Cloth diapering??? It really seems like alot of work. Worth It????

[humblemama]

As a new mom to be (last trimester) I am struggling with this - it REALLY seems like alot of work. I'm kind of short on time and will be working parttime so don't know how I would manage it???????!!!!!!

Sara (humblemama counting down)

[humblemama]

As a new mom to be (last trimester) I am struggling with this - it REALLY seems like alot of work. I'm kind of short on time and will be working parttime so don't know how I would manage it???????!!!!!!

Sara (humblemama counting down)

[egoldber]

Well, having started out as a disposable user and switching to cloth later (DD was 14 months when I switched), in my experience it isn't more work, it is different work. You do have to wash diapers. But you don't have to make trips to go buy diapers either. And you have to empty the diaper pail with disposables and take them out to the trash, so it isn't really any more work to dump the diapers in the washing machine.

Some people find it too overhwhelming in the initial newborn days to do cloth, so they wait a few weeks until life is more under control again and then make the switch.

And there are plenty of people that use both cloth and disposables. There are a lot of things you can do depending on what you are comfortable with.

HTH,

[egoldber]

Well, having started out as a disposable user and switching to cloth later (DD was 14 months when I switched), in my experience it isn't more work, it is different work. You do have to wash diapers. But you don't have to make trips to go buy diapers either. And you have to empty the diaper pail with disposables and take them out to the trash, so it isn't really any more work to dump the diapers in the washing machine.

Some people find it too overhwhelming in the initial newborn days to do cloth, so they wait a few weeks until life is more under control again and then make the switch.

And there are plenty of people that use both cloth and disposables. There are a lot of things you can do depending on what you are comfortable with.

HTH,

[liya]

We started off in disposies as well...And honestly..I dont think its alot of work. Its really simple. You use pop in a diaper pail wait until laundry day(every 3 days or so) pop them in the wash clean your diaper pail and presto your done LOL...I really never found it to be alot of work at all even when i was working full time it was still simple(i used to was at night)...

HTH

[liya]

We started off in disposies as well...And honestly..I dont think its alot of work. Its really simple. You use pop in a diaper pail wait until laundry day(every 3 days or so) pop them in the wash clean your diaper pail and presto your done LOL...I really never found it to be alot of work at all even when i was working full time it was still simple(i used to was at night)...

HTH

[humblemama]

Since you used both types, did you notice any difference in your baby's reaction to them? More or less rashes or irritations?
Sara

[Momof3Labs]

I felt that cloth was less work because we had fewer leaks with cloth! Disposables were leaking all the time, so I was wasting a lot of time treating poop stains in Colin's clothes and changing his outfit for the zillionth time in a day.

Here's how much time cloth laundry takes:

Empty diaper pail into washing machine, start machine. 3 minutes, tops.

Start second wash cycle. 1 minute.

Move diapers from washer to dryer, hang covers to dry. 5 minutes, tops.

Pull diapers out of dryer, fold. 30 minutes (I go through and stuff our pockets at this time; you can also just throw everything in a basket and bring it back upstairs, which takes all of 5 minutes)

I go through this routine every three days (note that I work part-time also - 24 hours/week + commuting time). So cloth adds about 40 minutes of work every three days, and I usually do it in the evening when Colin is in bed anyways. I can barely run to Target for diapers in 40 minutes.

But what it really comes down to is WHY you want to cloth diaper. If you don't see the benefits, then nothing we say will change your mind. But if you are doing it for reasons that you believe in, then you WILL be able to make it work!

[Momof3Labs]

I've used both disposables and cloth, also, and find that Colin's skin does fine in either. But the cloth leaks a lot less and doesn't leave gross gel balls on his skin!

[jec2]

I agree. It isn't too time consuming to do it. My Wash routine is pretty much the same as Lori's BUT we live in an apartment and have to haul the diapers to the shared laundry room. Of course we don't go to the nearest laundry room either. Instead we haul it to the further one because we think the the H20 is hotter. So, this is the biggest pain in the tush about our CD experience and almost made us not start in the beginning. But, we decided that we would start with a small stash and see how we like it. We both love it. And, I LOVE doing diaper laundry. I know it sounds crazy but it is so much fun!

If I may, I recommend that you a) give it a whirl; b) start with a small stash to play with; c) ease into CD's after the baby is a couple weeks old; and d) don't worry about washing the CD's because honestly you'll soon have so much baby laundry that 1 more load of dipes to wash every few days isn't anything!

[MartiesMom2B]

It really isn't much work, like everyone else says. I just wanted to add that I feel that I can define my parenting style as lazy. CDing is so convenient. No having to run out and get diapers. No having to change poopy clothes, diapers, sheets, blankets due to a blow out. I also think that cloth diapering is less stinky. We use disposies at night, and as soon as I get my nifty Lizajane inserts I'll be cding full time. But my diaper champ reeks from the disposies. I have never noticed a bad smell downstairs in my laundry room where I keep the cloth.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[jmofarrill]

>CDing is so convenient. No having to run out and
>get diapers. No having to change poopy clothes, diapers,
>sheets, blankets due to a blow out. I also think that cloth
>diapering is less stinky.

That's what I was going to say! LOL CD'ing is a lot less stressful for me than using disposables since I have a laundry routine and can get the diapers washed no prob, but I hate going to the grocery store so I would usually end up doing late night desparate runs to go buy disposables. LOL

Also, I have a sensitivity to chemical smells, so I am not comfortable with the chemicals in the sposies. The gel balls concern me, too, especially when I found they were actually getting in Anwyn's vagina. No thanks.

You make your choices of what is important to you, and you work to make it doable.

[MartiesMom2B]

Michelle:

I just wanted to say that I love Anwyn's new avatar. She's so cute!!

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[jmofarrill]

Thanks, Sonia! Anwyn is always beautiful in my eyes, so I never really know if my perspective is skewed. LOL I think Martie is a doll, btw!

[nitaghei]

It really isn't. I work full time; train both my dogs for competition; and do scholarly research in my "spare" time. We finally went to CD'g full time recently, and my life is so much easier.

No more stressing about running out of diapers, and wondering when and how I'm going to get to Target. When we run low, just toss the dirty dipes in the washer, and we're good to go. Convenience actually is the big advantage of CD'g for me, and ties with DS's comfort, with no yucky chemicals coming up right behind. And yes, I save some money, which is nice, too.

This is what I do when I get back on a week night with dirty dipes: toss them into the prewash/soak as soon as I walk in the door, which takes maybe 3 minutes. Go back down some time later to start the wash cycle - 1 minute. After DS is asleep, toss dipes in dryer; hang covers and pockets to air dry - maybe 2 minutes. Spend another 5-10 minutes getting dipes out of the dryer, and getting the stuffins' for the pockets ready. Stuff pockets in the morning - I clocked it this morning, and it took about 2-3 minutes to stuff 9 pocket dipes. Total time is less than 15-20 minutes - which is a whole lot less time than a trip to Target takes.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[lizajane]

if you are even considering it for ONE SECOND, then TRY IT!!!!!

i think you will be surprised at how very much cds are NOT A BIG DEAL.

i love it when people ask me how the cloth diapering is going, waiting for me to complain. i love it because i always say with 100% sincerity that i LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT and it makes me SO HAPPY.

[liya]

Ari was less prone to rashes and irritations with cloth. There was a time when we got HUGE buildup issues and thought it was th hemp..Turned out it wasnt(although i now tend to stay away from it lOL)and i was just using too much soap in my washing routine...

Try it honest, you wont regret it... :) And if you decide not to CD you can always sell what you bought...

HTH

[christic]

LOL! doesn't anyone here buy toilet paper or soap or any of the various other household items that send you to Target anyway??? ;-)

Sara, I'm positive you can make cloth work for you, but I didn't want you to get frightened into thinking keeping a supply of disposables on hand is an impossible task if you decide to go that way. It's a little tricky in the beginning as they move through sizes quickly, but eventually you can buy one size in bulk and not have fears of running out. If you can keep your house stocked with toilet paper you can keep your house stocked with diapers too :).

I also work part-time and was very very close to switching to cloth after about 9 mos or so. I filled a cart at naturalbabies.com about five times before telling myself I could go ahead if we could at least keep up with our normal laundry for a couple weeks...eventually decided it wasn't going to be a good fit for us for several reasons. But it always sounded like fun somehow.

Good luck whichever way you go!

Chris

[kitmama]

You know, even though washing the dipes isn't as big a deal as many people think it will be, if you are still turned off by that aspect you could always look into a diaper service. I'm using one, and it works great for us! Starting out with the service also allowed me to get used to using prefolds and covers without having to buy a whole lot of stuff. I can experiment, find out what works for me, and if I ever want to I can cancel the service anytime. Plus, the service is surprisingly affordable- I pay less than $30.00 per month. (That may be a lot cheaper than other areas of the country, or it may be common- I don't know).

Anyway, I'd recommend giving it a try if you're at all interested. It really is easier than it seems it will be, and it's fun to boot!

[humblemama]

Sorry I didn't post sooner, but was away for a couple of days. Back to work today UGH! What an amazing group you are to encourge me to try - I most certainly will, but won't feel guilty if it isn't just right for me. Great to have some support out there. :-)
Thanks again! Sara

[MartiesMom2B]

No, I chop down my own trees to make my own toilet paper and I make my own soap. Just joking :P

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03