10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Cloth Diapering
Have you wondered if you should cloth diaper your baby? Are you afraid that it’s going to be too much work and too messy? There are so many different kinds of cloth diapers on the market today and lots of great accessories to make cloth diapering at home and on the go a breeze. But, is it still the best option for you and your family?
I remember when my little one was an infant, my first attempts at using cloth diapers were a total failure. It kept me from going cloth for another year, and once I got it down I couldn’t believe I had failed so miserably the first tries. This is a great read for any new mom, or for any mom with a little one in diapers.
We ask cloth diaper expert and store owner of Wild Flower Diapers to answer 10 most frequently asked questions about cloth diapering.
#1: How can I use cloth diapers when I am outside of my home all day?
All you need is a waterproof wet bag to throw your dirty diapers in for transport home. Many of our customers send their babies to daycare in cloth diapers. They provide a large wet bag for the care provider, and take them home each night.
#2: What’s the best way to clean cloth diapers?
For exclusively breastfed newborn babies, the diapers go straight into the diaper pail. On wash day, we recommend a cold rinse, then a long hot wash with just a little detergent (usually no more than 2 T), followed by an extra rinse at the end. Dry in the dryer or line dry.
When babies start solid foods, dump solids into the toilet before placing in diaper pail. We highly recommend a diaper sprayer, such as the BumGenius MiniShower, to spray the diaper clean if it’s a messy one! You can also use biodegradable, flushable liners like Bumkins Flushable Liners or Bummis BioSoft liners that line the diaper. When baby poops, just lift liner and flush down the toilet.
#3: What is the average cost savings on going cloth?
This depends entirely on what kind of cloth diapers chosen by the parents (and how thrifty parents are when buying disposables). Parents can expect to spend about $1000 per year on disposable diapers and wipes.
Babies generally potty train between 2.5 and 3 years, so $2500-$3000 on disposable diapers during your child’s time in diapers is estimated. With a very economic cloth diapering system (prefolds and diaper covers plus some cloth wipes and a pail liner), you would spend around $300-$350 the entire time your child is in diapers, so a potential savings of $2500+.
If you chose to go with the higher end, organic all-in-one diapers, like the BumGenius One-Size Organic, with accessories, you might spend $800-$1000, still with a cost savings of $2000+. Even if, through some miracle of coupons, rebates, and gifts, you never had to pay for disposable diapers, at the end of it all, you have nothing to show for it. With cloth, you have diapers that can continue to be used for other children, sold, or donated.
#4: What chemicals will a baby NOT be exposed to going cloth and why is this important?
All bleached paper products, including disposable diapers, contain traces of the carcinogen Dioxin. They also contain TBT, a highly toxic pollutant. The absorbent gel-like substance in disposable diapers is a chemical called sodium polyacrylate. Many disposable diapers also add perfumes and dyes that can cause allergic reactions.
A study in the Archives of Environmental Health found that disposable diaper emissions can cause asthma-like conditions in mice as the mixtures of chemicals “off-gas” and cause sensory and pulmonary irritation and breathing problems.
There have not been any long-term studies on the effects of the chemicals in disposable diapers so we really don’t know. But as a mother, I like to reduce my childrens’ exposure to environmental pollutants and chemicals when possible. Cloth diapers are an easy way to do this.
#5: How long does it take a disposable diaper to decompose?
In a landfill, it will likely be hundreds of years. No one knows exactly, since disposable diapers have only been around for about 50 years.
#6: What kind of cloth diaper do you recommend for babies with extremely sensitive skin?
If baby is sensitive to synthetic fibers, I would recommend a system of completely natural fibers- cotton or hemp diapers with wool covers.
If baby is sensitive to wetness, I would recommend a system with a stay-dry lining against the skin, like pocket diapers.
#7: What kind of cloth diapers do you recommend for a very active baby?
They all work well for all babies, though some parents may find all-on-one diapers or pocket diapers go on baby more quickly if you have a very squirmy baby!
#8: What are the easiest and most convenient cloth diapers for beginners?
Most parents converting from disposable diapers to cloth diapers find AIO and pocket diapers most convenient because they go on in one step. However, as they become more comfortable with cloth diapering, they will branch out and try other systems. While prefolds with covers may seem intimidating to new users, within a few days, it becomes an easy routine.
#9: How many diapers/covers do I need to buy for my Newborn?
4. Newborn babies will go through about 12-14 diapers every day at first. We recommend 36 diapers and 6-9 covers to start, and really like either prefolds or newborn fitted diapers for the first few months. By about 15 lbs, he or she will be ready to go into size medium pocket diaper or AIOs, or will fit well into the one-size options on the market. Most babies can wear medium-sized pockets or AIOs to potty training.
# 10: Is PUL (Polyurethane laminated) lining in diaper wraps toxic?
PUL is not toxic, however, the manufacturer of *any* polyester is not terribly environmentally friendly. The precursors required to make some kinds polyurethane may be toxic by themselves, but once strung into a stable polymer are safe. PUL should not be confused with PVC, which is a less stable polymer that off-gasses and should be avoided.
People concerned with choosing the absolutely most environmentally friendly and chemical-free system possible should go with organic cotton or hemp diapers with wool covers. Even if polyester products are chosen, you can feel good that you are only using 12-15 covers (or 24-36 pocket diapers or AIOs) rather than the alternative of thousands of plastic diapers that end up in the landfill.
Anything else parents should know when going cloth?
- Switching to cloth diapers is much harder to think about that to actually do. Once you have your diapers and begin using them, it is much easier than you might imagine.
- When we switched to cloth diapers, we never again had a poopy blowout like we frequently had in paper diapers- this was a huge, unexpected benefit!
- Using the right detergent is important when cloth diapering- you only need a tiny amount, and it needs to be free of optical whiteners, brighteners, fabric softener, and preferably free of fragrance, colorants, and enzymes.
More Questions?
Please let us know by leaving a comment here or on our Facebook page!
About Shannon
Shannon Doan was the owner of Wildflower Diapers, an internet and brick-and-mortar store that opened in June, 2005. She is mama to Riley, 10, Ella, 5, and Lila, 3 months.
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Can you please tell me where to get the best price on Fuzzibunz? Also, which ones do you think are best for my almost 5 year old at night. Thank you for your time.
What a great article! I agree completely. It seemed like a huge step to start cloth diapering. I had no idea which option was best for me. But now, I’ve done a little of everything, and it’s quick and easy and has saved us LOTS of money. It’s also very addicting because there are always new cute covers and styles that look fun to try. And, when you can make the most disagreeable part of baby care “addicting” then, well, you’ve arrived!
For cloth diaper safe detergents, I recommended the wonderful resources at: http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm
(best viewed in Firefox). Pinstripes and Polkadots does a wonderful job answering all kinds of cloth diapering questions. Also, DiaperPin.com has a wonderful place where users of all kinds of cloth diapers rate them for how they worked on their children. You can get a lot of advice quickly before you spend a dime. Also, there is an area where you can read about all the latest online sales, which is great. Jillian’s Drawers has a wonderful “gently used” section. Mom’s Milk Boutique has free shipping everywhere (I live in Alaska!). And Green Mountain Diapers is a very natural approach (100% natural fibers on baby’s skin) that has a wonderful feature called “see this on a baby” with pictures of dipes and covers on all sizes and ages. Aww!
I started with Green Mountain Diaper prefolds and a few covers and have grown my stash to pockets and AIOs through entering giveaways and picking up a good sale here and there. Now I can go weeks without using a single prefold, if I want.
Can you please tell me where to get the best price on Fuzzibunz? Also, which ones do you think are best for my almost 5 year old at night. Thank you for your time.
+1
I am so relieved to find out the polyurethane is not toxic to baby’s skin. I noticed that my nylon Bummi whisper pants were lined with this and have been desperately trying to find out how bad it is. I have ordered a few wool covers though and will be using primarily wool anyway.
I used cloth diapers (prefolds with thirsties covers) after having my baby.
absolute worst decision ever.
We even hired a diaper service, so that completely took the 1-2 hours we would have spent washing diapers every couple days out of the picture.
They always leaked, always had blowouts, and when baby started sleeping through the night, he would always be wet. We used the foldable rectangle cloth diapers with the “leak proof” diaper covers.
I tried everything I could think of, I doubled up the cloth, I folded them different ways. nothing worked there was always a mess and the diapers were so bulky he could hardly move his legs. sometimes we had to give him multiple baths in a day he got so dirty.
I’m a huge advocate for all things natural/green/holistic but cloth diapers were the worst waste of time not to mention frustrating beyond all belief.
go look at the pictures on wildflower diapers. see the baby with the blue diaper cover? He’s standing with his legs spread because there’s a solid wad of cloth diaper between his legs and he can’t pull his legs together. Why do you think they make feminine pads as paper thin as they can? because it makes it really difficult to function with some bulky giant pad between your legs.
I understand that it can be frustrating, have you used All-In-One Diapers? They seemed to work best on my little boy! He had blowouts too a few times (when he first started to eat solids at 6 month but they only lasted about 2 months and now it’s not a problem anymore.) The blowouts were really bad with disposable diapers, I wanted to try and see! He also gets bad diaper rash only from the disposable diapers when the weather is really hot.
I’ve used cloth on my last 3 children. I am currently cloth diapering 3 boys (2 two year olds and 1 4 month old.) Absolute best decision I’ve made for them. I’ve used every type of diaper you can imagine and love them all. Most of the time we use flats with PUL covers. For the baby we use a lot of pockets. I have one size diapers that fit all 3 of my boys. Can’t do that with sposies! I would not change my system for anything. I do diaper laundry daily and love every second of it!
Jessica – it sounds like you never got to experience new, modern cloth diapers. While prefolds and diaper covers are tried, tested and very reliable when used correctly, there can be a bit of a learning curve. But pocket cloth diapers and all-in-one cloth diapers are as trim and easy to use as disposable diapers with their built-in, waterproof covers and highly absorbent, trim-fitting inner core polyester fabric. Side-by-side, you’d have a hard time telling a bumGenius all-in-one cloth diaper apart from a disposable, aside from the adorable colours cloth diapers come it.
There’s good reason why hundreds of parents are switching from disposable diapers to cloth diapers every day. I would encourage you to try and find a local cloth diapering store or parent group where someone familiar with cloth diaper options on the market might be able to help you hands on. This could prove to be a very helpful investment – for your baby and your wallet.
Good luck!
I can honestly say that cloth diapering is one of the BEST decisions I’ve made for my child. I’ve never had a blow out and in the last ten months, we’ve maybe had two leaks. This was not the case when we used disposables.
What blows me away is how people get all worked up about BPA in their plastic, only feeding their babies organic food, dressing them in organic clothing, etc, but don’t think twice about putting a chemical laden disposable diaper on their child’s private areas 24 hours a day. Why is that?
I like prefolds, if you are pinning them right, there shouldn’t be leakage but all diapers are not the right fit for every kid. Sometimes, it takes trial and error to see which works best for you. I have done prefolds, AIOS, pockets and finally realized the goodmama one sized fitteds were the best for everyone involved in my son’s diapering. Maybe a trial pack with different diapers would be a good option for you? Diapers have never interfered with my child’s ability to get into things
I use prefolds and covers on my baby, with the occasional pocket diaper and AIO mixed in (mostly at night or on the go), and I love it! When my son was newborn we had leaks, but as soon as I went in to Wildflower for some help with folds and found the right cover for his skinny little legs, we haven’t had a single blowout. Wait, I take that back: we had a blowout in a disposable while on a trip. Yep, poop everywhere.
It took some trial and error to get the right amount of absorbency for night time, but big deal, really. Just put him to bed on an absorbent pad until you get it worked out. At least there aren’t toxic chemicals wrapped around my kid’s reproductive organs.
I think to cloth diaper, you must always be aware that there are pros and cons to everything. Yes, we had blowouts here and there(with pre-solid breast-milk poop)…yes, they can be bulky(we only use pre-folds) and no, it’s not so glamorous spraying the poo into the toilet and ringing the diaper out to put in the pail. Yes, I have had to put a poopy diaper in the wet bag and leave it in a car for a couple hours in Phoenix, AZ during the summer and no it did not stink up the whole car(thank God!!).
However, we LOVE that we don’t spend lots of $ each week on disposables. We LOVE that it’s better for our daughter’s skin(have only had troubles w/ a red bum while she’s teething, which has nothing to do w/ the diaper). We feel GREAT that we are doing our part for the environment(we also use cloth wipes for her bum and face, no paper towels, no paper napkins). And, we found the cutest covers(Imse Vimse Organic Cotton). We includes my husband who was not a fan of the idea when I brought it up during pregnancy.
We are also hoping we will reap rewards soon in the potty training area. She is 15mos. and we have already begun putting her on the potty, which is going rather well. I have noticed in the last few days that she is noticing when she’s poopy, so it’s only a matter of time when she begins to pay more attention to being wet.
If you are considering cloth diapering, beware of warnings from others. It’s one of those things that you commit to for personal reasons, knowing that at times it might not be the most convenient choice. That being said, these days it is not really inconvenient at all!
Forgot to add that if you’re spending 1-2 HOURS washing cloth diapers every few days, this is too much. Do you have a home washing machine? Let your washing machine do the work. Dump those dirty diapers into the washer, turn it on, and walk away. You’ll have to put them in the dryer (or hang them – if you have more time). But all this only takes seconds. You shouldn’t be spending any more than a few MINUTES a week doing laundry with cloth diapers. This would be equivalent to the time it takes going down the diapering aisle week after week at the grocery store, and taking the extra diaper garbage to the curb. It just depends how you prefer to spend your time.
We don’t even fold cloth diapers out of the dryer in our house. We just put them on again right out of the laundry basket. Easy peesy!
I think parents need to realize that, as with a lot of aspects of parenting, cloth diapering is NOT and never will be a “one size fits all” arena. Prefolds and covers work great on some babies. Mine did great in them until they became mobile. I then turned to fitteds to prevent leaks. They also relieved the “bulge between the legs” as well. Just as some babies leak in Huggies and not Luvs. I’ve never seen a sposie user claiming that they tried one or 2 brands and they didn’t work so they said sposies were the worst decision ever and turned to cloth–they just keep trying until they find the right fit for THEIR baby.
Goodness! I was SO thankful for being able to use cloth diapers. My son has eczema and sposies made his skin raw and red. We never had blowouts, they were easy to wash, never had stink, etc. Also, when my second son was born we used cloth and it saved us a ton of money. I had my wash routine down to a “T” so I used the least amount of water to get my diapers squeaky clean. It was the best investment we have made for our children’s health and future. Can you imagine how many disposable diapers we would have put into a landfill with TWO kids? I don’t want my children or my grandchildren to deal with that. If we have another kiddo one day you can be sure that they will go into cloth dipes too. I wouldn’t do it any other way! Thanks Shannon for doing what you do.
Great article!
My ‘baby’ is now 7yo, but cloth diapering was one of the most enjoyable things about having a baby. Really! I used mostly pocket diapers and some fitteds. I found my cloth to be more reliable than disposables and so I traveled with them and took them on outings to the park, mall, wherever.
Washing was no big deal. I always thought throwing a load in the washer was easier than getting in my car and driving to the store.
When my daughter grew up, many of her diapers were still in great condition, so I gave them to a friend to use on her baby girl. Cloth diapering makes so much sense.
I love cloth diapering! Too bad Jessica had a bad experience with them. My suggestion to her would have been to try different kinds of diapers, there are many! I absolutely love my pocket diapers for on the go and they’re easy for anyone who is caring for my daughter, and fitteds with a wool cover at night has been a life saver. I did use disposables for a while, but my little one kept getting rashes, and I’d have to change her 2-3 times per night or we’d have soaked sheets in the morning. Love love love my cloth diapers!
Jessica, I’m so sorry to hear you had a negative experience. It sounds like you really didn’t get the support you needed to find the right products, and to make them work properly. Prefolds with covers are one of the bulkier options, especially with a newborn. AIO and pocket diapers, however, are really trim and go on just like disposable diapers and have good elastic across the back and around the legs to prevent leaks. There are a number of good night-time solutions as well- a prefold alone overnight usually isn’t enough unless it’s hemp (like the Babykicks Hemp Prefolds or the Little Beetle Velour/Hemp Prefolds- those are so absorbent!) As far as the sweet baby boy on our front page, I think you will find that most little ones who don’t walk yet assume that stance when propped up with their little stiff legs, regardless of what’s on their bottom
I shop at Wildflower diapers and I am so lucky I can go look at merchandise in real life. I was a little overwhelmed at first but now, I just can’t get enough. I also shop online from “work at home moms” and I own more diapers than I really need for my twins. It is quite fun and turns into an addiction.
I made the switch when my girls were 7 months old but I wish I had made the switch earlier. It’s so easy to just throw the diaper in the diaper pail or use my diaper sprayer to spray off the soil and wash every other day. I also hang my diapers outside to dry most of the time so they are totally stain free.
I had to use disposables recently and it blew me away how thin they were. It worried me because what kind of chemicals are in those that would absorb that much liquid? I do not think it is healthy, nor good for the environment.
I am going to be sad when my girls are potty trained but at least I’ll get some of my money back from selling them, rather than filling up the landfills. I’ll also have piece of mind that my girls are healthier because of my decision to use cloth.
Nah. He doesn’t have his legs spread because theres too much cloth… He has them spread because he’s not at an age where he can stand by himself, and most children at that age will “tripod” their legs for stability (also, it’s not a diaper cover). Cloth diapers (even the bulkiest of bulkies, usually prefolds which is what Jessica is referring to) haven’t been shown to harm spinal alignment, hip movement/growth, etc. Blowouts are usually 1. a fit issue, or 2. an absorbency issue. If your cover is tight around the legs, it will take nothing less than a torrential poop to get it to leak. I started out with prefolds for my son’s infancy, and they worked perfectly. Moved on to pockets and all in ones and I love them. When my girlfriend and her three boys in diapers come over, I feel like I’m always washing clothes from blowouts… so I wrangle em into cloth and worry no more.
I think the best thing about modern cloth diapers are all the options there are out there. If prefolds and covers don’t work for you, you can try fitteds and covers or pockets and All in Ones. We started out with a few different types and by the time my baby was out of newborn diapers we knew he needed a stay dry liner and that FuzziBunz did the best job keeping him dry and rash-free. FuzziBunz are pocket diapers and I find them to be just as easy as disposables. We didn’t start cloth diapering until baby #4 and I wish I would have started sooner!
I’m not going to beat around the bush about simplicity. Yes, purchasing something that is one time use only, saves time and a lot of effort. Heck, with the ease of online shopping no one even has to whine about middle of the night desperate treks to find a store open to buy them. However, the little extra effort cloth diapers take is well worth the effort.
We’re not the strictest cloth family, we’re back to one disposable for nights, we keep one in the diaper bag for just in case and so forth. Our nearly two year old has been primarily in cloth since day one though. It hasn’t been the easiest trip. I blame bad detergent choices and an even crappier washing machine. However, it’s been a road well worth traveling. I don’t fret nearly as much as I would have about throwing money away on a one time use product and the implications that has on it’s trip to the land fill.
I love cloth diapering. LOVE! I like the challenges it brings, like choosing what system, biodegradable liner/sprayers/services/swish and dunk, remembering to bring an expletive wet bag with me every time, and contending with poop of doom in public. I like that my daughter can now discuss cloth and paper diapers and distinguish between them both. I like that I’ve put another human out there that already has a consciousness that not all things we get dirty need to be throw away. I feel good about my choice every time I change her diaper.
There’s other benefits for me. I am a child care provider, not with little ones but I’ve done that too. Nothing offends my nostrils quite like a dirty diaper pail. I can’t explain in simplest terms how vile a pail building up with disposable diapers is to me. Does my kid’s cloth diaper pail smell like roses? Of course not, but it isn’t the kiss of death for me that disposable pails are, and I’m just using a 13 gallon trash pail with a lift top lid, no fancy scented twisty contraption. I knew this long before I’d ever met a cloth diapering friend. I hate that smell so very very much.
I like the money cloth diapering has saved me. If we succeed at baby round two we’ll save even more from already having the supplies and knowing what not to invest in. I like the conversations it’s started, I’m shy and am not ashamed to use cloth diapering as an ice breaker. I don’t know if it’s because of using cloth but I like that my child has never once had a blow out up her backside necessitating a bath. it may explode out her snappi prefolds into her PUL covers but never beyond.
I knew I wanted to do cloth way before I knew I wanted to have a baby. The disposable nature of our culture has never held well in my tummy. I’m also the kind of person who brings washable utensils and dishes camping and on picnics. I’ve always felt bad using single serving anything. I just can’t bring myself to use disposable products without feeling wrong. It’s not in my nature.
Cloth diapering most of the time helps quell these feelings. It’s worth the little extra work and effort. It’s even been a fun journey. I enjoy our custom built from Home Depot plumbing odds and ends diaper sprayer – it works for other places too *wink*. I have never regretted this choice. I hope more and more families will give it a try.
I also never once worried about my daughters legs being spread apart. She was walking just fine right on time and gets about as well as any of her other non cloth diapered friends. Yes, it’s bulkier and heavier but hey doesn’t that means she’s building muscles – insert smile here. In fact this argument against cloth puzzles me because up until very recently cloth is how all western babies were diapered.
End summary. I love cloth. I don’t care what everyone else uses. I think the benefits of cloth far out weigh the minor inconveniences, like heavy crowded diaper bags and laundry days. I feel better about my smaller contribution to the disposable society. I think cloth is worth a try for people looking for an alternative that hate to waste stuff as much as I do. I wish more people knew that cloth is a choice and knew others doing it. If I have any one hope it’s that I’ve been a positive influence on all those curious families who’ve inquired these past two years.
After just 3 days in disposable diapers, my newborn son began developing a diaper rash. Within 2 days of cloth diapers the rash was nearly gone and has remained that way!
I was really surprised at how easy cloth diapering is. We are mostly using prefolds at this point, but we are migrating to the AIOs as he is becoming more mobile.
I used cloth diapers with my first son and I loved it! We mostly used prefolds with covers during the day and a pocket diaper at night. I found that it was very manageable and don’t remember ever experiencing a blowout. I also attribute using cloth to my son’s early potty training. We are now pregnant with number two and I am so excited to have the chance to add to my collection of cloth. As far as bulkiness goes, I think it is in the diaper you choose and how it fits on your baby…also it takes some time to get the hang of putting them on the best way for your child as well as experimenting with some different folds. I could never stand that chemical “baby” smell of so many disposable diapers!
It is unfortunate that Jessica had such a difficult time. I think one of the things that is great about my experience with Wildflower Diapers is that anytime I had a problem, they seemed to have a plethora of things to help me through them. It was like my own little Momma support place, not only for cloth diapering but for all products natural. It did not seem to matter who was in the store, they are all knowledgeable and supportive. Cloth diapering is definitely “different” than using disposables but I found it very easy to make the transition. Every child is different and that is why cloth diapering is great because there is a number of options out there for everyone. If you don’t like prefolds, then use them for cleaning cloths and try an all in one. I found all in ones with snaps to be the best for me. I do suggest that when people start to cloth diaper that they try a little of everything and see what works best for them and their baby before buying a large supply. That little cloth diapered butt is one of my fondest memories.
Love cloth diapering and love love love Wildflower for making it so easy.
I bet the PP trouble was because of the trifolding. My son was an explosive pooper LOL and we definitely needed to use a snappi for the prefold.
So sorry it was a poor experience. I have only wonderful things to say about cloth diapering. My son almost never had outfit changes at daycare and all his disposable friends had tons of blowouts. I loved all-in-ones for daycare, but prefolds are just so economical. I am already using premium sized prefolds at 2 mo old for my daughter and those should last until potty training. For $100 you can truly diaper your child from birth to potty training (but it won’t be as cute as spending extra for the cute embroidered diapers and AIO/pockets LOL). Everytime I have to buy some disposables to go out of town without a washer/dryer, I think, this could have bought me a dozen prefold diapers!
Unlike the poster that had a bad experience with cloth-i had the opposite problem. I used cloth exclusively on my son who is now five and also for my 18 month old daughter. However, last summer we went camping for 8 weeks so i used disposables for the trip. NEVER have I had so many blow outs and leaks. I had no idea what a blow out was until we had to use sposies for that trip. I do understand where she’s coming from b/c prefolds have a big learning curve but to anyone thinking of using CDs, please don’t turn away b/c of one person’s negative experience. I’ve used fitteds (fancy prefolds) and covers quite a bit as well as pockets and AIOs and I love them all. And as far as the huge diaper between their legs- my tots have always had full motion, I’ve never felt that the cloth was a hindrance. I have however seen kids in soaking wet blown up disposables that are even bigger than cloth when wet. When I see that, all I can think of is the disgusting amount of chemicals sitting on their skin, seeping into their little precious bodies. I’ll take a cute, cloth baby bum anyday!
I purchased my first lot of diapers from Shannon and have LOVED them! Shannon and her team are actually the ones who turned me on to an idea that I had otherwise dismissed as “too hard”. Not only is Shannon extremely sweet and helpful, the customer service and support is amazing! My little guy is now 14 months old and I have tried every different system (for the fun of it-just to find the absolute perfect system for our family). Different products definitely work for different babies at different stages. For example prefolds were perfect (and still are really for any age) for a newborn, while for a older child a pocket or all-in-one goes on easier. In my personal experience though I have VERY RARELY had a leak or blowout with a high-quality prefold and Thirsties cover. Most certainly not any more than I’ve experienced with various brands of disposables while on vacation. I love my “fluff” and wouldn’t have it any other way! I can’t wait for baby #2-cause that will really be the icing on the cake-I won’t have to pay for ANY diapers. At all. None. I already have everything I need! Different strokes for different folks, as a great example-I HATED the #1 best selling pocket diaper, hated them! Sold them all and bought about 6 different brands and styles to try in their place. Obviously it was just my prefrence because the fact that they are so successful must say something about the product.
Thanks Shannon!
I have been using cloth diapers with my son (now 2 1/2) since he was 3 months old. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. We use pocket diapers with hemp stuff-ins, and they are super absorbant while still being nice and trim (My son is comfortable and perfectly able to put his legs together.) Yes, you have to take the time to wash them and stuff them, but it’s not a big deal and can easily be done while watching TV in the evening. Before we switched to cloth, we were having frequent, horrible diaper blowouts and reoccuring bouts of diaper rash. Once we switched to cloth, we had no more diaper blowouts although there have been plenty of opportunities. The elastic at the waistband of the diaper is a life saver! He was still getting mild diaper rash, but we fixed that by now doing a squirt of baby bits followed by a quick wipe with a dry wipe to remove any urine. Worked like a charm. We do occasionally have him wake up in the morning with his diaper so wet that his pants are wet too, but my son is such a heavy wetter that he does the same even with a disposable overnight diaper so I don’t let it bother me too much. We love our cloth diapers and I recommend them to everyone I know with babies.
Oh, and I should add that my husband is the one home with my son during the day. He has absolutly no objection to using the cloth diapers and is even willing to be the one to wash them. They’re that easy!
Wow Jessica, sorry you had such a negative experience. It’s too bad you didn’t have a chance to experiment a little more, as I’m sure there is a cloth system out there that would work for you. I have happily cloth diapered all four of my children, using everything from prefolds or fitteds with covers (both PUL and wool) to AIO systems, to pockets. I was happy to do my part to not contribute more to the landfills with plastics, chemicals, bleaches and human feces! Cloth diapering is not only a great ecological solution, but it can be fun too! The colors, patterns, and various styles all make what could be an unpleasant task (really, who likes dealing with poo?) at least a little more enjoyable
Plus, since many of my diapers were bought second-hand, the footprint created was that much smaller. Oh, and as for the baby with legs apart…I’ve never seen a baby hang out with their legs close together – they naturally have a wider stance, hips apart, and even once walking none of mine was ever bothered by soft cloth covering the crotch! Happy diapering 
I used prefolds and PUL covers in the newborn stage with my son, along with a handful of Kissaluvs fitted diapers. I was happy with them but they were a little awkward to get on until I got some practice. My husband, who was not 100% on board with the cloth diaper idea but went along with it as I really wanted to, did not like the prefolds. He always put them on too loose. But he did just fine with the fitted diapers and preferred that style to the prefolds. Once our son hit about 18 lbs (about 5 months for our chunker), we decided to try out some pocket and all-in-one styles. Those by far have been my husband’s favorites, as they are easy to use and fairly simple to get a good fit from the first diaper used. Now we are getting ready for baby #2 and, while he still is not wanting to use the prefold style, hubby has said that we should use fitted with covers, pockets and all-in-one styles right from the beginning.
I feel that there are definately issues that can arise while cloth diapering. It is a lost body of knowledge being able to use cloth diapers; kind of like birthing and labor. With some help and troubleshooting, most cloth diaper issues can be resolved. Not too many other items in our home do we expect to function without a little knowledge in what they are designed to do and their limitations. All in all both my husband and I have been very happy with our cloth diaper experience, but we have had to try a few different styles and be open to it learning how it all works.
Thanks for sharing your experience with cloth diapers. Glad you did not give up and tried different kind of cloth diapers!