posted
What kind of diapers do I like? It DEPENDS. Sometimes, I just want to PAMPER my baby. Other times, I give him big ol' HUGGIES.
No, actually, I use cloth diapers. I find that my kiddos have fewer rashes, let me know when they're wet or poopy right away, and I'm not spending lots of money on landfill refuse. I also have the willies about putting supergel close to my baby's mucous membranes and sensitive bits. What do you think?
Posts: 3141 | Registered: Apr 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
What's supergel? Is it like that ominous scary blue liquid?
*Freaks out slightly over the thought of one day having babies and worrying about what diapers to get* *amused over the diaper puns* Are disposable diapers biodegradible? They really should be... *reminded of diapers in parks. ew*
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't have a problem with cloth diapers, but I use Pampers Swaddlers. Aerin has gotten exactly 1 diaper rash and it cleared up overnight with Triple Paste. They're not all that expensive and I probably save money since I have to use Dreft to wash Aerin's clothes - the Swaddlers never leak. As to the environmental factor - water is used to wash cloth diapers and electricity to dry them, so I don't think they're that much more eco-friendly than disposables (I certainly could be wrong, though).
I think that every parent should do what they feel is best for their baby.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I am a Pampers Swaddlers person. We tried the Huggies and were not impressed. We both work fulltime+, so we don't have the time to be dealing with cloth diapers--even with a service.
I agree that every parent should do what is best for their baby.
Posts: 77 | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
a good eco-friendly washing machine can do a lot to make cloth diapers easier and less impactful on both environment and water bills... they are expensive, though.
Posts: 121 | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Actually, huge amounts of water are used in the process of making disposable diapers.
I use cloth diapers during the day, but a disposable at night. My daughter sleeps the entire night, so she goes for ~12 hours without a diaper change. I don't want her in soggy cloth for that long.
Really, though, we use cloth diapers mostly for financial reasons. We simply cannot afford to buy disposables. Even the pack/month that I use at night is stretching it.
posted
We used Huggies and thought they were the best. We used the premium ones, but even when we used the regular Huggies, the drop off in quality was not that severe. I strongly recommend against generics and most supermarket brands. (The Wal-Mart brand is actually not too bad.)
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
The absorbant is not a gel. It's a white powdered substance. Don't even ask what's in it. If you knew, they would have to kill you. (Actually the absorbant is propriatory, and may be differ among brands.) The powder is held within a fiberous matrex of sorts within the inner and outer fabrics. None of the above is very biodegradable.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
We use the Wal-Mart brand and haven't had problems with them. I don't like Huggies. We have used them with both of our kids and they leak. Pampers have worked better for my kids.
Posts: 747 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
We're using cloth, and haven't had any problems with them. The new ones are relatively hassle-free, although we still use disposables if we're going to be staying overnight somewhere.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't think we ever once had a leak with Huggies Supreme. We also never tended to have diaper rash. Supermarket brands generally meant instant rash.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Emma gets rashes on cloth or disposable. For a while she couldn't fit in a cloth diaper; even my mom, the diapering expert, could not get them to stay on her right. Now she's changed shape enough that she could, but we have no washing machine, so we go with disposable. She tends to fit only one brand at a time. The only regimen that keeps the rash away for Emma:
-Change diaper regularly, whether dirty or not (of course) -Huggies Ultra-Sensitive Wipes (used to be Ultra-Gentle Newborn Wipes, but they changed the packaging and name) or a plain warm wet washcloth if that is not available-- anything else, and she's rash-prone -Dry as thoroughly as possible (we do it by patting with the diaper, it's absorbent and works well) -Apply Eucerin skin creme (Ems has a skin reaction to anything with zinc, go figure; Eucerin works really well as a barrier and also a healing agent) -Repeat as needed and wash with Dove in between; anything else and her skin gets more dry and irritated and prone to outbreaks of diaper rash, eczema, etc.
I just love that she inherited my uber-sensitive skin with a few unique problems all her own. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I used cloth diapers almost exclusively for three kids.(Eight and a half years.) We bought a grand total of five packages of disposables in that time, all for interstate trips. I felt really good about it, and we now have a great collections of car polishers and spill cleaners left over.
posted
I researched cloth diapers, fully planning to use them. But there is no service in Colorado Springs, which would have been my first choice. I might have been able to do it anyway, but I realized my washing machine uses 20 gallons of water per load, and in Colorado water is a much more precious resource than landfill space. We have the room, but not the water. So I went with disposables.
I can't stand Huggies. I use Pampers with the stretch tabs. The most expensive, I know, but I buy them at Sam's in bulk which helps a lot.
Right now though I'm in a bit of a dilemma. The box says size 3 works for kids who weight 16-28 pounds. That's a huge range. My daughter is very very small for her age, and has worn size 3's for more than a year now. She is almost two, and if she makes it to 20 pounds by her birthday I'll be pleasantly surprised. For the past couple months, she's been leaking from the top of the diaper in the mornings if she's been sleeping on her tummy. This results in a lot of extra laundry, but if the box is right, they should be fitting her for at least another five pounds.
So my hubby is buying a small pack of fours as an experiment, though he thinks they'll be too big. I guess we'll find out.
Posts: 180 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:As to the environmental factor - water is used to wash cloth diapers and electricity to dry them, so I don't think they're that much more eco-friendly than disposables (I certainly could be wrong, though).
Every comparison I've ever read that claims disposables are no more unfriendly to the environment than cloth diapers were comparing DIAPER SERVICE to disposables.
This includes gas and pollution from trucking the diapers around, but also, diaper services have to wash the washing machine in between loads, and can only wash diapers from one customer at a time. They use a huge amount of soap and bleach to make sure that babies don't exchange germs.
Washing your own diapers uses a lot less water, and detergent. And of course you don't need to drive them to the customer.
The other real advantage to using cloth diapers is that when you run out, you can just wash them. My brother discovered that at 2:00 AM one time.
Cost wise, there's no comparison between washing your own diapers and buying disposables.
Cloth diapers wins hands down if you wash them yourself. With diaper service it's a wash.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote: I might have been able to do it anyway, but I realized my washing machine uses 20 gallons of water per load, and in Colorado water is a much more precious resource than landfill space. We have the room, but not the water. So I went with disposables.
I can't imagine water being so expensive that it outweighs the cost of disposables. Has nothing to do with landfill space.
And has been pointed out, it takes a lot of water to make disposable diapers.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote: Cost wise, there's no comparison between washing your own diapers and buying disposables.
No kidding. We do two and a half loads a week, which -- since you do two cycles -- means around five full washer cycles, and three scoops of detergent. Our washer holds 20 gallons, so we're looking at a hundred gallons of water a week and a box of detergent once a month.
Disposables aren't even close.Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
quote:Right now though I'm in a bit of a dilemma. The box says size 3 works for kids who weight 16-28 pounds. That's a huge range. My daughter is very very small for her age, and has worn size 3's for more than a year now. She is almost two, and if she makes it to 20 pounds by her birthday I'll be pleasantly surprised. For the past couple months, she's been leaking from the top of the diaper in the mornings if she's been sleeping on her tummy. This results in a lot of extra laundry, but if the box is right, they should be fitting her for at least another five pounds.
My daughter is very long and skinny. She's almost always in one size bigger than the box says she should be by weight. Don't trust the box, trust what fits. We also found that Luvs fit my skinny, skinny daughter with no leaks when no other diaper would.
quote:Thanks, KQ, you answered my question before I asked.
Out of curiosity, what was the question? Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I used Huggies Supreme and never had diaper rash problems. I chose disposables over cloth because I took care of many babies as a child and between the bad memories of diaper pin pricks and stinky diapers that continued to ripen as they had to wait for me to have time to wash them out, I knew that I ours was going a disposables kind of house.
Posts: 2425 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote:Hmm. We have the high efficiency washer that only uses 7 gallons.
I would actually really, really advise against cloth, then. There's lots of literature out there which suggests that "high-efficiency" washers simply don't do a good job on diapers.
quote:I chose disposables over cloth because I took care of many babies as a child and between the bad memories of diaper pin pricks and stinky diapers that continued to ripen...
Yeah, the stink can be an issue. But modern cloth diapers have come a long way, and most of the ones you buy nowadays don't require pins. Seriously. They have little snaps. Now, this makes them a bit less flexible when it comes to sizing, but it's a LOT easier and less likely to result in accidental stabbing.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
Even if you just have the plain diapers with no snaps, there's still a little device called a Snappi that holds the diaper together without pins. I love it.
quote:What brand did you guys end up getting for wraps and all?
I mostly used the Pro-Wraps and unbleached prefolds from Babies in The Sun . They have the best prices next to used. I never used pins or snappis- I just folded the diaper- stuck it in the wrap, and velcroed it.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I use diaper covers - nifty little things with velcro closures that work just like disposable diapers. You put the diaper inside. I bought 2 sizes of diapers. When a diaper is dirty, I dunk it in the toilet and then put it in a pail filled with water and Borax (cuts down odor and germs). We wash the diapers once a day in our high-efficiency machine, which does an absolutely lovely job.
At night, we do use the disposables. We also use disposables when travelling. Or if I have a babysitter who gets the willies about cloth. The Little Mother, however, has no problem changing her brother's cloth diapers. And she's 7.
We like Pampers Swaddlers best of the disposies. Huggies leak. I haven't tried any other brands because I don't have coupons for them!
It's really interesting to see how other Hatrackers do things. More of you use cloth than I'd expect. No one in my area does.
And definitely, as others have said, parents should use whatever works out best for their families.
Posts: 3141 | Registered: Apr 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
The little kids i babysit for use cloth at home (well the boy is potty trained now) but their daycare (which is provided for teachers kids by the public school system in Brownsburg) won't use them, so they use some sort of disposables.
It doesn't surprise me more hatrackers use Cloth, hatrackers tend to be ecoconcious, educated, and a bit liberal. (and for some reason in my head that equals cloth diapers )
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I finally ordered the next size of prefolds for my daughter. Creative folding has kept the infant size wearable well past 15 lbs, but not for much longer.
I ordered Chinese prefolds, and I'm looking forward to better quality. I didn't know any better, so I bought the infant sized ones at Babies R Us. They at least claimed to be diaper service quality, but they weren't all that soft. They're also starting to fray a bit after 14 months of use.
posted
I would love to be able to use Fuzzibunz, I hear that they are absolutely unbeatable for kids with diaper rash. But between the cost and the "no washing machine" issue, not gonna happen right now.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:We both work fulltime+, so we don't have the time to be dealing with cloth diapers--even with a service.
I agree that every parent should do what is best for their baby.
I absolutely agree with that last part, so please don't take this as an attempt to debate your choice. But how do cloth diapers take more time?
One of my favorite aspects of using a diaper service (which I did with all three of my kids) was never having to run out and buy diapers. Dirty diapers (and the wrap too, if it was dirty enough to not come easily clean with a wipe) went into the pail. Once a week, the pail went out onto the porch, and was replaced with a bag of soft diapers and clean wraps -- the same ones they had picked up the week before.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
My mom used cloth diapers for my sister and I and disposables for my younger sister (7 years younger than me). We also had a huge laundry room sink at the time, and I think that helped.
Posts: 1757 | Registered: Oct 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
We use cloth here - fuzzibuns and happy heinys, and cloth wipes as well. Both are pocket diapers, which means that they use a pocket insert and have a waterproof cover on them. We chose cloth largely because of the environmental impact, but the money savings are also a nice plus. They're mass produced diapers, but we order them from 2 work at home mom companies and I like doing that.
I looove to show my diapers to people who haven't seen a modern cloth diaper before. Usually we hear a lot of "Cool!" - especially when Space Space Baby happens to be wearing his diaper that's black covered with red and gold dragons.
Care is easy - we wash every other day using a cold water vinegar rinse, wash with about 2 tablespoons of detergent, and then dry.
space opera
edit: Forgot to add, since initial cost can be a factor, there are at least 2 reliable places that I know of where you can buy used cloth diapers. All of our newborn diapers were used, and we saved a ton. We did buy the size we're using now new, but we're also saving them to use with the next baby as well.
Posts: 2578 | Registered: Apr 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Diapers here refers to disposables, such as Pampers. Nappies refers to cloth.
Imagine a conversation in which I'm discussing diapers with a local woman - it was for a service project for church, putting together newborn kits for indigent pregnant women at the maternity hospital. Imagine me talking about making diapers for the kits. Read those first two sentences again. Imagine the confusion.
It took 20 minutes of a very confusing conversation for me to discover the alternate meanings here.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
The only regimen that keeps the rash away for Emma: ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
