Reader Lindsey asked the following questions in the comments section, and I wanted to re-post so more of you would be able to read them and chip in your two cents.
1. Fuzzibunz vs. Bumgenius? I'd be interested in this answer as well! I've recently heard of a few people doing a combo between the two.
2. Does the bulkiness force you to have to put them in bigger clothes? I think the bulky thing might really annoy me.
3. I heard that using regular detergent can create absorbancy problems. Is it true?
4. Is it a big hassle when traveling? Or even going on outings for a few hours? I plan to use disposable when traveling, and for church last week I just brought an extra cloth diaper, along with a plastic bag to put the dirty one in. It was no big deal.
5. Recommended air-dry solutions for those w/o a separate laundry room? I think it would be really cute to make a clothesline in your baby's room! Maybe you could stretch it across the corner of the room; you could even do a double clothesline (hemp or ribbon would be cute). And you could make your own colorful clothespins! I like these spray-painted ones, and I've also seen a bunch of people cover them with scrapbook paper. Get some cute and colorful diapers, and you've got a totally new, cheaply decorated corner! Hmm...now I'm considering doing this myself even though I HAVE a laundry room. :)
Okay, friends...help Lindsey out by posting some answers in the comments section!
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Thanks, Jess! You're the best!
ReplyDelete2. I do think Simeon needs bigger clothes, but it isn't too much of an issue since he is older (14 months). When he was 1-6 months and growing tons all the time anyway, it was a little annoying, esp. since Sim is really skinny but needed onesies to be long enough to go over the diaper, resulting in baggy clothes for a period. I have just always used slightly bigger clothes, though, and now, like Jess said before, it is kind of nice because he is so skinny!
ReplyDelete3. When we lived in the US, I used regular Tide liquid and it worked fine for me. Now we live in Thailand, and I honestly have no idea what detergent I am using because I can't read Thai! It has fragrances, though, but so far it seems fine. (I use refolds and PUL covers, btw)
4. Prefolds and covers are a much bigger hassle for outings because I have to change them at least every 2 hours. When I used to go to the zoo for the day or something, I would use the few bum genius I had, and it worked fine. I have a small wet bag(waterproof bag made of PUL material) that I keep in my diaper bag for dirty diapers, then just throw it in the wash with the diapers. (I also use a large one at home rather than a pail.) You can buy wet bags online, but if you can sew, you can buy PUL at Joanns or somewhere and make them without too much trouble.
I used cloth for weekend trips to my parents but disposable for longer trips (like a plane ride to Thailand) because cloth would be such a hassle in situations like that. Cloth does make for a bulkier diaper bag, but you get used to it.
5. In our old apartment, I just hung the diapers on a drying rack in our bedroom, and whenever it was sunny, I put them outside to dry. Now I dry them outside all the time, but that won't really work in less tropical climates :-) I have heard that sun is good for a bleaching effect, to sterile them more or something. (ESpecially good for me now because we don't have hot water for laundry...which is another reason I wouldn't stress too much about washing diapers the exact right way... It is working okay for me without following the recommendations whatsoever since I can't.)
Jess: Calvin wears a larger pant size when he wears a cloth diaper. I usually buy him the adjustable pants so we can make them bigger or smaller. He wears a regular diaper on Sundays, when Dan watches him, and when we travel. Otherwise I just keep him in a cloth diaper. I have one fuzzibunz and the rest are bum genius. I like both, but as you can tell I prefer BG. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteAnne
I like fuzzibunz for smaller babies because I feel like I can make the leg tighter with the adjustable elastic. But otherwise, I like them both!
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone, for your helpful comments! Linds, I hope you feel more confident about your big purchase. :)
ReplyDeleteI think this is so great you've switched Jess! We tried out cloth when the boys were first born but we used a diaper service so it was almost as expensive. I decided that unless I had a washer/dryer of my own it wouldn't be a good idea to wash them myself either. We had a few frustrating leaks and blowouts... so our cloth diapering experience was short-lived.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as you know, diapers get much more expensive as the kids get bigger and we're currently looking for a new place with a washer/dryer so you've almost inspired me to give it another try! Some questions first though:
1. Do you have to change these diapers more often than disposables? Do you change them when they're semi-full or every single time you notice they're a little wet? Are you more worried about diaper rashes if you don't change Silas right away?
2. Do the inserts get very stained? Will you have to buy new ones periodically? Or do both the shells and inserts last a long time?
3. Does the absorbancy level keep up or does it diminish over time after a lot of washes?
4. Since you're running it through 2 wash cycles and a rinse, doesnt' it seem like a ton more work? And isn't that quite expensive to pay for the water/power for those 3 cycles? Also, I'm assuming you have to wash them separate from the rest of your clothes? Does running the washer less than full cost more money too?
Sorry for only adding to the questions you're already asking! I don't mean to be a bother or pessimist but just want to know more about your experiences with cloth diapering so far!
Kym, I'm happy to try to answer these questions, although my experience is obviously limited...We're now only on day 6 of cloth. :)
ReplyDelete1. I don't change Si's diaper any more frequently. We did have a few leaks starting out, but it was due to a sizing issue, not because the diaper wasn't absorbent enough. When I feel Si's wet diapers, I notice the heaviness more than with disposable, but the shell is super absorbent and does a good job whisking the moisture away from his skin. So far so good- no diaper rash yet!
2. No staining or discoloration yet; I've heard that the covers can get discolored but if you put them in the sun it magically goes away. I haven't heard of anyone having to buy new inserts because of staining, but I guess that doesn't mean it doesn't happen...?
3. Don't know the answer to this one, but I haven't heard anyone complain about this...
4. The extra wash cycles DO take a lot more time. Doing it on the fast cycle helps, and I just use a tiny bit of detergent. We don't pay for water here, but I'm sure we are using more electricity than before. I do wash the diapers separately from the rest of our clothes. I've heard of people doing just one cycle instead of the extras with no problem...I'm just taking the extra precaution to make these diapers last.
Hope that helps a little! Maybe somebody with more experience will help with these questions!
Hi Jess, caught your blog on facebook. We are expecting #4 and I've been leaning towards cloth diapering- finally! Our 3rd started using the potty @13 months so I'm more pumped to save on the expense of diapers. I have one question:
ReplyDeleteDo you think the size you are using now would work for a newborn? I'm not sure if I would need two different sizes if I'm starting out with them.
Also, I found a DIY Diaper Sprayer tutorial at: http://sweetsprouts.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/diy-diaper-sprayer/
A less expensive route if you guys are handy - I'm totally not :) Congratulations on baby #2!
Sharon, welcome to the blog, and congrats on baby #4!! I'm going to use the same diapers for baby 2...they have three size settings and supposedly work for 8-35 lbs. However, I'm sure they're pretty bulky on a newborn. I think I might use disposable for the first 4-6 weeks before switching to cloth.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial link! I have a friend who made her own (probably with the same tutorial) but she said it only saved her $15 after buying all the parts...plus, I'm not very handy either. :) But it's a great idea for someone who is!
Well, I decided to chime in on this convo, even though my knowledge is limited. I started our baby in bumgenius 4.0s at 3 1/2 weeks old (a low 9 lb at that point) and I didn't even snap it on the smallest size at that point. I think she could have gone from the start (8 lb), but I was trying to figure out the detergent thing to make sure I didn't mess them up. We had one mess out the back and a minor leak around the legs, but then I read to pull them up higher on the waist and it's gone well since. I think I've had as many or more leaks from disposables of a variety of brands...huggies probably the worst.
ReplyDeleteThere is more bulk w/ cloth, but thus far it hasn't affected sizing.
So far I've washed them by using one quick rinse on cold without detergent and then washing them on hot with an extra rinse with Nellie's detergent. The box says to use a spoon full for one large load, so I would use half a spoonful or less for a load of diapers, which only comes to around $0.10 a load or less. You can order it from cottonbabies.com (http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=62&products_id=2163) and if you do economy shipping, the shipping is free. Mine still arrived in 2 days. So far, no stink issues whatsoever.
As far as wet bags, I've just ordered 2 of the kissaluv's wet bags to rotate in my plastic trash can w/ lid (from walmart) and a Planet Wise wet/dry bag for the diaper bag...I'll have to see how those work, but the reviews were great.
As for drying the little suckers, I'd like to get a couple of these to hang in my laundry room (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80189663) or a shower or closet. Not nearly as fun as Jess's idea, but it would work for a compact area:).
Well, those are my CD suggestions:)....