Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Cloth diapers

We are going to attempt this. And it is a BIG investment so when I say we are going to attempt this... I really mean "we are stuck doing this whether we like it or not... once the purchase is made". I've looked at lots of cloth diapers and have pretty much 100% decided on the Bum Genius one-size diaper system. Basically it means that these will fit our teeny tiny girl from the time she is home (we aren't attempting cloth diapers during travel to Vietnam)until 'hopefully' she is potty trained. They expand because of a snap system. They are about $24-25 per diaper and I "think" we will buy about 16 in a variety of perty colours :)

So, before I buy these - I'd love to hear from any and all with an opinion... especially anyone using this system.

My biggest concerns are:
1) Is 16 cloth diapers enough if I plan on doing the laundry every 2 days - I'll have some Pampers for back up incase we get sick or have a few off days.
2) Leak proof? Are these really going to be absorbent enough (i can add the 2nd absorbency pad in at bedtime)?
3) Fit: I get how they can expand to fit her for a few years but what about the leg room and fit around the leg openings? Too loose as a baby and too tight as a toddler maybe?

Anyhow, tell me about your experience with cloth diapers (the good, bad and ugly) and any tips too would be helpful.
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3 comments:

Amanda said...

We've used the bumgenius one-size since Poppy came home at 14.5 months. We only purchased 8 and that gets us through 2 days, plus we use Huggies overnites - because they were not absorbant enough for us, but I know other people have had success with them at night, and I also put a disposable on her first thing in the morning because she almost always goes poop immediately after breakfast. So 8 works out perfect for us. But because Meg will be younger, I would say about 12 of them should be fine for 2 days worth.

We did have problems at first with leakage, but it was because Poppy was holding her pee and then going all at once and then we would have a major leak. So we began put the extra liner in all day long, and since then we have not had any leaks. As far as the size, Poppy came home weighing 21lbs. and we've always used them expanded to the full size and they still fit her perfectly.

We also have a mini wet-bag that I keep in my diaper bag and a large wet-bag that we line our diaper pail with. And then we wash both wet-bags with the diapers every other day. We also ended up buying another diaper pail just for the diposables and the wipes. I did a lot of research on how to wash them and what detergent to use - we use All free and clear and wash them once on a cold light cycle and then once on a hot long cycle. And then I usually line-dry the covers over night, but if I'm in a hurry to get them dry, I put them in the dryer on low (I've read that drying them in the dryer reduces the life-span of them). I also do a super wash about once a month - I add a few drops of Dawn dish soap and run them through about 5 cycles (luckily we have a high-efficiency washer so I don't feel bad about the wasted water). By doing the "super wash" it elinates any lingering odors and gets off any diaper cream that might build up (although I rarely use diaper cream).

Wow, didn't realize how long this comment would be - definitely should have emailed you. But basically, they are a lot more work than disposables, but once you get used to them it gets easy. And they are great for Poppy's sensitive little bum, and the environment. Good for your for trying them!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 10:42:00 AM EDT
Samantha said...

I think you should listen to Amanda's advice, it sounds very sensible and helpful. As I am on my 5th poopy diaper so far this morning, my advice would not be so calm and polite, it would be something like "cloth diapers - are you insane? As if you aren't going to have enough to do!", so I won't bother because I wouldn't want to be rude or discouraging. (I am trying to be funny, hope that's what comes across! In my defense it's hard to be funny after 5 poopy diapers.)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 10:19:00 AM EDT
Anonymous said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the BG one size diapers! They work like a dream on my twins who came home at 13 months! They were in 9 month size clothing at 13 months and were tiny tiny for their age (or son is still not on US growth charts for his age). I have 24 and we wash diapers every other day (we dedicated two colors to each baby so 12 per baby)!

We have ahd leaks at night BUT not as bad as the few times we have had to use the disposable diapers -- and we do use a doubler system at night as well.

They are EASY to wash and clean (just make sure you have a sprayer if you are not using flushable liners.

We have also NEVER used diaper cream and NEVER had diaper rash but maybe we are the rare case.

Good luck -- feel free to e-mail if you like carissa74@yahoo.com

Monday, April 13, 2009 at 9:21:00 PM EDT

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