Bassinets and Diapers

We used Tiny Tots (they serve the entire Bay Area - not sure where you are located) however they belong to a larger nationwide network or affiliation and I'm sure can refer you to someone in your area. They were fantastic.

They offered a variety of choices of wraps/covers and their catalog is available online so you can shop when you have time!

Unfortunately we only knew a few people who used cloth - most went the way of disposables. I recommend cloth without a doubt and feel great about our choice. Let me know if you need further info. Good luck.

My daughter is 4 months and we've used cloth diapers since day one (although we do use disposables when we're traveling.)

We use diaper service quality cloth diapers with Prowrap Classic diaper covers. I bought all of our diapers from a diaper service this way you're getting a good quality diaper at a decent price(I wash my own diapers so I'm not actually using the service - more on washing below.) Don't buy any Gerber diapers unless you need a good burp cloth. They're very thin and don't absorb much.

A couple of months ago I started using Happy Heinys one size pocket diapers at night. My daughter sleeps through the night and pees a lot. These diapers have cotton inserts and a fleece lining. The cotton wicks moisture away from the fleece - this really cuts down on the potential for diaper rash.

Modern washing machines are so good that washing your own diapers is a pretty easy undertaking. While your baby's diet is still all liquids the soiled diapers aren't that bad. I just throw everything in the washer on hot with a little bleach and a perfume & dye free detergent (don't bother paying all that extra money for dreft, I get my detergent at costco - way cheaper.) After the wash is over I do a second rinse cycle to get out any bleach residue, once I didn't do this and it was the only time my daughter got diaper rash with the cloth diapers. I throw everything in the dryer except the covers and the pocket diapers because the heat can ruin their water proofing.

Once your child starts making "real" poos you can use disposable diaper liners. If they only get wet you can wash and reuse them a couple of times before they fall apart. When they catch a solid you just flush them down the toilet (some people throw them out but I don't like the idea of putting human feces in landfills if I can avoid it.)

Hope this helps.

My friend has done all the research, but here's what I've learned from her and experienced on my own:

* ABC Diapers is a great diaper service and I loved having it for the first month. We asked and got it for a shower gift.

* The prefold diapers are great and cheap. We used them for a long while (maybe until 5 months old?) and fastened them for fewer spills with Snappi diaper fasteners. We used and really liked Thirsties brand covers for these. http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/store/thirsties-covers.html

* BumGenius is awesome - the diaper and cover are one, which is great once your baby starts squirming; putting a diaper AND a cover is tougher once the baby starts twisting and crawling. http://nickisdiapers.com/

* We learned the hard way that it matters a lot what detergent you use; most leave a residue that causes lots of leaks and the diapers never lose their pee smell. We just learned how to properly care from them from this site: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/index.html. We stripped the diapers with Sensi-Clean (b/c we had to remove the built-up residue from our other detergent, a biodegradable, all natural detergent we thought was great) and started using Charlie's Soap, which we found much cheaper on the Charlie's Soap website, which also offers free shipping.

* We use bleach-free disposables at night with a maxipad (funny, I know, but he leaks from time to time, depending on how much he drinks near bedtime, otherwise).

Good luck and enjoy!

Hello, I am so glad you are going to use cloth, you will be very pleased. During the day we use 100% organic hemp prefolds with a diaper cover that you can purchase at natural resources on valencia st. at 25th in S.F. They are 12 for $24. I bought 3 dozen, then we use about 2 fitted all in ones from bum genious at night... with an organic hemp insert for extra absorbancy. Cloth is so much easier than I thought and washing the diapers is no big deal. Be sure to get a diaper soap, we like Allens naturally. Also, we have been practicing Elimination Communication since my son was 2 months (now he's 5 months) and I havn't changed a poopy diaper in about 2 and half months... which makes washing the diapers really easy. If you are not familiar with e.c. look it up, you will be amazed!!! and it will make life so much easier... especially when its time to potty train! good luck and congrats

I used cloth diapers with delivery services (Tiny Tots, I think) with my first child. We manage to stay with them for about 6 months but my husband was never really that enthusiastic. Plus, with cloth diaper service, you spend about as much as you would with disposable. This time around, we bought cloth diapers online and tried a variety of different kinds, though the basic prefolds (like the diaper service ones) turned out to be our favorite for the first serveral months. It's definitely cheaper this way and my husband bought into the program as he had the chance to try out different kinds. It does add to your laundry... one more load every other or every three days, but kids add so much laundry you may not notice. Do lots of research with the online companies for the best information; I would recommend Green Mountain Diapers and Baby Belle Bottoms. (Also nice, most of the companies are owned by SAHMs.)

Hi S.! I just have to say congratulations on your soon to arrive baby and I'm so happy that you're considering using cloth on your baby. There are so many benefits to baby, the earth and your pocketbook when using cloth. I only wish more people would try it before knocking it!

I've been cd'ing my son since he was one week and he is now 18 months old. I love it and feel terrible whenever I use a disposable (I use seventh generation when I do use them). I have also used a variety of cloth diapers and have had lots of experience with trial and error. Here are a couple of websites that I found helpful when I was pregnant and trying to figure out what was what with the many choices in cloth. The first website, is Karen's cloth diapering site and she has a great dictionary of the different types of diapers, how to wash and how to fold: http://diaperpages.com/index.php. The next website I recommend is www.diaperpin.com. This website is great because it has reviews on almost every brand of diaper so you can see what other moms think of each brand, etc. If you are going to wash yourself, you should also check out these websites for ratings on detergent http://pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm and http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html.

I love bumgenius for ease (fits and goes on just like a disposable), but they are pricey. I also like Fuzzi bunz and Happy Heiny's, but they are also fairly expensive. One of the other moms suggested diaperswappers.com and I think its a great resource so you can get cheaper diapers and experiment with what will work best for your family. For a newborn, you will probably want a fitted diaper with a cover like prowraps or bummis. Prowraps are great at holding in newborn explosive poos and a fitted underneath will provide extra insurance against blowouts. In my experience, blowouts are just a part of having a newborn and no diaper, disposable or cloth, will hold them in everytime. When my son started eating solids, a pocket diaper with a synthetic fabric worked great because the poop rolls right off of it into the toilet (no one likes to dunk the diapers). I now use pockets at night for extra absorbency and a mix of chinese prefolds, fitteds and AIO's with my son. If you are planning on washing yourself, you will probably need about 36 diapers for washing every two days with a newborn. After a few months, you will do less changes and won't need quite so many. You will also need two diaper pail liners (one for the wash and one to use), one small wetbag for your diaperbag, and if you are using cloth wipes, you'll probably want about 36. If you decide to use prefolds, you will want a couple snappi fasteners (they are so much safer than pins) and about 8-12 covers for a newborn. If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me.

Good luck!

-H.

Hi S.,

There is a store in Modesto, CA called "Once Upon a Child" they sell used children items that are in good condition... I don't know the phone# or if it's something you would be interested, but thought you might want to know.

BTW, Huggies always worked good for me.

I've been using Fuzzi Bunz for a while now and I love them. They're very trim, which is great because my daughter is very petite. That's why pre-folds didn't really work for me, as they made her bottom enormous and her pants wouldn't fit anymore. Fuzzi Bunz are also easy to use and easy to wash. Other people I know also like Bum Genius, a one size cloth diaper, but again the fit wasn't good for my daughter.

Hi S.,

I tried cloth diapers with my first son, but the occurrence of diaper rash was too much. Even though we were changing him very frequently, getting rashes was still a problem. Although my step-sister did it regardless of rash or not. I chose to use Seventh Generation chlorine-free diapers and wipes. These have worked well for me!

Good luck!

T.

S.,
We've been using cloth diapers with our daughter for the last nine months and LOVE them. We use a diaper service (ABC Diapers in Berkeley) and it couldn't be better. We also have some of the cloth diapers that look like disposables that you wash yourself, but I love the convenience of not having to wash the diapers.

Good luck!

I have a great wooden cradle that is in perfect condition. I have been looking to sell it ($50 obo) but haven't known anyone in need. I know its not the cariboo bassinet you requested but if your interested you can email me and I can get you a picture of it.

Hi,

I have always used cloth diapers. I have a little experience with disposals and have never liked them. My two children were raised with cloth. Both had sensitve skin and with the cloth diapers we never had rashes or skin problems. With my youngest they tried disposals in the hospital at birth and she got red and rashy where the plastic touched her skin. So I just put cloth on her there. I am glad I brought some diapers with me to the hospital. Now that she is older we can use the disposal training pants on her and do so when we go out, but at home and especially at night I still use cloth. Both my kids potty trained pretty early and easily too. My son trained himself at 16 months. One day he just didn't want to wear diapers anymore. My daughter was tougher and later. She was not quite 2 when she decided to use the potty. Also, the disposals have all the chemical and perfumy smells which I hate. That alone would be enough for me. There is also the idea of landfilling of diapers. Check the stats, it's amazing how much a kid goes through before they train.

I used a diaper service. It wasn't any more expensive than buying the cheap disposables so I wasn't worried about the cost. You don't have to do anything, just dump them in the diaper pail and leave them out once a week for delivery. That was nice, I never had to go to the store for diapers or worry about running out. The bring the pail dioderizers and everything. It was so easy.

Good luck on whatever you choose,
T.

Hi I do not have a bassinet but I do have info about cloth diapers, my 5 moth old son uses them. We have been extremely happy with motherease one-size cloth diapers- they have snaps instead of velcro, which makes them easier to wash and not get hairs or threads caught in the velcro, also they are one size and fold to be used for infants and unfold to be used for toddlers. just google motherease cloth diapers, they have a great website with lots of info. I know of some moms who have used these diapers for 2 kids and then sold them on ebay, so they are high quality. I did not use the diapers until my son was 3 months old because he was so small it took a lot of folding to get them to fit, we used tiny tots diaper service for the first 12 weeks- which is a godsend while you are adjusting to a newborn in your life. Also the airflow diaper covers from motherease are great- I used the covers with the prefold diapers form the diaper service for the first 12 weeks. washing cloth diapers is not that hard especailly with breast milk poop- I do a load of diapers 2x's/ week and have about 24 diapers total. I hope this helps- good luck

I don't really like cloth diapers. I've had a few friends that were in the trial period of cloth diapers so I never heard how it went. I personally LOVE Pampers brand for diapers. I've tried every brand and none of the others held as much. THe Huggies for me would leak if my daughter moved her leg while peeing. However, if you need a cheaper brand, the White Cloud brand at Walmart is just as good as Pampers but cheaper. But I will always use Pampers Sswaddlers for sizes Newborn through 2. I have found that either you like Pampers or you like Huggies, it's rarely both. If you need a cheaper brand for Huggies, any of the generic brands at Target will do that for you. I hope this helps.

I used disposibles with my daughter until my son was born and I had two in diapers. At that point I switched to cloth and love it. My daughter no longer gets diaper rash and my son does not wake up any more then my daughter did. I use a variety of unbleached chinese prefolds with bummis covers, bumgenious one size pocket diapers for at night, and I love happy heiney pockets, and kissaluv fitteds. They may be a little more expensive out the gate but will save you alot of money in the long run and are so much better against your babys skin. If you have any questions feel free to send me a personal message.

Hi,
I used cloth diapers with both of my children. I only used disposables for convenience when traveling. The flat cotton diapers were the most economical to buy and to launder, since they are a single layer that you fold to fit the child. I also found some Diaper clips, instead of pins, that I used with my daughter. They were easy to use and had no sharp points to poke the baby. I found less allergy problems with the cloth diapers. One of my children was allergic to the scents that they put in the disposables. I also had less diaper rash problems, because I changed the diapers more frequently than my friends with disposables.

Susie H.

Hello,
Congrats on your baby and even considering cloth! I have been CDing my 21 month old son since he was 3 1/2 months. Out of all the choices out there, AIO's, pockets, Pf's and covers, wool, etc....i've tried a lot and i prefer Pf's and covers. Pf's fit the longest vs. sizing up on AIO's and pockets every time they outgrow them and they are most affordable. You do not have to use pins, i use snappi's or you can tri fol in a cover. My best advice is to not buy anything gerber when it comes to CDing. www.diaperswappers.com has been my number 1 source for questions and answers about cloth and you can buy new and use diapers and WAHM (work at home mom) made diapers.

Hope this was helpful, good luck!

Hi S.- I'm a new mom to an 8 mos old & we use a cotton cloth diaper service.- Tiny Tots. Love it. Can't say enough good things. The dirty diapers go in a bin and once a week they are tken away and we receive a shipment of fresh clean diapers. I never run out AND the service will deliver wipes and other items when necessary (which was very helpful when my son was young and it was hard to get out of the house). I know there are arguments on both sides - for and against - cloth diapers re the environmental impact, but there is no debate that cotton is better for your baby's skin and health than disposable diaper chemicals. And my son has NEVER had diaper rash. At night we use a more absorbent non-disposable diaper- FuzzyBunz- because he was waking up with the regular cloth. Give it a try! It's easy.

Check out Fuzzi Bunz. They are a cloth washable pocket diaper. I love them. They are very absorbent, easy to wash and use and they come in really cute colors.

Hi S.,

I can't help you with the Cariboo bassinet, but I do have some experience with cloth diapers. I tried a cloth diaper service with my first son and the service itself was great. I loved the idea of not harming the environment, not washing the diapers, and getting clean ones delivered, etc.

What I did not love was they were a little messy - nothing unbearable, and at night he would wake up alot! Now I really needed some sleep and after a month or so, I decided to just switch to huggies supreme. Mind you, my son is 12 now, so things have probably changed since then.

I would suggest you give it a shot if you are so inclined. It's a bit more work and your baby may wake up more at night, but you can always keep some disposable diapers on hand for nighttime, right?

With my twins, I believe I used Huggies Ultratrim for the most part, but also used store brand diapers. They were more cost effective and with twins, I was trying to save as much money as possible!

Best of luck to you!

L.

Hi S.,

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

We have been using Fuzzy Bunz cloth diapers with our twin boys (now 11 weeks) and so far we really like them. They are a "pocket diaper" and convenient (snaps, no diaper pins!), washable in our own washer/dryer and the fit is good (elastic around the legs, with a waterproof outside so there is almost never any leaks.) Because the boys were preemies we had to use disposable diapers for the first couple of weeks before they fit into the Fuzzy Bunz, and, having experienced both- I prefer the cloth diapers and find them easier, even with twins!

Here is a link to a company in Oregon called BabyWorks that carries all different kinds of diapers and has a good article comparing them on their website: http://www.babyworks.com/catalog/about_diapers.asp?

I love the pre-folded diapers. They have extra padding in the middle for more absorption. I think they are Gerber brand. I used them for my son who is now 26 and I still have about a dozen left that I now use as dusting rags. I still see them in the stores when I shop for baby gifts for others. My son was allergic to the paper diapers, so I used cloth even when traveling. The prefolded diapers lasted longer and were easier to use in my opinion. I hope this helps.

Warm Regards,
L. Moore

i used tidee didee diaper service for my cloth diapers and loved it! you can check out their website at tideedidee.com

Yes, there seem to be a million choices about everything. But, as someone told me when I was pregnant, all you really need is 2 boobs and some diapers. So here is my two cents about diapers:
We used disposables for the first 3 months because we were not staying in NYC where my son was born. We used Pampers Swaddlers and found that they had by far the best fit.
However, we are really committed to the environment and looked into 3 options when we settled in the Bay Area: G Diapers (gdiapers.com); chlorine free diapers (7th Generation for example) and cloth diaper services (I did not consider for a minute washing my own cloth diapers). Though the other two seem to have some promise, nothing disposable will ever compare to cloth. We are also using Tiny Tots, and find them reliable, pleasant to work with, and high quality. They will tell you everything you need to know to get started with cloth diapering.
As for the baby: my son had a terrible diaper rash for the first 2 1/2 months of his life. Shortly after we switched to cloth, it went away completely. There is much more air circulation in cloth.
Two things you should know: you will want to change the diaper more often because the liquid stays closer to the body; there are two more steps involved with cloth diapering, so if you have a very active baby like i do, you will have to learn to move very quickly.
Oh, one more thing. Now that he sleeps through the night, we put him in a disposable at night.

Good luck and enjoy!

S., I can echo the sentiments about cloth diapers being easier than they look. I used Tiny Tots diaper service and they were awesome! When my daughter was about 4 months old, my husband and I needed to cut some expenses and I started doing the diapers on my own. When you cancel diaper service, you keep the diapers (of course, you've already paid for them up front anyway). But don't let anyone tell you that you have to rinse and wring the diapers and do all sorts of labor-intesive stuff or buy special detergent...I simply put the diapers in a diaper pail, poop and all, and every few days, I put them in the washer as is, with hot water, my usual detergent and a little bit of bleach on the heavy duty cycle. When they were done, they were clean. To make sure I got rid of any soap residue, I put them through a short, cold water cycle without any soap. Then pop them into the dryer (NO dryer sheet...leaves a chemical residue), and stack them in baby's dresser. So easy. I also used Bummis diaper covers, but I used the Snappeez clips to really secure the diaper and the diaper cover to just protect her clothes from wetness or leaks. Tiny Tots in Campbell has a great store where you can buy all the supplies before the baby arrives, and they hold classes on properly diapering with cloth. They also have a web site with video on how to diaper with cloth. And they were very helpful. My daughter never had a rash, except when I took her on an overnight trip and used disposables. She's 18 months old and if it were up to me, I'd still be using cloth! However, my husband never got the hang of cloth and about 5 months ago, he asked if we could get rid of them. Now we use the Kirkland brand diapers. But try to use cloth, at least for the first few months---it's easy and cheap and good for the environment and better for newborn skin. So worth it!