Cloth Diaper Help! - Mesa,AZ

Cloth diapers are the best! I've used them for both my kids and my nine month old has never worn a disposable. I would recommend going to Wildflower Diapers in Scottsdale. They can help you get started with everything you need. www.wildflowerdiapers.com

From personal experience I can't help you, HOWEVER- in the birth clubs of Babycenter are ladies who are very into cloth diapering.

http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a455/august_2009_b...

This is the link to the Aug 2009 birth club... you just need to go to the latest thread that talks about cloth diapering. HTH

Hello M.,

I own a cloth diaper company called envibum, that provides the total convienence of a disposable diaper, where you just toss in the wash instead of the trash. They are a one size fits all, waterproof, and are the easiest and most affordable cloth diapers on the market. Check us out at http://www.envibum.com. I am a great resource for cloth diapers as this is my passion and I have been dealing with them for the past 13 years. I have come up with the most practical and affordable diaper that has all the best qualities. For your new addition, I would suggest buying 2 dozen. Depending on how often you would like to wash, that is a comfortable number I would suggest for most of my customers to go with. I would be happy to answer any other questions or provide you with incentives for orders over a dozen.

Thanks!
R.
http://www.envibum.com

M.,
You can visit some websites. One that I found that I like is
http://www.comfybummy.com/
They have video tutorials and let you see how each type of diaper works. I have loved cloth diapering. It is an inital investment at first but I loved knowing that my baby was in natural fibers, not putting stuff in the land fill, and washing them really isn't that bad. You will need the diapers, liners, wraps, or if you decide on the all in ones you just need the diapers and the liners. Good luck with your search. By the way I think Comfy Bummy still sends samples of the diapers. Buy 1 or 2 of the ones you think you might like and try them out. If you don't like them then you aren't out a bunch and can try a different kind.

M.,
My favorite website is Greenmountaindiapers.com. They have everything you need including links to some really good soaps. We actually use a diaper service (easier, but not cheap), but get all our covers from greenmountain. I would suggest you try a few different covers to see what you like best & what fits your baby best and most importantly, don't wash covers in hot water! Don't worry about all the frills. You won't need liners & all that stuff. We tried them & ended up never using them. However, get something called snappis! They're cheap and work really well for holding cloth diapers together (with no sharp pins!). Also, for night-time, we tried doublers for a while & got up to change diapers in the middle of the night for a while & eventually found that a disposable is easiest and works best. We use a biodegradable one called Nature babycare that goes for about $10.00-$13.00 for a pack of about 40.
We also have a friend who washes her own and has this great attachment to the toilet that's like a little shower head on a hose for rinsing poop off diapers and into the toilet. I don't think they're very expensive and it sure seems to make things easier.
Hope all this helps! Good luck and congratulations on your decision!
L.

M. - I can't give you advice from experience as our newborn hasn't yet arrived. However, we made the decision to use cloth and did a lot of research. We bought several different samples and played with all of them as well as did price comparisons. They have come a LONG way since I was a baby in cloth diapers. Our main reason for using cloth is for going 'green' and we realized we're going to be saving a lot of money along the way. If you decide to use a service I think your cost of cloth vs. disposable is not much savings. We decided on BumGenius because they are very easy and one size fits all so they will grow with the baby. Locally we have received the most advice and help from Wildflower Diapers up in Scottsdale www.wildflowerdiapers.com The nice thing is they have several different brands and are not partial to one or the other, if you have time to get up there to visit them they are extremely helpful and will answer all of your questions. Good luck!!

My friend Meredith has a website that you should check out. She is local and is great to work with, and will be able to answer any questions you have. Her website is www.gogonatural.com

hope this helps.

Hi Melody,

Congratulations on baby #4 and for considering cloth! I run my shop www.diaperstyle.com out of my home (I live off of Gilbert and Guadalupe) and welcome parents curious about cloth to set up a free (no pressure) consultation. I can help with all your questions and teach you how to use and care for diapers. It also gives you a great chance to see and feel all the different styles of diapers and really feel confident in your decision.

Please let me know if I can help in any way :D

S. Dugger
Diaper Style
###-###-####

The main types of diapers are prefolds (which need covers but are generally the cheapest way to go), fitteds (which need covers), pockets (which are waterproof and have a little insert that goes inside the pocket of the diaper for absorbency), All-in-Ones: AIO (take longer to dry but they function like a disposable except you wash them), and All-in-Twos: AI2 (they can function like an AIO or a cover. The absorbent layer snaps in). I, personally, prefer AI2's or pockets because they are very, very, simple and are easy to wash and quick to dry. Here are some resources to help you get started:

Local online stores where you can go to their "shop" (house) and see the diapers and they teach you how to use them:
- www.greenchicmama.com
- www.ababyconnection.com

Forums where you can buy used cloth diapers (I always do this. It saves TONS of money!):
- www.diaperswappers.com

Detergents for cloth diapers:
- http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

If you can sew or knit, you can do a lot yourself!
- http://www.thewahmmall.com/index.php?main_page=index&...

Trisha at tentinypiggies.com can really help you figure out what you want...she's in Tucson and she's got great prices and she's so sweet.

Go to Wildflower Diaper in Scottsdale if you can. They have a showroom and will show you all the options. They are only open limited hours, (I think Wednesday through Saturday 11-5 of something like that), but they know what they are talking about.

I did disposibles for my 1st and now do cloth for my 2nd. I recommend "pocket diapers". I use Happy Heiney but I think Bum Genius and Fuzzi Bunz are good too. The pocket diapers are user friendly, even for grandmas baby sitters and husbands. They are alot like those disposables you are used to in shape, only they have snaps or velcro. They have an insert that you stuff inside and remove before washing. I tried the prefolds w/ covers and just hated them. I had leaks galore. I wish I had done pocket diapers for my first son.

If you have questions, I would be happy to talk you through my wash routine and whatnot.

I have done both cloth and disposable with my 4 kids, sometimes a combination of both. Right now I only have 1 in diapers! so I use cloth during the day and disposable at night and for church. I use pre-folded with a extra insert and a outer waterproof wrap. There are tons of styles out there, you just have to find what works for you and your budget. While the expensive all-in-one diapers are nice, I have found that the simple ones work just as well. You can also get a flush-able insert that helps with poopies. A clothesline helps. Somehow the power of the sun bleaches them and helps with odor. Hope this helps.

Hi:
I love cloth and used them with both my kids. I still use them as my 2 yr-old is still in diapers.

I used the DSQ diapers and nylon diaper covers. I also get diaper pins. I buy mine off ebay.

I bought 1 dozen newborn. They may only work for about a month if baby grows fast. (Use them as burp rags when done). I also bought 2-4 dozen infant diapers and the 2-3 dozed nylon diaper covers.

Your baby will use 10-14 diapers per day. You want to have that many. You may only want to wash every two days, so you need to have extra to cover the delay in washing. Then, should your washer go on the fritz, I usually buy an extra dozen or two. So you may want to have about 3 dozen infant diapers. Baby should be able to wear those for a long time.

You can get the bigger size later, and by that time, you'll be an expert!

BTW: I know a great seller on ebay and they are the only one's I buy my dipes from for 5 years now. If you want their name, give a holla.

Washing is easy too and if you need advice, I have a great method.

Some mom's use more expensive cloth diapers but I always used the basic cloth prefold DSQ (diaper service quality) diapers and found, with their superior absorbency, they always worked great for me.

Hi M.,

First, I completely applaud your efforts and desire to consider cloth diapers! I used them for both of my boys (now 16 and 12) and never regretted it. (I always had disposable on hand for traveling or, sometimes, for overnight. They are convenient at times!)

How many depends largely on how often you want to have to do a load of diapers--you'll probably want to do them by themselves. I honestly don't remember how many I had, but it seems like 40-60 at least. That way, the diaper pail could comfortably fill up--after being washed out in the toilet first--and still have plenty of clean folded diapers stacked up ready to go. Clean diapers are so handy for burp cloths and other emergencies!

I liked the night pads for when I went grocery shopping or out some place...and for night time, of course...better than folding an extra diaper between the regular one and the diaper cover because it seemed to fit better and be more comfortable. Maybe a dozen of those or so.

While you don't need nearly as many diaper covers as diapers, it is still nice to have some clean ones handy if needed. Again, I don't remember specifically, but perhaps a dozen of those as well. I DO remember liking the velcro tabs and being able to secure the diaper with the covers instead of the diaper pins we used to have to do!

The nice thing is that you can always buy more diapers or covers if it suits you. After a little while, you'll integrate the cloth lifestyle seamlessly into your routine and probably be delighted with the results. I never had problems with diaper rash using the cloth, but my sons were sometimes reactive (mildly) to disposable. However, I was VERY careful to only use a detergent without any fillers or potential allergens. The only one I trusted at that time was SA-8 from Amway/Quixtar. Now there are probably other excellent choices, but I tend to stick to what works the best for us.

Remember, you'll probably want to change cloth more often than typically is done with disposables. So...a little more work, but I found my sons stayed very happy and healthy that way. Also as a bonus: they were both a snap to potty train, unlike their peers whose mothers were often quite distressed. Of course, since this is your 4th, you no doubt already have that one down!

I guess the main advice I have is to appreciate the positives the cloth diapers provide when it is less convenient than tossing a disposable into the trash (like when you are washing out a dirty diaper in the toilet, or facing a load of clean diapers out of the dryer that have to be folded). Then, when it really makes more sense to use disposable, go ahead with a sense of relief and appreciation for the choice. You know in your heart and mind that you are doing a significant part to protect our planet for your precious youngsters!

Be blessed!

C.

We used cloth for our three girls. IMHO cloth diapers help with potty training because they help babies make the connection between going to the bathroom and being wet. Disposables wick away the moisture, so there's no cause and effect. Also, they seemed to get less diaper rash with cloth. And something in the disposables didn't agree with our daughters. They tended to get hives when wearing them.

And if you can, I recommend using a service. It's so convenient.

when i had my daughter back in 91, i used a diaper service, and it was locally run... but for the life of me, i cant remember who it was. they drove little toyota trucks all over town.
E.

Hi M.!
Congrats on your impending arrival :) Cloth diapering is wonderful. With our oldest, we used G Diapers. While they were earth friendly, they cost more than disposables to keep up with. We've been cloth diapering our baby practically since she was born. We just use prefold diapers inside a diaper cover. The prefolds are really cheap, I think we paid $1.25 each. We bought 25 of them, and 6 diaper covers. We use a regular trash can as our diaper pail and put a few drops of lavender oil in the bottom to deodorize. I just throw the soiled diapers in the wash every couple of days in a hot cycle with an extra rinse and that's about it! We got our diapers at www.cottonbabies.com. It's a great resource for reasearching cloth diapers and their prices are good. Please feel free to e-mail with any questions, I'd be happy to help! Take care :)

There are tons of choices in all sorts of price ranges. I use nickisdiapers.com, but there are lots of good websites out there. Nicki's diapers has lots of different kinds and we actually use different kinds at home. I suggest buying at least one of each kind.
First you have the "old fashioned" kind where you need a pin of sorts, but now they sell something called a Snappi that has replaced the pins.
So if I were you, I'd get the following. And remember, you don't have to do 100% cloth, 100% of the time. We use disposable at night and on the go. Also, when you have a newborn, chances are that he/she won't be able to fit into the cloth for a month or so anyway because babies are just so tiny, so still buy the newborn size diapers. It's better for your sanity also.
Buy 3 diaper covers (Prorap are the best I've found). 2-3 "prefolds", we bought diapers called "contours" and they are very nice. Similar to prefolds, but they are a bit easier I think. Then get about 6 one size pocket diapers. These are diapers that have liners you put into a pocket. They fit a baby from new all the way through potty training because one size really does fit all because they are adjustable. We use Bum Genius for the pocket diapers. Last, you may want 2-3 All-in-ones (AIO). They are really all in one. No pockets to stuff. They are very nice, but most expensive. We don't have any of these are the pockets work great for our 2 year old. We're currently using the contours with a cover for our 2 month old.
Now for assessories. We use a trash can with a special liner you can buy at an online diaper store for dirty diapers. Also, buy the biodegradeable liners (come in baby and toddler sizes) to put on the diaper to "catch" the poop. Once baby poops, just flush poop and liner.
Good luck!

Congratulations! I was also going to recommend Meredith at GoGoNatural - give her a call and I'm sure she would be happy to show you options: ###-###-#### or email ____@____.com. There is a sale this week - use JULY4 discount code on www.gogonatural.com. And she is holding a cloth diapering workshop on July 14 @ 3pm.

Hi M.!!
I was going to cloth diaper my almonst 9 month old but sadly I did not succeed. I'm sure if you decide to do it, you will do great. But I wanted to offer you, I have 36 prefolds, and a bunch of covers (all brand name from a baby boutique) that I did not use at all. I would be happy so sell them to you at a very discounted price. I am in Gilbert. Let me know if you are interested and I can e-mail you pictures and brands of what I have. ( I also have a few pocket diapers.)
My e-mail is ____@____.com
Goood luck and I hope to hear from you!
A.

Try www.wildflowerdiapers.com
They are local and have great starter info on their site.

M.