Help convert me to cloth

[Vajrastorm]

I am in your hands - convert me ;)

Awaiting my first baby, and I want to try cloth (at least part time).
I am slightly hesitant with the learning curve involved though. (Because face it, with my first newborn I'm going to be up to my ears in learning things)

I ordered the Newborn Sampler from Natural Babies, and the diapers are so darn cute I'm feeling more adventurous and am considering ordering more CD before the baby is born. (My intial idea had been to get the sampler, try a few, and then order more if I liked CDing.)

So I have a few questions for the CD mamas. Cost is an issue, BUT I'm willing to spend for the best "basic" package if you know what I mean. (Ruling out fancy wool diaper covers and all that)

1. What is the *practical* difference between CPF's, contoured, and fitted? I was initially afraid of the CPF's, but upon seeing them I realize it isn't so scary. Do they leak more than contoured or fitted? Do contoured leak more than fitted? Or is it simply the convenience? How hard is a CPF/Contoured in a wrap anyway?

The kissaluv fitteds are adorable and "idiot proof" but they are certainly more expensive. Can you tell me why I would not want to stick with a cheaper option? (Not that I can't have some of each kind, but I'm talking about the my "main" CD option.)

2. Wraps - what basic wraps do you guys recommend with each of the above options?

3. Snappies - ever use 'em? Why, and with what?

3. Last but not least, what are your favorite places to buy any of the things you recommend? I am familiar with Natural Babies, obviously. :)

[liya]

>I am in your hands - convert me ;)

I WILL TRY TO EXPLAIN AS MUCH AS I CAN BUT IVE NEVER DIAPERED A NEWBORN JUST A 2MONTH OLD
>
>Awaiting my first baby, and I want to try cloth (at least
>part time).


THIS IS AWSOME!!!! ITS SUPER YOUR CONSIDERING IT CONGRATULATIONS!!


>I am slightly hesitant with the learning curve involved
>though. (Because face it, with my first newborn I'm going to
>be up to my ears in learning things)
>
YES YOU WILL BE LEARNING ALOT BUT CD'S ARE NOTHING TO FEAR THEY ARE SO SIMPLE..PLUS IF YOU WANT TO GIVE YOURSELF SOMETIME TO ADJUST USE THE DISPOSABLES THAT THEY GIVE YOU IN THE HOSPITAL OR FOR ATLEAST THE FIRST 2-3 WEEKS SO YOU CAN GET A BREATHER AND THEN GO RIGHT INTO THE CD BANDWAGON ITS NOT HARD I PROMISE YOU BUT I WOULD SAY WAIT UNTILT THE MECONIUM PASSES AND THEN BEGIN TO CD...

>I ordered the Newborn Sampler from Natural Babies, and the
>diapers are so darn cute I'm feeling more adventurous and am
>considering ordering more CD before the baby is born. (My
>intial idea had been to get the sampler, try a few, and then
>order more if I liked CDing.)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY IT BEFORE DISHING IN A WHOLE LOT OF MORE MONEY THEN TRY YOUR PACKAGE AND SEE IF YOU LIKE IT..IF YOU DO THEN GO AHEAD AND ORDER MORE...
>
>So I have a few questions for the CD mamas. Cost is an issue,
>BUT I'm willing to spend for the best "basic" package if you
>know what I mean. (Ruling out fancy wool diaper covers and
>all that)
>
>1. What is the *practical* difference between CPF's,
>contoured, and fitted? I was initially afraid of the CPF's,
>but upon seeing them I realize it isn't so scary. Do they
>leak more than contoured or fitted? Do contoured leak more
>than fitted? Or is it simply the convenience? How hard is a
>CPF/Contoured in a wrap anyway?

SEE A CPF IS JUST A SQUARE PIECE OF CLOTH AS YOU KNOW. THE GOOD THING ABOUT CPFS IS YOU CAN MOLD THEM UP TO WHATEVER YOU LIKE THEY ARE VERY EASY AND VERY ECONOMICAL AND IMO MAKE AN EXCELLENT DIAPERING SOURCE. THE DRY QUICK AND WHEN FOLDED PROPERLY ARE SUPER TRIM.

FITTEDS ARE JUST VERY COMFORTABLE THEY HOLD IN BF POOP VERY WELL BECAUSE OF THEIR ELASTIC AND MAKE YOU LIFE WELL A TAD EASIER BUT HONESTLY THEY ARENT FULLY NECESSARY BUT ARE VERY NICE.

CONTOURS ARE JUST HUMM WHATS THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT ....PRETTY PREFOLDS CUT AND ALREDY SHAPED OUT FOR YOU..LOL OBVIOUSLY THEY ARENT THE SAME FABRIC AS CPFS BUT ITS THE BEST WAY I COULD DESCRIBE IT...THEY ARE THE PREFOLDS FOR WHEN YOU FEEL LAZY.

CPFS DONT HAVE THE ELASTIC TO THE POOP DOEST REALLY STAY IN AS WELL AS WITH FITTEDS BUT THATS WHAT GOOD COVERS ARE FOR..AND HEY SOME FITTEDS EVEN HAVE LEAKS SO I THINK NOTHING IS LEAK PROOF...AS FAR AS HOW HARD IT IS TO LAY A CPF IN A COVER..ITS A SIMPLE AS IM SAYING IT TO YOU TRIFOLD LAY FAN OUT THE BACK FOLD THE FRONT CLOSE...EASY VERY SIMPLE..NOW TO AVIOD MORE BLOWOUTS YOU CAN USE A SNAPPI AND TWIST OR FOLD THE CPF AND THIS WILL GET MORE BINDING IN THE THIGHS MAKING IT MORE LIKE A FITTED...SORTA...

CONTOURS LEAK MORE THAN FITTEDS THAT IS TRUE.
>
>The kissaluv fitteds are adorable and "idiot proof" but they
>are certainly more expensive. Can you tell me why I would not
>want to stick with a cheaper option? (Not that I can't have
>some of each kind, but I'm talking about the my "main" CD
>option.)

I DONT KNOW IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR COMFORT LEVEL AND YOUR BUDGET YKWIM...KISSALUVS ARE EXCELLENT I MYSELF WOULD HAVE AT LEAST 12 FOR A NEWBORN BUT ITS NOT NECESSARY AT ALL..I JUST LIKE TO HAVE FITTEDS FOR LAZY DAYS...
>
>2. Wraps - what basic wraps do you guys recommend with each
>of the above options?
>
FOR A NEWBORN PRORAPS PRORAPS AND MORE PRORAPS.....YOU CAN ORDER SOME SECONDS FOR 4.00 EACH AND THEY ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE ORIGINALS

>3. Snappies - ever use 'em? Why, and with what?

YOU USE SNAPPIES TO MAKE THE CPF INTO A FITTED TYPE DIAPER..I USE THIS ALOT FOR WHEN I KNOW HE WILL POOP AND I WANT TO HOLD IT IN WELL..I ALSO USE IT CAUSE YOU CAN GET AN EXTREMELY TRIM DIAPER WITH IT...
>
>3. Last but not least, what are your favorite places to buy
>any of the things you recommend? I am familiar with Natural
>Babies, obviously. :)

HUMM

SHE IS ONE
I THINK SMARTIEPANTSDIAPERS.COM
MAMAESSENTIALS.COM
LILBUNZ.COM(SHE HAS FREE SHIPPING AND VERY REASONABLE PRICES AND ALMOST AS HUGE VARIETY AS NATURAL BABIES)

HTH SORRY FOR THE CAPS ..LOL
>

[KathyO]

Congrats on dipping your toe in - come over to the Dark Side - join the CD cult... :P

I didn't have access to the kind of broad expertise available on this board when I picked out my diapers; after very little experimentation I ended up with fitteds, and like them just great (MotherEase Sandies, for the record). One thing I do have to say for them is that they are really great when your partner is dubious or un-confident about the whole CDing thing, and/or when you may have babysitters or a grandmother or two using them as well. Both my husband and my mom got very adept with them quite quickly, and they (the diapers) were very forgiving of errors (ie. they still worked fine when put on backwards, inside out or both.)

Have fun putting together your stash, whatever goes in it!

Cheers,

KathyO

[parkersmama]

You might think that CDing a newborn is a challenge but I really found it to be not much harder than using disposables. You're going to be overwhelmed with the amount of laundry a newborn brings to the house so why not add CDs as well? They are soft and comfy for the baby, most babies have fewer rashes with them, and poopy blowouts are practically unheard of. Plus, there is the added factor of getting to decide with every diaper change which diaper and cover to choose which is really fun, almost like dressing the baby in something cute 12X a day! LOL!

I had all the diapers you mentioned for my newborn. I used the Kissaluvs fitteds the most probably, followed by the CPFs. Although the contours are easy, they don't hold it in all that well and it irritates me to have to put a cover in the wash "before its time"! LOL! CPFs contain it all pretty well depending on how you fold them. I've found the bikini twist to be the trimmest and also the best at holding in poop if you put it on and then fold the edges around the legs back in to form "pockets" around the legs. Fitteds really do leak the least. They usually have elastic around the legs and waist and that really helps. But, do understand that for the most part when we talk about leaks we mean onto the cover not onto the clothing. Big difference! With a disposable, if it leaks you are out an outfit and it's time for a change! It's rare that I've had anything leak onto her clothes and even then only pee, never poop, when I've been using CDs.

As for wraps, you'll get all sorts of advice here because there are so many types! I think most of us like the velcro/aplix closures better with the exception of ME Airflows which have snap closures and a large following on these boards. Most people like velcro Proraps for newborns either in the newborn or small size. They work well, are very inexpensive, and fit nicely. These sizes are outgrown so quickly that you don't want to spend much on them. I bought several different covers (Proraps velcro and snaps, Bummis, Bumkins, ME AF, etc) in size small and tried them all out. That way I knew what I wanted to order in the bigger sizes when the time came. My favorite covers right now are Imse Vimse Bumpy Day covers. They work great and are very soft and adjustable.

Snappis take the place of pins. They work a lot like those little claws you use on an ACE bandage. They just dig right into the diaper and hold it in place. I find them extremely easy to use (although dh won't touch them!) and almost never use a CPF without one. Fitteds do not require a snappi or pins since they all have snaps or aplix closures. Snappis work great on CPFs, and so-so on hemp prefolds and most contours. They really help keep the diaper in place nicely and eliminate "shifting" that you sometimes get when you just lay the diaper in the cover.

There are a myriad of places to buy diapers online. They break down into 3 basic categories: 1) places that sell their own diapers and are a cottage industry (i.e. Motherease); 2) WAHMs that resale other company's products (i.e. Natural Babies); 3) WAHMs that sew their own diapers and sell them (i.e. Mom & Me Creations). They all have a usefulness depending on what you're buying. Based on the purchases you've already made, I'd say you're mostly looking for type 2 sellers. Some of my favorites (besides Natural Babies) are: www.kellyscloset.com , www.smartiepantsdiapers.com , and www.naturalebaby.com .

HTH!!

[mommyj]

I'm currently cd'ing my 2 month old baby boy. We started using cd's the day we brought him home from the hospital and have really enjoyed it so far. Here are my thoughts on your questions:


1. CPFs aren't hard at all. It might takr you a few changes to get
used to them, but once you do, you'll probably really like them. I
do think they're hard to use the first few days. They were for me
because ds' legs were so curled up and he moved them all the time.
But, after 2 or 3 days I found them to be as easy as the fitteds,
and now I actually prefer them to fitteds.

The kissaluv fitteds are adorable and "idiot proof" but they are certainly more expensive. Can you tell me why I would not want to stick with a cheaper option? (Not that I can't have some of each kind, but I'm talking about the my "main" CD option.)
I would recommend having some Kissaluv fitteds for the newborn
phase, just because they're really nice for the first few weeks
and for middle of the night changes. I had 12 and I think that
was a good # to have. If you decide to buy some, you can buy
seconds at the kissaluvs outlet (it's on their website). If you
sign up for their email mailing list, you can find out when
she's stocking the outlet. The size 0's tend to sell out really
quickly, but I managed to get 12 before ds was born. They were
$89 including shipping, and I think they were worth the money.

2. Wraps - what basic wraps do you guys recommend with each of the
above options?
Most moms on these boards like proraps for a newborn. I liked
them for the first few days, but then I noticed they irritated
ds' skin. Since then I've switched to bummis whisper pants, and I
love these. They're only $5, so you might want to try one to see
how you like it. They're pull on pants, though, so if you want a
wrap they wouldn't be good. I've also used Bumpy day and night
covers. I keep changing my mind on whether or not these covers
are worth the money. I don't think I would buy them again for the
newborn phase.

3. Snappies - ever use 'em? Why, and with what?
I always snappi cpf's. It keeps poo from getting all over the
covers, and I just feel better having a more secure diaper in
place. But, that's just my personal preference.

3. Last but not least, what are your favorite places to buy any of the things you recommend? I am familiar with Natural Babies, obviously. :)
I would recommend buying from naturalbabies if she has what you
want in stock. Her prices are really competitive, and I've found
her customer service to be better than the other sites where
I've ordered dipes.

I'm really glad I decided to do cloth, and that I started right after ds was born. Here are some of the reasons:
- DS poos all the time, and we often go through 3 diapers in one
change. I don't even want to think about how much $ we would've
spent if we had gone with disposables. Also, I would hate to throw
away so many diapers.
-I like knowing that ds has cotton instead of chemicals next to his
skin.
-I haven't had any of the poo leaks that my friends using disposies
have had. Also, ds was peeing all over his shirt in the hospital
when he was wearing disposies.
-I love how ds looks in his cd's and covers. They're really cute (I know that's a lame, shallow reason, but oh well).

If you decide you like cd'ing, I would highly recommend buying a mini-shower. I'm pretty sure naturalbabies sells them. They make dealing with poopy diapers a lot easier because you can just spray off the poo. I would also recommend using cloth wipes. It makes it much easier because you can just wash everything together.

[Vajrastorm]

Where do I get information on different types of folds for CPF's?

[mommyj]

Here's a link to photos of & instructions for different folds: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kfegelman/pf_folds.html
You might also want to check out the rest of her website. It has a lot of helpful info for getting started.

[Vajrastorm]

If I were to use dispoasables for the first week or two, then start CDing, and I was going to use Kissaluv fitteds, what size makes the most sense?

The size 0's? They're supposed to fit to 15 lbs. I have NO idea how long the average baby takes yo put on weight. If I had a 7 lb baby, how long would the size 0's be good for?

Sorry to ask so many ?'s!

[liya]

VERY LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time.....they usually get to this weight at like about 4months or so....Honestly and i know that the kissaluvs go way more than that cause my son who is 18pds can still wear the 1s in the next to tightes setting...he just outgrew the overlaping snaps...

[mommyj]

I would buy size 0's if I were you. You can sell them when your baby outgrows them and you want to buy the next size up. They tend to sell for a lot on Ebay, so you could probably get a lot of your money back.
How long your baby will be able to wear them depends on how fast your baby grows, and on the shape of his/her body. I think long and skinny babies can wear them longer. Some babies can wear them for several months, and then others (like my chubby ds) outgrow them in 2 months. Either way, I think they're worth buying. I just ordered a size 1 and it looks pretty big, so I think size 1's would be huge on a 2 week old baby. Plus, Linda is right that most babies don't weigh 15 lbs until at least 4 months or so.
The all fleece kissaluvs stretch more than the plain terry ones, or the terry/fleece combos, so that's something to consider. But, the ones with terry are supposed to be able to absorb more. I think I got some of each when I ordered the seconds, and I'm not sure if I can really tell the difference.
Don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have. I've learned a ton about cd'ing from the moms on this board. I'm convinced that's why I've enjoyed cd'ing so much. And, it's much easier to learn a lot before your baby comes, since once s/he is born you'll want to spend time with your baby instead of getting online (or at least I do).

[lizajane]

MOST babies don't hit 15 pounds for several months. however, my baby hit 15 pounds around 12 weeks. he started out at 9.5 lbs...

my tip-
start with proraps and cpf. plan to have poop on the covers alot. it happens a lot in the beginning, but the POOP SLOWS WAY DOWN at around 8 weeks. if you start with contours and fitteds, etc. you won't use your cpf, and suddenly you are using all expensive stuff and the cost will just go up and up. use cpf first, and they may just become normal and easy to you. if they are not working, THEN you can invest in the more expensive stuff.

we use ONLY cpf, proraps and 4 pairs of fuzzibunz for nighttime, with 4 hemperoos and 4 infant cpf for stuffing them. (see fuzzibunz.com for more info on those, you don't need them until baby sleeps at least 5 ish hours at a time.)

hth.

[parkersmama]

My dd is 4 months and isn't quite 14 lbs yet. BUT, she quit wearing the Kissaluvs 0s about a month ago. They didn't feel secure to me on the very last setting (not enough overlap around the thighs for my taste) so I retired them. She now wears the Kissaluvs size 1s on the very tightest setting (overlapped wings). The 1s would *swallow* a newborn baby! And my newborn was just over 9lbs so it would be even moreso on a smaller baby.

[cvharris]

My breastfed baby was 15 lbs at 11 weeks! Started off at 8 lbs 15 oz. He's now a bit over 16 lbs. I'm still waiting for the poop to slow down, though. :) Can't wait for that!

I started CD'ing at 10 weeks. Don't know if I would have been able to handle it much before that. If I had done it earlier, I'd have used Kissaluv's size 0. Since DS grew so fast, I started with mostly medium sizes, which were kind of big in the beginning but he is fitting them now. I tend to prefer fitteds and fuzzibunz to cpfs. I only use cpfs if I don't think he's going to poop. :) I didn't start cd'ing mainly for money reasons, though. If I did, I'd give cpfs and covers a try first.

Good luck!

[Vajrastorm]

See, I have been given a bunch of newborn and size one disposables already (some from a homemade diaper cake and some from a friend who mistakenly bought diapers at Price Club :) ) so I'm having trouble with the idea of spending the money on size 0 kissaluvs when I don't have to buy any small diapers other wise.

I'm going to keep thinking this over. All of your input has been really helpful! It was this BB that got me thinking about cloth in the first place, and I'm really glad I am.

[egoldber]

How many is a "bunch"? You will need literally hundreds of disposable diapers in either newborn or size 1 (depending on the size of your baby). Remember that newborns get changed 10-12 times a DAY!

You could get a dozen size 0's and keep them on hand. That way you can try out cloth as you use up what disposables you have. Or use cloth at home and disposables when you go out (which is what a lot of people do).

HTH,

[Vajrastorm]

Enough that I did give some away! Maybe I shouldn't have? :)

I probably will buy some size 0's though. I had been looking at the package on Natural babies and it seemed like an awful lot of money, given that I do have a good stock of throw aways, but I don't have to get the packagae - I can always get a dozen like you suggest.

I do love the idea of my baby wrapped in soft fleece. Kind of warms the heart.