Thinking of Trying Cloth Diapers

[babyyhazel]

I normally wear disposable diapers but thinking of trying cloth diapers!

So from people who use cloth or both I have a few questions!
What would you say are the pros and cons of cloth diapers?
What brand is your favorite cloth diaper?
Would you say the wicking/absorbency of moisture is worse with cloth diapers?

Let me know what you think and you're experiences!

 

[ItsyBitsyBabySara]

The pros are it’s cheaper in the long run. Your skin can breath in cloth , also you don’t sweat in cloth . It’s softer then disposables. Con’s it’s that you have to wash them which can be difficult if you never washed diapers before. I would say buy one like the Velcro contour diapers. I only have one which I never go in, just for the feel of a thick diaper without having to wash it.

 

[Cottontail]

@babyyhazel You might check out ADISC's All About Cloth Diapers article. It's a little dated, but still worth a read IMO.

I'm one of those who uses both cloth and disposables, though I prefer cloth, and specifically prefolds. I was a cloth baby, and had easy access to prefolds throughout my childhood, so that's a big part of it. In fact, it's probably the biggest part of it. Truth be told, I can't really look at these things objectively. That said, cloth can work really well, and it can certainly save you a lot of money. It wicks like nothing else, however capacity depends on bulk, and bulk is hard to hide. I have a few all-in-one, pocket, and pull-up cloth diapers that can be concealed relatively easily, but their performance is rather... meh. Consequently, when I leave the house in diapers, I usually wear a disposable. Around the house, I'm usually wearing a prefold, fastened with diaper pins, and covered with a pull-on cover.

My favorite prefolds come from Rearz, and I really like both their pull-on and snap-on ("wrap") covers. I work from home, and I have the house to myself during working hours, so those are my diaper times. For the 50-ish hours I spend in diapers each week, I end up doing laundry twice. It's really not a big deal (IMO).

The Rearz diaper wraps are a great way to wear prefolds without pins. Just lie the prefold in the wrap and fasten the wrap. If I had to pick one cloth diapering system that balances performance, cost, easy of use, and cuteness, that would be it. I recommend the snap-on wraps over the velcro, as the velcro wears out a bit faster in my experience. An XS/Youth prefold is a good size for the wraps. Because the wraps don't have a liner or pocket, you can easily swap dry padding for wet when you change and keep using the same wrap.

All that said, I also love my DependEco and DideeQueen all-in-ones, my Snap-EZ pockets, and my Threaded Armor pull-ups. They have their places.

 

[DinoFrant]

You´re going to love them!

So far I´ve only tried cloth diapers from Rearz and not only they do a wonderful job but they also feel amazingly comfy and soft and thick in their own particular way. The only downside -if any- is that they´re hard to conceal under clothes and they don´t trap odors as good as disposables. Other than that I´m sure that you will definitely love the experience. Also, having a washing machine helps.

Have fun!

 

[babyyhazel]

@babyyhazel You might check out ADISC's All About Cloth Diapers article. It's a little dated, but still worth a read IMO.

I'm one of those who uses both cloth and disposables, though I prefer cloth, and specifically prefolds. I was a cloth baby, and had easy access to prefolds throughout my childhood, so that's a big part of it. In fact, it's probably the biggest part of it. Truth be told, I can't really look at these things objectively. That said, cloth can work really well, and it can certainly save you a lot of money. It wicks like nothing else, however capacity depends on bulk, and bulk is hard to hide. I have a few all-in-one, pocket, and pull-up cloth diapers that can be concealed relatively easily, but their performance is rather... meh. Consequently, when I leave the house in diapers, I usually wear a disposable. Around the house, I'm usually wearing a prefold, fastened with diaper pins, and covered with a pull-on cover.

My favorite prefolds come from Rearz, and I really like both their pull-on and snap-on ("wrap") covers. I work from home, and I have the house to myself during working hours, so those are my diaper times. For the 50-ish hours I spend in diapers each week, I end up doing laundry twice. It's really not a big deal (IMO).

The Rearz diaper wraps are a great way to wear prefolds without pins. Just lie the prefold in the wrap and fasten the wrap. If I had to pick one cloth diapering system that balances performance, cost, easy of use, and cuteness, that would be it. I recommend the snap-on wraps over the velcro, as the velcro wears out a bit faster in my experience. An XS/Youth prefold is a good size for the wraps. Because the wraps don't have a liner or pocket, you can easily swap dry padding for wet when you change and keep using the same wrap.

All that said, I also love my DependEco and DideeQueen all-in-ones, my Snap-EZ pockets, and my Threaded Armor pull-ups. They have their places.

I read that ADISC's article and I did find it helpful!

Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts! I mainly want to try it because, like you said, it is definitely more cost effective! I actually just ordered one off of Rearz so we'll see how it goes!

 

[Cottontail]

I actually just ordered one off of Rearz so we'll see how it goes!

Oh nice! I hope you end up liking 'em. I posted a picture of an XS prefold in a wrap here, in case the visual helps. You basically just turn the thinner side-panels of the prefold in, flip it over, and lie it in the wrap. Very easy. Be sure to wash the prefold at least 3-4 times before judging its fit and absorbency. Those first few washes really transform them.

 

[ChristianDiaperLover]

I myself love disposable diapers better than cloth. I tried cloth diapers but honestly they don’t feel as good as disposable diapers for me. It’s one of those things where you’ll like the one better than the other. I wouldn’t be surprised if you would be disappointed with cloth diapers if you expect them to be just like disposable diapers. One thing I like about disposable diapers is when they get wet they feel thick and squishy. Also just way more comfortable than cloth but others will disagree with me. Cloth keeps that wet feeling longer somewhat but don’t hold as much as disposable. You can make them as thick as you want but they just don’t feel the same as disposables.

 

[PeeJayTee]

I love the feeling of both cloth and disposables. I do sometimes wear cloth but only for bed. The only problem is that if I don't wash them with bleach they will get a strong ammonia smell when they are wet and that kills the whole experience for me because the regular pee odor whether wet or dry is an aphrodisiac for me. Instructions on the cloth say not to wash with bleach but I really have to. Maybe it's my water. But lately I've been wearing the Rearz training pants with plastic pants to bed lately. For some reason they smell awesome when wet and then dried. You walk into my room and you know I'm a bedwetter. Even though they leak at least I am not flooding the bed which I do not mind during the warm months but it's still chilly here in CT. It must be the thick cotton of cloth diapers that traps bacteria and makes them smell like that. As far as the disposables, clean up is so much easier when you mess and you don't need to change right away. Especially if you happen to be out and about.

 

[Cottontail]

@PeeJayTee It sounds like you might have hard water, in which case presoaking and washing with a water softening agent would probably help. I’m on a private well and have very hard water. I presoak my diapers in a mixture of water and borax (the classic “wet pail” recipe) and then add borax along with detergent when I wash. If I don’t do this, I end up with residual odors like what you describe. It might take some experimenting, but I bet you can find a solution that doesn’t involve regular use of bleach. That can shorten the life of cloth diapers very significantly.

 

[PeeJayTee]

@PeeJayTee It sounds like you might have hard water, in which case presoaking and washing with a water softening agent would probably help. I’m on a private well and have very hard water. I presoak my diapers in a mixture of water and borax (the classic “wet pail” recipe) and then add borax along with detergent when I wash. If I don’t do this, I end up with residual odors like what you describe. It might take some experimenting, but I bet you can find a solution that doesn’t involve regular use of bleach. That can shorten the life of cloth diapers very significantly.

Awesome! Thank you for the tip!! I will try that.

 

[Cottontail]

Awesome! Thank you for the tip!! I will try that.

If the diapers are stinky now, you may need a do a few overnight presoaks and washes to effectively “strip” (de-stinkify) them. I hope it works! Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda is another good option.

 

[PeeJayTee]

If the diapers are stinky now, you may need a do a few overnight presoaks and washes to effectively “strip” (de-stinkify) them. I hope it works! Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda is another good option.

They should be good now. I have tried the baking soda before with no luck.

 

[PadPhilosopher]

My 2 cents, if you're curious, try towels and a shopping bag in the privacy of your own home. I used to use towels and proper plastic pants as my overnight diaper, and it was great. Comfortable, super cheap, and never leaked. They wick like crazy. There's a particular way to fold them for it that's easier done than described. Maybe I'll make a guide with pictures later, if you're interested. The only reason I don't do it now is I moved to a place where I don't have my own washing machine just now, which makes it impractical.

 

[Belarin]

So like @Cottontail I am one who uses disposable and cloth probably about 50/50.

Pro's and con's will vary a little bit from person to person but for me...
Pro's-

• While more expensive to get started, long term cost is much cheaper (by as much as a few grand a year for everyday wearing) as good cloth diapers last for years.
• Comfort, I personally find them much more comfortable to wear.
• Wet/dry feel, depending on the fabric used can leave you feeling basically dry (like a disposable) or able to feel the dampness more.
• More breathable, they allow more air in and out which can help keep skin healthier.
• Less rashes, this may not apply to everyone but I have found that cloth diapers if properly cleaned and maintained are less likely to leave me with rashes after long times wearing used ones than disposables, I have however heard the reverse from some people so it depends on your individual skin.
• Bulk. while it may not be ideal for wearing out and about, while in private you can make them really bulky and thick if that kinda thing is to your liking, you can also get them fairly thin and discreet but will sacrifice capacity doing so.
• Design options, while the ABDL disposable market is growing with new prints and brands, cloth diapers can have a huge number of prints or simply buy plain white and use plastic pants or other covers with any kind of print you like, with a little practice sewing (or a friend who can sew and is in the loop) you can get thousands of different prints and colours to make waterproof covers even to the point of having custom printed PUL or vinyl.
• In the same vein there are many different types, forms and shapes for cloth diapers so you can find exactly what works to fit you best.
• Scent, I personally love the smell of freshly wet cloth diapers, it brings me right back to the days when I was little and used to wet my pants on purpose. on the same line though it is very easy to apply any scent or perfume you want onto a cloth diaper and due to the airiness of them it spreads around better.
• No chemicals inside them to kill bacteria, remove odour, add perfume and anything else that can be found in disposables.
• With cloth diapers you will always have something available to wear, no worrying about running out of diapers and having to wait for a delivery or praying your favourite brand/size is in stock.

Con's-

• Cleaning, while it is not really as bad as most people think once you get into a rhythm with it and learn what you are doing they are much more work especially if you wear every day as you will be doing several loads of laundry each week.
• On the same topic, drying. While washing them may not be too hard to do privately having several large diapers hanging out to dry every few days is more noticeable than just throwing disposables in the trash. Though at the same time if you have an indoor or hidden line to dry them on can be even more private since your bins will not be so heavily weighed down by wet diapers.
• Storage, if you were wearing say 24/7 in cloth you would need 2-4 days worth of diapers (say 14-28), plus any boosters and PP/covers and they can take up quite a bit of space.
• Bulk, as with the pro of this, Cloth diapers can be quite bulky especially if you want good capacity this makes them much harder to cover and wear discreetly than disposables.
• Layering, it can take a bit of experience and testing to find the best system/combination of layers and materials to get the results you want from them, not really a con but may cost a bit more as you will need to try different things to see what works.
• Scent, Also like the Pro version, some people really don't like the smell associated with cloth diapers and unlike disposables they don't have chemicals inside to reduce odours.
• Changing can take a bit longer and be more involved than disposables depending on what type your choose.

I would put more environmentally friendly somewhere in here but that fact is debatable since while there is a lot less waste product to dispose of the act of farming, transporting, refining, sewing and building cloth diapers and the power and water usage to clean them may be almost as bad for the environment just in different ways.

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I wouldn't say I have a favourite brand exactly, I have tried many and have made plenty of my own.
Threaded Armour are pretty good for a day wear, they are fairly discreet can be well customised, easily changed, cleaned and dried etc.
Rearz make some great options as do Ecoable, Snuggleblanks, Babykins. Cuddlz and Drylife do good flats and Terry pants, Dotty have a fairly cheap and usable diaper though capacity is not great they can be boosted, and there are many others.

I'd personally say avoid pocket diapers unless you are only leaking small amounts and changing regularly, alongside that Prefolds and flats can offer some of the best capacity and wicking but also require more knowledge and prep to put on. Any fitted/AIO that uses velcro can fit wonderfully but the velcro often wears out quite fast making snaps the better option but they have a bit less adjustability

You'll probably find after trying several brands/types that you need something different for day vs night wear (long and short times).

As for wicking/absorbency comparisons to disposables, the fastest wicking microfiber diapers are probably almost as quick to soak as a disposable as they are similar materials in a different format (woven vs nonwoven for example) but their ability to hold fluids is much worse since disposables use SAP to hold onto wee. The fabrics that are better at holding fluids under pressure are generally not as fast as a disposable to soak it all up.

A really high capacity disposable will probably hold more than even a thick cloth diaper with good mix of fabrics however their performance will also vary greatly from person to person and day to day since Urine contains salts which can break down the SAP causing it to release fluids, the less hydrated you are the stronger the concentration of those salts, also the time of day can affect that (a morning wee is stronger usually than an evening one). Cloth on the other hand works the same every time and is unaffected by this.

Even so getting the right materials and number of layers in a cloth diapers padding can actually hold quite a lot, possibly even more so than lower rated "medical" disposables. Also once a disposable hit's leaking point, that's it it's leaking, whereas cloth with a decent pair of plastic pants can still contain and loose wee and has the potential to reabsorb it back in.

Cloth is also often better for side sleepers if using the right type of diaper since the absorbent coverage goes all around the sides as well and with good plastic pants any loose wee trickles onto other area's of the diaper where it can be soaked up.

I'll leave this here since it's getting to be a long post, but there are other pro's/con's and comparisons that can be made.

 

[greatlake5]

Being incontinent, I use mostly disposable. Why? First, I prefer not washing cloth diapers (even though I have a cleaning lady who washes). Second, costs don't really bother me. As for wearing a cloth diaper, I admit that they are more comfortable and effective. I do have a few and I remember when my mom used these until BM's became more difficult for her cleaning them. Today I'm about 85% disposables. I like to wear cloth (Ecoable snap-on)
for athletic activity (golf, tennis and softball). My cleaning lady doesn't mind washing a few diapers. Plus I rarely have BM accidents during the day. I keep 2 diaper pails (Janibell Akord). One in my bathroom and one in the laundry room. I've been using disposables (Abena [plastic-back] and before they stopped producing, Confidry 24/7). To be honest I never really considered cloth for my "go-to" diaper.