Cloth Diapering vs. Disposable

[FunniBunni]

I thought this might be a fun topic.

FTMs, do you think you will use cloth or disposable diapers and why?

STMs how do you/did you diaper and why is it best for your family?

[FunniBunni]

So my big kids were all in disposable diapers from 2000-2006, because that was the norm, and that's what I did. I was offered a diaper service as a gift, but turned it down with a "Gross. No." When this topic came up on my old BMB, I listened with a (semi) open mind, and was willing to devote some time to researching cloth, but I was fairly sure it would be a waste of my time. I was wrong. My husband let me make the final choice, and we tried cloth. It was quite possibly one of the best financial decisions we could have made.

We started out in disposable (because I didn't budget to start a diaper stash) and didn't switch until she was 2 months.this is what I found:
-After running through the diapers we were gifted, we ran through 3 of the large cases of the (sucky) Wal-Mart brand diaper.
-Ran through 2 large boxes of wipes
-The diaper pail smelled bad, and made that area smell not-fabulous (but what diapers smell nice?)
-We sometimes had leaks (but diapers do that)
-We had 1-2 blowouts a day (newborn poo is annoying)
-Nearly constant rash. It wasn't really bad, but always there. But that's what Desitin is for, right?

We switched to cloth, purely for financial reasons, but what I didn't expect was:
-ZERO smell around the diaper pail. We didn't use any type of deodorizer either... well, until she neared toddlerhood.
-ZERO leaks
-ZERO blowouts
-Rash, GONE. Sometimes she woke a little pink, but by the next change, it was gone. (Coconut oil is awesome.)

Additionally, cloth is best for our family because we've saved a LOT of money, and now with Encore coming there will be even more savings. We smile whenever we see diapers at Wal-Mart or Costco and are relieved that we don't have to shell out. It IS a little more work, but we share that load, so it's no big deal. The video that finally convinced me to give it a shot is below:

Also, they are soft on DD2's butt, and freaking adorable!

[KK_8721]

We use CDs because... twins. Lol. We used covers and prefolds for newbie phase and use pockets now. No complaints! They rarely have diaper rash and I promise the pewp factor isn't super gross.

Right now I am so sensitive with morning sickness though that we switched to disposables. So expensive and so much diaper rash

[peachesncream]

We CD. We pretty much exclusively use Freetimes that I stocked up on with coupons at Buy Buy Baby. We've had a few rash issues (screw you, yeast!!) and we are still having challenges with our daycare provider but all in all it is awesome. I got addicted to collecting prints for a while so I think we are up to 40-50 diapers and I won't have to buy any for #2.

I am thinking of upgrading to BumGenius newborn diapers for this kid... we used Imagine Baby newborn AIOs last time and they were just okay.

[rachelilly23]

We CDed both boys from 3-24ish months. Use Flip diapers, one size. I love them, but my boys get big around 2 years and they just don't hold enough after that point. So we're using disposables with DS2 now and he's going to be 3 next month.

[OrganicRosemary]

We've been using CD since DD came home from the hospital. We started with prefolds, a few fitteds and covers. I bought some pockets for dad/grandma to use as they were changing 3 days/week when I went back to work. Hated pockets. They never fit right and almost all the leaks we had were from the pockets. Some people love them. They just weren't for us. We still use prefolds, fitteds, and covers. Hemp doublers, fleece liner and wool at night. We have definitely saved a ton of money. I had a spread sheet going for a while and I think we broke even around 6 months. I don't HAVE to buy anything for 2.0, which is awesome. Even if DD isn't potty trained. I will probably (ok I may have started already) buy a few things to pad the stash and some cute new woolies or a few new covers.

[miggg]

We CD. Mostly all-in-ones and pockets. I love them because:

- They save us money
- No blowouts
- No diaper rash

Also this is kind of random but I swear even pee reeeeks when DS wears disposables! Not sure if that is specific to the brand we got or what, but it was like some chemical in the diaper reacted and it was just...awful. But those 24 Honest Co diapers we bought for vacation are really my only exposure to disposable, can't really compare otherwise.

[arbe]

I used disposable for my other kid because as PP said thats just what we did. No one ever really talked about CD and I got like 10 boxes of diapers at my shower. God we went through those fast! Also when other kids were born we were living in a condo so no washer and dryer in our unit CD wouldn't be realistic.

FF to now, (in a home with a washer/dryer) I've done research and it does seem to be more cost effected and it sounds crazy but there's a huge resale market for CD. My plan is to use prefold and covers for the newborn stage and start working up my stash for future stages. I think I'll go the hybrid or AI2 route. Hybrid being a good option if I have to return to work and send bitty to daycare. If I knew all this sooner I may have done it with my son when we moved but I just never was exposed to the idea.

[FunniBunni]

Aug 12, 2015 13:09:50 GMT -5 miggg said:

We CD. Mostly all-in-ones and pockets. I love them because:

- They save us money
- No blowouts
- No diaper rash

Also this is kind of random but I swear even pee reeeeks when DS wears disposables! Not sure if that is specific to the brand we got or what, but it was like some chemical in the diaper reacted and it was just...awful. But those 24 Honest Co diapers we bought for vacation are really my only exposure to disposable, can't really compare otherwise.

I noticed that too! Pee frigging REEKS in disposables. It was awful. Still can't believe what a difference peeing in cotton makes. Nuts!

We use Pockets (BumGenius 4.0s) almost exclusively. We swap the microfiber out for cotton prefolds though. (Cloth-eez brand)

At night, we use prefolds & covers. (Better fit)

For Encore, I plan on buying NB prefolds, (didn't use that size last time) and reusing my Size 1 Thirsties Duo Wraps. After that, we'll move into my BumGeniuses. I figure I'll buy 5-10 more for LO. That will give me 40 diapers for 2 in cloth. Hoping that will be enough?

[readinglove]

DH and I are definitely very interested in CD, but we need to do some more research to figure out what our plan will be. I know that we'll likely also need DD on hand for various things. Another thing that will play into our decision is what day care requires.

[miggg]

Aug 12, 2015 13:20:11 GMT -5 FunniBunni said:

Aug 12, 2015 13:09:50 GMT -5 miggg said:

We CD. Mostly all-in-ones and pockets. I love them because:

- They save us money
- No blowouts
- No diaper rash

Also this is kind of random but I swear even pee reeeeks when DS wears disposables! Not sure if that is specific to the brand we got or what, but it was like some chemical in the diaper reacted and it was just...awful. But those 24 Honest Co diapers we bought for vacation are really my only exposure to disposable, can't really compare otherwise.

I noticed that too! Pee frigging REEKS in disposables. It was awful. Still can't believe what a difference peeing in cotton makes. Nuts!

We use Pockets (BumGenius 4.0s) almost exclusively. We swap the microfiber out for cotton prefolds though. (Cloth-eez brand)

At night, we use prefolds & covers. (Better fit)

For Encore, I plan on buying NB prefolds, (didn't use that size last time) and reusing my Size 1 Thirsties Duo Wraps. After that, we'll move into my BumGeniuses. I figure I'll buy 5-10 more for LO. That will give me 40 diapers for 2 in cloth. Hoping that will be enough?

That sounds doable, as long as you don't mind doing laundry probably a little more frequently than you have been. Right now we can go 3 days between CD laundry but I'm not planning on buying more for #2 so we figure we'll just get in the routine of washing more often.  Though actually my local swap FB group often has cheap CDs up for sale so maybe I could go that route so we could do every other day at least..

[miggg]

Aug 12, 2015 13:20:44 GMT -5 readinglove said:

DH and I are definitely very interested in CD, but we need to do some more research to figure out what our plan will be. I know that we'll likely also need DD on hand for various things. Another thing that will play into our decision is what day care requires.

That's a good point too. Most daycares in my area take CDs but actually the place by my house does not so we had to opt out even though they had an opening. We did find another place only a half mile further luckily but it is something to take into consideration.

[sunshineshades]

We did cloth diapers from 2 months till she was potty trained (2.5 years). We did use disposables over night and for trips away from home.

The reasoning for us was cost mostly. Though now that I'm used to them I also just hate the way disposies look. Cloth are soo cute on, I hate seeing her disposies sticking out of her pants or under a dress.

LO#2 will definitely be cloth diapered as well. I may look more into finding an over night solution too, but I don't want a huge bulky time consuming diaper to put on either.

[jocountry]

Just the alternative view, we use disposables and will again.
DH has a touchy gag reflex so all the work would have come to me. Daycare preferred to keep it simple with disposables.
My SIL recommended a diaper genie and while not perfect is good enough at smell management for us. I'm sure it would do better if we emptied it more often...
We buy with Amazon Prime. It isn't dirt cheap but I have diapers and wipes on my Subscribe and Save, so they show up every month like clockwork.

[jewel441]

This is very interesting. A lot of the things I thought would be disadvantages for disposable (like mess/blowouts) people are listing as advantages. I was originally thinking no way, but I may have to look into it more...

[katespade]

The idea of CD intrigues me but seems SO overwhelmingly complicated to understand. #imtootired

[sunshineshades]

Aug 12, 2015 13:20:44 GMT -5 readinglove said:

DH and I are definitely very interested in CD, but we need to do some more research to figure out what our plan will be. I know that we'll likely also need DD on hand for various things. Another thing that will play into our decision is what day care requires.

You should look into your state laws. Apparently many are not allowed to say no to cloth diapering. It really is no extra work for them. Take diaper off, put in wet bag, slap new diaper on. You take care of everything else at home!

[awkwardturtle]

Cloth diapering feels very overwhelming to me. Is there a link anyone could share for the basics of what CD is?

Do you spray them off or hand wash after each diaper, or just at the end of the day or what? Do you take cloth diapers if you are out places since you can't just throw them away?

[cinnamonsmiles]

Team CD over here! For cost and environmental reasons.

We started with DS when he was about a week old and I was tired of pee/poop getting everywhere from leaking 'sposies. We did go with All-in-one (AIO) newborns initially, figured out what brands we liked, and sold what we didn't. Once he moved up to one size, I bought some one size AIOs because I figured DH would be more on board, but he actually prefers covers/inserts. I prefer pockets, so that's most of our stash. At 6mo I had to switch over to fitteds/covers at night because he hated being changed MOTN but was still nursing 1x (so lots of pee). The switch to solids takes some getting used to, and I highly recommend a sprayer/liner combo. We've only had rashes due to missed poops or diarrhea, so that's a huge plus for me (CJs Butter is a lifesaver!). We do use disposables for travel though, unless it's guaranteed that someone will let us use their washer. Our favorite brand is Blueberry and I will definitely be buying more for this LO as we wash every two days currently.

[peachesncream]

Aug 12, 2015 14:47:01 GMT -5 awkwardturtle said:

Cloth diapering feels very overwhelming to me. Is there a link anyone could share for the basics of what CD is?

Do you spray them off or hand wash after each diaper, or just at the end of the day or what? Do you take cloth diapers if you are out places since you can't just throw them away?

My absolute favorite help website is fluffloveuniversity.com/.  I promise they can answer all of your questions!

You only need to spray when baby starts solids (6 months or so).  Formula and breastfed baby poo is water soluble and just comes out in the wash.  That was the best!  After solids you do whatever is easiest.  I usually spray once a day.  I do go places with cloth and keep a wet bag for dirty diapers.  Some people choose to use disposables when out and about.  Do what works for you to make it easy!  I know it seems really intimidating but it is not, I promise :-)

[cinnamonsmiles]

Aug 12, 2015 13:20:11 GMT -5 FunniBunni said:

Aug 12, 2015 13:09:50 GMT -5 miggg said:

We CD. Mostly all-in-ones and pockets. I love them because:

- They save us money
- No blowouts
- No diaper rash

Also this is kind of random but I swear even pee reeeeks when DS wears disposables! Not sure if that is specific to the brand we got or what, but it was like some chemical in the diaper reacted and it was just...awful. But those 24 Honest Co diapers we bought for vacation are really my only exposure to disposable, can't really compare otherwise.

I noticed that too! Pee frigging REEKS in disposables. It was awful. Still can't believe what a difference peeing in cotton makes. Nuts!

I loathe the smell of pee in sposies. Like I always want to change the diaper immediately.
FTR we use Huggies when out, so it's not just the Honest Co that smell.

[cinnamonsmiles]

Aug 12, 2015 14:51:05 GMT -5 peachesncream said:

Aug 12, 2015 14:47:01 GMT -5 awkwardturtle said:

Cloth diapering feels very overwhelming to me. Is there a link anyone could share for the basics of what CD is?

Do you spray them off or hand wash after each diaper, or just at the end of the day or what? Do you take cloth diapers if you are out places since you can't just throw them away?

My absolute favorite help website is fluffloveuniversity.com/.  I promise they can answer all of your questions!

You only need to spray when baby starts solids (6 months or so).  Formula and breastfed baby poo is water soluble and just comes out in the wash.  That was the best!  After solids you do whatever is easiest.  I usually spray once a day.  I do go places with cloth and keep a wet bag for dirty diapers.  Some people choose to use disposables when out and about.  Do what works for you to make it easy!  I know it seems really intimidating but it is not, I promise :-)

We used Fluff Love to set a good wash routine, so I totally recommend them as well!

[awkwardturtle]

Aug 12, 2015 14:51:05 GMT -5 peachesncream said:

Aug 12, 2015 14:47:01 GMT -5 awkwardturtle said:

Cloth diapering feels very overwhelming to me. Is there a link anyone could share for the basics of what CD is?

Do you spray them off or hand wash after each diaper, or just at the end of the day or what? Do you take cloth diapers if you are out places since you can't just throw them away?

My absolute favorite help website is fluffloveuniversity.com/.  I promise they can answer all of your questions!

You only need to spray when baby starts solids (6 months or so).  Formula and breastfed baby poo is water soluble and just comes out in the wash.  That was the best!  After solids you do whatever is easiest.  I usually spray once a day.  I do go places with cloth and keep a wet bag for dirty diapers.  Some people choose to use disposables when out and about.  Do what works for you to make it easy!  I know it seems really intimidating but it is not, I promise :-)

That's good to know, I'm checking out the link now, thank you!

[peachesncream]

Aug 12, 2015 14:52:49 GMT -5 cinnamonsmiles said:

Aug 12, 2015 14:51:05 GMT -5 peachesncream said:

My absolute favorite help website is fluffloveuniversity.com/.  I promise they can answer all of your questions!

You only need to spray when baby starts solids (6 months or so).  Formula and breastfed baby poo is water soluble and just comes out in the wash.  That was the best!  After solids you do whatever is easiest.  I usually spray once a day.  I do go places with cloth and keep a wet bag for dirty diapers.  Some people choose to use disposables when out and about.  Do what works for you to make it easy!  I know it seems really intimidating but it is not, I promise :-)

We used Fluff Love to set a good wash routine, so I totally recommend them as well!

Oh my gosh the wash routine was THE HARDEST part of CDing for me.  I researched detergents for hours, switched my routine approximately 1000 times, and finally settled on one thanks to FLU.   It absolutely did not require that much thought and effort haha.

[cinnamonsmiles]

Aug 12, 2015 12:56:21 GMT -5 peachesncream said:

We CD. We pretty much exclusively use Freetimes that I stocked up on with coupons at Buy Buy Baby. We've had a few rash issues (screw you, yeast!!) and we are still having challenges with our daycare provider but all in all it is awesome. I got addicted to collecting prints for a while so I think we are up to 40-50 diapers and I won't have to buy any for #2.

I am thinking of upgrading to BumGenius newborn diapers for this kid... we used Imagine Baby newborn AIOs last time and they were just okay.

We hated BG NBs, but that was because DS is a heavy wetter and would just pee straight through the absorption.

My personal fav are Blueberry NB Simplex, though they are more expensive. I bought some hemp doublers and used them tucked inside for more absorbancy at night. Will be getting some more once we find out the sex of this baby

[peachesncream]

Aug 12, 2015 14:57:53 GMT -5 cinnamonsmiles said:

Aug 12, 2015 12:56:21 GMT -5 peachesncream said:

We CD. We pretty much exclusively use Freetimes that I stocked up on with coupons at Buy Buy Baby. We've had a few rash issues (screw you, yeast!!) and we are still having challenges with our daycare provider but all in all it is awesome. I got addicted to collecting prints for a while so I think we are up to 40-50 diapers and I won't have to buy any for #2.

I am thinking of upgrading to BumGenius newborn diapers for this kid... we used Imagine Baby newborn AIOs last time and they were just okay.

We hated BG NBs, but that was because DS is a heavy wetter and would just pee straight through the absorption.

My personal fav are Blueberry NB Simplex, though they are more expensive. I bought some hemp doublers and used them tucked inside for more absorbancy at night. Will be getting some more once we find out the sex of this baby

I was a little scared to use cloth until DD's cord stump fell off because I wasn't happy with the foldover on the Imagine Babys.  Do the Blueberry fold over well for corded babies?  I think someone in my other BMB was just selling some!

[cinnamonsmiles]

Aug 12, 2015 14:56:04 GMT -5 peachesncream said:

Aug 12, 2015 14:52:49 GMT -5 cinnamonsmiles said:

We used Fluff Love to set a good wash routine, so I totally recommend them as well!

Oh my gosh the wash routine was THE HARDEST part of CDing for me.  I researched detergents for hours, switched my routine approximately 1000 times, and finally settled on one thanks to FLU.   It absolutely did not require that much thought and effort haha.

We used a CD safe detergent (Grovia) for about 4.5mo before I started noticing smell issues, and were on the brink of ammonia that was quickly resolved thanks to their advice. We just recently switched from Tide to Sun (cheap!) based on their recommended detergent list and have no issues. Woohoo!

[cinnamonsmiles]

Aug 12, 2015 15:00:38 GMT -5 peachesncream said:

Aug 12, 2015 14:57:53 GMT -5 cinnamonsmiles said:

We hated BG NBs, but that was because DS is a heavy wetter and would just pee straight through the absorption.

My personal fav are Blueberry NB Simplex, though they are more expensive. I bought some hemp doublers and used them tucked inside for more absorbancy at night. Will be getting some more once we find out the sex of this baby

I was a little scared to use cloth until DD's cord stump fell off because I wasn't happy with the foldover on the Imagine Babys.  Do the Blueberry fold over well for corded babies?  I think someone in my other BMB was just selling some!

Yes! They have a snap so that the fold stays down, whereas many NB dipes don't have that.
Here's a pic of one of our fav prints in NB:

[halfahippy]

We've been CD'ing since C came home from the hospital. We started with Gdiapers stuffed with prefolds, but they didn't fit great once he outgrew the smalls, so we switched to mostly best bottoms with some pockets thrown in. We use fitteds and wool overnight.
I think I'm going to try to sell my newborn Gdiaper stash and get a new newborn stash this time around. I want some workhorses and covers this time.
My absolute favorite place to go for help is a Facebook group called Cloth Diaper Tech Support. They have a different perspective than the fluff love group and really work on helping you find a solution. They understand that diaper laundry isn't one-size-fits-all and different thing work for different water types/washers/diapers.
The Not Just Cloth Diapers group on here has a great FAQ sticky that has a ton of helpful info too. And they always provide lots of help if people have questions.

[blackbird]

I wash enough clothes with cow crap and other bodily fluids. I just don't think I can handle washing CDs too. Plus H's gag reflex...I'll be lucky if he changes disposable diapers as it is.

CD seem like a daunting task. I'm exhausted just thinking about it now.