PDA

View Full Version : More questions on cloth diapers



natividad
11-07-2002, 04:47 PM
Hi ladies!

For Beth, KathyO and others who use CD's, I have a few questions.
A) I think in the upcomimg months, I will be ordering the newborn sampler and a dozen prefold diapers (Chinese bleached) from naturalbabies.com to start out with. I will also have 2-3 disposable diapers packages at home to use while I transition into CD's full-time. Does this sound like a good plan?

B) Regarding the prefolds, I was wondering if any of you have found the ones from naturalbabies better in quality than the ones sold at the baby stores (i.e Dundees at my local Buy Buy Baby and the Gerber brands at BRU). I was thinking about registering for some prefolds at BBB, but if the ones from naturalbabies are better in quality, then I would just buy those instead.

C) I am still a little confused with the soakers, doublers, liners and inserts. Can someone please explain this one more time? Do they all pretty much do the same thing - serve as an extra layer of absorption, plus as a liner in order to prevent staining and deal with poopy diapers better? Or, do I need to use a separate liner when I use a Joeybunz for example? I am assuming that if I use the disposable liners from the stores, I will not be getting an extra layer of absorption, but instead just a liner to deal with poopy diapers more "conveniently".

D) I know that at some point I would like to use fitteds most of the times. I know that all babies will grow differently, but I was wondering if I should go with the Kissaluvs (size 0) or the X-small Sandy's instead of the Motherease Onesize (according the the ME website these can be used on newborns). The Kissaluvs newborn can be used for babies 5-15 lbs., whereas the X-small Sandy's are for babies 6-12 lbs. Seems like I will get more use out of the Kissaluvs, but how many of the newborn diapers should I order/have (considering the weight limits) before I have to jump to the next size of diapers (I will either go with the ME Onesize or the Sandys).

Thanks in advance for answering these questions!

Naty (March 03)

nohomama
11-07-2002, 07:57 PM
Naty,

Here's how I would answer your questions:

A) A newborn sampler + a dozen more prefolds (48 prefolds and 6 covers) is completely adequate for cloth diapering a newborn. I'd figure on 10-12 changes a day which means you'd do laundry about every 4 days. You could hold off on the extra dozen if you don't mind doing laundry every 3 days or if you think you my want to try out some diapers other than prefolds. You might also want to think about trying a sampler of covers rather than just getting ProWraps or Bummis. www.earthbaby.com has a great sampler called "Just the Wraps" and I'd imagine Natural Babies has something similar.


B) Any 4x8x4 prefold will do the job. Other than bleached vs. unbleached, organic cotton vs. not, I don't think there's much difference between prefolds.

C) It sounds to me like you've got this down. Doublers, soakers, and inserts are for extra absorbtion. Liners, flushable or not, are intended for easier clean-up.

And finally,

D) I'd steer you away from the size 0 Kissaluv's and the X-small Sandy's and towards the ME Onesize or small Sandy's (8-20 lbs), purely for economic reasons. It's astonishing how fast babies grow and anything with a weight limit of 12-15 lbs won't fit for very long. Buy a sample of each of the fitted diapers you're interested in to see how they work for you and your baby before you invest in a dozen. Motherease has a great reputaion but you might find you like something else better.

Good luck. HTH.

KathyO
11-07-2002, 09:44 PM
This is me nodding emphatically to agree with absolutely everything that nohomama just said, particularly on the subject of purchasing fitted diapers. Get a couple (or just one) of each and try them out for a few rounds before you make the investment. You're guaranteed to get what you'll prefer using that way.

That being said, a small Sandy's will probably not fit your newborn that well - the waist and legs will be too gappy, and the diaper, as small as it is, will look like it's swallowing the poor kid whole. Maybe make your trial ME package a Onesize and an X-small Sandy's, to try out the styles, and if you DO decide to go with Sandy's, go straight to the next size up when you order them. By the time they arrive and you've given them their pre-use laundering, baby will have grown into them and you're off to the races.

Good luck!

Cheers,

KathyO

natividad
11-10-2002, 06:52 PM
Thank you Sarah and KathyO for the great recommendations and feedback. I am getting really excited about CD's! Again, thanks for your generous input.

Naty (March 03)

nohomama
11-11-2002, 09:32 AM
Naty,

Just wanted to let you know about another onesize fitted diaper made by a Candian company called Diapering Decisions (www.diaperingdecisions.com). You can buy a sample for $9.90 USD with shipping included. I've never used this brand but had another Mom rave to me about them. Worth a try.

joodyjr
11-11-2002, 05:37 PM
Here's my 2 cents... I've been cloth diapering my 3week old DD for about 2 1/2 weeks now, she's now about 8 1/2 lbs. I waited for the meconium poopy to go through before starting. I bought literally one of everything under the sun. Some I bought several of, but I got a great variety of things. First of all my preference thus far is unbleached CPF's with a snappi instead of diaper pins. I have both bleached and unbleached and the unbleached are so much softer. I do add a fleece liner (no absorbancy) so it's soft against her skin and keeps her feeling drier. I also order from Naturalbabies first unless she is out of stock or doesn't carry what I'm looking for. You can't beat the shipping charges and the customer service is great! Next to the prefolds, my next choice is a WAHM made Sugar Peas hemp fitted diapers (sugarpeas.com). They are incredibly hard to get ahold of (getting on her mailing list helps) but they are super super diapers. The snap in liner is fleece lined so it's really soft next to baby's skin. Next, I like the MotherEase Sandy's. I also really like the Kissaluvs. The size 0 really fit her well and are very very absorbant. As for covers, I like Bumpy covers, Mother East Rikki Wrap and Airflow and the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap (aplix closure). I have a Sandy's Xsm and it fits great with the Xsm Rikki Wrap. I have a ton of other things that I like but these are what I grab first. I've ordered several items from various WAHM sites and they are incredibly cute diapers and well made. Most of those are still a bit big for her yet so I can't comment. I have tried a Darling Diaper AIO (sort of) and it was comfy and absorbant. I've tried Fuzzy Bunz but the problem I had was her little legs are so thin, the fleece sort of stuck out the leg hole and pee wicked onto her pj's. I'm hoping once she gets bigger that won't happen. I also did what you are planning, getting a starter and also having disposable on hand. I still use disposable overnight simply because it's quicker. I so far haven't had to use doublers but I bought mostly Joey Bunz based on reviews of how wonderful they are. I got some others to try though. I also stocked up on fleece liners. I love them. I used a cloth diaper on my 2 yr old son who just happened to pick that moment to poo. The poo just fell right off. Since DD is breastfed, I don't usually bother with dunking/rinsing her poo's. I mostly like the liners because they feel dry against their skin. I wouldn't recommend buying Prefolds in regular stores. I read several reviews in my research that they just aren't the same quality as what's available online. The ones I got from Naturalbabies are great quality, they quilted up well and absorb well. I'm just sorry I got so many bleached and not more unbleached. I thought I'd prefer the fitteds but I honestly like the prefolds better. I may change that opininon as she gets a little bigger and I can try other fitteds.

egoldber
11-11-2002, 10:37 PM
Hi! These ladies all gave great advice, but I'll just comment on my experience.

While I really like the ME Sandies and Kissaluvs, I went with mainly the Onesizes for economic reasons. In my experience, the Onesizes have been totally adequate even though the Sandies and Kissaluvs are more "plush" feeling.

Also, I have a bunch of Gerber prefolds that I bought at BRU and Target as burp clothes for Sarah when she was a newborn (these are the "thick" diaper service quality ones, not the very thin ones). There is a HUGE difference in quality bewteen the prefolds that I bought from naturalbabies and the Gerber ones. I did use the Gerber ones once as an experiment, but they are so rough and scrachy in comparison.

HTH,