Comments on: How to Choose an Eco-friendly Diaper System

By: 'Becca

'Becca — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:58:56 +0000

Click my name for a detailed article on our cloth-diapering experience! We used fitted snap diapers and loved them.

Susan, I highly recommend Dappi brand pull-on nylon covers. They are very affordably priced, leak-resistant, and durable. However, if your diaper service diapers are flats/prefolds, you’d have to fasten them with pins or Snappi to use a pull-on cover. We liked Mother-Ease snap covers pretty well.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:04:15 +0000

SUCH a GREAT guide – thank you for this. I can remember my youngest brother in cloth diapers – but any time I’ve checked into them for my girls – they seemed overpriced (at the time) and I was overwhelmed by the options. These recommendations are really helpful, and I’m going to spend some time researching more. Very timely considering we’re expecting #3, and we’ve been making a lot of changes in the past 2 years to be cleaner & greener!

By: rebecca

rebecca — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:23:29 +0000

Susan, diaper services use prefolds. Yes, you could stuff them into a pocket diaper, but you'd still have to wash every pocket diaper. It would be better to just buy some regular old diaper covers. You don't have to wash them after each use. If one gets dirty, you can wash it out by hand in the sink. Caitlin, those homemade diaper covers sound adorable! Do they require much sewing skill? Stephanie, I've tried both snap and velcro closures. (We had a post about snaps vs. velcro once. . . .) Velcro can get gunked up, but I think I prefer it because they go on faster.

By: Stephanie - Green SAHM

Stephanie - Green SAHM — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:27:33 +0000

We’ve done great with pocket diapers – no leaking at night when we use the doublers. So much really seems to depend on the baby. My daughter is 9 months old now and we haven’t had any serious problems.

Another factor to consider is whether you want velcro or snap closings. I’m definitely noticing that velcro gets pretty badly gunked up over time, and can sometimes stick to the insides of certain types of pajamas. But they give a bit more flexibility than snaps I would imagine.

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:49:01 +0000

Love my pre-folds!! And I make my own wool covers with recycled sweaters from a thrift store ($3-5 a piece plus the sewing labor). So cheap. So cute. So eco-friendly.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:42:13 +0000

I know this is probably a really dumb question, but I’m a first-time preggo who’s trying to figure out what I want to do about diapers with my kid… When you use a pocket diaper system, does that mean you can’t use a diaper service? I.e. do I personally have to wash all of those diapers? Or can you insert the cloth diapers from a diaper service INTO the pocket diaper cover? They seem really pricey at $18/piece, so I can imagine not wanting to buy more than 10 or so of them and then wouldn’t that mean that you have to wash 100% of them every day with a newborn?

I’ve been planning to use Seattle Diaper, but can’t seem to find recommendations about really good diaper covers. Would love to see some suggestions!

By: Lori

Lori — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:14:31 +0000

I also used a starter/trial pack (from Jillian’s Drawers – $10 fee, and you only pay for the diapers you want to keep, send the rest back), and found it was a GREAT and inexpensive way to try out different diapers to see what worked for me. I highly recommend using a trial program, or borrowing from friends to try different diapers out. I learned not only what fit my baby best and was easiest to use, but also how they laundered (for example, I discovered AIOs take way to long to dry for my liking).

We settled on pocket diapers. We ended up having to use disposables at night because I can’t get cloth dipes to hold the wet overnight (no matter how much I stuff them or use doublers.) Otherwise the pockets have worked out great for us. I buy them used and plan to resell them when we are done to offset their expense.

By: rebecca

rebecca — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:11:48 +0000

Natalie--Great advice. Starter kits might be the way to go if you are undecided. I personally did all my research beforehand and bought three dozen prefolds and four or five newborn-sized covers. The starter kits often cost over $100 for just a sampling of newborn-sized products; I feel like it would have been a waste of money for me. Very good point about mix and matching diapers; there is no reason to choose one thing and use it exclusively. Many parents use one type of diaper for day, another for night, for example. Kristen--We have a post about gDiapers with a LOT of comments to help you out. I'm also running a new gDiaper post soon--maybe this Thursday. I need to double check.

By: Kirsten@Nexyoo

Kirsten@Nexyoo — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:31:40 +0000

Great guide. I’m curious about gDiapers. Has anyone tried them?

By: Natalie - Go Green Baby

Natalie - Go Green Baby — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:49:50 +0000

It is a great idea to buy a tester/starter pack to find out which style you like best. Wait until baby arrives and try them out Each family and child have their own needs and preferences – which may differ from what you originally “thought” you wanted. Having 1 or 2 diapers that you do not like is generally not a problem, but having 24 diapers that don’t work for your baby or family will cause problems.

One size diapers (usually fitting 8-35lbs) are a very affordable diaper option – Mother-ease, Bumgenius, Happy Heinys are some of the leading one size diapering systems.

If you are wanting to cloth diaper full time, you are looking at purchasing approximately 24 diapers. For part time cloth diapers, you could use anywhere between 12 and 18.

Don’t be afraid to mix and match your diapers as well. You do not need to have all the same diapers in your system. Different diapers serve different purposes. Prefolds and fitteds are easy to use at home, but many families prefer to use pockets and all in ones style when they are going out. Babysitters, nannys and daycare will often be more accepting of cloth diapers if they are easy to use (pockets, all in ones).

Last but not least, DO your research before purchasing diapers. Just like any product on the market, there are many diapers out there that do not stand up to the test of time.