Parents of wee ones; anyone use cloth diapers? I started using cloth diapers out of a desire to save money, and I ended up loving them so much more than disposables. Anyone else here use cloth diapers? I started when Emily was 2 months. Jacob was almost 2 at the time, and I switched him over as well. He learned to use the potty quickly after that.
a lot of people here use cloth diapers and there are lots of threads about it. but this is not a place for advertizing.
Oh fun, I'll have to look for those threads. I wasn't advertising, just looking to chat with other mommies that use cloth diapers. I reworded the first post in case it seemed like advertising, but honestly, I just love doing it, and was wondering if anyone else here does. Looking for common ground and conversation; that's all.
I love cloth! I prefer fitteds + covers, but also have some AIOs and pockets. I purchased a large stash of newborn and smalls, but my mediums and larges were made by me. My youngest is three weeks old today and DH hasn't reconnected the diaper sprayer yet, so I'm still using 'sposies for the moment. But my diapers are out and read, so as soon as he connects the sprayer I can start using them again. I can't stand 'sposies.
weeeeee, another cloth-diaperer Congratulations on your new one! I use prefolds and fitteds with wool covers. I took a sposie break a few weeks ago just because I had a houseful of guests and couldn't keep up with the laundry, lol I'm new to sewing; did you develop your own pattern for the fitteds, or did you buy a pattern? I'd love to give this a try! Is it terribly difficult?? I'm deathly afraid to try a diaper sprayer. I have visions of the kids getting ahold of it... and... well... disaster would soon ensue, I'm sure!
I used the free pattern from Ottober Design found here. I adapted it a little in that I didn't want the zig zag stitch around the edge so I did it more like you would a pillow (sewing right sides together then turning it right-side-out and closing the hole). I did have to play with the length of the elastic as the length they called for didn't really end up tight enough. I only used this pattern as it was the only free one I could find when I was looking to start making them. I'll likely try something different when I make more this time around (to replace the few I have that aren't in great shape anyore). I didn't think it was hard at all, but I have been sewing a while, so I don't have an accurate idea of how easy/hard it would be for a beginner. You could always have a more proficient seamstress help you with the first one just to see. Oh, and I used mostly materials I had laying around. I used stained baby blankets and flannel shirts for the outer layer and some of them worked for the inner. I used DH's 'old' T-Shirts (not threadbare) for the inners. I used old holey towels for the soaker layers. I found an ugly twin-sized flannel sheet at a thrift store and used that for soaker layers, too. I totally did it on the cheap. I just had to buy a lot of elastic and velcro/touch tape. I found a few diaper making suppliers online. Those were nice because you use waaaaaay more of the loop side of the velcro than the hook side. Those websites sell the sides seperately so you aren't left with yards of hook side with nothing to do with it. I have a tiny bathroom right off my laundry room. It's perfect for the sprayer and to house the diaper bucket. And my boys never go back there. They have decided there's nothing worth getting into back there. And they'd have to go through the kitchen to get to it and I tend to discourage them from being in the kitchen. That being said, you can install the sprayer with a shut off valve. DH made ours using directions he found online and took a suggestion made in the comments to add the additional valve. It serves a lot of purposes, but the best is that you can shut off the water to the sprayer if you need to. We just use it to regulate the water pressure, but off is an option.
Oh, I meant to add another link to the site that lists some directions found online (free) to making diapers. You can find that site here.
I also cloth diapered and loved it. At one point I had three in cloth diapers. I thought they were very easy and cheap. I used the prefolds. I stopped using them about a year ago because the twins just flatly refused to have them on once they could walk and run etc. After that they found them too bulky. Having said that, using cloth diapers, for us, was no help in potty training. My oldest dd for some unknown reason would have been perfectly happy to stay in a dirty diaper all day (not that I let her of course). She hated being changed and potty training took a long long long time . Katrina.
Amie, thank you so much for that info!! Maybe I'll work up the courage to give it a go! Katrina, my son hated the feeling of wet cloth, so he learned to use the potty QUICK!! My daughter doesn't seem to mind a wet diaper either. She just turned 2, and I'm going to start working with her soon. We'll see what happens. I'm hoping she learns quickly too!
I cloth diaper my baby! It started out as a solution to constant irritation due to my children being allergic to 'sposies, but now I LOVE IT! I use mostly prefolds and covers, but I have some pockets that I made and love so I think I'll make some more of them soon. I used old flannel sheets, blankets, and shirts to make my diapers and it saved me TONS of money. So far I have spent about 80.00 on my son's diaper stash including covers...he's now six months old and I figure that by now I'd have spent about 150.00 - 200.00 on 'sposies for him so I've saved quite a bit, and it'll just keep adding up as time goes on.
Birbitt, that is so awesome!! Way to go, you crafty mamas, sewing your little ones' diapers. That is so sweet. I really need to give it a whirl. I think I spent about $200 on my initial stash with all the trimmings. We've saved quite a bit using cloth as well. I love that!
I use cloth with my 11 month old and have from birth. I use fitteds with covers for naps but I use pocket diapers during the day which consist of fuzzi bunz, bum genius and ones I made. I actually like the ones I made better than the name brand ones. They hold everythign in so well and I never have leaks (unless I leave her in them too long). I use a sposie at night because I haven't found any cloth that works through the night with my dd. I used CD on my now 4 yo and she hated the wet feeling so on her 2nd birthday she went to the bathroom and never wore diapers again! It was a wonderful surprise since she potty trained herself and I thought she would be in diapers until she was at least 3 since my other 3 kids wore sposies and potty trained after they were 3.
