Cloth Diapers?

Question

I am due to have my son in 2 months. We have decided to go with cloth diapers, after the first few weeks. Anyone that uses cloth, can you please tell me some pros and cons, and perhaps some tips on cleaning? Also, if you have any good websites on purchasing diaper covers that work well, please let me know. Thanks!

I used disposables for my daughter when she was a baby, and she got terrible diaper rashes al the time. Plus, it seemed like such an awful amount of trash.

Answer 1

Hey! Cloth diapers are really awesome these days. I've included a bunch of websites for you.

Are you just doing prefolds (the "traditional" kind of cloth diaper) with covers? You might consider also looking into pocket diapers, or fitteds. (check the links for explanations)

As for where to buy, I absolutely adore Snap-EZ's covers, though they're a bit pricey. I've also had good experience buying from Natural Babies and Green Mountain- they carry Bummis and Prowraps, which are just about the favorite diaper covers on the market. If you decide to go the pockets route, Nurtured Family has *great* deals on Fuzzibunz.

As for washing, this is what I do:
-I keep dirty diapers in a pedal-opening trashcan, with a washable pail liner (Snap-EZ sells great ones, but there are others on the market as well). I don't do a wet pail- I just leave them there until wash time.
-When washing, I put in maybe a 1/3 or 1/4 the ususal amount of detergent (don't worry, it'll be enough!) and I do a cold wash, then a hot wash, then a rinse, and then dry. Very easy, if a bit time consuming.
-I never, never do the rinse/swish in the toilet thing. It's gross and unnecessary, especially if your babe is breastfed and before solids.

Good luck! Cloth diapers are easy and great. I would never go back to disposables. My daughter never has a rash anymore, and the diapers I use leak way *less* than sposies. Plus, even the expensive ones are cheaper than sposies in the long run.

Answer 2

Cloth diapers are the best way to go. By using cloth you aren't putting all that paper, plastic and chemicals against your baby's skin or in the landfills where they take decades to decay.

I'm incontinent and have to wear diapers 24 / 7 and all I use is cloth. I tried disposables for awhile and I had rashes and they were so uncomfortable, hot and sticky even when dry.

I think every parent should be made to wear disposable diapers for a week or two so they can see what they feel like to their babies. They should do the same with cloth so they know how much softer and more comfortable cloth diapers are.

After all, it's the baby's comfort not our convenience that we should be thinking about, right??

Congratulations and good luck.

Answer 3

I wish I used the cloth diaper for my daughter as I did for my son I had a diaper service and when I moved I still had cloth the one thing that I had a problem with Is leaking poop I know it sounds yucky but I found the way I folded where the legs where it was better for night time I also put plastic cover,the diaper warps work great cause of the fact that you don't stick the wiggly ones with a pin. I would soak the diapers in dreft and oxy clean (you can find oxy clean at family doller huge bucket for 5 bucks)good luck I'm so proud of you want to save the earth .

Answer 4

I used cloth diapers for all four of my kids. I used plastic pants over them. They would leak less often than disposables. I liked to use a prefold with two flat diapers. Sometimes I used diaper liners, which cost a fraction of a penny each, and they keep the baby drier. You throw the diaper liners away when dirty. I would let the diapers soak in the diaper pail until I had enough to wash, which was 2 or 3 times a week.

Answer 5

Hello! I would highly recommend cloth diapers for the first few months, but wouldn't continue using them after they are one year old. When your child starts eating solid foods full time, the texture of the stinky changes.

We did the cloth diaper bit because it seemed to save us sooooo much money. But if you decide to use a diaper service, then you are paying just as much as disposables.

There are these neat little inserts/liners that you can put on the inside of the diaper that are flushable, so you grab the insert/liner and just flush the stinky away, which makes the diapers themselves much easier to clean. Don't forget the little plastic liners, they are a must have and you can find them at most T@rgets or W@lm@rts.

I also have a clothes line and was able to hang the diapers out in the sunlight - which is a natural antibacterial agent. I did put disposables on my son overnight, when we traveled, for church, and for going out to eat or anything like that. There is just toooo much to do with the cloth diapers to take everything with you when you go.

You can prepack your diaper bag and leave it by the door or even in the car so you don't have so much to remember when you go somewhere. I got 3 diaper bags for my baby shower and kept one in each car and one a Grandma's (who we visited frequently) so I wasn't ever "stuck" without a diaper.

Good luck to you! Take all the advice you read about or are told about and use what works for you, I found that doing that helps me keep my sanity.

Answer 6

I used cloth diapers when my kids were young!
Disposables do create a lot of trash! I kept Biz water in my diaper pail. I just left them soak til I was ready to wash them. I just dumped the whole container in the washer and spun it out, then washed them. I never had stains. It works great on the bibs too! Or use a diaper service if they still have them. They make wonderful rags when you are through with them. My poor son..I had to put 8 on him at once to keep him dry all night! I switched to disposables when they got a little older. Best of luck to you and your family!!

Answer 7

Lauren J and Laura S are genuinely suitable with their solutions, yet there are additionally different issues to evaluate in case you have been to apply disposable diapers. I used fabric diapers on the two one in all my childrens and that they never had rashes or leaks and this develop into decrease back once you had to apply diapers and pins and the previous plastic pants over the diapers. Disposables take many years to biodegrade, the in many situations occurring newborn throughout the diapering area of their lives will use 3000 - 3500 diapers. it relatively is multiple waste to place right into a landfill to no longer point out the human waste, the pee and the poop that get thrown away with the disposables, yet there are greater issues than that with disposables. bypass to this records superhighway internet site and examine the 1st website approximately all the negatives regarding disposables. one ingredient is the absorbent crystals hat wer banned from tampons in 1985 because of the fact of that's link to poisonous ask your self Syndrome. something of the area is powerful for looking eco-friendly products on your toddler. i elect to function that i'm urinary incontinent and could positioned on diapers myself 24 / 7 and that i've got tried the two disposable and fabric and whilst an person, i visit positioned on fabric diapers purely for the comparable motives i could purely positioned fabric diapers on a sprint one. solid success.

Answer 8

I used disposable diapers and loved them you just change and toss......but on the other hand my mom had to use cloth on my brother because he used to break out terribly. I remember the yucky cleaning part was take the dirty diaper to the toilet and flush the poopy and then soak them in a bucket of water and bleach. Today they have services where you can send them out and clean them....probably cheaper i don't know its been to long to know

Answer 9

You can prevent diaper rash, I think disposable are more sanitary. I swear by Bag Balm for any diaper irritation. I use disposables and my daughter hasnt had diaper rash like my first daughter. Good luck on whatever you decide and you may want to look in your local phone book for cloth diaper services.
Congrats on the baby.

Answer 10

The only type I used with my daughter. It is some extra work (and smell) but I thought worth it. First few weeks you may want to use a diaper service. My ex got that from her employer for the first few weeks and that worked real well.
Check for allergies to the detergent. Ivory used to have a special detergent for that..