Motivate me again please!

[queenbabee]

Hello all! A little background: 
I am a FTM to a 4.5 month old DS. When I was pregnant, my SIL and I were both super motivated to cloth diaper (LOs are only 1 month apart). We went to classes, bought all of our diapers, detergents, books. We are set. My plan was disposable until he fit into OSA to skip cost of newborns. He was really little at birth and didn't end up fitting them until about 2 months. 
I lost motivation when: 
1. The onsies didn't fit well over the diapers and the tees kept riding up on his belly.
2. I HAD to do laundry very 2 days. 
I gave up super fast now he is STTN ok and I can commit to the laundry thing better. Still have an issue with the onsie thing though. The disposables are expensive, but just so EASY.

ANY words of wisdom or helpful motivation tips for a FTM Who really does want to use those cute as shit diapers?!

[catlady22]

I have only been cloth diapering for 3 months (since that's how old LO is) but I think the laundry routine has gotten much easier. Give it another try! As far as the clothes go, I typically just dress LO in the next size up and I don't have an issue.

[gahorseygal]

Buy onesie extenders. Not the ones from amazon but I think babies r us has the extenders in multiple snap sizes so they fit different brands. This has been a lifesaver for me. My LO has a long body plus the cloth makes onesies impossible without them.

[TJ]

So put LO in clothes that fit? Isn't that what you would do for yourself?

Disposables ARE expensive, AND you've already spent all this money on cloth. Just bite the bullet, try it for 2 weeks. If after 2 weeks you aren't happy, sell your stash and go back to disposables. But I promise you, you will be doing less laundry because there will be less blowouts, your baby will look cuter in cloth, and you will save a ton of money.

Things are really hard in the newborn period. You got this now.

[gahorseygal]

I also made some from hand me down onesies that were well loved. There is a YouTube tutorial on how to do it. You could also buy some plain cheap ones to do this with.

[mrslka]

Everything TJ said!
Once you get into a routine it's really easy, I think easier then disposables.

[queenbabee]

Jan 27, 2015 9:16:52 GMT -5 TJ said:

So put LO in clothes that fit? Isn't that what you would do for yourself?

Disposables ARE expensive, AND you've already spent all this money on cloth. Just bite the bullet, try it for 2 weeks. If after 2 weeks you aren't happy, sell your stash and go back to disposables. But I promise you, you will be doing less laundry because there will be less blowouts, your baby will look cuter in cloth, and you will save a ton of money.

Things are really hard in the newborn period. You got this now.

So I am emberassed to say....this has never even crossed my mind! Haha one size up sounds like a great plan! Although I am guilty of trying to "squeeze" my ass into a smaller size,I totally get your point.

[DGM]

As for the laundry, what kind of CDs do you have? It's a long story, but I only use my AIO and pockets once/week. The rest of the week I use covers and flannel receiving blankets. I just rinse the FRBs out and wash them with regular laundry which has to be done anyway so I technically only have one "extra" load each week. My understanding is this can also be done with flats or flour sack towels and if they are ruined, it's not an expensive loss. Honestly though, the laundry isn't that big of a deal, and I'd use the AIO more if I could.

Have fun and come back to update!


ETA our babies are about the same age and I learned the hard way keep that the sizing labels on baby clothes are just "suggestions" as TJ says! My girl still fits into 0-3 month clothes from Target, also fits into 6-9 month onesies gifted to us but 3-6 month sleep n plays from Kmart are ginormous on her.

[Stringy]

Also. Think of all those disposables going in a landfill. Or getting incinerated. Or in our oceans. Gross and horrible.

Things also won't be as bulky as your LO grows. Yes OS on a 3-5 month old is bulky but my 20 month old is wearing the same dipes she did when she was 5 months and they aren't bulky at all now.

There are days when laundry sucks. But diapers is only one load. I have many others waiting in line too.

[queenbabee]

Thanks DGM. I have almost all AIO and a few pockets (which are my fave designs). I literally feel like the laziest laundry doer ever! This thread is helping my motivation for sure so I will be sure to update!

eta tagging is hard

[DGM]

Jan 27, 2015 11:23:02 GMT -5 queenbabee said:

Thanks DGM. I have almost all AIO and a few pockets (which are my fave designs). I literally feel like the laziest laundry doer ever! This thread is helping my motivation for sure so I will be sure to update!

eta tagging is hard

CD laundry is kinda fun though, and it'll be easier to get in a good routine now before baby starts solids.

[catlady22]

Jan 27, 2015 11:27:58 GMT -5 DGM said:

Jan 27, 2015 11:23:02 GMT -5 queenbabee said:

Thanks DGM. I have almost all AIO and a few pockets (which are my fave designs). I literally feel like the laziest laundry doer ever! This thread is helping my motivation for sure so I will be sure to update!

eta tagging is hard

CD laundry is kinda fun though, and it'll be easier to get in a good routine now before baby starts solids.



This. I hate doing regular laundry, but cloth laundry is fun. I get excited when his cute ones are clean to wear again! 

[rugger]

What TJ said. Clothing label sizes for babies are in ranges for a reason. If the 3-6 month onesies don't fit, buy 6 month or 6-9. Your baby won't be drowning in them, I promise. My youngest is 8 months and can wear anything between 9 month and 12 month clothes. Just like adult clothes, the same size in two different brands may fit completely differently. You just gotta buy what fits!

The newborn phase is hard, but you do get into a rhythm with laundry and figuring out what fits and what doesn't. We still suck at doing regular laundry, but my kids need diapers, so diaper laundry always gets done. Do it in the evening so they will be dry and ready by morning.

You've got this, mama!

[MapleMe]

I think that diaper laundry also fits well with my lazy laundry attitude. This is how things usually go: Put them in the wash! Woohoo, getting stuff done! Oh, they're done, but I'm lazy. Oh right, all I have to do is add detergent! That was easy. Woohoo! getting stuff done! And they're done again. Press another button for a final rinse. Damn! I am accomplishing today! Go me! Ok, now they're actually done and I need to have two hands to momentarily hang a half dozen covers, pocket shells and wet bag and put everything else in the dryer. Damn, that was hard work. Good job Maple! Dryer is done now? Meh, I can't resuff pockets right now and the dryer is like 6 feet from the diaper changing area. They can hang out in there while I play with my baby on the floor. Good times. (Unless MH is doing diaper laundry because he is so awesome at actually putting things away when the dryer beeps).

And all of that is so much easier than realizing that I'm out of sposies during a snow storm (or any other time I don't want to leave the house). Or worse yet, for me, having to scrap a barely opened box of sposies because LO is going up a size. The CDs that fit M at 2 months will also fit her at 2 years. And troubleshooting CDs is easier because there is a whole herd of woman who have heard all the questions and can probably solve your problem fast. I've seen people try to troubleshoot sposies and it goes like this:

OP: OMG constant poopsplosions! I'm wearing my wedding dress because everything else is covered in baby emissions!
R1: Ewww. Throw everything out.
R2: Maybe it's time to go up a size
R3: Or down a size?
R4: Try MYFAVORITEBRAND diapers. Everything else is crap.
R5: Buy a box of every diaper brand and size out there until one works or your baby is potty trained.

Ok, I jest. Kind of. I'm punchy today. But really, give it a go. The worst case scenario is that you save some money on not buying sposies for the period of time that you're using cloth. And if you have any problems, come back here and we will help. And be funny. We're good at both.

[unaveragejane]

Just a quick aside...be prepared to put a little extra absorbency in your LO's nighttime diaper since you said he or she is starting to STTN. You may not wind up needing it, but be prepared just in case.

[hq]

Echoing others, the NB phase is a really big adjustment. I don't remember much of anything until DS was STTN. But really, a couple of loads of laundry a week is totally doable. Lots of the moms here work outside the home, too. I liked TJs advice, stick with it for a few weeks. Keep us posted!

[CurlieWhirlie]

Jan 27, 2015 13:25:33 GMT -5 MapleMe said:

I think that diaper laundry also fits well with my lazy laundry attitude. This is how things usually go: Put them in the wash! Woohoo, getting stuff done! Oh, they're done, but I'm lazy. Oh right, all I have to do is add detergent! That was easy. Woohoo! getting stuff done! And they're done again. Press another button for a final rinse. Damn! I am accomplishing today! Go me! Ok, now they're actually done and I need to have two hands to momentarily hang a half dozen covers, pocket shells and wet bag and put everything else in the dryer. Damn, that was hard work. Good job Maple! Dryer is done now? Meh, I can't resuff pockets right now and the dryer is like 6 feet from the diaper changing area. They can hang out in there while I play with my baby on the floor. Good times. (Unless MH is doing diaper laundry because he is so awesome at actually putting things away when the dryer beeps).

And all of that is so much easier than realizing that I'm out of sposies during a snow storm (or any other time I don't want to leave the house). Or worse yet, for me, having to scrap a barely opened box of sposies because LO is going up a size. The CDs that fit M at 2 months will also fit her at 2 years. And troubleshooting CDs is easier because there is a whole herd of woman who have heard all the questions and can probably solve your problem fast. I've seen people try to troubleshoot sposies and it goes like this:

OP: OMG constant poopsplosions! I'm wearing my wedding dress because everything else is covered in baby emissions!
R1: Ewww. Throw everything out.
R2: Maybe it's time to go up a size
R3: Or down a size?
R4: Try MYFAVORITEBRAND diapers. Everything else is crap.
R5: Buy a box of every diaper brand and size out there until one works or your baby is potty trained.

Ok, I jest. Kind of. I'm punchy today. But really, give it a go. The worst case scenario is that you save some money on not buying sposies for the period of time that you're using cloth. And if you have any problems, come back here and we will help. And be funny. We're good at both.

^^This is my favorite.

[queenbabee]

Jan 27, 2015 13:25:33 GMT -5 MapleMe said:

I think that diaper laundry also fits well with my lazy laundry attitude. This is how things usually go: Put them in the wash! Woohoo, getting stuff done! Oh, they're done, but I'm lazy. Oh right, all I have to do is add detergent! That was easy. Woohoo! getting stuff done! And they're done again. Press another button for a final rinse. Damn! I am accomplishing today! Go me! Ok, now they're actually done and I need to have two hands to momentarily hang a half dozen covers, pocket shells and wet bag and put everything else in the dryer. Damn, that was hard work. Good job Maple! Dryer is done now? Meh, I can't resuff pockets right now and the dryer is like 6 feet from the diaper changing area. They can hang out in there while I play with my baby on the floor. Good times. (Unless MH is doing diaper laundry because he is so awesome at actually putting things away when the dryer beeps).

And all of that is so much easier than realizing that I'm out of sposies during a snow storm (or any other time I don't want to leave the house). Or worse yet, for me, having to scrap a barely opened box of sposies because LO is going up a size. The CDs that fit M at 2 months will also fit her at 2 years. And troubleshooting CDs is easier because there is a whole herd of woman who have heard all the questions and can probably solve your problem fast. I've seen people try to troubleshoot sposies and it goes like this:

OP: OMG constant poopsplosions! I'm wearing my wedding dress because everything else is covered in baby emissions!
R1: Ewww. Throw everything out.
R2: Maybe it's time to go up a size
R3: Or down a size?
R4: Try MYFAVORITEBRAND diapers. Everything else is crap.
R5: Buy a box of every diaper brand and size out there until one works or your baby is potty trained.

Ok, I jest. Kind of. I'm punchy today. But really, give it a go. The worst case scenario is that you save some money on not buying sposies for the period of time that you're using cloth. And if you have any problems, come back here and we will help. And be funny. We're good at both.

I have definitely had to scrap for a size up which sucks. I'm a pedi ARNP so I donate them to my office but still...it sucks. Thanks!
And you,BTW, are hilarious!

[DGM]

Yay, another nurse I was a gen med pedi RN but SAH now, and there are lots of RNs and future RNs on here. Ironically, what tipped my decision to CD was when I was 5 months pregnant, I took care of a 6 week old who needed the next size up during his hospital stay. Seeing the worried look on his mom's face when she said she hopes she can exchange the 1's for 2's at Wal-Mart was so sad to me.

[pipsqueak]

On the laundry note.....I've been thinking all evening that I need to do laundry tomorrow....and then thinking, oh, yeah, I also have to wash my sheets and remember to go down to take care of the load of colored clothes in the dryer from Monday....but on the bright side I get to wash diapers.

[flumma]

Disposables smell. CDs don't. My niece was happy her little brother finally potty trained because his room smelled like poop. G's room does not smell like poop.

[Nik Pal]

I def agree trying it for 2 weeks can help. Also, remember it doesn't have to be all or nothing, but using cloth can only save you money since you already have your stash. FWIW, I hate doing laundry, but diaper laundry isn't bad at all. Finally, the people on this board are awesome, if there weren't already enough great reasons to use cloth, getting to know everyone here is a definite perk!

[queenbabee]

Nik Pal I would have to agree, the ladies on this board have been super helpful & quite funny in doing so! The board has a new fan

[cq4lyfe]

I'm not trying to be snarky but just do it! There's no excuse. And why are disposables "easy?" It's just as quick to put cloth on as it is a sposie unless you are doing a complicated fold. Set a goal to use 3 CDS per day to get back on a routine if you feel overwhelmed. My children sleep in disposables most of the time so I'm not judging you but your post sounds a little silly to me. Buy bigger clothes for your baby please

[TJ]

I guess post-partum CQ is just as fierce as pregnant CQ.

[queenbabee]

Jan 28, 2015 11:29:03 GMT -5 cq4lyfe said:

I'm not trying to be snarky but just do it! There's no excuse. And why are disposables "easy?" It's just as quick to put cloth on as it is a sposie unless you are doing a complicated fold. Set a goal to use 3 CDS per day to get back on a routine if you feel overwhelmed. My children sleep in disposables most of the time so I'm not judging you but your post sounds a little silly to me. Buy bigger clothes for your baby please

Lol I hear ya! I know it sounds silly and TBH I feel silly about it! We have bigger clothes so I went home yesterday and we CD with no problem! I went up a onsie size and it worked perfectly (legit dumbass feeling throughout too when I told DH that easy fix). And worse....no complicated folds! I am using bum genius AIOs. 
Thanks for your input even when I sound like an obvious idiot. I know it's not easy

[TJ]

Congrats on making it through the day with no issues! I love BG AIOs. I hope it continues to be easy.

[cq4lyfe]

Jan 28, 2015 11:39:00 GMT -5 TJ said:

I guess post-partum CQ is just as fierce as pregnant CQ.

PP CQ = No sleep = bitchy and grumpy

[TJ]

Jan 28, 2015 11:56:49 GMT -5 cq4lyfe said:

Jan 28, 2015 11:39:00 GMT -5 TJ said:

I guess post-partum CQ is just as fierce as pregnant CQ.

PP CQ = No sleep = bitchy and grumpy

It's okay, I love feisty CQ.