Diapers.

[MyLittleWonders]

We used disposibles with our first son until he day-trained; he still has "accidents" at night and wears a Fuzzi Bunz pocket (cloth) diaper. We've used cloth with our second son since the day he left the hospital. We have also camped twice and flown cross country once with cloth, and would do it again in a heart beat. I wish I would have used cloth with our first. It is very easy, there are many choices out there (and it's a shame places like walmart and target sell "cloth diapers" because they do such an injustice to cloth diapering ... ), and honestly, my laundry hasn't increased (and I wash every other day to every 3rd day). With my first son, we were constantly having "blow outs" with his diapers ... I was changing his clothes constantly. My second son, I can count on one hand the number of blow-outs he's had in 14 months, and those were caused by mommy or daddy malfunction rather than the diaper itself. I love knowing that the chemicals in the disposibles aren't up against his skin (I still remember those gel beads being on my first son's skin when I'd change him and thinking, "What's that?"). He's comfortable (who wouldn't love a little velour up against their delicate skin?!). And it is by far cheaper than disposibles. If you went flats or prefolds (which are really easy, and like a pp said, you don't need pins because you can use snappi's), plus good covers (wool is an awesome cover - and no, it's not scratchy!), you could cloth diaper from birth through potty training for about 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of disposible diapering. Yes, there are many "designer" cloth diapers out there (referred to as "wahm" diapers - work at home mom's), but there are also many mom's who has internet stores that sell just the basics. I would definitely spend some time reading on diaperpin.com about cloth diapers. They have a product comparrison section where the diapers and covers are broken up by category and then rated by consumers. I think because most people think "flats, pins, and plastic pants" that they don't realize how much the world of cloth diapers has evolved - they really can be as easy as disposibles (no bleach needed either ...) and good for their health, your pocket book, and the environment. Feel free to PM me if you want some more information about cloth ... if you can't tell from my post, I am a pretty big advocate for it!

 

[ScarletRubies]

What are Dortas nappies? Never heard of those ones.

Oh, sorry... family slang! Dorta = Daughter.

As for the previous post, at 14 months, my daughter/Dorta is aware of when she is wetting, so we're starting to put her on the loo to get her used to it. She follows us in there anyway sigh and we've always told her why we go etc... No stress, and we're not pushing her to toilet train, it's just another step toward independence etc. I'm not really good at spotting her No. 2 signs though... I'm a bit of a "vague" mummy!!!

Cheers,
Ruby

 

[appleofhiseye]

Well, I used disposables from Wal-mart, costs about $6 a week. I don't know how much the extra detergent(the baby kind) plus the cloth diapers plus the covers equals per week. Plus if you have to use the laundry mat (quarters) weekly. I don't know if cloth is cheaper or not?

 

[mamaneenie]

Well, I used disposables from Wal-mart, costs about $6 a week. I don't know how much the extra detergent(the baby kind) plus the cloth diapers plus the covers equals per week. Plus if you have to use the laundry mat (quarters) weekly. I don't know if cloth is cheaper or not?

I guess if you don't have your own washing machine then it may not be cheaper.

As far as the detergent and all that goes, I still think I saved a bit using cloth.

 

[ScarletRubies]

Am I allowed to post a snippet from someone's website here? This is from an article written for "Grassroots" magazine, Nov. 04. The whole article is at http://www.ozclothnappies.org/grassroots1.html

If there's a problem with me posting this here, please send me a PM and I will delete it!

Cheers,
Ruby

The Environment

800 million "disposable" nappies in Australia alone every year are delivered to landfill sites for disposal. Not one of these nappies can be recycled, and they take up to 500 years to biodegrade. This means that every used disposable nappy ever made worldwide will still be there for generations to come. People using cloth nappies, however, will be using their nappies for generations!

According to Zerowaste New Zealand, it takes one whole cup of crude oil to make the plastic for a single "disposable" nappy. Ick.

Worried about washing machine power use? It takes as much energy to produce one "disposable" as it does to wash a cloth nappy 200 times. Washing water? With a decent but not top-grade washing machine, you'll use less water washing nappies in a week than you'll use flushing the toilet. (Are you wearing paper nappies right now?)

 

[MyLittleWonders]

You know, beyond the environmental impact, what really got me was the chemicals in disposible diapers! They still use the same chemical in disposible diapers that has been outlawed in tampons due to cauing toxic shock syndrome. Those little gel beads really aren't good for skin contact. Plus, disposibles have been linked to both infertility problems as well as asthma (which seems to coincide with the high incidence of fertility issues now as well as the rise of childhood asthma. And, it boiled down to this for me: would I want to be wrapped in paper/plastic 24 hours a day for the better part of 3 years of my life? I can't even stand disposible female products because they are so uncomfortable (and don't use them anymore because of that) ...

 

[Diane_Windsor]

Why don't you buy some cloth diapers and disposables. If you run short on cash you can always use the cloth ones. Or, if you have the time, use the cloth ones but keep disposables for when you go out or have a babysitter. It's easier that way.

I second this suggestion of letting the babysitter use the disposables-it is much easier on the babysitter (at least it was for me when I babysat).