Diaper services

[joannect]

I am seriously considering CDing and was wondering approx. how much a diaper service would cost per month for a newborn. I know the price will probably vary from region to region- just wanted a rough estimate and what the service includes and if there are any start up costs. I would like to see if the cost of someone else washing the diapers and lower start up costs (?) would be worth it versus stocking up on CDs and washing them myself. Also considering because DH DOES NOT seem happy about possibly CDing :) TIA.

Joanne

[egoldber]

I've never used a service, so I can't help you there. But buying your own and washing yourself can be VERY economical, especially if you plan to use them for more than one child. Just try not to get caught up in the buying frenzy we all have here! LOL! :)

One advantage of buying your own is that you can get more "daddy friendly" diapers, like fitteds, pockets and all-in-ones. Services usually only provide prefolds. Now I know that some folks here have DH's that are quite proficient prefold users, but my DH is NOT among them, LOL. After 1 1/2 years of CDing, he has now finally mastered the all in one and pockets. :)

HTH,

[Zansu]

Here's the link for the service we use

www.nextgenerationbaby.com

Startup costs would be for covers, but the service should provide everything else, including a diaper pail.

HTH

[MelissaTC]

Here is the link to the service we used here in NC : www.babybiz.com

They suggest 80 diapers for a newborn and that charge is $16.95.

HTH!

[kwc]

We use a service here in (usually more expensive than other places) San Francisco, and paid about $17/ week when we brought DD home from the hospital (80 newborn dipes/ week with pickup/ delivery once a week). We also bought the service's Complete Accessory Package which includes 4 Proraps and a diaper hamper for $25 (discounted to entice you to try CDing!) and got by without any other covers for the first month or so. It actually wasn't a big problem as we were doing laundry very frequently (we did not have much clothing that fit DD or me at that time, and she spit up a lot) but a friend gave me a few more covers that her DD had outgrown which were really nice to have, so I imagine having 6-8 covers to begin with would have been nice. Also, if you exclusively CD, you probably don't need a Diaper Genie and refills... a cheap plastic hamper works fine (though we have a DiaperDekor for our occasional disposable and poopy disposable wipes but probably don't need it).

You might be surprised by your DH... both DH and I were not fully committed to CDing but watched the info video that the service provides and practiced on a stuffed toy until DD arrived. The clincher was when we were in the hospital, DH _hated_ how poorly the disposables (I think they were Huggies size 1) fit DD's skinny tush and how the meconium got all over her blankets because she always had a fair amount of "crack" sticking out! Also, DD would almost always pee/poop immediately after putting a fresh diaper on, which adds up to a ton of disposables in the beginning. He couldn't stop talking about CDs until he went back to work when DD was 2 weeks old... of course, now he's "back in the closet" about CDs because his coworkers probably think we're nuts.

Here's the link for our service:
http://www.tinytots.com/

We are still using the service and DD is 5 mos now... I think many here started with a service when their babies were newborns and bought/ washed their own when the babies were big enough to use regular CPFs instead of infant/ newborns (usually around 10-12 lbs or so)... makes it easier for when you are still recuperating/ getting used to the baby and then you don't have to buy infant prefolds that you only use for a couple of months.

Good luck,

Karen

[netarc]

Ditto what Karen said - we've not yet started (due in mid-Feb), but we also signed up w/Tiny Tots. I went out and bought 7-8 different brands of covers (Prowraps, Bummies, etc) in the hope that this would help us figure out what styles/brands will work best for us (read: no leaks/blowout ... <shudder> ) as the baby grows.

BTW a tip on covers - the Prowraps "seconds" line sells covers @ ~$4/ea, which is a discount of $2-3/per ... I don't have the number handy, but if you search the forum for - oh, wait, just remembered where I put it, here it is: 1-800-397-8594

Also, check out the following informative links/stories:

Diapering a Newborn
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kfegelman/newborn.html

Nighttime Diapering
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kfegelman/nighttime.html

Karen’s Cloth Diapering Page
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kfegelman/index.htm

[mom2kandj]

Joanne -

Try asking on the BBB SoCal group! I think that there are a couple CD mamas(Zen, Dcclerk, Melanie) who could give you more info in our area! HTH!


Rose
mom 2 Katie 12/02/00
& Jack 04/16/02

[joannect]

Thanks for all of the great info and links! I keep flip-flopping on what to do :) I'm sure I'll be back with more questions very soon.

Good idea Rose, I will post on the BBB for SoCal. thanks

Joanne