cloth diapers

[rae]

DH and I have decided to give cloth diapers a try. We are expecting our first in early 2017. My question is, if I buy used diapers, how do I know if they are still in good condition? I figure that any part with an elastic should not be worn out. What else? And, any other advice about choosing cloth diapers?
I also plan on registering for a few different brands and I'll see what I end up with from friends and family. I'm not having a shower before the delivery (bad luck) so for the first 1-3 weeks, what should I have already bought?

[Petuniajo]

It has been a while since my kids were in cloth diapers (they're now 5 and 7), but I bought mostly used diapers and didn't have problems. I bought mostly through FSOT on diaper swappers, and I don't know what it is like now, but then people were VERY clear about the condition of their diapers they were selling, describing them in a great amount of detail, because they didn't want to get negative feedback (or else people won't want to buy or trade with them in the future). If a post doesn't have the detail you want, just ask! Make sure you do ask about the condition of the elastic, as well as the condition of the PUL (you don't want it starting to peel or crack, or else it won't be waterproof).

For the first few weeks, I just used tiny pre folds and PUL covers. You really don't want to invest in a bunch of pockets or all-in-ones at that size because they will outgrow them in about a month or two. Plus, one-size diapers just don't really get small enough for the newbies. Later on, you can use the pre folds as inserts for your pocket diapers.

Congrats!!

[arebelspy]

In the last cloth diaper thread, I wrote:

Having used the cheap Chinese knockoffs from eBay for a month now, I'm not sure why anyone would buy brand name, or used.

YMMV.

And then, a month later:

[It's been a month] And I still pretty much think that.

Our cost was:
10 diaper covers: $27.66
20 diaper inserts: $34.87
Total: $62.53

If you can find used ones for similar prices, I'd have no hesitation going used, but with how cheap the cheap new ones are (non "name brand") and how well they work, I don't see why I'd put a lot of effort into hunting for used ones, and definitely wouldn't pay a whole lot more for used name brand over new cheap knockoffs.

It has now been another 5 months, our baby is almost 8 months old, and aside from using disposables with the initial meconium and a bit when traveling between places w/o a washing machine, we've cloth diapered the entire time, and my opinion remains the same.

I wouldn't have a problem going used, if they were hand-me-downs or something and thus free, but if I'm buying, I'd just spend the $60-70 for new knockoff ones.

[Petuniajo]

I don't think the cheap knock-offs had quite taken off yet when I was still diapering. Given what arebelspy wrote, I think that sounds like a great way to go. The used market, while certainly cheaper than new for the name brand stuff that was largely used at the time, was still not that cheap. People act like they are doing you a favor selling you their used diapers for a dollar or two off of brand-new prices.

[LouLou]

We used disposables for the newborn size - we got so many that we didn't need to buy any. 

I bought a lot of 20 used one size cloth diapers (Bumgenius freetime) for $180 - they are $20 per diaper new.  I received four new ones through baby showers. I like that the size is adjustable, so we are set through the toddler years. They are "all in one" so there is no stuffing.  The only difference between these and disposable is that I toss these into the washer and hang them to dry instead of throwing them away and buying new ones.

We have a giant box of disposables in her current size, so we use those when we are out of the house.

I was not aware of knock offs.  If I need more diapers, I'll do that!

[JLR]

DH and I have decided to give cloth diapers a try. We are expecting our first in early 2017. My question is, if I buy used diapers, how do I know if they are still in good condition? I figure that any part with an elastic should not be worn out. What else? And, any other advice about choosing cloth diapers?
I also plan on registering for a few different brands and I'll see what I end up with from friends and family. I'm not having a shower before the delivery (bad luck) so for the first 1-3 weeks, what should I have already bought?

If buying used you also want to make sure of things like: are the snaps all still in good condition, is the aplix/velcro in good condition, and (the big one) is the PUL delaminating.

Our favourite cloth diapers were pocket diapers with flat inserts (for our third baby I made a bunch of flats by serging/overlocking the edges of some flannelette material I had lying around). They dry so quickly, even on a rack, because you can unfold all the layers. And using them is just like using a disposable. We also loved wool covers for overnight. I didn't use them for the first few years as they seemed a lot of work, but they actually aren't.

For the first week with our first baby we used disposables (they were free from the hospital. We used them until we ran out). With our other two children we just used cloth from the beginning. If you go the flats and pockets way you can use the flats on a newborn with a newborn or small sized cover (you would only need about 2-3 laminate/PUL covers. You can use them a few times if changing regularly, which you do with a very small baby, and they dry quickly after washing. I would also recommend a laminate cover over wool for a newborn size as they are cheaper). Then you can keep using the flats as your baby gets bigger and onsell or store the small covers.

Maybe send arebelspy a message asking which seller/brand of China-cheapies he bought if you are interested in going that way, to be sure you are getting something good.

[rae]

Thanks for the input. This helped a lot. I think I will start with ordering new diapers: either Alva or Kawaii brands. Has anyone tried these? They seem like the cheapest ones, yet they got good reviews on Amazon.

[alwayslearning]

We bought Bumgenius and Rumparoos used. They worked well, but we ended up needing more. We then bought new Bumgenius Elemental (Organic all in ones) 3 for $25 off craigslist. These are usually $25 each, so that was a steal and we fell in love with the ease of the AIO. I've seen deals similar to this on Ebay.

I just bought 2 Alva pockets online from the USA tab on Alvababys website. I actually really like these! They have really cute patterns and ship quickly if you buy the US ones. They are cheaper on the Alva website than on Amazon. They are compareable to Bumgenius and fit our baby really well. He's at the top of the charts for his age, so the fit is great. My friend who has a baby that's very slender has a hard time getting these to be small enough for him.

The only thing I would say about Alva is to buy the bamboo inserts rather than the microfiber. They soak up pee more than microfiber and are a little thinner.

[ABC123]

   I used cloth with my two boys, ages 6 and almost 8.  We now have a surprise newbie on the way, and when I started doing the research for this one I was amazed at how much had changed.  The first time around, I bought a whole bunch of different brands and styles because I was clueless and I didn't know anyone in real life who used cloth diapers.  Most people looked at me like I was insane when I even mentioned the idea.  Eventually, I found and loved Bottombumpers all in one diapers.  My kids were in daycare, so I needed an easy to use one.  This time around, we will be doing more of a cloth/sposie combo so I bought some used Mother-Ease fitteds, with a variety of different covers, and we will use those at home.  I plan to use disposables for once he starts daycare. 
   There is a wide variety of opinions on the various "China cheapie" type diapers.  Go to the cloth diaper board on Babycenter.com, or check out diaperswappers.com, and there will be plenty of people who love them and plenty of people who used them just a few times and they fell apart.  My suggestion is to not go out and buy a whole bunch of one particular diapers.  It may not fit your baby well, or just not work for you for whatever reason.  Try a few different styles and brands.  Will you be staying home with the baby or going to daycare?  If daycare, will they be willing to use cloth and what kind do they want?  How money conscious are you trying to be -- you can go super cheap, or super expensive ($30 or more per diaper), or anywhere in between.

[jexy103]

rae, when are you due in early 2017? I'm due late February and am looking into cloth diapers as well. After some preliminary research awhile back, I heard a suggestion to buy a few newborn cloth diapers from several different brands and see which ones 1) parents like the best, and 2) fit baby the best. There's no one best brand because babies are shaped differently, so one brand may leak on one baby but not another. Then, after you've found the brand that works best for your family, purchase that brand for the larger sizes. Based on that advice, I found some great listings on eBay; I was fortunate enough to win a lot of 27 diapers with inserts for less than $100. I've read that you should have 3-4 dozen cloth diapers for a newborn, but I think we'll stick with the 27 for now and supplement if we need to (buy more cloth or use disposables when we run out of clean cloths). Our local community center has a monthly Cloth and Carry (cloth diaper and baby wearing) group, and I'm going for the first time tomorrow, so hopefully I learn some useful information there!

[Cranky]

I bought Alva diapers for my grandson, and dd and her dh like them a lot. They are very nicely made and very absorbant. (My son-in-law was pretty dubious about cloth diapers, but he likes them now that they've used them. )

[rae]

rae, when are you due in early 2017? I'm due late February and am looking into cloth diapers as well. After some preliminary research awhile back, I heard a suggestion to buy a few newborn cloth diapers from several different brands and see which ones 1) parents like the best, and 2) fit baby the best. There's no one best brand because babies are shaped differently, so one brand may leak on one baby but not another. Then, after you've found the brand that works best for your family, purchase that brand for the larger sizes. Based on that advice, I found some great listings on eBay; I was fortunate enough to win a lot of 27 diapers with inserts for less than $100. I've read that you should have 3-4 dozen cloth diapers for a newborn, but I think we'll stick with the 27 for now and supplement if we need to (buy more cloth or use disposables when we run out of clean cloths). Our local community center has a monthly Cloth and Carry (cloth diaper and baby wearing) group, and I'm going for the first time tomorrow, so hopefully I learn some useful information there!

I'm due in early February. 3-4 dozen diapers seems like a lot, but I guess it depends on how often you do laundry. My DH refuses to buy off of ebay, so I've been looking at Amazon for new and craigslist for used. I'm waiting to be closer to my due date before buying anything, but will also look at the mom groups on facebook and can hopefully get a variety to try out. Looking on-line at the stores in my city, cloth diapers seem really expensive. I'm thinking of buying pocket diapers with liners, but also prefolds. 

I bought Alva diapers for my grandson, and dd and her dh like them a lot. They are very nicely made and very absorbant. (My son-in-law was pretty dubious about cloth diapers, but he likes them now that they've used them. )

I've been eyeing those on Amazon; those and Kawaii.

  Go to the cloth diaper board on Babycenter.com, or check out diaperswappers.com

That sent me down a rabbit hole! There was a link to a good youtube video on the difference between all the different types of diapers.

[a rose by any other name]

If you haven't checked out Fluff Love University, you definitely will want to, especially for washing information.

Definitely consider prefolds! After maybe one day of diapering with them, the folding ceases to be difficult and will be second nature. They wash up so nicely too, and dry quickly, and oftentimes are a bit more economical. I didn't have any luck finding used ones and bought mine from green mountain diapers. For covers, I like thirsties duo wraps, blueberry capri or coveralls, and diasana wool.

[firelight]

We love our cloth diapers. We use pocket diapers because that is what daycares accept. They don't accept prefolds where we live. So if you have daycare, you might want to check with them about their requirements

[FoundPeace]

I agree with Arebelspy. My wife and I also used the Chinese knockoffs, but we imported them directly from China. My one suggestion would be to get the charcoal inserts as I have found them to be more absorbent and less stinky. Our diapers are just about worn out after using them for 2 babies (our youngest is almost done potty training).

In the last cloth diaper thread, I wrote:

Having used the cheap Chinese knockoffs from eBay for a month now, I'm not sure why anyone would buy brand name, or used.

YMMV.

And then, a month later:

[It's been a month] And I still pretty much think that.

Our cost was:
10 diaper covers: $27.66
20 diaper inserts: $34.87
Total: $62.53

If you can find used ones for similar prices, I'd have no hesitation going used, but with how cheap the cheap new ones are (non "name brand") and how well they work, I don't see why I'd put a lot of effort into hunting for used ones, and definitely wouldn't pay a whole lot more for used name brand over new cheap knockoffs.

It has now been another 5 months, our baby is almost 8 months old, and aside from using disposables with the initial meconium and a bit when traveling between places w/o a washing machine, we've cloth diapered the entire time, and my opinion remains the same.

I wouldn't have a problem going used, if they were hand-me-downs or something and thus free, but if I'm buying, I'd just spend the $60-70 for new knockoff ones.

[cats]

We use prefolds and have been very happy with them.  For covers, we have picked up several different kinds at swaps/consignment sales and as hand-me-downs, my favorites have been Thirsties (the ones with snaps), Flip, and gDiapers.  We do send cloth diapers to daycare, for the daycare we stuff covers with prefolds (just fold them to fit whatever covers we are sending), but don't bother with sending snappies  (they would want a fresh one for each diaper, which to me is just a recipe for losing snappies).  If you're using a fresh cover with each changes I don't think the snappies are really that necessary anyway.

My big advice if you are going with cloth is to also give elimination communication a try.  We do a bit of this with our baby and by ~6 months he was doing the majority of his poops in the baby potty.  If cloth diapers are just wet, they really don't smell much (at least ours don't) so you can go a while between laundry loads, assuming you have enough diapers.  I also find rinsing poo off diapers to be the most unpleasant aspect of cloth diapers so the less I have to do that the more motivated I am to stick with it. 

[Inevitable]

My wife and I did all cloth diapers.  We actually bought new sun baby diapers which worked great, and are pretty cheap new.  They do come from China which makes some people nervous, but it seemed like a good company.  http://sunbabydiapers.com/product-category/size-1-diapers/

We also really liked Nicki's diapers (Their own branded diapers.  They're not cheap though).

We had a lot of rash issues even with cloth, so we had to try a lot of brands to find something that would work well for him.  The 2 above were our favorites.  Pre-folds work well too, but they're less convenient.

[cats]

My wife and I did all cloth diapers.  We actually bought new sun baby diapers which worked great, and are pretty cheap new.  They do come from China which makes some people nervous, but it seemed like a good company.  http://sunbabydiapers.com/product-category/size-1-diapers/

We also really liked Nicki's diapers (Their own branded diapers.  They're not cheap though).

We had a lot of rash issues even with cloth, so we had to try a lot of brands to find something that would work well for him.  The 2 above were our favorites.  Pre-folds work well too, but they're less convenient.

We had a bad run of diaper rash around 2 months and I found something that really helped was adding a microfleece insert.  Buy a yard or two of fabric at Jo-ann's (make sure to use one of their perpetually available 40% off coupons!), chop into inserts, and you're good to go.  Liquid just passes through the fleece so it creates a dry layer right next to the skin and makes a HUGE (we found) difference in how wet baby's skin is getting. The fleece does not unravel so no need to finish off the edges.

[kimmarg]

We were given hand-me-down Flip brand cloth diapers. 10 months old and going strong. The elastic on the hand-me-downs was stretched out. We got a few new covers that fit better in the first few weeks but once she got big enough even the used ones are no problem. We bought one box of newborn disposables for the first 2 weeks and ended up buying a second to get us through until the cloth fit around 4 weeks (YMMV with baby size, elastic etc) . We now use disposables in three scenarios: 1) at night (cloth always soaked through but maybe we should try again) 2) when traveling 3) when someone is baby sitting who is more comfortable with disposable (family/friend agrees to watch baby we don't squabble over diapers!) .

[Goldielocks]

I also found that cloth diapers did not last longer than 2 babies, then were less absorbent / flat / worn out.  So ask how many children they were used with..

[abhe8]

We use cloth most of the time. nB prefolds + covers at first, then one size flats and covers. The prefolds and flats last forever. Going strong on my 4th baby. The elastic eventually gives out in the covers, but I've found 6 newborn and 4 one size are plenty, so it's not too much to replace when needed. Hanging the covers to dry and not putting then in the dryer really helps them last longer.

[CNM]

I used cloth (not exclusively, must mostly).  I really liked the pocket style diapers.

As for what to look for when buying used, check the velco carefully.  Velcro is convenient but used velcro can loose the ability to stick well.  I regretfully bought a few of those used and they were essentially trash. 

[FoundPeace]

I also found that cloth diapers did not last longer than 2 babies, then were less absorbent / flat / worn out.  So ask how many children they were used with..

I agree with this.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I personally greatly preferred used BumGenius to Kawaiis or Sunbabies. YMMV. I had one of each (Kawaii/SB) and they did not fit as well, nor were the inserts adequate. (I bought them all used, so maybe they weren't the original inserts.) I also sometimes used prefolds with or without microfiber liners.

I got all my used diapers from the CottonBabies cloth diaper swap. You can check feedback on sellers on there, and I never had a bad experience.

Don't buy too much of any one thing. It's hard to know what you will like until you are actually doing it.