Talk to me about cloth!

[lisaalove]

Interesting in trying out cloth diapers. DH isn't too sure about it... actually he really doesn't like the idea but I want to try it!
Any and all information welcome as I'm completely new to this. Our son is now 12w old and he weighs 13 lbs 10 oz and we are in the US if that matters at all.
I don't want to go buying a bunch of cloth if we end up deciding it's not for us, does anyone know of free samples? (If that's a thing!)
Best kind?
Inserts?
What is this prewash I keep hearing about?
Detergent?
How often do you do the laundry?
How many would we need?

EDIT
so far I like the idea of pocket and AIO (more for hubbys sake as hes not quite on board yet)
he likes the sound of velcro where as I like the sound of snaps, personal opinions and prefrences?
I feeel like I would prefer one size instead of sized
Am I correct in that microfiber inserts are not supposed to touch baby himself?
Wetbags for out and about, worth it?
Do you still use disposable wipes or do you use cloth?
Thats all I can think of for now, TIA!

 

[pinklizzy]

I'm nowhere near an expert but we use pockets and a couple of AIOs as I prefer that they seem to be slightly more slim fitting. There are a few selling sites that do trial packs of a few different nappy brands to try and then you can build up a stash of the ones that suit, although we have some (tots bots) that were rubbish initially and just leaked all the time but now they seem to work pretty well.
The majority are one sized but some of night nappies are the little lambs bamboo nappies that are sized with the wraps over them and we are still just about in size 2. The majority of our nappies are little lambs-sized two parters and one size pockets but I love all the pretty patterns of the other brands!
Microfibre should be used as inserts only, I tend to use fleece liners as well as it makes dealing with the poo slightly easier.
Wetbags are a must in my opinion and we use cloth wipes most of the time, I find it a lot easier when washing the nappies and also not having to find somewhere to put dirty wipes when we're out. I have them dry in a travel wipes case and use a spray bottle to wet them as they are needed. We use them at home too.
With new nappies I usually just wash them 3-4 times without drying them in between and then just use them! You might have to change them a bit more often in the beginning as they build up absorbency but they just go in with the normal washing.
Now he's older I do a wash every 3 days or so but it was more often as a teeny baby. I just use normal non-bio detergent washing powder, no washing liquid.

 

[lisaalove]

I'm nowhere near an expert but we use pockets and a couple of AIOs as I prefer that they seem to be slightly more slim fitting. There are a few selling sites that do trial packs of a few different nappy brands to try and then you can build up a stash of the ones that suit, although we have some (tots bots) that were rubbish initially and just leaked all the time but now they seem to work pretty well.
The majority are one sized but some of night nappies are the little lambs bamboo nappies that are sized with the wraps over them and we are still just about in size 2. The majority of our nappies are little lambs-sized two parters and one size pockets but I love all the pretty patterns of the other brands!
Microfibre should be used as inserts only, I tend to use fleece liners as well as it makes dealing with the poo slightly easier.
Wetbags are a must in my opinion and we use cloth wipes most of the time, I find it a lot easier when washing the nappies and also not having to find somewhere to put dirty wipes when we're out. I have them dry in a travel wipes case and use a spray bottle to wet them as they are needed. We use them at home too.
With new nappies I usually just wash them 3-4 times without drying them in between and then just use them! You might have to change them a bit more often in the beginning as they build up absorbency but they just go in with the normal washing.
Now he's older I do a wash every 3 days or so but it was more often as a teeny baby. I just use normal non-bio detergent washing powder, no washing liquid.

Thank you for the reply! That makes a good point about not knowing what to do with the wipes while out and about as I usually put the wwipes inside of the disposable! Sorry if this sounds dull of me but how does it make it easier to clean the pooh? (The fleece I mean) and do you put it directly against the baby then? Also I was wondering why the no liquid? Does it not spread evenly or is the ingredients that are in it degrade the diaper?

 

[pinklizzy]

I like the fleece liners because they tend to 'catch' the poo and then I can take it out and either shake or rinse it off in the toilet. It also means that there is less staining on the inside of the nappy itself.
I've always just read that using a washing liquid can cause a build up on the nappies and reduce the absorbancy of the fabrics but that might not be the case! I've always just used the non-bio powder I bought to wash his clothes before he was born to wash the nappies too

 

[kiwilove]

Hey. Cloth diapering is awesome, so easy and fun. The best decision I ever made. It doesn't have to be expensive. I bought a bundle of 28 diapers for $120...(kawaii one size pocket) that is plenty of diapers, doing laundry every two days. If cloth diapering isnt for you then your not out much money compared to all the other expensive brands of diapers. I bought about 6 wet bags and use them all the time. I dont put dirty diapers in a lined garbage can, I put them in the wet bag. You can get them cheap if you look hard enough....wasnt hard for me to find good deals on wet bags.

 

[HopefulEm]

There are cloth diaper rental services around if you want to try some out before buying.

A two part system is less likely to leak and faster to dry then all in one's. We use cloth wipes, and wet bags as well. Quite like having both. How many diapers you buy depends on how often you want to be doing wash (and if you have a dryer).

Depending on the fabric will depend on how much prewashing you need to do. Fabrics like hemp can be really absorbent but take a number of washes to get there. Don't use fabric softener on diapers as it is not great for baby's skin. A more natural, non-bio, non-scented detergent is best.

 

[ellina]

I love cloth diapering as well. Currently I'm using a mix of pockets and prefolds (the latter are super affordable, and really not so difficult so long as your LO will stay put during diaper changes!). I also wondered about velcro vs snaps, but in the end went with snaps since apparently little ones can figure out the velcro too easily!

Wet bags are a must, laundering really isn't bad at all, and I find cloth wipes to be 10x more effective than disposable! Oh, and if you can manage it, a diaper sprayer is a big help - especially for EBF poops.

 

[minties]

I've never had a wetbag, so me they wouldn't be necessary but a lot of people love them.

In my own personal experience, I only really like bamboo and cotton, microfibre just doesn't cut the mustard.

I prefer prefolds and covers for ease of use and how cheap the are. Second favourite is pockets with bamboo.