Switching from disposable diapers to cloth diapers

Nicole - posted on 08/22/2009

My fav wash was Water, Baking SODA for the pre soak...then wash in my regular Arm & Hammer detergent. I was told to not use Oxi-Clean as it can take away the absorbancy...I didn't notice. Fav product COMPLY! It really does stop leaking! (found on ebay) Best part, you will NEVER run out of diapers again! Best Wishes for your decision!

Lisa - posted on 08/22/2009

I would TOTALLY recommend switching! My first daughter was disposable all of the way, because I was overwhelmed at the prospect of being a mom to begin with, and the idea of cloth diapers in addition was WAY TOO MUCH for me to comprehend. -Then along came Gillian, and I really felt that I needed to switch...



http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com is the best website ever! I fell in love with cloth diapers and cloth wipes and the whole process involved! It was the best choice ever, in many ways, easier than disposable if you can believe it!



Check out the website, see what you think, and if you want any of the details in terms of my routine, what I used, etc., etc. Feel free to ask! -I don't want to overwhelm you with a ton of details (I felt overwhelmed in the beginning as well) initially, but if it is something that you want to pursue, I can help... I ended up doing cloth diapers for 5 years!

Holli - posted on 08/22/2009

bit of advice, don't use bleach to wash cloth dipers!! i used a solution of water and vinager to soak dirty diaper in (in a pail) until i washed them. this keeps down the smell of pee.....you don't need very much vinager though!



also, really limit your soap use...it can irritate little bottoms, causing diaper rash.



honestly, cloth diapers are geat, and once you get into the hang of it, really easy to use!!

Stina - posted on 08/22/2009

Stephanie's post above says it all.



I got set up with my cloth diapers five years ago and my third baby is going through them now. We do use disposables at night, but I have found that once they stop pooping at night, it's just as easy to double up the cloth



I too use prefolds wich I ordered from Organic Baby... they later became Baby Because... I don't know if they are still around since with this third baby, we didn't need to order any more. To cover, We use Bummies super whisper wraps. And Snappies are way better than pins. I originally got them so hubby would be comfortable with the diaper changes, but in the end, I was never able to get the pins in.



to hold the dirty diapers, I have two large buckets you can pick up at ACE hardware or Home Depot. The lids lock nicely keeping odors at bay. One is for wet, the other I put a bit of water in to soak the poopy ones after rinsing them in the toilet.

Julia - posted on 08/22/2009

Love my cloth diapers! I bought one size pockets from Bum Genius, Fuzzi Bunz and Blueberry. I have 20 and will never need to buy more!

Angela - posted on 08/22/2009

I use prefolds and gerber pull on diaper covers. I used pins with my 3rd, but I use snappi's this time around. lol

Jessica - posted on 08/22/2009

I used cloth for both of my girls. I found most of my cloth diapers on ebay. They were in great shape and the price was right.

Stefanie - posted on 08/22/2009

Oh, and I would advise staying away from Gerber prefolds. In my experience they do not absorb anything and do not quilt up like a prefold should. They are really only good for burp rags imo.

Stefanie - posted on 08/22/2009

I use prefolds and Lite Wraps. I spent about $250 on my stash which goes from 7lbs to 30lbs. I've cloth diapered two children so far and have not had to buy more. I would definately recommend them! I love them and they are not complicated at all once you get use to it (my husband even prefers them over disposable!). I use prefolds with pins and then a lite wrap cover over the prefold. I wash my diapers about twice a week and covers once a week (unless they get poo on them sooner). I prefer wool covers more but they are expensive and require a bit more attention and care and I wouldn't recommend them for a beginner. I bought 4 dozen Infant and 4 dozen Primium sized Unbleached Chinese prefolds from here: http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info...
And 1 premie (for a newborn), 3 Infant, 3 Small, 3 Medium and 3 Large Lite Wraps from here: http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info...
That is my entire stash and we have saved thousands of dollars in the last 2 years!
They are easy to care for and wash. When you first get your prefolds you will need to run them through 5-8 HOT washes with NO detergent and dry them completely after each wash. This will strip the natural oils off the diaper and quilt them up so they absorb nicely. After that they are ready to use. Once soiled you can just toss them into a lined trash can (diaper pail) until you are ready to wash. If you don't want stains (I don't personally care but some people do) you can put bac-out on your poopy diapers so they don't stain OR spray with a 1:1 vinegar and water solution. When I wash mine I run them through a COLD wash with no detergent (to help get stains out, or you could just soak them), then run them through a hot wash with 1/4c of my homemade laundry soap and 7 drops of TTO. Once the final rinse is done I run them through an extra rinse if I noticed any suds in the final rinse (if there were no suds I skip this step). The covers I fasten closed with the Velcro and snaps then turn them inside out (so the soiled side is showing) and toss them in a cold wash with a little laundry soap. Run them on gentle cycle and let them air dry. That's all there is to it!

Jessica - posted on 08/22/2009

If money's an issue, go with Thirsties and prefolds. I got a dozen prefolds for less than $20 at target. I got 4 dozen for my baby, so you'll probably need more. Then I ordered Thirsties online for about $11 each. Since they're so easy to clean, you can reuse the cover through out the day and won't need to buy so many. They're pretty simple. wrap the prefold, hook with a snappi (the latest in diaper pinning), and put on the cover which is velcro.