ok so who wants to get pregnant in 2011? (closed group)

[NDH]

I hope this helps rather than confuses you more.

Two-Part systems (meaning you buy and use the absorbent part and the waterproof part separately)
First up are your basic, old fashioned diapers.

Terry flats are basicqlly a square towel that you can fold in various ways to adjust the absorbency and fit as needed. More complex than any other system, but lots of people do like them, and they,re by far the most economical option. Secure with pins or a snappi (shown below) and put on a waterproof cover.

Prefolds are rectangles that are sewn with a couple of layers together and an extra layer in the middle third. The easiest way to use them is to pad fold into thirds and place insideva cover which you then put on baby. Alternatively tthey can also be put on the baby with various folds, secured with a snappi and then the cover goes on after (more secure for poo)

Terry flat and prefold, unfolded:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_132739.jpg

Terry flat folded and secured with a snappi:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133002.jpg

Prefold pad folded and placed into a waterproof cover.
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133036.jpg


Fitted diapers are the third type of non-waterproofed diaper. They're just the absorbent part, but shaped to look and fit like a diaper with leg and waist elastic. They can come with velcro, snaps, or with the need to be secured with a snappi. Great for containing newborn poo as they have elastic legs and so do the covers, so it's harder to escape. Like the flats and prefolds they're more economical as you only need a few waterproof covers.

Fitted diaper with velcro closure:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_134131.jpg

One-Part systems (meaning the waterproof part and absorbent part have to get washed with every use. Some assembly may be required but it's not the same as an actual two part system)

Pocket Diapers
As the name suggests, these have a pocket that you stuff with the absorbent insert. It's an empty shell that has a waterproof outer layer and usually microfleece or something similar that keeps the baby's bum dry, and the insert gets stuffed in between those layers. Can be velcro (as Huggles' are) or snaps (as mine are) to close. As Huggles mentioned, these are great for adding absorbency as you need it. My inserts are made of three layers of bamboo fabric and I usually only need one.

Inside of the unstuffed pocket diaper with the pocket part showing:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133516.jpg

Insert half stuffed into the pocket:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133545.jpg

All-In-One/AIO
As the name suggests, these are the waterproof and absorbent part sewn together. They're the easiest system to use as there's no assembly required. The drawback with these is they take longer to dry and they're also the most expensive as you can't get away with reusing any covers etc. They're the most like a disposable though - just put on and take off as normal, the only difference is you're putting it into a pail to wash later instead of throwing out

I have two photo examples for you. Unfortunately I grabbed red in both types. The first is a traditional AIO where all the layers are sewn together and it takes ages to dry.
Done up:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133109-1.jpg
Opened out:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133131-1.jpg

The second type has half of the absorbent part sewn inside and the other half as a sewn-in flap that makes it a bit quicker to dry.

Done up:https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133236.jpg
Opened up:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133302-1.jpg
Flap open for easy drying:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133251.jpg

All-in-Two(AI2)/Snap-in-One(SIO)
The absorbent part of AI2s is separate to the waterproof outer shell and snaps apart for washing and drying. The one I'm showing is a bit more complicated than other AI2s can be but it's the only one I have (and colour coordinated so not really that bad, honestly). They can be a bit cheaper than an AIO because the shells dry faster than the inserts so if you have extra inserts you can re-use the shell as soon as it's dry.

Done up:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133313-1.jpg
Open: https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133339.jpg
Snapped fully apart:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_133423.jpg

Other bits
Covers can be made of PUL (polyurathane laminate), fleece, or wool. Here's a fleece one and a PUL one. They go over the flats, fitteds or prefolds to make them waterproof and can be snaps or velcro closures.
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_134213.jpg

Liners line the diaper to make it easier to clean up the poo. They can be disposable/flushable, or cloth. Cloth ones are typically made of microfleece which acts as a stay-dry layer to repel wee away from the skin and keep baby's bum dry. Obviously they need to be washed rather than tossed, but it's easier to rinse off a small piece of fabric than the whole diaper. Disposable/flushable ones can just be flushed away, but they do keep baby's bum wetter.

Three shapes/sizes of fleece liners, and a flushable one with the roll:
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_134102-1.jpg

There are also lay-in boosters, which add extra absorbency without extra bulk. I don't have a photo of any of those.

With cloth you will also need a couple of wetbags which you can throw the dirty diapers (and soiled clothes too) into until it's time to wash them. Zippers or drawstrings available. Zippers contain the smells better though. Again, I don't have a picture.

Cloth diapers also come in a wide range of sizes. Besides small (sometimes extra small/newborn depending on the brand), medium, large or one size fits most (OSFM/OSFA) there can be a lot of discrepency between sizes.

Here's a picture of one of every kind of diaper I own side by side to show you what I mean.
https://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/Roshinda/Saranna/IMG_20120415_134632.jpg
Besides the pink butterflies one which is OSFM, and the bottom orange one which is medium, they're all rated as smalls. So you can see that some brands are bulkier than others, and a trim OSFM can fit a small baby sooner than some supposedly small diapers too!

I didn't cover one-size-fits-most as Huggles's photos of Logan show pretty clearly how they work with the adjustable snaps to make them bigger/smaller as needed.

 

[flyingduster]

Yup Sarah, read that link NDH posted, it's very brief (just the first post) but will explain the different types quickly and easily.

Cloth nappies generally don't have ANYTHING you throw away, so no disposable bits. You CAN get hybrids like NDH said, that *do* have a disposable absorbent bit inside, and you also can get disposable liners that purely catch solids (they are tissue-thin, and aren't there for absorbency at all, only catching solids!)

The essentially have a waterproof outer bit, and an absorbent inner bit, for obvious reasons! But they all work in different ways...


I never intended to use cloth initially, cos I wanted to not worry about it when I was trying to come to grips with a newborn! lol. And as it turns out with that abscess I got I was hardly mobile much at all so doing the washing and stuff was impossible for me to do in those first weeks anyway. So Caleb was about 8 weeks old when I started using cloth, and since then he's not had a single disposable touch his toosh! lol!! I used prefolds at first cos the pocket nappies I had were too big around his skinny lil thighs and they leaked. But the prefolds were great and did the trick for us nicely until he grew in to the pockets more. I now use pockets full time, but having just won a fitted nappy I'm gonna try that one as a night nappy tonight! hehe.

 

[Huggles]

great post ndh

 

[sarahincanada]

thanks everyone!

and wow ndh that was so helpful, you should copy and paste it into a blog and put the link in your profile, for those considering them it really explained it well.

the photos of the group made me melt, I just think about a lovely bum going in them. remember flying when you were practicing your wraps and were using a teddy? now you have a beautiful boy. wow what a miracle they all are

Im going to a baby show at the end of the month so I hope there will be some booths so I can get a sample of each type. I will probably go for a more hybrid type of one as I do have the funds and I will be a working mom (I am the main earner in the family) although hubby may get into the more complicated type!

the ones I was looking at (someone mentioned to me) they have a 100% biodegradable insert
https://www.gdiapers.com/environmentally-friendly-diapers/biodegradable-disposable-diaper-inserts
or a washable cloth insert
https://www.gdiapers.com/environmentally-friendly-diapers/cloth-diaper-inserts
LOL the video shows how to put them on and they are all happy lovely babies, they dont show the screaming peeing ones lol. But I love the design of the outer shell, for a girl they have a cute one with ruffles.

 

[sarahincanada]

wow my ticker says bubs legs are outmeasuring arms for first time
I just dont feel pregnant at all, its so bizarre. tummy is rounding a little but it just looks fat not bump. whats the earliest someone can feel the bub for their first?

I might have mentioned my next scan is 18-20 weeks and I said Id compromise with my MW and go at 19 weeks as she said sometimes they cant measure everything when you go earlier and you have to go back. but Im so impatient Im so tempted to go right at 18 weeks and if I have to go back then i will. what do you all think? I know its only a weeks difference but I cant wait

 

[Huggles]

I felt Jarrod for the first time the day i hit 16 weeks.

Those diapers look rather nice. And very interesting that they can even be composted! When i got my compost bin the instructions said that biodegradable nappies should not be added. But i think they meant the newish biodegradable disposables. Very impressive that those inserts are so biodegradable they can actually be composted!

 

[sarahincanada]

I felt Jarrod for the first time the day i hit 16 weeks.

Those diapers look rather nice. And very interesting that they can even be composted! When i got my compost bin the instructions said that biodegradable nappies should not be added. But i think they meant the newish biodegradable disposables. Very impressive that those inserts are so biodegradable they can actually be composted!

oooh I hope I feel bub soon. can you describe how it felt?

yes I like that part too, I think if you flush they give you a stick to break it down even in the water. Ive read that its mainly north american toilets that can handle flushing without breaking it up, perhaps north americans in general do larger 'dumps' so bigger toilets

but would I try to stick to the cloth inserts more? i suppose it depends how absorbant their disposable liners are?

 

[Huggles]

it depends on your reason for using cloth - if you're doing it to save money (like me), or to protect baby's bottom from chemicals (like ndh), then cloth inserts would make more sense.

If you're doing it for the environment, then cloth is better, but given how biodegradable those inserts are they would be fine too.

If you're doing it because a cloth bum looks cute then either insert would be fine.


I'm not really sure how to describe the feeling. It wasn't like bubbles popping or like butterflies which is how i've often heard it explained. I could just feel something moving inside, very slight, and only while i was lying still on my back (if i was moving around i didn't notice it it was that faint). It wasn't definite hard kicks, those came later, i think around 22/23 weeks, but i could just feel something moving. Maybe like a worm wriggling or something.

 

[sarahincanada]

yes mainly doing it as Ive already eliminated plastic water bottles so hoping to help eliminate plastic diapers! plus I have very sensitive skin so hoping the less plastic will be better if bub does too.

omg cant wait to feel bub, hopefully this next month will be exciting. its going fairly quickly.

 

[NDH]

Those diapers are cute!i've only heard of gro-via hybrids before (and I think Flips are too) but those g-diapers are cute. And that newborn trial pack looks perfect. Most people I know use hybrids for camping and travelling, but they'd still be a good way to reduce your environmental impact without having to do as much laundry (though my washing routine only takes 20 minutes every other day).
Oh and North American toilets use more water so would be a lot more powerful and able to handle flushing them. Our toilets are a very low pressure dual-flush system.

I felt Sara move around the 14 week mark. I've known people who have felt them earlier (someone claimed 8 weeks but i have a hard time believing that as they're only 1cm long), but 16-22 weeks is normal for most first time moms (can be later though, as Preethi experienced, especially with an anterior placenta). I felt like I was being tickled on the inside and kind of a popping sensation the first time, and a week later was getting proper kicks.

 

[NDH]

Oh also, gdiapers hybrids look to be quite affordable - comprable to disposables. The disposable inserts available here are nearly $1 each I would get some cloth inserts too and see how it goes. If you or hubby finds it too much you've always got the eco disposable inserts to use

 

[sarahincanada]

thanks ndh, I think the gdiapers started in oz. its fairly expensive to be buying the outer layers at the beginning, I dont even know how many I need to not do laundry too much and then what if I dont like the fit like some of you say, but hopefully if I use the newborn then small it will be ok?
I dont even know how many changes do you do in a day oh boy its going to be a fun ride

 

[NDH]

It totally depends on your baby. They say as a general rule of thumb to expect 12 changes a day in the first weeks, and some babies do require more, but right from the beginning I never had to do more than 8 or 9, and that was with changing her overnight too. I average about 7 changes a gay now (and have for ages) though sometimes its 6 and occasionally its been as many as 10 when she's being a super pooper
The newborn starter pack looks great - 12 newborn shells and 6 small shells and if you use the $10 off your first purchase its only $140 (plus about a weeks worth of inserts). With the shells you'll likely find that unless baby has pooed you'll just need a quick wipe and air them out and then you can reuse them a few times before needing to wash them, so you really shouldn't need more than that anyway.

Eee in 6 months you're going to have a little bum to change little bums are so cute, even when they poo 4 or 5 times a day like mine does right now

 

[sarahincanada]

oh I love the bums. Im used to poop from the cats and dogs so we will be ok and I somewhat remember my nieces poop lol. when I was looking at the onesie I got yesterday it looks so small, and I was thinking how crazy there will be a little warm person in there soon. I got the 3-6 months but it looks tiny.

thank you for the help, they do free shipping to canada so I think I will get the starter kit, a couple extra small shells, some cloths and disposables from them. then I will get a few canadian brands to have a choice.

when roughly will they go to medium?

anyone got any recommendations for things like wipes, bum cream etc....NY being in north america perhaps you would know our brands. I saw a wipe warmer in a shop....is that worth getting? what else do I need for changes?

 

[NDH]

It depends on the brand, and the size of your baby, but that one looks like Sara would still be in Smalls for another month at least another month or two, though she could wear the mediums now.

 

[sherylb]

I use a Prince Lionheart Ultimate Wipe Warmer. I had a smaller one but it broke and I had to get another one. She didn't like cold wipes. That warmer has a pillow that you wet whenever you add wipes (once a week for us). Some people have issues with them needing to be replaced more often than others but I have had mine for 2 months and haven't had to change the pillow.

I was using Huggies wipes but I have decided to switch to generic. I use desitin diaper rash cream and it helps quickly. I have a changing pad with the u shape and a minka cover but I put a thin blanket and a boppy waterproof pad over the cover. I guess you wouldn't need a diaper genie since you want to go the cloth route? I also keep a waterproof pad and blankets in the diaper bag for changes out of the house.

 

[flyingduster]

One thing I learned, that reinforced my desire to do 100% cloth, is that landfills are designed that things do NOT break down and decompose. They mummify! Even biodegradable things!
So the biodegradable nappies I threw in the rubbish were still being added to landfill and still not going to break down. I HAD thought I was doing the good thing by compensating for my use of disposables by at least using biodegradable ones, but yeah, turns out I was no better for the eco system than if they were regular ones.

So while hybrids will be better than full 'sposies cos it is physically less plastic & chemicals being used and thrown away, unless you actually compost them, if throwing them into the landfill then it won't be of any benefit being biodegradable. And if composting them yourself, you will need a fairly significant compost system to get through the 10+/- changes a day that a newborn does..... (Caleb now does about 4-6 changes a day, depending on how much nappy-off time I do, so it does gradually improve!)

Also note that poop is supposed to be flushed regardless of if you use disposables or cloth! Not too much of an issue with the newborn poop that is like liquid, but as they get older most people have no idea that you're supposed to remove and flush the poop from disposables too; they just bundle them up and throw them out!


As for what else you need; if you are doing cloth nappies I highly recommend you do cloth wipes too. For that you can just use old flannels or cut up some towels or sheets or whatever. Or you can buy cloth wipes fairly cheap too. Then just use water and the cloth to wipe a bum, plonk it in to the bucket instead of the rubbish, and wash with the rest of the nappies you wash! If you use disposable wipes then you can get ones that are safe to flush, but the majority of them are supposed to be thrown out in the rubbish. I don't know much about the different brands of disposable wipes though, except that some babies are sensitive to the chemicals in them so be wary of that if you are sensitive already...

For bum cream, I use weleda calendula cream: linky or Made4Baby barrier cream: linky as both are low in chemicals that I know I am sensitive to and want to keep to a minimum on Caleb!


The wipes warmer thing is a waste of time and money IMO. I've never had a problem with room-temp wipes, but if you DO have an issue, a quick hold in your hands will warm the chill off without having an entire warmer!!! lol. Having a wipeable or washable change mat for under them is good, cos you will get poop smeared on it, and they will also pee on it when their nappy is off. lol! I have a change table that I have found is a god-send for my back! I change him on the floor in the living room fairly often too, just cos that's where we often are, but it does my back in very quickly trying to hold a squirmy baby down while bending over on the floor! LOL! But otherwise there isn't anything more you need for changing.

When I go out I have wipes, a spare nappy or two, a small bottle of water, a wetbag to put the dirty nappy in (if using disposables you'd have plastic bags to put it in before throwing away) and a change mat to put him on cos I don't trust surfaces in the public toilets! lol.

 

[babyhopes2323]

sorry i cant help you out like these mums, as they know best with the cloth diaper system.. xx i use normal pampers disposable wipes, and for
nappy rash creams, i use sudocrem, i think its well known in the UK and works for adults too with eczema, bed sores, nappy rash etc,its great.. but if you want to go au naturale, then best to consult flying , huggles, ndh, sheryl etc, seems like theyre doing a brilliant job !

 

[babyhopes2323]

cant believe its going to be a mere 6 months !! and youll have a cute lil baby bum to wipe.. its amazing xxx im a huge fan of bums too.. and theres a pic of caleb on fb lying on his tummy, and his bum looks soooooo cute xx

 

[Huggles]

On average I use 4 cloth nappies per day + 1 disposable overnight. If he poo's just after a nappy change then 5 nappies per day. He generally only poo's once per day.
I change his nappy every 3 hours.
I only wash twice a week. I have 18 cherub trees, plus 1 bumbeetles. I also have a pack of 12 prefolds + 3 covers, but i hardly ever use those. If you use disposables overnight then 20 cloth nappies would be enough so that you only have to wash twice a week. If you use cloth overnight then 24 would be fine.

I use normal Johnson & Johnson wetwipes. I hardly ever use bum cream.
I don't have a wetwipe warmer, and untiil now haven't really felt it was necessary. But it's been summer. It's now starting to get much colder as we are in autumn, and if i had one i reckon i would use it during the winter. But i'm not about to go out and buy one.