Questions & Answers

Wow ladies haven't been on in a few days!!! Thanks for all of the wonderful answers!! This is my 2nd baby and I'm a SAHM so I really think were going to take this plunge!!

I've talked to at least a dozen friends, family members, and random people in stores and I've been told over and over that soaking them in a big bucket is unnecessary. Store them in a wet bag or lidded trash bin, and do laundry nightly or every other night. The longer you let them set the worse the smell and stains can become. I was told to use biodegradable wipes to push any solid poops into the toilet before putting in the bag. Try multiple brands because you don't know how big or small your baby will be, and you might need to switch your preferred brand as they get bigger and sleep through the night. You will save so much money doing it this way, even if it seems like a lot up front. Internet search and see the savings for yourself. Its also better for environment & baby's skin. WhatToExpect.com has a great Green Parenting message board that talks about CDing a lot. Great info there! Good luck!

A few hints if you go with cloth diapers. I tried with my first and gave up because it was a little more then I wanted to deal with. With my second it got easier and now I will be doing it again with my third. I buy new born diapers (disposable) till they grow out of them because cloth will leak and fall off. When it comes to cleaning them off, there is an attachment that runs about $25 and attaches to your toilet and makes rinsing off fast and easy. When soaking add a cup of vinegar to the bucket , this helps with the smell and washing later. I have a long glove that stays near the bucket so I don't have to be to grossed out draining the water and putting in the washer. If you can line dry it is much better. But do what you can. It sounds like a lot of work, but after a short time you get use to it.

I think cloth diapering is a great option, but it's not for everyone. I'm a FTM and have been considering cloth diapers.What worries me is the amount of time spent doing laundry and cleaning poo into the toilet. What dh and I finally decided was to start with disposables, but the natural ones like Earth's Best. After a few weeks I might buy one or two cloth diapers and test them out, see if it works for me. You could also look into a diaper service, depends on where you live and cost vs time spent cleaning them yourself.

Lots of people in my family use cloth diapers and I plan to as well. It's cheaper and healthier because you aren't exposing your child to as much plastic, rubber and those chemicals that help solidify liquids in disposable diapers. You may even find that diaper rash isn't as big of a problem with the natural method if you wash the cloth diapers in a way that really gets out the soap and bacteria (my mother recommends adding white vinegar to the first rinse to get out the soap). You do have to keep dirty diapers soaking, but if you run laundry every day, it's not that gross and there won't be that many at once. Call it a pre-rinse. Line dry in the sun for the best natural disinfectant (and the sun will bleach them too!). It's not as easy as disposable diapers, but you can always put the cloth diapers of your choice on your baby registry and friends will help with the up front cost! Imagine almost never having to buy diapers! I'm only getting disposable for long trips.

If it's your first go with cloth I wouldn't run out and buy a full supply of one brand, you may find it does not work best for you or your baby. You can find a company that does a trial allowing you to try out a variety of brands for a month or so...then purchase your favorite. Or just buy a couple and try them (while using some disposibles) until you decide on your favorite. Typically you need 24-36 diapers for full time, this will let you do laundry every 2-3 days. You need more in the early months than later on. Keep in mind that the majority of ne-size diapers don't work well in the beginning as newborns are tiny and legs are skinny and they will leak. Some work better than others...but don't give up if they are leaking just use disposbiles until baby is a bit bigger 10-12pounds or use newborn cloths. It sounds like a lot of work but you fall into routine quickly and can come to love it. But again the diaper brand is key. I am always weary of the hot new trend brands at first.

Thanks addizmnz!! I've read there are lots of ways to go about the cleaning process so maybe I can find one that works for me. I don't think I could let them soak. I read alot last night about different brands. I think I am going to go with fancy pants pocket diapers if I decide to give it a try!

I have a good friend who has used them for 2 years now and loves them, but she admits it is a lot of extra work. You have to wash them specially, keep a bucket of the dirty ones (soaking, I think, which is kind of gross), and you can't use certain diaper rash creams because they strip them of absorbency. This is the reason I didn't end up using them with my first baby, because she had terrible diaper rash and needed a special cream.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from using them, though - if you can, good for you - it's much better for the environment and less expensive overall! I just wanted you to know it is some extra work for mom and dad. I will probably try them again this time with baby number 2!