my husband and i were torn over disposable and cloth. cloth actually use a lot of water and chemicals when being cleaned. of course disposable to us was even worse. we came across this awesome site.... www.gdiapers.com. they are flushable biodegradable diapers that work really really well. you should check them out. you can get a starter kit for 24 dollars i think? its worth a shot. you can also set up a weekly or biweekly delivery of the inserts....

Cool Mom Picks has a post about "Happy Heiny Pocket Diapers" -- they look pretty darn cute.
http://www.coolmompicks.com/2007/06/a_dry_heiny_is_a_happy_heiny_n.php

My wife and I are expecting our first in December and we are looking to G Diapers as well. We both hate the idea of a diaper sitting in a landfill for eons when there are other solutions at hand. Besides, those "little G" pants are too damn cute.

I don't like gdiapers because they still contain the super absorbent polymer that despite big disposable companies saying is safe, I have my doubts. They are also famous for clogging plumbing and destroying septic tanks, so no thanks there.

But then, I'm biased. ;)

We use prefold diapers with snappi fasteners (no pins) and Bummis wraps. Along with Very Basic All in One Diapers from www.tallulahbaby.com that go on just like a disposable and have nothing but 100% cotton or hemp next to baby's skin.

Just wanted to pipe up to say that we also LOVE gDiapers. We started off with regular prefolds and the Bummis Super Whisper wraps (which I still think are the best wraps). Then I tried out the g's and I just love the fact that I can switch from a 'flushable' to cloth without changing the cover!!! We use cloth in the gpants while at home and then a flushable at night and when we're out and about. This is definitely a system that works great for us....and they are SUPER cute.
I also love the fact that gDiapers has EXCEPTIONAL customer service. They are more than happy to answer any 'dumb' question and they totally stand behind their product if you ever have any problems. They also have a yahoo forum for questions and such. I learned so much there and felt as if I was totally supported (by other moms and the company) with my choice to use the g's!

lb is much more the diaper pro than i am, but i will concisely answer.

we used g diapers for a while, they were good for our newborn, but ultimately a lot of buying stuff and flushing etc.

then we switched to cloth diapers and doing a lot of elimination communication, which (as we've posted before, is brilliant - ESPECIALLY in combo with cloth diapers). we have several kinds, the names of which i don't know because there is a mind boggling array of diaper options. we also use baby underpants in combination with the EC.

we dont go thru a lot of diapers in a day, most of the mess goes in the potty. the diapers that do get dirty, we wash by hand, in our bathroom, with a wonderwasher and spin dryer.

all in all - its easy, there is not a lot of poop or pee to really deal with, no chemicals are used and not a lot of energy or water is wasted (by us or machinery). so in response to some of the above, this whole world of poop can be dealt with cleanly and efficiently.

When I was researching cloth diapers, I found this site to be a really great resource:
http://diaperpin.com/home.asp

I looked at gDiapers, but they were more expensive than disposable diapers.
I have used Fuzzi Bunz, Kissaluvs, bumGenius, prefolds, and knitted wool soakers for my son. I absolutely love all of them. When he was just breastfed exclusively, I could throw all the diapers - yes, even poopy - right into the washing machine. Now that he has more solid poop, I use Imse Vimse rice paper liners for pooping time, and I just flush those away before putting the diaper in the wash.
This is how I wash all the diapers together: Cold rinse, HOT wash with 1 tablespoon of Planet detergent (free clear), then 2 cold rinses. I dry them all on medium heat. This way the pocket diapers (Fuzzi Bunz and bumGenius) don't get any excess buildup from other detergents, which can cause repelling.
When we go out we usually use pocket diapers so he can wear his cute clothes and jeans, and we carry them home in a wetbag from TheGoodMama.com. When we're just hanging out at home, he wears fitteds or prefolds and can go coverless, wearing wool covers for naps and bedtime.
I got my bumGenius diapers and Kissaluvs from http://www.cottonbabies.com, my FuzziBunz from http://hyenacart.com/MommaCommune/, I make my own wool soakers with Peace Fleece wool/mohair yarn from http://www.peacefleece.com, and I get many other "cute" fitteds from various stores on HyenaCart, and places like Patchwork Pixie and TheGoodMama.

BumGenius version 2.0 are handsdown the easiest to use. They are one size pocket diapers. You can use them from 8lbs. through potty training! I used all kinds of cloth diapers with my first baby. While I love fitteds like Kissaluvs and the simplicity of prefolds, I found myself gravitating to pocket diapers like FuzziBunz because they kept my baby dry. I finally found THE BEST diaper in the BumGenius 2.0. They are so easy to use and are very well made. My first baby is now almost 2. I also have a 6 week old. Both of them wear the BumGenius. Whatever type of cloth diaper you choose, you are making a difference in your baby's quality of life and in the life of our planet. You can't go wrong with cloth. Also, you should also do cloth wipes when cloth diapering. SO EASY and if you buy a good brand, you only use 1 WIPE (yes, I said 1) for even the messiest poop! Talk about less waste! Our favorite wipes are Wahmies, for what it is worth. Here are links to some of my favorite cloth diaper sites:
http://www.cottonbabies.com
http://www.diaperware.com
http://www.abbyslane.com

Good luck!

Just wanted to add about the washing routine. You need to choose your detergent wisely. This site has a chart that explains which detergents are safe to use with cloth:
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com

Our wash routine is 1. cold soak, 2. hot wash with detergent, 3. dry

It is EASY to cloth diaper. Really and truly. I *think* I saw a post on here about Good Mama wetbags. I have these and they really are the best. I recommend the big one for your pail and a medium one for when you go out.

I also cloth diaper. Mostly for economical reasons.
I purchased most of my diapers from www.thanksmama.com
I use chinese prefolds with a snappi and the prorap classic diaper covers.
We are fortunate to have a big bathroom with a perfect space for the changing table, with a diaper pail next to it.
When my daughter was tiny, we put the diapers directly into the pail (no rinsing) in a $1 laundry bag from the $ store.
Now that she is bigger, poops go in the toilet, and the rest still goes in the pail.

When the pail is full, I wash like this:
1. "quick wash" no detergent, cold
2. (Overnight) soak, ~1/2 c baking soda.
3. Hot wash with detergent and baking soda if I feel like, vinegar rinse.
4. Dry in dryer (NO dryer sheets, these prevent absorption)

As for smells, we found these at Bed Bath and Beyond, and have one in the diaper pail, and all our garbage cans. They really work!

http://www.simplehuman.com/products/accessories/activated-carbon-filter.html

Here are some of my cloth diaper links and purloined information.

http://www.momadvice.com/parenting/cloth_diapers.aspx

While we liked the concept of the g-diaper our friend at the local municipal water treatment district warned us away from them (they are already having problems with the flushed absorbent polymers in their facility) and they can be killer on older home sewage pipes. On the advice of every family member who has ever used cloth we are going to get a 1 mo subscription to a diaper service to start and then switch to washing our own (cut down on water and chemicals and way, way cheaper than a service).

We are lucky and live near the brick and mortar site of Babyworks on online cloth diaper retailer: http://www.babyworks.com/catalog/Default.asp and they we kind enough to walk us through the 40 or so options that exist in the cloth diaper world (15 types of prefolds [bleached, unbleached, organic cotton, Eqyptian cotton!, hemp, bamboo, fleece, etc.], inserts, doublers, diaper covers, all in ones, etc.) explaining the pros and cons of each and including the caveat that the shape and size of our impending tyke will probably determine which diaper cover brand we'll wind up with. They recommended purchasing one or two of each of a few brands to see what worked best (they also take returns!) rather than stocking up on one brand ahead of time. They also noted that sizing is different for each diaper cover brand and can be frustrating for new parents.

Craig's list and ebay are a great source for used prefolds and diaper covers as well!

tidbits:
newborns use about 70 diapers a week
disposables will cost about $1000k a year give or take
diaper services run about $17/week plus you'll still need covers
kids in cloth diapers tend to potty train a YEAR earlier

Many websites, like Katie's Kisses, has a starter pack of cloth diapers so you can try out a variety of styles. My sister loves FuzzyBuns and used cloth diapers on her three kids. I went for Gdiapers. I live in an old house and haven't had issues with toilets clogging. If you follow the directions and break everything up in the toilet, it goes down just fine. Good luck and no matter what your choice, you will have someone telling you that you made a bad choice! Ah, the joys of parenthood!

We used the smallest size Chinese prefolds with the Bummis velcro cover during the day. And used Fuzzi Bunz with a fleece liner & the Bummis night time cover at night. This combination worked very well for us. We tossed the prefolds & covers into a regular step can, and washed them every other day.

We also used flannel cloth wipes that I found on Ebay. Those were wonderful! I think we bought about 2 dozen of them. We wet them with warm water & wiped. Tossed them into the wash with the prefolds.

With the risk of getting the ole stink-eye from the cloth diapering pros, I'm gonna share my diaper washing routine with you.

When changing, we simply throw wet dipes, breastfed poop* dipes, and all cloth wipes in the diaper pail. When it comes time to launder, we threw 'em all in the washer on HOT with Tide brand detergent. That's right, regular ole Tide. Actually, we use Tide with Bleach Alternative. (We've tried "Free" detergents but the diapers just never got as clean as they did with our trusty Tide and they retained smells.) We choose the wash cycle that has a 2nd rinse. Next, they're off into the dryer. Done. Hmm...sounds a lot like doing just a regular load of laundry, huh?

11 months of doing this simple routine on prefolds, fitteds, AIOs, pockets, and covers and we've never had repelling/leak issues or smelly diapers and they're still in great shape for the next bundle of joy that may come our way.

Also, I wanted to add that while they are a bit pricey, bumGenius 2.0 one-size diapers are AMAZING!

*Now that he has solid poops, we rinse them off first with a toilet spray attatchment and then throw them in the diaper pail for laundry day.

If you're interested in finding some info on startup costs for cloth diapering, check out the comments in this post:
http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/2006/08/cloth-diaper-sound-offyour-turn.html

We went with Fuzzi Buns (along with a handful of other couples we know) after debating over GDiapers for awhile. I think GDiapers are the second-best option next to cloth (which don't produce any waste). True, cloth diapers use water resources to wash, but it's extremely minimal (our monthly bill hasn't changed at all). Plus, we use a clothesline in the warmer months. I highly recommend Fuzzis.

With twins coming in August, I would like to use cloth. But when I go back to work after 4 months, the babies will be going to a local family daycare that requires disposables. How have other people dealt with this? I might be willing to do cloth at home and disposables for daycare, but my husband thinks we need to keep things as simple as possible (i.e., not have two whole diaper systems going). Any advice is welcomed, especially if you have twins!

Lesley,

i was all into cloth diapers but it OVERWHELMED us when the reality of one child came. especially with us both working.

when my son went to daycare, it was basically impossible to do it.

i'm sure more ambitious people can do it but it's about the most labor intensive "save-the-world" choice i can imagine.

my advice is to not even go down that route.

anyone who's high and mighty about it better be driving a Prius (I do) and not flying on airplanes.

we don't drive a car at all. so after we finish hand-cranking our diapers in the wonderwash, do we get an especially high and mighty prize? :)

my biggest recommendation for anyone pursuing cloth (besides EC!) is to not buy a huge stash of one kind of diaper before the baby gets here. i am pretty hard-core about cloth (see, hand-crank washer) but i would get a smallish stash together and plan on using some disposables in the very beginning, because you never know what the best fitting diaper will be for your kid. we use bumkins AIO when we diaper during the day, in combo with training pants from the EC store. we use bum genius 2.0 at night--they are great! i loved some of the happy heiny prints, but they just didn't work as well for us. so good think i didn't buy 10 of them, you know?

try http://www.diaperswappers.com/
more cloth diaper talk than you can shake a stick at, and buy/sell/trade. there is also a cloth diapering forum at mothering.com.

We are now cloth diapering our second child, and have tried every sort of diaper, and so have honed our findings quite a bit over the years.

We like to use at least 2 kinds of diapers for different circumstances.

The simplest cloth diapering system that we like is Imse vimse -- the oragnic terry contours that you just lay into a diaper cover (no snappis, no pins). We use exclusively wool diaper covers, because we have found them to be the best, and Imse Vimse bumpy wool diaper covers are the best of the best. These diapers fit from around 3 months to toddler, so you could easily buy a dozen and have most of your diapering taken care of. For an older child or heavy wetter, you could supplement it with a countour hemp liner (fleece topped is best). Our favourite diapers were made by my friend Jen at www.momandmepouches.com but she has gotten out of the bizz -- they were hemp fleece with snaps on the front. Nice stretchy fit, non-binding and very absorbant.

We also use fleece pocket diapers (the stuffer is a hemp trifold) for convenience. Much easier than disposables.

Washing is super-easy -- we have a European front-loader, which does long wash cycles. The cotton and hemp fibres get washed at 95 degrees Celcius, and the fleece at 60. Both are washed in Sportwash, a liquid detergent (biodegradeable, non-toxic environment-friendly) used for getting hunting clothes clean. It gets the faintest scent and trace out of the clothes.

We didn't find it that labour-intensive, we both worked, and frankly, I love the independance of having all our diapers stacked and ready-to-go at home, not tied to lugging home those huge boxes of disposables. And we were really lucky when our daughter went into daycare -- she went to a Montessori that used cloth diapers and toilet-trained. (Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus...)

p.s. the easiest place to find sportwash is in the hunting section of stores such as Wal-Mart.

check out the Natures Child website for some ideas on where to start5, how to clean them & which type may work best for you! http://www.natureschild.com.au/flex/nappies/19/1

Well, since Montessori infant care for 2 is going to be out of our budget, and since we need the daycare to be in our neighborhood (to avoid making a round-trip by car before walking/BARTing to work), it seems we are stuck with disposables, all of which suck. Tushies are theoretically the most appealing option (no evil gel), but I've heard they're terribly bulky, uncomfortable and leaky. The whole diaper thing has me stressed and depressed, because it seems there are no good options if your daycare won't take cloth.

Lesley -
Find out the daycare's exact reasons for not using cloth. If you provide all-in-one/pocket diapers that are easy to put on and take off, and if they don't have to rinse poop themselves, and if you have a wetbag for the used diapers, I can't imagine any other possible reason for them not allowing cloth. Good luck!

Some daycares and preschools don't allow cloth because of restrictions on them storing the used diapers and health department codes. I did cloth for my daughter, and will for my son, and got some simple pockets for the sitter to use.

But, when she started preschool and wasn't yet potty trained, we used disposable pull ups at school. You could see if a day care is willing to do gDiapers, since they can throw away the inserts just like they do the disposables. Still, if you want cloth at home and disposables at daycare/school, it's really not too difficult.

Totally serious question: why is it more difficult to combine cloth and disposable, rather than using one or the other fulltime? I agree with KatieD that it's really not too hard to do.

We are just starting, too, and I've been doing some research. http://www.diaperhyena.com/ is a great site for information.

We're starting with G diapers (found a screaming good deal on Craig's List for a startup kit--otherwise, they are expensive) but plan to switch to cloth once she's out of the pooping every 5 minutes stage. I've heard good things about the Bum Genius 2.0's, and they grow with the baby (no need to buy new sizes).

Good Luck!

a question for those you use cloth:

Do any of you use a shared washing machine (like in the building or at a laundromat)? We do not yet have children but when the times comes I'd like to use cloth if possible. I am a little nervous about the smell of the diapers in the apt and also about dragging them down to a communal washing machine. I'm not sure my neighbors would appreciate it...

gDiaper fan here - we're in an old building with scary plumbing and it works just fine. So cute too.

We used cloth with my son and are about to use the same ones again with baby #2. We went with good old fashioned chinese prefolds and Prowraps. Our entire setup cost us less then $500 and we never ran out of diapers.

If you go to mothering.com and click on "discuss" you will see an entire forum dedicated to cloth diapering. All the people there at MDC are very friendly and helpful.

We loved cloth diapering our son and never felt like it was a difficult or a burden. Good luck, whatever you choose!

Just some reassurance about smell: breastfed poop doesn't smell, and once solids are introduced, babies tend to poop a maximum of once a day (they may go down to only 2 x a week until they get used to soilds), so there is actually very little there to smell.

Plus, we use fleece& hemp contour liners in our cotton/hemp diapers, or use fleece pocket diapers, and, well, poop peels right off fleece (just position it over the loo, bend the 2 ends backwards, and plop!). I never found I needed the rice paper liners. We made sure to rinse and soap wash (and dry) our $5 plastic diaper bucket each time we did a load (each day), and found there to be no smell at all.

If anyone in your family is a sewer, why not try to make your own fleece pocket diapers? They are much easier than disposables to use, and so we always had them available for sitters and grandparents. Plus, if you manage to find a daycare that is willing to do cloth diapers, these may be the easiest solution. Just supply them with a wetbag for the purpose (we got all our wetbags at www.happytushies.com).

For my son, I got all black windpro exteriors for his fleece pockets (you can buy it in Malden Mills' online store), and then had various colourful suedecloth or microsuede interiors (the stuffers were double thickness hemp fleece, turned inside out, and stiched into three folds, folded into the pocket). Here is how to make them: http://diaperfabric.com/2007/03/11/very-basic-aio-pattern-fleece-pocket-diaper/

As I said above, the backbone of our diapering are these: http://www.itsybitsybabyboutique.com/content-product_info/product_id-2256/imse_vimse_contour_terry_diaper.html and http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/products/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=17&idproduct=817

Our criteria were: ease of use, comfort for baby, accommodating fit (our babes had skinny legs, which are often badly fit by many diapers), and a slim but absorbant diaper (to make it easier to fit into regular clothes made for disposables).

The other part of our system is the cloth wipes. We use the Prince Lionheart diaper wipe warmer, put in folded 8x8 cloth wipes -- one side cotton velour, the other sherps (you can find lots of people online who make these, or you can make your own) -- and pour our diaper wipe solution to moisten them (in a rubbermade jug with a lid dedicated to the purpose, mix 72 ounces of distilled water, 2 TB of pure aloe vera gel, 1 TB Dr. Bronner liquid castille soap, 1 TB of grapeseed oil, 12 drops each of tea tree oil and lavender; shake well).

We have turned many people onto cloth wipes and cloth diapers with this system. It is easy, and actually, fun!

Good luck!!