How To Start With Cloth Diapers

If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now

Cloth Diapering Bloggers has asked "What I Wish I Knew." So I am here to tell you what it is that I wish I knew when I started using cloth diapers. And in truth, there is so much to know that my guess is that no matter how much I did know, there still would have been some things that I didn't. But, anyway, here goes...

When I switched to cloth diapers I decided that I wanted to get out of it as cheaply as possible. So I thought that my best bet was to stick with prefolds and covers. I bought 24 prefolds and three covers. (Quick note - since the store I bought all my stuff at is no longer in business and I usually shop at Kelly's Closet now I am using the figures from their site). For 24 prefolds it cost $60 and the 3 covers were Thirsties covers so they cost $33.75. I quickly learned that three covers were not enough. So, I hit diaperswappers for 3 more diaper covers and was able to get them for $24. So, for $117.75 I had all the diapers I needed for the forseeable future. Now, of course I knew I would eventually need to buy a bigger size and, at that time, I was too scared to use cloth overnight so I was still using disposables for that. But I felt all set. And I was for the next three months or so.

Then I decided I wanted to try cloth at night (our disposables were leaking at night and I was honestly just sick of them). So, I looked into using the prefolds at night and ,even though I knew some people use them with great success overnight, I did not have much confidence. I started to look into the other options out there. I ended up using a really great deal to get myself 3 Bum Genius One Size diapers for under $30 (normally they are $17.95 a piece). I loved them, they worked great and as long as I did laundry every three days, I was all set again. Okay, so now my total was $145. Okay, okay - but no more disposables.

But then Big Sister outgrew her prefolds. Okay, I knew this would happen. Time to buy the bigger size. No biggie. I need 6 new covers and this time I am going to get 36 prefolds because I think Big Sister and Little Sister might fit into these diapers at the same time. So, that comes to $67.50 for the covers and $120 for the prefolds. Now we are at $332.50. Not bad really and I have all the small ones saved for Little Sister. Only problem is the jump in size from baby to toddler prefolds is enormous and I hate the way they fit on her. I try them every which way and every fold I can find but nothing seems right. I hate them. I am frustrated. Hubby suggests going back to sposies but I refuse. I return everything. I do not want them (okay not everything - I kept the 3 prefolds and 1 cover she wore and sold them on diaperswappers).

I now know I really like the Bum Genius and that they are One Size diapers so I move right into One Size pockets and I am thrilled. I have never looked back. I have acquired a few sized diapers since then through giveaways or reviews but I honestly will not buy sized diapers again. They feel like a waste of money. There is nothing wrong with any of them - they fit well and are just as easy and cute as the One Size, but I know I will eventually need to replace them for a bigger size.

In the end that original $117.75 feels like such a waste to me. Not that Little Sister can't wear them, but she won't need to. I will have to do laundry more often even if I have enough diapers to diaper them both for 3 to 4 days because they will not all fit in my bag. So, if I had bought the One Size from the start I could have saved that money. I did end up with about 30 One Size diapers that will be perfect for both girls. The cost on that is $508.50.

But, of course, you can do other things like buy from diaperswappers. And I did. And while I love diaperswappers I sort of regret some of the purchases I made from them. See, the better the deal you are getting the more worn the diaper is. And people are very upfront about that. It is not a matter of getting duped but I just did not really think about how I wanted these diapers to last through two children. So, I have a few that work great right now. They are in excellent condition and I got for really cheap, but I have my doubts as to whether they will still be in good shape the entire time Little Sister is in diapers.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go for all One Size diapers. If you like variety in your stash (or just in life) you can get AIOs, fitteds, covers and pockets in One Size options. All, I feel, are better than going with sized diapers that need to be replaced. I would buy everything new so that I could take care of them in the way I like them taken care of (I have a post coming next week about the way I take care of them) and so that I could get the optimal life expectancy out of them. And I would skip prefolds all together. While I did like them and they worked ,I found that in the end I did not like them for long term use.

The only side note I want to make about the One Size diapers is that, from what I understand, they do not fit a brand new infant all that well. The boxes say they are for 8-35 lbs. and even Big Sister (who was on the bigger size) was only 7.5lbs when she was born. So, you will need something else for your infant. I would probably go with prefolds then, only because they are the cheapest option. Although, Rumparooz makes an absolutely adorable infant pocket diaper that has a spot folded over for the umbilial cord. I am sure they work excellently - I have one of their One Size diapers and it is great, so I have no doubts about the newborn one. However, seeing as how they cost $14 a piece and an infant needs to be changed more often, I figure you need about 30 (and that is if you want to do laundry every other day). I would probably not build an entire stash out of these. But since I know I loved buying fun, cute things for Big Sister before she was even born, I am sure I would have at least a few. :)

So, there you have it - what I wish I knew. I would love to know what you wish you knew. Or if you are new to cloth diapering (or just considering it) ask your questions. I hope I can help.