# Cloth diapers



## Maries_s

I need some advice. 
My sister want me to try cloth diapers and I'm really curious about it but at the same time a little scared of the outcome. DH is not onboard and keep telling is a bad idea but I'm willing to try.
What are you experiences?
What are the downsides?
What are the advantages?
It is really hard to change cloth diaper when there's poop in it? (My mayor worrisome) 
Do you have any suggestions of what brand is good?
Can I use the dryer machine?


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## tcinks

I don't have personal experience yet, but we are planning to cloth diaper when this baby comes. I've watched a lot of YouTube videos on it and those have been really helpful in giving a realistic look at what cloth diapering is like! Sorry DH isn't on board. :/ Hopefully he'll come around.


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## StillPraying

Not sure if you have Pinterest, but there are hundreds of blogs on cloth diapering there! I've been researching it quite a bit, I plan to try it with this one :)


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## Maries_s

Thank you ladies I will look your suggestions. Did you have any concerns? What motivated you to try?


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## StillPraying

For me, I'm going to be a SAHM starting this summer, so it makes sense to do something that saves so much money. Plus its better for baby, I didn't realize the amount of chemicals that were in disposables.... and the fact that it helps the environment is also very encouraging. But to be honest? BECAUSE THEYRE SO CUTE!!!


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## tcinks

Maries_s said:


> Thank you ladies I will look your suggestions. Did you have any concerns? What motivated you to try?

I want to because it'll be cheaper in the long run, although it might be a bigger cost up front. You can use the same set for multiple children. My main concern is the amount of work it takes to clean them, especially poopy diapers. But from what I've seen and friends I've talked to, it really isn't that much extra work.


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## Berri

Used them from day 1 with my first - if you that's how you start, you don't know any different. I bought Bambooty sized nappies and the small has done 4 kids, the medium both my boys and my youngest is just 3 and refusing to toilet train (lazy but that's a whole other thing!). 

In relation to changing poopy nappy, it's no harder than disposable and I found the cloth don't smell as much as the disposable - I can smell a poop in a disposable from a million miles :sick: While baby's are on liquid only diet, the poop is pretty much liquid too! I just used to rinse (either in a bucket or the machine) then do a normal wash with bicarb soda (no detergent). Super easy. Probably had to do a wash every other day with a new born but now with my 3yo I wash twice a week. I try to line dry because using the dryer is expensive, damages the nappies and kind of offsets the environmentally friendly aspect in my mind.

What are the downsides? I guess the upfront cost. If you can afford to take the hit at once you should be in front financially inside 12 months.

The advantages - cost (amplified if you plan on having more than 1 baby but still substantial savings with a single child), environmentally friendly, easy (my dad can use them), kinder on baby's skin (I wouldn't like my bum wrapped in plastic all day).


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## Maries_s

Thank you all! I've been reading as you suggested and looking for good brand of cloth diapers and I decided to give it a try. My downside now is that I regret to haven't started sooner with my DD and this baby is probably my last one. However, the savings costs are huge and I'm currently an SAHM so it shouldn't be a problem. Also, I checked on Pinterest and they are a tons of suggestions to cloth diapering while living in an apartment. (My case now). 
What are the best cloth diapers for newborn?


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## StillPraying

From what I've read (haven't been able to try it yet) it's best to buy brands that carry newborn sizes. I decided I would use disposables for the first month (because those first few weeks when sleep is precious I don't want to deal with laundry or learning diapers, plus the cord is there). Most diapers start at 8lbs so I figure after the first month or so they'll start to fit. I'm putting a variety of styles/brands on my Amazon baby registry so I can try different types. I plan to order some this month and try them on DD2 while we start potty training :)


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> From what I've read (haven't been able to try it yet) it's best to buy brands that carry newborn sizes. I decided I would use disposables for the first month (because those first few weeks when sleep is precious I don't want to deal with laundry or learning diapers, plus the cord is there). Most diapers start at 8lbs so I figure after the first month or so they'll start to fit. I'm putting a variety of styles/brands on my Amazon baby registry so I can try different types. I plan to order some this month and try them on DD2 while we start potty training :)

That's exactly what I was planning to do until my DH is refusing to Cloth diapering. :growlmad:
I didn't want to expend on cloth diapers when baby is a newborn since I read it requires approximately 36 diapers and the usual stash for one sizes is 24. So it would be a lot of money for such a short amount of time. Did you find good brand on Amazon? What I found on Amazon mostly are the brand from china and this doesn't last much or hold well.


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## StillPraying

I went off the brands people had listed in their blog, most had a link to Amazon. Other brands you have to order from different sites so I may do that, i like the mushy momma site and kellyscloset.Are you talking about the Alvababy? Because I know they're from China but they actually have pretty good reviews and several of the bloggers recommended them.


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## jessmke

We've been cloth diapering since my DD was 6 weeks old, and we just bought some more diapers for when this new baby comes along as they will both be in diapers for probably at least a year. My sister gave me 24 BumGenious pocket diapers that she used for all three of her kids. I found that was just enough so that I did one load of laundry every other day. I just bought an additional 24 Bamboo Baby all in one diapers second hand for $50. Now that we have 48 diapers and only 1 child in them I can go 4-5 days without doing a load of wash. If you really want to save money, then I strongly recommend buying second hand. Some people think it's gross, but you can strip wash them back to brand new condition (from a cleanliness perspective) and your baby is just going to pee and poop in them anyways! You can do a strip wash at home for about $5. We will have diapered 2 babies for $50 which I think it pretty awesome. We also use cloth wipes, I figured if I was already going to be washing diapers I might as well do the wipes too. I bought some off amazon (I think it was like $8 for a package of 25), and I also just cut up some cheap baby blankets that were gifted to us but we never used. We have a little spray bottle of water on the change table and we just give her a spray and then wipe her down with the cloth wipe which goes into the dirty bucket with the dirty diapers.

Downsides would be that it takes longer to change a diaper I guess. We keep the diapers and dirty diaper bucket in DD's bedroom, so when she needs to be changed we have to take her down to her room. My sister thinks this would be a massive inconvenience but it has never bothered us, it's all we've really known. It also takes longer to change a poop diaper because you have to rinse it out instead of just chucking it in the garbage. Also if baby needs to be changed while you are out of the house you then have to carry a wet or poopy diaper around with you until you get home. I have a wet bag in the diaper bag for this reason, and it really traps the smell in so you can't smell that I have a poopy diaper in my bag. Some people use cloth diapers when at home, but disposable diapers when they leave the house to avoid this issue. We send DD to daycare with cloth diapers and the daycare provider was hesitant at first because she thought the poopy diapers would stink up the room, but she said you can't smell them at all. We don't ask her to rinse them out or anything, she just puts them straight into the wet bag and my OH deals with them when he gets home (he's the one who picks her up from daycare). That's all I can really think of for downsides.

Advantages are many, first there's obviously the cost savings. We have a well so we don't pay for the water to wash them, and we hang dry them outside whenever the weather is warm enough. Through the winter we either use the dryer machine or hang them to dry inside. Usually we put the all in one diapers and the inserts for the pocket diapers in the dryer and hang dry the pocket diaper shells. Hanging the diapers in the sun gets out any poop stains which is another reason to line dry if possible. We have way fewer poop explosions and leaks in cloth diapers as compared to when we use disposables (like when we go on vacation). She is WAY less stinky when she poops in a cloth diaper. I have no idea why, but disposable diapers seem to really amplify the stench of poop. We never have to worry about running out of diapers or going to the store at weird hours of the night to get more. DD doesn't get diaper rashes (aside from one super acidic poop that scalded her) and we don't have to spend money on rash creams. 

Honestly, changing poopy cloth diapers is not my favourite thing to do, but it's 5 minutes out of my day so really isn't a big deal. Everyone finds their own way that works for them. You can get a sprayer attachment for your toilet so you spray the diapers out into the toilet to flush the poop down. Other people buy the flushable liners that sit in the diapers so you just pick up the liners containing the poop and flush that down the toilet. We have a little spatula thingy in the bathroom that we use to scrape the poop off into the toilet, then we take the diaper to the laundry sink to rinse it out. The sink has a built in scrub board on the inside of it so we give the diaper a scrub, ring out the water, and then put the diaper into a bucket ready to go in the wash with the next load of diapers. Then we give the spatula a wash and put it back in the bathroom ready for the next poopy diaper. Breastmilk poop is water soluble and liquid so it doesn't even need to be scraped down the toilet, it can just be washed straight down the sink (or put straight into the washing machine). It's only when they start solids that the poop gets stinky and more of a pain to deal with. When DD was a little baby we would just put her down in her crib while we rinsed out her diaper, now she is old enough to walk around and play with her toys while we are dealing with her mess. 

It really sucks that your OH isn't on board. I would have still used the cloth even if my OH didn't want to, but it sure is nice to not be the only one with the responsibility of it all. When I was on maternity leave I almost always washed the diapers because I was home all day, but now that I am back at work I would say my OH does more diaper washes than I do. 

Fluff Love University has so much great info about diapers and washing them and troubleshooting. Check them out at https://www.fluffloveuniversity.com.


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## StillPraying

Thank you Jess! I was looking into secondhand diapers so this helps :)


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## Maries_s

jessmke said:


> We've been cloth diapering since my DD was 6 weeks old, and we just bought some more diapers for when this new baby comes along as they will both be in diapers for probably at least a year. My sister gave me 24 BumGenious pocket diapers that she used for all three of her kids. I found that was just enough so that I did one load of laundry every other day. I just bought an additional 24 Bamboo Baby all in one diapers second hand for $50. Now that we have 48 diapers and only 1 child in them I can go 4-5 days without doing a load of wash. If you really want to save money, then I strongly recommend buying second hand. Some people think it's gross, but you can strip wash them back to brand new condition (from a cleanliness perspective) and your baby is just going to pee and poop in them anyways! You can do a strip wash at home for about $5. We will have diapered 2 babies for $50 which I think it pretty awesome. We also use cloth wipes, I figured if I was already going to be washing diapers I might as well do the wipes too. I bought some off amazon (I think it was like $8 for a package of 25), and I also just cut up some cheap baby blankets that were gifted to us but we never used. We have a little spray bottle of water on the change table and we just give her a spray and then wipe her down with the cloth wipe which goes into the dirty bucket with the dirty diapers.
> 
> Downsides would be that it takes longer to change a diaper I guess. We keep the diapers and dirty diaper bucket in DD's bedroom, so when she needs to be changed we have to take her down to her room. My sister thinks this would be a massive inconvenience but it has never bothered us, it's all we've really known. It also takes longer to change a poop diaper because you have to rinse it out instead of just chucking it in the garbage. Also if baby needs to be changed while you are out of the house you then have to carry a wet or poopy diaper around with you until you get home. I have a wet bag in the diaper bag for this reason, and it really traps the smell in so you can't smell that I have a poopy diaper in my bag. Some people use cloth diapers when at home, but disposable diapers when they leave the house to avoid this issue. We send DD to daycare with cloth diapers and the daycare provider was hesitant at first because she thought the poopy diapers would stink up the room, but she said you can't smell them at all. We don't ask her to rinse them out or anything, she just puts them straight into the wet bag and my OH deals with them when he gets home (he's the one who picks her up from daycare). That's all I can really think of for downsides.
> 
> Advantages are many, first there's obviously the cost savings. We have a well so we don't pay for the water to wash them, and we hang dry them outside whenever the weather is warm enough. Through the winter we either use the dryer machine or hang them to dry inside. Usually we put the all in one diapers and the inserts for the pocket diapers in the dryer and hang dry the pocket diaper shells. Hanging the diapers in the sun gets out any poop stains which is another reason to line dry if possible. We have way fewer poop explosions and leaks in cloth diapers as compared to when we use disposables (like when we go on vacation). She is WAY less stinky when she poops in a cloth diaper. I have no idea why, but disposable diapers seem to really amplify the stench of poop. We never have to worry about running out of diapers or going to the store at weird hours of the night to get more. DD doesn't get diaper rashes (aside from one super acidic poop that scalded her) and we don't have to spend money on rash creams.
> 
> Honestly, changing poopy cloth diapers is not my favourite thing to do, but it's 5 minutes out of my day so really isn't a big deal. Everyone finds their own way that works for them. You can get a sprayer attachment for your toilet so you spray the diapers out into the toilet to flush the poop down. Other people buy the flushable liners that sit in the diapers so you just pick up the liners containing the poop and flush that down the toilet. We have a little spatula thingy in the bathroom that we use to scrape the poop off into the toilet, then we take the diaper to the laundry sink to rinse it out. The sink has a built in scrub board on the inside of it so we give the diaper a scrub, ring out the water, and then put the diaper into a bucket ready to go in the wash with the next load of diapers. Then we give the spatula a wash and put it back in the bathroom ready for the next poopy diaper. Breastmilk poop is water soluble and liquid so it doesn't even need to be scraped down the toilet, it can just be washed straight down the sink (or put straight into the washing machine). It's only when they start solids that the poop gets stinky and more of a pain to deal with. When DD was a little baby we would just put her down in her crib while we rinsed out her diaper, now she is old enough to walk around and play with her toys while we are dealing with her mess.
> 
> It really sucks that your OH isn't on board. I would have still used the cloth even if my OH didn't want to, but it sure is nice to not be the only one with the responsibility of it all. When I was on maternity leave I almost always washed the diapers because I was home all day, but now that I am back at work I would say my OH does more diaper washes than I do.
> 
> Fluff Love University has so much great info about diapers and washing them and troubleshooting. Check them out at https://www.fluffloveuniversity.com.

Thank you for your well detailed information! Now I have a bunch of questions for you. :blush:

Did you stick only with AIO diapers or did you invest in prefolds and covers? I thought prefolds was very hard but after watching some videos I'm convinced this is a good option for newborn and then use the prefold as inserts in the pockets. 

How do you strip wash you diapers? I heard the only way to killing bacterias is with bleach but I'm afraid of damaging my cute Cloth diapers with this method.

Did you mind if a share the shopping list for my stash and you tell me if I'm in the right path or just expending too much? 

DH still isn't on board but I managed to make a deal with him. He is going to let me try if I return to the vegetarian diet. That's was my plan anyway after the baby's come :haha:


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## StillPraying

Marie a lot of women mentioned "Rockin green funk rock" to use for stripping. You can find it on Amazon:) i pinterested (can you tell I'm an addict?) diaper stripping and found a lot of helpful tutorials. oooo I love the idea of prefolds/covers for newborns! Way cheaper than buying newborn sizes right? I may steal that idea! Love your deal with hubby!


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> Marie a lot of women mentioned "Rockin green funk rock" to use for stripping. You can find it on Amazon:) i pinterested (can you tell I'm an addict?) diaper stripping and found a lot of helpful tutorials. oooo I love the idea of prefolds/covers for newborns! Way cheaper than buying newborn sizes right? I may steal that idea! Love your deal with hubby!

My sister told me that if you use a detergent that is safe for cloth diapers there's not need for stripping. Also, that when you use normal detergent such as Tide (number one brand recommended on some websites) this is what caused the damages on the CD. 
I have the rock green detergent on my list already! 
I'm not so excited for my deal with DH since this pregnancy make me crave only for meat. :haha: however, I'm looking forward to return to my vegetarian diet.


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## StillPraying

My understanding was you only needed to strip new diapers, secondhand, and if they get a funky smell, but maybe some of that is preference :shrug: I'll probably strip them with the funkrock when I purchase them just to make me feel safe that they're clean lol
that's good to know about tide. We don't buy it because it's too expensive anyway lol Did your sister do cloth as well?
I feel you on the meat front, I'm not a vegetarian but I crave cheeseburgers like it's cool:haha:


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> My understanding was you only needed to strip new diapers, secondhand, and if they get a funky smell, but maybe some of that is preference :shrug: I'll probably strip them with the funkrock when I purchase them just to make me feel safe that they're clean lol
> that's good to know about de. We don't buy it because it's too expensive anyway lol Did your sister do cloth as well?
> I feel you on the meat front, I'm not a vegetarian but I crave cheeseburgers like it's cool:haha:

Yes my niece is about 2 years old now but she Cloth diaper from the beginning and now she is potty training but still CDing.
You are right about the wash strip cloth diaper. I just heard you have to do that with use CD and if they get the smell. However, I never heard about strip wash with new diapers though. :shrug:
I am just asking all that kind of stuff because I want to prepare ahead. :haha: I heard fun bloopers about newbies and I don't want be in that group. :haha:


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## StillPraying

Have you watched clothdiapering 101 by NaturallyThriftyMom on YouTube? I found her lessons super helpful! Oh I totally agree about trying to be prepared ahead of time!


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> Have you watched clothdiapering 101 by NaturallyThriftyMom on YouTube? I found her lessons super helpful! Oh I totally agree about trying to be prepared ahead of time!

No I haven't. On YouTube I watched the cloth diapering 101 class from plus1please. The tittle of her videos are Types of cloth diapers (and How to use them), all about poop (and cloth diapers) and how to wash cloth diapers.


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## wrapunzel

I've used Tide Free and Gentle for over a year without a problem. Before that I used Arm &a Hammer Sensitive Skin

For diapers check out bubbybums.com. The prices are great for the quality and lady who runs the site is so sweet. I have newborn AIO diapers from her I haven't used yet and also cloth pull-ups for my toddler. 

Ecoable on Amazon makes some amazing diapers too. They have sized diapers -- search for "ecoable 3-in-1", "ecoable AI2" and "ecoable newborn pocket". I especially like the ones that come with hemp inserts. 

Nicki's and Imagine make quality prefolds and flats. I like WCW, Rainbow Waters and Bumby wool interlock, have heard good things about many other brands.


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## StillPraying

They make cloth pull ups???


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## wrapunzel

Yes! They work great!


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## StillPraying

Where do you but them from? About to start potty training dd2 and holy COW are pull ups expensive?!


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## wrapunzel

lol I already told you. Bubbybums.com! Look for the comfy underwear looking ones with no snaps on them like this one: https://bubbybums.com/waterproof-training-pants/rainbow-scales-in-size-3t

I gotta warn you though I regret buying and using them. Sent my daughter very mixed messages about potty habits. I was verbalizing "I want you to use the toilet" but still putting enough absorbent material to catch a full wee between her legs.... she spent months half-trained and when I took the pull-ups away she had a day of accidents followed by miraculous total potty training


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## StillPraying

Totally missed the link the first time sorry, my phone is in mobile view so it doesn't highlight links for some reason.


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## MyFavSurprise

I just saw your thread and wanted to share... We do cloth and we looove it! I only did it partially with ds1 because I was a single mom and everyone told me I was nuts...but it is honestly so easy and I wish I hadn't listened to them! I started with pocket diapers and learned quickly that I didn't like them :/ all of the stuffing and un-stuffing of the diapers was time consuming and when runny poop went up the back over the opening, well, poopy fingers.

What we use (and love) now are bamboo flats and bamboo prefolds. The flats are awesome because there are only 2 sizes, and we will fold them into a diaper shape out of the wash (the one we use is called the diaper bag fold.. youtube :)) and put them in the drawer.. Then we just have to slide them on, snappi, and put on a cover. With ds1 I had so many disposable diaper blowouts, that boy could poop up to his neck almost every diaper change...so really I was dealing with poop more than I would have with the cloth diapers that would have held it in so much better. We almost never get diaper leaks, but with babies comes poop and poop can be unpredictable!

In addition to the flat diapers, I bought a fleece throw blanket at Walmart for $2.50 and I cut it into rectangles.. I put a rectangle into the diaper when we fold it, then when we put it on him it is already there. It catches all of the poop and makes clean up so easy. My husband will drop the poopy diaper in the bathtub and I take care of it later. When your baby poops runny it is super easy to rinse the fleece insert off, a lot of people get a sprayer for the toilet but I just spray it out with our removable shower head in the bathtub (it all goes down the same pipes!) and when I put it in the wetbag, no poop smell! Disposables smell horrendous :(
When baby poops solids - You just take the fleece insert, hold it over the toilet, and it rolls off right into the toilet and flush! Then I rinse the insert if necessary.
The fleece insert is also great because it gives baby a stay dry feel, all moisture passes through and stays away from baby's skin.. very nice. Plus it is so cheap, if one gets gross and you don't want to deal with it, just toss it out!

My husband is also a fan of the flushable liners. People argue that you shouldn't flush them, but they are biodegradable and better for the environment than disposables for sure.. so just plop it in the toilet and flush, or in the trash.

If your husband is not loving the idea of the cloth, then pocket diapers may be easiest for him (while still being cost effective). You just prep them out of the dryer and he puts it on like a regular diaper. If cost is less of an issue, there are All In One diapers, they are already one piece and where I buy they start at about $17 each.

I really suggest checking out Diaper Junction, I love their products (all of the Diaper Rite products made by them are amazing) and they sell great quality with amazing customer service. They also have a group on Facebook called Diaper Junkies with a bunch of supportive cloth diapering women (and some men!) The women that run the site also frequent the group and they are really great too.. always willing to help.

They do a points system too so when you buy you earn points to use toward items later, and they have something called What The Fluff where you order an item blindly (still picking the gender and type of item) for a percentage off, and they always send something great :) I can order covers for less than $8! Also great free items when you spend a certain amount.

One more little tip... When starting out, if you are interested in trying flats, you can start with towels from the regular store (I bought from Walmart) called Flour Sack Towels. It is like a cheap bar towel, or a cheap restaurant napkin... We got 10 for like $5. You just wash a few times and fold into a diaper shape (youtube :)) and though they are less absorbent you can double them up or at least see if you want to make the commitment to getting some better quality ones.

Oh, and for detergent, we found that we like Gain with Oxyclean :) I used to buy the expensive cloth diapering detergent but it was unnecessary! A lot of people like Tide or Foca... Powdered detergent is better if you have hard water.

Sorry this post is so long, I just wanted to give some info into the cloth diapering world because we love it so much :) And plus, they're so cute!

https://i66.tinypic.com/2hiaxvq.jpg
https://i67.tinypic.com/2j43ghz.jpg

Don't know why the pics are sideways... but those are both Buttons covers, they also get very small to use during the newborn stage if you don't want a newborn stash.


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## Maries_s

Hello myfavsurprise:
Thank you so much for you well detailed information. I really want to like prefold but my DD like to run and move while I'm changing her diaper so by this time I don't think is a good option for me. However I bought some cotton prefold and hemp prefold to use it on my pockets. I also bought the sprayer since DH is anti poo. 
I also bought a couple of AIO I just bought like 6 cloth diapers because everyone insists that I should try a couple first but I really want to do this so I'm just waiting for earth day to come and catch some good offers. 
About the fleece blanket, everyone keep telling me is very cheap at Walmart but I just bought one in 8.90 from Walmart and never find the cheapest one.:shrug: Meanwhile, I also bought a yard of 100% cotton fabric and half yard of bamboo/cotton fabric to do some cloth wipes. The fleece is for the stay dry liners. (I just love the idea of having so much benefits from this liners and also being able to use any kind of diaper cream) 
Ps. I bought from diaper junction and Kelly's closet. My next store in the list is nickisdiaper


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## Maries_s

wrapunzel said:


> I've used Tide Free and Gentle for over a year without a problem. Before that I used Arm &a Hammer Sensitive Skin
> 
> For diapers check out bubbybums.com. The prices are great for the quality and lady who runs the site is so sweet. I have newborn AIO diapers from her I haven't used yet and also cloth pull-ups for my toddler.
> 
> Ecoable on Amazon makes some amazing diapers too. They have sized diapers -- search for "ecoable 3-in-1", "ecoable AI2" and "ecoable newborn pocket". I especially like the ones that come with hemp inserts.
> 
> Nicki's and Imagine make quality prefolds and flats. I like WCW, Rainbow Waters and Bumby wool interlock, have heard good things about many other brands.

I will be using Cheer powder detergent for this month just to see how it work. I saw is a recommended brand from fluff love university so let's see how it goes. The brand of diapers that you mention from amazon are from china? I'm trying to stick with natural fabric.


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## wrapunzel

I also try to stick to natural fabrics. Ecoable is from China and uses bamboo or hemp for the inserts. BubbyBums is made in the USA and uses cotton, hemp, and bamboo for the soakers. 

There is no properly natural "stay dry" fabric, and I think "stay dry" is just kinder and better for babies under 6-8 months old who have no hope of benefiting from feeling wetness.


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## Maries_s

wrapunzel said:


> I also try to stick to natural fabrics. Ecoable is from China and uses bamboo or hemp for the inserts. BubbyBums is made in the USA and uses cotton, hemp, and bamboo for the soakers.
> 
> There is no properly natural "stay dry" fabric, and I think "stay dry" is just kinder and better for babies under 6-8 months old who have no hope of benefiting from feeling wetness.

I'm going to make the "stay dry" liners mostly to keep the cloth diapers stain free and to be able to use diaper cream.


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## wrapunzel

I tried that. They turned into fleece baby thongs every time lmao, wadded up


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## MyFavSurprise

Hehe I find that our flushable liners do that diaper thong thing.. We like the fleece inserts personally, they work well for us (only occasionally "thonging up" :haha:). Our Walmart has been out of the cheap blankets too :( I hope they get them back! Yeah our son is incredibly wild during changes (and everything else) so I find the flats easier because we fold them ahead of time.. my husband taught him that when you tap on his chest twice and say stay down he is supposed to listen..so he acts like he's being tortured but mostly stays there so we can diaper him lol... though most other people have trouble changing him. I just bought some cheap pockets on ebay (no inserts, ill use the FSTs or prefolds) for when other people watch the kids. They certainly are the easiest. My mom acts like it's a maze putting on the diaper and cover (even though its technically like a fitted after we fold it) she says it's the snappi that she has trouble with.. so cheap pockets here we come! I think what I hated most about pockets was the microfiber they came with, so definitely smart move on using natural fibers! It sounds like you've got a good start up going on :) I love the cloth wipes too, my husband ehh.. but I think they're great. We made ours too, they are so nice.

I definitely agree with you and suggest just jumping in instead of buying a few and doing a half and half deal... that's what I did per people's advice in the beginning but it was just silly... if you want to do it like you know you do, you will do it. You've already got it all down, nothing to be scared of... and there's always the resale value of cloth diapers on the b/s/t forums and Facebook pages!

Another option for 'stripping' is Grovia Mighty Bubbles or RLR... I've never had to strip with bleach, at least not my natural diapers... microfiber i had all sorts of issues with. I did use Funk Rock and liked it too :)


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## StillPraying

What fabrics did you ladies use for wipes or did you buy wipes? I'm concerned about them fraying. I plan to get a lot some AIOs for DH and family members. I'm definitely going to have to practice the prefolds thing, YouTube makes it look easy but knowing me I'll confused myself lol


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## Maries_s

MyFavSurprise said:


> Hehe I find that our flushable liners do that diaper thong thing.. We like the fleece inserts personally, they work well for us (only occasionally "thonging up" :haha:). Our Walmart has been out of the cheap blankets too :( I hope they get them back! Yeah our son is incredibly wild during changes (and everything else) so I find the flats easier because we fold them ahead of time.. my husband taught him that when you tap on his chest twice and say stay down he is supposed to listen..so he acts like he's being tortured but mostly stays there so we can diaper him lol... though most other people have trouble changing him. I just bought some cheap pockets on ebay (no inserts, ill use the FSTs or prefolds) for when other people watch the kids. They certainly are the easiest. My mom acts like it's a maze putting on the diaper and cover (even though its technically like a fitted after we fold it) she says it's the snappi that she has trouble with.. so cheap pockets here we come! I think what I hated most about pockets was the microfiber they came with, so definitely smart move on using natural fibers! It sounds like you've got a good start up going on :) I love the cloth wipes too, my husband ehh.. but I think they're great. We made ours too, they are so nice.
> 
> I definitely agree with you and suggest just jumping in instead of buying a few and doing a half and half deal... that's what I did per people's advice in the beginning but it was just silly... if you want to do it like you know you do, you will do it. You've already got it all down, nothing to be scared of... and there's always the resale value of cloth diapers on the b/s/t forums and Facebook pages!
> 
> Another option for 'stripping' is Grovia Mighty Bubbles or RLR... I've never had to strip with bleach, at least not my natural diapers... microfiber i had all sorts of issues with. I did use Funk Rock and liked it too :)

So you never use bleach in your cloth diapers? That's amazing , today I bought a bottle of bleach just because people keep telling me is the only way to do a good strip cloth and sanitize them. I don't like bleach and never use it so I was very confused when all the information and people talk wonders about bleach. What kind of wipes solution are you using? I just cut my cotton fabric and I have 35 cloth wipes already. Just for $2.29 :shock: 



StillPraying said:


> What fabrics did you ladies use for wipes or did you buy wipes? I'm concerned about them fraying. I plan to get a lot some AIOs for DH and family members. I'm definitely going to have to practice the prefolds thing, YouTube makes it look easy but knowing me I'll confused myself lol

I just bought 100%cotton fabric and bamboo/cotton fabric. I haven't try it yet but what I read is that basically whatever fabric you want to use is ok.


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## StillPraying

Marie I don't intend to use bleach, most of what I read said it wasn't good for the diapers? Or maybe that's for the pockets and AIO/AI2s....:shrug: I don't like bleach lol 

Are you going to sew the edges so they don't fray or does the kind you bought not fray? I'm worried about the edges fraying/unravelling but maybe it depends on the kind of fabric?


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> Marie I don't intend to use bleach, most of what I read said it wasn't good for the diapers? Or maybe that's for the pockets and AIO/AI2s....:shrug: I don't like bleach lol
> 
> Are you going to sew the edges so they don't fray or does the kind you bought not fray? I'm worried about the edges fraying/unravelling but maybe it depends on the kind of fabric?

Ugh all this information is going to blow my mind. Haha I bought the bleach just to play safe but I want to avoid it to the maximum.
Mine is going to fray if I don't sew them but I heard that fleece fabric don't need to be sew and don't fray. 
What kind of detergent are you going to use?


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## StillPraying

I'm going with the funk rock ones from Amazon. I have an HE washer so a lot of detergents I actually can't use. I use arm and hammer for our clothes, and I've read mixed reviews on whether it's good for cloth. I think I'll just play it safe and get detergents made for cloth....less chemicals that way anyhow lol 

I think I may go with some fleece for wipes, it's usually on sale in the summer anyways lol


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> I'm going with the funk rock ones from Amazon. I have an HE washer so a lot of detergents I actually can't use. I use arm and hammer for our clothes, and I've read mixed reviews on whether it's good for cloth. I think I'll just play it safe and get detergents made for cloth....less chemicals that way anyhow lol
> 
> I think I may go with some fleece for wipes, it's usually on sale in the summer anyways lol

Surprisingly, I have soft water so I can't use detergent that is intended for hard water and I also have an He machine. My DH want me to try cheer powder detergent rather than tide (brand that is very popular around the internet) so I will be testing my washing routine. If cheer doesn't work I will try rockin green or country save. Funk rock seems like a good option I also have it in my wish list on Amazon. 
BTW.. Have you figured it out what kind of wash routine are you going to follow?


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## wrapunzel

For detergent "playing it safe" is using a strong conventional detergent like Tide or Persil, not using a cloth detergent. Once you get a problem from a bad wash routine it isn't fun to fix! And god forbid the problem manifest as ammonia burns on baby's flesh rather than dingy grey diapers coming out of the wash. 

What exactly are you afraid of happening to your cloth with a proper detergent? 

For wipes I just used cheap cotton wash cloths. Not cute, but they got the job done. The products sold as cloth diaper wipes were too small to be useful for me.


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## StillPraying

I have hard water, it's awful lol a lot of detergents leave a film on clothes with the hard water, so frustrating. I haven't tried powder detergent before though. My plan is to wash every other day since I will be home, but I want enough diapers to wash every 2 days because I do have 2 other little girls to chase around lol


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## wrapunzel

Well that's easily solved, you just need to add a softener every time you wash your cloth diapers. Borax works great for me, we have extremely hard well water, so bad that bleaching whites stains them orange/yellow from iron. Calgon works too but it's more expensive. Have you seen fluffloveuniversity.com


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## MyFavSurprise

I used Cheer, it's a good one, but everybody has a different experience. The right amount of Tide in my wash caused build up and barnyard stink, and everyone kept saying "it cant be the Tide, I've always used Tide" blahh... but it was. Then I tried Foca and everything came out dingy :(. I honestly really liked Country Save and Rockin Green, but they are expensive and I much prefer being able to go to the store and grab what I need! I used to hear that the store bought detergents would ruin my diapers but soo glad to learn that isnt true. Gain has been good for us, I will probably switch smells frequently because I cant decipher good from bad smells in the diapers when they come out of the laundry, I'd prefer an unscented for the diapers... I always have to ask someone else if it smells fine or no lol... been paranoid since the barnyard stink issue.. my husband likes the scented detergents.

But even with the stink issue I never used bleach, I just washed with a new detergent and went through multiple cycles and made sure all of the bubbles were gone. Grovia Mighty Bubbles or Funk Rock or something like that would be better to have on hand, though I only used the Funk Rock with the microfiber I had a few years ago.

I also use a spray called Kids n Pets, its cheap for a big bottle and it has enzymes in it to get any bodily stink out, the one fabric that holds the stink the worst is the fleece! So I spray it down with that.

For wipes I got flannel and I put two pieces together and did a zig zag stitch around the edges. I love them :) So sturdy. I fold them together so they come out like regular wipes. I started making my own wipe solution after they stopped carrying the one I liked. We bought some family made goat milk soap from a Farmers Market and loove it, so I cut tiny cubes out of part of a bar and I put one or two in hot filtered water (i was told filtered helps avoid mold).. then i steep a chamomile tea bag or two in the water with the soap.. and I add in other things that I find beneficial, tonight I added a cap full of apple cider vinegar, some witch hazel, a small amount of coconut oil, enough epsom salts to drip some quality essential oils on - I did lavender, tea tree, and frankincense. I pour it over the wipes in a warmer and I find that we go through them fast enough. I tried spraying on but I like when the wipes are warm and fully saturated, my son even seems calmer when I use them instead of the disposables.

Google "what to put in wipe solution" and zany-zebra has a great list of ideas, even just chamomile and honey :)

I made my own cloth safe diaper ointment too after having no luck with anything else and my son has super sensitive skin and would get horrible open rashes.. I put in coconut oil, just enough beeswax to keep it on his bottom but it spreads nicely, evening primrose oil from capsules I already had, chamomile tea, a tiny bit of tea tree and lavender, and honey... we dont have rashes anymore and it smells so good. I like that I can put anything in it that works for him. CjsBUTTer is also good, but even that wasn't enough for his rashes.

I know, it all seems so overwhelming in the begining but really you just do what works for you, it will all come together. A lot of people talk about it like it's so easy to screw it up but, especially with natural fibers, we're just talking about cloth that gets pooped and peed on. Just make sure they get clean, make sure the soap is rinsed all the way, and do what works for you :)

Oh yeah, as far as folding prefolds, i just lay LO on it while flat, then fold the prefold together and pull up between his legs and that's it.. its called the newspaper fold. The jellyroll is better for runny newborn poop, just lay baby on it, then take the sides by baby's legs and roll, pull up between the legs, and snappi or pin.. it sounds like a lot but soon enough it will be something you dont even think about while you do it. Today my 5 year old decided he wanted to learn how to fold our flats, I showed him once and he did a bunch! Easier than it looks :)


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> I have hard water, it's awful lol a lot of detergents leave a film on clothes with the hard water, so frustrating. I haven't tried powder detergent before though. My plan is to wash every other day since I will be home, but I want enough diapers to wash every 2 days because I do have 2 other little girls to chase around lol

How many cycles are you going to do? I think that I'm going to use rinse/spin for my pre wash in warm water and heavy duty for my main wash. I don't think I'm going to use another rinse but I guess I will figure it out is that necessary later. 



wrapunzel said:


> Well that's easily solved, you just need to add a softener every time you wash your cloth diapers. Borax works great for me, we have extremely hard well water, so bad that bleaching whites stains them orange/yellow from iron. Calgon works too but it's more expensive. Have you seen fluffloveuniversity.com

Fluffloveuniversity have a good advices there but I have the feeling that I can't follow them religiously since they are so destined to make you believe that tide is the only detergent that is good and bleach is the only way to sanitize your cloth diapers. 
Last night I read that bac-out is good for take away any smells and is safe.


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## Maries_s

Myfavsurprise: 
Choosing the detergent has been hard for me. By one side my sister swear that store detergent are the one that cause problem in the cloth diapers. By the other side, almost every page and person that I consult said that is a myth and you can use whatever detergent you want. (Except fluffloveuniversity that dislike rocking green and Charles soap) 

I've been planning to make a solution of water, coconut oil, my DD soap and maybe add witch hazel.


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## wrapunzel

Yeah I take FLU advice with a grain of salt. I'm allergic to bleach and I had a huge disaster using the wrong scent of pinesol instead to sanitize, I got a rash from touching the diapers and clothes washed with it but fortunately my daughter did not! 

Their recipe for stripping is spot on though it works better than the RLR pods I bought. Borax, washing soda, detergent, and they suggest Calgon but I've been adding double the borax and it works just the same. 

After we started solids I had to use Biz alongside my Arm &a Hammer Sensitive Skin or poo stains remained after washing no matter how well I'd rinsed before putting in wetbag. Switched to Tide Free & Gentle and no longer needed Biz!


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## StillPraying

I have a huge washing machine with all kinds of fancy options so I'll probably have to try a few different things before I figure out what works. Not sure about an extra rinse, maybe if you wash like 2 days worth at once you may want it? Are you planning to line dry or use the dryer?

Tide is pretty expensive where I'm from so for me it's spend the money on tide or spend almost the same amount on cloth diaper detergent, and it gets delivered for free thru Amazon! It is confusing reading so many mixed reviews on what detergents are okay, and I wonder if that has to do with what kind of water you have?


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## jessmke

I never did prefolds or newborn cloth, I used disposable newborn diapers for the first 6 weeks until DD was big enough for the pocket diapers we have. I just use water with my cloth wipes, just spray her bum with a small spray bottle of water and then wipe with a cloth wipe. Sometimes I add a splash of witch hazel but not very often. You don't need anything fancy. DD gets a bath every night so we soap her bum then. I just use coconut oil if I need diaper cream, but I can probably count on one hand the number of times we have had to use it on her, the vast majority of the time we don't use any diaper cream at all.

We have soft water and I use Gain detergent. You can use the expensive cloth diaper detergents if they work for you, but I had nothing but horrible stink and ammonia and was having to strip my diapers monthly, or sooner if I couldn't stand the stink. Rockin Green was super expensive and I may as well have not used detergent at all. I stopped using it for my diapers and used up the rest of it on our clothes and it couldn't even get lightly soiled clothes clean, and that was using 4x the amount of suggested detergent and using the formula for soft water. Funk Rock was also a waste of money. Diapers are heavily soiled items and need to be washed as such. The only people I know who have had success with the cloth diaper detergents are those who use the disposable liners so the diapers themselves don't actually get too dirty. I haven't had to strip my diapers in over a year since switching to an appropriate detergent, and I have microfibre inserts which are notorious for getting stinky. I used RLR for stripping and never used bleach.

Just also wanted to point out that Fluff Love University doesn't push the use of bleach or harsh chemicals, it actually says all over their website that with an appropriate wash routine you should NEVER have to strip or bleach your diapers. They only recommend bleaching if you have a yeast problem with your diapers, or if your baby has a bacterial infection that is shed in feces. They do like Tide for washing diapers, but they also give more natural detergent options if you look through their detergent list and they give the amount of detergent that you need to use for it to actually be effective. You can use free and clear type detergents, you just need to use a lot more of it for it to actually get your diapers clean. But all means use whatever works for you. If you try the cloth diaper detergent and your diapers get clean and aren't smelly then go for it!


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## StillPraying

Jess appreciate the comments that these are heavily soiled items that should be treated as such. I think a lot of people are more focused on the chemical free aspect that they forget that you need to remove the bacteria from bodily fluids! That's not going to go away with water lol 
I'm not overly concerned about chemicals in detergent, but I don't like bleach, so plan to avoid that.

I love the smell of gain so I may try that, plus I always see coupons for it! It's hard when there are so many mixed opinions about different detergents! I have medium hard water that is not filtered, so tide always left a film on our clothes. We currently use arm&hammer for our clothes, and I've read mixed reviews on using it for cloth diapers. 

I haven't decided what to do for the newborn stage. The idea of buying diapers that may only fit for a month tops doesn't sit well with me, and I'm not sure about prefolds yet, still researching. I may do disposables for the 1st month when they have that tar like poo lol


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## MyFavSurprise

We will be doing disposables until the meconium is gone, we do have a newborn stash from ds2 but they fit him until about 3 months (he was 8.10 at birth, and stocky shape).. we will be using that once home from the hospital.

I don't see anything wrong with Country Save other than it really didn't get the stains out and I wasn't using liners at the time. As far as detergents it is hard to plan ahead because it does really depend on your water and washer. When I first used cloth diapers I lived in a different state, and now where I am is known for its hard water.. but the gain has been great without a softner and the tide wasn't good. I spent a ton of time worried about detergents and ruining the diapers but as long as they are cleaning all the way through and rinsing clean it is fine. What we have found works for us is a light wash on cold and a small amount of detergent, then a heavy wash on hot with a regular amount of detergent and a 'deep rinse' (as said on my washer settings). I've been told that too much rinsing with hard water can cause a mineral build-up and I only rinse again if I feel all the soap hasn't rinsed for some reason.. I check the pul/tpu for bubbles and see if the fabric feels sudsy at all, if it all checks out then all good.. but that is just what works for us. It took trial and error to figure it out but no diapers got ruined or bleached in the process :)

In my cloth diaper group they've been talking about a new Arm & Hammer with enzymes that they've been using and they really like it for their cloth. Ive also heard people saying that Tide must have changed their formula because it has stopped working for them. We used unscented liquid Ecos for a while, I liked it but my huaband didn't.. he prefers the scented detergents.

I agree that wipe solution doesn't need to be fancy, it's totally about what works for you. I use the chammomile and stuff because LO is so sensitive. Usually when he poops I take him straight into the tub, take the diaper off in there, then turn the water and spray his bottom off and then quick bath or wash up.. I use the wipes for pee or minor solid poops that don't leave much behind on him.


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> I have a huge washing machine with all kinds of fancy options so I'll probably have to try a few different things before I figure out what works. Not sure about an extra rinse, maybe if you wash like 2 days worth at once you may want it? Are you planning to line dry or use the dryer?
> 
> Tide is pretty expensive where I'm from so for me it's spend the money on tide or spend almost the same amount on cloth diaper detergent, and it gets delivered for free thru Amazon! It is confusing reading so many mixed reviews on what detergents are okay, and I wonder if that has to do with what kind of water you have?

I'm planning to line dry my cloth diapers but I live in an apartment so I will see how it goes. Also I haven't read enough about how to dry natural fabric best. 



jessmke said:


> I never did prefolds or newborn cloth, I used disposable newborn diapers for the first 6 weeks until DD was big enough for the pocket diapers we have. I just use water with my cloth wipes, just spray her bum with a small spray bottle of water and then wipe with a cloth wipe. Sometimes I add a splash of witch hazel but not very often. You don't need anything fancy. DD gets a bath every night so we soap her bum then. I just use coconut oil if I need diaper cream, but I can probably count on one hand the number of times we have had to use it on her, the vast majority of the time we don't use any diaper cream at all.
> 
> We have soft water and I use Gain detergent. You can use the expensive cloth diaper detergents if they work for you, but I had nothing but horrible stink and ammonia and was having to strip my diapers monthly, or sooner if I couldn't stand the stink. Rockin Green was super expensive and I may as well have not used detergent at all. I stopped using it for my diapers and used up the rest of it on our clothes and it couldn't even get lightly soiled clothes clean, and that was using 4x the amount of suggested detergent and using the formula for soft water. Funk Rock was also a waste of money. Diapers are heavily soiled items and need to be washed as such. The only people I know who have had success with the cloth diaper detergents are those who use the disposable liners so the diapers themselves don't actually get too dirty. I haven't had to strip my diapers in over a year since switching to an appropriate detergent, and I have microfibre inserts which are notorious for getting stinky. I used RLR for stripping and never used bleach.
> 
> Just also wanted to point out that Fluff Love University doesn't push the use of bleach or harsh chemicals, it actually says all over their website that with an appropriate wash routine you should NEVER have to strip or bleach your diapers. They only recommend bleaching if you have a yeast problem with your diapers, or if your baby has a bacterial infection that is shed in feces. They do like Tide for washing diapers, but they also give more natural detergent options if you look through their detergent list and they give the amount of detergent that you need to use for it to actually be effective. You can use free and clear type detergents, you just need to use a lot more of it for it to actually get your diapers clean. But all means use whatever works for you. If you try the cloth diaper detergent and your diapers get clean and aren't smelly then go for it!

DH want to use disposable for the newborn stage and I have mix feeling. I remember that newborn clothes didn't last much and I switch diapers size very quickly even when she was born weighing only 6 pounds. 




StillPraying said:


> Jess appreciate the comments that these are heavily soiled items that should be treated as such. I think a lot of people are more focused on the chemical free aspect that they forget that you need to remove the bacteria from bodily fluids! That's not going to go away with water lol
> I'm not overly concerned about chemicals in detergent, but I don't like bleach, so plan to avoid that.
> 
> I love the smell of gain so I may try that, plus I always see coupons for it! It's hard when there are so many mixed opinions about different detergents! I have medium hard water that is not filtered, so tide always left a film on our clothes. We currently use arm&hammer for our clothes, and I've read mixed reviews on using it for cloth diapers.
> 
> I haven't decided what to do for the newborn stage. The idea of buying diapers that may only fit for a month tops doesn't sit well with me, and I'm not sure about prefolds yet, still researching. I may do disposables for the 1st month when they have that tar like poo lol

I hate bleach! I don't how I even convinced myself that I could try it. I always messed up my clothes with bleach even unintentional as a teenager. :haha:


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## StillPraying

I saw a great hack where they used one of those hangers with clips from Ikea to hang the diapers to dry. I thought that was a great Idea.


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> I saw a great hack where they used one of those hangers with clips from Ikea to hang the diapers to dry. I thought that was a great Idea.

I bought it! Also bought the sprayer and is already installed! Can you tell that I'm so excited to start cloth diapering? Haha


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## StillPraying

Haha! I cant wait to start buying stuff. DH said no buying anything until after 15 weeks but I want to try some on my dd since we just started potty training lol


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## Maries_s

The cloth diapers just started to arrived. Now I'm so scared of washing them for the first time. :haha: 
Now I have another question the CD are more bulky than disposable. Is this a problem for her to walk? I can't give a good judgment since I just experimenting on her with a disposable on so I wouldn't see how different they look until I try without the disposable.
 



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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> Haha! I cant wait to start buying stuff. DH said no buying anything until after 15 weeks but I want to try some on my dd since we just started potty training lol


DH don't want me to buy more CD until I pass the experimenting period. :blush: after sewing 28 cloth wipes I don't think I'm going back :haha:


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## wrapunzel

Yes cloth is a lot more bulky. People argue about whether it affects mobility/milestones and I think (as a huge fan of cloth!!!) the obvious answer is yes. That's part of why I splurged on Newborn/Small all in ones. They've got those soaker pads so there's no bulk whatsoever up in the "wings" (at the baby's hips) and they don't have all that bulk from folded/overlapped PUL like one size options. 

You can also give baby 1hr a day naked to help achieve mobility milestones on time


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## Maries_s

wrapunzel said:


> Yes cloth is a lot more bulky. People argue about whether it affects mobility/milestones and I think (as a huge fan of cloth!!!) the obvious answer is yes. That's part of why I splurged on Newborn/Small all in ones. They've got those soaker pads so there's no bulk whatsoever up in the "wings" (at the baby's hips) and they don't have all that bulk from folded/overlapped PUL like one size options.
> 
> You can also give baby 1hr a day naked to help achieve mobility milestones on time

Oh thank you for letting me know. Some people said that it doesn't affect mobility but I was kind of worry. Anyway, so if I use AIO I don't have to add anything else and my LO is not going to have any leak? My Thirsties pocket came with to insert and my imagine AIO came with just one and I'm not sure if it going to hold well. The tots bots has bamboo but have a pocket to insert a prefold or another insert and I'm afraid to use my cotton prefold since they look so bulky.


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## StillPraying

I hadn't heard they affected mobility, that is a little concerning.....gonna have to research that now. Well that makes me lean more towards sized diapers rather than one size lol 

Poop cuuute diapers!!! Let me know what you try out!


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> I hadn't heard they affected mobility, that is a little concerning.....gonna have to research that now. Well that makes me lean more towards sized diapers rather than one size lol
> 
> Poop cuuute diapers!!! Let me know what you try out!

I think pockets and prefolds are bulky. When I tried the AIO in my little one didn't felt like that. However, I will update when I put the Cloth diaper without the disposable on.


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## jessmke

We use pockets that are definitely bulky, and my DD is quite small (she is only 17 lbs at 15 months old). Yet she was rolling by 8 weeks, sitting unaided at 5 months, crawling at 6 months, and walking at 11 months, so it definitely didn't affect her mobility! I quite like the bulkiness because it helps keep her pants up! She has a lot of pants and shorts that fall off her when she is in a disposable diaper.


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## StillPraying

Do you buy a size bigger in pants to make up for bulky-ness?


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## jessmke

StillPraying said:


> Do you buy a size bigger in pants to make up for bulky-ness?

No we never required larger pants to accomodate the diapers.


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## wrapunzel

Jessmke, the majority of pockets are actually a trim option compared to prefolds or some flat folds. They're deconstructable all-in-ones: thick soaker/insert in the middle, two layers (PUL and fleece/suede lining) in the wings. Prefolds are usually 4x6x4 or 4x8x4 which means there are 4 layers coming from the "wing" being held against 6-16 layers from the front. In the most common fold where the front is doubled over and the wing brought around on top there are 12 layers at the hip!!! That is THICK! it's okay on a 20lb+ baby but on 6lbs? Ugh. 

I liked origami fold for flats, fewer layers in the wings, actually bought bigger real flats to keep using that fold. When she was tiny we used "flour sack towels" as flats, with bamboo washcloth folded inside as an insert. Very cheap compared to "real" diapers and just as effective!

Marie, I haven't tried AIO on a newborn but her prefolds were only ever wet in the front and middle. Nothing like how drenched they were from 9m+, when all the way up the butt and even the wings were soaked. 

Re: mobility, my daughter rolled over for the first time the first time she was down on the floor in a disposable, at 2.5 months old, and she only rolled naked or in a "sposie" for a month after that. But she also had minor hip dysplasia when she was born and the specialist said the cloth bulk would help her hips. She hit later milestones like crawling/walking just fine in her prefolds but I could tell they impeded her a bit (waddling), they also cushioned her butt when she fell :shrug: I used the bikini fold a lot when she started standing and walking, it was a very compact option and trim in the crotch (but hard and stiff -- couldn't have been comfy)

I have thought ahead to #2's diapering past 6 months but haven't picked -- trying to choose between fitteds and big flats. I already have a whole stash of prefolds I planned to re-use so I have to learn to see if I want fitteds! Don't have a good excuse to buy a new stash when I want to learn! Especially because I want/need to use bamboo and hemp for them, not plain cotton. Oh and definitely using woolies & pull on PUL for covers at 6m+

At some ages pants fit properly and at other ages I had to size up.


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## Maries_s

I'm not planning to use cloth diaper in the newborn stage, my DH is totally opposed. 

However, I learned today that to use prefold for stuffing the pockets you need to use the small size. :wacko: the prefold that I bought is large size so maybe that is the reason I'm having trouble. Now I don't know in what I'm going to use this large prefold. :dohh:


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## OnErth&InHvn

Maries_s said:


> I need some advice.
> My sister want me to try cloth diapers and I'm really curious about it but at the same time a little scared of the outcome. DH is not onboard and keep telling is a bad idea but I'm willing to try.
> What are you experiences?
> What are the downsides?
> What are the advantages?
> It is really hard to change cloth diaper when there's poop in it? (My mayor worrisome)
> Do you have any suggestions of what brand is good?
> Can I use the dryer machine?

DS- we used sposies
DD1- at 6mo we cloth diapered with Fuzzi Bunz 1 size and then Goodmama fitted with covers. We LOVED it. Used the laundro mat and apartment washer dryer. Normal detergent. Handled poop by flinging it off. 
DD2- Cloth diapered from BIRTH! We started with Prefolds + covers, Then goodmamas + covers and finally basic china cheapie pockets. We flung poop off or sprayed it. Washed in home washer/dryer, laundro mat, wringer washer, hand washed. Normal laundry detergent. 

Advantages: Much easier and cheaper when i had multiple kids in diapers. 
Cons: None

The boy i nanny, i used cloth for him too. <3 



Maries_s said:


> I'm not planning to use cloth diaper in the newborn stage, my DH is totally opposed.
> 
> However, I learned today that to use prefold for stuffing the pockets you need to use the small size. :wacko: the prefold that I bought is large size so maybe that is the reason I'm having trouble. Now I don't know in what I'm going to use this large prefold. :dohh:

You save the big ones for when the LO sizes up. ;)


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## Maries_s

OnErth: my LO is supposed to fit on that prefold already. :wacko:


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## wrapunzel

A spare, overly large prefold works very well under the butt during changes to catch any oops!


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## Maries_s

wrapunzel said:


> A spare, overly large prefold works very well under the butt during changes to catch any oops!

This is a good option, I'm currently don't have any changing pad. :thumbup:


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## Maries_s

Ladies!! Kelly's closet and diaper junction have all thristies brand with 15% of discount. 

I started today to Use the cloth diapers on my DD and she is another baby. She has been so happy and confortable all day and she also took a nap and no leaks even without any other insert. Now that I tried pockets without the disposable the bulky that bothered me is gone. However, I order some geffen insert that looks very trim and absorb great.


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## wrapunzel

Happy butt, happy baby! Cloth is so breathable and comfortable against the skin for a little one used to disposables


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## StillPraying

www.diaperjungle.com/pages/detergent-chart I found this chart super helpful!


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> www.diaperjungle.com/pages/detergent-chart I found this chart super helpful!

This chart is very different from the one that have fluff love university and have a lot of contradictions. I did my first load of Cloth diapers today and I used cheer in powder and everything smell good. 
I believe that choosing a detergent brand is confusing and is going to depend in the individual preferences rather than if someone use tide or rocking green or whatever. Also, is necessary to take in consideration if you have soft or hard water and the washing routine. So this is a super experiment that we have in our hands. :haha: 

Thank you for the chart :flower:


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## StillPraying

I'm going to look at their chart now, as I haven't seen it. This chart was based solely off of the ingredients in it. So even some that got 4 stars had notes that some had reported rashes from it. Or some that got less stars, many moms reported as working great so I like that they included that. So true, It's definitely an experiment lol


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## minties

I've always just grabbed whatever fragrance free washing powder that was cheap that week at the supermarket. 3 babies in cloth and all good!


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## StillPraying

There's a lot of blogs that are like "DO NOT USE COMMERCIAL DETERGENT!" but then I read a million others that are like "it's perfectly fine" lol 

Marie I like the fluff love chart better, as they explained why it was or was not recommended. Whereas the other chart did it only based off of ingredients.


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> There's a lot of blogs that are like "DO NOT USE COMMERCIAL DETERGENT!" but then I read a million others that are like "it's perfectly fine" lol
> 
> Marie I like the fluff love chart better, as they explained why it was or was not recommended. Whereas the other chart did it only based off of ingredients.

Yeah, that's why I prefer fluff chart better. However, I did not follow all their recommendations entirely since I feel they are kind of pushy with tide.


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## Rhea Santiago

I have a great experience with cloth diapers. When I visited my pediatrician for my baby's monthly check-up, she advised me not to let my baby wear diaper anymore during the day since as for her diapers cannot only give the babies diaper rash but also it may cause Urinary track infection (UTI). I bought many cloth diapers, cheaper than diapers as I may say and the best thing is, its washable.


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## StillPraying

How big did you make your wipes? I have some fabric for them, but I couldn't decide if maybe they should be as big as a disposable wipe lol


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> How big did you make your wipes? I have some fabric for them, but I couldn't decide if maybe they should be as big as a disposable wipe lol

Actually I dry a disposable wipes and made my cloth wipes with the same measure. However, I've seen people just made a square of the size the want them.


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## Maries_s

Rhea Santiago said:


> I have a great experience with cloth diapers. When I visited my pediatrician for my baby's monthly check-up, she advised me not to let my baby wear diaper anymore during the day since as for her diapers cannot only give the babies diaper rash but also it may cause Urinary track infection (UTI). I bought many cloth diapers, cheaper than diapers as I may say and the best thing is, its washable.

I'm sorry, I'm kind of confused. Your pediatrician told you that disposables diapers are prompt to urinary infection or any diapers?


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## Maries_s

This is what I bought so far and I've been wondering is this enough. I honestly don't want to spend more for now. 

2 fitted
4 covers
7 AIO
6 pockets 
1 flat
10 prefold 
9 geffen inserts 
2 hemp thristies inserts


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## StillPraying

So that's more than 20 diapers really, so I think it sounds pretty good! You have enough to try all of the kinds and see what you like, and if you want more of a specific kind you can get that later :thumbup:


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## wrapunzel

Yup I agree with Still, that's plenty for a trial run

Check out my new ticker :happydance:


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## Maries_s

StillPraying said:


> So that's more than 20 diapers really, so I think it sounds pretty good! You have enough to try all of the kinds and see what you like, and if you want more of a specific kind you can get that later :thumbup:

Thank you for your response. I was scared I didn't get enough covers or pockets but I do know that I can use covers more than one time in the day.


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