nknapp5 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I've never used them, I know nothing about it, and I've had no desire to use them until recently when my 4th dd started breaking out in a rash regularly. I was told it might be the diapers. So what is it going to cost me? How much time am I going to have to put into keeping them clean? Where do I start? I have a 3 month old, 21 month old and 3 year old (only at night) who I would need to diaper. Any help would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I've never used them, I know nothing about it, and I've had no desire to use them until recently when my 4th dd started breaking out in a rash regularly. I was told it might be the diapers. So what is it going to cost me? How much time am I going to have to put into keeping them clean? Where do I start? I have a 3 month old, 21 month old and 3 year old (only at night) who I would need to diaper. Any help would be appreciated! Just so you know: disposable diapers *can* cause rashes, but so can food (my nursing babies got rashes from the dairy products *I* was eating/drinking). I don't think it's necessary to spend a fortune on diapers. Honestly, millions of women (including me!) bought Gerber gauze prefolds and were happy. (We bought them in the grocery store; you'd probably have to order them on-line.) Instead of pricey diaper covers, we used Gerber plastic pants, also inexpensive and available in the grocery store (again, today you might have to buy them on-line). We kept diaper pails in the bathroom. We rinsed out solids in the toilet and then put the diapers in the pail ("pail" just means a plastic trashcan-like thingie with a cover). I did diapers once a week or so (only 1 baby at a time, though; you'll be doing them more often). I soaked them at night in the washer, with bleach (I only use Amway laundry products, which don't eat the fabric the way Chlorox and other products do); first thing in the morning, I drained the water out of the washer, and then washed the diapers on a regular wash cycle. It really was pretty painless. I took plastic bags with me for soiled diapers in the diaper bag when I went out with the babies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 This place has some good info: Green Mountain Diapers also, I suggest joining DiaperSwappers.com Have fun - there is some cute stuff out there and it really is a lot easier than you think!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Another place to get cloth diaper info (and buy gently used diapers to save money) is Cloth Diaper Nation. I CD my two littles and it is not particularly time consuming. You can diaper very inexpensively with flats or prefolds and covers, or there are some inexpensive and highly-rated pocket diapers now, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 :iagree: Green Mountain dipes. They were so nice. I loved cloth dipes for my middle child; didn't really know about them for my firstborn; quit for my youngest. What ended the love affair for me was the washing machine I bought by the time I had my youngest. It was "high efficiency" (to me, that just means "no water" :glare:) and I just could NOT get enough water in the dipes to clean them. They constantly stunk. That is something I would warn anyone thinking of using cloth dipes if they have a HE washer. I know some washers allow you to manually override and choose to use more water, but at the time, the washer I had did not do that. But while I had an old washer that used bath-tub-loads of water, I loved cloth dipes! :D My baby never had a rash, never smelled like a chemical cocktail and just had the cutest little plushy bum. :001_wub: My favorite combination was Chinese pre-folds, pinned with regular diaper pins, with a Bummis velcro wrap. This was at least 6 years ago, though, so I don't know what else is new in the cloth diapering world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 You want "diaper service quality" diapers. In this way, you'll have diapers that actually absorb. It's not too bad... and a diaper service should be less than disposables, if you want to go that route. Otherwise, wash at home in extremely hot water... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KellyGirl Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I just made the switch to cloth with baby #4. I used the "Try Cloth" program at Jillian's Drawers which gave me a little taste of everything that there is on the market. I agree with Ellie, you can still do it pretty cheaply with old fashioned prefolds and basic plastic pants. I went with a few prefolds, but I really like Flip diapers because they are still relatively inexpensive and easier for other people to change (in spite of the money it will save, my husband isn't too fond of the cloth diaper idea). For the next baby I will likely buy more prefolds, and may even try making flats (just a 30x30 piece of cloth that you fold to fit) from receiving blankets. I have found that the laundry really isn't that bad - when you're already doing laundry for six people, what's one more load every other day? I did invest ($17) in a shower sprayer for spraying out dirty diapers in the toilet (so I don't have to dunk them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 If you aren't otherwise interested in cloth, try some other disposable brands first:) And if you did make the switch, you could certainly do cloth on just the youngest (I assume that's the 4th you mentioned). I used cloth diapers for several years until I just didn't WANT to anymore. So I quit and haven't looked back. I have no regrets on using cloth while I did, though. If you want to just experiment before spending a lot, you could get the cheap, crummy Gerber prefolds and plastic covers from Walmart (and a set of pins) to use for a week. Don't be surprised if they don't fit well or leak, but it would just help you decide if the rash issue will be resolved by cloth. OR get good diapers but only buy a few. One days' worth, perhaps, just to start with. I'm just suggesting those things cause it's sounds like you're not reeealllly interested in cloth itself, you're interested in getting your sweet little one rash-free!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 We used prefolds, pins, and either Bummis wraps, Gerber pants (Walmart) or wool covers I knit. I had a time adjusting to an HE machine between dd2 and the boys, but I really just needed less soap because the HE machines don't have a flood of water in the rinse. For three kids (two are twins so they were in diapers at the same time) I had accumulated about 6 dozen premium sized prefolds, perhaps 10 Bummis, various Gerber pants... Less than $500 over 10 diaper years, not including some fun, fancier purchases. I also rigged up a diaper sprayer on the intake hose of the toilet for removing solids. They sell them, but I rigged mine up with a T between two flexible intake hoses and a kitchen sprayer. That thing could blow he paint off your walls! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Oh, and Kerry's Herbals Miracle Salve is the best rash proofing diaper salve I've ever found. It's awesome and doesn't stick to baby or diapers like the white ones do. http://www.kerrysherbals.com/herbalsalves.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnsinkableKristen Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Here is how I started: 1. Buy prefolds & Bummis or Thirsties covers from Green Mountain Diapers. Prefolds - 2 dozen/size would be good (you'll probably need the small and the medium) Covers - I like about 8 - 10 covers/child. Your 3mo would be in a small (depending on weight) and your 21mo would be in medium or large (depending on weight). 2. Buy training pants from Green Mountain Diapers for your 3 yo. They have a few kinds/sizes. 3. Buy a medium sized trash can and a wet bag from Green Mountain Diapers. Put the liner in the open trash can and keep it somewhere ventilated. We keep ours in the master bathroom and it doesn't smell. Put the solid waste in the toilet, throw the rest in the can. 4. Wash them every other day in Tide Free & Clear (or All Free & Clear or a special cloth detergent). Wash once on cold/no soap, once on hot/with soap, wash once or twice again with no soap. Dry the prefolds in the dryer, line dry the covers. You may not need to wash them as much, but if they still smell like pee when you dry them then add another wash to your cycle. There you go! It's not hard at all. If you'd like, you can get fancier diapers and they will be easier to put on but they will also be more expensive. You pay for convenience and for cuteness :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellesmere Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I agree that the rash may be due to food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Actually, Bummis should be dried in the dryer. It seals any pinholes that may occur in the laminate, which causes them to sweat. also, if clog diapers develop a ghastly smell when wet - not pee, an OMG what's wrong with these diapers smell - thats soap residue. Also, oxo-clean leaves a residue that turns safety vest yellow in the presence of urine, no matter how well you rinse them. Aren't you glad you asked about cloth? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 If you use diapers, I like the idea of a multi-pack such as Jillian's Drawers (previously linked) because babies are sensitive to different things. Some babies do best with natural fibers on their skin, but many do best when they can't feel the wetness (so fleece liners or fleece-inner diapers). Wetness never bothered my first two but this little one NEEDS a big fleece liner or a fleece-lined diaper (I just cut up a piece of normal fleece for the liners) or he gets a bad rash. It clears up very quickly once he's dry. I use prefolds from Littlelions.com (I have used Green Mountain as well), and I have a couple of all-in-ones from BumGenius, and I like their pockets as well (although I have none at the moment). Here is a basic summary of the different kinds of cloth diapers http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/overwhelmed-cloth-diapers-101/ and here is a group of articles about many cloth diapering topics http://www.diaperjungle.com/cloth-diaper-guide.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 With that mix of ages I would probably do one sized diapers, so that you don't have to worry whose is whose. Or get different sized prefolds i guess and color code the covers. With three in diapers I'd probably get Kawaii diapers, they are cheap and will be big enough to fit the 3 year old. Sunbaby are also cheap but don't go that big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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