Sticking to my guns on CD...

[lgraceh]

Hello!

I've been lurking for a bit, and you ladies seem to know what is up. So I figured that I would throw my question out there. We are not quite ready to try and GKU (May/June), but I have been on the CD train for a few years. It seems like the pros definitely outweigh the cons. However, my family is all pretty freaked out by the idea. Did anyone else experience this? Are you ok w/ disposables at Grandma's house?

Also, from what I've read, it seems that a lot of families don't start CD until the baby is bigger. Is that the case for anyone here? Did you jump into CD right from the get go? Or ease in? Thanks for your insight!

[Deleted]

Some people don't start cloth until the baby is bigger, because most (if not all) one size diapers won't fit a newborn. Newborns are funny shaped things with little stick legs. One-size diapers usually won't fit right until the baby is about 10-12 pounds.

Whether your mother (or mother in law) uses disposables on your baby is really between you and her, and your baby's bum.

It's nice to plan ahead and all, but if you're not even trying to get pregnant...then maybe you are worrying about this before you need to.

[MapleMomma]

Personally my SILs have asked me if they can use disposables on my baby when they watch it. We've come to an agreement that they at least TRY my cloth, and if they insist on disposables, then they buy them.

Some people use cloth because of allergy issues though and I can see why going to disposables for those babies would NOT be ok.

[mrslka]

I have a mix of feelings from family members. My mom and step dad will use the CDs but if they watch the kids for a weekend they buy disposibles. They actually took time to learn a little bit about CDs when we switched so they were informed. My dad and step mom won't change a CD, they think we are crazy for using CDs. It doesn't bother us, they haven't taken the time to really see how easy they are (we use pockets for babysitters/grandparents). My ILs were over the moon when switched to CDs. They CDed theirs kids 30 yrs ago and are very impressed with the new pul covers and diaper options. My MIL even brags to people that we CD! I think if you want to CD don't let their opinions both you. We are fine if they want to use disposibles but we don't buy them, we provide CDs so it's not like we aren't providing something.

I think most of these ladies agree with starting right away with CDs. I really believe a newborn stash is worth it, sometimes you go through a few diapers before even leaving the changing table in the first weeks. That said, I didn't start CDing until DS1 was about 4 months, because I was uneducated about CDing and how easy it is. DS2 we are CD once we got home from the hospital. With this baby we are starting shortly after birth, mostly likely the first diaper DH or I put on her.

[ComeMai]

Has future Grandma seen modern cloth diapers? Where I grew up, cloth diapers were the norm. People used flats, pins, plastic pants and wet pails full of stinky diapers. If that is future Grandma's perception, I can see why they'd question you. Once they see modern cloth diapers, they will likely change their minds. Flats & pins are still great, but there are much better (& cuter!) options to replace plastic pants.

FWIW, my SIL thought I was crazy to CD. Our kids are about the same age. She's a bargain shopper and has a serious stockpile of disposables. Just recently she said that once her stockpile runs out with this kid, that she wants to look in CDs for the next. So, you never know when your family will come around. Honestly, it doesn't matter what your family thinks. Your kid, your right to make decisions that are best for your family.

[awful]

I start the day home from the hospital with a NB stash. I feel like I saved a ton of money starting cloth from the beginning vs waiting until DS grew into a OS stash.

Many family members doubted I would like CDing but their opinion really doesn't matter since I don't live near any of them. I'm definitely not anti-disposables though. When we go on vacations where laundry services aren't available or iffy, DS is in disposables. We are going to Disney next week, I'll be leaving his cloth at home. When I have someone watch DS, I ask if cloth is cool and have some disposables on hand if they aren't (he doesn't get babysat that much and he doesn't go to daycare).

[velvethelicopters]

My future in laws are thrilled with CD. MIL just apparently got a stash of covers from a garage sale. Got no clue, but she says they're adorable.

[mrslka]

Jan 21, 2015 12:12:01 GMT -5 velvethelicopters said:

My future in laws are thrilled with CD. MIL just apparently got a stash of covers from a garage sale. Got no clue, but she says they're adorable.

That's wonderful!  My MIL has bought many diapers for us, I sometimes have to remind her we don't "need" more.  

[piccyami]

We've been TTC for 8 months so far. I've been hanging out and learning and picking up a lot of other things along the way. Even though we're not KU yet, I've started buying cloth diapers that need serious repair just to keep me busy.

If you're off of BC, I would recommend going ahead and starting to temp now so that you have an idea what your cycle is like when you're actually trying.

[rrrrrachel]

My mom was not realy thrilled about cd (which is funny because she did it and is super hippie otherwise), and she watched my daughter two days a week as a baby. So I told her I would send cloth and if she wanted to use disposables she was welcome but I wasn't going to buy them.

[Lola]

My mom watches Q once a week. She doesn't like using CDs, so i bring her disposables. I tried to get her to use CDs but she wasn't on board. She doesn't think we are crazy, she just prefers the others. It wasnt worth trying to convert her when she babysits for free.

[mrslka]

Jan 21, 2015 12:28:36 GMT -5 Lola said:

My mom watches Q once a week. She doesn't like using CDs, so i bring her disposables. I tried to get her to use CDs but she wasn't on board. She doesn't think we are crazy, she just prefers the others. It wasnt worth trying to convert her when she babysits for free.

I do agree it isn't worth pushing if they are watching LO for free. We are lucky enought that my mom asked if it was ok if they bought disposibles to use for the weekends they watch the kids. 

[nanaosaki06]

It's normal to find some resistance to CD from your family. I know I did. Once I started it and everyone saw how easy it was they all changed their minds. Now they pick on me for it like I'm some sort of CD hoarder. I CDed both of my kids from birth, it's doable if you buy newborn diapers.

[CurlieWhirlie]

My mom, who watches my kids, was all "ummm, cd? Maybe we'll do disposables" at first, and I just smiled and nodded. And got her AIOs to use. Which she loves, and once she got used to them she never brought up disposables again. People don't know what CD is like these days until you show them.

[LittleStarSweeper]

I'm in agreement with others... it's great to start CDing right away. I had my DD in prefolds and covers until she fit into the OS pockets we are using now. She was little when she was born (6lbs 6oz), so it took her three months or so to fit well in the OS diapers.

In my family, the person who was primarily going to be changing the baby made the decision (me) and everyone else was supportive. My DH was supportive all along but now he PREFERS the cloth. If others who will be watching the baby are not comfortable with cloth, it's up to you whether or not you're willing for them to use sposies.

[faupanda]

I used to be in the "we cd and don't you dare put a disposable on her butt" camp with dd1. Then we had dd2 and I became "I prefer if you use cd, but if you are changing the diaper, I don't care as long as it's clean." I think there's bigger things to stress out over than CDs.

[brandiewine11]

We started CD when DS was about 10 days old. I would have started as soon as we got home but my recovery made it impossible. Once MIL arrived to help with laundry, we used the CD's.

We got some comments from friends & family at first, but once they saw we were going to stick with it, they stopped. Since we don't have a regular babysitter, I do keep a few sposies around in case a friend who isn't comfortable with CD's watches DS. Our daycare uses our cloth so thats no big deal.

[hq]

You've gotten plenty of good responses here. I'll just add that with DS, I had interest in cloth but a coworker of mine scared me and I chickened out. By the time he was 7 weeks old, I had so much guilt over throwing disposables into landfills that I just said screw it, and bought a few to try. Well, I tried them and ordered more, but the mail couldn't arrive fast enough! I was hooked.

That being said I'm not too disappointed that we didn't use cloth from the start. We were extremely overwhelmed as first time parents, so the slow transition into cloth worked for us. Now that we are expecting our second, I know that the laundry is no big deal at all and we will be using cloth once she is home from the hospital. So, there is no right or wrong answer, it's what works for your family.

[DGM]

Another anecdote here...my mom was also anti-CD. She wasn't impressed with the AIOs but loved the covers with flannel receiving blankets I just started using. She liked it so much she gave me a Visa gift card over the weekend to get more blankets and new to me flips (thanks SAK!) to replace the covers L will be outgrowing soon.



ETA I did a newborn diaper trial and gdiapers along with disposables for the newborn stage. If we have a #2, I want to CD from the start with AIO or workhorses.

[ovenrack]

Just chiming in that my husband's aunts (who are are occasional babysitters) are NOT into cloth. I don't have other cheap babysitting options, so I bring disposables. I bought AIOs for them to use, aplix ones. Still no dice. This was not an issue I was willing to GBCA (good bye cruel aunts, ha ha) over, and so it goes.

We started CDing at 10 days because I was scared. The lovely ladies here (err, there) told me to jump in and here I am fifty weeks later. Don't let naysayers talk you out of it.

My FAVORITE thing to say to people who express disgust or other negativity... or people who say you'll give up...

Is to look super concerned and turn to them and say, "Oh gosh! You used cloth diapers?! What happened! If they didn't work for you, I'd love to hear about why!"

And then they'll admit they've never, EVER used a cloth diaper.

And then you can give them shit for professing such a strong opinion on something they've never, EVER touched, let alone tried out.

[sasq09]

I eased my family into it. I wasn't going to insist they use cloth (because free babysitting) but as it turned out L is really sensitive to disposables, and after she came home from all day at the inlaws (alll day in disposables) with almost chemical burn like rashes I said that's it and now everyone only uses cloth. Honestly, no one gave me a hard time at all except dh in the very beginning. Now no one thinks its any harder.

Funny story - one day I came home and my sister-in-law had been babysitting and when I changed L's diaper it was on backwards! I have no idea how she snapped all the snaps with it on backwards. I mean, she almost would have had to lay L on her belly or stand her up to do it. I laughed so hard I could barely change her

[clearlycrystal]

So I was all about CDing from before we were expecting. My DH got on board once we visited a store and he could actually see the types of diapers. I think DH was more excited than I was. MIL thought we were crazy until we bought some diapers and showed them to her. She was amazed at how different they are. We shared each of our diaper purchases with her and she loved the adorable prints and our excitement was contagious.

She is welcome to use disposable diapers at her house but uses our cloth. Bless her heart they are almost always on wrong. We bought AIO specifically for ease of use but use covers/prefolds at home. When my MIL is at our house she insists on changing DS diapers. One day little man's fluff butt was HUGE. When I changed his diaper MIL had put him in an aio, prefold, soaker pad and fleece liner.

Extended family and church friends have made stupid comments but they don't matter.

[Nik Pal]

I started cloth at six months. I wanted to sooner but my husband said he wouldn't change diapers if they were cloth, so we got sposies. I finally got sick of paying for them, so I got a cloth stash. Husband still refuses to use them, so when he's home with her she's in disposables. Overnight she's in them as well, and at daycare (since they provide them). I prefer cloth, and it's already saved me money, since she's in cloth most of the time. So remember, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Also, most people are closed minded and uninformed about them, so it's best to ignore them and come here for advice if you need it.