Reusable diapers... ?

Question

What kind do you use? How does the system work (liners etc)? How many do you have and how often do you wash? What do you do with the diapers while they are waiting to be washed and do you just throw them in the machine or hand wash first to remove the "bulk"? Are they bulky or do they fit snug like a disposable? Pros and Cons?....Anything else you want to add would be great!! I'm in the US if that makes a difference.. Thanks.

Answer 1

There are so many different variety and brands out there, from simple prefolds, to all-in-ones that just go one exactly as a disposable would.

You will need 20-30 depending on your how much your baby goes and how often you want to do a load.

You can just throw the diapers in the machine, do a cold rinse cycle first, then a hot wash. As the child gets older you may want to remove the bulk of soil this can be done my tossing it out over the toilet or just tossing the diaper in the toilet for a few.

Different brands fit differently, but most fit really snug and look adorable on the bottom.

Cons are that the start up cost can be alot.

They are truly not anymore work than disposables, at least you will not have to worry about running out or if you have money to run to the store for diapers for the week.

And- Childcare centers are more than willing to use Modern CLOTH diapers on children.

Answer 2

I use the BumGenius all in one diapers and while they are a bit more expensive to buy up front, within 4 to 6 months (depending on how many you buy - I'd suggest at least 30.) you've already saved money. These diapers last until the kid is out of diapers.

For poo - There are disposable/flusable liners that can be placed in the diaper above the actual cloth lining. This means you simply toss/flush it away and problem of scraping pooey diapers is solved. They look almost like dryer sheets - and let the pee soak through to the liner where it's kept away from babies bottom. You will still have to wipe the dirty bottom though - that you can never escape from! The liners ARE biodegradable and can be flushed unless you're using a septic system.

Pee - The inside liners (there are two - one thinner and one larger so you can decide what to put in) hold a lot and still keep babies skin dry - you can pull out the wet liner, put that in a sealed plastic bag and simply replace the inside liner while out. The liner can be left wet for up to about 3 to 4 days before you wash them.

Washing - I've tried these on my nephews who are 1.5 months and 2 years - I had them both soil the diapers, then left them sitting for 3 days in a plastic bag (the top disposable liner with the poo was flushed away) - then I threw them in with a bunch of blankets and baby clothes, using WonderWash and let the machine wash them. Two I had tumble dry in the dryer, two I let hang out to dry and both washed up good as new. (Note that I didn't soak them in anything.)

You can wash the diapers with any other stuff the kid has spit up on - so if you do it every 3 to 4 days, you've got at least half a load when washing and really can toss in any other clothes you've got - just make sure you use the right detergent (which isn't THAT expensive either, just find a natural food store or something that sells it in bulk).

Sizing - I got the all in one, one sized diaper so I didn't have to reinvest every few months and found that they worked great on the 1.5 month old and the 2 year old. The first two weeks or so may still require the use of disposables depending on the size of the baby though, and some prefer to use them until the nasty newborn poo has cleared - then flip to the cloth by the end of the first month.

Look/feel - The BumGenius diapers are cute, come in colours and are insanely easy to use, just like a disposable diaper. They have velcro for easy on/off, have snaps to adjust the size, and you simply pre-stuff the liners in the diapers as they come out of the dryer so you just grab them and go. The outer liner is waterproof and there is no messing about with outer shells and a second cloth diaper under it - the liners simply go inside of the pocket that's there (it's a pocket diaper). There are of course other brands much like this - so go to a store/website that carries them all and take a look at what is offered. I went with these because my cousin swore by them, and I bought a few to try out my nephews before I invested in the rest of them.

Carrying them around - I mentioned that you can just bring the liners (both the poo and normal liner) in your bag and switch them out as needed when baby poos/pees. You'd be bringing a bag with bulky diapers anyway, so this doesn't add any extra weight or bulk to you. The liners are really soft, can be folded up really small and if you bring a Ziplockish type bag to store the wet liner and simply flush/toss the poo liner, even then you're not carrying around a ton of extra weight.

Like I said, within a few months you've already saved money, they last until your kid is out of diapers and they're easy to use. You save the landfills a LOT of waste, save a TON of money and it's not that much extra work.

The cost of running your washer/dryer is something you'd be doing anyways (kids spit up a lot on themselves and you!), and the cost of the disposable liners is barely anything due to them coming in a huge roll for about $30/CDN which lasts months) and detergent, which you'd be buying anyways too.

Even if you use the disposables once in a while if you're out or something, you'll still end up saving a ton of money and landfill space.

Give them a try - even if you just try one and see how you like it before investing. :)

Cons -

You have to wash them instead of just tossing them in the garbage.

You have to buy them up front (at least 25 to 30) so you've got enough to use during the week, assuming you're washing every 3 to 4 days. (My parents and grandparents pitched in and got us them all as their shower gifts to help me out.)

They're way cuter than disposables and give your baby a more padded bum which is also cuter (yes they will of course still fit in any baby clothes!) - and some babies are just so cute it just might make people's heads explode at how cute your child is with the cute diapers.

You will want to show the diapers off and explain them to people when they see them!

And yes, daycares can easily use them, all they have to do is toss them in a sealed bag for you. They otherwise work like normal diapers in every way.

:) Good luck

Answer 3

I use pre folded with Thirsties covers.  I started when my little one was about 3 months old.  I was worried that it would be a lot of work, but it's really easy once you get the hang of it.  I used disposable ones with my first, then switched her to G-diapers.  The G diapers were great, but so are the cloth.  I use a service, so I don't have to wash the poopy and pee diapers.... it's not that expensive either, about the same as disposable.  They send a bag once a week and pick up the dirty ones, it can get a bit smelly, but the company I use offers some little oder disk things that work well.

The cloth can be a little bulky, but not that bad, I just have cute colored covers and don't put pants on her all the time.  I think that helping reduce the landfills are much better than worrying about the "bulk"  :)

I would give them a try, I bought 6 covers and that has been plenty for us.  Also, cloth wipes are great too, I just use some wipe solution in a spray bottle and the flannel wipes, works great!  NO diaper rash ever!

If you are willing to try them out, you should go for it!  You can just buy a couple pre folds and a maybe 2 covers, and give it a try, it might work out for you!

By the way... not all day cares require disposables...... :)

Answer 4

I never used them.  If you plan on putting your child in any type of daycare they only accept disposables

Answer 5

I used Gdiapers. they have a liner that protects the outside of the diaper from the "bulk" as you called it. they also have a flushable, compostable insert that absorbs alot. They're not exactly reusable diapers but they still do there part. You may have to wash the insert as it can get poopy, but just throw it in the wash and let air dry. Hope that helps. you can find them on ediapers.com.