Diaper Service help!

[papal]

Hi everyone!
We are expecting our first baby in October and i have decided to go the cloth diaper route. So i have been reading all the post on this board to find out all that i can about CD's.. there is so much to learn.. cpf's, covers, aio', liners...... and then all the different brands! it is pretty overwhelming!
Anyway, my question is this.. for the first 8 weeks i am going to be using a diaper service

1. First off, does anyone have any experience with Modern Diaper Service located in Alexandria, VA? That is the only one in my area. Also is it safe for baby knowing that the previous week some other baby used the same diaper? (paranoid first time mom!)

2. They recommend getting 60 diapers a week for newborns (at $14.75 a week). Is that number adequate and does the price seem reasonable? Or should i start with disposables and transition slowly to CD's as i get a hang of things?

3. They give us one free velcro diaper cover.. how many more do i need and any suggestions on a brand for a newborn? the diaper service is selling some for 3 for $20 but i dont know which brand they are. Also would i be better off getting waterproof-pants from them instead? What about diaper pins? and diaper liners? they are selling those too so i assume i need those? i thought the diapers did not need to be pinned? just folded?
I AM SO CONFUSED!!

4. In the first week the baby's umbilical cord will not get irritated by a cd will it? i notice that the dispies have a little cut out for the cord/belly button area for newborn diapers.

Please help me , i am ever so greatful!

Thanks,
Rashmi

[nbrackman]

Hi,

I used Modern Diaper Service for over a year with my daughter. I started when dd was about 4 months old.

Their service is pretty good. That said, when I started to have absorbency issues as dd got older, Dennis (manager? owner?) called me a "pain in the a..." after I called several times trying to find a solution.

However, there were a couple times before that with glitches and they were good about replacing the batch.

I would say definitely go with them at first to give yourself a break and see how it goes.

The Gerber EZ wrap they provide is okay, but the velcro irritated my dd. I would go with proraps seconds (can't find the toll free # on hand right now but someone should have it...also check the www.mothering.com diapering forum and ask there if you can't find it). They're about $3 each and well worth it. Don't bother with the waterproof pants. You might want to go to another website, like kelly's closet (www.kellyscloset.com) or katie's kisses (www.katieskisses.com) and try a pack of snappis and a pack of pins to see if you like them. You also can just fold dipe in thirds and stick in a wrap if you don't want to snappi/pin.

Good luck!

[KathyO]

My mom received diaper service as a baby gift with both of her kids, then ultimately transitioned to cloth diapers laundered at home. She said it was a great way to ease into cloth diapering, as the one major chore is taken care of by someone else, and that only leaves getting the diapers on and off the baby, which will be pretty much the same as with disposables (ie. you'll be all thumbs at first, and then you'll be able to do it in your sleep!)

Regarding sanitization issues - these folks will most likely be operating industrial washers, which run at higher temperatures than your home washer, and have a more aggressive washing mechanism. I wouldn't worry about germs or whatever surviving the process.

60 diapers a week should do you, although if you want to feel REALLY safe, you could pick up a package of disposables so you know that if your little pooper has an, um, overachieving week in the diaper department, you'll still have something handy to put on him/her. I did that, and hardly ever touched them, although it was nice to know I was "covered".

I would buy another five covers... they don't need to be washed after each use unless they get poopy... otherwise I generally just rinse them out with tap water and hang them to dry in the bathroom every day or so. www.motherease.com has some very nice covers as well as the ones which have been recommended to you, although my diapers are fitted and do up with snaps, so I urge you to pay more attention to the other prefold users than to me on this question!

Me, I wouldn't bother with liners at this phase. For one, newborn poop is frequent and runny and overruns the sides of the liner, so the liners don't do such a good job of protecting the baby or the diaper at this point. Plus, the whole point of the diaper service is that YOU don't have to clean the poopy ones, so why should you pay extra to do part of THEIR job for them? If you decide to CD long-term, the best price I've found on the paper liners is at www.kidalog.com, who sell 12 rolls of 100 liners for $59 Canadian ($42.67 US). Check their US shipping rates to see if this is still a good deal to the States.

I didn't CD until the cord was all dried up, so I can't say first-hand, but I think you should be able to just diaper below it, or fold things in and down a bit, and that'll be enough.

Congrats on deciding to go the CD route! I promise, you'll be a pro in no time flat! Let us know when you're looking at buying some of your own diapers, and we can drown you in helpful "been there done that" details on that issue, for sure.

Cheers,

KathyO

[KAaron]

Hi Rashmi,

I am a brand new mom myself, with a three-and-a-half-month old daughter and I too use a diaper service.

I purchased 3 additional diaper covers in addition to the one free one from the diaper service and they work well. Mine cost $6 per cover, so your pricing sounds comparable. I use them for several changes in a row until it feels like it has gotten wet (usually on the elastic aorund the legs) or gets soiled from poop (again, usually on the sides or around the legs).

When a cover gets stained with poop, I rinse with cold water in the sink first to get as much poop out as possible and then wash with a load of laundry per the instructions on the cover. I also bought a three pack of simple vinyl diaper covers from Babies R Us- you know the old-fashioned kind, just to tide me over when all 4 diaper covers get dirty and they work just fine in addition to the covers. I had also picked up a Gerber diaper cover with Velcro also from Babies R Us that I like alot. You can't have too enough back-ups of anything when it comes to babies! And just remember- almost everything is washable- including you!

The newborn size covers have an indentation that dips below the belly button to accommodate for the healing umbilical cord, so diapering should not affect that.

I do not use any liners, but I do use pins even though they say with the diaper cover you don't have to. I just feel that helps the diaper stay more secure and in place so leaks are much less likely.

My diaper service, Baby's Choice based in Lancaster County, PA, starts with 70 diapers a week (about 10/day) which seemed to work well for us.

Best wishes as you prepare for the arrival of your baby.

Kelly
Coatesville, PA

[parkersmama]

I do my own diapers and don't have first-hand experience with a diaper service but my SIL has been using one in the Triangle area in NC. I honestly don't think 60 diapers will be enough. There are a lot of factors to consider...will your baby be a super-soaker? are you breastfeeding? how many will get messed up when you think they're done but they're really not? and so on. My SIL said that in the early days they were going through up to 100 a week! I know that I didn't hit that number, though...probably more like 70-80.

The Proraps seconds covers that I have are great...especially for newborns. A total of about 6 covers will work out well. I wash them with my diapers but you could easily wash them with baby clothes. I switch covers with each change and generally use 2 per day (swapping them back and forth so one dries while the other is being used) unless one gets pooped on and has to be replaced with a fresh one.

Although you can lay the diapers folded in the covers and not use a fastener, I prefer to snappi mine. They seem to stay on much better that way. My diapers seem to shift when they aren't fastened and aren't as good at catching whatever comes their way. ;-) The snappi takes just a little practice...one or two days and you'll be a real pro! I haven't tried pins (yikes! they frighten me...I don't want to stick the baby and certainly don't want to get stuck myself either! LOL!).

As for the umbilical cord...be sure that the diaper isn't touching it and that the cover doesn't cover it up. If the cover goes over the cord stump, urine may wick up and keep the cord moist thus not allowing it to heal and fall off. Dryness is the key. We actually used mostly disposables until the cord came off.

[MelissaTC]

I used the service your sister uses- Baby Diaper Service. I want to say that they start you off for a newborn with at least 80, possibly 90 diapers. I found it to be a great way to being cding...