I wanted to know what your dh's thought on the subject of CD.

I would like to go this route mostly for the cost savings, but also because I feel it's better for the baby. I feel if it worked for my parents then it's good enough for me. My mom feels that it's not too big of a deal.

DH thinks it will be too much of a hassle. His dad said they used disposable because cloth is a pain to deal with. Reinforcing dh's views - in his mind.

I figured we could use cloth and then disposable for when we go out. I thought that would be a good compromise. But dh doesn't seem into it. Dh will be a SAHD after I return to work, thus being the one doing the most diapering.

He knows how I feel on the subject, but I will follow his leading in whatever final decision he makes.

How did your husband's take the cd idea?

My hubby was all for the idea. He said he would have suggested it with our first but figured I already had plenty on my plate (homebirth and fam thought we were crazy hehe they supported, but still thought we were just plain nuts)
So when I came to the idea with #2 he was like sure, whatever you want, that's great with me :)
And he's changed the baby and dealt with the dirty cloth dipes from the beginning.

Your dh needs to see, for one thing, that today's cloth diapers are nothing like the ones from when he was a baby. The fitteds they have today work just as easily as disposables. And even the prefolds are of better quality, as are the covers. And the mess, well, it really isn't all that bad. I mean, you just deal with it. Swish the dipe in the toilet, throw it in the pail, wash a load every other day. It's just not *that* big of a deal.

I suggest you continue to talk about it. Research it. Show him all this 'new stuff' and how easily it works. And see about going into it without expecting him to be all gung ho KWIM? I mean, if he says "no, you cannot spend our $ on that" then, no, don't do it. I'm just saying see if you can get him to 'accept' the idea and approve that money being spent. Did that make sense? So that maybe he's not necessarily saying 'oh yes, great idea honey, lets do that' but that he *is* at least saying 'ok, well, do what you want, it's not my idea of fun, but if *you* want to...'

Just re-read your post where you said you'll be returning to work leaving him at home to tend to baby...
Well, you'll have some time at home after the baby to hopefully convince him to keep with it. Maybe if he'll say 'yes' at least part time.

Your dh needs to see, for one thing, that today's cloth diapers are nothing like the ones from when he was a baby. The fitteds they have today work just as easily as disposables. And even the prefolds are of better quality, as are the covers. And the mess, well, it really isn't all that bad. I mean, you just deal with it. Swish the dipe in the toilet, throw it in the pail, wash a load every other day. It's just not *that* big of a deal.

Well said!!

My dh was kinda freaked out at first, and he'd take one off but always grab a disposable to put on. Finally I hid the disposables, and forced him to do cloth 100%. He was a little upset at first, but now he's a HUGE supporter of CD. He's seen how many hundreds of dollars we have saved with each child, so that makes him happy. He's seen the rashes that our children get when they wear sposies, so he likes the CDs for that, and now it's just what we do. He actually talked his friend into trying CD for his baby.
Like anything else, I think if you are interested, you just need to give it a try. CD is definitely not for everyone, but you owe it to yourself and all those landfills to give it a whirl. Your wallet will thank you. :lol:
Our diaper of choice is Fuzzi Bunz cause you don't actually have to touch the wetness to take it off and the snaps, once you know where to snap it, well it's methodical and that suits dh's and my personalities. :oops: :lol:

I think I have him talked into at least giving it a try. I think we will be able to make it work fine. And since we'll be doing a half & half type deal, I hope he will change his mind while I'm off work. And for the first couple weeks, I'm going to get the swaddlers. I thought it would be a little easier on us at first.

We're going to go with the Gerber DSQ, they're 6 for $11. I would get 7 packs for 42 diapers. Plus I am getting reusable liners. They have disposable liners from Kushies I thought I would try also. We don't really have a much money to spend on the more expensive ones. Not sure on what to use for covers yet. Have to find something that we can afford.

There are services that pick and and clean them for you, I think? That's the only hassle part with the better designs these days. Maybe it'd come down to whether a diaper cleaning service would save money and even time, over disposables.

I tried Gerber, all they did was leak. Even if you go with Fuzzi Bunz, you can get everything you need for about $400, sounds a lot at first, but if you think about how much disposables cost, you still save money. I don't know the pricing in your area, but it was only 4 months until we 'broke even' with our investment.

I've just not heard good things about using them as real cloth diapers. Chinese prefolds are much better. Also check out the Snappi - so much easier and faster than pins, and no pokes!

Yeah, the Gerbers aren't great dipes, in all honesty. You'd be happier with some chinese prefolds. They'll just make the whole experience better. And they are still less $$ than fitteds.
Good affordable covers for prefolds would be Bummis, Bumkins, ProWraps and I think there's one called DiaperWraps ?

I love my Bummi Super Industrial Whisper Wraps :) They cost around $8 or $9 each, if I remember correctly.

I'm going to have to try the Gerber. There's no way to come up with $400-$500 for us by then. We are on an extremely limited budget. I know it sounds funny since disposable ends up costing much more than cloth, but it's just not doable with everything else we need to buy before the baby comes. :?

DH gave up his birthday gift so we could make sure to get everyone something for Christmas. And our Christmas gifts to each other were the crib, dresser, stroller and car seat. Fortunately, my fil gives us each a $100 Walmart gift card for Christmas. We're going to save those for food for when I'm off. Getting only 50% of my pay during those 6-8 will be tough. We'll bring in just enough for bills (if that much) and that's it.

Sometimes it's overwhelming to me. I pray that we will get through it. I have faith God will provide for us and we will do great. I expected this all before we started ttc, but sometimes it just gets to you KWIM?

The Gerber vinyl pants work very well on our baby as a cover. I do have two Bummis Whisper Wraps and they are far superior but the Gerber vinyl's are ok for while we are at home.

Have you checked out Ebay for cloth diapers? My mil got us a ton off there and she spent less than $400. Might be worth a shot.

I have to go and change my little Pooka Bear. We are using CPFs right now and we have a snappi. My husband loves the snappi! I know he wouldn't change her if we used pins because he was TERRIFIED of pinning her. The snappy is great though.

Well, since I am a SAHM, my DH pretty much said go with whatever you like, but if you choose cloth diapers it's all you for laundry etc. And that he'd better not have socks that smell like poo LOL. And I can't wash diapers while he is here because it tends to make that area smell yucky while they are washing... he does not like that, so I wash them while he is at work. He appreciates that I save money, but he thinks i am extreme about some things (like washing out ziplock bags LOL). But at the same time it frees up some spending money for us, so I can go buy a new shirt or we can go out to eat etc, if we come under budget each month. Also allows us to tuck a little more away in savings for emergencies.

Katherine's diaper rash (which wasn't really bad but a few red dots here and there) has been gone since we switched to cloth diapers though. :) speaking of that since I switched to cotton pads for my time of the month, my monthly yeast infections have disappeared - NICE!! Saving money and am more comfortable at the same time, both me and katherine LOL


If my DH had to do the diapering though he would use disposables - he would rather spend the extra dollars than do extra laundry. He doesn't mind changing the cloth diapers once in awhile but if I got sick or something, and he had to take care of the baby, he'd be using disposables because taking care of me and baby while i'm sick and everything else is too much for him...

oh yes..ditto ebay!
you could likely find some used cpf for a really good price there
I'll check around my stash as well, I may just be able to spare a few Though, mine are the full size ones, so, wouldn't work well for a newborn. I don't think this size works well until about 6 months ?? someone else have a guesstimate there?

I'm going to have to try the Gerber. There's no way to come up with $400-$500 for us by then. We are on an extremely limited budget. I know it sounds funny since disposable ends up costing much more than cloth, but it's just not doable with everything else we need to buy before the baby comes. :?

DH gave up his birthday gift so we could make sure to get everyone something for Christmas. And our Christmas gifts to each other were the crib, dresser, stroller and car seat. Fortunately, my fil gives us each a $100 Walmart gift card for Christmas. We're going to save those for food for when I'm off. Getting only 50% of my pay during those 6-8 will be tough. We'll bring in just enough for bills (if that much) and that's it.

Sometimes it's overwhelming to me. I pray that we will get through it. I have faith God will provide for us and we will do great. I expected this all before we started ttc, but sometimes it just gets to you KWIM?

Hey it sounds like you have the same problem we had. We couldn't afford to spend a huge amount of money on diapers all at once. You do save money in the long run but with disposables you are only paying out $7 or so dollars a week (here in NZ). I think you should try the Chinese prefolds. If I read your post correctly you said you would buy 7 packs of the Gerbers right? So that's about $77 dollars all up? Whereas you could buy one pack of cloth prefolds (or two) and only spend about $40 (guessing... they are about $20 for 12 here in NZ I think. The Indian cloth ones are more expensive... they are $50 a pack of 12 here. Anyway, don't think you'd spend more than $50 on two packs).
They aren't really that bad. If you aren't worried about handling the dirty/wet diapers and swishing them in the toilet then I don't think you'd mind using them. You can even get liners for them so you don't have too much mess on the diapers.
When I use cloth diapers I put plastic pants over them and then fluffy bunnies over the plastic pants. There are lots of different folds. I found two that I liked the most that seemed to keep the most moisture in and were the tightest around their legs to hold those poos in LOL

HTH

Oh yeah I forgot to say... DHs opinion on cloth is that he won't touch them LOL So it was all my job. So when I start using them again (as of Monday) it will be all my job. :roll:

It's actually NOT a big deal, I honestly have no idea what the big fuss and complaint over CD is.

DH thought the CD's would be useless - but he allowed me to buy up in NB size anyway. He didn't say no. He isn't bothered by it.

I really don't see why people think that taking off a CD and putting it in a nappy pale and then washing it in the machine is any different to taking a disposable and throwing it in the trash ????

I mean you do have to hang them out to dry etc, but I spend a portion of my day washing clothes anyway so I just don't see it as being any different KWIM?

The only problem I have with the CD is the setting up factor is a big expense and over here in Australia it is incredibly hard to find stores which stock all you need so to speak. Ebay is a good place for that however.

Aussie Mum

Hey it sounds like you have the same problem we had. We couldn't afford to spend a huge amount of money on diapers all at once. You do save money in the long run but with disposables you are only paying out $7 or so dollars a week (here in NZ). I think you should try the Chinese prefolds. If I read your post correctly you said you would buy 7 packs of the Gerbers right? So that's about $77 dollars all up? Whereas you could buy one pack of cloth prefolds (or two) and only spend about $40 (guessing... they are about $20 for 12 here in NZ I think. The Indian cloth ones are more expensive... they are $50 a pack of 12 here. Anyway, don't think you'd spend more than $50 on two packs).
They aren't really that bad. If you aren't worried about handling the dirty/wet diapers and swishing them in the toilet then I don't think you'd mind using them. You can even get liners for them so you don't have too much mess on the diapers.
When I use cloth diapers I put plastic pants over them and then fluffy bunnies over the plastic pants. There are lots of different folds. I found two that I liked the most that seemed to keep the most moisture in and were the tightest around their legs to hold those poos in LOL

HTH

I will look into the CPF that you mention. I would like to keep our total CD expense to right around $150 (including liners and covers). So, if I found them at the price you mention, that would work great, too.

Thank you all for your tips. I appreciate it more than you could know.

Hey! You're gonna love cd'ing if you go with it. here is a wonderful combo for the newborn/first few months stage. You would be washing possibly every day depending on how your little one is, but this is what we used and the cost.

http://www.thanksmama.com/product_p/dpk-030.htm

we bought two of these.
with each set, you get
12 prefolds, I would get the Indian Cotton
3 proraps (if you want, get one set in newborn and one in the small size)
1 snappi (it replaces pins)

we also bought 2 more proraps in each size

http://www.thanksmama.com/Prorap_Classic_Diaper_Covers_p/pro-001.htm

so, if you bought two starter sets, one in newborn, one in small plus two extra newborn proraps plus two extra small proraps, it would only be

$112 plus shipping, and if you go with Amy @ thanks mama, I can assure you it will NOT be the other $33 you have allotted for it. You would probably have enough to order your dipes, then go the burger king and treat yourself and dh for making such a healthy decision for your baby.

but dont waste your money on the gerbers, they're not even worth the paper they're labeled with.

here are some better deals I found at thanksmama.com and she has free shipping on orders over $60

this would give you what you'd need for two or three days

http://www.thanksmama.com/product_p/dpk-029.htm.
it's $63 so you'd get free shipping

here's the bummis set, it's really good too, i didn't get it, but have a few of the wraps and LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

http://www.thanksmama.com/Bummis_Cotton_Diapering_Kit_p/bms-009.htm
this one is $145, but again, free shipping!!!!

and, hey, instead of buying those expensive liners, go to walmart, buy a few yards of cheap flannel, usually at $1 yard, and using one a long/wide pad (I used one of my always nightime longs) and cut peices that length, twice width, fold in half, right sides facing, stitch two sides, turn, and finish. if you can't sew, you can always ask your mom, aunt, or someone to do it.

when I done this, I just hemed the open end, so I could double duty them and stuff them with a microfiber towel if I needed a doubler.

HTH
~Kana

Oh Kana!!!! This is absolutely wonderful!!!! I'm going with this. This is right in my price range! Oh, this makes me so excited and I feel so much better about the money part of it. The set that is $145 sounds terrific. I will research all of the options and products to figure out which is the best option.

Then there's the package for 15-30 pound. I can worry about that later instead of getting them now. I think it would be doable.

Thank you so much. I appreciate it so much. If you were here, I'd give you a big hug!!

DH and I talked last night and discussed the money savings part of it. And he said we will definitely try it out. I'm so excited. I just had no idea how we would afford disposables all the time. I honestly believe we will be fine. I know it's not a walk in the park, but come on! There are so many women out there doing this, we will be able to work through it.

you're welcome. bookmark Amy's site. She's great, and great to work with.


~Kana

Kana, we have about two more pounds to go before we've outgrown our current lot of CPF's that my MIL bought us. We do have some other dipes, but not quite enough, and I'm not sure I like them even (MIL got us some home made flannel flat folds that I am sure will be interesting to try). Thanks for posting that site!!!!!!!! I bookmarked it and will search through it later. Hopefully Hubby gets a bonus this year and I can get some!!!!

Thank you from another cash strapped mommy :D

just don't back-burner those cpf's they make great doublers!

can you tell I just LOVE cloth? I am thinking of going to cloth for myself, just haven't made my mind up yet. may start another thread on that one though


~Kana

Kana,

Can you use flannel for wipes, too? If so, does it need to be stitched around the edging to not fray. I'm trying to find the best product to use as a wipe also.

I don't sew at all, but if needed, my grandmother is a seamstress. So, I'll incorporate her help in this area.

Thanks!

you know, I use regular disposable wipes, but if you want to you flannel wipes, a lot of people do, two options you'd have would be to

1.) cut a rectangle of flannel 8.5"x17" and fold in half, making a 8.5x8.5 square. sew two and a half sides together (RSF, right sides facing) turn and finish, then sew an X through the entire thing, as in a straight seam from top right to bottom left, then top left to bottom right :-)

2.) you can also cut the sqaures 8.5x8.5 and serge the edges. I would suggest doing the X here, too, just to make it a little sturdier.

either option is wonderful, I've used both, just don't now.

I alternate between disposable wipes and also a wet nappy liner (a chux) is great for a wipe (and a LOT cheaper).

My sister used to use moistened cotton balls as wipes - also a great and cheap alternative.

My friends mother is a nurse and she always spoke about actively washing the babies bottom with warm water after dirty nappies as this removes the amonia in the urine and completely removes the faecal traces where as wipes leave perfume etc behind which is not so good for bubby's bums (mind, I don't really apply her advice at ALL TIMES - but I often give bubby an extra clean up with a warm moist flannel, just not everytime)

DH was skeptical (and frankly a bit grossed out) about using cloth. Now he wonders why anyone would use disposables. Our main reason for continuing with cloth? CONVENIENCE!

Every time we're around friends who have leaky diapers or mention something about blow-outs, he says, "Why don't people just use cloth?!" We've never ever had a blow out with cloth. When ds was a newborn and again last month on vacation, we tried disposables--4 different brands including the big name brands. Cloth lasts us twice as long and is guaranteed not to leak. (Apparently ds pees A LOT.) We were SO SO thankful that I threw in a duffle bag of cloth diapers for the vacation! Believe me, washing clothes, bedding, and car seat covers is far less convenient than washing diapers.

I think the cost factor is a big selling point (forgive the pun) for husbands. Just give them the cold hard #s--and don't forget to include the $ you make back when you re-sell your used cloth diapers. BTW, my best find so far is Dappi nylon covers--thin, waterproof, feel soft, fit about any body shape, hold up to washings, and very cheap.

I personally don't see how you can have leaks or blowouts or diaper rash with disposables. The only times I've had leaks is when my daughter has slept with her bottom in the air, or when the diapers are getting too small for her. Or if it's just left on for too long.
The same goes for blowouts. It's never happened to us unless she has done a lot of wees and then done the runny poos. Then the diaper starts to sag and the poos can get out the legs. Otherwise it always holds poos in.
I also haven't seen my daughter get diaper rash from disposables either. I think some kids can be allergic to the chemicals in them. But not Abby or Sophie. The times she has had diaper rash have been when she has been teething and had a lot of runny diapers. Or again, if the diaper has been left on for too long eg overnight when she has done a lot of wees or poos.

It just irritates me to hear people blame these things on disposables. Yes, cloth is better for the environment and it saves a ton of money.
But personally, from my experience with using CPFs I had far more leaks and blowouts with those. And you can't leave a CPF on for as long as a disposable so I could see more diaper rashes with those when parents (some) don't change them every 2 hours. My hubbys best friends mother told me about her first granddaughter... how every time she was dropped off to her for the weekend she would have terrible diaper rash from being left in cloth diapers for too long. She would have it all cleared up by the time her granddaughter went home on Sunday night. And the next Friday night she would get her back with the same terrible diaper rash again.
I just cannot see that happening with disposables... you can leave one on for 8 hours overnight and not have any diaper rash. I've been using disposables for 2 1/2 years now so I do know what I'm talking about.
IMO if a child has a really nasty diaper rash and they wear disposables they have either had a lot of runny poos from teething or they have been left in the disposable for far too long, too many times. Also when you put Vaseline or a barrier cream on every time you don't get diaper rash unless as I already said, they've been in the disposable far too long. JMO

I'm not putting cloth diapers down here. I'm just saying there is nothing wrong with disposables (other than the enviromental factors) if you don't mind the cost.
:(

I've had leaks and blowouts with both cloth and disposable. I've wondered if i'm just inexperienced and am not putting them on right, but I make sure there are no gaps on the legs or around the waist. sometimes they leak even when they are not full?? I change her pretty often. What am I doing wrong?? I did find out the fuzzi bunz were partially leaking because I didn't have the outer liner up over the insert and inside liner, so now I make sure it is, but they still leak sometimes... weird

Anyway the worst kind of blowout is when you are 2 hours away from home and it goes UP the back!! UGH yuck I HATE cleaning up those away from home. If i'm home it's a rinse with the sprayer and a bath! lol

Maybe some babies just have more forceful movements or a LOT more pee at once or something LOL

Cheeseburger with the disposables (if you use them) you could try going down a size if you are having leaks/blowouts. Or up a size if you are having leaks all the time. I noticed every time the diapers got too small for Abby they would start leaking. They should be tight around the legs so nothing can come out. If they get really wet they do sag though. But CPFs do the same thing.

Well at first DH wasnt too keen on the cloth and I too hid the disposables except for at night. We are such a super soaker that we usually have to change somewhere around 2am.

I do have a concern about the environment as well as the cost savings. I do use G-diapers ( www.gdiapers.com) for when we go out or out of town. I have heard that some moms use a prefold sometimes instead of the insert with the g's.

Now adays it has just become routine to him to use the cloth dipes.

I dont have any of the flannel wipes I do have some of the Kissaluv wipes that I got off of www.cottonbabies.com they have a lot of loop/fibers on one side to catch the "poo"
I dont uses those too much because I'm waiting on some solution to have on the changing table to wet them to make it more convenient for dh.

Dh is fine with it, but would prefer 'sposies because he is still afraid of poopy cloth diapers. BUT, since we've been having to buy 'sposies for the past 2 months he has an all new appreciation for how much money cloth saves; I kind of forget to mention to him that I'm buying the more expensive environmentally-friendlier diapers :oops:...until we have our washer back and we can go back to cloth.

My DH loves cloth diapers! He even recently bought me a sewing machine so that I could sew diapers! And when I'm menstruating, which I haven't for over a year due to first pregnancy and now breastfeeding, I use reusables myself. Great stuff!

Okay, what about friends and co-workers. How do you reply to them when they find out or know you're using CD. I have a lady here at work telling me to check into WIC so I can get some items free so I can use disposables!!! I couldn't believe it! Money issues aren't the only reason we're going with CD. It's a main reason, but not the only one.

It's hard because they give you this look and comments like you have no idea what you're talking about since you haven't had a kid yet and they have. It's so frustrating sometimes! I hate to mention anything we want to do with our baby because we get this response.

That's why I love the support here at c'moms.

I know what you mean about that cloth thing and people thinking you are nuts. I was told the same thing....

We are not on WIC. Right now, even though money is tight and we do qualify, I do not think we need to go on it. I have no desire to deal with the monthly trips to the WIC office, dealing with getting my iron levels checked constantly, them doing the same thing to my baby, and then getting vouchers for stuff we don't really use. We don't drink juice very often because of the sugar content, we drink water. We do use dried beans, but not in the quantity they like to give you. And, at my weight, they would give us skim or 1% milk. We can't stand either. We go 2%. We don't use formula either, so what is the point? If for some reason we end up having to go on formula, then we will have to go on WIC, but for right now, we are fine. We are eating pretty healthy and I don't need the government to tell me what I should be eating. Sorry, our WIC office here is horrible. I have several horror stories from people on it. I don't mean to offend anyone on it. Just our office here is not good and I would prefer not to deal with it.

Just point out when people think you're nuts how much money you will be saving. Our water bill only increased by three bucks a month after the baby was born. You can also point out how many chemicals are in the disposeables and that you do not want that to get into your baby's system. Then, if people still give you grief, smile, nod, thank them and chuck it. Most people who are adamantly opposed to your parenting choices will not listen to your reasons behind it and it is pointless to stress yourself out over them. Be polite, be nice, and then do what you decide to do. Chances are, your child will be better off.

Keep your chin up. CDing is great. My husband even told a visiting friend the other day that he prefers cloth to disposeables now. We have a pack for emergencies and such and it was laying out very easy to get to, but he went into the other room for the cloth. I was so proud of him.

People who don't use cloth often look at it as a sign of poverty. Apparently such people haven't looked at the prices of AIO's and pocket diapers! LOL. We use all cloth now, including nighttime and trips. If anyone gives me disposables as a gift I will be highly tempted to donate them to the crisis pregnancy center, where they will get better use than at our house.

I simply prefer cloth. DH and I could afford disposables if we wanted them, but we choose not to.

If people act like you're poor when you tell them you CD, you should see the looks I get when they find out I not only use cloth diapers, but cloth menstrual rags as well LOL .... they think I am in dire need of assistance. Heaven forbid we do not add the mountains of trash in our countries and expose ourselves and our children to chemicals!!... LOL.... you can use reusable EVERYTHING though... even hankies, you can make out of soft linen and keep stacks around your house instead of using kleenex and just throw them in with laundry. we do use kleenex though but i am considering switching to cloth since we go through SO MANY during winter... yeesh.

Oh, yes, Nichole I use cloth menstrual pads also and I've gotten some funny reactions to that. :) My cloth pads are very nice and deluxe, thank you very much! [rofl] I purchased some initially off of www.lunapads.com and love them. I sew them now, since it's cheaper to sew than to buy.

i got mine from lunapads too!! I love them they are soooo comfortable!!! :)

Yeah, they are wonderful! Much more comfortable than disposables. More fun too! I love the prints and colors. It's funny though, how using reusable products is so looked down on.

That's cool that you bought them from Lunapads. It is a Canadian company.

I simply prefer cloth. DH and I could afford disposables if we wanted them, but we choose not to.

If people act like you're poor when you tell them you CD, you should see the looks I get when they find out I not only use cloth diapers, but cloth menstrual rags as well LOL .... they think I am in dire need of assistance


yeah, right. I had someone tell me that I should get a job b/c of our using cloth. Ie: if I worked, we could afford "real" diapers. LOL

Brian looked at the guy, and said, "you think so, huh? ask her how much she spend UP FRONT for the cloth? If we could afford that HUGE purchase, I think we could pull $10 a week, if we wanted to." the look on our friends' face was indescribable when i told him I spent over $500 up front. LOL