Cloth diaper questions from the mailbag
I received this question from Shannon,
Hi KimC,
I've scrolled through some of your older posts about cloth diapering. We are expecting our first baby at the end of January and I know I want to do cloth now. The thing is though, looking online there are too many options! Brands, prefold, inserts, all-in-one, and on and on. Would you have any suggestions on what we need to get started for the first 6 months? How many, brand, type, etc...? I would appreciate any help! Thanks!
Shannon,
Cloth diapers need to be changed a bit more often than disposables, so you'll want a generous stash. It also depends on how often you will wash them, of course. You don't want to be in a constant state of last-diaper-in-the-house crisis.
Most people find that 2-3 dozen is a good starting point, though you may want a few more for a newborn and to give yourself some breathing space on the laundry.
Many people like to start with a little bit of everything so they can figure out what they really like before making a big investment. I have a rather wide selection of diapers and covers and they all have their strong points, but my priorities are price and ease of use. I will readily admit to a favorite: Coolababy One-Size All-in-one pocket diapers.
I'll be honest. They have their downside.
- They are made in China. I know, I know. No flames, please.
- The opening for the inserts is a tad narrow, so can be awkward to stuff, especially at first. You'll get the hang of it quickly enough.
- Probably not the most absorbent diaper around, though we find it sufficient for our needs. I add a second insert for nighttime.
The upside?
- Unbeatable price!
- One size, so you don't need to buy a whole new stash every few months. One shared stash will work for a baby and a toddler if you have two in diapers.
- Cute colors can be coordinated with baby's outfits.
- Fast-drying since the pad comes out for laundering.
- Snaps. Some people prefer velcro because it's more adjustable, but I can't seem to keep my velcro from catching every stray bit of fuzz in the house. Snaps just work better for us.
- Easy to use. This makes them good for babysitters and others who may be a little unsure about cloth diapers. If you stuff the pocket when they come out of the dryer, everything will be in one piece and will look and work very much like a disposable diaper.
Things to know:
- Pay close attention to laundering instructions, no matter what type of diaper and/or cover you use. Nothing is more heartbreaking than to waste money by ruining your brand new cloth diapers that were supposed to last through 3 children.
- There's no need to rinse dirty diapers from an exclusively breastfed baby. The solids are water soluble and will entirely disappear in the washer.
- Wash regularly, at least every 2 or 3 days. If you try to go too long before washing, you may end up with some hard-to-beat stink problems.
- If you're intimidated by the thought of getting your hands dirty rinsing dirty diapers in the toilet, consider a diaper sprayer. You can do-it-yourself or buy one that's ready to install
.
- If you're not squeamish about buying used, check out the forum at Diaper Swappers. It's a great way to get started without breaking your budget.
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9 Responses to “Cloth diaper questions from the mailbag”
January 14th, 2010 at 7:58 am
I have one of those diapers, the Coolababy (didn’t know that was its name) and I HATE it. The snaps on the front that are supposed to make it adjustable in size just don’t work for me. The price is certainly right but I think using just those would drive me crazy.
Shannon’s right, that’s the hardest thing about cloth diapers- there are just too many options. I am pregnant with #5 due in June and trying to figure out what we’ll do this time around. We mostly used Mother-Ease one size diapers with their Airflow covers for the first 3 and for the first year or so of the 4th. They work great, they’re easy and they’re expensive. The covers are still my favorite. The diapers really do fit just about any size baby. They fit my 8 and 9 pound newborns (though they wouldn’t probably work for one much smaller than that) and I have yet to have a kid get too big for them before potty training, but my kids are skinny. 4 covers in each size has worked pretty well for us and we haven’t had to use the biggest size at all (didn’t even buy any.)
I think I will probably buy some good quality prefolds this time around, maybe some flats (for ease of line drying) and continue to use our M-E covers with them. I really like the Snappi diaper-holder-together-er thing but I don’t know if it will work on prefolds. I am more experimental now than I was with my first few.
January 14th, 2010 at 9:32 am
I use prefolds and covers. We bought 2 dozen infant size and 2 dozen “premium” size (the larger ones) and several different types of covers. The covers I like the best are the Thirsties which have great leg gussets and nice, strong velcro that doesn’t pick up stuff in the dryer.
We use a dry pail method, putting the dirty diapers directly into a pail with a lid (actually it’s a square storage container-type thing) and every two or three days I wash them with just a little detergent and tumble dry them. When the covers start getting funky I wash them, too – but they can get a couple of uses. When our son was younger and his poop was more liquidy, we didn’t bother rinsing the poop out, and had no problems. Now that he’s eating solids, we just pick up the poop with a wipe and toss it into the toilet (hey, we have dogs, we’re used to picking up poop).
January 14th, 2010 at 9:43 am
I used kissaluv size 0 (about 18) and thirsties covers (3) size XS (both bought used at diaper swappers) with my newborn and they worked beautifully. I think going with simple is better for the newborn phase. And when you’re in that newborn haze, you’re just not in the best spot to be figuring out what sort of diaper system will work for you and newborns are so little that sizing can be tricky. Once the baby is getting ready to grow out of the kissaluvs (around 12-13 pounds), I suggest that my new mom friends do the Try Cloth program from Jillian’s Drawers. You get a nice selection of different diaper types to try out for 21 days. It’s $150 but you can return any or all of the diapers that you don’t like and get refunds. If you keep all the diapers, you get a discount on your next order. I found that to be the simplest way to really figure out what type of diaper fits best with your family without being stuck with a lot of duds.
January 14th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Please don’t buy diapers from China
. I’m sure the price is right, but my gosh, there are so many other options out there. Buy second-hand from a consignment store (they will only sell pristine condition) or from Craig’s List. You might even find a local work-at-home mama advertising on Craig’s List who will make you brand new diapers in your choice of fabrics.
My diapers were all sewn from old t-shirts and towels (free Ottobre pattern), and were fantastic lol. But if you don’t sew, you can still get good diapers for good prices. Personally, I don’t see how buying a $15 diaper is frugal, but some people do it. Best of luck to you.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Well, if you’re buying a diaper from China, you’re helping someone else’s child not starve to death. So there are upsides to things made in China.
January 15th, 2010 at 6:58 am
Thanks for answering my question! I really can’t believe all of the options out there. We’ve started our stash for right over $100. After a lot of online research, we’ve purchased two Econobum systems that include one size prefolds and one size covers as well as a few Chinese and Indian prefolds to try those as well. My splurge was buying a Flip one size cover. I haven’t got to try them yet because I’ve got a couple weeks left!
We still need to get (or make) cloth wipes and detergent for the diapers as I make our own. I’m thinking of trying Charlie’s soap? Anyone used that? Thanks Kim and everyone for the other suggestions. I will check them out because I would like to have a little variety.
Shannon
January 15th, 2010 at 10:24 am
I tend to use prefolds and covers as my main line, with some plain fitteds and covers (like kissaluvs) as well as some fuzzibunz for night time.
There are lots of work at home mums that make diapers at an affordable cost, and the diapers that you buy for #1 can be used again for other children, or frequently sold to get some of their price back.
Good luck!
January 16th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
There are lots of work at home mums that make diapers at an affordable cost, and the diapers that you buy for #1 can be used again for other children, or frequently sold to get some of their price back.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:51 am
Cloth diapers are great for your wallet, great for the environment, and great for baby’s skin. Many parents tell me they are overwhelmed with choices at first, but it gets a lot easier if you look at what is most important to you. Cost? Environment? Convenience? For cost, GOOD prefolds and Thirsties covers are unbeatable (don’t use the cheap kind from big box stores, they WILL leak). Most natural fibers are great for the environment but keep in mind that synthetics dry faster so they can save on energy costs. For convenience, pocket diapers or all in ones work great. After that, it is easier to narrow down to a few brands to try. Check out http://www.clothdiaperreviews.com for more info on different options and brands.
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