Today i was asked about cloth diapers and so this made me want to do a blog about them. I love cloth diapering my baby and with all the choices out there it can be a bit over whelming to choose the right one. If you are new to cloth diapering and have the money to do so you can buy sample packages of diapers (these give you a little of everything to try) to help you decide which ones to buy. If you can't do that you can search varies blogs and review sites for others opinions. I have done a lot of searching and I do have my own opinions on which ones might be good. For me I have pretty much stuck with the Prefolds and covers. When I first started cloth diapering I bought the Gerber prefolds and flats and asked my mom and checked a few websites to learn how to use them. I also bought the Gerber covers to used with them. As my baby got older I discovered a whole new world of diaper. Though they were quit expensive so I just ordered a better type of prefold and covers. So when it was time to diaper a new baby ( i didn't keep any of the gerber prefolds) I once again searched the web and was happy to see that they now had one size diapers and diaper covers. I was too afraid however to venture too far from what i was familiar with and the fact that certain detergents can't be used with some cloth diapers I decided to stick with prefolds and covers. Because with my first cloth diapered child I didn't buy any particular detergent and I did just fine. I did buy some Flip diapers though for the diaper bag cause they take up less space. And I love them!!!! They are quick and easy to use and affordable. They are made by the same company that makes Bumgenius diapers which I have heard (or more like read) a lot of great things about. The Flip diaper Day pack comes with two one size covers and six stay dry pads (or inserts). When baby wets all you have to do is change the insert and use the cover over again. When you start out it is suggested to have at least 18-36 diapers for full cloth diapering (it mostly depends on how much you baby pees and poos and how often you wanna wash). The more diapers you have the longer you can go without washing though most sites suggest not to go over 3 days or so. So if you order two or three Flip day packs at about $50 dollars each you can have a full stash for $150 to $200 dollars. There are a lot of wonderful sites for ordering cloth diapers. The kind you get will depend on your budget and how much convinence you want. If money is no object and you want convience I would suggest an AIO diaper. Although I have not used them myself, from what I seen in reviews AIO's seem to be the favorite for convinence because you just put it on the same way you would a disposible, the only thing is you can wash the All In One diaper. The second is Pocket diapers these are similar to all in ones in the fact that you don't have to use a diaper cover but these come with "inserts" that you put in a pocket that is built into the diaper. Third place to me for convinence are diapers like the Flip diaper and the G diaper where you can use the cover over and over again. And the best thing is all these choices come in One Size options so instead of buying them in each size you can just buy one that grows with your baby. So again these are my opinions and they are pretty much based on what I have read on others reviews of the products except the Flip diapers that I have actually used. So now I'm going to list some diapers that I think are good choices so that you can check them out.
AIO's: Bumgenius
Pocket Diapers: Bumgenius, Fuzzibuns, Smartipants (these are very affordable)
Others: Flip diapers, Econobums,G diapers, GroVia
There are also Fitted Diapers (these are diapers you don't have to fold but you do have to put a cover over)
Like I said there are sooooo many options far too many for me to list and explain. :)
And also I have not used them all so I can only give my opinion based on what I have seen in reviews and product sites.
If I could buy any cloth diaper without worry of cost I'd love to get the Fuzzibuns because they have a onesize pocket diaper that allows you to adjust the waist and legs of the diapers. If only I had went to that site before ordering my prefolds.
I think the cheapest option is prefolds I found a package for around $150 were you get 3 dozen infant 4x8x4 prefolds,2 dozen premium 4x8x4 prefolds,8 Bummis Super Whisper Wraps (4 small, 4 medium)and a roll of Bioflush Disposable Liners. They have other options you can add to it with additional costs. And the good thing is most sites offer free shipping for orders over a certain amount. The cheapest and most convinent in my opinion is the Flip diaper. I use them and the stay dry inserts do stay dry. Most affordable pocket diaper in my opinion is the Smartipants. I want me some of those!
Oh and there is something they call mini showers that you attach to your toliet for rinsing diapers. I love it! I wish I had one for the first time because dunking in the toliet was no fun and spraying them with the water hose was no fun either. So I would suggest getting that. Most are around $45 dollars.
For a diaper pail I just use a regular garbage can with a flip top.
Instead of buying cloth wipes I just bought packages of baby wash cloths and use those.
Here are some sites I like to go to:
http://www.cottonbabies.com
www.clothdiaper.com
http://www.kellyscloset.com
http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com
http://www.diaperjunction.com
http://thegreennursery.com
http://www.smartipants.com
http://www.bumgenius.com
http://www.fuzzibunz.com
http://www.flipdiapers.com
http://www.econobum.com
Just to name a few. Hope this helps someone out. :) By the way I must say that only you can decide which diapers are best for you.
