Crossing over to the dark side

[Rachels]

Sposies are DEFINITELY not working out well for Ethan, so we're about to make the jump into cloth. Holy cow, though. This is like rocket science. I've read all the threads and my head is spinning. (Can't imagine the degree to which it would spin WITHOUT those threads.) Let me ask: what's the single easiest starter CD for a total newbie with a newborn and a vague poop phobia?

-Rachel
Mama to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
Nursed for three years!

and Ethan James
10/19/05
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/bf.jpg


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya

[aliceinwonderland]

I felt similarly overwhelmed when I started to CD, so if you want to do a search for threads I started on this forum (not very many), I received very good advice from the ladies :)
I still am SO not a pro, and really did not want to invest a whole lot of time to research this particular aspect of parenting ;), so I cheated and asked here ;)

I am afraid to give bad advice, but in my experience, All In Ones (AIOs) have been the BEST option by far for us, as they are really a no brainer, and all the "layers" you need (this is where I gave up with all the terminology) , basically come "with" the diaper. I have experiemented with other diapers, but then you need to get the layers straight and this is when I ended up with a soaked baby many a time...
I have tried AIOs both from Calico Baby and Tykie Diapers, and like both a lot. I think I got the Calico on sale and it was far cheaper.

Oh, and I also never saw the getting on a list to buy diapers point, so I always check the "in stock" or "on sale now" pages, and if nothing there, I move on. But as I said, I am a perpetual rookie, we only cloth diaper at night 4 days a week and full time 3 days a week, so I hope the veterans will chime in :)

[trumansmom]

Also not a veteran, but also an AIO user. I love, love, love Daisy Doodle AIOs. They are all we use. They are easy and work well with my skinny little DD. I think Christa currently has some boy smalls in stock at www.daisydoodles.com. However, I strongly recommend trying either the solid PULs, or the non-cotton knits. The cotton ones have occasional wicking issues, and I find I hardly ever use them anymore, even though they are so cute!

Good luck finding your way! I lucked into a dipe I love pretty early in my search. Hope you do, too.

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04
Independent Consultant, Do-Re-Me & You!

[tarahsolazy]

For newborns, I think you really need a two piece system, to minimize leaks. But, some have luck with more one-peice things.

Two suggestions:

Some easy fitted diapers, like Kissaluvs size 0 or Motherease Sandies
www.naturalbabies.com and www.motherease.com

Simple covers to go over these types of diapers, like Proraps, Bumpy, etc (naturalbabies has these)

Try a few AIOS, like very baby www.verybaby.com . You'll find a list of WAHMs who make these, they are a licensed pattern. This is just like a sposie, velcro and all. I have no experience with them on newborns, though. Another similar (?cheaper) AIO option is www.bum-ware.com

Go get advice on MDC as well, I think there are more mamas there that did AIOs from the get go.

[psophia17]

I haven't CDed a newborn, but when I do I'll be going for Motherease one-size. A friend gave me a bunch of them, and I love them. www.motherease.com

I wouldn't want to use an AIO on a newborn, or anything with PUL. But MEOS with a fleece or wool cover would make me very happy indeed.

[Saartje]

I'd recommend my starter system for a newborn: infant-sized prefolds (you'll want three dozen), a couple of Snappis, and about six Proraps covers, size small. To make it simple, just toss the covers in to wash and dry with the diapers when they're soiled. (Many people like to treat their covers more gently, but with Proraps, I feel there's little point.)

You'll have to learn to fold and Snappi the diapers, but that's not hard on a newborn. If you want to try fitteds at this stage (I didn't until Ishie was older), Kissaluvs size 0 seem to come highly recommended and are readily available.

Everything I've mentioned here except the Kissaluvs can be purchased inexpensively from granitesmith on eBay. She has great customer service, too.

[lizajane]

i have a million motherease onesize and small airflow covers. let me loan them to you so you can see what you think before you dive into CDs. seriously. send me an email. i have a whole stash of motherease that my friend gave me in addition to my own stash. i can also loan infant prefolds and snappis. i do not have kissaluv o's. but that would be my only other suggestion. (ETA: i have proraps with the poop-proof gussets-to loan, as well.)
just tell me your shipping address. try before you buy. really really really.

[caheinz]

I'd be happy to loan infant prefolds (we have dozens), kissaluv 0's (we only have maybe 2) and proraps (I have 6? maybe more?) to you. Alex is well out of all of them, there's no new little one on the horizon, and I haven't gotten around to doing anything besides shoving them in a box.

Prefolds are great because they're cheap, and you can have a ton of them -- useful when a newborn poops randomly and frequently. For the same reason, a bunch of covers is good -- when a leak does happen (bound to), it doesn't matter, you just whip out a new cover.

PM or email me if you're interested.

BTW, newborn BF poop is super easy. Throw the whole thing in the diaper pail, dump the whole pail in the wash. It will wash out in the washing machine, you don't have to do a single thing.

[calebsmama03]

ITA with Tarah on the 2-piece system to minimize leaks! Go ahead - ask me about the poop incident I had today with an AIO, and it wasn't even with my infant and BF poop. At least with a fitted and cover if something escapes the dipe it is usually caught by the cover. I've only had 2 poop escapes with S in her 5 1/2 months.
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[mudder17]

I agree with Lynne and Tarah about the 2-piece system. Even at 4 months, when I tried pocket diapers (basically siilar to AIOs), it didn't do a great job of containing the leaky BF'd poop. I actually started with kissaluv 0s and prefolds + covers. Prefolds have a slight learning curve for people, but they're not too difficult to start with a newborn because a newborn is just not as wiggly as an older baby. You can also use prefitted, which are basically prefolds that have been converted to partially fitted diapers. You fasten them with a snappi just like you would a prefold, but the prefold has been partially converted to have the shape of a fitted diaper. They're generally less expensive than fitted diapers.

Honestly, a two-piece system is only SLIGHTLY more difficult than using an AIO (think about just putting on an extra pair of shorts) and it's much better about containing leaky poop. If you have a slight poop phobia, I think the two-piece system will contain the poop better and you won't end up having to clean poop off of his clothes.

I would also get a minishower, just because it'll make cleaning off his poopy dipes a little easier (with practice of course--don't spray full blast the first time you use it). But I think with practice, you'll get used to it, anyway. :)

Can you tell--is Ethan a heavy wetter? If so, I wouldn't actually recommend the kissaluv 0s because although they're fine for most newborns because you change them so often because they poop so often, with some newborns, it's not absorbent enough. But the motherease sandies or one-size may do the trick with a couple doublers, depending on what Ethan needs.

And yes, borrow before you buy. With all of us on the board, you could get quite a variety. Just off the top of my head, I can think of several of us having Kissauluv 0s (I have them and would be happy to loan them to you as long as you sent them to Amy (daisygirl) afterwards, since she's going to use them for her newborn when the time comes), prefolds (preemies (to be used as doublers at this stage, I would think), infant, indian, chinese, bleached, unbleached), Motherease one-size and sandies (which have already been mentioned), loveybums, prorap covers, I have some nylon newborn covers I just bought for the next baby that you could borrow, and so forth.

And welcome to the dark side! :)

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png
Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[squimp]

This is what we did, and what I'd recommend. The Indian prefolds are really soft. It's simple and inexpensive. We didn't even use Snappis, just folded the prefold in thirds, to fit the wrap. Getting a good size wrap was key. Proraps worked really well for runny newborn poop, but for a slightly nicer lined inside try Motherease Rikki wraps (Proraps are plasticky on the inside). Velcro wraps are most like a sposie.

The newborn BF poop is actually pretty easy to handle, you just put the dipe in the pail and throw the whole mess in the washer. It just breaks up and washes away, have no fear.

[DebbieJ]

Just wanted to join the choir saying start with some prefolds, Snappis, and covers. Proraps are great as are Bummis.

Welcome to the dark side!

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
Breastfed for 20 months and 6 days

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[daisymommy]

I've never used cloth on a newborn before (Joshua was 9-10 months old when we switched to cloth). But personally, no way would I recommend prefolds to a total newbie. I'd have given up on cloth if they were the first thing I tried!

Now a diaper with a cover on the other hand is very easy! (sure, an all-in-one is the easiest of all, but not good for newborns with leaky breastmilk poopy :)).

From all the research I've done, I'd go with one of these diapers:
-Kissaluv's 0's (www.naturalbabies.com has a newborn starter set)
-Motherease Onesize (ww.motherease.com)
-Motherease Sandies smalls

And for covers either:
Green Earth covers (www.lilbunz.com)
Proraps (www.naturalbabies.com)
Bumpy's (lilbunz or naturalbabies)

And if you can borrow them from someone here to try, then Hooray! That's an awesome choice! Good Luck, and welcome to cloth!

[mamicka]

You've already gotten a lot of good advice. I think that Motherease one-size (haven't tried Sandies) would be a good choice just to get you started, but you should give prefolds a try as well. Just try them on days when you know you won't be out & about so you aren't so worried about getting the fold right, etc. It won't take long before you'd master it.

I'm not really crazy about proraps. They contain the poop but are a bit too plastic for my liking. I much preferred Bumkins nylon covers - they also contain the poop but feel much nicer & make the prefold much more trim.

Good luck!
Allison

[caheinz]

One of the reasons so many of us are recommending prefolds for a newborn is simply the number of diapers a newborn goes through. I can remember needing to change DS with pretty much every feeding, and sometimes that was as often as every 60-90 minutes! At well under $2 a prefold, you can still have enough diapers around to do laundry every few days rather than every day. (I think we had 4 dozen!)

Other reasons: newborn BF poop is going to leak sometimes no matter what. So a diaper + cover is a great system, since the times it does leak out of the diaper, the cover will contain it. (Therein lies a reason to go with fairly inexpensive newborn covers: more is good!) And since a newborn is getting changed so often, you get lots of practice with folding. It wouldn't take much more than a day to get good enough at it!

And someone (Eileen? maybe?) mentioned a drawback with Kissaluv's already -- they don't hold much. DS was a super soaker who hated being wet, so those never lasted very long.

[KrisM]

I agree. A newborn isn't too wiggly either, so learning to Snappi won't be too tricky. Having to have a full 2-3 day stash of $15 diapers can be very costly!

I liked the prefold/fitted mix. We did prefolds during the day and Kissaluvs at night because they were a bit faster at the beginning.

I didn't have much luck with Prowraps, but preferred Bumpy covers. Just a fit thing.

[mudder17]

I agree. I used a mixture of prefolds and K0s, but honestly, once we got the hang of the prefolds, we often reached for the prefolds over K0s, even at night. When Kaya outgrew the K0s, we didn't bother getting any more fitted and just used prefolds until around 6 months.

Prefolds will work quite well and if your son is a very heavy wetter, you can put in a (hemp) doubler pretty easily.

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png
Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[psophia17]

I'm going to take you up on this offer when my time comes, Liza - that's crazy generous :)

[linsei]

Just wanted to say that I'm glad you asked. I have been looking at the "101" thread, and the harder I try to understand, the more overwhelmed I feel. ;) I've wanted to ask, but I didn't want to trouble everyone with my annoying newbie-ness! I have yet to make the CD plunge, but I really want to CD at least part-time and just need direction also.

Linda



http://lilypie.com/baby2/040428/1/5/1/-5/.png[/img][/url]

[pittsburghgirl]

Linda - the greatest thing about this forum is that you will NEVER annoy anyone with your newbie-ness. I posted many questions (and read many other questions) when I started with my DS (at almost 12 months.)

For an older baby (and part-time) I really like pockets and AIOs. I do have some fitteds, wool, and other covers but fit of clothes is a bit of an issue for us so the trimness of the pockets & AIOs is nice. My all-time favorites are FB's (never a leak) and Bum-ware AIOs. These seem to fit my tall skinny DS well and they are well-made and easy for me to deal with.

Especially for a toddler, get the mini-shower! I think that is the most important part of my CDing repertoire, I would not enjoy it without.

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

[KrisM]

Please go ahead and ask any questions you have! The answers Rachel has gotten are different from might work best for you, since you don't have a newborn.

My DS is the same age as your DC. We use prefolds, but I am not sure I'd recommend that to someone just starting. He's squirmy, but I have 18 months of practice getting them on fast!

So, ask away!

[linsei]

Thanks Marilee,

You ladies are so sweet. I just searched for a mini-shower because I didn't know what you were talking about. ;) Now I know. See... I'm clueless!

I'll check out your recommendations. Where is the best place to buy them? Is there a particular store or is there a co-op group or anything? Thanks a bunch!

edited for a typo!

Linda



http://lilypie.com/baby2/040428/1/5/1/-5/.png[/img][/url]

[linsei]

Thanks Kris,

I can completely understand how the squirmy factor would be an issue. With sposies, we have running diaper changes (me running after ds trying to make sure all the boy parts get inside the diaper!) Thanks again.

Sorry to hijack, OP.

Linda



http://lilypie.com/baby2/040428/1/5/1/-5/.png[/img][/url]

[lizajane]

DEFINITELY! i love to loan. means i don't have to store!! LOL! DH just said tonight, "isn't there someone we could loan all this crap to???"
(he was putting away strollers, etc. that we only use for wee babies and dylan is 9 months now.)

rachel- sorry for the delay! i have a pile put together for you, but we were all pukin' this week so i haven't quite made it to the PO!! but we are better now! hooray!!

[pittsburghgirl]

Linda - Fuzzi Bunz are available lots of places, one of my favorite all-purpose stores is lilbunz.com (free shipping) but I am a big fan of the cottonbabies microfiber inserts which come free when you order from cottonbabies.com. Although my DS is not a huge, huge wetter, but as he gets older he seems to pee less often and more heavily and those still work well for us. The AIOs I like are from bum-ware.com

I am actually able to get my pocket and AIO diapers on while DS is standing! It takes a little adjusting but he won't lay down much anymore (except when he has poop) so wet diapers (sposie and CD's) get changed standing up.

You also might look for some used dipes on the BBB-Swap Yahoo group (if you don't belong, you have been around long enough to join.) I tried a number of new things used before I bought new. I have also found never-worn FB's on the DiaperSwap Yahoo group on occasion.

When I started, I literally just bought two FBs and inserts and tried them out for a day or two, washing every night. Once I decided they would work and I liked them, I started collecting more and trying other things.

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