Trying to sort through cloth diapering options? Read the experience of one of our moms.
I first put this on my Facebook page because I had friends who were having babies and wanted to know which ones I used and why so I posted pictures and my two cents on each of the different brands. The first thing about cloth diapering is that there are LOTS of options from the traditional pre-fold nappy with pins and plastic cover, all the way to pocket diapers.
I looked all around on the internet and the cheapest ones I could find to purchase in the USA were GDiapers. They were okay but they didn’t work for me. My son is a very good wetter and I was using the cloth and disposable inserts and still having a leak problem. So I sold them to someone who could use them and liked them. With the kinds I still use, and talk about below, the only time I have had a leak is when I didn’t snap the waist tight enough which caused a space around the legs.
Traditional Diaper System
I will start with products in regards to the more traditional diaper system which has three separate parts; the cloth diaper, fastener, and cover. First, where do I get the cloth diapers? I looked at the ones you can get from local places like Wal-Mart, Babies R Us, etc. but they just weren’t going to work for diapers. For burp cloths, they work great so they are still good to have around.
I purchased the cloth diapers from a local cloth diapering service for a very reasonable price of $1 per diaper (they were used but you couldn’t tell) and I also got what they call doublers for the same price. The doubler, as you may have guessed, is an insert for added absorbency. Keep in mind even with the doublers you have to change the diaper about every 2-3 hours depending on age and frequency of your child.
The second part you need is a fastener of some kind. You can purchase diaper pins or another option that I like is Snappi Cloth Diaper Fasteners that can still be bought at some stores and, of course, online. They are sold in packs of 2 or 5 and I found mine on Amazon. They are easy to use and I would think faster than pins. The colors I have found are blue, mint, and white.
The third and very important part is the cover. Without this important part there will be wet spots and sometimes other spots too. You have lots of options for covers. You can get a fitted kind that your child will periodically grow out of or another option is an adjustable cover with snaps or velcro. The kinds I use are all adjustable with snaps. The adjustable diaper covers go from 7-30ish pounds by using the snaps.
Cloth Diaper Covers
- Econobum covers. They work fine and I have no problems with them. They are just plain in appearance as they are white with different color options around the edge and only one row of waist snaps. I picked mine up for a good price off of Craigslist.
- KaWaii Baby covers. I got from China via eBay. These are the other covers I have and really like they are a soft suede in feel and have many color and pattern options.
- You can also get others on eBay that are homemade. Or you can buy the pattern and supplies and make your own.
Pocket Diapers
The other cloth diapering system option is what is called a pocket diaper. With this type you have lots of options both easily found in USA and overseas. I purchased all mine off of eBay from different suppliers. If you are going to only have one type and not use disposables at all, I recommend this type.
- FuzziBunz – These can be found in many American stores. I like the double row of buttons, but dislike the elastic around the legs. For my son I have adjusted many times and either they are too loose and leak or are too tight and leave marks on the skin. Also if you buy them brand new are the most expensive of the three different kinds I have.
- OhBabyKa – This next one I got from China and I got 5 brand new ones for the price of 1 of the FuzziBunz. If you go with these and have a moderate to heavy wetter, just get the extra inserts at first order. You can see that with these the buttons that go around the waist only have one row of buttons which is the only thing I don’t like. The problem I have found with one row buttons is the same with disposables when my son is in-between sizes the flaps can poke out. The other thing is if you look at the pocket opening, there is not elastic all the way around which doesn’t cause any problems, just doesn’t look as finished.
- PopFish – I like these best mostly for the double row of buttons across the waist. Also with the elastic at the entrance where you put the insert in, they don’t seem to move around as much.
Washing Cloth Diapers
So that is all I know about the products themselves, but that isn’t all there is to cloth diapering. You have to wash them. Some people say you have to buy the special laundry soap or they won’t get clean enough or will lose their absorbency. After 15 months of washing I have found this NOT to be true. The detergents that I have used are all free and clear types in the brands of Tide, All, and Purex. Purex being my favorite mostly because it goes on sale the most and cheapest and I can stock up for less than the others. As for cleaning up stains on the diapers I have used a variety of products which include Tide Boost Pre-Treat Spray, Resolve, and Oxiclean Spray and gel.
Also there is nothing wrong with using both cloth and disposables, if needed. Cloth at home and disposables while on the go. I hope all this has helped you in your decision to cloth or not. Good luck!
Autumn Davis is a first time mother of a 15 month old and, before she even got pregnant, wanted to give cloth diapers a chance. Of course everyone – family, friends and even her wonderful husband – didn’t think she would keep doing it. Boy, did she prove them wrong!
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