Weddingbee boards

Thanks so much for this Mrs. DG! Great idea to have resources all in one place

For anyone in the Chicago area, Be By Baby offers a cloth diapering class where you can try out many different brands of cloth diapers and see which you prefer. The class is offered monthly for a small fee.

I sense moderator bias on this sticky :) :)

I wish I had it in me to try cloth diapering, so impressed with everyone that is trying this out....maybe next time!

I was just thinking how a sticky CD thread would be good!  We are using disposables and said we would probably switch after the umbilical cord fell off.  (We received quite a few disposables @ the shower...)  We are already learning that 12 cloth wipes don't make it to our 1-2x/day! laundry cycles, but luckily my mom is making us some more that we should get next week, and I'll be making some solution.  (We are using Huggies Pure & Natural + cloth wipes w/ water...)  I'll have to read up more soon, but we are probably doing a diaper service for the first month while we buy more CD supplies, we only have a few for now.

http://www.theecofriendlyfamily.com/2009/08/mother-load-everything-you-need-to-know.html

your list is way more comprehensive, but here is the overview I had bookmarked...buying a small amount (AI2, Flips...) & starting 1 month prefold service to try that out now that CoWBoy's umbilical cord is off.

One of our fave store's (local + online) is http://www.babyearth.com

just adding another store:  tinybirdsorganics.com

You can order online, but it is not too far from me. <3 I got a few things there, including my first wool cover (and wool detergent), so I'll see how I like it.  I'm trying a few things right now, mostly prefolds but some other systems are in the mail...so far going better than I thought PFs would go, but I don't know if I can stick w/ it when DH & I are both working.

I'm still learning about wool, but this is what we are trying first:

http://www.tinybirdsorganicbabytoys.com/cgi-bin/item/DisanaWoolCovers/search/Disana-Organic-Merino-Wool-Diaper-Cover

I've heard really good things about these, especially for overnight, but I also think they look super cute!

These are handwash only but some wool covers can be washed on delicate.  While the washing treatment is "high maintenance" in some ways (hand wash, special detergent, lanolizing, felting)...in other ways they are easier (they rarely need to be washed as they are naturally antibacterial, some only wash 1/mo or less if they aren't poopy).

Other pros:  both warm & cool, more breathable (=less diaper rash)

I can go on more if there are questions, as I've been reading a LOT on this lately, but I don't want to overwhelm.  (I know I was getting overwhelmed!)  One last thing though is that wool can get more absorbant the longer you use it, but when you wash it, you do have to add back some of the lanolin (there are special products, or you can use the same cream you use on your nipples...see green mountain for a video/more info...)

for now, we are using rental prefolds, bc we want to make sure we are up to it before investing much more...we are looking at buying some GMD soon, though, as we think we'll at least keep PF's in the rotation for the first 4 mos (with a few easier options).  Then, we have to see what is up with what we do for childcare.  We are lucky that wait lists aren't long here, so we still have a few options.

Maybe after I've used my "variety pack" for a month or so I can post my review, but I know every mom & baby have different prefernces when it comes to CD.  (That is what made it so frustrating for me to figure it out!)

@Mrs. DG: Did you stop using liners all together? I picked up a pack to eventually try, but also got a diaper sprayer.

Also I would love to check out Mr. DG's blog...would you mind PMing it to me? I think DH would benefit from reading his post on CD. He is on board, but when our diapers came in and I explained them to him again he said "Oh I get it, but where does the poop go?!". Haha

I have not personally tried Kushies, but I do not hear good things about them in general. 

@StephMay...AppleCheeks are also made in Canada.  I just got some to try.

As for liners, I've heard the biosoft ones with gussets are nice...I think they are by Bummis.  I bought the Imse Vimse ones to try.  They can be washed a few times if they are only wet on, so you aren't throwing them away constantly when there is not poop on them.  I am wishing the liners came in smaller packages, though, bc I seriously doubt I will ever use the 200 I had to buy!

@Mrs. DG:  Did you see that Rockin Green just came out with Funk Rock?  I haven't needed it yet, but I'm sure we will as CoWBoy gets older.  I've heard microfiber gets it worse and to occasionally bleach, so has that been working for you?  We use the RnG classic rock and have really liked it so far, but they have a hard rock, too, that maybe you could try and rock an overnight soak, too?  I must say, I'm not looking forward to solids poops and ammonia (overnight) pee, but I'm loving cloth diapers SO much that I think I will be able to keep going.  Oh, and my mom just made me some hemp fleece inserts for pretty cheap, so we will try those out, too, if the MF starts to get too stinky.  I've heard from others they've had to switch at some point, but I think it's not that common.

@cannotwait: Have you used/heard anything about Nellie's Laundry Soap? I'm debating between Nellie's and RnG. I've check out a ton of reviews on both and both soaps seem to have similar reviews.

@pansyshell:  No, I sure haven't.  I am on thebump.com's cloth board a lot and most people seem to favor RnG, which is also made near where I live and does well with our water type (moderately hard)...it seems to have a good reputation of keeping away the stinkies and Others like that the scents are natural and don't stay on after the rinse, but I am paranoid and still use unscented (Barenaked...)  I know there are a lot of people who just use a type of Tide (?) or Country Save that are cheaper as well, so I think a lot depends on the water where you live.  Can you ask someone locally what works well?  Oh, and I sometimes use soapnuts, too.  I love the idea of them but only use them when I have a few loads of laundry "saved up".  They do seem to make my sheets softer, though, so I think they will help keep some of my diapers softer long-term that have hemp or bamboo in them.

@cannotwait: Thanks! I do not know of anyone who CD's around here. All my friends/family (except mom) think I'm crazy for doing it anyway. My mom and I actually use the most natural soap of anyone I know (usually Sun & Earth as I have sensitive skin) so not much help in that department either. I'll just have to order a brand and try...I do know that my parents have VERY hard water (well water) and that's what I grew up with, but I'm not sure where we live as we have city water. I'll have to look into that and maybe that will help with my decision.

@thelovecats:  Have you looked into a diaper trial like http://jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10/newborntryclothdiapersfor10  (available in larger sizes, too)  Are you CD'ing right from birth or waiting until the cord falls off?  We waited (but won't next time!).  We were renting 30 prefolds and had 3 different covers.  Thirsties were our favorite (over bummis and bumkins).  Next time I will probably get proraps (cord cutout) & Thirsties duo size 1, hopefully used, since you don't use them long.  The 30 prefolds allowed us to wash every 2 days with a little cushion.  Next time I will probably buy some fitteds & some AIOs (Lil Joey or BG XS AIO) for grandma to use or for when the covers are all dirty, thought I don't have experience with those, I hear great things.  (BG XS I think are no longer made and you have to get used...I used to think that was gross but got over it when I saw how much cheaper it can be!)

For larger AIOs, I have tried BG, Monkeydoodlez (?), and Dreameze (plus an etsy brand that I really didn't like).  I think the BG's get good feedback overall, and I've really liked ours.  I also have some AIO pockets and some pockets that don't have to be unstuffed.  I would just be careful to not commit to too many AIOs, in case you have a heavy wetter.  AIO pockets or pockets you don't have to unstuff (like AppleCheeks and Thirsties Duo diaper) I think would be great for daycare and keep the baby dryer (on their skin) plus are adjustable.  You do have to stuff them of course, but they also dry faster than AIOs and are usually cheaper.   We have a ridiculous variety, so feel free to PM me.  I wish I'd known about the trials, bc I just bought 4 or so of many types, and now my stash is super high maintenance!  (Though, we can pick what diaper is best for each "occasion".)  ;)

greenmountaindiapers.com seem to be the favorite for NBs.  We have the red edge in organic, and they are so nice!  I don't think unbleached is all the different than organic, it's just the point of wanting organic (since cotton has a pretty big env. impact and using lots of chemicals typically).  GMD occasionally has seconds sales.  I think you are right about the trial not having a ton, though.  Prefolds are super customizable, just make sure you practice a couple of folds on a doll or something, lol.  I didn't try to learn until the baby was already here, and I had mommy brain.  We used newspaper (only bc it was easy), but I've heard some contain poo better, and some are better for boy vs. girl.  I'm no expert there, as we rarely use PFs now.  We are lazy, and now that he goes longer between changes, we wanted something dryer against his skin.  Do you plan on using fleece liners?  I got some cheap fleece @ Joanns.  (remnant + 50% off, so it was really 75% off and made my own)