(Part 2) Best products from r/clothdiaps

With my first, I waited until 23 months to potty train. I think she was ready earlier, but I had just had #2 when she turned 19 months old so I wasn't up to it at that point. With my second daughter, she just watched big sissy use the potty day in and day out, so she's picking it up faster.

Basically, we have a potty seat and step stool for our girls bathroom. I start out by having my daughter sit on the potty seat 1 or 2 times per day (usually right before nap and around dinner) and I give a small treat (gummy bear, M&M, or something small like that) every time she sits on the potty even if she doesn't actually go pee or poop. Then when she successfully goes pee or poop, I reward her with a few extra treats. The key initially is give the small treat while they are sitting on the potty that way they associate the potty with "fun" and not the weird scary feeling that they might get sitting over a hole the first few times. :) During this part of potty training, I still keep them in a diaper just for my sake...I don't want to deal with cleaning up puddles just yet, lol!

After my daughter successfully pees or poops on the potty a few times (emphasis on a few times--not just once), I put her in cloth training pants for part of the day--whatever part of the day I'm able to be at home for a few hours for. I still put her in diapers while out and about at this point. I start out by taking her potty every 30-45 minutes--I initiate it, I don't wait for her to tell me she needs to go because at this point the kids usually communicate they need to go potty while they are actually going pee or poop and it results in a big frustration for her and a big mess for me. I still use the same method of giving treats (positive reinforcement) when she actually goes potty, but don't give treats for just sitting on the potty anymore.

After a few days or a week of dry training pants for part of the day, I then take a few days and try my best to stay home and not run errands or whatnot. That way I can keep her in training pants all day (except at nap and night time) and continue to potty train. I take her to the potty a little less frequently--every hour or maybe 1.5 hours depending on how much she's had to drink, etc... Still give treats every time she actually pees or poops on the potty. If there are accidents, I don't get mad, I just tell her "Let's try harder next time" and I increase her trips to the bathroom for a little while.

After we get dry training pants throughout the day for several days in a row, I stop giving treats so frequently. With my older daughter, I switched to using a token board, so she'd get a token every time she peed or pooped on the potty and when she earned all the tokens, she'd get a pack of fruit snacks or something like that. Here's more info and a picture of the token board I used :)

Then when she'd have a dry diaper at nap for several days in a row, I'd switch to cloth training pants at nap. Same idea with night time.

I've helped potty train children with special needs in the past at my former job and have used the same principles of positive reinforcement and achieving initial success by frequent trips to the bathroom with my own kids and it has worked!

Sorry for the long post! Hope it encourages everyone who's ready to potty train!

​

My father in law laughed in my face & said “I give it 21 days” before you quit.

We are going on to month 14 right now. I seriously wish I had bet him something because I could have totally gotten my kid a college fund or a car or something.

But in all seriousness. Cloth is by far & away my favorite. If you find the right support group (friends are the best/local community, Reddit is a great resource, I’m not a huge fan of fluff love university, tbh it’s kinda catty at times!) it’s even better!

As for diapers, we use mostly Alva pockets & mama koala diapers . They are relatively cheap compared to others & sold on amazon which makes it so much better.

We don’t mind our bumgenius pockets as well as bumgenius freetime all in one diapers, but their price is kinda crazy compared to the others that work just as well. (Also sold on amazon)

I wasn’t a huge fan of AIO because they take a while to dry.

For overnight we do either sustainablebabyish overnight or cloth-ezz workhorse fitted diapers & a cover . Love them both & he doesn’t leak!

As for other things — I love bumpkins wetbags wetbags. They are thick & durable as well as cute. & we use cloth wipes. Any of them work & just water. I’ve also learned you can wash disposables wipes & then when you are assembling diapers you can just pull them out & trash them then (so if you do disposables don’t worry).

Also - best thing I ever did was ease myself into cloth. So we started with disposables until my son was big enough for one size diapers. Then we did cloth only while we were home & during the day. & then we did it all daytime hours. & then we did 24/7/365. But it was a comfort thing to figure out leaks & just diapers, but also how to pack a diaper bag!


Sorry for the long post!

Hi! So I was in the same pickle as you, really wanted to do cloth but with the washer/dryer situation I was worried it would end up costing us even more. So I investigating the most effective way to hand wash. I use a mobile hand washer with prefold diapers. The AIOs will not work with my method for several reasons but I don't like AIOs anyways, namely because you have to wash both parts every single time you use them. Prefolds + cover, you can reuse the covers a few times before washing. Plus, prefolds are much cheaper, softer, and I think the sizing lasts longer. You can also fold them many different ways to find the best (read: cleanest) fit because every baby is different!

I have 27 prefolds and 7 covers, I believe. This is just enough so that I don't completely run out of diapers by the time the clean ones finish drying on the rack, if I'm leaving the washing til the last minute (usually like every 1.5 - 2 days, but it's better to wash them every day). It takes 10 minutes of plunging in a 5-gallon bucket and maybe another 5-10 minutes of wringing out with cold water. I find it to be kind of meditative and if you get into the plunging it is a good work out, too.

After I bought the plunger I realized I'd need a better detergent solution, too, because I need roughly a cap's worth of detergent each time I do this, which is at least 5 times/week, plus our regular laundry. This is another reason AIOs won't work. The laundry soap I made contains Borax, which will mess with the elasticity of the diapers (the prefold covers, too, but that's okay because I usually just wash those with a bar of laundry soap, Felsnaptha, soak in cold, and throw them in the dryer during our weekly/ twice weekly wash of clothes). Very very cheap to make, 20 cents/gallon.

Oh yeah, and I just throw the prefold diapers in the washer & dryer with the rest of the laundry whenever we do that, whether or not they're dirty (actually, if they're dirty, I still give them a quick wash/rinse anyway, I don't want them yucking up our clothes). They take up almost no room and it keeps them softer.

Washer
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SQ7I5S/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Diapers:
4 packs of these -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003AJXY1U/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i07?ie=UTF8&psc=1
1 of these (super deluxe, was a gift, sooooo soft) -
http://www.amazon.com/BabyKicks-Pack-Prefold-Diaper-Small/dp/B001NAAQPU/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1376071041&sr=1-1&keywords=baby+kicks+diapers
7 of these -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003AJXY1U/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i07?ie=UTF8&psc=1
1 pack snappis
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YWKWJO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Detergent recipe - http://theurbanfarmingguys.com/diy-laundry-soap-20-cents-a-gallon
Products -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R4LONQ/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029XNTEU/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063KXEIG/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm going to try to answer as many as I can, but remember, there's no one "right" way. Some of it will be trial and error — pretty soon you'll find out what works best for you.

• when you're out and about, use a smaller wet bag like this one to contain your diapers until you get home. I have this one and it does a good job keeping the smell and wetness contained.
  
• if your baby is breastfeed, their poop will be liquidy, water soluble and not too smelly until they start solids so there's no need to rinse them, just toss them in the wet bag. I'm not sure about formula fed babies, but I'm sure someone else in this sub can chime in. If you are using and AIO just close it up like you would if you were putting it on the baby so the poop doesn't get all over the other covers.
  
• with my newborn I used the jelly roll fold because it did a great job containing the liquid newborn poop. Now that he's a little older (3 months) I find myself using the newspaper fold more often because my kiddo is really squirmy during diaper changes and I can do the newspaper fold quickly with one hand while holding his legs still with the other.
  
• you will need to use a cover with your prefold any time you don't want to get wet. The prefold will get damp just like a towel will when it absorbs water, so if you don't have a cover the wetness will spread to your LOs clothes or whoever is holding him/her. I do let my LO hang out sometimes in just a prefold when we want to get some naked time in. It's nice and airy on hot days, especially when we are playing outside and there's not much for him to pee on.
  
• for pants, my kiddo fits in the next size up. The stretch sweatpants work great too!
  
  

I didn't get newborn stuff and he literally had nothing when he was born. No disposables - nothing lol. So yay for getting newborn diaps. Just keep in mind that your little one may only wear them for a week or two. Also the meconium can be very tar like so if you are going to cloth diap I recommend getting a liner (http://www.amazon.com/Bumkins-Flushable-Diaper-Liner-Neutral/dp/B002T5Q01C/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1412350362&sr=1-1&keywords=diaper+liner) to put inside so you can toss it and not have it ruin your diapers. It seems like a great deal (it looks like 8 diapers for 50 and are they all bum genius? - great brand - my favorite pocket diap so far) However, you're probably going to need 12 per day. So... you would need to get at least double that and do laundry daily to stay on top of it. Once I finally bought newborn diaps I went the cheaper route and bought 2 imagine covers (http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Baby-Products-Newborn-Diaper/dp/B00FMHFS7G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412350168&sr=8-1&keywords=imagine+newborn+diaper+cover) and 12 inserts (http://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Natures-Charcoal-Inserts-Reusable/dp/B00KN0TPNA/ref=pd_cp_ba_1) from amazon. I'm still using both the covers and the inserts now at 6 months. The inserts will last a long long time if you find that you like doing the cover system. You can also go the prefold or flat system with covers. I have them but prefer the inserts. Feel free to ask any questions. Good luck mama! and congrats!

I will share with you my ongoing positive experience with CD'ing.

My husband is the one who got us started. To date, we've spent ~$400 on diapers and supplies. There will be hardly any extra cost on diapers when we have baby #2 (whenever that happens). We started CD'ing when my LO was two weeks old. Our daughter is now almost four months old. We used what disposables we had left over from the hospital for her meconium poops. We never had leaks or blowouts once we started cloth diapering. We started out with thirsties size one duowrap and Osocozy prefolds since she was a tiny newborn weighing 6lbs 3oz.

We wash with Original Tide and hang dry every other day. This is the clothing rack we use to hang the pocket diapers, inserts, and covers: clothingrack!. We sometimes hang dry the prefolds, but if we have extra time we do dry the prefolds on the rack.

Both my husband and I work full-time and manage to handle the small amount of extra laundry from the diapers quite well. We LOVE having the extra money left over in our budget from not having to spend on diapers every week or month. We use our small wet bag and pocket diapers with our 2-3hours spent at the babysitters. We have two large wetbag pail liners we interchange with each dirty load of diapers. Sometimes it would be nice to have a gas mask when the poop smell is overwhelming, but seriously, the smell is nothing compared to the awful chemical smell you get built up from disposables sitting in a bag for a week. I don't miss the smell from when my daughter's newborn days. In fact, the diaper laundry helped keep me occupied when I was home on my three month leave from work.

When the baby starts solids there are plenty of options for dumping the solid poo out. There is the Potty Pail! that hooks up to your toilet. There is no dunking in the toilet (which seems really gross to me!), and there is a plug to dump the water in the toilet. There are also stand-alone diaper sprayers like the many available at Kelly's Closet!. We will be buying the potty pail when my daughter starts solids/100% formula. Oh! I forget to mention if you EBF your baby, you won't need to rinse out the poo. Breastfed poo is completely water soluble! You just throw it in the wet bag and wash when ready! We combo-feed right now and her poos are still mostly runny like an EBF baby.

My daughter is a heavywetter at night (she sleeps 8-9 hours straight), so we are in the process of finding a solution to help her sleep through the night without leaking. Sometimes we use our few AIOs, double stuff pockets, or use a hemp with a prefold. Her diapers are saturated when she leaks. I've read that some people must resort to disposables; hopefully we can avoid it.

The problem I have now is trying not to spend more money on cute diapers/prints! I
would suggest trying a diaper trial from Jillian's Drawers!. You rent what diapers you want per month. You return your diapers and get most of your money back when you're finished! You don't lose very much money AND you can decide whether cloth diapering is right for you.

I sincerely hope cloth diapering works out for you! If not, at least you gave it the college try!

I also live in an apartment with a shared, coin laundry facility. Over four years of cloth diapering two kids I've experimented with what feels like hundreds of combos to wash and dry my diapers! Here is what currently works for us:

• having a portable washer in our spare bathtub. For the longest time we had a twin tub portable washer but about 6 months ago I upgraded to this fully automatic portable washer. GAME CHANGER! I'm able to do back-to-back loads of diaper laundry at home and not have to worry about using the shared coin washing machine. (I've successfully cloth diapered with the twin tub model, in combination of the coin washing machines, but having the fully automatic portable has been so wonderful.)
  
  
• For drying my diapers, half the time I dry in the coin laundry facilities ($1.50 for me), and the other half the time I dry the diapers on big folding drying racks and/or the ikea octopus-style drying racks. I have a tiny patio that barely fits the drying racks, most of the time I just have the drying rack set up in the house. Especially if the weather is cold or wet.
  
  The one thing that stopped me from considering a diaper service is I knew my kiddos would start daycare at 4 months old and our daycare provider will only accommodate cloth diapers if they are pocket or all-in-one style diapers. The only diaper services in my area provide prefolds & covers only :( If that's not a concern for you then it sounds like a diaper service can be a great option for you!

I found my son's diaper area still smelled like pee after using just water, so we started using a wipe solution. I love it! Smells great, I feel like it gets him cleaner than plain water.

Here's the one we use. Don't be fooled by the price, it makes a metric shit ton.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GMGLN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1n8mybGY20X52

I think the reason you are having ammonia after 1 wash is because you haven't actually stripped the diapers to "reset them". You need to do a strip.

1. Wash and dry your diaper so that you are stripping "clean" diapers.
   
2. Fill your washing-machine or bathtub 1/2 full with HOT water (as hot as you can get it)
   
3. Add in your mineral removal solution and make sure it's dissolved well.
   
   Mineral Remover Solution:
   
   DIY: 3 TBSP Washing Soda, 3 TBSP Borax and TBSP Calgon OR 1/4 of two ingredients if you cant get all three.
   
   STORE: RLR Laundry Treatment, or Grovia Mighty Bubbles
   
   ​
   
   
4. Soak all the diapers (inserts and covers) for at least 2 hours (but not longer than 8). Stir the diapers occasionally to help release more minerals/ crystals from the fabrics.
   
   
5. When the water is cool, drain the tub/ washer and squeeze all the water from the items.
   
   
6. Do a WATER ONLY wash cycle.
   
   
7. Follow with a bleach wash.
   
   
8. Wash everything 2-4 times (with detergent, in HOT water)
   
   ​
   
   THEN apply your new wash routine and level of detergent.
   
   ​
   
   ​

I was gifted a bunch of pocket diapers and all in ones from my registry when I had a shower, but when it came time to actually diaper a newborn, they looked HUGE and uncomfortable.

I also didn't start cloth diapering until baby was a month old. That was just for my sanity.

I ordered a bunch of wraps and used store-bought Gerber diapers with a Snappi fastener. It took a few tries to figure out what folds worked best when she was bigger, but for the first few weeks I just folded the diaper in thirds and put it in the wrap.

Once baby was bigger and ready for daycare, I switched to the all in ones and I haven't looked back.

I have 15 diapers total now that I cycle through and that works for us (3-4 diapers used a day, washing every 2-3 days). I also use disposables at night or when traveling.

We got this at our shower and it's very sturdy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00383O2UU/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p201_d0_i5?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1H5M5VVP2106VZYWFV56&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1970559082&pf_rd_i=desktop

Would be pretty easy to stabilize outside with sandbags, too. I also like that I can put just one side up if I don't need all the space and can lay things flat as well as drape them.

I completely agree, I have some AIO hook and loops and still prefer my prefolds over them!

One suggestion you can take or leave, I lay a disposable bamboo liners like these inside the diapers so 80% of the poo gets caught and then I hardly deal with stains. It makes clean up sooo much easier. Plus the added benefit that my diaper pail doesn’t reek so bad since majority of the poo is tossed at changing.

When my LO was a newborn we put one in every diaper (since he pooped at every feeding) and now that he’s older I know approximately when he’s going to poop and only put a liner in those diapers.

I'm still bringing my babe to work with me, and for that I bought this wipes case https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01APOEVV4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I may be a crazy person but in the morning I'll take a glob of coconut oil and put it in a big bowl, and fill about 1/3 with hot water. After giving it a minute to dissolve, I soak my flannel wipes in there before folding them into the case. That case fits about 12 wipes which lasts half to 3/4 of the day for us now. It's super convenient for me. But when we're home at night and my husband is primarily on diaper duty, he usually just runs to the faucet in the bathroom—perks of having a small house?

I'm currently pregnant but was thinking of using a wipes container like this to hold a couple damp cloth wipes. Since its meant for moistened wipes I'd hope it doesn't leak! Also interested to hear from some other mama's experiences!

I use cloth wipes, too! I love them!

For a wipe solution, I am using this product in a spray bottle: http://www.amazon.com/Lusa-Organics-Baby-Wipe-Juice/dp/B004GMGLN8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370043193&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+wipe+solution

It smells so good!

We're like four days into this cloth diapering things and what we did was ask for a bunch of prefolds (I think we have two dozen of size 1 of these) and I bought some NB covers (6) off of Nicki's Diapers (there was a sale so I think I spent like $25 -- much cheaper than what was on Amazon). So, far, so good. We did use disposables for the first week because of meconium and having to use antibiotic cream on his penis. We also registered for a large (for home) and small (for the diaper bag) [wet bags] (http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Wise-Wet-Bag-Medium/dp/B005WWIMGA/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1398382271&sr=1-1&keywords=wet+bag), and a diaper sprayer. You could also ask for cloth wipes (we're not there yet). Also, we received a lot of newborn and size 1 diapers at our showers (we didn't ask for them), so we haven't had to buy anything diaper-wise. We used up most of the NB diapers but haven't touched the three bags of size 1s. It's nice to have the disposables for going places during the day while we're getting used to the cloth.

I've been using a combo of hemp liners from (Amazon topped with some inserts I made myself (3 layers 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton fleece, 1 layer microfiber both bought online). My two year old is a super heavy wetter so we really needed the extra work horse hemp in there, microfiber just doesn't hold enough on its own. But I like how quickly it soaks everything up. Her skin is so sensitive with out it she gets red every diaper change.

No problem, that's what we are here for. The only thing is that if you buy your diaper direct from china they can take about 2-6 weeks to arrive.

If you want cloth diapers for the very first few weeks there are quite a few options available on amazon prime. For a part time cloth during the first 3 months you'll want around 12 to 24 changes. I personally prefer prefold style diapers for the first bit as they are the absolute best at containing runny newborn poop. This is a great blog explaining how prefolds work

3 Thirsties duo wrap size 1 @ $12.99 each, 18 Osocozy prefold diapers @ $12.99 for 6. and 3 snappis @$11.98

For $89.92 you will have enough diapers delivered to your door by monday to use cloth the majority of the time for the first three or four months. The prefolds then can be used to stuff One size pocket diapers until your baby is potty trained, or used underneath the flap of an AOI diaper for added nighttime absorbency.

you will still need a laundry bag and plastic basket to hold dirty diapers and a waterproof wet bag or two if you plan on going out with baby in a cloth diaper (or going to the pool/beach with your toddler)

we use these covers and while we're still new to cloth diapering, I like them. Usually good to just re-use, or wipe down on a heavy diaper. Though on a really heavy diaper/blowout I've had some get on the elastic part at the legs that you can't wipe off and needs to be washed. We also always use a snappie with the pre-fold, though i haven't tried it with out one.

I am a FTM, due in August, so not CDing just yet. Thought I'd give my 2cents because I also live in the lovely rainy PNW, and hang dry a majority of my clothes in a small indoor space and plan to continue with it for CD.

I have a neat fold out drying rack that fits a lot of stuff, and I point a Walmart box fan at it overnight. Preferably from the side so the air flows in between the clothes. I recently did this after prepping some gifted diapers and they were all dry in the morning. I have never had any issues with mildew or smell with my other clothes this way. I will probably take advantage of the sun for stains when it's here, but otherwise I have never had issues drying without the sun.

I've been using liners for a couple months now, I just put them in the same bin (a diaper genie) we've been using to dispose of the wipes when we change a diaper. With a few exceptions (very large poos) they have worked great!

We use these, ripped in half.

CBIs are just bamboo outsides with charcoal fibers in them; their major composition is microfiber layers on the inside. Try going with hemp inserts like Thirsties or these: (6 Pack) HappyEndings Heavy Wetter 4 Layer Hemp / Organic Cotton Diaper Inserts https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H07AHGS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Lzn7BbXEP7ZQA. Continue to pair it with your newborn prefold, and that should help a lot.

(6 Pack) HappyEndings Heavy Wetter 4 Layer Hemp / Organic Cotton Diaper Inserts https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H07AHGS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_haGDAbZ3DZNRZ these. My little guy leaks with microfiber especially if he wears onesies because of compression leaks. A lot of hemp or bamboo inserts have microfiber cores but these have organic cotton and they hold liquid better, they're trim and really absorbent.

1. Get a wet bag. Link.
   
   
2. Get a diaper sprayer to spray the poop into the toilet. Link.
   
   
3. The front loader, high efficiency washers don't always have enough water for a proper rinse. Wet a bath towel and pop it in with the diapers. It will cause the washer to add more water due to the weight that it senses.
   
   
4. You want to avoid any detergents that will cause any sort of build up. We use an all natural and zero-perfume detergent made locally. Link. Also, read the prepping and washing section of this sub.

Yeah! I added it to my Amazon List:

(6 Pack) HappyEndings Heavy Wetter 4 Layer Hemp / Organic Cotton Diaper Inserts https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H07AHGS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wD9QCb4021RWC

Flour Sack Towels x3 = $60

snappis x1 = $15

Dappi Plastic Pants x 3 = $15

For under $100, a full stash that will last you quite some time, washing every other day. You'll only need to replace the covers, which are sized. You can always get nicer covers the next time around, since you'll have the extra money you are saving from sposies.

Here is the mobile version of your link

So what's your steps? Bleach wash, then RLR, then regular wash to get off all the chemicals? I'm looking at a giant lot of BG AIOs on craigslist and thinking of whether to do this.

Also, assuming this is RLR? https://www.amazon.com/RLR-Laundry-Treatment-Pack-5/dp/B007E2E706

https://www.amazon.com/Original-5-pack-Snappi-Diaper-Fasteners/dp/B004YWKWJO

You could get some hemp inserts http://amzn.com/B00H07AHGS They are very trim. You put the flat next to the skin and the insert under it.