cloth vs disposable diapers

mommy2boys · Apr 8, 2006

I don't but my friend used them with her youngest child. She order some of them off of the internet (as back up) and used a diaper service. She said that they were just as easy to use as disposable and she didn't have to wash them because she used a service.

If the diaper was really dirty she would rinse them out in the toliet, but other than that it was the same as a disposable. If I remember right, cloth diapers (w/ a service) was only a little bit more than using disposable. But you didn't have to go to the store to buy diapers, so it saved her time. (They were delivered.) With her time was a major issue, so she saw it as time = money so it was worth the small rise in cost.

HTH

Jayla · Apr 8, 2006

Thank you! Would you mind asking your friend for me where she bought them online?

Mom2EllaBella · Apr 8, 2006

I was just lurking - don't mind me, I don't know nothing 'bout birthing no babies - but I do know lots about cloth diapering :lol2: . I get all mine at cottonbabies dot com. I like the pocket kind, and just recently fell madly in love with their new bumGenius diaper (can you fall in love with a diaper? Is that weird??) :)

PM me for tons of info - I would hate to take up too much space in a nursing forum on this, because it doesn't really seem that relivent.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Apr 8, 2006

I don't have any children by birth, but can tell you that WalMart (I know, boo hiss) frequently carries cloth diapers. They have the plain ones and the ones with the reinforced padded middle area.

(I used to use them when fostering baby kittens - soft, warm, hypoallergenic, cheap, washable to hold little kitty while feeding, burping and making them pee/poop)

suebird3 · Apr 8, 2006

I am from a generation where disposables were just coming out. I would check out Target or any other store like that for cloth diapers.

Suebird

Jolie, BSN · Apr 8, 2006

I used them with my oldest, who is almost 11. She had incredibly sensitive skin, and could not tolerate disposables as a newborn. I bought them at Target, and laundered my own, washing them with bleach, then double rinsing them. I got so good at changing, that when I went back to work in the NICU, I was slower with the Pampers than I was with the cloth ones at home.

The only problem I encountered was that by about 6 months of age, she was wetting enough to require double and triple layering, and most clothing was just not cut to fit that much bulk. I swithched mostly to disposables at that age, but never regretted starting out with cloth. They are STILL the best dust rags I have!

piscesgirl · Apr 8, 2006

my mom said she used cloth diapers on me and that it was a whole lot easier. i believe she had used a service for them to. she also tended to let me run around in the backyard without them (apparently i wouldnt keep them on) and since we had dogs... i did what the dogs did. we had a neighbor mention it to her and mom said she couldnt keep them on me and it was cheaper on cleaning the diapers. lol

mcdonaldgirl · Apr 8, 2006

Besides dust rags, they are great for packing fragile items....

Cloth IS nice, environmentally safe....but disposable is good while away from home.

"Mac"

hikernurse · Apr 8, 2006

I've used cloth diapers for the last 18 years and I love them. I prefer the plain old-fashioned pin-them-up kind. The gauze ones are so much softer and just get better with washing. Some of the ones in the store are so heavy and rough, even with washing, especially if you get the diaper service quality ones. (The ones the real diaper services use are probably a lot softer than these, though.) I get mine from a local place here that makes them, but if you look on-line you can find a ton of places that sell them and lots of info to compare them, too. Good luck in your endeavor. If you hang them outside to dry, they smell great and the sun helps bleach out any remaining little spots

hope3456, ASN, RN · Apr 8, 2006

ebay.com has a great selection

MissJoRN, RN · Apr 8, 2006

I wish there was an easy answer to "which kind should I get!" I have several different brands & styles to try out. Can't wait until the baby and her butt get here!

So far I like the design of the Bumkins as far as all in one diapers go (AIOs) I like that the water proof layer on them is nylon, not plasic laminate (PUL) I also have some Kushies, but they seem too bulky and too plasticky to me. They may be my nighttime dipe, though. The advantages are that they are fitted, like a disposable and close in front or on the side with velcro or snaps... very user friendly for sitters, etc. Draw back is that they take a longer time to dry and cost more than other varieties (but still less than disposables, esp if you're having more than one child, buy used, trade, etc) They are usually in specific sizes, like a disposable. Also like a disposable, some brands will fit your baby but not your best friend's, or vice versa depending on thin legs, chubby legs, etc. I"m trying not to stock up too much since I don't know what "shape" baby I'll get. I see the same things with disposables, too... some kids never leak in pampers, some do and can only wear huggies.

I did get a couple Fuzzibunz (pocket diapers that you can stuff a prefold or other padding into) because I've heard some good comments. There are severl brands of "work at home mom" (WAHM) pockets available, too.

To start out (small infant) I have a lot of prefolds and covers. Few people have said positive things to me about the readily available brands at WalMArt, Target, Babies R US, etc. Usually I hear that they aren't absorbant enough, apparantly there is "filler" in the center panel that makes tham good for burp cloths, etc but not so much for diapering. Haven't tried them personally. Everyone seemd to recommend Chinese Prefolds or Indian Prefolds. One is supposedly softer, the other more absorbant and I can't remember which is which. Mine are Chinese. Prefolds come in different sizes and thicknesses, too. You can pin them the old fashioned way or close them with a "snappi" or just hold them together with a snug cover or wrap. I like the idea of wool wraps and covers, they are softer than you'd think and very breathable, actually the best choice in summer. My other wraps are nylon (Bumkins, ReUzems) or PUL (prowraps, motherease) I have one or two profleece/windtec type covers, too.

Fitted diapers are a lot like prefolds, sometimes more absorbant, dry faster. They are baby shaped, like an AIO but do not have a water proof layer so they need a cover. They can be left coverless for small intervals, though for max airflow. They snap or velcro in front like an AIO and may be "sized" or "one size fits most" Lots of WAHM made ones in adorable prints and colors!

Check out the diapering message boards on AOL, babycenter.com, and Diaperpin.com. Ebay is my favorite shopping place, and just to check out the types. Feel free to PM me, too :)