Talk me into CDs

[Ashley&Scott]

I've been considering trying cloth diapers.

DS is already 7mo old, is it worth it at this point? I know he'll be in diapers for quite a while but I still feel like if we're kind of late to the party so to speak.

Also talk to me about the time commitment. We're already doing 6-8 loads of laundry per week, usually on the weekends. How much extra laundry would we be talking about?

Realistically if we do switch how many CDs would we need? What kinds to you recommend? Ease of use would be our main goal.

ETA: How much extra bulk would a CD add to clothing...if DS wears 6-9mo pants now would he need to go up a size with a CD?

[CloudBee]

I'm not even using them yet, but there's just something about disposables that grosses me out. CDs seem so soft, and natural compared to disposables.

I also don't like the looks of a disposable poking out from clothing... where as CDs are super cute and don't scream "gross diaper". They're more like clothing.

I was told to get at least 24 if I want to do laundry every other day. I'm going to stick to just BunGenius and FuzziBuns one sized to start. I've been buying a couple each time we place an Amazon order for other things.

If these styles don't work out, they are sooo easy to re-sell.

You should just buy a few and try them out. Or I think Kelly's Closet (website) has a trial where you can rent an assortment to try them out before buying.

[Deleted]

I wash every 3 days, so 2-3 loads a week. I do it after work in the evening. Not a big deal if you've got your own washer and dryer.

I like pocket diapers. They do require stuffing (the inserts into the pockets), but they wash up well, are affordable, and you can add more stuffing for overnight and car trips.

I'd suggest about 24 diapers. I like these: www.theluvyourbaby.com/sale-12-os-heavy-duty-hd2-suede-cloth-inner-buy-2-get-additional-discount/

[Mushe]

Ditto Token. We use a combination of pockets and AIOs, but all are BumGenius.

We have about 30, and wash every third day. No big effort, we wash, kind of fluff dry a little (the AIOs) and then hang to dry. Often the AIOs aren't fully dry the next morning so that's why we have extras. The pockets are fine.

Will your daycare use them? If not, I wouldn't bother. I know there are some that pt cd, but it doesn't really seem worth it to me, personally.

[drloretta]

Yes, still worth it. DD is 2.5 and I'm looking at maybe a few more months before she PTs, but that's still over a year from where you are

You're talking about 2-3 extra loads of laundry a week

You're looking about 2 dozen CDs if you want to go whole hog. But you can also start with a few and get a feel for things as you increase to FT CDing, if you prefer that. You can also look into a diaper trial. A company will send you a few of different types. You send back what you don't like for a refund, and keep what you like, then stock up.

If you're looking for ease of use, probably fitteds and/or pocket diapers would be easiest. But what works for one family/kid is different for another, and may change over time. We were all pockets and now are about 50/50 pockets and fitteds. BumGenius seems to be the most well-liked across the board pocket CD. Kawaii are a good cheap brand.

DD has never gone up a size in clothing with CDs. MIL even though so and bought her gigantic shorts, but she's always run true to size. It will depend somewhat on the trimness of the diaper.

If you would like a few, I am trying to destash a bit and could send you a couple to try out.

[Mushe]

Oh, also, I don't think they add that much bulk. My LO is 8.5 mo and wearing 6-9 month clothes. We had him in disposables last week on vacation and his clothes were just a tiny bit looser, but not a huge amount.

[Deleted]

yes its worth it. DD just became potty trained and she is almost 3. You will still get at least 2 years worth of use out of them.

Bulkines depends on the diaper and the kid. They definitely felt bulkier when she was younger, but not as much when she was older. We DID go up a size in pants, though.

I have over 20 and we only do it part time, so full time, I'd have 30. I also recommend buying used and trying a few out to see what you like. I went through so many brands! But they are easy to resell, I didn't really lose much money.

I washed 2x a week, usually Wed/Thurs and Sunday. 2 extra loads, no big deal.

[Deleted]

We can't use CDs at daycare but I still think it's worth it. i love CDs. It's so much nicer mentally in my mind to think "do I need to do laundry" vs "do I ned to go to the store." Even when we were CDing full-time when I was on leave it was only maybe an extra load every two days, so 3 - 4 extra loads of laundry a week. After a few weeks we got into a rhythm with it and it was no big deal.

[froggy76]

Definitely still worth it and you can use them for future kiddos, too. I would check with your daycare before you make a decision.

I wish I had done a diaper trial. Instead, I bought tons of different brands, which was fun, but now I really want to streamline my process and sell off all but a couple kinds. If you don't want to do a trial, just pick up a few BG 4.0 and see what you think.

24 diapers should be enough to CD full-time. 30 is even better, but you could just start with 24 and then see if you need a different solution for nighttime.

The bulk shouldn't be bad at this point, even with OS diapers. I have replaced most of my microfiber inserts with hemp, which works better and is also more trim. I don't generally have to size up in clothes. However, I do have issues with non-stretchy pants, like jeans.

We do 3 loads of CD laundry per week. It really isn't bad- not like doing a regular load of laundry where you have to sort clothes and hang everything up. You just stuff the pockets and throw them back in the drawer. The only part I really dislike is spraying poop, but that should get better once DD's poop is more solid.

[everam01]

I do CD laundry daily with 30 diapers and twins. If you had 30, I would think every other day would suffice.

[CloudBee]

Aug 15, 2012 0:17:48 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

One draw back of using one-size diapers is that they do add a lot of bulk, particularly to small infants. We started Lucy in BG 3.0s at six week and her ass was HUGE. We had to buy all new pants.

Sized diapers help limit this somewhat.

Would you suggest a small stash of inexpensive newborn prefolds and covers, or just sucking it up and dealing with the bulk?

[Deleted]

Aug 15, 2012 8:50:41 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Aug 15, 2012 0:17:48 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

One draw back of using one-size diapers is that they do add a lot of bulk, particularly to small infants. We started Lucy in BG 3.0s at six week and her ass was HUGE. We had to buy all new pants.

Sized diapers help limit this somewhat.

Would you suggest a small stash of inexpensive newborn prefolds and covers, or just sucking it up and dealing with the bulk?

If you want to start right away, you need something newborn sized. I used newborn fitteds and covers for the first 7-8 weeks. Typically if you buy nb stuff used, you can sell it for about the same and diaper for free. Or keep for the next kid, if you're planning more than one.

One-size will look HUGE for the first few months anyway, though. We just were used to the big booty.

[froggy76]

Aug 15, 2012 8:50:41 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Aug 15, 2012 0:17:48 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

One draw back of using one-size diapers is that they do add a lot of bulk, particularly to small infants. We started Lucy in BG 3.0s at six week and her ass was HUGE. We had to buy all new pants.

Sized diapers help limit this somewhat.

Would you suggest a small stash of inexpensive newborn prefolds and covers, or just sucking it up and dealing with the bulk?

The OS diapers won't fit a newborn. I loved prefolds and covers for the newborn stage, and OS started fitting around 2 months on DD (who is a peanut.) We still use the prefolds as burp cloths, changing pad covers, etc. Or you could just use disposables until the OS diapers fit.

[Deleted]

I would go with bum genius. You need at least 24, 30 would be better.

1 load every other day. Plus 15 minutes of stuffing.

[Deleted]

ditto everyone else, Cloudbee, you can't use OS diapers until the baby hits 11+ lbs, but even then they are bulky.

I think DD was around 18 lbs when I began to CD seriously, and the OS were bulky even then. The size Medium FB were better.

I plan on getting a (used) newborn stash of BG XS or Small the next time around.

[Ashley&Scott]

Thanks for all of the info!

I talked to DH briefly about it last night...he's not so interested & he does 90% of the laundry at our house...

I'm going to keep researching & talk to him a bit more. I also need to see if our daycare would do cloth.

Dr. L- you're so sweet to offer, I may take you up on it if we decide to take the plunge

[pugz]

CloudBee the OS diapers are not truly one sized, you can't really use them until baby is 12lbs. For G...well that may be a few more months!! So a separate newborn stash is needed. Some people just use disposables for that stage, which I think is understandable. The first 2 weeks we were so focused on the breastfeeding stuff I was glad we just used disposables. I was too stressed and tired to show dh how to use the CDs and to do the laundry.

[drloretta]

DD was in nb diapers for 13 weeks. OS were ginormous. They just don't work until their little legs fill out, etc. Prefolds are a great option. I liked fitteds and XS pockets.

[whitemerlot]

My daughter is almost 13 lbs and she is too tiny for one sized. I can put them on her, but the newborn sized inserts don't absorb enough and the regular ones are too bulky. If she wears the bulky ones, the legs gap and leak. We have her in prefolds. She outgrew her orange edge and is in yellow. I had them from my older child. She also would still fit fine in KL0s.

[everam01]

We also used prefolds and Thirsties covers for the first 2 months or so before switching to one-size pockets.