Twin mom cloth diaper help

[Stringy]

Don't buy a guide.

If you are wedded to organic natural fibers your best bet is probably to check out green mountain diapers. They have a website with great pictures of diapers on babies. (ETA: they sell diapers too but the photos really help explain things and sizes and it's a simple site)

I do a mix of prefolds with covers (easier than you think- don't be scared) and all in ones. Blueberry simplex makes an organic version that is overall a great diaper. I don't own the organic version but I assume it's similar if not better to the non organic.

Prefolds or flats and covers will be way cheaper than natural fiber all in ones.

An all in one diaper is one piece and goes on as easy as a disposable.

Pockets and all in twos are more complicated (but not, really). But check out GMD first.

And ask questions. There's a few other twin folk here as well.

[Stringy]

Also. Prefolds don't have to be folded up and pinned fancy. Especially as babies move to solid food- just fold it into a pad and stick it in the diaper cover.

[MapleMomma]

First thing to decide is budget and style of diaper you wish to use.

Prefolds or flats with covers are economical and customizable. I also recommend looking at green mountain diapers. There are LOTS of different brands of covers, try several brands.

Pockets stuffed with flats or prefolds (instead of microfiber)

Hybrids (covers with snap in inserts) like best bottoms, grovia, buttons.

Or All in ones (AIOs). Some good natural fiber choices to consider would be Thirsties Naturals, Smart bottoms, Grovia, Nickis bamboo AIOs.

[Stringy]

So since I'm stuck under a baby I'll chime in again.

Don't stress over picking the right type or brand of diaper. Buy a few and try them out. If you don't like them you can sell them (see swap thread). But more likely what works best and what you prefer will change as your babies grow and it's fun and good to have different things to reach for.

Actually holding and trying a few is the best way to get familiar and comfortable. Just try it.

[brandiewine11]

Cloth diaper 101 on YouTube is a good introduction to all the types and terminology as well.

[piccyami]

I bought a bunch of different styles. Turns out, I hate stuffing pockets and very much prefer Blueberry simplexes (most of my stash is the new style organics) for daytime and Sloomb OBF with extra inserts for nighttime (because I have a super soaker). I had to try everything out to decide on what I wanted.

I bought a bunch of mine used (and am now replacing elastics because of that) and the rest through seconds sales on blueberryandme.

[dramaphile]

Cloth diapering is awesome! I agree with the others, prefolds and covers are a good place to start, and try a couple of brands and see what you like best. GMD prefolds are very popular, and I really like Blueberry simplex if you are interested in all-in-one diapers. Thirsties natural AIO are also a good option.
Biggest mistake for someone starting out in cloth is buying a whole stash of one brand and then realizing it doesn't work.

Another tip- get a diaper sprayer and some kind of spray shield (like a spraypal or a DIY version), spraying is so much better than dunk-and-swish to remove poop before you wash.

We're happy to help you out once you get some diapers with wash routine.

[pbandj714]

They should be almost big enough for one size diapers now. I also agree to check out GMD. They actually have a very helpful guide that they will send you for free with your first order if you put it in your cart. Very to the point and good info. For my two, we use about 90% pockets stuffed with GMD prefolds or flats, 10% all in ones. It's definitely a personal preference thing!

[TJ]

I would look and see if you have a brick and mortar cd store near you. It really helped me to touch them and see how they compare.

For us, the husband factor was AIOs. He just didn't care for two pieces or folding or stuffing or anything like that. As long as ibhaf AIOs available, he was a ok with CDs.

[mimsy]

I've personally always been a fan of prefolds and covers for day and pockets or aio for night. It is what works well for us. I had a light wetter (currently in process of potty training so she likes to hold it) and extra absorbency was never really needed.
Will your babies be going to any child care? Some facilities are specific on what cloth (if any) styles they prefer.

If you haven't considered, try a cloth rental program to test various types without the huge commitment of purchase.

[DGM]

Similar to what mimsy said, a cloth diaper trial program can be really helpful. I did one way back when I was still on the fence through Jillian's Drawers, and it made me stick with CDs.

Another option some of us use is sposies at night when it's a battle figuring out the right ON diaper. It doesn't have to be all or nothing!

[piccyami]

Oh yeah, we're still definitely part time on the diapers. We use disposables for traveling and when laundry is just overwhelming for me.

[dramaphile]

May 16, 2017 11:36:21 GMT -5 TJ said:

I would look and see if you have a brick and mortar cd store near you. It really helped me to touch them and see how they compare.

For us, the husband factor was AIOs. He just didn't care for two pieces or folding or stuffing or anything like that. As long as ibhaf AIOs available, he was a ok with CDs.

My H is the same way. He's willing to CD as long as it's something one-piece. He'll use pre-stuffed pockets, snapped-in AI2s, or AIO diapers and hated when we used prefolds and covers.

[pbandj714]

Oh yea, I always forget to mention that we use sposies at night. Once they started outpeeing workhorses, I decided to just go with sposies rather than try to figure out a cloth solution because I'm lazy.

[piccyami]

May 16, 2017 12:58:52 GMT -5 dramaphile said:

May 16, 2017 11:36:21 GMT -5 TJ said:

I would look and see if you have a brick and mortar cd store near you. It really helped me to touch them and see how they compare.

For us, the husband factor was AIOs. He just didn't care for two pieces or folding or stuffing or anything like that. As long as ibhaf AIOs available, he was a ok with CDs.

My H is the same way. He's willing to CD as long as it's something one-piece. He'll use pre-stuffed pockets, snapped-in AI2s, or AIO diapers and hated when we used prefolds and covers.

This is mine as well. Our current nighttime setup (involving inserts outside the fitted) nearly has him running in the opposite direction, but after W's exploded one night, he's all about cloth.

[dancingsphinx22]

May 16, 2017 13:07:32 GMT -5 pbandj714 said:

Oh yea, I always forget to mention that we use sposies at night. Once they started outpeeing workhorses, I decided to just go with sposies rather than try to figure out a cloth solution because I'm lazy.

Same here.




OP, I didn't use cloth when the baby was very small, so I don't have any info on that. But I second what everyone said about trying different diapers. I thought FOR SURE I would love Flip covers and inserts. Turns out NOPE! I rarely use them. They just don't fit right on my baby. Now I use Alva pockets (you can get a set of 5 for cheap on amazon.) I never would have considered Alva.

There's some sites that sell cheap diapers from China, like Mama or Wish. I have bought some from there (for $1 ea!) and they were ok. I wouldn't recommend buying from there until you're more experienced with cloth, because the cheap diapers can give you problems. No fun! However, I still use my $1 diapers, so they're not all that bad. I just wouldn't want the cheapies to give you a bad impression of cloth.

Also, if you run into challenges, don't give up. There's many ways to troubleshoot whatever issues you come across. Use disposables for while if you have to, you can always come back to cloth when you're ready. My challenges were diaper rashes (turns out it was from the huggies, not the cloth), and leaks (from the Flip diapers.) Now we're all straightened out, and using cloth has been, and still is, wonderful.
SaveSave

[dramaphile]

May 16, 2017 13:22:53 GMT -5 piccyami said:

May 16, 2017 12:58:52 GMT -5 dramaphile said:

My H is the same way. He's willing to CD as long as it's something one-piece. He'll use pre-stuffed pockets, snapped-in AI2s, or AIO diapers and hated when we used prefolds and covers.

This is mine as well. Our current nighttime setup (involving inserts outside the fitted) nearly has him running in the opposite direction, but after W's exploded one night, he's all about cloth.

Yeah we're currently in the nighttime sposies camp because her nighttime diaper setup was too complicated for him and kept having leaks (probably because she sleeps late and pees a ton in the morning).  

[MapleMe]

If you don't have a brick and morter CD store near you, just go online and buy 2-3 diapers for funsies. Don't stress too hard about your choice because you will need many more diapers than that (Blueberry and Smart Bottoms have the cutest prints IMO). MH laughed at me when I suggested cloth diapers, but agreed to entertain the idea (once he knew that I was serious). I bought a couple and saw his eyes light up when he saw a cute pattern on a diaper that looked like a diaper (as opposed to the pins, fancy folds and plastic pants that he was envisioning). We're all about the prefolds and covers now, but we have owned a wide variety of styles (we use pockets for daycare and have apparently converted a bunch of the staff over to cloth with them). We have not been thrifty about our CD habit and we have still saved a ton of money compared to sposies.

[pbandj714]

Honestly, most pockets you'll find have man-made inners (the part that touches baby) made of microsuede. We've never had an issue with it and have had virtually zero rashes. I can only think of one diaper that I personally have that has a bamboo inner. It's the Kawaii Premium Bamboo. That pocket shell takes much longer to dry than any of my pocket shells with suede cloth, just fyi, so I always throw it in the dryer.

ETA linky

[freezorburn]

Some thoughts on pockets ...

I did not like them for overnights because we tended to get leaks out of the waist. DSwasa side sleeper so we preferred the 360 coverage of a fitted, or a pinned or snappied prefold or flat.

I did use them as a backup ON diaper once DS had PT'd for overnight. Partly because that was what he was comfortable wearing. He didn't like the trainer that I got for him and there was no reason to spend more money at that point. Eventually switched to underwear. Wasn't part of a plan, that's just how it played out for us.

Most pockets come with MF inserts. One exception that I know of is Thirsties. They come with one MF and one hemp/cotton. I've found they work well together.

You can stuff pockets with an organic cotton insert or pad folded prefold or flat.

[brandiewine11]

I hate pockets because I hate stuffing them, but I did use them for a while. As others said, most are going to be lined with microfleece or suede cloth (which my kid is allergic too).

The only "natural " cover I know of is wool. But I've honestly never heard of anyone being too concerned with off gassing of PUL covers. But yes, used are definitely a possibility.

Pockets are not generally good for overnight unless you have a light wetter.

Cloth should be changed about every 2 hours, some kids need changes every 1.5 hours, so you will go through more cloth than sposies.

One size are your best bet. They may be bulky at first but it's fine.

If I were you I think I'd get simplex aios (they dry fairly quickly) or flats/prefolds and covers (you can pad fold and lay in the cover), or something like best bottoms with the snap in inserts.

[MapleMe]

If you really want a pocket overnight diaper Kawaii has their Good Night Heavy Wetter that has a generous allowance for a lot of stuffing. But it's also pretty standard to have a different nighttime solution than your daytime diapers.

I knew a mom in one of my local babywearing groups who did wool covers 100% of the time. It's definitely possible. I thought that it seemed like too much work, but she said that it was easier than PUL, since they need to be washed so rarely.

TPU is the other diaper cover material that someone was referring to upthread. I apparently own some TPU, but I can't tell the difference.

I'm sensitive to off gassing and I have never noticed an off gassing diaper. Maybe a wash is all it needs?

[freezorburn]

A fitted is another type of diaper. GMD workhorses are a popular example, and good value for the money. Fitteds are shaped with cutouts for the legs and have elastic. They may or may have snaps or Velcro or need to be snappied or pinned. You still need some kind of cover. They are a bit pricier than prefolds.

Sometimes when people are learning the terminology they confuse fitted with sized. Fitted is a type of diaper. Sized will mean the diaper comes in two or more sizes. 1 and 2, or XS, S, M, L. The advantage of sized is that you won't have the bulk of an OS (One Size) diaper that will fit anywhere from a tiny baby to a toddler. Disadvantage is that you need to buy more diapers to cover more stages of growth. And that gets expensive.

[MapleMe]

If your girls have stopped pooping at night you can stop changing them at night too. You just need enough absorption to last all night. If they haven't stopped pooping at night, you can just use your daytime diapers until they do.

For ON (overnight), hemp is a really good option because it holds so much more than cotton (but it is the most expensive material out there). I like Geffen hemp flats that I just padfold 3 of (my kiddo is a nighttime heavy wetter) and then put in an extra room cover (Blueberry Capri or Coverall). You need a minimum of 3 nighttime setups per girl (to allow for wash and dry time)

[pbandj714]

Buttons and Grovia are also options with snap-in inserts. They are called AI2 (all-in-2) systems because if just pee, you can change the insert, wipe and reuse the cover (although grovia is mesh inside, so not as easy for that brand). Oh, also, Best Bottoms and Buttons inserts and covers work together, too.

ETA and all 3 of those brands have natural-fiber inserts that would touch baby.

[piccyami]

We have 17 nighttime diapers for our two. My thought process was that I'd get 14 (1 diaper per night per kid for the week) so I could set everything up on Saturday or Sunday, but buying batches on facebook got me 17.

We started using wool overnight, but have stopped temporarily. We will probably continue when I'm not quite so overwhelmed.

[piccyami]

May 18, 2017 9:21:19 GMT -5 @wineandcupcakes said:

May 18, 2017 8:21:45 GMT -5 piccyami said:

We have 17 nighttime diapers for our two. My thought process was that I'd get 14 (1 diaper per night per kid for the week) so I could set everything up on Saturday or Sunday, but buying batches on facebook got me 17.

We started using wool overnight, but have stopped temporarily. We will probably continue when I'm not quite so overwhelmed.

How did you set up your stash for two? Like, what did you buy as far as numbers of things and brands?

My concern now - given all of the different options is that I will overspend trying to buy a variety before I commit to a particular system/brand.

I started out in newborns, so I had a bunch (like 60-ish changes). I had a handful of each brand I thought I would like and quickly settled into what I liked (simplexes for daytime) and I'm working on selling off what I didn't like. I think I have about 50 simplexes now for daytime. I've been building my stash over the past 5 months or so. Every time blueberry does a grab bag sale, I get a few and keep an eye out for someone here selling some when I have pp. We still do disposables on the weekends while we work through our stash of those and while 1/3 of the simplexes are out of commission for new elastics (because I bought really used diapers).

You can always sell what you decide you don't like.  Between here, consignment sales, and facebook, I've managed to unload most of what we didn't like for a little less than what I paid for the used stuff.

[piccyami]

You can always buy a couple at a time and keep using the disposables until you find what you like. I don't like matching inserts to pockets, so we only have a few blueberry ones left. H isn't a fan of multiple steps, so we aren't using the daytime fitteds or best bottoms we have.

Also, prefolds and covers are very economical and can fill in until you find what you like. Pretty much all of our prefolds are used as burp cloths now.

[MapleMe]

May 18, 2017 9:21:19 GMT -5 @wineandcupcakes said:

May 18, 2017 8:21:45 GMT -5 piccyami said:

We have 17 nighttime diapers for our two. My thought process was that I'd get 14 (1 diaper per night per kid for the week) so I could set everything up on Saturday or Sunday, but buying batches on facebook got me 17.

We started using wool overnight, but have stopped temporarily. We will probably continue when I'm not quite so overwhelmed.

How did you set up your stash for two? Like, what did you buy as far as numbers of things and brands?

My concern now - given all of the different options is that I will overspend trying to buy a variety before I commit to a particular system/brand.

My advice is don't ever bother committing to a brand. Maybe commit to 3 or so. Because babies bodies change all the time and the diaper that worked before may not work later and the diaper that you hated before might be your saving grace later. I feel like prefolds/flats plus covers are more adaptable to change, but don't worry about finding THE SOLUTION.

Also, to put cost into perspective. Let's say that you bought a huge and high quality stash as follows:

100 prefolds: $300
50 covers : $750
30 hemp flats (for ON): $300
100 cloth wipes: $100
Wet bags/sprayer/etc: $100

That's a pretty "whatevs about money" kind of stash and it totals about $1550 (you could do a budget stash for way, way less). Conversely, you were talking about spending $250/month on sposies, which would cost you $6000-$9000 or more depending on when potty training happens. I think that you can go hog wild with cloth and still spend WAY less money than sposies. (And since you said that YH is into cloth for the money, you should show him these figures).