cloth diapering

[SuzySunshine]

Jenn - you've got to be kidding. There is NO diaper service in Johnson County? Wow! Then again this is the same county that doesn't require recycling.

[Cumberland]

Hey what about good old Suwannee?

I agree that unless you are committed you are not going to follow through. It is not hard at all, just an extra laundry load or two. You still have to wipe poopy butt no matter what. We never even considered a diaper service bc they dont have one here. But also, the diaper services use a lot of chemicals and energy which some equate to just as bad for the enviro as sposies.

I mostly use All in Ones mostly, and some fitted diapers as well. You just have to find your own system so I would encourage you to read up on it and not invest too much in any one kind.

[Flynn]

If you do a diaper service check how THEY wash them/treat/sanatize/etc.

When DD was in utero I reasearched two companies (granted this was over four years ago) and the process of washing was JUST as harmful to the environment as disposable diapers. I realize this might just be the companies I reasearched though. We weren't going from a cost perspective but an environmental one.

I'm sure a lot has changed in almost five years.

[fluffhead]

I agree with Flynn that you should check out the processes of the service for use of harmful disinfectants dyes bleaches perfumes etc. We've been fortunate in finding services that use pretty benign methods, and to be truthful, the temperatures they're able to achieve with their industrial washers are so much higher than those you'd use at home, that they can do without much bleach or other nasty stuff.
I'm not really sure how to justify this statement though -

the process of washing was JUST as harmful to the environment as disposable diapers.

The water used in washing diapers by a service, or the effluent, is sent to a sewage treatment plant, just like the effluent from your own washing machine. Though it's preferable not to use the chemicals in the first place, most chemicals will be removed by the sewage treatment process, and either converted to harmless end products, composted, or disposed of in a safe manner. (phosphates may be a problem, but these are a problem with home detergents as well).
I can't see how disposing of raw sewage in a landfill and possible contaminating surface and ground water with coliform organisms (aside from the bulk of the diaper taking up space) would be just as harmful as sending washwater to a treatment plant.

(I hope I'm not coming off as attacking you, Flynn, I just want to understand where you're coming from)

[samssugarmomma]

We cloth as well.

We used prefolds with bummi soft whiper wraps and prowrap covers for the first few months. Once DD was more mobile, we switched to fuzzi bunz (http://www.fuzzibunz.com/) which are a pocket diaper. They are the same idea as the BumGenius that Michele posted - just a different brand.

I bought my prefolds from http://www.nopins4baby.com. I think they had the cheapest price when I was looking 2 years ago. I got most of my bummis and prowraps new from ebay. We get the fuzzi bunz (new) on ebay and from nopins4baby or from fuzzinbunzworld.com. Most sites will offer a discount if you buy more than a dozen.

We used to wash every 2-3 days but now that DD is older and is in daycare full time 5 days a week (and they won't use cloth), she only wears cloth at home at night and on the weekends so I wash once a week. When I was a SAHP last summer, I washed twice a week.

As far as the washing adding cost that would make the cloth diapers equal in price to disposables, I used a calculator (I think from diaperpin.com) and even with washing 3 times a week, the lifetime cloth / disposable cost difference was still over $700 dollars in savings for us. And that was just for one kid.

I love that no matter how many more kids I have - I NEVER have to buy diapers again (except for daycare)!!! I am going to buy some more for this one - because I want to try a few more brands that I didn't get to try with DD1 (like kissaluvs and happy heiny), not because I HAVE to! And when we are done with them, we can resell them. We are hoping to be blessed with 4 so I'm not sure how much$ we'll get...but I'm sure we can get something.

[Flynn]

I agree with Flynn that you should check out the processes of the service for use of harmful disinfectants dyes bleaches perfumes etc. We've been fortunate in finding services that use pretty benign methods, and to be truthful, the temperatures they're able to achieve with their industrial washers are so much higher than those you'd use at home, that they can do without much bleach or other nasty stuff.
I'm not really sure how to justify this statement though -

the process of washing was JUST as harmful to the environment as disposable diapers.

The water used in washing diapers by a service, or the effluent, is sent to a sewage treatment plant, just like the effluent from your own washing machine. Though it's preferable not to use the chemicals in the first place, most chemicals will be removed by the sewage treatment process, and either converted to harmless end products, composted, or disposed of in a safe manner. (phosphates may be a problem, but these are a problem with home detergents as well).
I can't see how disposing of raw sewage in a landfill and possible contaminating surface and ground water with coliform organisms (aside from the bulk of the diaper taking up space) would be just as harmful as sending washwater to a treatment plant.

(I hope I'm not coming off as attacking you, Flynn, I just want to understand where you're coming from)

I reasearched this OVER four years ago and mostly it had to do with #1 the amount of water used to regularly wash the diapers and #2 yes, the chemicals(some companies use bleach -- yes, bleach), #3 the electricity/gas used to heat the water (a lot apparently), and #4, gas used to deliver the diapers (I reasearched the service) in gas guzzling trucks -- if you add all this up, it's just as harmful to the environment as using disposable diapers. Essentially this was the argument.

I really wish I could find the article (I LOOKED). SOME diaper companies are much better about those four reasons than others -- so again, this argument is outdated in (hopefully most) areas.

The two diaper services I researched almost 5 years ago weren't doing diddly to think about the environment and we weren't in a position to use the cloth diapers from the one BIO- friendly company I found.

That's the gist of it.

[SuzySunshine]

So how many diapers do you need? I suppose it depends on how often you're washing. But I think someone said they had way more then they need...

[Cumberland]

I would buy just a couple, and an assortment to try out. Then when you figure out what you like, you can buy more. I would say start out with a dozen chinese prefolds and two covers, and maybe one or two more other kinds that strike your fancy. Then once little sweetie is here, you can buy more.

Case in point: my sister fully stocked up on the CDs and was so thrown for a loop with sleep deprivation that she has yet to use them on her 10 week old.

( note: DO NOT buy gerber brand or anything from walmart or target-they are meant for burp cloths only and will not absorb much at all)

[fluffhead]

I agree - you might even want to wait a few weeks until you have your act together with the baby before trying cloth.

[fluffhead]

Thanks Flynn...
I'm not sure about the article, but Proctor and Gamble (the makers of Pampers) commissioned a study several years ago, resulting in an article showing how disposables were less environmentally harmful than cloth. The study was widely criticized as being biased and flawed (though a similar study was commissioned by the association of diaper services, showing the opposite results, surprise surprise ).
Anyway, draw your own conclusions - no solution in benign, unless you're composting your baby's poop and using it to fertilize your begonias (DW's one precondition to our marriage was "no composting toilets!!!!" - I still think about surprising her with one for an anniversary gag)
But after much thought about the issue on my part, I concluded that for us, diaper service was the most efficient, least harmful way to go.

[samssugarmomma]

We started CDing after the meconium had passed. We had 2 dozen prefolds and five or six covers for 0-3 months. I think the same number for 6-9 months. After 9ish months, we switched to fuzzi bunz. I think we had about 2 dozen fuzzi bunz for each size - 2 dozen medium and now 2 dozen large.

For the summer, we have 2 swim diapers which seems to be plenty.

Cheri - we are getting ready to set up our nursery and I can double check if you want. I've stored all of our outgrown diapers in one storage bin and I'm getting ready to get them out anyway. I might have put together some numbers on how much we've spent on cloth diapers for my sister. I can probably dig that out for you as well if you want them.

I second not using the Gerber cloth diapers. We use those for burp cloths only.

You can get sample packages / assortment packages from some of the online cloth diapering websites and that can help you figure out what works best for your baby. I think we got our sample package from nopins4baby.

Well, this is the one and only diaper service in KS.

http://www.expressdiapers.com/index.html

I talked to them yesterday and it appears I'm right on the edge of their service area, so they will probably be able to accomodate me (if I go that way).

They're a small family business that has a commercial washer / dryer system and some kind of sanitary certification (they also do the washing for various baby items for one of the local hospitals). My guess is the chemicals / more damaging arguement wouldn't be applicable to this one since it's not some sort of processing plant or the like.

My main concern is that it seems I'd only have one kind of diaper to choose from, and many of you cloth diaper proponents have stressed the need to try a few different kinds and find what works for you.

Do any of you have any other thoughts after looking at their website (if you have a moment)?

Thanks.

[Gwendolyn]

I too have tossed around cloth diapers. Do you continue to use them after they turn a year old? If not what do you do? Any concerns about diaper rash more so than disposables? For those who have crossed over, does this affect potty training positively or negatively?

I have really enjoyed reading the discussion.

[Momo]

I too have tossed around cloth diapers. Do you continue to use them after they turn a year old? If not what do you do? Any concerns about diaper rash more so than disposables? For those who have crossed over, does this affect potty training positively or negatively?

I have really enjoyed reading the discussion.

I'm considering switching for #4.
Spotty I might just give you a ring...when and if I find a quiet momment!

[fluffhead]

I too have tossed around cloth diapers.

Just be careful not to toss them too high - they might stick to the ceiling.
(hey I can't find the puking smiley!)