How to switch from disposable to cloth diapers? Talk amongst yourselves.

My previous post about the impending Huggies price increase begs the question: why not just opt out of disposables altogether? Why not switch to cloth diapers?

I have no bias toward a particular diaper choice; as with most parenting decisions, there's more than one right answer. We used (note past tense! Huzzah!) disposables with our kids, but many friends have insisted that cloth is, for the most part, just as easy, cheaper in the long-run, and more comfortable for the diaper-ee.

And so Parenthackers, I'd love to hear your cloth diapering wisdom. You, more than anyone, will have smart advice for parents considering the switch. Do you use a diaper service? Diaper covers or all-in-ones? Disposables while on the road or at night? Disposables when they're little and cloth when they're older?

I'm not suggesting we debate the relative merits or environmental ramifications of cloth vs. disposables -- rather, let's hear your practical advice about how cloth diapering actually works in your family. Give us the real poop, as it were!

(Of course, another choice is to opt out of diapers completely. We'll talk about the diaper-free baby, aka Elimination Communication, tomorrow, so save your comments about that till then.)

Comments

[Stephenie]

I used cloth diapers on my daughter. We were really on a budget, so I started buying them when I was pregnant. I had a bucket with a lid, and I laundered them myself. It's really easy and I would do it again no hesitation; especially when I see how much diapers cost! Ouch!

[Sean]

We use cloth diapers on our 2 month old and have used them from the time we brought him home from the birthing center. We use unbleached cloth diapers, use covers that close up with Velcro and use these cool little things called, "snappis" to close up the diaper. In other words, NO PINS. We have a plastic garbage can container next to the changing table that we drop the diapers in when soiled. We add a few sprinkles of baking soda to handle the odor and that's it.

We do use disposables when we travel, especially overnight. As for washing, we live in a condo so our water costs are covered by our home-ownerns' dues which is nice. We soak the diapers first and then wash in hot with Arm & Hammer detergent. It's simple and it's nice to not have to pay for disposables on a regular basis. Our son doesn't get a rash at all either--and I don't honestly know if this is making a difference or not, but it is the case with us.

The whole set-up cost us less than $200.00 so far . . .and our diaper seller sells them for about $20.00 per dozen. We'll probably spend another $30.00 on covers, for the next size up that we get.

You *can* spend a lot of $ if you want to on different fabrics, patterns, etc. We chose to go simple--plain white, green or blue, nylon covers.

So, I'm a big fan of cloth diapers. The laundry isn't that big of a deal for us, either. The other thing I've noticed is that he doesn't leak, as the diapers are very absorbent. I hope this helps a bit! Thanks for the great question--

[Michelle]

We used a cloth diaper service until our son went to daycare at 10 months (they wouldn't do cloth, and the service didn't work financially with so few diapers per week). We're expecting #2 and will do it again. No cleanup, really comfortable for him, and no smell because they took the bags each week. Never had to buy diapers - always on the door step. Much cheaper when the diaper count was high (80 a week as an infant), and still cheaper then disposables until we stopped when he was 10 months. We never did them ourselves - my husband's a biologist and just couldn't get his head around the "poop in the washer" idea. The diaper covers these days never leaked (his only blow-outs happened when he was in disposables on the road), they're totally easy to put on, and his skin did heaps better in cloth (he only got rashes when he was in disposables). I can't advocate enough for cloth!!

[Jodi]

I am so excited to read these comments because we are planning to make the switch next month.

[Annika]

I recently wrote about cloth diapers when a pregnant friend had questions. If I may be so bold as to redirect readers to my blog, as it is too much to recreate here: http://noirbettie.com/blog/?cat=48

I do get into the why of it, but also talk about all the different kinds and what I think of them, how I launder them, etc. I hope it's helpful!

[carmie]

I did exclusively cloth diapers his first 8 months or so, and then switched to disposables when out of the house. I was working again then and Grandma didn't want to deal with cloth diapers.

I used the cheapest fitted diapers I could find (babymarketplace.com, I think), "seconds" Prowraps from the manufacturer's site, and prefolds. I had four Fuzzibuns all-in-ones that I rotated for bedtimes. Total cost - around $250.

Laundry is easy - use All Free Clear and no fabric softener. Oddly, I found it much easier to do cloth when he was still breastfed, in spite of the massive volumes of poop. Diapers got clean so much easier because he had less bacteria coming out.

Now I use disposables when out of the house and for overnights. All in all, I'd say I've spent about $500 on diapers (all kinds) so far, and he's 18 months.

[Gavin]

We've used Fuzzi Bunz - http://www.fuzzibunz.com/ - which is a pocket diaper, as soon as the cord-stump fell off, and have never looked back.

No leaks, no hassle - solid waste just rolls right off into the toilet. They also have fasteners at leg and waist, so you can easily fit it to your kid - most just have a waist fastener, and can gap at the legs.

A dozen smalls lasted through roughly the first year, when we moved to the mediums, and he'll probably be in mediums until he's potty-trained.

[tulip]

We used cloth diapers for the cost reason. We actually had the diapers that my Mother in law used for my husband! They held up really well. So I purchased and then made enough covers to use them and we went for it.
We did not use a service and I didn't find that I did that much more laundry. We rinsed solids in the toilet and it wasn't that much of a hassle.
We used a small size originally and then moved to the medium and we were in those until she potty trained. They actually helped us with the potty training as she could take them off herself and did so when she was wet. It sounds like a bad thing but once she figured out the whole pee=wet thing she went right to the potty! Yay for us. :)

[Amanda]

Fuzzibunz for us too. Pocket diapers are easy to use - important to make cloth as easy as possible for our daycare provider. Also easy for grandparents and anyone else who doesn't want to have to learn a complicated diapering system.

We started as soon as the cord fell off, and have been happy with them (currently 12 months). We use disposables when we travel.

Cloth is really easy for breastfed babies as the poop washes right out. Once the poop got more solid, we started flushing it. Rice paper liners make this easy too.

[Ruth]

For my first, six years ago, we used a diaper service for a year with CPFs and diaper covers. After a year, I realized it would be easy enough to launder ourselves, so I just bought about 24 diapers and kept a dry pail. Cold rinse initially, hot wash, throw the diapers in the dryer, hang the covers on a rack.

For my second, FuzziBunz had been invented, and I can't believe how easy they are. (For the newborn period, we bought 1 or 2 dozen Kissaluvs from their outlet, which I highly recommend.) Then, we got 12 FuzziBunz in medium and they've lasted us until potty-training time.

My kids were both in disposables in daycare, and we always used disposables for traveling. For trips around town, I would sometimes take extra cloth diapers and a small waterproof bag, but also some disposables, because they're smaller and you never know how many diapers you're going to need!

[Alix]

I used the cloth until my son went to daycare. I liked using the rice paper liners too, makes clean-up easy, but I don't think they are necessary- I cut each in half. The orange all-natural oxy stuff (Whole foods used to sell it) worked wonders- no stains. My husband really preferred the all-in-ones, so did I, but they are more expensive. The fuzzy bunz are the best!!!

[Kim]

We just made the switch a few weeks ago, because my son was having diaper rash problems and I am hooked now. We use pocket diapers, and wash every day or every other day. I usually put the disposable diapers in a pail in the garage, and now I just throw the cloth ones into the empty washing machine and then just start the load at the end of the day.

And I love not having to buy diapers at the store anymore!

[Debbie B]

We used a mix of disposables and cloth until my son was potty trained. At first, we used a diaper service (http://www.comfycotton.ca/) for the first 4 months of his life. They provided clean prefolds every week, delivered to the door. And I'm quite grateful that we weren't using disposals - our son set a record for the diaper service for most diapers used by a single baby. (17 a day) I shudder when I think about the equivalent cost if we'd had him in disposables.

Once we'd started adjusting to the chaos of life with a baby (i.e. once he'd started sleeping through most of the night), we switched to home laundered cloth diapers during the day and using disposables at night. The disposables let him sleep longer - I tried using cloth nighttime diapers, but the ones that I had were too bulky and he wasn't comfortable in them at all.

We used both cloth diapers and disposables when we travelled, depending on how long we expected to be out and about, and who was baby-wrangling at the time - my husband packed disposables exclusively if he was with our son, and I tended to bring cloth if I was the one out with the baby.

Our diapers were home laundered - a couple of key points: 1) get a minishower (http://www.verybaby.com/ccp0-prodshow/mini-shower.html) to help rinse off the poop off the diapers before tossing them into the diaper pail. No need to mess with liners if you have this device. 2) Use cloth wipes - they'll also save you money and you can just wash them with the diapers. 3) If you can sew (or know someone who will sew for you), you can sew your own diapers for cheap.

[Amanda]

We use BumGenius 2.0 all in ones that are adjustable. our daughter is 3 months old and we love them. people usually make fun of us or tell us we'll eventually "give up" on them, but so far, there hasnt been much difference between cloth and disposable. i do at least a load of laundry a day, so adding in a load of diapers every couple of days wasnt a big deal. and we diaper on the road with a wet bag. they've come a long way, baby.

[Rose]

We use fuzzi bunz for my son at night (no leaks! :) ) and prefolds with snappi and a cover during the day. I bought some anti-pill fleece from the remnant rack at a fabric store and cut it up to make rectangular liners for the prefolds. It helps keep his skin dry it iss easier to scrape/plop/rinse poop off the fleece than off the thick cloth diaper.

We have a washable bag and wash everything every 2-3 days. It's really very easy.

[Sonya]

We used cloth diapers for all three of our older kids (just adopted two potty trained sweet girls last year). Worked great...
Buy really thick diapers, ours lasted through our three & two more (a friend's family). We needed to keep it cheap, so we used plain nylon covers that had elastic all around & didn't crack or tear. I'm sure the allinones work great, but I could never splurge on those.
We used Arm & Hammer laundry detergent by the way, & Borax & they washed up beautifully.
It's great to hear of others willing to give it a try~

[Jessica]

Remember that you can use a mix of types of diapers to get the best combination of functionality and cost savings. We use a mixture of fitted diapers (primarily motherease one-size, which I love), a few fuzzibunz for outings, and prefolds as a cheap way to fill out the stash, since I don't really have enough fitteds to get by (and really, they work just fine - they just aren't the first I reach for).

[Awesome Mom]

We switched just before my youngest was one and my eldest was two and a half. Mostly we use fitted diapers with a cover (I looove wool and I can knit so we have a lot of them). When I am going out for a longer trip I will use a pocket diaper stuffed with micro terry cloths that I bought in the automotive department of Target. I think that a great place to go if you are thinking about cloth is Daperswappers. You can buy nearly new diapers and try them out for cheaper than new. You cal also sell the ones that do not work out for your kid. They also have a forum for people to talk about all things cloth.

[Rachel]

We're now cloth-diapering our second child and delighting in reusing the same diapers we used the first time. We launder them ourselves, which is 2-3 extra loads a week, well worth it in my book. Once on cold, again on hot with an extra rinse and half the detergent; hang the covers to preserve the waterproofness, machine-dry the rest. 3 dozen Chinese prefolds, 8-10 covers (Proraps or Bummis are our favorites), lots of flannel wipes, fleece inserts for overnight. We use a wipes warmer with just plain water in it to moisten the flannel wipes. We do not soak, wring, or swish dirty diapers or use baking soda in the pail. We just collect them in a tall kitchen garbage can lined with a waterproof cloth bag. Breastfed poop goes straight in and washes right out, everything smells fresh as a daisy afterward so I know it's clean. Once there is something solid in those diapers, we flip it into the toilet. It's really very easy. When I was getting started, Green Mountain Diapers was a great source of information and options, and has great products too. Also diaperpin.com.

[Marcy]

My two year old daughter has been in cloth while at home since she was two weeks old. My husband did not want to use cloth. Everyone said, "You'll stop using it when you see how hard it is..."

We've used disposables for travel, at daycare and when she has the occasional diaper rash that requires Desitin (never use a cream with fish oil on cloth! It will stain and stink...)

We've used it all. Prefolds and fitteds with covers, both waterproof and wool. Fuzzibunz... Our favorites are prefolds (old school cloth) with a snappi and wool (no pins!) and fuzzi bunz.

After a week or so with cloth, my husband was sold. We have never had serious blow outs with cloth. Our trip last month, with sposies? Three mornings in a row, we woke up to a horrific poop explosion (poop was normal for her...just not contained by the sposie,) requiring baths and much laundry. Husband said, "I'm so glad we use cloth. This was a good reminder, I guess..."

We launder at home. I don't throw out the clothes that the sposies leak onto, I wash them, so I have no problem washing them at home. Considering how much laundry a baby generates, I looked at it as "just one more load."

The important thing to consider is: my husband and I are lazy by nature. If it were difficult and hard to use, we wouldn't do it.

We find that they stink less, too. Our friends who had a baby a few weeks ago visited when our daughter was 15 months old. Our diaper pail was in our breakfast area with her changing stuff (step open garbage can with plastic insert and a water resistant bag I fling into the wash with the diapers.) At the end of their visit, I had mentioned the diapers, and they were amazed by the lack of smell. They visited another family with a small one in sposies and the diaper genie clearly wasn't getting it done. They decided to give cloth a try.

All of that being said, a combination still works best for us. I buy disposables primarily for daycare, but we do use them at home sometimes. I just prefer not to use them at night. Cloth works so much better for us.

(Gerber diapers from big box stores are not absorbent, though. They give cloth a bad name.)

[The Simple Family]

We cloth and do it at home (washing). Personally, I like AIOs. They're just what work best for us as I think they have less bulk.

As in anything else in life (or parenting) you've got to have a system down. You need to have a trash can WITH LID, a washable bag to put inside and, if necessary, a spray on hose to wash nasty poop in the toilet.

Really isn't that big of a hassle as people think. Everyone who does cloth says so-- change the same way you do a disposable except put it in a different type of can.

[Sylvia]

We use a prefold diaper service, and do PT Elimination Communication as well... I know you'll talk about that tomorrow, but it's relevant!) I've found that there's almost never, thanks to the EC-ing, any poopy diapers, and if I'd known that, plus how little newborn poop smells, I'd probably just have bought and washed our own, for the cost savings. But it is pretty convenient to just leave a bag outside the door! And yes, I've found it no more work than disposables.

[Casey]

We started using cloth about 6 months ago with our now 23 month old. We have a 12 week old, too. He has been in cloth since he was 4 days old. When I switched from disposables to cloth, I started buying them a few at a time. www.diaperswappers.com is a great place to get used diapers in excellent condition. I just phased the disposables out. One day, i realized I had enough to go an entire day without using a disposable. That was an exciting moment for me.

Right now, we use the Bum Genius 2.0 One Size diapers on both our boys. They are pocket diapers that can be adjusted to fit babies from about 10 pounds to 35 pounds.

The one difference that sticks out to me when comparing cloth and disposables is that whenever my baby is in disposables he has blow outs. He has never had a blow out in a Bum Genius diaper. They hold poop amazingly well. I'd much rather spray poop off a diaper than clean it off all his clothes, blankets, and shoulder blades.

[sally]

I'm a disposable user who has often considered the switch to cloth for my 10 month old son.

But it's just so overwhelming. Not the extra work - I do laundry everyday anyway. But just making a damn decision.

I've spent HOURS reading reviews on diaperpin and elsewhere, but my head just spins. For every post you see raving about a diaper, you see a contrary post from someone who *hates* that same diaper with equal passion.

Recently, I'd almost decided to go with FuzziBunz...until I started seeing frequent complaints about the quality of FB now that they've moved production to Mexico.

Everyone says, "try a bunch of diapers and see what you like." But the cost just gets crazy, buying one diaper at a time and especially paying shipping - when you may well only like one of the diapers you buy. And yes, you can resell barely used diapers, but when your kid hardly sleeps and you have enough trouble just making it through the day, the idea of trying to make a name for yourself in the CD universe in order to sell a few things is just overwhelming.

So I guess my question to you CD users is, how did you decide? How did you look at the 8385767382957 options for diapers and say, "that's the one?" If you buy a box of 'sposies that disappoints, you just buy something different next time. Cloth mistakes just feel so permanent...

[Jaime]

I decided on fuzzi buns by asking someone I trusted (online & not on a diaper site ) her opinion. I just made the plunge. found a deal on craigslist for 12 and went from there. We've been using them for a year and I'm still very happy with them.I work & didn't feel like I had time to try a bunch of different types. I also knew that I could turn around and resell them if I hated them. That helped too. We've now moved up to mediums & I've bought most of mine at fuzzibunzseconds.com for not much more than I was paying for used.

[Emily]

I really want to switch to cloth for my 10-month-old, but we live in an apartment with no washer. The laundromat is only a 3-minute walk down a hill, but if I'm going to be washing diapers then I have to run the washing machine afterwards with a rinse. This doubles the washing cost for me, and I'm just not sure if it's worth it to have to go to the laundromat more often (right now it's every 4-5 days).

Has anyone cloth diapered without a washing machine in their home/apartment?

[Ln]

We used cloth for our first two. I used chinese prefolds with pins (40 years ago every baby was in a pinned on diaper, its not that hard) and nylon pull-on pants. I washed them at home with a dry pail. It was simple and cheap. I tried a few fancier diapering systems and never found one that worked better, especially after I was comfortable with pinning.

But now my 3rd baby is in disposables. Running around after 3 kids, its harder to find time for the extra laundry and folding. When I had 2 under 2 we didn't get out as much as we do now.

[cabbey]

We bought a variety of outgrown cloth diapers from a co-worker, as well as a few from other sources to do the whole "try a variety and see what you like" thing. Frankly, we went back to disposables. The problem boiled down to the cloth diapers all lasting about 20 minutes on our heavy wetter son, even thirsties that are supposed to be great for heavy wetters. Quoth the local cloth diaper fans: "Oh, yeah they're great about letting them know when they've wet." Ok fine, when it comes potty training time I'll be in favor of that. For now however, I jut want to be able to get my 2 mo through a feeding without having to stop and swap out a cloth diaper 3 times because he's so wet he's screaming his head off.

Yeah, they're a bit spendy, but purchased in bulk from sam's or amazon subscriptions, the added cost seems to me to be a healthy investment in peace of mind all around. (We don't have to worry about the landfill consequences of disposables, since all of our trash locally is burnt in the waste-to-energy facility.)

[Tiny]

We started with cloth. Kidlet would scream if a disposable was on. For cost, I bought used diapers from diaperswappers and diapertraders. Kidsurplus.com also had some good prices. I received wraps for free also when I let co-workers know I was thinking of using cloth. That gave me a good stash. I used a diaper service for some time. In my experience, a DSQ diaper and wrap don't absorb as well as some of the other options, and require frequent changes. At home this is not an issue. I did find that changing the orientation of the doubled section made a major difference in absorbency, as well as using an angel fold or newspaper fold.

Over time, I have experimented with most disposables and most of the major names in cloth. DS really cannot use disposables - they don't fit well, and he pees so much they leak, if he isn't peeing down the leg. He is a very tall (off the charts) and skinny baby (44th percentile) and the size for his weight is too wide and too short. Yes I tried every brand. The only ones that work, which we have used on trips is the Target brand.

For cloth dipes, I like the Bummis wraps, but DH likes the pro-wraps. These both have a longer rise than many others. Kushies Ultra AIO make a great diaper for quick trips, but don't have the comfort or absorbency of the Bumgenius 1.0, which is my fave for ease of use, ease of cleaning and absorbency.

For heavy wetting, hemp doublers work best, in terry if possible as it seems to absorb the fastest.

Laundering is not an issue. For our old apt, we didnt' have a w/d, so I just went to the laundromat every third day. Covers I washed and set to dry by hand, which was pretty easy. My friend used a plug in electric washer that she ordered online and that also seemed to work great.

[Jen (yup, another one)]

Sally, many cloth diaper websites offer trial packages and that may be the way for you to go. One package friends of mine have tried is Jillian's Drawers "try out cloth" program. If you hate all the diapers you can return them all no questions asked and they'll refund your money minus $10. Chances are you'll like at least a couple of them even if you return some.

As other posters have suggested, you can also get second-hand diapers from Craigslist or a site like diaperswappers. This is another way to test things out.

Good luck!

P.S. - I'm not affiliated with any of them - I just LOVE cloth diapering!

[Jay]

I'd second bum genius 2.0. It's expensive to get started, but with the cost of disposables, my 4 month old son is already made up the cost difference. the snaps and velcro are great because they'll go from 8 - 35 lbs. hopefully he'll be potty trained by the time he weighs 35 lbs. Perhaps the pooh situation will be different when he gets to more solid food, but at this point, popping them in the washer isn't a big deal.

We started with using prefolded cloth diapers with snappies and covers and the Bum Genius 2.0 is much easier to deal with, especially when you're half asleep or the baby is extra wiggly. We do use chlorine free disposables while travelling and some at night, but just recently he's started sleeping better at night in a bum genius 2.0 diaper.

Regular disposables we received from baby showers and free samples with Chlorine seemed to give him a rash. the Chlorine free ones do not result in rash, same as cloth.

My wife was doubtful about cloth, but I think we're both happy with the Bum Genius 2.0

[mamajoyjp]

I was determined to use cloth diapers even in hospital when we had our first since my sister set the challenge by saying, "you will never last with cloth diapers". We live in Japan and my hubby doesn't drive, after the first day on the half hour ride home on his bike with black poo diapers and the nurses had thrown away 2 of our all in one kushies (thinking what I will never know), not to mention the fact that most fitted diapers or all in ones don't seem to fit properly till a week after birth, we decided to go with disposables for the rest of the week.
It was a bit of a learning curve, I think once you get used to binning it all the time (even if that freaks you out in terms of the environment) you start to think, "everyone else is doing it soo..."
But we were determined not to fall into that trap, although we have always used disposibles at night since changing the bedsheets and clothes because of leaks is too much for me to deal with on top of waking for feedings or nightmares. Luckily our daycare was happy to use cotton as well and I think this really helped our first get potty trained quicker (dry day and night a week before he turned 2!)
After taking a suitcase full of flat diapers and bumkins (so cute) covers to an auntie's house to stay for a week where she did all the extra laundry and soaking (said she didn't mind, but now that I look back...), we use disposibles when travelling. They burn all the disposibles here with the rest of the burnable garbage, but in countries where it goes to landfill we have always gone with the non-chlorine or biodegradable types and had no problems with them (besides the price of course).
I bought my first set of flat diapers (that you fold) (40) with cute prints waterproof covers (bumkins) (4 of each size) and 5 of each size of all-in-one kushies/kooshies from a wonderful company (basically baby) and it cost us a small fortune, but it lasted us through 3 kids (1 of ours and 2 friends' tots) and now being used for our newest, I have only had to replace a few of the covers (didn't come back to us somehow), but the diapers are as good as when we bought them.
We have always soaked when soiled or wet with a small scoop of oxyboost, environmentally friendly detergent or baking soda (after scraping off poop in the toilet with toilet brush or lifting out with biodegradable/flushable liners). Then wash in cold (everyone in Japan washes in cold) and have never had problems with staining or discoloring without any need for harsh detergents or bleach.

I tried mother ease which people were raving about- but they are so bulky and only work with bigger babies and in cooler weather (too hot for Japanese summers anyway).

There are so many other types and brands that we have tried over the years, but I find that you cannot go wrong with a flat diaper (or two) covered by a good, cute, waterproof cover. The flat diapers are also useful to keep around for runny noses, spills and other little messes around the house and when your babes are potty trained, they can be used as rags- the soft cotton works great as a car washer/polisher.

[Katherine]

I like cloth diapers so much, I even hold information sessions at my house to spread the word (feel free to contact me if you've got questions).

However, as my son gets older, I find that most pants (trousers) are cut to fit skinny little disposable diapered-bottoms, so he's stuck wearing everything a size too big (and a size too long), which is annoying.

If you want to learn about different styles and how they really work, the BEST website is www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk. It's got information on lots of different brands and even a how-to book!

[Katherine]

Almost forgot -- the brands in the UK are different. I've tried a fair few (!), and the best by far are made by Tots Bots. Best, slimmest fit, and they have held up the best over time (the elastic, velcro and snaps still work, and the covers look new after 8 months). They are sized (so you have to buy two batches as your baby grows) but some friends of mine just ordered the size two for their 10-week-old and said that they fit fine when cinched all the way in (and contained poo explosions much better than disposables). My 17-month-old is also wearing size 2.

I don't know if you can buy them in the US, but it's worth a try.

[Maren]

We made the switch to cloth diapers a few months back, and we LOVE them. They're so soft and comfortable. Check out diaperswappers.com to see photos of different kinds of cloth diapers - you may even be tempted to buy some secondhand diapers and try them out. Personally, I think pocket diapers are the easiest to deal with, and the quickest to dry. But, some of the fitteds are just too cute to pass up. One word of advice - I think that if we'd tried to use cloth diapers right from birth, we would have given up, due to the sheer number of diapers newborns go through, and the number of poops they make per day. Also, with older babies, you might only need 16 cloth diapers to have a two day supply (as opposed to 35 for a newborn), so it's less expensive.

[kendra]

I've been cloth diapering for over 3 years now. I've used almost every single cloth diaper on the market, but I have to say, I always go back to the basics, prefolds and a Bummis Super Whisper Wrap cover. They have NEVER leaked on me! I would suggest to anyone who feels overwhelmed with cloth diapering choices to start there. Get a dozen chinese prefolds and four or five Bummis covers. Try those out for a while, then buy a pocket, then try a fitted, try an AIO. Until you find the combination of what works best for your family.

Laundry is not that big of a deal. I really don't see it as an extra burden, in fact folding clean, white, fluffy prefolds is somehow very satisfying. It makes me feel like I'm doing something good for the environment, my baby, my budget and they are just so darn soft and fluffy.

[hedra]

"failed" cloth user here. We did cloth part-time with the twins. For less than a year, but more than a few months. And then we gradually succumbed to the disposables again, though if it weren't for M's skin issues, I'd have stayed with them longer.

We also tried g-Diapers (flushable diaper liner, washable cover), which work okay for day, but leaked badly at night and caused the same welts/rash at the friction points that cloth caused M (she has dermatographia, which is basically an allergic reaction to friction/texture/pressure, etc. - swaddlers and cruisers work fine, and fleece covers were okay, but most covers and also most cotton - even with rice paper liners - next to her skin set her off in hives at the contact points. UUUUUgly, itchy, and un fun.). Um, anyway, did definitely like the cloth diapering, and it worked well for one of the two. Still have a few Motherease I haven't given away, because they work well on the other kids if there's a bad rash. The large size even fit the 4-year-old (granted, he's on the very small side) at the time.

As for how to make the leap? Try used ones. We were gifted with some lovely used ones that had the velcro close. I can't even recall the brand, but they were nice and thick, and fit like disposables. I bought two individual other brands, was given some new ones, and checked the listings at greenmountaindiapers.com, which had explicit information about sizing, proportion, performance and washing issues, concerns, benefits, etc. I could then pick for the chunky-legged shape, without fear.

I had as many blow-outs with cloth as with disposables, though - maybe it is the proportion that makes the difference. Not many with either, at least not with the cruisers (pampers disposables - the other 'flavors' of non-stretchy disposables did tend to have blow-outs).

Rice paper liners are fine, but you can also use fleece liners (more reusable). Made my own fleece covers, but they do leak on contact (wicking). Liked the covers that were fleece at the body and legs, snap sides. Those caused the fewest welts/hives for the poor 'allergic to touch' child, but not few enough.

I think I was happier overall with the cloth, compared to the g-diapers and disposables. But M's skin was happiest with the disposables (first) and g-diapers (second, due to the fit of the covers, which were inflexible at the waist so tended to cause welts for her). When she started crying whenever I went to put her in the cloth diapers, I was convinced to stop. Handed off my diapers to others who I'd convinced that cloth was a fine option even for working parents, and ... now still pay for disposables. Sigh.

Did find that the fear of a) wasting money (which then happened anyway, dangit), and b) going out (GASP!) or traveling with cloth (GASP!) were the biggest things I had to get over. The wash was really fairly easy - even though my mom never did come over to do it as she'd promised when the twins were born. It just wasn't so onerous that I needed someone else. :shrug:

Anyway, good luck to those making the leap. It is a fine leap for most. And fortunately, most diapers re-sell fairly readily if they're in good shape. So you're not out every penny (unless like me you just give the used ones to someone you know).

[William Hertling]

I have three friends all expecting babies, so I blogged about my personal mixed diaper strategy a few weeks ago: http://www.liquididea.com/2007/09/dad_recommendsthe_mixed_diaper.html

In short, for the first few weeks of your baby's life, there's enough going on already, that I don't think it makes sense to tackle cloth diapers too. So we waited for about two weeks, then started cloth diapers.

With our twins, who are in diapers now, we use disposables when we go out and when we travel. With my older daughter, we carried a leak-proof baby, and put the dirty cloth diapers in there. I prefer using disposables when we go out just because it makes for a lighter and more compact diaper bag.

We use diaper liners - which look like really long, strong pieces of toilet paper. A roll of 100 sheets costs about $5, and makes it so that if there is a poop, the poop and liner simply fall off into the garbage (as opposed to having to clean the diaper.)

We also bought a Whirlpool Duet washer when we moved into our new house (and knew that we had 2+ years of washing diapers for twins ahead of us.) The Whirlpool Duet is a high end, front loading, water saving clothes washer. It has both pre-wash and extra-rinse options you can set on diaper loads, so you know everything is going to be extra, extra clean.

We're still using many of the same cloth diapers and diaper covers we used with our older daughter - so the cost per child is exceedingly low.

[ikate]

We do a cloth/disposable mix and we use disposable at daycare and for overnight trips. We've used Fuzzi Bunz since she was about 2 months (now 13 months) and we love them. No leaks ever, no hassle. The fasteners at leg and waist are great. She’s only had blow-outs in disposables.

There is a cloth diaper store in a town near me so I went there when I was prego, got lots of advice from the internet before the trip and then spent about an hour with the store owner. I bought two brands (dozen of each): Fuzzi Bunz and Happy Hiney. Ended up taking the HH back (she had a very generous return policy) to exchange for FB. I figured that the cost layout was worth it in the end as she is our first and we’ll use the diapers for the next child.

I didn't really need 2 dozen smalls but they lasted through the whole week when I was home on maternity leave and she was in them all the time- I only did laundry once a week. I wash with Allen’s Naturally detergent (recommended by the store and by Fuzzi Bunz). A one gallon thing of detergent lasted me – no joke – 14 months. It’s super-concentrated use it for all my laundry. I started using Bi-O-Kleen Bac-Out when solid foods brought on some stink. We use a garbage can with a lid, lined with a wet bag. Diaper covers and stuffers are separated when we change her and thrown into the pail. If it’s really big then I dump anything loose in the toilet. When it’s time to do laundry, I dump the whole bag into the washer, throw the bag in on top and let it rip with cold water and no detergent. Then I run through a cycle with some detergent and a Downy Ball filled with vinegar (combats odor and strips all detergent residue). Then they are thrown into the dryer. Some times, if I’m feeling all ‘martha stewart’, they are hung on a clothes line in the back yard – I’ve done that about 3 times and the sun really does bleach everything wonderfully!

Since Fuzzi Bunz are pricey, I asked for the next size up (mediums) for Christmas as gifts for the girl since she already had tons of clothes and toys and got 4. When we moved to the mediums around 10 months I bought the rest from a blogger for about 1/2 the price. My smalls are now being used by a friend who will return them to me for our eventual next child. Daycare refuses to use them, so I now have about a dozen that last me most of the week. She is in one with a double-stuffer overnight and in cloths in the evenings and weekends.

For short trips I just take 2-3 diapers and a wet-bag in my diaper bag – works like a charm (of course I keep a few disposables as emergency backup in the trunk, with the extra clothes). For disposables I get the Costo/Kirkland brand and a box lasts me 3-4 months.

[amanda]

I LOVE my cloth diapers. I have not read all the previous responses, but I am adding my two cents worth anyway.

I did not CD my older 2 children. I bought a sampler pack for #3 at about 3 months old with a couple of fitteds and covers, a couple of all in ones, and a couple of pocket diapers. They were so cute and so convenient. Granted I have an ideal laundry setup, and there are not diaper services where I live. I ordered more very quickly. Pockets work best for us, with the occasional AIO thrown in, but they don't wash or absorb as well. I have loved my Fuzzi Bunz and my Happy Heiney's. I do one load a day, with a prerinse, regular detergent with a hot/cold cycle, and machine dry. Usually I throw them in at bathtime and throw them in the dryer while I am watching TV. I find that the rest of my laundry actually gets done to make room for my diapers. I am a BAD laundry doer, and if I can do it anyone can.

I cannot stress enough how crazy I thought cloth was until I tried it. I am a convert, though, and will use them through potty training, and will use them on any other children I have.

I do use disposables if I am behind on laundry or going on a big outing, just for convenience's sake. However, the last time I bought diapers was the beginning of JULY!

[Diana]

We used cloth diapers with my son, who is now 4 and has been out of diapers since 26 months. After a lot of research as to which we would use (balancing cost and convenience) I went to good ol' Ebay to buy the One Size snap diapers from Mother-Ease with the Air Flow Snap Covers (which are both available on http://www.mother-ease.com ). I loved the concept of the One Size diapers as they are listed as fitting 8 to 35 pounds, though they didn't quite fit around my son that long. We had leaks every now and then, but not enough to make me long for disposables. The one cloth diapering accessory that was essential for me was the potty pail and sprayer hose (at http://www.pottypail.com ) as it made rinsing much easier. Once I rinsed, I just threw the poopy diapers in a 5-gallon bucket with vinegar and water to soak until washing (once every 2 or 3 days.) The wet ones, however, just sat in a dry 5-gallon bucket until washing. This method worked great for us.

My daughter, however, has been another story! She was too small at birth for the One Size diapers (and is still a skinny little thing in Size 3 Huggies at age 2.) Because of her size, we had her in disposables for the first couple of months and then tried to make the switch. She was having none of it! Not only did she scream the second she was wet, she got horrible rashes as well if we couldn't get her changed immediately. After trying all sorts of diaper rash creams, we realized there were some variables that couldn't be changed (like the 35-minute car rides) and gave up to go back to disposables.

I still have all the Mother-Ease diapers and should probably put them back on Ebay, but I'm half thinking that if we keep them for leading up to potty training (since she won't be big enough for the all-in-ones we purchased for our son from http://www.snap-ez.com ), it might actually make potty training easier as she remembers how much she hates the feeling of wet cloth...

[Annette]

We were blessed to inherit most of our stash from a friend, so I've been able to try out just about every type of diaper and/or cover combo. My favorite? Fitted with a waterproof cover or pockets (love those fuzzi buns!) We switch to sposies when we go on a trip and I always have a stash of them in the diaper bag, since they take up less space, along with a grocery bag for containing the CD until we get home. At night, we usually use a fitted with a doubler and a fleece cover. We hardly ever have leaks, and our son is a very heavy wetter. As far as laundry, we just started using Wintree detergent from Costco after reading rave reviews on diaperpin.com, and we do a load about once every 2-3 days, which is really no big deal at all.

[wwbd]

We have been using g diapers http://gdiapers.com from birth. We love them. There are so many options for disposal (flushing, composting, tossing, etc) and they are so easy to travel with. They also work great at night. I double up at night and we never have any leaks. I pre-stuff all of my covers (I have a ton) and switch the whole diaper with each change. As for washing with the wet diapers no washing necessary. With poopy diapers often poop gets on the snap-in liner and infrequently on the outside cover too. It never comes out of the diaper though (no blow outs). When the liner or cover is soiled I put it in a wet bag and when the bag is full I dump the whole thing in the washer with a few drops of tea tree oil and do a quick pre-soak before I add the rest of the laundry. I know some people will just handwash the liners in the sink and let them air dry, which doesn't take very long at all. I feel the g's are a nice compromise. Not too much more laundry or too much prep time and better for the environment than disposables. They are also super breathable and totally cute! The company is totally customer focused and will go out of their way to make sure that you are happy with the product and do anything they can to help you use it best. I have actually even seen the co-presidents give out their personal cell phone numbers on the yahoo group list when someone is having an issue.

[kittenpie]

We used cloth from a service until pumpkinpie went to daycare at 22 months. Her nanny even used them for teh 10 months she was with her.

We used Bummi wraps with velcro, and they were great. She sometimes went out of her diaper, but never out of the wrap, yet they didn't seem to be tight on her, either.

The service picked up the diapers every week, and eventually we found our best solution for storage in the meantime was a big Rubbermaid hamper. Initially, we had used a smaller pail and tied up two or three smaller kitchen bags full each week, putting those into the big bag, but we liked the hamper better.

We washed our own wraps, though. For those, I ran them in their own load, and hit them with every pre-wash, high soil-level, hot-water, etc. option we had, then put them on the dryer's antibacterial cycle. They held up just fine for the whole two years.

Cost-wise, I think it ws cheaper than disposable, even with a service, unless you are buying in bulk or on sale or whatever, in which case it's likely about the same.

My mom used to wash my sister's cloth ones herself, and I think she used to keep a smaller pail with a light bleach solution in it. She would rinse out poopy diapers before tossing them in, and then she would do a load every few days. She would whenever possible hang them to dry in the sun, too, which is a great germ-killer.

[Ewokmama]

We used a diaper service for the first year of our son's life. It was inexpensive (about $18/week for 80 diapers) and easy (no rinsing, just put 'em in a bag and the service picked them up off the porch each week, delivering fresh ones). Services only use prefolds, though, but we found them easy to use with snappi fasteners. We just doubled them up at night.

We have only on rare occassions used disposables. I like gdiapers since you can flush them.

We now have a stash that we launder. It's a mix of prefolds, all-in-ones, and pocket diapers. I think for someone making the switch, all-in-ones are the easiest to use if you are used to disposables because they are constructed the same, just with cloth. No folding or stuffing. They are on the pricey side, but for a kid who only goes through 6 or so diapers a day, you don't need a huge stash. Prefolds are the easiest to clean, IMO, and the cheapest (they are also workhorses - they last FOREVER) at $2 or less a piece. Pockets are nice because they keep baby dryer (great nighttime choice!) but are picky about how you wash them.

I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone might have.

[Liza]

We do cloth at home and disposables while at day care and out&about. This part-time plan has been key to sustaining the use of cloth for us.

If you are beginning to use cloth, I recommend getting ~2 each of the various kinds of diapers you think might work for you. Until you actually use them a few times, you won't know which fit your child best, seem most comfortable, leak least, etc. Then as the child grows, you can get more of the kind(s) you like.

[Stephanie T.]

I love my g-diapers! I was cloth diapering with wraps and prefolds and using disposibles when I went out. When I tried out the g-diapers I knew I could never go back to anything else. I use them as cloth covers at home with infant sized prefolds and use the g-diaper flushables when out and about. I love traveling with the flushable inserts in the g-diaper as well. My husband loves it because it's just one system that we use all the time. He puts a prefold in at home, or a flushable on when leaving the house. To top it off, they are soooooo cute. If you haven't seen the redesigned covers check them out. www.gdiapers.com

[Stephanie]

I've been cloth diapering on/off for about a year now. My experience has been mixed.

On the plus side - my ds is rash free when I use cloth. I find it nicer for him. they're cute and generally easy to use (bumgenius)And I bought them - so why not use them? I also find that disposables STINK so w/ cloth everything gets washed.. nice.

On the other side though -
I calculated it was more expensive to cloth diaper w/the water/gas/electricity I was using plus the special soap I had to get (charlie's soap) then also the tabs started fraying so I had to re-sew those.
The main problem I had was the washing - maybe it is my water but they would never get clean. My laundry areas started looking like some mad scientist went crazy (have diaper sprayer too) - 5 washes later I have a semi-ok diaper. That's alot of work and running down to the basement. I got used to it though (sucker for punishment I guess). Then there's the absorbancy issue - there's nothing that can compare to a sposie ... but I find he goes alot longer in those and that's not good either...

I do use disposables at night and the two days he's at daycare.

So to me I have mixed feelings. For those considering switching you might get the scoop on whether they wash clean first before investing ;)

hope this helps!

Steph

[amy]

We cloth diaper our 2 1/2 year old and 10 month old and expecting our 3rd next year so cloth is really being used around here. I noticed above how some people want to try cloth but are overwhelmed by the options. That is how I felt. The great thing I have learned is that no one way is better than the other. We use pockets, aios, prefolds and covers, fitted etc. If starting out I suggest aio's and pockets. By a few and see how you like them. The great thing about cloth diapers is you can resell them on diaper sites and get alot of your investment back especially if you bought a certain type of cloth dipe you don't care for..you can pretty much get all your money back. Cleaning is easy. Just throw the dipes in a dry bucket or wet bag and do a cold rinse cycle, hot cycle w/ detergent (only need 1/4 of amt of detergent) then two rinse cycles. you can air dry or dryer dry the dipes. Sunnying your dipes will help get out any residual stains from poo.

We still use disposables here and there for traveling, overnight, and when the kids go to the nursery at our bowling alley I belong to. I find cloth diapering fun and cost effective. Don't get overwhelmed by the options. Just pick one and try it!

[Natalie]

We were going to do cloth from the beginning, but were completely overwhelmed by having a newborn who wanted to be held all the time and who pooped 12x/day. And then I went back to school, more excuses, etc. We got two large wet bags to fit in the smallish step trash can for tossing the dirties in at home, and two small ones for the diaper bag. All this for less than $200, and we've been using cloth over 8 months.

We switched to cloth when he was about 18 months old. Just the basic prefolds, a few doublers for nighttime (although he has woken up dry 99% of the time since), and bummi covers, with few of the cheap nylon pants. And Snappis, which we love. Kidlet calls them his "baby belt."

I wish we had started really using cloth earlier. It's super easy. We wash our own, and it works best to wash every other day. We were using regular detergent, and washing twice (with a HE machine), but we switched to Charlie's Soap 2 months ago, which is cheaper than Tide et al, and gets the diapers much cleaner with only one wash.

I usually dry them outdoors on a clothes rack, and the diapers are a lot less "crispy" now with the new detergent.

I was hoping switching to cloth would be a good nudge to start potty training. Letting him run around nekkid in the backyard is not an option, what with mosquitos and West Nile virus. So far, he does tell me most of the time when he needs to be changed, so maybe my little plan is working.

[Kristy]

We slowly made the transition to cloth when my son was around 9mos. We used g diapers during the day for awhile before that but they were expensive & not very absorbant. My son is a heavy wetter & big pooper so I thought CD would be hard for us. I started out bying some Kissaluvs contours to put the g diaper covers along with some doublers. This ends up being very bulky & they really smell when he pees. I then tried 2 different styles of Mother-Ease. They are SO bulky & not absorbant (despite 1 of the styles saying it was for heavy wetters). There were lots of snaps on the diaps & the covers- what a hassle. I then narrowed it down to Bum Genius & Fuzzi Bunz. I chose Bum Genius 2.0 one size pocket diaper & I love it. My son is such a wiggle worm I HAD to find a CD with velcro closures & no covers to deal with. BG's are soft, absorbant, easy to care for & come in cute colors. I love the inserts- so soft & even if the insert is soaked the insde of the diap that touches baby feels dry. I still use 7 Generation disposable at night- he sleeps 12 hours straight & I just can't see the BG making it all night. If I add so much extra padding he won't be able to put his legs together & he can't walk correctly- just seems uncomfortable! If he was still waking at night I would use BG for night, too. He's 15mos. & I use BG all day & will use them with my next one from the beginning. I wash them with Planet detergent. Visit www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html
it tells you all about which detergents you should/n't use on CD & what's good & bad about all of them- it's GREAT (some of the ones people posted they use- this site says shouldn't be used on CD). Good luck to everyone

[michele]

I was the last person in the world anyone would expect to cloth diaper!
I have both my boys (3 and 1.5) in cloth, the youngest since birth. Have two in cloth is actually pretty easy. I use fuzzibuns (pocket diaper) and I "premake" them and put them in my diaper drawer and it's just like using a disposable. I have extra doublers for nighttime or long car rides.
I keep a diaper pail in the hallway heading down to the laundry room. (It's a $10 garbage can from target, don't buy fancy stuff. I repeat: Don't buy fancy stuff!)
I use the rice paper liners (Imse Vimse are the best, IMO) and it makes poop easy to dispose of. I do two extra washes a week.
Cold rinse, hot wash, cold rinse (a drop of tea tree oil for the nasty batches). Heavy duty cycle. 1/3 the amount of detergent you'd normally use. I also bleach em every six months or so (not the covers).
You figure a diaper costs .25 a piece, I save $2 a day. At least.
I think the fuzzibuns are the easiest. Swaddlebees are also easy ... the bumgenius velcro drives me nuts.
I use disposables when we travel and keep a stash in the car. My diaper bag has large fuzzis than can cover both boys.
I'd bet that any cloth diapering momma would let you borrow a week's worth of her stash. I've done it. Cloth diapering for a week will give you all the info you need to decide whether to invest.

[alianora]

We LOVE our cloth! I started researching cding while I was pregnant, and we decided it would be a great thing to try. We live in rural Alaska, and the landfill is very close by. The idea of dumping hundred or thousands of disposables right by our house is just too gross to contemplate.

That said, he does wear cloth when we go in to Anchorage, or right now, when he is on antibiotics and is having a very poopy reaction to them.

We also are really bad about taking out the garbage.

We use pocket diapers, which work best for us. Fuzzibunz never fit quite right on him, but we use Haute Pockets (www.mtdiaperstore.com) and bumGenius 2.0s. Both the HP and BGs are one size, and can be sized up or down depending on the size of your kid by using snaps on the body of the diaper.

They are really easy. When we take them off, we fasten the laundry tabs, pull the insert halfway out and dump the whole thing in a waterproof bag. The diapers, bag and all, get dumped into the washer. Cold rinse, warm wash and rinse. Pocket diapers get hung to dry, inserts go in the dryer.

At night, we add an extra insert made of hemp. He lasts the whole night!

[Julie]

Fuzzi Bunz for us, as well. They are so easy to use that our daycare will use them. We use a microfiber and a hemp insert during the day and a microfiber and a small Hemparoo at night and DS rarely wets through.

We just returned from a 4 day trip to PA and used cloth with no problems. We just used our normal wet bag for holding the dirty dipes and we did one load of diapers while we were there.

Also, if you have stains, the sun will get them out in a matter of minutes, even if it's through the window!

[JessA]

I've used cloth since my son came home from the hospital - prefolds/snappis/nylon pants + a wool cover/doubler/fleece liner for nighttime. DSQ prefolds are about $2/diaper, and they last just this side of forever.

I don't think I'd recommend cloth for someone without a w/d. (Unless you go with a diaper service.) Part of the reason I loved cloth during the first few weeks of parenthood was that when I ran out of diapers, I just did a load of laundry. Recovering from a c-section in a 4th floor walkup, anything that let me NOT walk up and down all those stairs was a blessing.

[Alex]

I always tell people considering CD that the extra laundry seems daunting, but you know what the worst part of laundry is? Putting things away. With a diaper load, you dump the whole thing in a basket and you're done. Not a big deal. Of course doing some EC makes it more sane too. I potty my baby when I change a diaper, so I know it won't be wet again in 2 minutes. 15 minutes, maybe, but not immediately.

[none]

We also used Fuzzi Bunz and can't recommend them enough. At first we used Tushies disposables, but we finally got up the nerve to make the cloth switch and it was SOOO easy. We washed our own and line dried them on a line in the basement. Never a stain or a smell or a leak. We continued to use Tushies sometimes out and about and used some pullups toward the end. We also potty trained very quickly and easily, but maybe that is just coincidence. Good luck and don't fear the cloth!!

[Dhakiyya]

I use unbleached terry nappies, with reusable liners, reusable wipes and reusable breathable covers, although when I moved to Saudi, I shipped all my reusables so my baby (now 15 months) was in disposables for a while. I still use disposables from time to time.

I have found that the reusable fleece liners sold by the nappy lady website outperform all the paper liners by far, liquid passes through them so they are dry against baby's bottom, and they dry almost as soon as they are outside the washing machine - it takes an hour or two for them to dry indoors in rainy England, and they seem to dry instantaneously in the Saudi midday sun. Also the poo usually just falls off them. Extra sticky poo needs to be rinsed off in the loo. The bathrooms in Saudi have these bidets with mini shower heads - they are the best thing ever for removing sticky poo from a fleece liner. Though on the odd occasion (before we had the bidet) with the most stubborn sticky poo I just put the whole lot in the nappy bucket and it all came out in the washing machine.

I recommend having everything washable if you go washable, cause then you just bung the whole lot in the nappy bucket. Separating washable from disposable/flushable when its all covered in sticky poo is not the pleasantest or easiest of tasks lol. You can make reusable nappy wipes by cutting up old terrycloth into small rectangles.

I also recommend with terries to have a pile ready folded for easy use - and to keep the pile out of reach of your crawling or toddling baby!

Another tip is to use the nappy sacks for disposables to carry wet/dirty cloth nappies home again when out and about. They are watertight and perfumed to elimiate smells, so you can keep the nappy in your baby bag until you get home. Another tip: don't forget about them though!

Terry nappies are excellent not just as nappies, but as possett cloths and vomit catchers. You can put them over the cot mattress or over baby if baby has an upset tummy, and they absorb a lot of the vomit before it gets into clothes etc. They are also good for lining baby chairs, prams, carseats etc if you have a baby who possetts a lot, they are nice and soft and one lady on the bus in England even commented on what I lovely soft liner I had in my pram.

The cost and environmental impact of using cloth nappies can be reduced by line drying. I have never had a tumble drier, even when I lived in England I usually managed to get the nappies dry, indoors or out. Here in Saudi if I hang the nappies on the line then put another load of washing on, they are dry before the washing machine cycle has finished. And the sun sterilises nappies wherever you are in the world!

I have found that cloth nappies are not at all time consuming, the main difference compared to disposables is you have to be more organised, e.g. folding them ready for use, making sure the nappy bucket is set up correctly (we soak them in water with white vinegar added, they don't smell at all even though the ambient temperature here is 28-32 degrees indoors with the air conditioning on)

My advice for someone thinking of switching to reusables is that you don't have to switch completely to begin with. You can get free samples or buy some secondhand and maybe have baby in them for just part of the day to start with. Many people who use reusable nappies like myself have a stash of disposables for emergencies like if the washing machine breaks down or something, or for going out and so on. If you like them you'll start using them more and more, if you don't you can sell on the nappies or put them in the cupboard to see if they work out for the next baby.

[mama k]

We've been very happy with cloth diapers. We've gone through about one pack per size in disposables. (They were shower gifts) We just use the sposies when we are in the airport 'cause I don't want to carry any more than I have to on an airplane.

Home laundring is really not a big deal once you get a system down that works for you. (There are variables like your water, laundry detergent and machine settings.) I wash diapers M, W, F. Sometimes more frequently when I had a newborn. Sometimes less frequently now that we are doing some early potty learning and going diaper free a lot.

People have mentioned that you can buy/sell used diapers too. This is particularly useful when you are trying out a new style or sizing up.

Our favorite styles have been the old-fashioned Chinese prefolds with covers and pocket diapers. (I particularly like bumGenius pockets because they are one-size and grow with your baby.) We prestuff the pockets for babysitters or out and about. The prefolds are easy to clean/dry and VERY economical. They also store well to save for other children and finally make excellent cleaning cloths down the road.

I estimate that I've saved at least $500 over the past 14 months. So yeah, all the "work" of tossing my dipes into the washing machine has paid off for me. :)

[Breana]

We didn't make the switch to cloth until baby number 3 was on the way and I heard the facts about disposables being petroleum based and filling up landfills and with our budget issues I started thinking CLOTH!
we have tried many brands but have settled into Drybees and fuzzibunz with hemp inserts. we also use Wintree (Costco) detergent.. I find its the best on the diapers and also eco friendly as well as pocket friendly .. $10 for 125 loads!

[isabel]

We use BumGenius. My sister used Fuzzibunz. We've both had great experiences.

My sister sold her fuzzibunz on ebay, so the initial expense was somewhat mitigated.

I do a cold wash and hang dry on my cloth diapers (in Japan few people have dryers). No smell with recommended laundering practices. YAY.

[mamajama]

I actually just wrote about this. But I absolutely love cloth diapering. We keep a plain old bucket with a lid next to the changing table. We use plain old cloth prefolds with pins and vinyl covers or simple litewraps...it is the cheapest and easiest thing ever. We rinse poopy diapers in the tub or toilet and launder in hot water and dry everything together. I do a load of diapers every third day...we save so much money and don't have diaper rash!

[Steph]

We do not have a washer and still love cloth! We have a pay washer in the basement of our building and I've found that even with the extra two loads a week, cloth is still cheaper than disposable.

Because of the pay washer, we don't have much control of extra rinses and such but that hasn't been a problem. I use vinegar and baking soda only and the diapers come out super clean without the extra rinse.

We use cloth during the day and sposies when we travel. We switch back and forth between the two at night. I haven't found a solution for the leaking problem at night.

Everyone was against the cd decision untill we went to a family reunion with some homemade AIOs. It was the talk of the day. Even convinced my grandmother that it was the better choice (my grandparents remembered the days of rubber pants and the rashes caused by them).

We agreed that LittleOne would be in cloth during the day (when I was with him) but when boyfriend came home and changed him, the disposable suddenly appeared. That changed last weekend when he tried put a disposable on LittleOne and LO just screamed and screamed till a cd was put on him. Who knew that one little giggle would change a man's whole outlook.

I have a few bumgenious one size (I was fortunate enough to live by the company headquarters when I was pregs and bought seconds for 7-10 apiece). Two dozen prefolds (yes the cheap Gerber brand-they were a shower present and I seriously didn't have the funds to buy other ones-and they work fine) and a half-dozen AIOs made from kits by diaperkit.com plus a few covers from prowrap, somewhere else, and diaperkit.com. If anyone has any (even tiny) sewing skills, I would check that site out. I bought a few size 2 kits from the site, sewed them up myself, and they are the favorite. Very trim (for a cd) and fit super skinny babes.