Cloth Diapers - Albany,CA

(I actually posted this about a week ago to another mama... and I don't have time to write it all out right now, so I hope you don't mind! it's everything I would have said to you :))

Yayyyy!!! Welcome to cloth diapering! You're gonna love it. At least I know I do...

I've been cloth diapering my son since he was three weeks old. (he came five weeks early, I wasn't prepared...) and I have tried nearly every brand. Here's my two cents.

My absolute FAVORITE brand is Sustainablebabyish (http://sloomb.com). The method is fitteds and wool. Which was intimidating for me at first, but once it took hold... Holy cow, watch out. Sbish offers fitteds and os snapless. I prefer the os snapless for a couple of reasons... They are softer, easier to put on (even with pins!), and they give you more life... considering they are one size. The wool is AMAZING. Easily the best on the market. Soft, thick... and will not leak even if it hasn't been lanolized yet. I use these with my now five month old son every night and I have yet to change a sheet in the middle of the night. They rock. The only bummer is they are a bit on the expensive side... but if money isn't a concern... This is easily the best brand/method on the market.

My second favorite diaper is the Bumgenius Elemental AIO... These are my diaper bag diapers. LOVE THEM. The only thing to be wary of is that they need a TON of washes before they are absorbant. I didn't know this at first and was very disappointed considering they are expensive! Now I have a whole stash of them... and love them. They are SUPER easy.

Gdiapers I used in the very beginning... They leaked ALL THE TIME. I got rid of them pretty quick. I liked them because they were one of the only brands that I could access at my local babies r us... but they are cheaply made and they don't fit that great.

Kissas are ok. I have a few in my stash but they aren't the first ones I reach for. In fact, they are usually the ones my son wears if I've been slacking on laundry.

As for laundry... Washing diapers is NOT a full time job. If you're a tad Type A like myself, you'll do one load a day. Not a big deal. Some of my Cd'ing friends do laundry every other or even every couple of days... and sorting and folding diapers? totally relaxing after a long day of babyness... I have used Rockin' Green Detergent... Not a fan... I'm using a regular ole' free and clear now... The Rockin' Green did absolutely nothing for ammonia... even with the "Funk Rock Ammonia Bouncer"...

Wet Bags... Get a TON... I use them ALL the time. I have one in every diaper bag and I agree with one of the previous posts that Planet Wise makes some great bags, but they can be a tad spendy as well. I have quite a few from Essie Designs on Etsy. Excellent quality and she'll ship your order super fast... Not to mention, adorable prints.

As for pail liners... I've been using the kissaluvs pail liner... Not doing so well right now... I'm currently on the hunt for new pail liners, but I may just settle for using door hanging wet bags... I have a couple from Fuzzibunz that are fantastic. They have zippered bottoms so I don't have to mess with them when I toss em' in the wash. Just unzip and toss the bag in. LOVE.

Since my son was born five months ago... We've traveled out of state twice for extended periods of time all the while cloth diapering. I didn't use disposable inserts or anything. It can be done. It's a tad overwhelming the first time... but it just gets easier.

Please feel free to message me if you have any other questions... and seriously, welcome! I hope you have as much fun as I do... I never thought I'd be so into changing my kid's diapers!

S.

Oh and p.s. some other brands to check out... GRO-VIA (fabulous AIOS)... Fuzzibunz (excellent starter diaper)... Rumparooz... All excellent options...

One more thing... Grandma El's Diaper Cream is excellent. No more rashes and it smells AWESOME...

oh and we do have a sprayer.... The best thing about the sprayer is it has gotten my husband involved... He loves using it. Boys and their toys I suppose...

You should have LESS rash problems, as cloth diapers don't have chemicals in them. We washed about three times a week. We used prefolds and covers (various brands due to famliy buying some as gifts). Toward the end of our diapering time I got some FuzziBunz for super cheap and LOVED them! We used disposables at night because my kids were all night nursers and so were pretty wet in the morning! It IS more work than disposables, but everytime I threw away the disposable in the mornining I felt guilty knowing it was going to sit in a dump for years on end without decomposing, and every time I used cloth I knew I was saving another 26 cents to go toward groceries or mortgage :)

I personally didn't use cloth diapers, but my ex-husband and his new wife did. We are still friends, and he told me the pros and cons.

On the positive side he did feel like he was helping the environment.

On the cons, they were constantly doing laundry to keep up, esp w the poo ones.
Their son did experience some diaper rash, but nothing serious.
They did leak at night, so eventually as he got older, rather than change him multiple times during the night they started using disposables during the night, which were a little more absorbant.

He said that overall (we just talked talked about it on facebook the other night) that he would not use cloth again. Just too much work in comparison to the benefit.

Good luck with whatever you choose!!

of course they are worth the extra work! you are keeping diapers out of the landfill!
there are also diaper services which pick up, wash, and then redeliver your diapers to your door. look for "tidy didee" diapers or "abc diaper service."
they also say kids use cloth diapers are easier to potty train (cuz they get tired of sitting in cloth full of pee!).

good luck mama!

I used a diaper service with both of my kids and had a great experience. It worked well for our family. The service provides a few different sized diapers to accommodate your baby's growth, they pick up and drop off weekly, and you can change the number of diapers you get without any problem or hassle. It was super easy and I'd highly recommend it.
Good luck!

I only part time cloth diaper because most people here in Utah are ignorant and will not listen to me when it comes to cloth, so I have to use dispoables while he's in daycare.
BUT I deal less with poop now than I ever have with disposables. My son would blow out every time he pooped, and for awhile it was two three times a day. But with cloth it stays where it is supposed to and it's wonderful!
As for the kinds of diapers? Oh my word there are so many. Pocket or all in one (aio) are the most popular, but a prefold and cover (what they used to use back in the day, but you don't have to use pins now) is the cheapest and sometimes I find the easiest to deal with when younger because of all of the poop and pee that comes out of the younger babies. With the prefolds and wrap you can reuse the wrap if it's just urine. If it's poop, use a different wrap.
Anywho, there are a ton of stores online! I love nickisdiapers.com, allnaturalbabycenter.com is great! If there isn't something in stock on her site, just email her and she'll get it and have them send you one. Love it! diapeze.com is excellent custom made diapers with any print you could want! There really is more than that, it's a whole other world!! Love it!
I have a blog that you can check out if you want. Something I do when I'm bored.
largebummies.blogspot.com
p.s. if you want to save money, don't use a service. It's about the same amount as disposables.

My son is almost 2 and we only use cloth diapers. They are not our grandmother's cloth diapers. there are no pins, ever. I would suggest you look for a cloth diaper store near you, if there is one close enough they can help you more than anyone. We have used both Bummis and Thirsties covers with prefolds inside. We are now using bummis and blueberry trainers.
I recomend getting the Thirsties snaps that grow with your baby. But there are great all-in-ones, but they are a bit pricier.
No Pins Required is the name of the store I shop at, I know she started as an on-line store so you can try her website too.
My son has been rash free. It adds 2-3 loads of wash to my week.