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HOBSON725
04-04-2002, 04:24 PM
Does anyone use cloth diapers? I am looking at switching to cloth soon. What do you use? Prefolds w/covers, Fitted w/covers, AIO's? I'm looking to go the most economical but leakproof route. How do prefolds w/covers work? Thanks ECH

benzmommyplus1
04-04-2002, 04:59 PM
Most parents who use cloth have a variety of systems, from prefolds with snappis, to fitteds, and then AIO's for occassional use. If you want ease of use, than mostly fitted's(still need covers) and AIO's would be the best. But, if you're going for economical(but still leak-resistant) prefold's with snappis and covers(plus a fleece liner) would be your best bet.

For covers, the favorite is prowraps. They're website is http://www.prodiaper.net. If you call the company on either the first day of the month, or the last day of the month(I can't remember which) you can order "seconds" of their covers, for $3 each. From everything I've read, there is nothing wrong with the seconds.

For prefolds, do NOT buy them from your local Walmart. http://www.katieskisses.com and http://www.naturalbabies.com have great prices on Chinese prefolds(you can pick between bleached and unbleached, but be aware that you have to wash unbleached up to 10 times to get maximum absorbency)

You'll need to start out with a minimum of 2 dozen prefolds, and 4-6 covers in the size your baby is right now. You can get some great deals on Ebay for used covers, if you want to try a variety out. Same with fitteds/AIO's. Also, www.wahmall.com is good for auctions.

for more ideas, check out this article...

http://www.parents.com/articles/pregnancy/1218.jsp?page=1

GreenIZ1971
04-04-2002, 09:42 PM
Hi, we're planning on using cloth. Other great resources are www.diaperpin.com, www.clothdiaperinfo.org, http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/2960/reviews.html.

I ordered

12 unbleached prefolds, 12 bleached (I like the feel of the unbleached more, softer, and they say more absorbent)www.chooseydiapers.com
6 covers - a variety, from www.chooseydiapers.com
2 joey bunz (shaped hemp doublers) from www.babykicks.com
2 duzitalls (hemp cloths/thin diapers/doublers) from www.babykicks.com
1 power pouchie fitted one size from www.babykicks.com
1 zippidy's fitted from www.chooseydiapers.com
1 zippidy's snap in trifold doubler from www.chooseydiapers.com
2 misc. doublers from www.chooseydiapers.com
1 fuzzibunz from organicbebe.com (but there are better prices out there)
1 kissaluvs fitted from organicbebe.com (try www.kissaluvs.com)
1 Luke's Drawers AIO one-size from www.lukesdrawers.com
3 Kidalog AIO (they have 3, so I tried one of each) www.kidalog.com
1 Motherease Airflow cover, with 1 Motherease One-size, and a liner from www.mother-ease.com
1 roll of disposable liners
1 pack of snappis
1 pack of diaper pins

I am seriously thinking of trying some shaped diapers/prefolds (www.babybunz.com) but want to try out what I have first. I'll try the theory using the joeybunz. If you like the economy of the prefold, but think the fitted legs will make them more leakproof then I definitely suggest trying some of the snugglebottoms from babybunz. They're 2x the cost of a prefold, but far less than a pure fitted.

I started out thinking I'd go pure prefold, but since my husband is hesitant, experienced cd'ers advised me to buy a few fitteds/aio to encourage him...

Some people hate the prefold route, others insist on it. Some use fitteds exclusively, etc. I think most have a combo of all. I think the key is to try a little of all (budget permitting) then buy more of what works for you. There is a hierarchy to absorbancy: bleached, unbleached, hemp (hemp being most absorbent and most expensive). After playing with them, I definitely think I'm going to be a hemp fan. Also, if you're looking to keep a dry sensation next to baby's skin, get dipes with polyester fleece next to their skin (or in the doubler, etc.). You can make your own fleece liners - just buy fleece at the store, and cut to shape. No hemming required - it doesn't ravel.

After getting everything in and playing with the diapers (caution, it can be addictive!), I found I preferred folding the cpf's and inserting them in covers vs. dealing with all the snaps on the fitteds. People say I may change my mind once I try to diaper a squirmy baby, though.

Definitely read the resource pages above... there's really not one way to do this....

Good luck!

KathyO
04-05-2002, 12:44 AM
I use fitted with covers (oh, they groan, there she goes about Mother-Ease again...!!) A friend loaned me some flannel fitted one-size to try - they were super-cheap because you sewed them yourself - but on my kid they leaked and she wetted through them really quickly so I went looking for something else. Now we're in the Mother-Ease Sandy's style, with covers by the same folks, and I think I can count leakage incidents on the fingers of one hand. They're not the cheapest you can buy, but they're VERY user-friendly, so my husband also took to them right away. When you factor in costs, remember that many diapers have pretty good resale value.

I would like to second the other two posters - try lots of options before committing to one - there's nothing like blowing a ton of money on a diapering setup... and then finding that either it doesn't suit you or doesn't suit your baby!

Best,

KathyO

hardysmom
06-04-2002, 10:33 PM
babycenter.com has a great board for cd moms. unless they moved it, it was listed as a debate board-- i don't know why since almost all of the posters used cd's. i found that group a huge help. good luck!