[treeswarper]

Good grief! How about the no diaper fad? I'd rather have babies running around in diapers and I don't care whether they are disposable (except when I have to pick up the disposed diapers in the woods ) or washable or what. Just so the baby isn't in discomfort! Isn't that the important thing here?

[Riverside Laker]

We used cloth diapers and washed them ourselves. Really it's no big deal. Put the soiled diapers in a pail full of water (of course, you drop off any "loads" in the toilet). When it gets full (takes a couple days or so), dump in wash and they come out great. Dry them and dump them in a bin for next time. Total time commitment is minimal. The diaper service just folds them, so if you don't bother with that you save most of the time. We used them for day trips. Just take the pail in the car. It has a lid, so you don't smell a thing. On overnight trips we used disposables. (Not talking about backpacking "trips", just regular trips.)

[Bryan K]

[AOW]

How about http://www.gdiapers.com/ ?

[sarbar]

[MtnGoat]

Not a crime. We use disposables, but whatever floats your boat! The thing I like about the disposables is that magic chemical inside them keeps baby dry even if the diaper isn't. Pretty nice.

[ActionBetty]

I hope you have lots of energy. I did the cloth diaper like Al signor..no diaper service..bought, washed, dryed and threw away all my own. It lasted about 6 months till my babysitter had had enough and put him in disposables. Have lots of changes of clothes around..they are no way near as secure for leaks as disposables. Be prepared to change diapers alot..as soon as they go to the bathroom..you have to change.. Disposables were much easier for me in the long run , for I was a single mom and worked full time. Do what you need to do..no need for justification to anyone but yourself.

[AOW]

I just realized that GLHG didn't have any kids yet but she's calling those who use disposables "lazy". That's the crime.

[touron]

She called herself lazy also, which is probably also a crime, especially if you are thinking of calling yourself lazy, but then put it off for an hour, or two, or three or....

[LittleHikerMom]

Oh hurray, half this thread is supportive praise. lol. I'll take the supportive half. I'm not going to be washing the diapers myself. The diaper service is. That's what diaper services do.

[sarbar]

Why not do them yourself though? Then you could use better detergents and as well hang them outside on sunny days!

[bobbi]

i have a picture somewhere of diapers hanging on the line to dry. it was the last wash/dry! yeah, daughter #2 was using the toilet. no more diapers/disposables! it was a day of celebration on one hand but also sadness that my daughters were 'growing up'.

[LittleHikerMom]

I don't really have a place to hang them outside. lol. I have a yard I share with the upstairs neighbors but it's on the side of the house and it's rather inconvenient to go out there. No part of it is really mine. I'd rather just dry them in the dryer if I did that. But for the beginning I think i'll just use the diaper service. If I decide washing isn't so bad, I'll switch to washing. Besides, my landlord pays the water bill. lol. (could be cheaper)

[Hiker Mama]

I didn't see this thread until just now. I didn't know you were thinking about using cloth diapers! I could have brought you a few of mine to show you some different things. I love my cloth diapers. Things have changed a lot in the cloth diapering world in the past 10 years or so. New fabrics, new designs, you could go crazy trying to figure out the perfect system. I wash my own diapers. I use premium quality prefolds and inexpensive waterproof covers (ProWraps). It's about the cheapest way to go. Most people also don't use pins any more, they use "Snappis", which are the coolest things. There's a good website called jamtots.com that has all the CD stuff you could want. It's not that hard to wash your own. You're doing so much laundry anyway, what's another load or two a week? You don't even have to fold them if you don't want to. I did use a service for the first month after Annika was born, due to my c-section and it was OK, but they use an awful lot of water and bleach. I don't bleach my diapers - it leaves a residue on the fabric that can give a rash. I use inexpensive fleece liners that I made from a cheap piece of fleece - just cut out a rectangle. They go in between the diaper and the baby's bum. Then when they poo, you can dump it in the toilet more easily. Almost no one from the forums where I got my cloth diaper info uses a wet pail to soak them in. Instead, many people use a covered pail and soak them in the washer for awhile before washing them. I can give you more complete washing instructions if you ever decide to go that route. It beats paying $70 a month to a service, tho if you are at home alone, it may be worth it to you to get whatever help you can get. I have found with both my kids that once they were past the skinny infant stage when their legs didn't fill the diaper, I've had less blowouts with cloth than with disposables. I have also had less rash problems; the chemicals in the disposable gel make their skin red. I do use disposables at night and when travelling and hiking, or when they go to the sitter, or if I'm sick or just need a break. But it's not that much of a break, really, you still have to change diapers and do laundry no matter what. Many of my friends think I'm crazy for using cloth, but I really like them. Once both my kids have gotten old enough to express themselves, they have both said that they find the cloth more comfortable and less scratchy. Cloth is supposed to be a bit easier to potty train with, since the tots can feel when they are wet, but my son seemed to be the exception to that rule ; daughter isn't there yet. Yes, there are drawbacks to whatever method you use. No mom has time to be lazy, so don't even worry about that part of it. Disposables are easier in some respects. There is a definite learning curve with cloth that some people get frustrated with. You have to surround yourself with people that know what they are doing to help you through those rough patches. I do feel better knowing we are putting less waste into the environment, and I am exposing my kids to fewer toxic chemicals. We have saved a ton of money; I'm still on the same diapers we used for Gabriel, tho some are getting kind of ratty. Once you get your supply bought, you don't have to invest in much more. I hope this all makes sense. I would be happy to answer any other questions you might have, especially as the time gets closer. I say, go for it, expect there to be some challenges to the plan, and have some disposables on hand, too. Don't be too hard on yourself if you can't stick to the perfect plan. Those first months are super hard no matter what kind of diaper the kid is in. Cloth vs. disposables and the health of the environment will be the least of your worries. Every parent gets peed and pooped on and spit up on and thrown up on and everything else, so you just have to expect it and laugh when it happens. Whatever you choose, love your baby like there's no tomorrow, that's what matters most.

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