Cloth Diaper Newbie

[firemama]

I am planning on using cloth diapers for our first born (due in July). I have done a lot of research, but still have questions.

So far I have it narrowed down to BumGenius Flips (pocket inserts, right?) or prefolds with Thirsties Duo Wraps w/snaps. Do you have any other recommendations for covers? I definitely want snap closures, I've heard a lot of bad experiences with velcro, correct me if I'm wrong. Also, I heard the Thirsties tend to sag in the front. I'm not sure what I will like better though - pocket inserts or prefolds. I have no problem learning how to fold the prefolds.

What do you prefer - indian prefolds or chinese prefolds?

Are the Snappi fasteners really as good as they sound? I've heard it can go through the prefold and scratch the baby's skin.

Maximum Capacity Diaper Pail 14 gallon or a smaller 7 gallon diaper pail? Space is not an issue - I just don't want the 7 gallon to be too small.

In regards to the diaper sprayers that attach to the toilet. Probably a dumb question, but do you really spray the diaper over the toilet? What if it is heavily soiled and the toilet becomes too full to flush. Is that ever an issue?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Roleysmom]

Congratulations!
I'm relatively new to cloth diapering. I didn't do it with DD1 and DD2 is only seven months old. There are really experienced cloth diaperers on the board who will be lots of help. I'll give it a stab, though, since no one has yet responded.

One piece of advice I got that I think is really helpful is to think about this in stages. You don't have to figure out what you'll do for the entire course of cloth diapering right now. A baby's needs will change as he or she gets older and you figure out what fits best based on his or her body type and what fabrics he or she may be sensitive to (or not.) You don't have to commit to an entire system upfront right now. Experiment, have fun. Have a little bit of everything (or some things) in your stash so you can get a feel for what you like and don't like.

Velcro -- it does stick to everything. I always forget to use the tabs when I wash. My newborn covers were velcro. I stayed away from one-size diapers in velcro because I heard that it's much easier for older babies/toddlers to take their dipes off when they are velcro. But since that isn't an issue when they are newborns, I used velcro covers. I used Imse Vimse and Prowraps and Bummis based on people's recommendations. Love them all.

Sagging might only be an issue when the baby can cruise and is more mobile? Maybe not. I haven't had sagging with any of my diapers.

For newborn -- based on people's advice I used newborn fitteds. I did like them a lot. I also had Indian prefolds. I have no experience with Chinese, so can't compare, but can say the Indians are great and I still use them as inserts. I was afraid of only going with fitteds because I though the learning curve would be too high. It's really not. Good for you for not being afraid! You really can just used fitteds and covers. My baby was (still is) peanut-sized and there's a twist fold explained on the Green Mountain Diaper site that worked really well for us.

I haven't used or seen the Flip diapers. Right now I really like pockets and have both one-size and sized pockets. I have a couple of fitteds too, but like pockets much better now that she's out of the newborn stage.

Snappis -- I like them. They are sharp. She hasn't been stuck.

Pail -- I personally wouldn't go with a pail. I don't want a big plastic thing that I have to walk around. I have two (one is fine) big Bummi's nylon wet bag. I keep in right near the changing table, fill it up and then throw it in the wash with the dirty diapers. Then I bring out my clean one.

Sprayer -- haven't used one yet.

I hope that helps. Good luck! I think cloth diapering is lots of fun.

Paula

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i've been cloth diapering DS for only 3 months or so, so i'm not all that "experienced" but here is my opinion. i used/am using prefolds with covers. so far they are great for us. don't know what type of prefolds they are, we just got them from Green Mountain Diapers (started with orange edge, now am using yellow edge). first i used Thirsties covers (XS, or newborn size) then i used Bummis Supers in size S (8-15 lbs). with the Bummis i had 2 with velcro, one with snaps. the benefit of the snap ones is that it seems to wear down less..the velcro does stick to stuff in the wash, and it gets stuff (hair, loose threads, lint) onto it. So i'm thinking the snap ones may hold the test of time a little better if you are planning to save them for future DC's. however, i dont' think the velcro is really bad at all.

snappis - are great. yes they have sharp teeth, but DS has never been stuck with them (and i'm a klutz ) i don't see how they can pinch through a prefold, prefolds are pretty darn thick. for awhile i tried doing without the snappi (and just sticking prefold into the cover) but we ended up getting a lot more poo blowouts getting into the inside of the covers, so we are back to using the snappis again.

sprayer - never used one (yet). ds is ebf'ed so we just throw dirty dipes into a hamper (lined with a large diaper pail liner, also purchased from Green Mountain) and do diaper laundry every other night. when washing we do a rinse/spin cycle and then do washing with detergent. so far that works out well. when he starts solids we may use a sprayer, or we may use flushable liners.

and i TOTALLY agree with previous poster on not having do get everything all at once..you will never knkow what you really need/what works best for you & your baby until you actually try it. for us we found out that DS grew at an insane rate and we needed to start using the next size prefold at 5 or 6 weeks, rather than the typical 2 months. also, we have found out that we like the covers without the extra lining on the inside, for easier cleanup. we just ordered the next size covers/diapers for DS and we ordered more Thirsties and the Bummis Super Brites instead of Bummis Super for the next size.

and i haven't had sagging issues with any covers or diapers i've used.

[boogiemomz]

i agree w/ PP about thinking about it in stages. for instance, you won't need to use the diaper sprayer until baby starts solids, breastmilk/formula poop can go straight into the washing machine.

i currently use fuzzi bunz and blueberry pocket diapers, and love them. we used prefolds with covers for a little while in the beginning but this wasn't for me. it just felt really awkward to me, seemed really bulky and uncomfortable for DD. we switched to sposies until about 6 weeks, now we're pretty much full time in pocket dipes.

i have no experience with flips, so can't speak to that.

i also agree that you don't need a special diaper pail. i put my pail liner in a regular flip top trash can (MUCH cheaper than a diaper genie or whatever), and it works just fine, no odors.

good luck!!

[pastrygirl]

I'm new to CD as of a few days ago, for my 7-month-old. I'm using the Flip system and love it so far, but I've heard they aren't necessarily the best fit for a newborn.

I just discovered this site that has video diaper reviews: http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/cloth-...video-reviews/

Also this site, which offers a trial program for $10, but you pay $150 upfront and get $140 back: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/produ.../tryclothfor10

I plan to do that once I know I'm sticking with it.

ETA: I don't plan to use a diaper sprayer at all, even after solids. I might buy the flushable liners, or have a special spatula/scraper for scraping stuff into the toilet. Diaper sprayer + 4-year-old = DISASTER, lol!

[wellyes]

I've heard good things about flips but I think they're just another form of prefolds with covers.

I don't think there is a huge difference between Chinese & Indian prefolds. Chinese are supposed to be slightly more durable, Indian are supposed to be slightly softer. If you can get a great deal on one or the other, snatch it up.

I wouldn't worry about hurting the baby's skin with snappis. Prefolds are thick and the snappi only goes through the first layer or two.

Velcro.... if you buy one-sized diapers and use them for 2 years, yes the velco will get fuzzy after being washed multiple times per week. With prefolds and covers (which are sized), DC will outgrow them far before the aplix becomes an issue. However, if you buy used, snaps are the safer choice.

The covers I got for the newborn stage are Proraps which have a little dip in the front for the cord stump. Bummis, proraps, and thirsties are all good.

I personally did buy used covers, I'll just santitize them first, it's so much cheaper.

Sprayer you don't need anytime soon, PPs are right, you need them for solids. The toilet will never become too full. I CDed my daughter at age 18 months and the toilet never became anywhere near too full of water. And if even it did, if a toilet gets filled with too much water, it auto-flushes itself.

I'd get the bigger pail liner. Also remember to get a wet bag for the diaper bag.... that is what you put soiled diapers in when you change the baby while you're not home.

[larig]

whether you buy from there or not Green Mountain Diapers has great information--including lots of pictures of various sized babies wearing different diapers/covers etc.

Their prefolds are the gold standard of prefolds, from what I've been able to gather. The organic ones I can HIGHLY recommend--amazingly soft. (I'm a prefolds and thirsties girl.) Oh, and you'll eventually want some doublers for nighttime.

I don't have a diaper sprayer. I have a "commercial" (that's what it says on the bottle) spray bottle (32 oz) and I spray them off with that. It hasn't gotten old yet, but I can see the benefit of having a little more power. I've never had a poo-stain stick though, so I must be doing an okay job with it.

Oh and read about stripping your diapers. And the diaperpin (website) has lots of reviews and information about sales.

[carolinamama]

I use a combo of things on DS2 depending on my mood, what we are doing, where we are going. Mostly, I am using pockets at this point with some fitteds thrown in. And I got a Flip Daypack a month ago or so. I really like it for DS2 as he is 18 months but I wouldn't recommend it for a newborn. The inserts can move and bunch plus they would never contain newborn poop - it would be all over the cover. I prefer fitteds and covers for newborns and young infants - I have only used Thirsties, Motherease, and now the Flip covers, which could be used over a fitted or prefold as well.

Hope I didn't confuse you here - I just wanted to steer you away from the Flip for the first few months since I think you will have a better cd experience with something else.

As for sprayers, I don't have one. I am a dunk and swish girl but that type of thing doesn't bother me. And our toilet has never gotten too full of junk to flush.

[firemama]

Thank you for all of your feedback! You are right and I don't need to buy just one system to start with. I have decided to try Green Mountain prefolds (thanks for the recommendation - they seem like some of the best out there) with the Thirsties Duo Wrap with snaps (size 1). Hopefully it will be a good fit for our newborn. I will wait until our baby is bigger to try the Flip system. Prefolds and covers seem to fit better on newborns.

I will also try these fitted diapers: Mother-Ease, Swaddlebees or Kissaluvs with the Thirsties Duo Wraps. Just to see which method I like better (fitted or prefolds).

Does anyone have any opinions on these fitteds?
-- Mother-Ease One-Size
-- Mother-Ease Sandy's
-- Swaddlebees One Size Organic
-- Swaddlebees Organic Cotton Velour Sized
-- Swaddlebees Newborn Organic Cotton Velour
-- Kissaluvs V2.0

Since we are registering, I might as well try 1 of each. Just thought it would be nice to hear your opinions.

Is there a cover out there that I am missing that has snaps (other than Thirsties Duo Wraps), and would be small enough for a newborn? I am allergic to wool, so it would have to be something else.

BTW - this book and message board is great! I am touched that we are all willing and able to help each other out!

[wellyes]

One other prefold to consider is Diaper Rite prefolds. They're basically indistinguishable from GMDs except they are cut to fit bummis and thirsties covers. Same price as GMDs but if you join the mailing list at Diaper Junction, you get a free shipping. Saved me $10. I have prepped mine but haven't used them (no newborn yet!) and they did quilt up very nicely.

Or, you really can't go wrong with GMDs.

For fitteds....
- I tried MEOS (Motherease) on my DD when she was about 18 lbs and she was swimming in them, they're huge!
- Kissaluvs are great workhorse diapers.


For Swaddlebees I *love* the Econappis. They're one-sized. It's a cover with insert which you can use either as a pocket or kind of like a prefold..... lay the insert down directly against baby's skin and use the rest of the diaper as a cover. Wicked expensive, though.