Help: Newbie having buyers remorse!

[parker10302]

OK here goes, we never cloth diapered our 2 1/2 year old DD, but want to attempt it with my newborn DD who has very sensitive skin so far.

So to start out with we bought 12 kissaluvs size 0 and 3 Bummis Super Whisper Wrap size newborn.

So far the kissaluvs are adorable, and very soft but EXTREMELY bulky. The Bummis cover seems to be chafing DD's thighs, back and tummy, and again adds to the bulkiness.

Last night I thought we were going through the diapers too fast and purchased another dozen seconds through the Kissaluvs outlet. Now I'm thinking I would be better off trying to find another set-up that works better for us, but the seconds are non-returnable....

So, three questions...

1-Any suggestions as to what to do with an extra dozen Kissaluvs?? Should I E-bay them or just keep them. Two dozen of the same diaper seems like overkill to me when we aren't totally thrilled with it.

2-Any suggestions on alternative covers that would keep the wetness away from clothes but be softer on DD's skin?

3-Lastly any suggestions for a completely different set-up. Something that isn't too complicated would be great and maybe something a little less bulky, the choices are totally overwhelming!!!

REALLY appreciate any help!
Thank You!
Nicole

[mudder17]

Well, generally speaking, the kissaluvs are on the bulky side, but not too unusual. However, if the Bummis cover is chafing, you could maybe try something like a pull up pants (Bummis super whisper pants? or Especially for Baby Dappi-like covers). These nylon covers are thinner than the Bummis cover and might decrease the bulk a little. You could also maybe try fleece pants or fleece covers. The might be gentler on your baby's skin.

I also used preemie prefolds on DD for 2 months, I think. I don't know how big your newborn is, but I was able to use it from around 7-9 pounds. They were MUCH less bulky than the kissaluvs and except for night times, we mostly used the prefolds.

You could try selling the Kissaluv seconds on the swap. Diaperswap2 is a yahoo group that gets a fair bit of traffic. BBB-swap is also a good place, but you need 50 posts and ... 3 months on the boards? or maybe it's 2 months? Not sure about that one.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 14 months & counting
Kaya's cousin, due October 9th!!!

[JBaxter]

Try ebay. I laugh at the prices some CDs are getting almost full price for brands like kissaluv fuzzi bunz and happy heiny. List them as barely used for the dozen you may be amazed.
Jeana

[mudder17]

Just make sure you list them as seconds, from the outlet.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 14 months & counting
Kaya's cousin, due October 9th!!!

[parker10302]

Thank you Eileen for the quick response. I apologize for my ignorance!!! However, should I just google preemie pre-folds, or is there a certain brand that you would recommend? Also, what kind of cover would you recommend with these?

My daughter was 6 lbs 9 oz at her Dr. appointment this past Tuesday. Not sure if that info helps!

I'll search the Yahoo swap boards, I'm already all too familiar with strollerswap!!!

Thanks Again,
Nicole (Baby Mia thanks you too!)

[psophia17]

I never cd'd a newborn, having switched DS when he was a year old, but I agree with the PP that fleece covers might be a better way to go. If your DD already has any fleece outfits, they can also function as covers - I do that with DS with his fleece pjs and the several pairs of fleece pants he has, and it has always worked great.

I was browing CDs the other day (when am I not doing that?) and I saw that Snappi now makes a diaper (http://snappibaby.com, also sold at www.naturalbabies.com) that might suit your needs. I have no experience with it, but it looks likely...

HTH, and good luck!

[tarahsolazy]

I liked the bummi's whisper pants, a pull on nylon cover, over the Kissaluvs. you can get them at www.naturalbabies.com . You can also get preemie sized chinese prefolds there. You'll need to also buy a snappi diaper fastener to help hold the prefolds on your baby. Its really easy to use prefolds on the tiny babies, they don't squirm as much as a toddler might. For less bulky and very absorbant fitteds for newborns, consider www.sugarplumbaby.com or www.loveybums.com I loved my sugarplum baby newborn dipes on my son, and I thing Angie, the WAHM that makes them, has a package deal with four dipes? Anyway, for about $20 at naturalbabies, you can get some prefolds, a snappi, and a couple of bummi pants to try. Good luck, and keep coming for help!

[mommyj_2]

I wanted to second the whisper pants suggestion. The nylon is great for sensitive skin, and these don't have any elastic to rub on the baby's skin either. They work great over Kissaluvs.
I agree that Kissaluvs are bulky, but they might seem a little less insanely bulky as your baby grows. If you don't love them, I would recommend selling the extra dozen on Ebay.
I used mostly snappied prefolds for my DS. I had a dozen Kissaluvs and three dozen infant CPFs. I used whisper pants and Bumpy covers.
I'm not sure I would just use fleece pajamas for a cover for a newborn. When your baby hits the explosive poo stage, you will love the extra protection a cover gives, since you won't have poo all over your baby's clothes.
I would recommend buying a few different covers to try. If you buy one of each, you won't spend a bunch of money only to find out they don't work for you. You might try a Bummis whisper pant (nylon pull on cover), a Bumpy night, and a fleece cover. I personally am not a fan of fleece, but many moms here are.
HTH

[pittsburghgirl]

I have never cd'd a newborn but you are getting good advice here. My DS has somewhat sensitive skin and the covers that are the "nicest" on his skin are the fleece ones, and the nylon pants, and also the Bumpy Day (but not everyone has luck with that.)

I was also thinking you should try prefolds. I have never used them since I didn't start until I had a wiggler, but if I was cd'ing a newborn now I would use those (with a few Kissaluvs or other fitteds for DH who would be hopeless with a prefold!)

Hope you find something that works!

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040120/1/1/1/-5/.png

[parker10302]

Thank You Marilee...What kind of nylon pants would you recommend? Also when you say DH would be hopeless with a prefold, I'm a little scared!! Where can I find basic instruction on how to?(as I ordered some prefolds last night)

Thanks Again,
Nicole

[RiaHannam]

Nicole,
Here's a great site to browse:

http://diaperpages.com/

[mudder17]

I got most of my prefolds, including the preemies from Teresa (granitesmith) on ebay. Her e-mail address is teresa.smith at rocketmail dot com.

I got the euro preemies because they seemed more trim. I then used those prefolds as doublers later on for up to 6 additional months. So I got a lot of use out of my preemies. For a cover, I think MommyJ's suggestion of the bummis whisper pants are a good one for something that is gentle on Mia's skin. Also, you could try a fleece cover (rather than wool), which should be gentler on Mia's skin, but still be easily washable if you get poop on it. I don't know what kind of fleece covers would be good for infants, though, because I didn't use wool and fleece until much later. My thought is that nylon would actually be better with the summer coming up. If not the bummis whisper pants, you could try the Especially for Baby brand nylon pants at BRU.

I would hold on to the kissaluv 0s you're already using just to see if she grows into them. I have to admit they seemed pretty big and bulky on Kaya at first, but then it was nice to have them around when she outgrew the preemies, but the infants were still on the big side. At that point, the kissaluvs were in between preemies and infants in terms of bulk.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 14 months & counting
Kaya's cousin, due October 9th!!!

[pittsburghgirl]

diaperpages is a good site for learning folds. I had some luck with mine but decided it was too difficult with my squirmer. I mostly say DH would be hopeless with a prefold because it is hard enough to change James these days without dealing with a Snappi; after using sposies for nearly a year he was not on board for anything remotely challenging. Most DH's who start out with CD's when the babes are tiny get the hang of it quickly, the little ones are so much more cooperative (also helps to practice on a teddy bear.)

I have both Bummis Whisper Pants and Dappi Nylon pants. You can also get nylon pants at BRU.

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040120/1/1/1/-5/.png

[craftysierra]

My DH was the primary diaper changer in the beginning. He was much better at the snappi and folding techniques to keep in explosive bf poo. So not all DH's are snappi challenged :)

Sierra

[mommyj_2]

My DH has awlays loved the snappi. He was the first one to figure out how to use it well.

[mudder17]

Ditto!

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 14 months & counting
Kaya's cousin, due October 9th!!!

[american_mama]

I only know this cover So Simple! from the internet (see http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/sosimple.htm), but it has fleece ribbing at the waist and legholes, and looks both very soft and leakproof. I thought it also looked really ugly, but with the colors on the link I provided above, I am warming up to it. Check out the photos of it on a newborn: looks like a big cover, but babies grow.

[parker10302]

Thank You ladies for all your expertise! I just recieved my preemie pre-folds, 2 Bummis whisper pull on, a Stacinator newborn fleece cover to try over the pre-folds, and a Fuzzi Bunz size small to try.

DH really likes the concept of the Fuzzi Bunz, but it seems like it's going to be too big for now. DD already has her Kissuluv with the bummis whisper on, and it seems to be gentler on her skin, although I have to fold down the waist over the kissuluv cause the waist is a little tight on her! Big tummy with skinny thighs!!

Last question...do the preemie prefolds absorb enough?? Will I have to double up or something of the sort? Lastly, with a fleece cover, how often is it necessary to wash them?

Thank you again!
Nicole

[mudder17]

Oh yay! Okay, let's see...with preemie prefolds, I was changing Kaya every 1.5-2 hours, I think. Basically, every time she woke up to eat, I would feed her, then change her and put her back down or let her play before putting her back down. So that came out to approximately every 1.5-2 hours. At night, after she started having longer stretches, she could go 3 hours, but because she pooped a lot, even at night, she didn't often go longer than 3 hours (but that's okay, because she was also hungry). I think I did end up using Kissaluvs at night, though, so I don't know for sure. During the day, though, the preemies were plenty absorbent, since I changed her so often. If, after awhile, they don't seem absorbent enough, you can always take a second preemie, fold in the sides, and use it as a doubler. But personally, I think a newborn should be changed fairly frequently.

For the fleece covers, unless they get poop on them, I usually use them 3-4 times before washing them, or if they obviously smell bad after airing out.

Good luck and keep us updated!



Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 14 months & counting
Kaya's cousin, due October 9th!!!

[parker10302]

Wow Eileen thank you. I'm pretty excited because the pull on covers worked great last night, no red marks!! Mia is going every 2 1/2 hours for a feeding, and (bad mom hee hee) more often than not, that's when I'm changing her. Her 2 1/2 year old sister is commanding more attention lately!

Great info on the fleece, I was concerned that the investment for a fleece cover was a bit much if it was a one use and wash item!

Thanks again, I'll keep you posted!
Nicole