My first baby is due the end of this month and the hubby and I would like to give cloth diapering a try. As with everything else, cloth diapers have gone high tech…while the “old” Gerber pre-folds and rubber pants are still made but now they also make G Diapers, Bumkins and Bum Genius that as far as I can tell are self contained units and look like disposables but are washable. They are $$$$. So my question is have any of you done cloth diapering and have a recommendation?
OT cloth diapering
Wow I didn’t think anyone used cloth diapers anymore.
With that I used them on my two because that is what we used back then. I like to fold mine so that they fit the baby better. I also used four diaper pins. I would put two at the waist and then grab the diaper from the back of the leg and make it semi tight and then pin again. So that there would be one at each side of the waist and one at each leg. My mother taught me that saying nothing could fall out. Nothing ever did either.The kind I used were one big diaper no
pre-folds. I also used a diaper pail after you rinse the poop off the diaper. In the pail I used just water and washed after a day. So really every day I was doing diapers.
I guess it didn’t bother me to wash them every day or so, that was just the way we did it back in the 60’s.
So good luck on what ever you choose for the baby.
I have nothing to really offer here other than encouragment. I think its a great environmental approach to diapers. One child on average will create 1 ton of diapers in one year. 70 diapers per week, 52 weeks = 3640 diapers a year in a landfill. So I think its great that you are looking into this. Also, a lot of places have diaper services which are about half the cost of buying disposable diapers.
DS is 19 now. I used cloth for the first 8-9 months. I had been given a diaper service for 4-5 months, then washed on my own. After about 9 months, when he got just too wiggly, I gave up and went disposable since you could slap them on much faster.
Even then there weren’t those fancy shapped ones like you mentioned, at least I don’t think so - just ones w/extra bulk in the center. I’d probably get a pack of fancy ones just to be able to try them, but mostly use regular ones.
I used cloth with both my girls. I had diaper service the whole 2 yrs with my first, but I only had it for about 4 mos with the second one then I did them myself.
If you can swing it a diaper service is wonderful. 
I kept a pkg of disposables for an emergency or a visiting friend who’s child needed changing though. And they come in handy for say a trip to an amusement park all day where it would be a pain to hang to the dirty ones till you got home.
Thanks for all the encouragement ! I’m not sure I want to start with a diaper service right off the bat - the one in our area would end up costing about $3500/yr and they of course have contracts you have to sign. I want to see how we like them and how much we use them before going that route b/c if we have to use daycare they will not accept cloth and when we travel I will most likely use disposable (they make biodegradeable disposables now) to avoid carrying dirties with me.
Even though I say prefold - they are the flat cotton diapers that you have to fold and pin - although they make pinless clips for them now. They even make flushable liners (they look like WetOnes) that you put in the diaper so you can pull the poop out and just flush it away rather than rinsing the whole diaper etc etc.
Any thoughts on how many of them I should buy to get us started ? They were not a very popular item on our registry.
I was told when I started the diaper service that newborns use about 90 a week. I’m sure it varies considerably though. If you’re doing your own a couple days worth at least would probably be a good idea.
My kids were born in a time when disposables were in their infancy so they gave them rashes and were horrible in landfills. Nice to know that things have changed so much.
We exclusively CD our son. If your primary goal is to save money, prefolds, snappis (instead of pins) and PUL wraps or wool soakers are the way to go. If you want to get fancy, sew your own pocket diapers (rita’s rump is a great free online pattern) or buy some from a WAHM on Hyenacart or Etsy.
Gdipes are better than disposables, but more expensive than sposies and they still have the hyperabsorbent gel, so not as environmentally friendly as they claim they are!
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices. Cloth dipes have come a long way. Good luck!
Jan - my brother and I were in cloth for the very same reason. Mom said the disposables gave us rashes and were leakier than cloth. I am going to do my own for a few months and see how much we use them. I have 12 and was thinking I would get 2 more 12packs. Thanks !!
Mellie - it’s funny I was overwhelmed by all the disposable choices so I thought - cloth that’s easy. OMG I feel like trying to decide how and what to buy has become my full time job. Saving money isn’t necessarily my primary goal - although it would be nice. The hubby and I try to reduce our impact on the environment where we can and this seemed like something we could try. I put the search on hold for a while and now with less than a month to the due date I’m starting to panic b/c not much is available locally and I will have to order the pinless clips and liners. Since you are doing cloth, I am open to all the hints and tips you want to offer. I’ve never done cloth before. All the kids I babysat and nannied for were in disposables.
My daughter’s 11 now, and she was cloth diapered almost exclusively. We used some eco- and baby-friendly disposables from our food co-op on occasion, but mostly we used cloth. I bought some cloth diapers that were shaped like a disposable and had velcro attachments, and they needed to be covered with a water-resistent cover. There are so many cloth diapering options now, including some that the cover and diaper are all one piece, although these are the most spendy, I think, with the possible exception of a diaper service.
You might consider doing the old-fashioned rectangular style diapers in the newborn size because these are outgrown quickly and can then be used for burp cloths, etc. But not the ones available at KMart, Walmart, etc. You can order much nicer and more absorbent ones online. Then get the easier to use ones when the baby is bigger and wigglier.
I spent so much time researching diapering possibilities back then, and unfortunately I can’t remember the brand names or websites that I ordered from, but I’ll think about it and see what I can remember.
<< I have 12 and was thinking I would get 2 more 12packs. Thanks !! >>
You may want to get more as the baby gets older.
We used to double-diaper for nighttime and change often during the day to prevent the ever-lovin’ diaper rash! Washing diapers was no big deal…just part of the daily routine.
JudyD
Same here. When we were diapering the diapers were just the old fashioned rectangle type that had to be folded. We’d sit with a pile of diapers between us and pre-fold while we chatted and watched TV. If the baby was awake one of us would fold while the other played.
BTW… those old fashioned rectangle ones…they can fit any size baby so no having to buy a larger size and are great for burp cloths, cleaning a face or wiping spit up and when the kids were toilet trained they were great for dusting. Always handy to have a dozen or so of those around. If you sew you can do decorative borders to signify which ones are which if you prefer.
ETA: I have no clue what type mine were, but they lasted forever…I may still have a few… lol They looked like this. I imagine those shaped ones would be easier though and faster since they don’t require anything other than washing. 
I used cloth diapers for my last child and wish I had done it with the other three. I got a ton of Gerber diapers from my sister that she had left over from her daughter, and my in-laws bought me a ton more. I got plastic pants at the shower.
Back then I did it because it was cheap and I was working several jobs at home to keep our heads above water. I’d just walked out of my lab job a few months before, then got deathly ill with diabetes. I took my sister’s advice, used cloth diapers, washed them with the special diaper soap, then hung them on the clothes line to dry. I used disposable diapers at night and when we went somewhere, for the convenience. Yes, I was washing diapers daily, but we never had the house smell due to dirty diapers.
My oldest daughter would help me fold the diapers and put them on the changing table.
Wow, 16 years ago. I do remember finally throwing away the last diaper a couple of years back and it was too torn up for me to use for dusting anymore.
I still use my clothes line. Free drying that doesn’t heat up my house. I’m all for that.
Ok, you asked for it-my abbreviated not-cheap diaper recommendations!
Pocket diapers are great. Bumgenius is an example; hyenacart and etsy both have lots and lots of WAHM varieties. You don’t have to worry about a cover, they snap shut, the sizes are adjustable from small baby to toddler, and they dry faster than all-in-ones. If you sew, you can make some fitteds yourself. They’re so fun to make!
Two in ones, like grobaby, are also great. You don’t have to change the outer layer unless it gets soiled, so a good option for traveling.
Drybees are a good nighttime choice. We tried to use wool covers for nighttime, but he’s a heavy wetter so it didn’t work well.
If I could afford them, we’d do fitteds or prefolds with wool covers. I’ve knitted a few soakers, but it takes so much time for the number we need! Wool interlock covers are the cadillac of covers, and a great choice if you want a 100% natural system, since the all in ones and pockets use PUL.
:woot: for cloth diapers! We only used one or two packages of sposies in the beginning, and we won’t use any at all for the next babies. Good luck and congratulations!
G diapers
grow babies
fuzzi bunz
We did cloth diapers with our kids (3 and 18 mo) and love them! G diapers are awesome, but pricey. Insted of doing the dispoable inserts (which are more expensive than disposables) I bought some washable soaker inserts and used those. We swiched to Kushies when the kids got a little bigger because the type I have are all-in-ones but I can add an insert if I need. I have a friend with a little boy that swears by fuzzi bunz. The grow diapers seem like an awesome idea, but I have never tried them. I found some of the ‘older’ style that need the plastic “topper” and I use those the most. They seem to work the best for the price.
The G diapers were the coolest, but at $26 a cover I couldn’t bring myself to buy many. I love the knit soakers, but if I get one of those on my daughter with the absorbant soaker pad (or cloth diaper) I can’t usually get anything over the top. So, my knit soakers have been confined to home use only.
diapers.com has some great starter packs for the name brand styles and sometimes you can find a deal on ebay.
Good Luck!
Oh, I forgot to mention: Check out craigslist for used diapers! A lot of people get some, decide they don’t like it, and unload for cheap.
I do not have my own child but I remember seeing photos of me as a baby with terrible diaper rash. My mother said one of her sisters put a disposable diaper on me at some family function and my skin “hell no!” so I was a cloth-butt baby 99% of the time. That was mid-70s.
I would use cloth diapers as I do not use disposable feminine hygiene products, even. I have cloth pads and I also have two Diva cups.
The brand names that come to mind are Curity and Birds Eye…I believe they were the most popular brands in the '60’s.
We have photos of the diaper pile (mountain) on the couch…husband rocking the baby and me folding while we watch the evening news. Ah, the good old days!
Judy
I used cloth exclusively with my kids who are in their 30’s now. I also used them initally with my granddaughter (providing daycare for her). I bought diapers on ebay along with Dappi diaper covers, an awesome invention since they cover all the bases - outer layer of terry cover, then plastic/rubber inside and mesh inside and then you place the diaper and close with velcro. I bought 3 doz diapers and 6 covers and that was plenty; I wouldn’t begin to think about doing cloth with less than 2 doz.
Its so much better for the baby and for the environment.
Oh Honey, you’ve opened up a loooong thread here by THAT question! Lol! My girls are 34 and 36 and both were allergic to Pampers,which was the only type of disposable in the early to mid 70s. So I did what my mom did and used cloth. Yes, I did diapers every day like everyone else says, and yes, I’d sit and watch TV and fold them, and yes, they are AWESOME for everything - spit-up, wiping faces and hands after eating, etc. And afterwards they make great dustcloths and even better cloths for cleaning glasses!!
I would DEFINITELY go cloth again in a heartbeat! Good luck with your wee one!