Ready to tiptoe into CD'ing....

[pittsburghgirl]

These boards are bad for my budget! I have found all sorts of great products through here and have spent way more $$ than I ever expected but have some fabulous stuff.

So here I am where I NEVER thought I would be, considering CDing. I am a SAHM so I do have time for laundry, I just didn't think I could deal with the poop factor. DS is now 11.5 months, still has some slightly sticky poops (except the week of diarrhea, I won't even go there) and sometimes has nicely formed solids which slide right off into the toliet. He is a pretty regular 2x day pooper. I like the idea that CD'ing might make potting training easier and I have been trying to work towards more environmentally sound choices in products lately.

I have read nearly every post here and I think I want to try either Fuzzi Bunz, SnapEZ, HH or BB's. The pocket thing appeals to me the most and I like the idea of cute diapers. I don't want to invest a ton of money just yet since I am not sure how this will work out (I haven't even discussed with DH... he will think I'm insane.) For the moment I think we will do daytime and use sposies at night since DS is sleeping about 10-12 hours a night and doing ok with his Huggies overnights. So I'm looking for advice on what to buy for this daytime experiment.

I read the $100 thread pretty carefully. It looks like I can get away with that if I want to do laundry every day - 6 dipes of varying types to try plus various inserts. B/c of the poop that isn't yet fully formed most of the time, I suppose the minishower is a must, right? Otherwise you have to dunk or scrape those sticky ones... that doesn't sound very appealing. We already use washcloths for wipes due to the nasty diarrhea rash that is finally healing after several weeks so I have a stash of those.

My DS is 25 lbs, 32 in tall and pretty slender, his thighs are still a bit chubby b/c he isn't walking yet. I tried to get his measurements earlier today and utterly failed, he doesn't much like having his dipe changed so he was wiggling too much. He seems to mostly be leaning toward the large sizes in most types but maybe PT in FB.

I was thinking of trying a couple SnapEZ, maybe 1-2 FB, and 1-2 of the velcro/aplix types, HH or BB's to see how those work, knowing I have to be careful with closing the velcro before washing! I checked out the microfiber towels from Walmart and that seems like a nice, cheap option in addition to trying a few of the inserts offered with the various dipes.

As to detergent we use All F&C for our stuff. Do I need to look into something else? Recommendations there, too.

I would welcome any advice as to what/where to buy; free shipping is always welcome, I order a lot of stuff online and hate to pay shipping.

Thanks!!

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby1/050120/1/0/1/-5/.png

[kensjen]

I was you a little over a year ago! The ladies here were so helpful with my "conversion". Now I LOVE CDing, and can't imagine not doing it.

You definitely should try a few different diapers. Although fuzzibunz are a great "staple" diaper, they don't always work for everyone. And that is why there are so many to choose from, everyone has different wants and needs. That said, I would try a couple of FB (maybe a large and a PT) and also a SNAP EZ. They are very easy and if they don't work out for you, there should be no problem for you to resell them quickly. HH and BB are both great diapers, but remember that velcro is very easy for toddlers to take off. Your son is about the age that my son was when he started taking off his diaper. Just something to keep in mind. I have had to steer clear of velcro for awhile.

I've never used the microfiber towels, but I know many mamas that love them. My son is a heavy wetter and really needs hemp. Joey bunz are good if you do need the hemp. I would try a few different inserts if I were you, you will find one that you really like and that is absorbant enough.

I like to shop at www.lilbunz.com Trisha always has free shipping and has quite a few different things for you to try. In fact when I first started I ordered one of her try me packs, to see what I liked. I think your idea of starting with pocket aios is a good one. Save the other stuff to try if you decide to keep going.

Also I love www.naturalbabies.com Colleen is so fast with her shipping, and has a flat rate for shipping (3.95) She also carries many different brands. Both of these ladies will be very helpful if you have any questions.

I would wait to get a mini shower until you are sure you will stick with it. It does make CDing more enjoyable though. The diapers you mentioned are lined in fleece, so the poop should mostly roll (or peel, LOL) right off. The poop thing really isn't as bad as you think it will be. I don't give it a second thought anymore, and I am sometimes too lazy to even use the mini shower. :)

As for detergent, I use either tide free or purex free (or whatever it is called). Every mama will probably answer differently on this issue. Try the all f&c, since that is what you have. If that works ok for you, you won't have to buy anything extra. Use a very small amount, like a couple of TBSP. I swear this will get the diapers clean! Too much detergent can lead to build up issues (stink!) on your dipes, and also will be irritating to the baby. Do you know if you have hard or soft water? This will affect your washing routine. There are lots of posts on this, do a search.

I'm excited for you! It is a fun change, and I hope that you like it! Give it a few weeks to get used to, and then we will help you shop for more diapers! hehe And then help you with nighttime! (that is a whole different story!!)

Good luck, and please ask any questions, we are here to help!!!!

ETA: One more thing. I would recommend that you buy some kind of pail liner, like the Bummis one. There are several different ones out there, even something that can be found in the camping section of walmart. This will help when you need to take the wet, heavy dipes to the washer. You can throw the bag right in the wash. I use several now (to rotate) but I still have the first bummis liner I bought over a year ago, and it is still in great shape. I use it inside of a sterilite plastic trash can from Target/Walmart.

[SeekerMage]

I agree about the "bad for your budget". We are full into CDing and not looking back here as well. Even my 4 year old doesnt like the disposies anymore and complains whenever I put them on her sister...like she knows the difference!

The two websites I recommend are www.lilbunz.com (like pp mentioned) and Kellyscloset.com they both offer free shipping and have great customer service. Kellyscloset has lots of offers as well. If you are still just thinking about it atleast go to their websites and signup for their offers and newsletters. KellysCloset sends offers almost weekly it seems and she often has 10% off $50 or more.

naturalbabies also seems to have good deals, although you do have to pay shipping. Ebay and swap are other options if you want used diapers to give things a try. We love our pockets and aio and are just starting to get into covers and fitteds. I highly recommend pockets to start. Fb's, and Snap-ez are my favs followed by the HH and BB. Good luck and let us know if we can do anything to help you order!

[emelsea]

I'm the $100 girl, and I'm still slowly spending my nest egg. I found out that www.cottonbabies.com includes a free microfiber insert with each FB, so that can save you a couple dollars if you just want to try one out. Also, at naturalbabies, the frog FB is on clearance for $9.50. I ordered one to try from there, figuring that I would use PF's for inserts to start, anyway. Until DS's poops get a little more solid, I'll be using mostly PF's and covers.

I've also found a couple deals on ebay. I got a HH on clearance, and I ordered a SEZ in white (the cheapest), again, just to try it out.

Now I'm just waiting for everything to get here! Good luck!

[alaible]

We have used fuzzi bunz and mother-ease diapers since Paige was about 2 months old. We would have started sooner but she was small and the diapers I had were way to big on her. She is/was a breastfed baby and not much of a solid food eater and didn't really start having solid poops until 18+ months. Anyway I just tell you that to say we never dunked, soaked, or scraped any of her poopy diapers. Now that they are more solid I shake it into the toilet and flush. I have a waterproof drawstring bag that I keep her wet/dirty diapers in. It is made specifically for cloth diapers. I just put the soiled diapers into that and when ready to wash carry the bag to the washing maching and dump the diapers into the washer then toss the bag in as well. If you aren't dunking or soaking the dirty diapers a prewash helps. Our washing maching has a pre-wash cycle that then automatically starts a regular wash cycle when finished. I do the pre-wash in cold and the regular wash in hot. You really don't need much detergent about 1/4 of a normal cup. Too much detergent leaves build up that causes the diapers to be less absorbent. I also do a second rinse to make sure to remove any extra soap. And during the final rinse cycle I put a downy ball 1/2 filled with vinegar into the washer. That also helps with soap build up. You will find lots of different tips on how to wash but this has worked for us and the diapers come clean and smell free even without dunking the dirty diapers first.

I do really like fuzzi bunz and after you have used them for a while you may find that they work for you at night too you just put an extra insert into the pocket for longer wearings. I would love to go only fuzzi bunz but they are more pricy than the mother-ease diapers. So I usually leave the fuzzi bunz for my husband to use while I am working part-time since they are easy and no cover is needed and I use the mother-ease when I am home. But I think you will be happy with fuzzi bunz. And you can find some good deals on ebay.

[pittsburghgirl]

I appreciate the support and advice. I don't know anyone around here who CD's so this is the only place for me to get any help (although there is one mommy at my mommy & me yoga who I think CD's so hopefully I will have a chance to compare notes with her.)

I went ahead and ordered a few things to try out - 2 FB's (one PT and one L), 2 L SnapEZ and a HH, along with various inserts. Since the SnapEZ take a while to come I may just try the FB and HH once a day to see how it goes and then order a few more. We are almost off formula (tried so very hard to BF but could not get it going) so I will have a jump in my budget to spend more $$ starting in Feb. I keep looking at the fitteds/covers and thinking I'm not sure I could handle that after using sposies so long.

I also appreciate the washing advice... the last few days the poops have been pretty sticky/goopy so the less I have to deal with that the better. Hopefully my not-very-new washer is up to the task.

I will let everyone know how we do, once we have our stash and get started!

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby1/050120/1/0/1/-5/.png