For those of you who have used cloth diapers, How many do i need to buy....?

Question

for each stage, newborn and up, and how many diaper covers should I get as well for each stage newborn and up. This will be the first time I have used them and I am kind of confused about it all.

Answer 1

Newborn

30-40 diapers
10-15 sets of pins
10-12 plastic pants

3-6 months

30-40 diapers
10-12 plastic pants

6-9months

25-30 diapers
10-12 plastic pants

9-12

25-30 diapers
10-12 plastic pants

12-18 months

25-30 diapers
10-12 plastic pants

18months- potty training

25-30 diapers
10-12 plastic pants

If you run the diaper pin through your hair just before pinning the diaper the pin will slide through more easily (the pin picks up just a bit of the naturally occuring oil from your hair )

Look into getting disposable night liners (they resemble sanitary pads) you place them inside the night diaper and they help absorb just that little bit of extra during the night to help avoid leaks...

Wash the diapers and plastic pants with 1/2 cup baking soda and 4 tablespoons white vinigar in addition to laundry soap per load it will alleviate the urine smell that can build up in cloth diapers and plastic pants... The vinegar and baking soda will react to each other causing foam to appear if you place in when the washer is empty don't freak it's not toxic just a chemical reaction.. Also don't freak when you notice your washing machine looking alot shinier inside the vinegar and baking soda strips soap scum that's might have built up off the inside of the washing machine...

Odd note:

1/2 -1 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup white vinegar can be put into garbage disposal to freshen it and clean it as well ...

Answer 2

If you plan on using prefolds and velcro cover (Bummis Super Whisper Wraps are great!) Noone i know uses pins anymore. i even have snappis that I don't use, but some moms like them.

For a basic stash; you will need:
*a couple dozen infant size chinese or indian prefolds. A newborn goes through 10-12 diapers a day over half of which are poop LoL!! So buy as many as you will need between washings.

* 8-12 small covers (unless you are expecting an under 7 pound baby, in which case, get newborn sized)

*After about 6 months you might want to buy a dozen or so premium or toddler sized diapers. They are bigger.

*6-10 medium covers (my 25 pound 20 month old is STILL in mediums, so no added expense for the next year)

*a diaper pail with a lid.

*Waterproof liner (or 2) for the pail (Mother of Eden makes a great one.)

If you want to get fancy, you can buy 2 dozen All-in-one, All-in-two, or pocket diapers. I love Happy heinys for nighttime. Other people swear by FuzziBunz or BumGenius. I love to use fitted diapers with fleece or wool pants, but that gets expensive!

Every 3 days or so, I empty the pail liner right into the washer, throw the liner in and wash on hot with regular detergent and a bit of Bac-out. You do not need to use bleach! It will wear out the diapers faster and ruin the covers!

BTW pp;
Any study that could possibly show that paper diapers are less destructive has got to be flawed. A cloth diaper can be used for DECADES!! I still have some from my 13 y.o bros and my 10 y.o. DD. They also have high resale value if you treat them carefully. High efficiency washers and dryers use little water and clean extremely well, so less soap is used too. Plus, no poop goes into a landfill, which were never meant to contain human waste.

Answer 3

I went for 2 doz. and did the laundry every other day. I had the chinese thick diapers with the platicized velcro covers. They would still be working now (they're in a box) if the apt. we moved into wasn't so ***** expensive to do the wash. And, slogging dirty diapers across town to a laundromat is just not in my cards. I did the math, and realized that on a purely financial basis, it was cheaper to use disposables. Not environmentally sound.

Although, after 1 yr. of the cloth diapers, I had more than saved the cost of the diapers compared to disposables. If I had a laundry machine that wasn't astronomically exorbitant, I would happily switch back.

Answer 4

Diane has good advise on numbers. There are so many different diaper systems available nowadays. Most people don't use pins anymore. Snappi's are just as effective for prefold diapers and pose less of a threat (ok, so no threat) to baby's delicate thighs. They also make fitted diapers that have snaps or velcro to hold them on baby. I suggest wool covers. They are breathable (where as rubber/plastic/pvc is not) and will keep baby warm in the winter and cool in the summer (just like the wool did for the sheep). Wools is naturally antimicrobial. And whoever said that cloth diapers are worse for the environment has no idea what they are talking about. I did extensive research on this. If you hire a diaper service, where they pick up your dirty diapers and wash them for you, it is certainly horrible for the environment (and your baby!). They use very harsh and harmful chemicals to cleanse them. Many babies get nasty rashes from the diaper service treated diapers. It's important to dispose of any solid waste (from cloth *or* disposable diapers) in the toilet. I rinsed my poopy diapers in a utility sink before washing (I know it sounds gross, but you get used to it). To prevent smelly (clean) diapers and to prevent bacteria build up, it's important to wash your diapers twice. The first time cold/cold with baking soda (I also used a few squirts of "Bac-Out", a natural, biodegradable cleaner that targets bacteria). Your second wash should be hot/cold with a detergent free of dyes and perfumes (I used Seventh Generation brand-found at most health food stores) along with a chlorine free bleach (also free of any dyes, perfumes or additives). Any of those additives can irritate baby's sensitive skin. Would you want chemicals irritating your genitals? I know it sounds odd, but using cloth actaully made it fun to change diapers! Good luck!

p.s. If you do decide on wool covers, they should be hand washed in a wool wash (I used Eucalan) and air dried.

Answer 5

hi, you can purchase cloth diapers by the dozen, and one size fits all, from newborns and up. But as the baby gets older it might pay to get another dozen diapers, since they tend to do it regularly and more heavily. As for the diaper covers, buy five depending on size as baby gets older. Hope that answers your question?

Answer 6

I got three dozen diapers to start, you can always get more, and a dozen covers as well as pins. Even doing it with this I did laundry at least every other day. They also sell liners for them now that can help with the poopy diapers as well and they really aren't that expensive.

Answer 7

My mom had thirty diapers for my sister, and ten covers, ten sets of pins.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Buy 10. Nine of them you will end up using as wash cloths. The studies show cloth is not best for the environment. SO live it up.