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| Thu, 01-03-2013 - 9:40am |
hello,
just found this section of the boards and thought i'd introduce myself. i'm expecting my first baby soon - due date is january 16. we are planning to cloth diaper and i've just been getting more serious lately about checking out all the different options. i'm kind of leaning towards the one-sized pockets. but i understand that these are often a bit too big for newborns. i'm looking most closely at bum genius, and i think they start at 7 lbs, but i know that babies come in different sizes and shapes, even at the same weight. i have some newborn pampers swaddlers on hand to help us get through the first few weeks, but i just hate the idea of so many disposables going into the landfills. i have a few friends who have used CDs and i'm considering checking to see if anyone has some newborn sizes to get us through so we don't have to buy newborns and one-sized. i think most people i know used disposables until their babies fit into the regular sizes, but i'm hoping to find something!
one question i have is about detergent. i use tide free & gentle in an older high efficiency washer. is this OK, or do i need detergent specifically formulated for cloth diapers?
any and all advice is welcome, as i'm just starting to figure all of this stuff out! thanks!
diane
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Hi Diane,
Thanks for stopping in to say hello. Congratulations on your pending arrival. How exciting for you!
I think cloth is a wonderful option and can save you a lot of money over the course of years if you stick with it. Plus, it is a great environmentally friendly option, as you pointed out.
Bum Genius pockets are very popular. I know several folks who have used them and loved them. I agree that one sized diapers can be too big (or the wrong shape) for many newborns. It varies a lot from kid to kid. With my DS, we used newborn disposable diapers until his umbilical stump was healed. Then we switched to basic prefolds and covers, which I loved. Not every one will love this, but they are totally adjustable to your kid and will accomodate more sizes and shapes than any other option. They are also super easy to launder and cheap. Gotta love that. But this is me.....I think it makes sense to see if you can borrow newborn diaps from a friend or rent them (by mail, you don't have to have a store locally that sells these). There are places that will rent them if you want. I'm posting a link here with that information.
http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/a-directory-of-newborn-cloth-diaper-rental-programs/
As far as detergents, I have not used the Tide free and clear, and I don't have a HE machine. I have used several of the common cloth detergents--Rockin Green, Vaska, and 7th Generation free and clear. There are lots of detergents that can work for people with their diapers. A lot will depend on your water (hard or soft) and your washer. Generally, the concern with HE machines is that they use much less water so it is harder to wash the detergent fully out of the diapers. My understanding of washng well with a HE machine is to use less soap and more rinses as needed to keep your diapers free of buildup. It will also help to avoid detergents with the types of ingredients that cause buildup and repelling (softener, optical brighteners). This is a link to a great chart that lists LOTS of different detergents that can work for cloth diapers.
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm
Also, a number of brands actually have specific wash instructions for using a HE machine to wash cloth diapers. There is also a lot online. If you google this, you can probably find some posts specifically about your type of machine.
Please let us know if you have other questions or if there are other things that we can help with!
Diane
Expecting #1 (a boy!) on January 16, 2013
Those newbie diapers look interesting. I'd love to hear your feedback on them once you have used them a bit. I've never heard of them and they aren't listed on the usual sites I read for product reviews (like Diaper Pin and All About Cloth Diapers), so they must be really new.
As far as whether they are cheaper than disposables, it depends on many factors. Cloth generally is viewed as a lower cost option in the long run because you can buy some fairly inexpensive supplies and use them for a very long time. All-in-one diapers generally are not on the inexpensive side of cloth diaper supplies, and the size of these diapers will mean that you may not use them for very long at all. In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you that my DS had outgrown newborn sized diapers and clothes by the time he was 2 weeks old. We were given a few newborn sized pocket diapers as gifts (I didn't register for them) and he barely wore them....once or twice each and that was it. So whether you "get your money's worth" from these diapers will depend a lot on how much you paid, how long you use them, and if you resell them.
Just FYI--I'm sure you know this already, but 6 diapers won't be enough to get you through with cloth alone in the newborn period. General estimate is that you will use 12+ diapers in a day (24 hours) during the newborn period. I assume you are planning to try these and order more later? Again, I urge caution before stocking up on little tiny things because many, many babies are not teeny-tiny for very long at all. It's completely possible that you could place the order the week after you get home from the hospital and he have out grown the diapers by the time they are shipped and arrive a week or so later, as was my experience. Just a suggestion. You'll have to wait and see how your little person is growing to know what will work for you.
I would guess that between an HE washer and a front loader, it's probably fairly comparable. Once you are washing, please post back if you need to trouble shoot your wash routine--if diapers are leaking frequently, seem to repel moisture, getting funky smell or similar. I know that this isn't a terribly active board, but there are a number of experienced folks who check in periodically and have tons of information to share. And figuring out the exactly right wash routine can be challenging, if you have harder water or a washer that uses less water.
I don't think it is crazy at all to be excited about cloth diapering. I was thrilled when I started and still love it now, two + years later!
Diane
Expecting #1 (a boy!) on January 16, 2013
I didn't use the flushable liners, but a friend of mine did. She really liked them for when the poops got somewhat solid. It's also great for protecting your diaper from creams that are not cloth safe, as many are not. I'm not sure how much good the disposable liner will do for something like and EBM poop....I guess it would depend on how solid the liner was. I think a liner might tear if it got too wet, but this is just speculation.
Let us know how things are going for you and if you are having problems. It's great to have help trouble shooting!
HI! (BIG WAVE)
Nice to see you here! I CD DS mostly with USA made diapers and use an HE machine. We did the sposies for the first few weeks just because we were given so many at showers and I wasn't sure how much laundry (up & down stairs) I could do recovering from an unplanned C-section. When DH said he'd do laundry we switched to CD and haven't looked back.
We used newborn Marvels (AIO) and Rumparooz little joeys (AIO)...uh-oh, DS just woke up. PLease email, private message me as I need to go now....
back for a bit...
we used G diapers disposable liners with the newborn AIOs but I think they might have given DS a rash? They kept the diapers pretty clean from the bf poop though.
After those seemed to be getting small we switched to Best Bottoms for the most part and loved them. Now also have Thirsties AIO and duo diaper and one BumGenius for overnight with Thirsties fab doublers. Ok, well DS is Mr. Cranky at the moment. Sigh. Don't know when I'll be back but please let me know if I can help further. Lots of fabulous reviews on you tube. Love Nicki's diapers website.
back again;) ....we use rockin green to wash. The best bottoms say they fit to 35+ pounds but DS is now almost 23 pounds and I think the rise is too short. It has been on the largest size for months now and is starting to leave red marks on his thighs. He is now sleeping 10+ hours at night and wakes up a few times during the night. I've been searching for better overnight solutions as I first questioned if the wetness was causing the wakings. So hard to predict these things! The above overnight CDs seem ok, no leaks but they are totally soaked in the morning. I now know that it is totally normal for bf babies to wake as often as DS does, so maybe no connection to the diapers but would still like to find something more absorbant especially as he gets a little older. I just read the post on toddler overnights which gives me hope. I love how useful this group is!
Would love to hear from you!
<a href="http://s774.p
Looked up the newbie diapers and they look to be the same design as the Rumparooz little Joeys but less expensive. How are you liking them? Are they made in US, looked like it, and of US materials? That would be awesome!!
Edit for update: the newbie website says they are made in China
<a href="http://s774.p