There is a great debate at our house. We are debating cloth diapers versus disposable diapers versus a mixture of both.
We love that the cloth diapers are chemical free and friendlier for the environment. We really love that the cost is large up front but presents huge savings long term. But will our very old, hardly surviving on its last leg, tired washing machine survive the extra loads of not only a baby but also diapers?
We love the ease of disposable diapers and the fact that we don't have to worry about other people not wanting to deal with "the crazies" in the cloth diapers. But do we really want the extended expense of buying diapers every week?
No matter what we buy, how do you begin to choose a brand? And I've always been told that every baby hiney is different. How do you get ready for a baby who's hiney you've never met? What if we spend hundreds on cloth diapers (or even disposable) and our baby hiney won't work with what we've purchased?
How do you even begin to make these decisions? Moms out there - help! Did you consider cloth diapers? How did you decide what to use? Are you glad you made the choice you made? Do you ever wish you could change? Please help!
Dad.
1 year ago
6 comments:
FWIW, there are a few companies out there that let you buy a cloth diaper trial package to test and if it doesn't work out you return it. The cost is minimal. Also, if you buy cloth and then they don't work out, you can recover a lot of the money selling them on Craigslist.
I say try a mixture of both! When I was considering cloth I had it in my mind I had to go all or nothing, on cloth. But I wish I had done cloth with baby Sean when he was at home and he could have worn disposable at daycare.
I did some online research and found charts of comparison of different types and brands of diapers. Then I went to the free diapering 101 class at Pinwheel Kids. That was really informative and was great seeing the diapers in person and being able to ask questions.
The washing machine does take quite a beating. I spray solids off first, either with outside hose( if its not freezing outside) or with a diaper sprayer Thomas DIYed and put on upstairs toilet. Then I do a cold rise in machine, then hot wash with soap, then rinse again. And I sometimes let the diapers soak before the wash cycle in the hot soapy water. I have and old school front top load washer and I thought I remember rachel having trouble with her fancy née front load washer, oh I guess she can't let the diapers soak.
Last paragraph! Since you timed it so well I have about 12( I'll have to go count) small FuzziBunz brand diapers you can borrow for your newborn. The only gender specific color I have is pink. The rest are brown, bright green, bright blue, light blue, red, white, tealish...Anyway, that way you can try some cloth qt no expense and if you like you can keep borrowing or buy more. You'll have to look online but I think small fits up to about 12 lbs. Kayla was small enough at hat point but her bladder produced more thn the diaper could handle. Next time you're in town you'll have to try and attend that diapering class and we can talk diapers over lunch. Oh and the reasons I went with fuzzi bunz was cause the easy pocket insert( easier than traditional fold and pin then cover diapers, but dry quicker than all in one diapers where the absorbent pad is attached to cover) oh and the brigt colors and price. Phew I think my max character limit is approqching we'll talk soon!
* x- small size on those fuzzi bunz
Hey girl! Great questions! We use both cloth and disposable. When Elle was a newborn we used Chinese prefold diapers (newborn size) and diaper covers (the smallest size). (actually, the first month we only used disposables, because we had been given so many and I was nervous about using cloth). I bought the prefolds and pro-rap covers from www.nickisdiapers.com . I got 12 newborn size. She was changed about that many times a day. We used a disposable at night (still do). This was the cheapest way to start cloth diapering. Oh, and these need Snappis to keep them on (no more pins these days!). I had about 6 Snappis. I exclusively breastfed, so her poo wasn't bad at all and came right out in the wash. We washed them on HOT with baby-friendly detergent and a squirt of Ivory soap. We added one cup on vinegar in the rinse cycle to make sure the soap was all out. We usually hung them dry in the sun or dried them on HOT. The sun will bleach them and kill any bacteria (and its free!). When Elle was about a year we switched to all-in-ones. She goes through about 4 of these a day. I got these from www.theluvyourbaby.com/ . These are AMAZING and they are only 7 bucks a pop! I shake the poo out now (since she's on solids, her poo is chunkier) or spray it (we just got a spray shower head attachment and use that... no "diaper sprayer") and toss them in the can. We always have washed diapers every other day. When we go out we usually put her in a disposable, but for around the house she's always in a cloth. We usually only buy one box of disposables a month. I would say that's saving some $! :) If you have any questions, message me! Have fun!
Oops! I wrote "all-in-ones" but I meant, "one-size pocket diapers". Pocket diapers have a pocket in the middle where you slide in the pad that absorbs all the urine. Some people use more than one pad for over night/naps, but we just use the one pad and disposables at night. :)
We're cloth diaperers too. We use gdiapers with Chinese prefolds inside. Dusty found this to be a lot less intimidating than using Snappis when he was at home with Kara. We used the disposable inserts when traveling until she started crawling. Then they just didn't work, so we use disposable diapers when traveling or leaving her with someone else (i.e. church nursery). If you do the math and include an estimate on utilities and such, the cost evens out pretty closely with disposables. However, if you plan to have a second baby, the costs plummet.
If you decide to try the cloth route, I can give you more details on washing, etc. I also have several friends who have loved their fuzzibuns! Just beware random brands with no reviews. We have had bad luck with them.
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