What is the begining start up of buy Cloth Diapers ?

Rebecca - posted on 07/12/2010

sorry -- that should have been SLOWLY determined what I liked...

Rebecca - posted on 07/12/2010

Also, congrats on your twins and don't let having twins scare you aware from cloth!!! You will save yourself a fortune and it's much easier to throw a load of wash in the laundry than to run to the store to buy more diapers!! Do you know what the gender/zygosity is yet?

Rebecca - posted on 07/12/2010

I also have twins who are about 28 months right now. I've used cloth since they were born. I use prefolds with a diaper cover. I like the Blueberry, Wonderwraps, and Thirsties one-size diaper covers. Proraps makes a nice cover too -- I had a few of those in the newborn and smaller sizes and really liked those too. I also like the ImseVimse and Aristocrats (wool) covers. Aristocrats are the ONLY choice for night time once they hit about 8 months or so. I think the cost depends on what you want to buy -- all in ones and pocket diapers are much more expensive than prefolds and you will need A LOT with twins. I would estimate I spent about $160 - $200 to start up and maybe have spent another $100 more as my kids got bigger (not necessarily because I needed to, but because I couldn't resist the cow print Blueberry covers, etc.). I also make my own wipe solution and use flannel wipes that I bought from Cotton Babies. Green Mountain Diapers is a GREAT website to check out when you are checking out your options -- there is a TON of information on that site. I agree that it's a good idea not to go crazy with a particular brand -- different brands fit differently and may not fit your twins the best. I started out with a few different covers (Bummis, BumGenius, Proraps, Polarwraps, etc.) and solely determined what I liked and what fit my skinny boys (5th percentile and 20 percentile for weight; 80% for both for height) the best.

Katie - posted on 07/12/2010

Erin, we were just as much in the dark at first as well. The best advice I can give is to find a retailer taht carries a variety of brands and make an afternoon of it. They each have different sets of care instructions, and life expectancy. The store we went to even had a saturday workshop where they went through the whole gamut and the pros and cons of each.

We decided on the new one size fuzzi bunz, and have been so satisfied that we talk about them to all the parents we know. They are easy to use, easy to wash and we haven't had any blow-outs what so ever.
For our daughter, we knew we'd need a few extra for day care, so we have a total of 32. We end up washing them every other day or so, because I don't want to be empty handed. I have taken to air drying the liners lately, just to save energy. The extra liners come in handy now that Addy is sleeping through the night. Two nights of waking up soaking wet was enough to cue us in that she was peeing all night long. (they're very absorbant but no diaper can really be expected to hold 8 hours worth of liquid.)

All said and done... we have roughly $400-$450 in diapers, another $$80-$100 dollars in various wetbags and pail liners, and $46.00 in Allen's Naturally detergent. Still less than what we would have spent in disposables.

The one size option is great. Addy is a little peanut and she was only 6 and 1/2 pounds when we started using them.

Which ever brand you end up going with, be sure to get nice wet bags. The double lined ones are better in my opinion, we used Mommy's Touch for our diaper bags, but my bag began to smell like dirty diapers. So we switched to Leslie's. They were more expensive, but they are super cute, and my pack smells much better now. Mommy's touch pail liners work great for us.
oh...and don't spend extra on a special diaper pail. I got a tall kitchen garbage can with a lid that slides back...much cheaper.

Gemma - posted on 07/12/2010

i would definately recommend getting in touch with a cloth diaper group/retailer that stock more than 1 brand/type and see if you can get a trial kit, you may have to pay for this but it is a great way to test out a load of different styles to see what works best for you and your baby. Quite often the cost of the trial kit can be offset against the purchase that you make, so as long as you decide to stick with cloth you can get your trial for free. well worth looking into if you are undecided.

Corinne - posted on 07/09/2010

Have you contacted your local council? When I was having #2 there was a green scheme running where families were given packs of nappies and a list of where you could buy more, just to see if they are for you. I already had enough but the extra pack came in very handy! My favorites were Onelife nappies, they fit from birth to 35lbs, you just buy the different sized outers as they grow, you can also get flushable paper liners which are really handy for getting a poop filled nappy sorted. Get down to your nearest big baby store and ask for demos, they'll show you how they work on a doll but you also get to have a go yourself and see what you find easiest. Good luck. x

Erin - posted on 07/08/2010

THANKS! I am having a friend come over and help me put cloth diapers on a Teddy Bear. I need all the practice and help!

Alix - posted on 07/02/2010

I would recommend gong to squishytushy.com. They have tons of different trial packages. They have one with all different kinds of CDs, one with all kinds of one size, one with prefolds, etc. When you are done witht he trila you can send them back for store credit. Also, the mom who owns it is fantastic! She is so helpful and can answer any questions you have. I prefer Happy Heiny One Size Snap diapers. I have noticed that velcro tends to wear out over time and they dont stay as stick (?) as they did in the beginning. Also, Happy Heinys have a guarantee on their snaps so if any break you can send them back and have them replaced. For the entire start up (wet bags, diapers, swim diaper), I paid a total of $245 and the shipping was free. It is definitely worth it!

Alyssa - posted on 07/01/2010

I was totally overwhelmed when I first decided to use cloth with our 2nd baby. I didn't want to put too much money into them since we aren't planning on having any more kids. I decided to start with prefolds and covers ( I love the Thirsties duo) and then try some of the other kinds depending on how well they worked. I have been completely satisfied with them, our son just turned a year old and I have spent less than $200 on diapers for him. Shop around on different websites for prices. Congratulations on your twins :)

Jamie - posted on 06/29/2010

I recommend not buying a ton of one type until you try some out! I made that mistake. I loved my bumgenius at first and then wasnt crazy about the velcro after a few months. Now i have a whole stash of them. Check out Momsmilkboutique.com they have a trial package. You can try for 30 days and then send back what you dont want. Also prefolds and a few covers (I like Thirsties duos) are a good cheap option to start out with. If you want to have a small stash ready.

Majaliwa - posted on 06/28/2010

great questions erin. check out these very simple, short resources to get started.

1. video of different type cloth diapers


2. video of what you really need to cloth diaper (there's so much stuff out there. this video really narrows down what is important and necessary)


3. once you've decided what type of you think you like, check out this list of top recommended brands by type
http://www.pootersdiapers.com/best-cloth...