Who here has cloth diapered their babies or currently is cloth

[Onceuponatime]

I did fulltime with the second, for a few months with the third, and kept them on hand for when I ran out of disposables with the 4th and 5th.

[Rosie_0801]

Dd was in cloth until I was about 8 weeks pregnant with ds, other than when we were away. After that, my desire to keep my food down trumped my desire to keep her in cloth!

 

Ds didn't last long in cloth. He got rashes so quickly, we changed to the biodegradable nappies. The local supermarket stopped selling them for a while, so we had to buy the cheap ones, and he almost never gets a rash now, so we haven't switched back to the biodegradable. I'm cross about that, but he's a bit young to think a red bot is worth enduring for the sake of our sense of ethics.

 

Rosie

[Momof3littles]

We are currently CDing our 16 month old, and I cloth diapered my two other children as well.

 

7.5 straight years of cloth around here.

 

I love cloth wipes too.

 

I need to sell of some of my stash but that's always a little bittersweet. We are finished having kids.

[swellmomma]

I did. My oldest 3 F/T, youngest P/T.

[Momling]

We cloth-diapered my oldest most of the time (but used disposables when traveling or out on a day trip!)

 

We moved to an apartment with a communal washer/dryer when my youngest was 1, so we switched to disposables then. There was no way I was going to haul dirty diapers into the basement to wash them in a public washer.

[Runningmom80]

I switched to cloth when older DS was 6 months old. Twins have been cd'd since birth. (well, aside from the first two weeks, their bums were too tiny for cloth.:D)

[momma aimee]

3.5 on each boy. had both in cloth at the same time for almost 2 years

[Stratford]

We started with DS#1 when he was 1 1/2, used them exclusively with #2, and for the first 6 months with #3. I do love them. They beat "paper diapers" hands down.

[Annie Laurie]

I cloth diapered #2 from about 1 year old and the next 3 from birth on. #5 is currently in cloth. We have a mix of prefolds, all in ones, and fitted diapers. My favorite are prefolds or fitteds with wool covers.

[Rosie_0801]

How lovely fitted nappies must be. I had the old "fold 'em yourself" type.

 

Rosie

[mamato4girls]

Yes, with the last baby, and planning to with this one.

[historically accurate]

I used disposables with oldest. I was planning on returning to work, so cloth was not an option. I did end up staying home for 1 year, but we never made the switch to cloth.

 

Second was very rashy, so she started cloth at 3 months. Used them pretty much full time until potty-trained.

 

I used both, about half and half.

[Pink Elephant]

Three kids... raised in the 80's... cloth diapers, pins, rubber pants.

[Pronghorn]

I expected to try cloth diapers. However, once I adopted my child I found her needs overwhelming. I barely managed to make meals. So I did not try cloth diapers.

[Ravin]

All cloth with both mine.

[EKS]

Disposable for both.  Youngest is 12.

[HS Mom in NC]

Some, not others.

 

I did with my older two 22 mos. apart.  No problem at all. We didn't use a service.  We used Bumpkins-flat folded flannel inserts and separate waterproof covers.  Each were exclusively breastfed until 1 year old so we didn't have to deal with the formula baby poo smell.

 

With my youngest I used had them at first, I forget which all in one kind, but between her transition issues (she's an international adoptee who arrived in the US at 7 months old) and the formula baby poo smell and all the other things going on with older kids going here and there and helping to care for dependent elderly relatives, we went to disposables after several months.

 

OOPS! I just noticed this is a zombie thread.

[Hunter]

I couldn't afford disposable diapers. I couldn't even afford enough cloth diapers for everyone. I could go about 28 hours between washing diapers, and it wasn't a full load, and because I couldn't really afford to do laundry, it killed me to be doing less than a load. Those were hard times. It was such a struggle to keep everyone fed and clean.

[Maela]

I used cloth diapers mostly, but used disposables when cloth would have been even slightly inconvenient. We also did early, gentle potty training. I held them over the toilet every time I changed their diaper starting at three months. They both got in the habit of pooping once or twice a day in the toilet (I can't remember exactly when - maybe by six months?). Anyway, that saved me a ton of laundry and disposables! It didn't save potty training time, as they both had pee accidents up to age five. But I didn't have to deal much with poop - that was awesome. :)

 

Maybe that was too much information! :)

[happypamama]

I couldn't afford disposable diapers. I couldn't even afford enough cloth diapers for everyone. I could go about 28 hours between washing diapers, and it wasn't a full load, and because I couldn't really afford to do laundry, it killed me to be doing less than a load. Those were hard times. It was such a struggle to keep everyone fed and clean.

<3

 

You always inspire me!

 

(And now I am off to change my fifth cloth diapered baby, LOL.)

[aggieamy]

Three kids... raised in the 80's... cloth diapers, pins, rubber pants.

 

Hi.  Welcome to the forum.  

 

Please try to start a new discussion on a topic.  I've noticed you've reopened a number of zombie threads and then just added not much to the conversation ...  

 

It's startling to read through a thread and see a dead friend join the conversation.   :huh:

[Desert Strawberry]

Some sposies, but mostly cloth for all of mine. Waiting on Inspiration's diapers to be delivered. Hopefully before baby is.

[LibraryLover]

All four. My oldest had Bobottoms,  and Bummies when they first came out with fitted aio.  My mother bought wool covers for my sister and me when we had our first babies.  (This is over 20 years ago.) Bummis aio only came in white back then. I also had some really nice vinyl covers. My youngest wore such cute diapers I bought from various folks on line. I had flats, terry cloth from UK (courtesy a friend), fitted. I used aios, pins, everything. I really loved using cloth.

 

I loved cloth wipes as well, although Mustesla wipes are the best!

[TheAttachedMama]

I didn't CD my first two children.   But I am CDing my third.  (He is 1 now.)   I am amazed at how easy it is.   I was always intimidated by it before, but CD are so much better than disposable.   I am a convert.  :)

[Runningmom80]

I cloth diapered my oldest from 6 months until he potty trained. Mostly fuzzibunz with him. My twins were cloth diapered from birth. I used organic prefold a with flips and thirstiest and sbish fitteds and wool. Loved cloth!

[sbgrace]

I used cloth, though I would use disposables when others were taking care of my babies--like the church nursery.

 

I think your poll is going to be skewed, as the title will attract those with cloth diaper experience and not others.

[Shellydon]

CDed all 4

[duckens]

Disposables for older dd.  We were new to parenting.  I was interested in it, but we were new parents with no mentors...and no washer on-site.

When younger dd was ~6 months old, I made an impulse buy of cloth diapers at the homeschooling convention.  Loverboy really shouldn't let me out to those things with $$$ in my pocket.  :laugh:

Yes, it was a lot of work to cloth diaper and wash and dry them, but every time I hung one on the clothes line, I repeated the mantra: Ka-ching!  Ka-ching!  Ka-ching!  ($$$$$$)

Disposables for vacation (flying out of state) and for one memorable week when everyone was sick sick sick.
-------------------------------------------------

 

*apologies in advance if this is an inappropriate topic*

 

I never did figure out the "washing out in the toilet" thing.  Drippy and messy.  And we have carpet in our bathrooms! :eek:

I dedicated a kitchen scraper (a little square of plastic) for scraping poop off of diapers.  The last of the poop would be wiped off the scraper with a piece of toilet paper.  The scraper was then washed in the sink.  My washer was tough enough to handle any residual poop on the diapers.

With most of the poop gone, the diapers would dry out and not stink.

As diapers occurred, I laid them out over the side of the tub to dry out.  Once pee and poop dry out, they are much less pungent.  Then they were dropped into a plastic crate with a plexiglass bottom that Loverboy had cut.  (We didn't want the stink to get into the carpet permanently). With the sides open on the crate, the diapers were able to stay dry.  We were able to avoid the worst of the stereotypical diaper smells. 
 

[Hunter]

I used to keep a bucket of water with a locking lid right next to the washing machine. When I was out of diapers, I would dump the whole bucket–water and all–into the washing machine. I'd use spin-dry to drain the water off, and then do a normal load of wash.

 

For awhile when I could afford it, there was some type of disinfectant that I was adding to the water, but then my oldest learned how to unlock the lid about the same time I couldn't afford it anymore, and I realized I really didn't need it. As long as the diapers never dried, they never stained. I handwashed the diapers a bit before adding them to the bucket.

 

There was no smell. Even when I had to stop nursing, and start the youngest on formula, when I went into heart failure and had to go on heart meds.

 

Towards the end someone told me how dangerous a bucket of water can be for a toddler. I was just of the mind set that EVERYTHING was dangerous, and kept doing it. The poor toddler never fell in the bucket, but he did get lead poisoning. Sigh! He's 27 now and seems to be fine, thankfully.

 

The 80's was a whole other world, when it came to child safety practices. And being a teen mom and having so few resources, I was worse than many. 

 

 

[Ausmumof3]

Only for dd. it wasn't a thing ds. Friends loaned me prefolds for dd which were great. I had fitted ones you put together for the last ds but they didn't really work out. They took ages to dry so I never had enough. He was a heavy wetter so they would leak easily. His clothes never fitted properly over them. I could never use cloth overnight unless I wanted to wash everything in the morning including my pjs and bedding as we coslept. I think the $ I saved by cd with dd I lost on the unused cloth nappies for ds. Oh well. My niece got the benefit.

 

Ds was also a crazy heavyprojectile chucker. I wAshing three to four loads most days anyway so couldn't fit anymore in. And we are on tank water so I could only ever wash Nappies in winter without worrying about using the extra 70l of water every two days.

[Amithy]

We used cloth & loved it!

[ktgrok]

Baby one was cloth from day one until potty training, except at Grandma's house, and in the end, at night.

 

Baby 2 was cloth from day one, until potty training, except at night or one long vacation we took.

 

Baby 3 was cloth from about day one and still is, but is more part time. I often use disposables when out, if his outfit is snug, and always at night. 

[SKL]

Those who share my washing machine would not let me use cloth diapers.  But I wanted to.  I adopted and took custody when the kids were 9mos / 12mos, and I soon started them on modified EC using cloth products part-time, disposables part-time.  They were diaper-free at 1.5.

[SKL]

I did cloth diaper my youngest siblings, and I don't really understand why it's considered such a big deal.

[Pink Elephant]

I did cloth diaper my youngest siblings, and I don't really understand why it's considered such a big deal.

 

Yep, I changed diapers (cloth) on baby siblings, too... also babysat in and around my neighbourhood (teen years) and changed cloth diapers at countless homes.

 

Did you babysit, SKL? What type of diapers were you met with?

 

When I was regularly babysitting (1970's), for every ten households I babysat at, cloth diapers were used in ten out of the ten homes. By the 80's, I was changing Pampers at more and more homes, though I still had regular babysitting jobs where the moms used cloth diapers, but disposables were definitely gaining ground.

[EmilyGF]

Used cloth while hubby was a grad student and post doc. Stopped when we had and Aldi close by (super cheap, good enough, diapers) and a higher salary.

 

Never had any issues with rashes. 

 

I never had any of the problems cloth diaper people claim others have with disposables.

 

I sold my stash of cloth diapers a month ago.

[SKL]

Yep, I changed diapers (cloth) on baby siblings, too... also babysat in and around my neighbourhood (teen years) and changed cloth diapers at countless homes.

 

Did you babysit, SKL? What type of diapers were you met with?

 

When I was regularly babysitting (1970's), for every ten households I babysat at, cloth diapers were used in ten out of the ten homes. By the 80's, I was changing Pampers at more and more homes, though I still had regular babysitting jobs where the moms used cloth diapers, but disposables were definitely gaining ground.

 

I think they invented Pampers or Kimbies when I was born, but they were too expensive for my family.  (Youngest sibling born in 1979.)  We did have neighbors who used them when I was about 10.

 

My babysitting jobs were a mix.  My first one at age 10 used cloth (that was around 1976).  In 1980 I babysat for some preschoolers who used disposables overnight.  Their baby brother came along in 1981 and they used disposables at first, later cloth.  I think he was the last baby I cloth diapered.  I had more babysitting jobs but they all used disposables.  My niece/nephew were born in 1993 / 1996 and they used only disposables.

 

When I was in 8th grade and we had to take home ec, they showed us how to use a non-prefold cotton diaper.  LOL.  I wonder if any student ever put that knowledge to use.  :p

 

[edited to correct the decade when my niece/nephew were born.  :P]

[Pink Elephant]

I think they invented Pampers or Kimbies when I was born, but they were too expensive for my family.  (Youngest sibling born in 1979.)  We did have neighbors who used them when I was about 10.

 

My babysitting jobs were a mix.  My first one at age 10 used cloth (that was around 1976).  In 1980 I babysat for some preschoolers who used disposables overnight.  Their baby brother came along in 1981 and they used disposables at first, later cloth.  I think he was the last baby I cloth diapered.  I had more babysitting jobs but they all used disposables.  My niece/nephew were born in 2003 / 2006 and they used only disposables.

 

When I was in 8th grade and we had to take home ec, they showed us how to use a non-prefold cotton diaper.  LOL.  I wonder if any student ever put that knowledge to use.  :p

 

I remember a couple of homes where the moms did a combo of both cloth and disposable. For those times when disposables were being used, I remember rubber pants were used over.

 

Yes, I also remember night-time diapering older daytime toilet trained children, but double cloth diapers always seemed to be the method of diapering for the occasion.

 

All of my nieces and nephews wore old-fashioned cloth diapers (late 70's through to the early/mid 90's), and not one escaped me changing them.

[Pink Elephant]

Something else I remember... everyone used flats (usually doubled for added absorbency). I don't recall ever once coming across a quilted prefold diaper in all the years I babysat.

[dirty ethel rackham]

With my oldest, I tried, but after I got a wet shirt every time I picked him up, I gave up.  I later learned that the diapers I had were poor quality (just bought them locally.)  A friend had gave me a few of her old cloth diapers and wraps and it was so much better.  When I had my second child, I did cloth at home for both kids.  The older one was having trouble potty training, so cloth really helped.  With my last one, she was mostly in cloth.  My crunchy mom friends really helped me figure out a workable system.  Now they have so many cool products. 

 

I used cotton flannel diapers with a terry panel in between the layers.  These were very absorbent.  The best wraps I used were the felted wool wraps.  I loved those.  I would have to re- lanoline them every few months.  I ended up making a bunch of my own diapers.  With my daughter, I made some shaped diapers and my mom put snaps on them.  In the summer, if we were playing outside, I didn't even bother with a wrap.  I did try a few fleece wraps later on with dd, but I found that I had trouble getting rid of the smell. 

[SKL]

Something else I remember... everyone used flats (usually doubled for added absorbency). I don't recall ever once coming across a quilted prefold diaper in all the years I babysat.

 

My mom used quilted prefold cotton diapers.  The folks I babysat for used various kinds.

 

[dirty ethel rackham]

Disposables for older dd.  We were new to parenting.  I was interested in it, but we were new parents with no mentors...and no washer on-site.

 

When younger dd was ~6 months old, I made an impulse buy of cloth diapers at the homeschooling convention.  Loverboy really shouldn't let me out to those things with $$$ in my pocket.  :laugh:

 

Yes, it was a lot of work to cloth diaper and wash and dry them, but every time I hung one on the clothes line, I repeated the mantra: Ka-ching!  Ka-ching!  Ka-ching!  ($$$$$$)

 

Disposables for vacation (flying out of state) and for one memorable week when everyone was sick sick sick.

-------------------------------------------------

 

*apologies in advance if this is an inappropriate topic*

 

I never did figure out the "washing out in the toilet" thing.  Drippy and messy.  And we have carpet in our bathrooms! :eek:

 

I dedicated a kitchen scraper (a little square of plastic) for scraping poop off of diapers.  The last of the poop would be wiped off the scraper with a piece of toilet paper.  The scraper was then washed in the sink.  My washer was tough enough to handle any residual poop on the diapers.

 

With most of the poop gone, the diapers would dry out and not stink.

 

As diapers occurred, I laid them out over the side of the tub to dry out.  Once pee and poop dry out, they are much less pungent.  Then they were dropped into a plastic crate with a plexiglass bottom that Loverboy had cut.  (We didn't want the stink to get into the carpet permanently). With the sides open on the crate, the diapers were able to stay dry.  We were able to avoid the worst of the stereotypical diaper smells. 

 

I had this diaper duck thing.  I would shake the messies out and flush.  Then soak the diaper for a few minutes and swirl off as much solids off.  Then I was able to squeeze the water out of the diaper without getting much on my hands.  I never had a problem getting icky water on the floor.  I put the diapers in a dry pail in the bathroom and would wash every other day (or more if necessary.)  In the summer, I would line dry outside.  It saved $$ and helped bleach the diapers. 

[Pink Elephant]

The older one was having trouble potty training, so cloth really helped.

 

I swear by cloth for toilet training. Not only does a cloth diaper feel uncomfortable when wet, which works great for making the child aware of what they did in their pants, but cloth diapers (when wet) get heavy, sag, and droop, adding to the whole displeasure of wearing them.

[Soror]

It took me until about 2 weeks to get cloth(prefolds) figured out for ds, I used them for the rest pretty much from birth. I used pre-folds and some flats, I prefer flats for the little ones and pre-folds for older ones. I never really much cared for all-in-ones and personally feel that the fancy cd's aren't worth the investment, a big part of CDs for me were the savings but there are plenty these days that are more expensive than disposables. My last one has used some disposables for the last couple of months as she was mostly potty trained and I was finding that I would only use a few, which made it a pain for washing (as I kept forgetting them in the pail). However, it seems she is now all the way day trained and night trained, woot, so I'm out of the diaper business.

 

Fwiw on potty training, I agree that according to my experience it definitely made potty training eaiser. Ds trained at around 21 months, dd1- 22, dd2 at 18 months. DD3 has been mostly trained since 1.5 but now at not quite 25 months is day and night time trained.

[Pink Elephant]

My mom used quilted prefold cotton diapers.  The folks I babysat for used various kinds.

 

 

Knowing what I know now about quilted cloth diapers, I would definitely (if I were raising my kids again) have a couple dozen on hand.

 

With flats I always doubled (daytime and night-time), whereas with prefolds, doubling (I think) would be optional and not so necessary.

 

I always used rubber pants, so never had much in the way of problems when it came to wetness.

[hornblower]

I used cloth.  I even used flats w/ pins. I had a mix of the fancy sewn thick ones & then the liners etc. But I also had a big stack of flats which I either folded myself or used as liners inside the others.
I had the fancy wool wraps & the waterproof outer thingies...

 

[Pink Elephant]

Fwiw on potty training, I agree that according to my experience it definitely made potty training eaiser. Ds trained at around 21 months, dd1- 22, dd2 at 18 months. DD3 has been mostly trained since 1.5 but now at not quite 25 months is day and night time trained.

 

I wasn't so lucky in the toilet training department. Two out of my three wore diapers well into their three's... and one went on to wear night-time diapers till age 4.

 

Changing diapers (the old cloth ones) on a four-year old was nasty at times.

[Pink Elephant]

How about rubber pants? Who all used rubber pants when they cloth diapered?

[ocelotmom]

Oooh, more zombie diapers!!!!

 

I started out cloth diapering most of the time with each of mine, and gradually transitioned to mostly disposables. This time, between going back to work at two months and having to do laundry for six people with clothesline drying, combined with the fact that my covers are pretty worn out and I don't want to spend money on new ones for probably-last baby, I've been doing mostly disposables more months. I do still have a drawer of cloth diapers staring at me guiltily every time I change her, though.

[Pink Elephant]

I do still have a drawer of cloth diapers staring at me guiltily every time I change her, though.

 

Having cloth as backup or for emergencies is a good thing. They're costing you nothing and will always be ready-at-hand and at your disposal if/when needed.