Many questions regarding cloth diapers!

I have never used them before and I was wondering what the differences are in types of fabrics and closures. I have read some descriptions online but I would prefer to hear some advice from first hand experienced users.

My wife and I thought that it might save us money in the long run and we could give them a shot. A bit of FYI: I have nocturnal bed wetting (10+ years now) and the primary use would be for these purposes. I do not want them to leak, but I want them to be extremely comfortable. I don't know if it matters but at present I use mainly Dry 24/7 diapers.

I don't really want to have to mess with manual folding, or massive pinning as sometimes I am REALLY tired and since I have no choice in wearing this would make my life really harder than necessary, however, if it's the best option I will still try it and resort to disposables when am at a lost for energy.

Some of my main questions are which fabrics are best and most comfortable? What closures are best fitting? Which fabrics or closures are have the best longevity? What kinds of maintenance is involved with cleansing these (Any special detergents, soaking etc?) Is it really necessary to have a plastic cover over them? Do they come in standard widths or lengths? What sites sell quality products?

Thanks for all the responses! I apologize in advance for the bombardment of questions but I like to be well informed before I go spending my money on things!

I am a cloth user. If you want good absorbency you will need to go with the pre-folds. I would say use twill weaved cotton diapers. I got mine from Changing Times diaper company. (I would highly recommend them). These are pin ons so you would have to get used to pinning on diapers, but they are very comfortable. You will need plastic pants of some sort for them. I would recommend The Leakmaster Deluxe. I have one and it goes over my pre-folds all the way and are comfortable to wear.

I often use two double layered or triple layered terry toweling pull ups (as big as possible but the elastics must grip my waist and legs) with latex pants over the top. Be very aware of stitched plastic pants, they can leak a lot. You need to think that when you pee you make a puddle that the toweling will soak up IF you have enough of it. I also sometimes use plastic pants over the top but these tend to be gary manufacture and as large as possible but with snug fitting elastics so the toweling has lots and lots of room to sag. Hope this helps.

Here is some info I posted in the past in a thread "Cost of Cloth".

I had to replace some cloth diapers recently, which gave me the chance to get a cost estimate.
I use a large flat 4-layer from www.adultclothdiaper.com. Unit cost is $20 plus shipping. I got about 180 nights out of it before it started losing absorbancy and I had to add some extra padding to it. After about 130 nights, it was getting thread bare. I ordered some new ones and did a weight comparison. The new diaper is 18 ounces and the old one is 12. So it had lost a third of its fabric over that time. The cost and duration shows around $0.20 per night, give or take.
I use a plastic pant, and the cost varies a lot there. There are two basic thicknesses: 4 mil and 7 mil. The cost is about $15 either way for a basic pant. The 4 mil went about 45 nights before it started to break up, for a cost of about $0.30 per night. I picked up a 7 mil and used it for about 150 nights without breaking up. It was starting to become noisier and stiffer, but is still useable. My wife decided I needed more to put into rotation to keep the odor down, so I don't know how long it would have gone. But if we take the 150 nights, it becomes $0.10 per night, a third of the cost of the 4-mil.
Together that makes $0.40 for the thin plastic, and $0.20 for the thick. If you are using something durable, like PUL, the price drops again.
For laundry, I rinse it in the shower and drop it in with the bath towels and other whites. Since we use our bath towels once only, we run about 5 loads a week anyway, so it makes little difference. For those using a public laundry, the cost probably doubles.

I have about a 99% success rate against leakage with the flat cloth diapers. I do have to fold and pin them though. Depending on body size, I fold one end over, then the sides in, creating a thick, snug fitting front which is leak resistant in all positions. I have never tried the All In One style. You may want to look into it for ease of use.

Another note about cloth: They shrink a lot. Perhaps 20% of width and length. Especially the prefold style. So buy them big.

Twill has a very good reputation and they are comfortable. I have one pair but it came in the wrong size, so I seldom wear it. What I do wear every night is gauze, night weight pre-fold diapers. I wear small so I just have to pin the corners, one diaper pin per corner. I have a 32" waist. I like the Leakmaster high top because they give better diaper coverage when sleeping. Birdseye cloth lasts longer than gauze, but the last birdseye I bought, also from adultclothdiaper.co, was a bit rough and less comfortable. The gauze cloth is very soft, but doesn't wear as long.

I wear cloth diapers most of the time, and I use prefold diapers, I find that some night I have to use a booster pad if I have been drinking a lot of liquids. but most of the time I don't have any leeks.

so if you find your having leeks when you sleep you may have to think about get some booster cloth pads.

So it seems that most people use prefolds and pin the diapers themselves. What about all these AIO cloth diapers? Do they work as good? This might be a dumb question but the prefolds are already multiple layers?

Kawaii,

The AIO diapers usually have a waterproof outer layer already built in so that there is no need to wear separate plastic pants. Good for convenience, but greatly increases drying time.

Yes, the prefolds have multiple layers, and the center "soaker" section has even more layers sewed in.

--John

Can anyone tell me if Dependeco is a good AIO diaper? I seen they had three different types: AIO AB Cotton Diapers, AIO AB Flannel Diapers, AIO PUL Diapers. What are the differences in these? Which one is the softest and most comfortable? I did a search and some people really enjoyed them but they did not say which product they actually bought. I am really confused on which one to try. Any and all help is appreciated!

Thanks again!!! :worshippy:

:thumbsup:

Kawaiii said:

Can anyone tell me if Dependeco is a good AIO diaper? I seen they had three different types: AIO AB Cotton Diapers, AIO AB Flannel Diapers, AIO PUL Diapers. What are the differences in these? Which one is the softest and most comfortable? I did a search and some people really enjoyed them but they did not say which product they actually bought. I am really confused on which one to try. Any and all help is appreciated!

Thanks again!!! :worshippy:

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I am a proud owner of 7 of them! I would highly recommend them. Monika does great work. I use mostly the cotton diapers, but I also have a pul lining one as well. Also I have two pul diaper covers from there as well. They come in many cute designs and and extremely comfortable if you take care of them correctly. They are only good for about one really good wetting so I also have soaker pads from her that I put in them and with my older ones I put a diaper cover over it as well for extra protection, because as they age they loose absorbency. If you follow the washing instructions all the time and make sure they are completely dry before putting them away they can last years.

Kawaiii said:

Can anyone tell me if Dependeco is a good AIO diaper? I seen they had three different types: AIO AB Cotton Diapers, AIO AB Flannel Diapers, AIO PUL Diapers. What are the differences in these? Which one is the softest and most comfortable? I did a search and some people really enjoyed them but they did not say which product they actually bought. I am really confused on which one to try. Any and all help is appreciated!

Thanks again!!! :worshippy:

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A few posts in this thread might be useful: http://www.adisc.org/forum/showthread.php/71912-Flannel-vs-Cotton-(Dependeco-AIO)

I prefer pin-on gauze cloth diapers (usually 4 layers) and separate pull-on plastic pants for night. They are very comfortable and I don't have a problem with leaks. I try to avoid the all-in-one combinations because the waterproof covering deteriorates long before the diaper and is not real easy to care for in the washer and dryer.

I have 48 twill diapers that I have had purchased in 2008 and have held up great.I had to trash one about a month ago because the seams let go.
I tried an all in one and had leaking problems.

When I started using cloth I got the fitted velcro diapers and the AIOs from ABU. I was not satisfied, so I started sewing my own. I know this is not something that everyone can do, but it's actually pretty easy...If I can learn then anyone can. As for fabrics...my only experience with bought diapers are the aforementioned ABU fitted and AIOs. The absorbancy was pretty good, but they just didn't fit me right. The AIOs had PVC as the outer cover and were a real pain to wash...PVC does not like the heat of the dryer...they fell apart pretty quickly. When I make my own I use flannel, sew them as a pocket diaper, and use terry towels, toddler prefolds, and microfiber inserts for the inside soakers, and use PUL pants from adultclothdiaper.com for the cover. I use velcro as the closures, but I'm going to try KAM snaps at some point...the velcro tends to wear out. Usually if that happens I just sew a new velcro on over the old one.

Going cloth is much cheaper than disposables in the long run. There are many options out there, and you can probably find something that works for you. It may be expensive to find what works for you...the online cloth diapers are not cheap at all. But once you find what works, if taken care of properly they should last for quite a while. But I really recommend learning to sew your own. There are several advantages to this. You can fit them just right for you. One of my problems is that I am between sizes, so mediums were too small, and larges were too big. I make mine just for me, so the size is always right. Doing them as pocket diapers cuts down on drying time, and I can tailor the absorbency to what I need. Also, it is much cheaper to sew your own. I use about 2.5 yards of flannel fabric for mine, and the cost (when Joanns has a sale on flannel) is about $2.50 a yard. Elastic is pretty cheap, and I buy velcro from wazoodle.com. Terry towels and microfiber towels are cheap at the dollar stores or WalMart, and toddler prefolds are about $15 for 10. Since I make pocket diapers, the towels, prefolds and microfiber are all usable amongst all of my diapers. All together I probably spend less than $10 to make one diaper.

All of the cloth diapers I bought online were very comfortable. I hardly knew they were there at night. My wife sometimes wears my old ABU fitted at night, and she also says it is very comfortable.

Good luck in your search...once you go cloth you'll never want to go back to disposables again.

Thanks for the reply!! DaveTDL. Did you get a sewing pattern or did you just figure it out on your own? I could probably try to do this if it works out for me. So far I was thinking about trying out an AIO as well as a regular cloth diaper (pre -fold) and seeing the differences. So far all I see are the extreme differences... they are either awesome or they leak and didn't fit right. So really I do not hear any resounding BUY BUY BUY.

I wonder who long it even takes to get an AIO from dependeco...

Kawaiii....I took my measurements and created a pattern. There is a good article here on ADISC http://www.adisc.org/forum/showthread.php/83304-How-to-Make-Custom-Cloth-Diapers about making your own, and there are plenty of YouTube videos. It takes me about an hour or so to crank one out. So if you have a sewing machine you should give it a shot. I've modified my design several times and finally have one that is about perfect for me.

jdinvirginia said:

Kawaii,The AIO diapers usually have a waterproof outer layer already built in so that there is no need to wear separate plastic pants. Good for convenience, but greatly increases drying time.
Yes, the prefolds have multiple layers, and the center "soaker" section has even more layers sewed in.--John

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The main problem with AIO's is the diaper material will far outlast the waterproof covering, especially if it's vinyl.

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Kawaiii said:

Can anyone tell me if Dependeco is a good AIO diaper? I seen they had three different types: AIO AB Cotton Diapers, AIO AB Flannel Diapers, AIO PUL Diapers. What are the differences in these? Which one is the softest and most comfortable? I did a search and some people really enjoyed them but they did not say which product they actually bought. I am really confused on which one to try. Any and all help is appreciated!

Click to expand...

I suggest searching the numerous threads on this site as well as a google search. Rushing to purchase cloth diapers and waterproof covers will probably result in frustration and waste. There are numerous options and they are great for bedwetting. PM me and I can give you a review of just about every cloth and waterproof product out there.

Dependeco diapers and covers are well made. They are all PUL. However, the cotton and flannel versions have those materials (in a design) stitched over the PUL so they are going to look good, but they are thicker. I prefer to the plain PUL colors because they are lighter. I wouldn't use them at night. The front is not elastic and if you sleep on your side or stomach, they might leak. For night, I highly recommend Gary plastic pants, which you can buy from numerous sources. I get mine from either Fetware, Adult Cloth Diaper or Changing Times. As far as diaper materials, the softest are the KINS flannel diapers followed closely behind by the cotton twill or gauze diapers. I prefer the flannel at night and cotton twill during the day. Good luck with your search and remember to never buy more than one product until you have worn it and dialed in the size.

I have been using cloth from AdultClothDiaper.com (Medium nighttime Birdseye pre-folds) for a long time. Great during the day as long as you have the opportunity to change frequently. When I am working, I use Bambino. Has anyone found a local diaper service that will pickup, clean, fold, and deliver? I finally found one local that will launder owner supplied diapers, but waiting to hear if they will do adult sized. It sure would make my life easier.

Spaz said:

The main problem with AIO's is the diaper material will far outlast the waterproof covering, especially if it's vinyl.

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I suggest searching the numerous threads on this site as well as a google search. Rushing to purchase cloth diapers and waterproof covers will probably result in frustration and waste. There are numerous options and they are great for bedwetting. PM me and I can give you a review of just about every cloth and waterproof product out there.

Dependeco diapers and covers are well made. They are all PUL. However, the cotton and flannel versions have those materials (in a design) stitched over the PUL so they are going to look good, but they are thicker. I prefer to the plain PUL colors because they are lighter. I wouldn't use them at night. The front is not elastic and if you sleep on your side or stomach, they might leak. For night, I highly recommend Gary plastic pants, which you can buy from numerous sources. I get mine from either Fetware, Adult Cloth Diaper or Changing Times. As far as diaper materials, the softest are the KINS flannel diapers followed closely behind by the cotton twill or gauze diapers. I prefer the flannel at night and cotton twill during the day. Good luck with your search and remember to never buy more than one product until you have worn it and dialed in the size.

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Thanks for all the great information! I will send you a PM I need to order something soon as I am starting to run low on diapers as we speak!