ALSO- please note the comments! Many are rushing to the defense of all-in-ones and Fuzzi-Bunz! I'm so glad everyone is sharing their experience. My purpose wasn't to be negative on any one diaper, but to highlight my main motivation, which was SAVING MONEY! :) Three of my five cloth diaper friends use Fuzzi-bunz (3 out of 6 if you count Kaitlin who's about to start!) and they LOVE them. There's a cloth diaper for every personality and budget! :)
This is ridiculous ! I'm so happy I cried!! I wanted to cloth diaper before most of my friends were even married! Now I finally, FINALLY have a baby to cloth diaper!!! I'm a MOM!! I have a BABY! My heart wants to explode with love for this baby girl!!!
I'm just so happy I have diapers to change!!!! Thank you, Jesus! THANK YOU!!!!!
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My cloth diapers are (hopefully) coming today!!!
It's also nice to know there will be less trash in land fills (although more water will be used!), and I think this is the prime reason it's so popular today. There are also health benefits for babies. Disposable diapers contain dioxin which can cause multiple problems, including cancer, liver damage and skin disease. Cloth diapers rarely, if ever, cause diaper rash, too! And not only this, but diapers are SO CUTE now!!! They come in all sorts of fun colors and designs!
But again, my primary motivation is saving money.
There are three main types of cloth diapers: all-in-ones, pocket diapers, and covers with inserts or prefolds. Let me break it down from here!
My amazing friend, Claire, who pumped tons of breast milk for Abigail, also let me borrow some extra small Fuzzi-Bunz. They were ADORABLE!!!!! I loved using the perfect size diaper for this small age. But I thought it was a pain to have to stuff them and they leaked more than once on me. I was AGHAST at the price of the detergent they required. Yet they were so easy to use and cute, that when it came down to it, I almost splurged and bought them!
Then my friend Katie entered the scene! Katie decided to experiment with a trial run of cloth diapers. She was not interested, but wanted to be able to say she'd tried it. She ended up loving the cheap option! She let me borrow a Flip cover with two pre-folds and I loved it, too! NO LEAKING. EVER! And you don't need the expensive detergent.
My friend Stephanie is a diaper expert. She even teaches diaper classes!!! She was incredibly generous and sent me an entire box of assorted diapers to try. But in the end, I went with my original motivation and bought the cheap ones! And I can hardly wait for the UPS truck to drive up tomorrow!!
For $92 I bought:
- 3 Flip covers- one hot pink and two neutral
- 1 Econobum cover- white with pink trim
- 18 prefolds (Econobum- 13 by 15 inches)
- 2 hemp inserts (Hemp holds more liquid and are good for over-night diapers)
- 12 flannel baby wipes (to go with the 12 my aunt made for me!!!)
NINETY TWO DOLLARS!!!! And I can use these diapers for more kids to come!!! I'm in economic heaven. :)
28 comments:
I really like the cloth diapers, too. They are awesome.
WOW! Those are some serious savings. We opted for the BumGenius because Snicks isn't so sure about changing them. I figured that they are most similar to the disposables he is used to changing. I had NO idea that prefolds were so inexpensive. Maybe I would have reconsidered... Have fun and happy diapering.
I hope you like them!
I was on the cloth bandwagon for Miriam...prefolds, Bummi super whisper wraps, snappi's, Motherease wool soakers...
and a month later, I sold the lot on e-Bay.
Happy diapering!
We've used prefolds for our 3kids. While the original ones did eventually wear out and we bought new ones, we have still saved TONS of money. I think we've only spent a total of about $300 or so diapering all three of 'em. I think the comment I get the most from non-cloth-diapering moms is that it seems "gross" to wash out the messy ones. Truthfully....it's my kids' poo, so it hasn't bothered me. Now...washing out someone else's kid's poo might. All that being said, I applaud you for doing it.
That's great! My husband was all for the all-in-ones, so that's what we're going with, despite the cost. I have to confess, I thought it sounded easier, too! However, we did get two Flip diapers and they seem pretty easy!
You might need a few extra covers! Oh I still have to respond to you about wool covers! Remind me next week when We're back in town....
I'm planning on using prefold, and I know I'll do fine since that's what the little boy I nanny for wears. I've never used the Flip cover, just the Thirsties. Were did you buy it from?
So exciting! :) I hope to cloth diaper someday, but I am absolutely clueless about it, so this is really helpful!
Thanks for including that chart! Currently we use Target generic disposables, and we love them. I have considered cloth diapers, but never bit the bullet. At the moment, we have hard water which I have heard is bad for cloth diapers so I don't even think cloth is even an option until we invest in a water softener.
I'm excited to see what you think of them!
The money savings would be nice...
This is helpful. I have always wanted to cloth diaper and my dh and mother have discouraged me. I do have a good friend who loves it, but my fear is to invest the money and chicken out making it cost me more than the disposables already do. This was interesting about the hard water and expensive detergent. That was news to me. We have VERY hard water and I am bummed about the detergent and middle option leaking. I heard the snap bum genius (but not all in ones-the kind you stuff) are awesome. But I think the hard water stops me in my tracks. Everyone I know loves the Tar.get brand disposables,
From what I've gathered (online and from cloth diapering friends) you DO NOT have to use expensive detergent when washing the all-in-ones. One of the recommended brands is All Free and Clear-which is what we use anyway!
I just finished off my stash and cannot wait to get my baby's little bootie in them!
Maria- I should have noted that! If you don't like them, you can sell them back! They hold their value!
That Married Couple- if the hubs goes for an all-in-one, that's fabulous!!! My husband didn't care, and I sold him on the price! :)
Beth- if I do, it's easy enough to fix! :) I wanted to see if I liked the econobum covers which are CHEAP!!!
Mrs. Blondie- I got mine from Cotton Babies. Great website!
Yes I have heard hard water is a pain....but it's not too hard to strip diapers if they get clogged. They recommend doing it every once in a while.
Kailtin- I can't vouch for the all-in-ones, but it was a MUST with the Fuzzi Bunz. Any thing else would clog the insert and fleece. I had to strip them a couple of times and I was using the expensive stuff! I can't wait for your little baby's booty to go in those diapers either!! :)
Having watched my sister transition from disposable to cloth, I too am a fan of cloth diapers yet I have no children to put them in yet lol. :) I noticed as an Auntie... they save money, reduce the smell when the child is wearing them (yay!) and absorb/hold more. We went on a long distance road trip where we temporarily used disposable for the 12-hour car ride. My poor niece ended up with poo ALL over her because we forgot that that the disposables held less/didn't last as long as the cloth. That was our fault -- I am not saying disposables don't get the job done, we just forgot how different they were and timed it all wrong!
So congrats on the new diapers! :)
Oh one last note... my sis has hard water, and she is not bothered by stripping them occasionally.
I've been '"lurking" on your blog for awhile through the Catholic IF grapevine, but wanted to comment here and say good luck with cloth diapering! We love it and have never regretted it. We have a combo stash of BumGenius AIO, Flips, other prefold/covers, and a few other pocket diapers. I like them all for different reasons, but I'd echo a previous poster to say you may want a few more covers - 4-6 at least.
Also, for anyone with hard water (like we have!) Rockin' Green "Hard Rock" is the BEST detergent out there! Works so well, very economical (you only use 2-3 tablespoons on the hot wash, nothing on the 1st cold cycle!) and I never have to strip diapers anymore! A real lifesaver :)
Wow, that's a good chart. I didn't cloth diaper with DD, but I have a friend who is CDing with her son and she is loving it. I had no idea about the detergent being different for the different types of diapers either. You go girl! That's great savings!
I love all this information for inquiring moms! I loved the Fuzzi Bunz and wish I would have bought cloth diapers with my first so I could have got more cost savings out of them. They were still a really money saver (twins=double diapers!) and I felt good that their skin could "breath" when they wore them.
I have to say though the detergent for the Fuzzi Bunz is no more than your average detergent. Yes, it is much more expensive PER OZ, however, because it's natural with no fillers, fragrance, etc, you actually use so much less per wash. Which means, price-per-wash is about the same. Now, if you make your own detergent... that's a different story.
Always a fun read!
This might be a helpful link for some?
http://www.kellyscloset.com/Cloth-Diaper-Information_ep_34-1.html#washing
I love our FLIPS! They are the best. I do like the Stay-Dry incerts better than the pre-fold incerts with them.
We use Rockin Green - Hard Rock. It isn't that expensive and it works really well.
good luck with the diapers.
I have been using the same 51 ounce bottle of Ecover detergent ($6 or $7) on Fuzzi Bunz for over 3 months now and still have a good bit left. I wash every other day, so the most I'm spending on detergent per wash is... $0.15? And I've never had to strip them, and they have never leaked. Granted, we've had 2 messy blowouts that almost came out the side, but that's part of starting solids, and we had a few nights of damp tummies when H started sleeping all the way through the night and before I used hemp inserts every night.
My take is that the FB are ridiculously easy to clean, use, and teach others how to use. And they're cute. :)
So glad for all the opinions, girls!!!! Thank you for sharing your experiences! There's a perfect cloth diaper for everyone! :)
Gotta love capitalism which gives us choices!!! :)
My diapers haven't come yet. I keep watching for that brown truck to get here!
Forgot to add... you CAN use any of the free-and-clear detergents on FB, by the way.
Tide Free and Arm and Hammer Free are the ones FB recommends on their website. I just use Ecover because it's a bit more environmentally friendly and I'm willing to pay a tiny bit more for that. It's plant-based and safe for septic systems.
I know you have found the perfect ones for you, but I have to share my deal on cloth diapers with you!!
I bought 28 diapers that fit from 7-35 lbs. They are pocket diaper and came with 40 inserts. I love them. I spent a grand total (including shipping) of $140! I got pink, purple and white, but they also have lots of boy colors too. They are Sunbaby from ebay!
I wash them with normal free and clear detergent and they come out amazing every time!
SUCH A HUGE MONEY SAVER FOR ME!!
I am CRACKING up at your excitement! Partially because I, too, was so excited when I got mine (shoppers high, or something)! Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!
Your update makes me smile! :)
I love your perspective on diaper changes! I'm praying for the same grateful heart in 6 months or so when I'm up to my eyeballs in baby poop! Sweet baby, though! :)
We love cloth diapers! I have a stash of different covers and pre-folds that work well, but I also got a big batch of hand-me-down Fuzzi Buns and have never used special detergent on them. We've used them for almost a year now and I strip them monthly, but that's it. I make my own detergent and use a mix of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, Borax and Dawn Free and Clear. Works like a charm!
Thanks for the note, LW3B! I made my own detergent last march- but it wasn't as cheap as I expected (b/c I always use more than recommended!) and I didn't feel like it got my clothes smelling fresh. BUT I used ivory soap instead of dawn free and clear. (This also leaves a residue- not a fan!) I'll have tot ry it your way! THANKS!
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