My son is 6 months old. Too late to start with cloth diapers? What are the best?

Question

I know when I was a child my mom used cloth diapers, but know nothing about them. My third question is, do you just use the cloth diaper or do you put some type of plastic or material inside so it doesn't leak? The cloth diapers we have now and use as burp cloths are so thin. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

We started cloth diapers around my son's 1st birthday.
These are what we use:
http://www.kidalog.net/product_info.php?cPath=21_23&products_id=29
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_so_0?ie=UTF8&rs=165796011&sort=relevancerank&keywords=baby%20love%20diapers&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ababy%20love%20diapers%2Ci%3Ababy-products%2Cn%3A165796011%2Cp%5F4%3Ababysoft&page=1
You can find them on eBay, too.

I say go for it! The sooner you start the better.
Check out these links:
http://www.diaperpin.com/clothdiapers/article_toptenreasons.asp
http://www.diaperpin.com/clothdiapers/article_toptenmyths.asp

Answer 2

No, 6 months old is not too late to start cloth diapering.

There are lots to choose from. If you can afford it definitely buy all-in-one diapers or pocket diapers. They are easy to use and have great re-sale value for when you're done with them. They have the cover built in and use snaps or velcro to close. I use Baby Kangas, Swaddlebees, Fuzzi Bunz, bumGenius and Jamtots Berry Plush. Hemp inserts are the best and most absorbent for pocket diapers. Most people have 24-36 diapers.

For night I use a Bamboo diaper (Totsbots Bamboozle) with a fleece topped hemp doubler and a wool cover.

Watch out for some bad diapering advice on this site though. Do not bleach your diapers. Don't soak them in a wet pail, use the dry pail method it's better for you, the baby and the diapers! You don't need pins or plastic pants. You don't use excessive amounts of detergent and water. You won't have to change the baby more often than you did with disposables if your diapers have a fleece, velour or suede cloth interior.

I use a rubbermaid garbage can for my diaper pail. You want something that is not air tight, that will result in a very smelly pail. If there is airflow it won't smell until it is 4 days old or more. Sprinkle some baking soda on the bottom of the pail. If your baby is exclusively breast fed then all diapers can go directly into the pail. If they are drinking formula or solid foods you need to shake the solids off the diaper into the toilet before putting them in the diaper pail. Depending on how many diapers you have you will need to do laundry every 2-4 days. I dump the bin of diapers in the machine with the baking soda from the bottom of the pail and run one cold rinse cycle. After that I run a hot wash with a cold rinse I add 1/4 of the recommended amount of detergent (I use Tide Free). After the wash I put all the diapers into the dryer on low during the winter. In the summer I hung them to dry on the line outside. They usually dried in 2 hours in full sun. If it was cloudy I had to leave them all afternoon. Once the diapers are dry I stuff the pocket diapers and fold them into a wicker laundry basket and keep that in the babies room. I just take diapers from the basket when they are needed.

Answer 3

No, it's not too late. There are lots of different types of diapers out there. Pre-folds are similar to the ones most people use as burp cloths, but there are thicker versions. They can be pinned, fastened with a Snappi fasterner, or left unpinned in a snap-on cover. Fitted diapers are more shaped and usually have snaps or velcro. Both will require some sort of diaper cover. Pocket diapers and all-in-one diapers are diapers with a waterproof outer layer and do not need a separate cover.

You can buy a few of each kind to start with and see what works best for you. I mostly used Under the Nile fitted diapers, with Stacinator wool covers.

This site has product reviews, how-tos, etc. -

http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp

Answer 4

I did the research because I was planning to CD.... The start up costs for me (going new) would've been about $500 - $600. Since your son is already 13 months, that isn't a savings at all unless you plan to keep them for a second child. If you want to give it a go without breaking the bank, I would suggest starting with a 'test-drive set' from Sunshine Diapers. You can try a variety of diaper brands/styles and find what works for you before investing your money. If you like the test drive experience, then search for your preferred dipes used.

Answer 5

No, my son is almost 9 mo and we are starting to work it in (as we can afford it!) The ones I love (not sure of a name) but they are fitted with elastic at the waist and the leg holes and they velcro!! Way cool! I actually bought mine off of e-bay. They are super absorbant and I don't use any plastic wraps. I figured what was the point of a cloth diaper if I was just going to wrap my baby back in plastic anyway. These seem to work great. I've dissected one of them and am going to try to make some more myself, but the inner layers appear to be flannel material, a washcloth and a strip of what I call the "old fashioned" cloth diaper. Believe it or not, it holds it in most of the time. We've had a couple of leaks, but not enough to make me not use them again. Check the internet and things like e-bay....there's so many option now.

Answer 6

not to late at all!! but as a mother of 3 the oldest being 35 down to 24 i am very surprised at all the new cloth diapers they have on the market today. we had to use cloth like burp diapers or the prefolded! and pins and plastic pants!! to top it off yuo had to dunk them in the toilet and wash alot more. i usually washed 4 dozen a day and hung them out on the clothes line!!! things are much different today. im used to pampers or huggies but not the ones i just looked at that are colorful and have snaps. wow!!!

Answer 7

I use mostly pocket diapers, although I'm starting to shift towards fitted diapers.

The most economical route is 3-4 dozen Chinese or Indian prefolds with 4-5 GOOD quality covers. I like Thirsties for daytime and wool covers for night time.

It is definitely not too late. Your child could be in diapers for up to 3 more years, probably at least 1.5 more years. That's A LOT of disposables!

http://www.keenbambino.com/clothdiapers.html

Answer 8

use a service they come with plastic wraps

Answer 9

just buy pampas and it sold in every supermarket