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View Full Version : CD Users: Knowing what you NOW know, What would you buy?



etwahl
12-18-2002, 08:45 PM
After reading all the posts on CDing today, I am feeling VERY overwhelmed. To begin with, I never considered CDing before (still not sure if it's for me) so this is all a little scary to me.

I guess after reading all the posts, and going back a while, I noticed people (like Beth) who initially posted questions here, ordered a bunch of stuff, and then posted on the results.

My question is, if you had to do it all over again, knowing what you now know, and knowing what has worked for you best, what exactly would you buy and use (e.g. don't include those items you like only so-so)? I realize this is subjective, and what works for one baby/mom might not work for the next, but I think knowing what some of you experienced users would buy after trying a bunch, would greatly help to ease some of the confusion.

I am hoping that some of this information will help clear up my confusion, and give me more reason to try it myself. Btw, when I asked one of my mom friends today (she has a one year old girl) about CDing, she said the thought of it sounded stinky/dirty/messy. She said she'd never consider it, especially without a diaper service (which incidentally, she said San Diego no longer has one).

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

egoldber
12-18-2002, 09:20 PM
Tammy,

Hypothetically speaking, if I started all over again today, knowing what I know now, for MY baby today (not for a newborn), I would buy:

12 Kissaluvs size 1
12 Kissaluvs size 2
8 Bumkins AIOs size Large
4 FuzziBunz size medium
4 regular unbleached prefolds
4 medium JoeyBunz
3 Motherease Airflow covers, size M/L
3 Bummis Super Industrial Whisper wraps size Large
one roll of Kushies disposable liners
make 24 fleece liners

If I were starting all over with a newborn, here's what I "think" I'd do:

2 packages Newborn disposable Pampers (sorry)
18 infant prefolds
18 Kissaluvs size 0
6 Proraps size newborn
6 Motherease Airflow covers size Small
make 36 fleece liners

For the intermediate size (between newborn and what I have now) I would then buy:

24 Kissaluvs size 1
8 Bumkins AIO size Medium
4 FB size medium
4 regular unbleached prefolds
4 small JoeyBunz
3 Motherease Airflow covers, size Medium
3 Bummis Super Industrial Whisper wraps size Medium
make 24 larger fleece liners

When this hypothetical baby became the size Sarah is now, I would then buy:

12 Kissaluvs size 2
8 Bumkins AIOs size Large
3 Motherease Airflow covers, size M/L
3 Bummis Super Industrial Whisper wraps size Large

I will be honest with you. CDing "is" more gross than using disposables. Is it that bad? No. Is it doable? Obviously. I think that most people (including me) fear the unknown of it. No one I know personally uses CDs. That is pretty scary, especially to a new mom. But you CAN do it. And I think it is something to feel good about.

As you can see, I really like Kissaluvs and Bumkins. They fit Sarah very well and we never have leaks. Other people have different experience, so I really recommend ordering samplers and trying them out.

HTH,

etwahl
12-18-2002, 10:01 PM
Thanks Beth. Very helpful. In the case of the newborn area (one step at a time!) in what situations would you use prefolds, and what situation would you use kissaluvs? Why not 36 of just one kind?

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

egoldber
12-18-2002, 10:25 PM
Fitteds and AIOs are easier to use. No pinning, Snappi-ing or folding just right in a cover. So when I was going out (or feeling stressed) I would use a fitted. When I wasn't I'd use a prefold.

HTH,

etwahl
12-18-2002, 10:28 PM
I just looked up the prices between the two. I assume that's why you wouldn't use fitted all the time? By the way, do you always use liners with your cds? Is that what makes it more bearable? I think the scariest part for me is the cleaning of those stinky things :) :) And I think about what bits and pieces will be in the washing machine (obviously this is coming from someone who's never been around poopy diapers!!!).

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

egoldber
12-18-2002, 11:58 PM
CD or disposable, you will VERY soon know your way around a poopy diaper! My DD doesn't really have a poop "schedule", so I use liners all the time. Many babies are more "regular" and their moms only use liners at those times.

But even when Sarah has had her worst, stinkiest, nastiest, yuckiest diarrhea poop (like this morning, inside her sleeper, up and down the legs, ugh...no more grapes for a LONG time...), the diaper has washed totally clean. And no "residue" in the washer. :)

As KathyO says, it's only poop, not plutonium! That's why we have soap and water. When I talked about it not being as easy, I was referring more to convenience than to the ick factor. It is, of course, easier to pop a diaper into the diaper genie than to wash it later.

sparkeze
12-19-2002, 01:27 AM
If I had to start all over from the newborn stage here it what I would do:

disposables until the meconium passes
infant CPFs in a wrap (no pins or snappis)
covers - Bumpy wool wraps/Bumpy Day wraps

Then after the baby is about 15lbs (for us it was at 4 mo):

Covers - Motherease Airflow/wool covers
Fitteds - ManyDucks Onesize/Liz's Cloth Size 2/CuddleBuns (that I would make myself)/ME Sandys Large
AIOs - Lucy's Hope Chest/Luke's Drawers All in Wonder/Cuddle-in-Ones (that I would make myself)/Fuzzi Bunz for night w/JoeyBunz

Most of these should last me until potty-training with the exception of covers and Fuzzi Bunz. When I started CDing I thought DS would be in Mediums because he was about 17-18 lbs but all the mediums I tried were too small! DS has rather chunky thighs so I had a hard time finding diapers that fit his thighs and his normal sized waist! So he's in larges and onesizes now and DS is probably about 19-20 lbs at 8 1/2 mo. But his weight gain has slowed considerably since he became mobile so I think we're pretty much set until potty-training. Now if only I could resist the temptation to keep buying!

To explain my choices, the easiest time to actually diaper your baby is before they start rolling over. They lay nice and still when they're newborns, but they poop with every nursing! So we're talking about at least 10-12 poops in a 24 hour period! I wouldn't spend a lot of money on this stage, especially since you don't need a lot of absorbancy and they outgrow the diapers pretty quickly. I think that the easiest way to do it would be to lay a CPF in a wrap and velcro it shut. But I didn't CD a newborn, so maybe it's not the best way... As far as after the newborn stage goes, it gets harder to put the diaper on, whether it's a cloth diaper or a disposable. DS started rolling over at 4 mo and since then it's been a struggle at most changes. That's where the conveience of an AIO comes in handy, but even fitteds with covers are nice because once the fitted is on, even if they roll or crawl away pee isn't going to get everywhere. Sometimes I let DS crawl away and I put the cover on a couple minutes later, or even while he's standing up, in mid-crawl, whatever it takes. Plus, I'd like to let him run around in just a fitted diaper during the summers. I don't think leaking will be a problem if I change him frequently enough and I really like letting some air circulate - thus the wool covers. I used to air him out between changes when he wasn't rolling but I haven't been able to much since then. And as far as making the Cuddlebuns and Cuddlle-in-ones, I do have the pattern and some fabric although I haven't started actually making one yet. I wish I would've made them before DS was born! It's much harder to find the time now. So if I could start over I would've made a whole bunch before he was born. Have I been rambling on long enough now? I think so!

KathyO
12-19-2002, 03:07 PM
I LOVE it when people who've NEVER CDed give me advice on what it's going to be like! It's like getting advice on sex from a virgin! Of course it's stinky, dirty and messy. From spit-ups to runny noses to diapers to mud puddles to learning to eat solids to toilet training, babies ARE stinky, dirty and messy...

If I started down the CD road all over again, knowing what I know now...

My CDing friend sold me her homemade one-size flannel diapers. They were very nicely made, but they didn't work for me, because the shape just wasn't right for my daughter, so they never fitted right, and they just weren't absorbent enough for her high-volume peeing. So I gave them away.

After that, I should have tried out a whole bunch of different ones the way Beth did, but I saw some raves for MotherEase on the web, and found out that they are very close to where I live, tried out two of their sampler packs, and lucked out with the Sandies, which really work for me. My husband and my mom (the only others who diaper DD) have also adapted to them quite well, although Mom did have a spell of putting them on inside out; fortunately, they fit and work just as well that way!

So my second-time-round setup would be pretty close to the first one. Here goes...

A few packages of disposables for until the meconium passes, and I am recovered enough to be ready to get on-board with CDing

36 small MotherEase Sandies

4 medium MotherEase covers (2 Rikkis for when she's smaller, 2 Airflows for when she's a bit bigger)

36 large MotherEase Sandies

4 Medium-Large MotherEase covers (1 Rikki, 3 Airflows)

4 Large MotherEase covers (all Airflows)

A half-dozen inserts for extra nighttime absorbency

A few rolls of paper liners (Flushabyes, Kooshies, whatever)

DD is now 20 months old, and it looks like this setup is going to last us all the way to the toilet-training age. I plan to use the whole thing again for child #2. The covers have stood up very well in part because I have hung them to dry, and just rinsed them in the sink when they didn't need washing.

Whatever diapers make your "short list", I absolutely recommend trying out one or two of each before you "go big" on any particular one.

Don't let the naysayers get you down! It is doable! And once you're started, you may find it surprisingly addictive! (Ever notice how many of us CD-ers still cruise diapering sites and buy extras, even when our setup is already complete? Betcha you don't know anyone who tries out new and interesting disposables for fun!)

Cheers,

KathyO

mama2be
12-19-2002, 03:35 PM
Oddly enough I've found a lot of older women (I should say women who didn't have disposie's available way back then) are looking at me like I am nuts because they are now seeing disposbales for their grandchildren and thinking "WOW"...

But when I start telling them about the technology of cloth diapers now they perk up and seem to say "WOW" to that...I ofund in the past several weeks cloth diapers (meaning the systems) are very different than anyone would think, their not just "cloth diapers"...

There's velro, snaps, fleece, hemp, layers, liners all of these things...this is what has convinced me to try them (mind you have no experience yet).

I have to give kudos to an owner of one site/seller Heather from
www.punkinbutt.com she has spent so much time with me answering questions and has actually talked me out of a nice size purchase that she could have had stating a newborn does not need them...so I was thrilled with that!!!

egoldber
12-19-2002, 04:22 PM
And FYI, Heather is bursting at the seams, about to give birth to her third baby. She is several days "overdue" at this point. And she still answers her e-mails promptly!!!

mama2be
12-19-2002, 06:07 PM
I know she told me that!!! and I felt guilty for even taking up her time (she didn't make me feel that way that was self induced)...she was incredible. I really really liked her!!!

egoldber
12-19-2002, 09:24 PM
I decided to revise my list slightly. :) Given the great utility of prefolds and the fact that they are so cheap, I would also add:

1 dozen regular unbleached prefolds
and
1 dozen premium unbleached prefolds

:)

MelissaTC
12-21-2002, 06:50 PM
For a newborn, I would have used a diaper service. I used disposables and had a lot of trouble with Matthew and diaper irritation.

This is what I have now for Matthew who will be 6 months on Monday:

12 White Infant CPFs
12 Unbleached Infant CPFs
24 Unbleached Premium CPFs
6 Unbleached Regular CPFs (I would not have bought these!)
2 Fuzzi Bunzs (I love these for nighttime and want more!)
4 JoeyBunz Baby Kicks Inserts
7 Kushies AIOs - we use these at night with a doubler and they work well for us
10 Kushies Washable Diaper Liners
2 Crickett's Hemp Fitted Diapers
8 Crickett's Sherpa Doublers
6 Prorap Covers (I am not crazy about these)
3 Bummis SIWW
1 Bummis Pull on Pant - I like it but not for all the time
3 Bumkins Vented Covers
1 Bumnkins AIO (did not work out for us)
1 Baby Softwraps

I am dying to add some Motherease Sandys to our stash as well as the covers. I am looking into buying some used to try them out before I make the big purchase.

As far as the poop factor goes, I guess you get used to it. My son has thrown up on me and pooped on me (he was in a disposable at the time!)so to clean up his poopie diapers is no big deal to me. I wear rubber gloves and use a little brush when they are particularly nasty (he has started solid foods so some are pretty gross!). I guess changing all the bf loose poop in the beginning broke me in.

HTH :)

nohomama
12-21-2002, 10:02 PM
Knowing what I know now, I think I would pretty much do the same thing I did the first time around. For the first week we used disposables until the meconium passed. Then we used a diaper service. We received 3 months of service as a shower gift and paid for a couple months more. I had the time to get used to cloth diapering and also get my act together so that a few more loads of laundry wasn't a completely overwhelming task. I likely wouldn't use a diaper service for as LONG the second time around but as a first time Mama trying to get her sea legs it was the perfect thing.

While we used the service the only investment I made was in covers. I had 6 newborn sized Prowraps to begin with and though they aren't my favorite wrap, they worked well in the beginning. They're also some of the least expensive covers you'll find.

When Lola began to outgrow the newborn size, I purchased the Just the Wraps package from www.earthbaby.com. It included:

1 Prowrap
1 Bummis Super Industrial Whisper Wrap
1 Polar Baby
1 Imse Vimse Bumpy Day
1 Imse Vimse Bumpy Night
1 Imse Vimse Bumpy Wool

It gave me the opportunity to try out a bunch of different covers and was a good value to boot. I actually purchased the same package again in the next size after she out grew the first batch of covers. I also picked up several Kushies covers at a consigment store.

When I finally did get around to investing in diapers I bought

2 dozen premium sized CPF
18 contoured diapers (secondhand)
6 Snuggle Bottoms fitted dipes
6 Bummis Stay Dry Doublers
4 no name brand doublers (secondhand)

As Lola has grown, I've started purchasing samples of other fitted diapers, but the CPF and contours remain our standby.

HTH,