Here is another awesome post from our cloth diaper expert, Rachel! Any questions for her, post here and she will answer. Make sure to check the box for follow-up replies when you leave a comment so that it will be emailed to you and you don't need to check back.
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Welcome to Round II of Cloth Diapers! I have read all of your comments from my first post, and will certainly be responding to all of your questions. I hope that this article helps answer some questions that may have been raised from the first article. PLEASE POST QUESTIONS/COMMENTS and I will address all of your responses.
There is a huge range of cloth diapers available, in a wide variety of style, functions, colors, and prices. No diaper pins here! I mean, we're talking fancy. We're also talking upwards of $15 for ONE diaper. Now, this is an investment. If you are planning on having several more children, spending a couple hundred bucks on a set of diapers would pay off. Choosing a diaper is the most challenging part of this process. It's great to speak to other moms who cloth diaper, and see what they like/don't like. One of the best ways to do with is on message boards. There are many sites that not only sell diapers, but post reviews on the diapers also. In addition, a few sites discuss the diapers and you can post your questions and see what other moms think. I have posted a few links for you at the bottom of this article.
The two main categories of cloth diapers are All-In-One (AIO) and Pocket diapers. This is what I will discuss for the sake of this article. A.) AIOs. These are the most similar to a disposable. They put on like a disposable. You just throw the entire thing in the laundry. These look great, too. They are also the most expensive ($15+/ea). B.) Pocket diapers. These are a cover and the absorbent part gets stuffed inside. They look just like an AIO diaper, except there is a little slit opening in the top of the back where you put in the absorbent liner (stuffer). The stuffers can be made out of fleece, cotton, hemp, bamboo, wool, and various combinations of these fibers. You can double-stuff for nighttime or for heavy wetters. You can usually reuse a cover if it is just a wet diaper and just put in a new stuffer (thus giving you more bang for your buck, as you can have fewer covers and more stuffers, which are much less expensive). These can range from $6-$18/diaper (often 2 stuffers are including with a diaper purchase, and you can always purchase more stuffers!). Stuffers are not particular to the brand of pocket diaper, so any stuffer you like will do. ***With both AIOs and pocket dipes you can buy one-size (adjusts for different sizes of baby) or according to size. Now on to what I have. I have pretty much the most BASIC set-up and I can honestly say that I have NEVER had a blow-out or a leak in my cloth diapers. I went just about the cheapest route you can go, but I do not feel that I have sacrificed on quality. While the expensive ones are certainly cuter looking and maybe a bit easier to use, I do not think they are necessarily better in performance. I use the big white tri-fold diapers (like our moms used, which are called prefolds or Chinese prefolds. You can get them in cotton, hemp, or bamboo. (I would recommend hemp, which is a naturally antimicrobial and one of the strongest fibers in existence.) If you do this starting with your newborn, you will need smaller ones and then bigger ones as baby grows. I have only used 2 different sizes. You fold them in different ways to make them accommodate the different sizes o' baby. They can be purchased very inexpensively online (ebay) for about $10/doz.
I would recommend having at least 40 for a newborn, 20 for an older baby/toddler. Of course, the more you have the less frequently you have to do laundry! Diaper covers. If you do the prefold route, you will need covers. I use ProWraps.
Again, this is a very economical choice. They run about $6 a cover. Of course, as with ALL of these diapers, you usually get discounts for buying in quantity. Other brands (Bummis, Bumkin, on and on) produce the same covers for twice the price. With these you just fold the prefold and place it into/on top of the cover and then velcro the sides. It's like a pocket, except that the stuffer (prefold) lays on top as compared to being stuffed inside. You can reuse a cover for wet diapers, but will probably need a new one for a poopy as (newborn, not solid) poo tends to get on the cover. You don't need as many covers as diapers, but I would recommend about 10-12 covers for a newborn. You'll need different size covers as baby grows. Wash these per directions. Hot water and bleach can break down their waterproof properties. Shout gets the stains out! I never use anything else for those stains and it has worked every time. Just spray and wash (but not Spray 'N Wash. Hahaha). Again, these are very basic, yet easy to use at the same time.
Right now I use Happy Heinys pull-up pocket diapers. I use these now cause you can pull them up and down (don't have to lay baby down), so are perfect for taking G to the potty. The prefold gets stuffed into the diaper (just like those diaper stuffers I mentioned, only I use prefolds. Either will work.) I use this brand in particular only because they are the only ones who make pull-up diapers in small sizes.
There is a huge range of cloth diapers available, in a wide variety of style, functions, colors, and prices. No diaper pins here! I mean, we're talking fancy. We're also talking upwards of $15 for ONE diaper. Now, this is an investment. If you are planning on having several more children, spending a couple hundred bucks on a set of diapers would pay off. Choosing a diaper is the most challenging part of this process. It's great to speak to other moms who cloth diaper, and see what they like/don't like. One of the best ways to do with is on message boards. There are many sites that not only sell diapers, but post reviews on the diapers also. In addition, a few sites discuss the diapers and you can post your questions and see what other moms think. I have posted a few links for you at the bottom of this article.
The two main categories of cloth diapers are All-In-One (AIO) and Pocket diapers. This is what I will discuss for the sake of this article. A.) AIOs. These are the most similar to a disposable. They put on like a disposable. You just throw the entire thing in the laundry. These look great, too. They are also the most expensive ($15+/ea). B.) Pocket diapers. These are a cover and the absorbent part gets stuffed inside. They look just like an AIO diaper, except there is a little slit opening in the top of the back where you put in the absorbent liner (stuffer). The stuffers can be made out of fleece, cotton, hemp, bamboo, wool, and various combinations of these fibers. You can double-stuff for nighttime or for heavy wetters. You can usually reuse a cover if it is just a wet diaper and just put in a new stuffer (thus giving you more bang for your buck, as you can have fewer covers and more stuffers, which are much less expensive). These can range from $6-$18/diaper (often 2 stuffers are including with a diaper purchase, and you can always purchase more stuffers!). Stuffers are not particular to the brand of pocket diaper, so any stuffer you like will do. ***With both AIOs and pocket dipes you can buy one-size (adjusts for different sizes of baby) or according to size. Now on to what I have. I have pretty much the most BASIC set-up and I can honestly say that I have NEVER had a blow-out or a leak in my cloth diapers. I went just about the cheapest route you can go, but I do not feel that I have sacrificed on quality. While the expensive ones are certainly cuter looking and maybe a bit easier to use, I do not think they are necessarily better in performance. I use the big white tri-fold diapers (like our moms used, which are called prefolds or Chinese prefolds. You can get them in cotton, hemp, or bamboo. (I would recommend hemp, which is a naturally antimicrobial and one of the strongest fibers in existence.) If you do this starting with your newborn, you will need smaller ones and then bigger ones as baby grows. I have only used 2 different sizes. You fold them in different ways to make them accommodate the different sizes o' baby. They can be purchased very inexpensively online (ebay) for about $10/doz.
I would recommend having at least 40 for a newborn, 20 for an older baby/toddler. Of course, the more you have the less frequently you have to do laundry! Diaper covers. If you do the prefold route, you will need covers. I use ProWraps.
Again, this is a very economical choice. They run about $6 a cover. Of course, as with ALL of these diapers, you usually get discounts for buying in quantity. Other brands (Bummis, Bumkin, on and on) produce the same covers for twice the price. With these you just fold the prefold and place it into/on top of the cover and then velcro the sides. It's like a pocket, except that the stuffer (prefold) lays on top as compared to being stuffed inside. You can reuse a cover for wet diapers, but will probably need a new one for a poopy as (newborn, not solid) poo tends to get on the cover. You don't need as many covers as diapers, but I would recommend about 10-12 covers for a newborn. You'll need different size covers as baby grows. Wash these per directions. Hot water and bleach can break down their waterproof properties. Shout gets the stains out! I never use anything else for those stains and it has worked every time. Just spray and wash (but not Spray 'N Wash. Hahaha). Again, these are very basic, yet easy to use at the same time.
Right now I use Happy Heinys pull-up pocket diapers. I use these now cause you can pull them up and down (don't have to lay baby down), so are perfect for taking G to the potty. The prefold gets stuffed into the diaper (just like those diaper stuffers I mentioned, only I use prefolds. Either will work.) I use this brand in particular only because they are the only ones who make pull-up diapers in small sizes.
CLEANING:
This is a big question when transition to cloth diapers, and the part that seems to scare away most people. Think of it this way, when you have a baby do you stop doing your regular laundry and start taking everything to the Fluff-n-Fold? Of course not! Laundering cloth is just as simple; if you can start the water and pour in some soap, you can launder your cloth diapers. (Yes, that means that dad can do it, too!!) One of the biggest questions I get is, "How often do you do laundry?" This comes down to how many diapers you have. More diapers = less laundry. Additionally, as baby gets older they poo less frequently, so your laundry frequency will slow down. In general, plan on doing a load about 2x/week. I wash in hot water, use my regular detergent and a splash o' bleach. A. )Breastfed baby pooUp until solid poo, I just threw them in the wash. I never pre-treated them. If there are poo stains remaining after laundering, just lay them out in the sun. Better yet, dry them in the sun in the first place and save on dryer energy and get the sun-bleached effect. B.) Solid pooOnce you've got solid poos, you'll need to get the poo off before you launder. You can just shake it off into the toilet. You can also use a liner on top of your diper to catch poos. They are 100% biodegradable, and can be flushed down the toilet. If you know when your little one is going to have a poo (they become more predictable as they get older) just place a liner on top of the diaper. Then you can just lift the liner into the toilet! I love that. So much easier. They're cheap - $6+$2ship for a roll of 100. I recommend the Bummis Bio-Soft liners and I buy them here. As for laundering, if you experience smell just put a few scoops of baking soda into the wash and that will take care of it. I buy baking soda in bulk at Costco - cheap!!. Always follow your manufacturer's directions for laundering. Some diapers cannot sustain hot water or bleach, as this will break them down very quickly. Just launder per directions and you'll be fine. Prefolds can handle bleach and hot water, so that's what I use cause I feel this combination to be the best in sterilizing and getting them clean. As you can tell, I am a HUGE fan of cloth diapering. I am here to tell I have NEVER experience one of those fabled blow outs that all my friends with new babies were talking about. Caught in a store parking lot with poop going up the baby's back and all over the car seat? Never!! It is economical. It is environmentally sound. And, they look cute! I love my cloth so much that I usually even take it with me when we're visiting family for weekends. When I do use disposables (like for church) I use Nature Babycare. I get these at Target; they are cheaper than 7th Gen but still chlorine free and I like them a lot.If you are new to cloth diapering and still unsure of what's right for you, many diaper sites offer "sample packs" of different types of diapers that will allow you to try them out and return what you don't like. Also, don't be afraid to buy used! This is a very common thing to do, and you can buy/sell/trade and discuss at Diaper Swappers. Also, check Diaper Pin for loads of reviews on all the diapers (and more!) mentioned in this article. And, ALWAYS SHOP AROUND! There are good deals to bed had including free shipping and discounts for large purchases. There are so many cloth diaper sites out there, you will be amazed! Also, may I recommend Mothering's discussion boards on cloth diapering