Should I switch to cloth dipes?

[brittone2]

That's how we got started with cloth. DS1 was sensitive to all commercial wipes, including newborn, sensitive, natural brands, etc. We started with cloth wipes, and I realized I really liked them. He also had some issues with some sposies. So once he was about 3 weeks old we added in cloth dipes too, as I had gotten over my "poop in the washer" fears and realized it really was not a big deal at all. We went on to CD all 3 kids.

[AustenFan]

We don't have a diaper sprayer and I just shake off whatever will shake off into the toilet and let the washer do the rest. I always wash my hands after diaper changes anyway so it isn't a big deal to just bring the diaper with me to the bathroom, shake it, put it in the pail and then wash my hands.

Once my kids start solids, I'll add in liners (I like Imse Vimse flushable liners) and shake the whole thing off in the toilet. We do use disposables overnight and for travel (though DD2 does get a diaper rash when we've used them too many days in a row), and I frankly think cleaning off a poopy disposable is harder and grosser than doing a cloth. I mean, you know that the disposable package tells you to shake out the poop in the toilet, too, right?

There is so much good information on this board (this is where I researched when I started CDing 6 years ago), and the resale market is so great with cloth that I tell all my friends it's really a no-risk thing if you want to try it for a couple weeks and see if it is for you! My current recommendation is BG Flips, though I have mostly prefolds and pockets in my stash. To me, Flips combine the best of both worlds, and they're always the ones I grab first.

[lizzywednesday]

EBF poo is easy - you can toss the dipe into your (lined) pail & wash per whatever routine you end up using.

If you find you have issues with the poo coming out of the diaper, you can always glove up and do the dunk-and-swish into the toilet bowl (just don't use chemical bowl cleaners like 1000 Flushes or Vanish; they can damage your diapers) before dropping them into the pail.

Once your DD starts solids, I recommend getting flushable liners to make it easier to deal with poo.

I use/used Imse Vimse Toddler size:

http://www.amazon.com/Imse-Vimse-Flu.../dp/B000W9U9FA

But even though I love them because they are sturdy, I have to admit that they are scratchy, so your DC may hate them.

Also, since they are sturdy and thick, they may be tough on your plumbing.

If you have plumbing concerns, I'd go with these instead:

Bummis Bio-Soft Liner:

http://www.amazon.com/Bummis-BL-L-Bi...ref=pd_cp_ba_1

OR

Bumkins Flushable Diaper Liner:

http://www.amazon.com/Bumkins-Flusha...ef=pd_sim_ba_4

Even a facial tissue would be fine in a pinch! (My mother says she used to use Kleenex or TP in our cloth diapers when my siblings and I were babies.)

[ExcitedMamma]

Thank you so much everyone! DD is EBF so I am very excited to hear that I can just toss the dipes in the wash! The thought of a diaper sprayer around DS is terrifying! Can't thank you all enough for the wonderful advice! I'm excited to make the switch!

ABH5e8 you had me with your poop warning!

I'm convinced to give it a go. I'm thinking of starting with the Bumgenius Elementals. Sounds easier for a newbie and love that they go in the dryer. Any reason to choose the regular FreeTime instead? Do I need to buy their detergent? I have a front load washer in HE if that makes a difference.

What other gear do I need? What type of pail or liner should I get? Can I still use Aquaphor?

[lizzywednesday]

...
I'm convinced to give it a go. I'm thinking of starting with the Bumgenius Elementals. Sounds easier for a newbie and love that they go in the dryer. Any reason to choose the regular FreeTime instead? Do I need to buy their detergent? I have a front load washer in HE if that makes a difference.

No, you don't have to get BumGenius's detergent, but, with your DD's rash issues, I'd recommend an enzyme-free detergent such as Charlie's Soap or Rockin' Green.

I have a HE front loader, too. It's going to take a little playing with the wash cycles to ensure your machine uses enough water to get your dipes clean.

My front loader is an LG and I do not have hard water; my routine was something like this:

Pre-wash: Cotton/Towels or Delicates, Quick Cycle, Heavy stain setting, "water plus", Warm/Cold, no soap; when stinky overnight toddler pee happened, I added 1/2c baking soda to the drum & put vinegar in the wash cup

Wash: FULL Cycle, Cotton/Towels, pre-wash, Heavy stain setting, "water plus", Hot/Cold, Extra Rinse with 1 scoop Rockin' Green in PreWash cup; 1-2 scoops Rockin' Green in Wash cup

Rinse: "Rinse and Spin" with "water plus"

I dried all my stay-dry fleece, doublers, pre-folds and fitted diapers on HIGH for about an hour; I hang-dry anything with PUL, like my all-in-ones and my pail liners.

What other gear do I need? What type of pail or liner should I get? Can I still use Aquaphor?

I used a tall kitchen trash can with a swinging lid:

http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-wh...lot=medium_1_8

For a liner, I used an old laundry bag, but it bag didn't contain stink well enough and it also got wet & gross, so I upgraded to two of the Mommy's Touch brand liners from Green Mountain Diapers:

http://greenmountaindiapers.com/other.htm#pailliner

I used the pail liner to transport diapers to my 1st floor washer from DD's 2nd floor nursery ... and always had a clean & dry one ready to re-line the pail.

As for the Aquaphor ... the ladies on DiaperSwappers seem to think it's OK, but you may not need it once you switch to cloth!

If you're worried about it causing repelling issues in your diapers, I'd try using a liner 'til whatever bum irritation you're using it for clears up & then try not using anything except wipes spray/solution.

If it were me, I'd opt for the ImseVimse liners over the thinner Bummis or Bumkins ones I linked earlier, only because they're thicker so they provide a bit more of a barrier between bum & fabric.

[roseyloxs]

I have gotten lazy and use these all-in-one diapers. I also like bottombumpers and softbums. I prefer dipes with snaps so I don't have to worry about velcro in the laundry.

I use a large wetbag from planetwise. Once its full I know its time to do laundry, which is every other day right now.

For on the go my weehuggers hobo bag is my favorite. It has a dry pocket for extra diapers and wipes and a large wet section for dirty diapers. I use it for swim lessons too.

I use rockin green for laundry.

[AustenFan]

You'll get a ton of different recommendations, but I've simplified my washing routine a ton over the past 6 years.

Here's my routine with my top load washer:

Hot wash with detergent, cool rinse
Second cool rinse to make sure the suds are gone (once in a great while, I'll rinse a third time if I feel like it's still sudsy)
Line dry (now that I'm in SoCal, I do this year-round to extend the life of my elastic) or dry in the dryer.

Really, that's it. I used to do prewashes, baking soda and vinegar, etc, but I haven't noticed a difference in cleanliness. I've tried a ton of detergents out there and now use Allen's Naturally detergent. I buy mine from Cotton Babies. And with only DD2 in diapers at the moment, I don't get around to washing them until 5-6 days sometimes! With a newborn or two in diapers, my pail fills up every 2 days. I do a load of diapers whenever my pail is full. I do think that air drying/sun bleaching helps the smell factor.

I've been happy with my planet wise diaper pail liners (slightly discounted here)--I have two to rotate. I think this is the trash can I use for the diaper pail. Somebody has probably already mentioned this, but once you're cd-ing, it's easy to use cloth wipes, too. I just saved all the baby washclothes and use those, though you can buy cloth wipes if you wish. I fold them in half and store them in an old disposable wipes container and wet them right before use with a spray bottle filled with water. I find it easier to just throw them all the diaper pail and wash together than throw disposable wipes in a separate trash can.

Good luck!

[AnnieW625]

I used a diaper service with DD2 until she was 2 months old. Then we had to stop due to a really bad yeast infection. I had kept about half of my Fuzzi Bunz one size (sold the rest, I had bought about 18 of them thanks to BOGO specials) and one night when she was 16 months old I tried them on her overnight and they worked. I ended up buying some BG AIO sized diapers (these have been discontinued but are available FSOT on Diaper Swappers. I liked the 4 I bought, but also branched out and bought the Flip Organic kit (two covers and 6 organic diapers). We used a mix of that for a while, but then decided I wanted to c/d full time so I bought another 11 BG sized AIO on FSOT, and then BG was having a sale so I bought 3 (buy 2 get 1 free) of their 4.0 diapers (these might be the Free Times now, I am not sure. I didn't want to spend the money on the Elementals), plus they were also having a buy two get two free on Flip covers so I bought another two of those. I also splurged and bought a Tots Bot diaper, which I love. We used the BGs for daycare, and at night stuffed with a cotton prefold. On the weekends we did the Flips with the prefolds. I also went and bought a dozen of the Imagine prefolds from Nicki's Diapers. I bought the large, but should have bought the medium. If money grew on trees or I had started this venture earlier I think I would have invested in 18-24 Flip Organic cotton diapers and a variety of Flip, and Thirsties Duo covers (not the duo diaper) as the Flip cotton prefolds are really trim compared to a regular prefold, but they $8 a piece, but if you just want one system then it is still a pretty evomnomical way to c/d.

Oh, I think FBs don't have a really good resale value, especially the one sized ones. It was like pulling teeth to get them sold.