposables.
If you pick up the march/april issue of Mothering magazine, it has a lot of information about types of cloth diapers, why to use them and how to wash them.
I encourage you to give them a try!

I used FuzziBunz with my first son, and now will be using them when No.2 son comes along. They are so easy to use and clean. You don't need to pre-soak them, in fact it is recommended that you don't. I even used an open diaper pail I found that the smells didn't ferment that way. You only need to use a tiny bit of laundry detergent, I use perfume and dye free, there are even better natural products out there but I live in Mexico and that's the best I can do. I put the diapers right in the wash when he was exclusively breastfed and put it on the hottest wash with an extra rinse cycle, they came out clean every time. Once he started eating solids I got a hose attachment that hooks into the toilet or sink and sprayed the poop off before washing. It really is so easy and you can feel good about helping the environment....and hardly any diaper rash!

Very easy to use cloth diapers. We have a diaper pail next to the changing table and change him often. Poops are really no problem especially when they are hard. We use disposable only at night or during long days away such as holidays or babysitters. You can get used to anything. Very simple to wash and deal with. And better for baby as it is cloth. Green mountain diapers, prefolded and diaper covers is what I use.

Hello,
I only used cloth diapers and I swear by them. My daughter never had diaper rash. There are many companies out there but I liked www.diapersafari.com
It's a mom's business, she is very helpful and honest. I saved a lot of money with these, even if I had to wash them. It probably cost me $400 to get all the diapers I needed, that's it, compared to $40/week, make the math and I don't fill landfill with diapers. I may use more water and soap but my soap is green. You have to look at the big picture, what is most important to you: your baby's butt or your convenience? The landfill or a little more water and soap? more money or your convenience and the landfill?

It's up to you to decide. You may even find in your area moms who have done and can do diaper swap so you buy them used. Give them a try so you know for yourself.

Good luck, Sev

I bought a few different types of reusable cloth diapers after my baby was born to see which type worked best. I settled on the Bum Genius since they fit best and were easy to use. They have a cotton insert that slides into the diaper. They are easy to wash as well. I live in Maine, so bought them from the Maine Cloth Diaper Company. You can also buy them used on Ebay-sometimes people buy them and never use them so you can get them at a good price. Since they are a bit expensive, we resorted to using the supply that we had (9 diapers) over a three day period and then use disposables on the day that they are being washed. We also only used them during the day, and used disposables at night. You'll need to get a 5 gallon bucket for rinsing, and a diaper pail. We like the combo of the cloth and disposables because it cuts down on the amount of trash each week. For dispoables we use the Seventh Generation chlorine free diapers. They fit similar to the cloth diapers.

S.,
I have an 11 month old and have used non disposable diapers since she was about 2 months old. I started out using prorap (SP?) washable covers with cotton prefolds inside. They were OK but then I switched to Fuzzi Bunz which are "all in one diapers". I really like them- even though they are expensive (I bought only ten and do wash once every day and a half)I think they are worth it. No soaking or bleach, just wash with mild detergent (I use BIO-Kleen). Hope that helps!
J.
Hope that helps

We used the cheap prefolded Gerber ones like you can buy even at the big box stores. They worked just fine, they were cheap, they were easy to wash (I just used regular, unscented detergent), and now we have an unending supply of cleaning rags. No fuss, no expensive brands, nada. Simple. We even hung them out to dry when we could. Very 1950s.

I used cloth diapers with my daughter and loved them. They are much more environmentally friendly, and frankly, much more comfortable -- which would you rather have on your bottom -- icky disposable diapers or warm soft fuzzy cloth ones? My favorite for both absorbancy and ease of use and washing was fuzzybunz diapers -- they're pocket diapers, which means that there's a diaper cover which you stuff with an absorbant towel -- you can stuff it more for overnight if you need more absorbancy, and the towels come out and unfold so they're easy to wash and dry quickly. They are also easy for people who have only used disposables to use -- once they're assembled, they are shaped like a normal diaper and snap closed. As I said, I love them. I ordered my diapers from zannadu.com.

I use cloth diapers, the new Hugga Buns Ultra diapers are really good (no leaks so far except a couple times when I didn't fasten the legs tight enough) and as easy to put on as paper diapers. They are also the best deal on pocket diapers I've found, I use them during the day at home just with the insert they come with and LOVE them! See www.huggabuns.com, they have a buy 12 get 1 free deal and they are on sale right now. I've also tried Happy Heiny pocket diapers, but they aren't as soft and my toddler learned how to undo the velcro and take them off. Snaps are easier anyway because they don't snag in the wash if you forget to close the tabs. I just keep dirty diapers in a dry pail, run a cold rinse with baking soda before the wash, and add a little oxi clean to the hot water wash and they come out gorgeous every time. We use a stainless steel kitchen trash can we bought at costco with a sensor to open automatically with cloth liners (easy to find from cloth diaper sites online), there is no odor except briefly when the lid is open and you just toss the liner in with the diapers when you wash them. The medium diapers fit my very chubby 3mo and my very skinny 2yo great.

I like pockets because I feel like they are easy to get clean and they dry faster than all-in-ones. I do agree with the other poster who said diaperpin.com is a great site - it's where I started off and they have reviews of all sorts of different cloth diapers so you can read through and choose what you like best.

Hi! I use both. My older son it really didn't matter. I work full time, so I do have to use disposable (per my provider... not all are like that). I also have used the Seventh Generation diapers. My younger son gets a wicked rash with Luvs or Pampers (same company). He's ok w/ huggies... and the seventh generation are great - but they don't hold in his wetness quite as well.

For reusable, I use Bum Genius - they are really easy to use. they go on just like a regular diaper. They als have these great liners you can get... they are as thin as tissue.. and they basically allow you to peal off the poop and put it in the trash or toilet for a really dirty diaper.

We actually carry the bum genius - there's a 10% off coupon in my ad online. I like the One Size Fits All - they snap to different sizes... it's great - so you just buy them once!

-K.

I use cloth diapers at home and they are really easy and economical! Check out www.diaperpin.com or cottonbabies.com for starters. I probably invested about $700 in the beginning but haven't need to really purchase any more cloth diapers. We use BumGenius diapers. They are soooo great, easy to use, etc.

When I travel I do use disposables, in that case Seventh Generation. Or recently just switched to G Diapers for awhile to test them out. I haven't flushed the G Diapers down the toilet though.