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does anyone use cloth diapers rather than disposable?

i have to be sure to penny pinch. using cloth diapers may be cheaper, but more troublesome. plus, after using more laundry detergent and more visits to the laundry mat, would it be almost as expensive as disposable diapers? and also, if you feel that it is less expensive and better overall, would you please give me some pointers on how to go about using cloth diapers on a regular basis please? thanks in advance!

Public Comments

1. Id go for the disposable
2. I cloth diapered for 18 months. But I had my own washing machine! I think it'd be pretty hard if you had to use a laundromat! Though not impossible! Go here: www.diapersswappers.com This is a great place to begin and talk with other cloth diapering moms!
3. My reasons for using disposable diapers are many, I work full time and dealing with cloth diapers isn't worth my free time and babies are more likely to get a diaper rash from cloth diapers plus they are the most nastiest things to clean. Cloth diapers? No Thank You ***Whoa easy this is just MY opinion, and my experience with cloth diapers is only limited so you're right Mrs. Ferrari okay feel better now? I used to babysit twins when I was younger and they were in cloth diapers and in MY case they were extremely stinky gross and hard to clean, maybe they're different now, relax.
4. I switched to cloth when my daughter was 14 months. While I was nervous at first, I was pleased to discover it only takes up an extra 5-10 minutes of my day! :) It is REALLY easy! I will never go back to disposables! You need to keep in mind that you only use a TEENY amount of detergent, like 1/4-1/2 the amount you'd use for clothes. Ha ha it also makes the detergent last for ages! Otherwise the excess soap clogs up the diapers and they become less absorbent/leaky and smell weird (it's easy to strip the soap out should you make that error though). No matter what kind of cloth diapers you buy (all the way from the cheap prefolds to the most expensive ones that run $32 apiece), you WILL save money over using disposables! You reuse cloth with each child for one thing! :) Even the detergent and washes cannot add up to enough to be more expensive than disposables. This is one of my favorite basics page; helped me TONS when I first started CDing:http://www.cottonbabies.com/clothdiapers.php Feel free to email me anytime with questions! **Cari, you are mistaken; babies in cloth are LESS likely to get diaper rashes! Also, cloth diapers are quite easy to clean. Maybe you should actually learn about them before making your statements. I don't care if you use them or not, but please get the facts right! Edit: LMAO calm yourself girl. I wasn't mad, just would like someone investigating cloth to be able to hear the truth. As someone who has been on both sides of the matter, I think I would know. :) That's all. And yes, the cloth diapers available now are vastly different from the ones I wore as an infant. I STILL do use some prefolds for my daughter though, since they are durable and cheap as anything. Check out how cute these are (basically a disposable you can wash and reuse!): http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=1825 As for poops once solids are begun, I will give you that they ARE harder to manage, but once I got a diaper sprayer and hooked it up to my toilet...problem solved. My husband was afraid to switch too but is now a pro!! LOL
5. Babies are actually less likely to get diaper rash from CLOTH diapers actually! Check this website out-- http://www.healthybottoms.com/whycloth.html There is a cloth diapering service in my area that will actually be CHEAPER than using disposable diapers and I wont be washing the diapers in my own washing machine either. This site gives a breakdown of the cost effectiveness of cloth diapering versus disposable and also lists the variety of reasons why cloth diapering is better for your baby. I am not sure what services there are in your area but the last time I went to the laundry mat when my washer and dryer hadn't arrived at our new place yet it was very expensive and didn't clean my clothes well anyways.
6. I use benGenius 3.0 one size diapers... they are a bit more expensive... but we love them! Technically I use LESS detergent, but it has to be the right kind of detergent. You technically shouldn't use just regular tide. We spent 500 dollars round about, and he's been in them for about 2 months. A pack of pampers is around 14-16 dollars... he goes through 6 diapers a day... so a pack would last about 2 weeks, so I'm spending approximately 30 dollars on diapers... and extra 20 for wipes a month... so 50 a month... In 10 months... I'll have had his diapers paid off! We don't even use wipes... we use face cloths (specifically bought for him and only used on his bum!) and we get them wet and put them in a wipe warmer! I figure I'm already washing his diapers... what are cloths on top of it? I hope this helps! My husband and I love them, he rarely leaks, (He's not an extremely heavy wetter either tho!) and have never had trouble with diaper rash! I wash them every other day... (Mon, Wed, Fri...) and hang them to dry and they are dry in the morning! The only down side with cloth is, you may need to do some maintenance, like I have had to stitch a couple, but it's nothing big! Good Luck!