Talk me into/out of cloth diapers?

[vivela]

So I had no intention of cloth diapering. I don't really know much about it and it hadn't really occurred to me to try it. Then the other night I met this new dad who said he had all these concerns about the work, how much they cost, how gross they were, etc. But his wife insisted, and now he loves them and tries to convince everyone to do it.
I've been researching a bit and I'm a bit lost with the different pieces, how much you need of what, different fabric types, and so on.
Anyone do this and love it? Anyone do this and hate it?

Edit: this is a post and run because I will have classes the next couple hours, but I promise I'll be back!

[sandandsea]

Nope, no way, no how for me.

Pros:
Better for the environment
Can use same diapers for multiple kids so can be cost beneficial if you have lots of kids
There are some really cute ones
Can get organic cotton, etc. so no chemicals touch your baby's butt

Cons:
Wet bags (at home, on the go, etc.)
Having to carry poopy diapers around with you if you're out (in the wet bag)
Having to wipe smeared baby poop off of them before laundering
ALL THE LAUNDRY
Expensive
Having to do laundry more often because running out of diapers isn't an option
Training others (grandparents, babysitters, daycare) how to use your diapers properly (they're all different and not putting them on properly is a recipe for disaster)


ETA:  For us it's about convenience, admittedly.  DH and I are both so busy with our careers and DS already that there's no way I want to take on more work than I have to.  And honestly, disposable are easier.  I'm lazy, overloaded, and convenience wins.  I also have 2 friends who tried CD and hated it, one lasted a month, the other lasted 3 months.  I also have 2 friends who love it and are all about CD, but they're also SAHMs so maybe laundry is easier for them during the day?  I think it's awesome for other people, but not me.  And I'll be totally jealous of the cute CD your LOs wear.

[ArgyleEnigma]

I'm not considering it. Ick factor aside, we don't have laundry in-home, and that would be a non-starter for me even if my neighbors were okay with poop in the community washing machines (which they surely aren't).

[pbandj714]

Paging Stringy!

I'm definitely planning to CD and my H is on board. We were planning to from the beginning with one baby, and now that we're having twins, the financial piece of it is pretty hugely swayed us to CD. We also try to be fairly conscious of our environmental impact, so that is a factor as well.

Regarding the thought that there will be SO much more laundry. I think that's a crock. Babies in general create an astronomical amount of laundry whether they're CD'd or not. They spit up, have poopsplosions (which tend to be less likely will properly-fitting CDs), are messy with food, etc. The ladies on the CD board will tell you that one more load of laundry every other day is NBD.

Anyway, the FAQ on the CD board here (link: www.goodbyecb.proboards.com/thread/9371/faqs-read-me-first) is full of helpful information. Also, the ladies on that board really know their stuff, so don't be afraid to ask them questions, too.

[Stringy]

Well pbandj714, covered the basics. Read the CD board FAQ's. Its not for everyone. But if you are interested don't be intimated.

We've been CDing our 2.5 y/o since we got home from the hospital. Until 6 months ago probably in cloth 90% of the time. Grandparents do it for us just fine. All-in-one cloth diapers have zero learning curve (at least the same as disposables). ZERO.

Otherwise, like PBJ said, babies make laundry. Lots of it. Disposables leak big time (hello poop blowouts) so you'll be putting poopy onsies in your washer regardless. Its like 2 loads of laundry a week. Throwing in laundry is way better than running to target at 9 pm for more diapers.

Carrying wet bags is no big deal. Ever been somewhere where there's no trash cans? A park? The beach? The back seat of your car in parking lot? What will you do with a disposable? Wet bags are amazing for everything. Get them even if you don't CD (poopy outfits happen everywhere in disposables).

If you are intimated by all the kinds, I totally get it. Watch CD 101 on you tube. See if there's a local store where you can go touch them. Ask here.

I also am so interested to see how much PBJ saves by CDing twins. Newborns go through like 10-12 diapers a day sometimes. Times two. I cannot imagine all the trash. You should track what you spend on your stash PBJ.

The only thing stated a lot that I'd say may be a myth is using them for multiple kids. This really depends on the brand and the type. Prefolds and flats and fitted, sure. pockets and all-in ones...not so much. Elastic stretches, velco fades, and the cheaper brands don't last for that long unless you have a lot of diapers so a big rotation. But some certainly will.

[frecklesnbrains]

I turned to my dad for advice on this one. My dad? Yep! He's an environmental scientist and climate change expert and I wanted him to help me interpret the -very- conflicting information out there regarding the environmental impact of disposables vs. cloth. The bottom line? The studies that show that there is no significant difference (when measured by carbon footprint) are pretty solid. This may change as new technologies come about, but in the meantime I think it comes down to personal preference. Having a baby is bad for your carbon footprint regardless of the choice you make. So I'll try to make my impacts elsewhere (own a hybrid car, try to minimize other household waste, decrease electricity use, etc.). We will use disposable diapers mostly for the same reason that ArgyleEnigma mentioned - we share a washing machine with two other units, so it won't be filled with poopy diapers. And also because I'll be a working mom so it will simplify things.

[Stringy]

Also FWIW, I know very few people who have tried it and hated it. Like truly tried it, not half assing. Not all brands fit all kids, so there could be leaks. But the exact same goes for disposables. You can re-sell or trade diapers in a flash and find something that does.

It also doesn't have to be all or nothing. Like I said, my daughter is probably in disposables 25% of the time now for logistical reasons (lots of overnights at grandparents and going to preschool and we moved and never got organized again).

[Flair Underwood]

My only input besides everything sandandsea said... if you're LO is going to go to daycare, sometimes they won't even do it there.


And I always worried about overnight... when they sleep 8-10-12 hour stretches, that super absorbancy of a disposable is key.

[Stringy]

Jan 8, 2016 11:56:44 GMT -5 frecklesnbrains said:

I turned to my dad for advice on this one. My dad? Yep! He's an environmental scientist and climate change expert and I wanted him to help me interpret the -very- conflicting information out there regarding the environmental impact of disposables vs. cloth. The bottom line? The studies that show that there is no significant difference (when measured by carbon footprint) are pretty solid. This may change as new technologies come about, but in the meantime I think it comes down to personal preference. Having a baby is bad for your carbon footprint regardless of the choice you make. So I'll try to make my impacts elsewhere (own a hybrid car, try to minimize other household waste, decrease electricity use, etc.). We will use disposable diapers mostly for the same reason that ArgyleEnigma mentioned - we share a washing machine with two other units, so it won't be filled with poopy diapers. And also because I'll be a working mom so it will simplify things.

I'm not meaning to take over this thread...but I'm not really into working right now.

Your reasons for your own choice are perfectly valid. And I think especially in places like CA where there are water limits, that can be an issue.  Where we just moved to, we have pay as you throw trash, and this really helps us remember to switch back to cloth at home as often as possible, since we are trying to keep that output to a minimum.

I also just want to say that there are many people who's kids go to full time day care and CD. You just have to ask and maybe educate. Not saying this at you frecklesnbrains, - but anyone else who is interested but thinks that may be a barrier.

[twobananas]

What everyone said before is totally valid, wanted to add in my experience.

We started CD with my son after the newborn stage (didn't want to buy separate newborn CDs). We love it. We've been able to use the same diapers for my daughter and plan to use them for the twins. Some random thoughts -

- There may be more laundry but folding (my least fav part of laundry) is a breeze with diapers (we have bum genius all in ones)

- our daycare doesn't have an issue with CDs but we did ask first to make sure

- we use disposables at night for the absorbency issue, and we have them on hand for whatever reason if we don't want to use CDs (bad rash, traveling, haven't done laundry yet)

- we installed a sprayer on our toilet and it's not a big deal to spray out the poopy diapers, you get over the ick factor pretty quickly. But I will say MH and I both deal with the diapers, if it was just me I'd find it more overwhelming. If I really don't want to deal with a poop diaper I ask him to change it and vice versa.

- one of the greatest benefits for us was way less blowouts, those things are so nasty to deal with and we didn't see them much at all with CDs!

If you do decide to do CDs I'd definitely recommend a class, they tell you a lot of good info for how to care for them. And you can always buy a few and see if it works for you. Like anything with a new baby, don't force it and don't stress if it doesn't work out!

[mladerri]

I work from home which is probably the only reason I'm willing and able to do cloth. I absolutely love cloth diapers for all the reasons listed above. Most important we never got blow outs and very rarely we saw diaper rash. I use a diaper service (check your city you might have one) that picks up my dirty inserts every Monday. I only have to wash the shells. In the summer I hang dry them outside and the sun bleaches them out.

I would definitely recommend a class to help you decide what style you want. My husband and I both took it and it persuaded him to use them. He as well as myself are so happy we did.

If I didn't work from home i probably wouldn't use them. It's been convenient with the diaper service and being home to wash. When we leave the house we always use disposable.

[shoogars]

I tried it for a while with my first, but I didn't like it. I don't think I had a big enough stash and I had adjustable one size pocket diapers. When she was small the diaper was overwhelming and clothes just didn't fit right. As far as scraping poop, I used those flushable liners once she was on solids. So no scraping here.

[mladerri]

Also for nighttime I just double up on inserts.

[Stringy]

We did have trouble at night once she was about 10-11 months and still drinking tons of milk. We just used a disposable. It got better once she weaned and isn't drinking 15-20oz of stuff a day.

[babyzebra]

Dreaming those are pretty much the same reasons why I can't CD. It just isn't feasible for all that is going on in my life. I would really love too though!

[athn64]

We love our CD. Also they are soooo much cuter than disposable. Who doesn't love this little butt?


As for scrapping poop, get a sprayer. It's easy, comes right off, and you don't have to touch it much. We do two loads a week, DD isn't much of a heavy wetter, so we've not had a huge issue with leaks at nighttime. When we did, we changed around the inserts we used, upped absorbancy, and had no further issues.

Cost is all pretty much startup. We spent about $120 for our beginning stash. We could still be using them, but I have a love of WAHM brands and cute emborideries. There is also a market for used, so you can resell a lot of what you have as long as you take care of it (My WAHM will resell at retail when we're done)

[athn64]

Also, like previously stated, a good number of DC will use CD. Ask when you're looking. Ours did. THey were even willing to use prefolds and covers, after we showed them how.

[pbandj714]

FWIW, I will be a working mom and plan to CD. I completely understand that not everyone who works full time has time for diaper laundry and all that. Luckily, I work from home 2 days/week, so I usually do the majority of our regular laundry during those days. I figure that way I'll get myself into a routine of diaper laundry in the evenings and regular laundry on my WFH days.

Oh yes, that's the other thing I forgot! Like stringy said, it's not necessarily an all or nothing thing. If we have trouble with overnight at some point, I will have no problem putting the twins in disposables overnight to solve the issue. Or vacations, stuff like that. I think a lot of people new to cloth become overwhelmed because they think they're failing if they have to use a disposable every now and again. Not true! Do what works for you.

It's definitely not for everyone, but I think that if it's something you and your H decide is important to you, you'll be able to make it work.

[shan]

We Cd our DD from 2 months to 18ish months. It was easy. My only annoyance was laundry but it was nbd. By 18 months she was eating solids, and it started getting gross so I took a break with disposables. She potty trained herself right at 25 months. I have the same plan for this kid. It's so easy, especially when they're breastfeeding.

[vivela]

Thanks for the input ladies, lots to think about! I'll be at home for the summer, then back to work. So that will give me a little time to experiment.
Vague plan might be to skip the newborn CDs, then try 50-50 with CD and disposables. I'm really not an organized or neat person, so I'm concerned I might get overwhelmed and quit early if I can't reach for a disposable when I need one. Eventually I'd trend more to the one that worked for us. Hopefully that means forming good laundry habits and staying on top of it so I can CD more, but whatever happens, happens.
We aren't currently planning to use a daycare. I work days and DH works nights, and my mom has offered to pitch in a bit. It won't be a fun schedule, but I'm hoping it works for us and saves us some money.
I'll go check out the CD board, I didn't notice there was one! Probably should have realized.

[shan]

Also, even we were exclusively cloth diapering during the day, I always used disposables at night. It also helped my sanity.

[broadwaymama]

I am a CD mom. There is not much else to say that others haven't. But I can answer any questions!

[jjh1119]

I'm another 'sposie mom. We use honest company diapers and I love them. I actually have a slight obsession and anytime I'm in target I buy a box even if I'm not even close to running out.

They have way less chemicals than the other disposables but actually still work. My nearly 14 month old has only ever had 2 diaper rashes and that's because we overdid it with clementines(he loves them but the acidity doesn't do well with his bum).

They are so stinking adorable. I have had tons of patterns from anchors and stripes to arrows to polar bears to construction tools, etc.

He has only had one blow out and I don't think any diaper could have contained the amount of poop that child had.

[bighair12]

We cloth diapered once DD was 8 pounds. Then continued till she was 2.5. We love it and plan to with the new one.

[packerfan4life]

I haven't read all the responses yet. But we cloth diaper. We started when she was about a month old. We use prefolds at home, which I actually really like. Our old daycare wouldn't use cloth so she was in disposables there. Our new diaper will so we use pockets there.
Between gifts and buying cheaply we've spent maybe $100-$150 total on cloth diapers. We wash daycare diapers daily and very 2-3 days when we're home.
We do use disposables when we travel.
The only thing that sucks is it seems ever since I've been pregnant it seems her poops have been runnier (ie harder to get off) and smell like vomit. I've gagged/dry heaved/puked a number of times thanks to that and so some days I just use disposables for that reason

[mamrotu73]

DS is in cloth.
We use all-in-ones and even when DH has been gone for months, he has no problem getting back to it when he returns. They are easy.
You don't even have to spray poop until they eat solids. Breastfed poop is washable.

We use disposables at night and when traveling.

Just expanded our NB stash for #2.

I think everything has been covered. It works great for us but I see why it doesn't work for everyone.

[regal]

We CD'd both of our boys and DH loves it. I will say though, when things get hectic disposables cloth diapers are the first thing we drop.

Generally though, the only poop blowouts we've ever had were in diposables. Scraping poop was never a problem for us because we also did some ECing and our boys were generally pooping on the potty once they could sit up and were eating solids. A few swishes in the toilet though was all that was ever needed when we did have a poopy diaper.

With our first we used GroVia hybrids which we liked but didn't love. With our second we expanded our stand to include fitted diapers and pre-folds which we prefered. The GroVia shells lost their water proof capabilities so they are all gone, but we saved the inserts to use with pocket diapers. I'll need a few more things for this LO but I'll wait and see how things go before I make any purchases. With the exception of our original stash everything else has been used and has worked out well for us.

[packerfan4life]

Also I'll say that I don't find the microfiber inserts that came with our pockets to be very absorbant. We've had much better luck just folding and insert and putting that in the pocket. Have I said I love prefolds.

We also like flips night time prefold. Not a fan of the flips daytime prefolds though.

[manybellsdown]

There's not a lot to add to these great responses. We used cloth with DD from about 1 month to 18 months or so, before i just couldn't keep the smells out. They required soaking and stripping with every use, it seemed. (Also, our nanny started rebelling, annoyingly, but we have a new nanny now...) I plan to consult the CD board to remedy this and start again with this new baby. I know there will be a way, and I can't wait for the return of the adorable fluffy butt.

I will add that I was CRAZY overwhelmed by the options at first but found some helpful YouTube videos and read everything I could. It was so, so easy, even keeping up with laundry with two working parents. The first six months especially was a breeze, before solids and with a breastfed baby.