Cloth Diaper "to do" list for Baby...help please?

[Beth1231]

My plan is falling into place, but I'm a total CD newbie and I need help with the little stuff that I'm missing on my list.

My plan:

1. Purchase Econobum's starter box (3 covers and 12 prefolds + wet bag)
2. Buy 2 small boxes of newborn sposies and use them as diaper covers with a prefold inside (when they start to stretch, I"ll just use them as regular sposies). Got this awesome idea from another mom.
3. Use my apartment's washer for the covers and prefolds and hang them to dry on my balcony (washer and dryer cost $1 each)
:think
4. When cooler weather comes again, drying them on the balcony isn't going to work anymore.

I need help with....

1. Diaper pail: I can't do wash every single day (I will pre-rinse them) because that will really add up cost wise. It's a 2 BR apartment so there isn't a basement or something the pail can sit in and stink up the room. What is a good, inexensive diaper pail that can sit around with diapers for 5 days (pre-rinsed)?
2. Soap to soak them in? What is it called, how fast do you go through it, how much is it? (I need to know for the overall diaper budget)
3. We use Sa8 which is safe to wash infant clothes in. Is it safe to wash my CDs in?
4. What else?? What else do I need to spend money on in order to make this work as inexpensively as possible? Calliope told me about diaperswappers. Another GCMer sent me 4 small covers :heart

[Beth1231]

:bump

[Aerynne]

You're going to need a lot more than 12 prefolds- try 5-6 dozen if you're only washing every five days.

I just use a dry pail. At first you will be able to keep it in the bedroom but after a few months (when baby's pee stinks more) you will need to keep it on a balcony or something. We did that when we lived in apts (not sure if you have a balcony)

Most any laundry detergent should be fine- just don't use fabric softener.

I don't get why you would want to use sposies as covers. Why not just buy covers?

[Beth1231]

Okay, must get more prefolds...where is the very cheapest I can get them? I know someone recommended Target on my other CD thread.


Regular ole pail on the balcony, I can do that.

Using sposies as covers in a pinch and then being able to use them as regular sposies will help me stretch the money till I can buy another couple of covers.

Basically, diapers are not in the budget....anywhere. My mom saved up $60 and I'll be getting Econobum's starter set and a small pack or two of sposies with that. And from there, it's going to be "make it work at all costs" because I can only buy stuff a very little bit at a time.

[JustMandy]

1. Purchase Econobum's starter box (3 covers and 12 prefolds + wet bag)

You will need more then this. Infant size pf's can be pretty inexpensive. You could even use old tshirts (http://hubpages.com/hub/The-No-Sew-T-shirt-Diaper).

2. Buy 2 small boxes of newborn sposies and use them as diaper covers with a prefold inside (when they start to stretch, I"ll just use them as regular sposies). Got this idea from another mom.

The only problem I see with this is when you have leaks. I know pee and bm poo can both escape a pf pretty easily and get on the cover. I'm afraid you'll be dirtying two diapers and wasting money.

3. Use my apartment's washer for the covers and prefolds and hang them to dry on my balcony (washer and dryer cost $1 each)
:think
4. When cooler weather comes again, drying them on the balcony isn't going to work anymore.


You can hang them in your appartment and they'll dry. This takes a long time which means more pf's.

I need help with....

1. Diaper pail: I can't do wash every single day (I will pre-rinse them) because that will really add up cost wise. It's a 2 BR apartment so there isn't a basement or something the pail can sit in and stink up the room. What is a good, inexensive diaper pail that can sit around with diapers for 5 days (pre-rinsed)?


I just use a trash pail with a lid. No liner. When it gets stinky, I pour in some baking soda or let it sit outside while dipes are washing. I tried using a wet bag liner and found it to be unnecessary. Oh, mine is kept in my bedroom.

2. Soap to soak them in? What is it called, how fast do you go through it, how much is it? (I need to know for the overall diaper budget)


I don't prerinse but would if I had to pay to wash them. I do a prewash in oxyclean and then a long soak/wash with all and oxyclean. I use an off brand. It's about $5/month...if I only use the oxyclean on dipes. :shifty


4. What else?? What else do I need to spend money on in order to make this work as inexpensively as possible? Calliope told me about diaperswappers. Another GCMer sent me 4 small covers :heart


I love diaperswappers! Almost all of my dipes come from there. Besides more dipes and covers...to go 5 days, I'd say 6-10 covers and at least a few dozen prefolds, you'll need a wet bag or two, wipes and I like snappies or pins but I know they are not always necessary.

[DoulaClara]

I have a virtual TON of Gerber prefolds that you are welcome to, if you want! PM me with where to send them. ;) My mom very generously gave me about 100 (and I'm not kidding!) when I was expecting Vincent. Gerber PFs are really only good for newborns-about 2 to 3 mos, depending on how big your babies are! My favorite way to use them was to trifold one, lay it in the center of another, and use that with a Snappi- it was absorbant enough for that very young age, and fit pretty well with my kids. I'll have to go through the diaper drawer where they've been patiently waiting, but I can easily send you a whole bunch. :rockon One more drawer cleared! (If you want them, that is!)

Right now, as far as diaper pails go, we are using just a basic, kitchen-sized garbage bag in the bathroom. It used to be in our bedroom, but since V is eating some solids and the diapers need to be rinsed when he poops, it's just better to have it near the toilet and sprayer. I put the diapers into a large wetbag (and drop one or two drops of lavendar EO on the little flannel square sewn into the wetbag- I use a WAHMies bag) and put the wetbag into the pail with the top twisted shut. When he was exclusively breast-fed, it didn't smell if we washed diapers every two-three days. It still doesn't really smell like anything (until a Gianna night diaper hits the bag, whew!) I don't typically soak the diapers in anything, but I think if I ever were to do so, it would just be baking soda in water, or Oxyclean in water. I'm ultra-paranoid about water being around, since V is such a very active and brave child, though!

:think We use Purex Free and Clear right now. We used to use Charlies soap, but it was eating holes in our clothes. It's "okay;" I'd like to find something better, but it's tricky finding something compatible with our current water situation.

A little trick to get some more use out of covers, especially when they're tiny- newborns and tiny babies like to blast through diapers and my kids usually did get a little poop on the covers. I would rinse them in the sink and just hang them over the shower curtain rod and they would be perfectly fine to reuse in a couple of hours. It was EBF poop, and so a thorough rinse made sure it didn't stink or get gross.

[Katigre]

Here is my input. We cd'd newborn through potty training with both kids and prefolds + covers were out staple :).

1. Purchase Econobum's starter box (3 covers and 12 prefolds + wet bag)

To diaper a newborn and wash every 2.5-3 days, you will need 6-8 covers and 36 diapers, plus 40+ cloth wipes. The econobum starter kit will get you through one day max. Also, what size are the prefolds - generally infant size prefolds won't fit until the baby is ~10-12 lbs. which can take a few weeks.


2. Buy 2 small boxes of newborn sposies and use them as diaper covers with a prefold inside (when they start to stretch, I"ll just use them as regular sposies). Got this awesome idea from another mom.

Won't they start to absorb some of the moisture and get stinky? The prefolds get damp to wringing wet depending on how often you change, and the disposables will soak some of that up and would start to absorb/expand and also smell IMO.

3. Use my apartment's washer for the covers and prefolds and hang them to dry on my balcony (washer and dryer cost $1 each)
:think

Air-drying covers is the way to go :yes (except the first 2 times you wash them - then dry on hot to seal the PUL). You'll have to see how it goes with the prefolds - line drying them leaves them stiff and rough (vs. the softness of the dryer - we don't use any fabric softener in our home at all but there is still a significant difference in how they feel dried each way).

4. When cooler weather comes again, drying them on the balcony isn't going to work anymore.

I need help with....

1. Diaper pail: I can't do wash every single day (I will pre-rinse them) because that will really add up cost wise. It's a 2 BR apartment so there isn't a basement or something the pail can sit in and stink up the room. What is a good, inexensive diaper pail that can sit around with diapers for 5 days (pre-rinsed)?

There is no need to pre-rinse the diapers. I have never done that and washed every 2-3 (sometimes 4...) days. It did not stink, not at all (the only time you could smell was if I opened the lid, and at that point it was time to wash them). I had a lidded garbage can and two diaper pail liners and it worked great. I'm curious about why you think the diapers will sit there for 5 days - unless you have a large stash, at that point you'll be long out of diapers and using disposables to fill the gap.

2. Soap to soak them in? What is it called, how fast do you go through it, how much is it? (I need to know for the overall diaper budget)

I never soaked, it seems to me that it would lead to more stink in the long run and possibly mold in the diapers if they're sitting really wet in a pail.

3. We use Sa8 which is safe to wash infant clothes in. Is it safe to wash my CDs in?

I used 7th Generation and Tide in my washer. With prefolds+covers you have more options than pockets which get build-up more easily. Just look for fragrance-free and maybe search on DiaperSwappers b/c there are lots of detergent threads on there.

4. What else?? What else do I need to spend money on in order to make this work as inexpensively as possible? Calliope told me about diaperswappers. Another GCMer sent me 4 small covers :heart

Cloth wipes! Best investment ever - the ones I used for DS five years ago now have a second life as cloth kleenex. Make sure you have 2 snappis too.

[Beth1231]

Katigre, I was thinking every five days because that's when I get another roll of quarters to do wash. I'm overwhelmed by the sheer numbers I'm going to need. This sounds like a ton of laundry.
What is a snappi and why do I need only two when I need so much of everything else?
Also,how many times can I use the same cover on average before having to wash it?

I plan on using sposies for the first two weeks because of babymoon and not being read for the two flights of stairs to do laundry. Hopefully, Baby will be around 8-10 pounds by then.

[Chaos Coordinator]

snappi is what holds the diaper shut. it doesn't absorb and if it happens to get poop on it you can just rinse it off. its made of a stretchy rubbery type of stuff.


do you sew? you can sew up some prefolds out of old towels and teeshirts for really cheap.

---------- Post added at 08:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:27 PM ----------

also i used to do my wash twice a week when we were in cd full time. that is probably the least you could get away with i'm guessing, otherwise you will have probs with dipes (mildew, bacteria...stinky....etc)

[RedPetals]

You will want to wash every 3-4 days to avoid ammonia buildup in your diapers.

You can just use a Wet Bag (a hanging one perhaps?) as your diaper pail. No need to soak diapers. It won't stink.

Any diaper detergent that is safe for baby's diapers will be safe for baby's clothes, but not necessarily the other way around. Here is a good chart for diaper safe detergents: http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm

Yes, newborns are changed 10-12 times per day. So, 30 prefolds minimum!

A snappi is the new diaper fastener (no pins!) You only need two because you can use it every time. I only cleaned my every now & then, or if it got poop on it. If you snappi your prefolds (rather than just lay them in the cover) you have a better chance of containing the poop and reusing your cover.

I don't know if I answered all of your questions, but I hope that helps!

[Chaos Coordinator]

oh and for detergents you ideally want something with no dyes, perfumes, enzymes, brighteners or whiteners.

---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:29 PM ----------

also i'd say "if you're lucky" your newborn will be changed 10-12 times a day. mine pooped probably three times in 2 hours, like say he'd sleep for an hour then nurse for an hour. when he woke up to nurse, he'd be poopy. then he'd poop while nursing on the left side, so we'd change him between sides. then he'd poop while nursing on the right side, so he'd need to be changed again before he went back to sleep. that's three times in 2 hours. you'll need waaayy more than 12 dipes.

[alexas]

have you thought about using flats instead of prefolds? much cheaper, wash and dry way faster. you can get them at walmart or target or even use old recieving blankets. i like them esp in summer for breathability!

[Chaos Coordinator]

i was thinking flats for you too.


(I have some if you want them ffs)

[Katigre]

In terms of how long you can use a cover, it depends on your baby. In the early months where they poop more often, I got less use out of them and would easily go through 3-4 per day b/c of them getting poop on them. As the baby got older, I went through 1-3 per day and only needed 6-7 covers to last me 3 days between washing, instead of the 7-9 covers with a newborn who has explosive/liquid breastfed poop.

Snappis are shaped like a Y and how you attach the prefold - they're great and reusable and you'll just want 2-3 so that in case one gets dirty or lost you have another clean one.

It really will not work to wash diapers every 5 days - it won't be cost effective and it won't be good for smell or laundry loads (at 5 days you'd be at or past the limit of what a washer can handle well and get clean - especially once your baby moves into larger (thicker) prefolds).

Asking in honestly - would you save more money in the long run shopping sales and using disposables? I'd add up how much you'll be spending per diaper change, it might not be worth it to CD in the long run. If you super coupon it and follow the diaper deal sites, you can do disposables for .12-15 per diaper change on average (if your baby doesn't need specific brands). Multiply that out and see what it would net you vs. doing cloth and paying for washing.

[ShangriLewis]

5 days is too long for me. Plus, you won't be able to do that in one load. And, you have to get that all to the washer. You will get build up and mold on your dipes.

Amazon offers an awesome subscription on paper dipes.

[Beth1231]

Yes,I plan on subscribing to Amazon mom for sposies in bulk.
Basically, I want to have both options on hand so I can choose the cheapest option depending on baby's diet,travel,cost of washing etc.

Your answers are helping alot. I thought prefolds were the cheapest,but now I'm factoring cost of flats instead.

I just need diapering the baby to be FREE! :hissyfit

I also subscribed to the huggies and Pampers clubs online and I'm squirreling away the coupons and free samples.

[NewLeaf]

I've cd'd in an apt on a budget like you and it is really a challenge. :hug

I guess I'm in the minority but a cover usually lasts me an entire day. Even if baby poops it rarely gets on my cover and I just wipe it out if there is no poop on it. I would want a few extras in case though.

You definitely need more pfs. I wash every third day and have other types of dipes in my stash and I'm going through at least 3 dozen pfs within that time. With pfs and as often as they pee/poo when they're little you'll be changing dipes sometimes as much as every hour.

We did sposies for the newborn time too. I really can't see them working well as covers. :think

It would probably work best to wash every three days, like others have said you would be moving A LOT of dipes and it will take multiple loads anyway. You can own fewer dipes by washing more often and still spend the same amount on laundry, likely.

We use Purex free and clear too, because it's cheap and we've never had problems with it.

My pail is full by the time I wash so I can't imagine the size pail you would need for 5 days worth.

Pfs are pretty crunchy when you line dry them but they soften up really fast if you work your hands over them and they work just as well against baby's skin.

Subbing in case ds outgrows these small covers any time soon and I'm able to give them away. :)

[Chaos Coordinator]

if you sew, you can thrift shop for teeshirts, towels, and sweaters to make prefolds and covers out of. then when you are done, sell or swap them for roughly what you paid, and THAT is how you wind up diapering a baby for free. but unfortunately it does take an initial investment. :hug2

[LikeQuietDreams]

I would try to score 3-4 dozen receiving blankets from the thrift store or garage sales to use as flats, inserts, and some to cut up to use as wipes... you can find them for pennies . Then I would get 4 used thirsties duos size 1 off of diaperswappers or spots corner (you could sell them later and get some size 2's when you need them). Add a couple pins (or a snappi) and you're good to go.

Honestly, if you can only launder the diapers once a week, I would consider handwashing every night. Flats wash up pretty easy and dry in a snap.

[JustMandy]

I just need diapering the baby to be FREE! :hissyfit

You could EC part time. Every time you catch a poo or pee, that's one more diaper you don't have to clean or throw away.

[ashleyhuney]

You've gotten lots of good advice, but here's my 2 cents.

I make (mix) my own detergent and it works great, basically it's 2 parts washing soda, 2 parts borax and 1 part oxyclean (or oxyclean sub). It works fantastic for diapers, so well we use it for all of our clothes. Super cheap too!

I didn't see if you answered if you sewed. If you do, even just a little, you can make wool covers for pennies. There are tuts all over the net, if you are interested I could round up my favs. You could get several covers, and probably a pair of longies, out of a big thrift store wool sweater. I've been able to get them for a dollar or less. The best thing about wool is that you rarely have to wash it because of it's natural anti-bacterial properties. You only have to wash it every few weeks or so as long as there isn't a poop explosion. And then when you do wash it it's very simple and you just do it in your sink.

[DoulaClara]

My mom cloth diapered when we lived in a tiny apartment on base in Germany, and she had to go down tons of stairs to the laundry facilities. She basically just used the bathtub to wash diapers, since she had to do them daily- she more or less did the old fashioned diaper pail (get a really tight lid!) and soaked them in hot water with bleach. I would do Oxyclean instead. Then she would put them in the bathtub and swish them around in a small amount of detergent (trust me, you only need a smidge- like a Tbsp!) and scrub the poopy ones together until it came out. Granted, she only did this when I was EBF.

Then she would rinse them several times in hot water- rinsing is very important in CD-ing, as soap buildup can cause big problems: loss of absorbancy, stink issues, and rashes. Then she'd wring them out and hang them up to dry. Winter and summer, hanging them in the sun gets rid of stains (and even if they freeze, they still dry in the winter! It's just a lot of work).

CD-ing does become addictive, though! I want to encourage you here! Even CD-ing part time is worth it, IMO.

[Beth1231]

I can't sew...but I know I'm capable of learning some basic straight seams and so forth. I will definitely watch for receiving blankets at yardsales (I :heart yardsales and there are a TON around here all spring, summer and fall). Making my own covers is definitely outside my realm of expertise at the moment. But I'll keep it in mind because I figure sewing is like cooking and I'll slowly get better at it with time and practice and necessity.

Clara, we don't pay for water or heat (incl in the rent) so washing in teh bathtub and rinsing a couple of times in hot water is definitely going to happen on those weeks that I am out of laundry quarters. I'm just hoping I don't have to do it every night, that does not sound fun.

Thank you for these detailed hints and advice, this is really super helpful!!

[JustMandy]

Oh, the whole time I was thinking:think I only wash dipes once or twice a week and have no issues that ppl are talking about here :scratch

Then I remembered we only part time CD. I like CDs, dh doesn't. :giggle So when I change him (most of the time, since I'm home) he's in cloth, when dh does and at bed time, he's in sposies. He's 13 months so it's different then those first few months, for sure. But part time sposies may make it completely doable for you.

[Quiteria]

talk to me more about this next week :yes

I have flats and prefolds and stuff for you to see, I can show you my system.

[Quiteria]

:poke don't let me kill this thread, though...y'all keep posting!!!!

[Can'tTurnLeft]

I don't know if cloth is going to be the most economical option for you if you have to pay for laundry honestly. You can get disposable diapers fairly cheap if you play the coupon game well. I just got a box of diapers at CVS for 6 dollars. That is going to be cheaper than two loads of cloth, and for me would last longer.

If you want to CD for health/environmental reasons, then go for it. But in your situation I'm not convinced it would be cheaper to CD for financial reasons.

[DoulaClara]

I agree with CTL, and will also add this, though- I think that every mama should know how to cloth diaper, just in case! You've got a very good start with the diapers, and I bet you could find a really good mix of CD-ing and using disposables that minimizes your overall cost, and maxes out the health benefits! :cheer I think it's awesome that you're thinking ahead, and getting stuff ready. I'm so excited for your little guy to arrive, and I think it's all going to work out, WRT actually obtaining cloth to use or borrow. ;) AFA the laundry situation- that'll be the pickle, for sure, but between hand-washing and line drying, and occasionally putting them through the washing machine, you'll probably find yourself going through periods of time where you use one way more than the other... and then slide back into a different way once again.

[Beth1231]

thank you, Clara :hug I found your post to be very encouraging

Doing the numbers and factoring nights of washing in the tub and drying on the balcony, I think part-time CDing and using sposies where I can is going to be the most economical way of going about it. Especially since a friend is going to teach me how to sew my own prefolds and all these other tips I've gotten.

CTL, basically I have to have CDs in my option list at all times because there will definitely be days when I'm out of sposies, out of money...and Baby still needs diapered. That's the days when I can breathe a sigh of relief and say "Okay, I have x amount of cloth diapers till I get more money, I can make more if needed and I can wash them in the tub and dry them on the balcony." :) CDing will provide some peace in the anxiety of figuring out where the $ for sposies is coming from. But I appreciate your thoughts as well :hug

[Can'tTurnLeft]

CTL, basically I have to have CDs in my option list at all times because there will definitely be days when I'm out of sposies, out of money...and Baby still needs diapered. That's the days when I can breathe a sigh of relief and say "Okay, I have x amount of cloth diapers till I get more money, I can make more if needed and I can wash them in the tub and dry them on the balcony." :) CDing will provide some peace in the anxiety of figuring out where the $ for sposies is coming from. But I appreciate your thoughts as well :hug

:hug ITU

[Chaos Coordinator]

that is the freedom of cloth diapering. you DONT have to worry about how you're going to diaper baby. you always have them, when you have no money, when the stores are closed, when its a holiday, when its the middle of the night, when you have no transportation, etc. you dont have to worry about "running out" of diapers.

[ShangriLewis]

Can you look for an apartment with a w/d when you lease is up? How about a portable washer?

[Katigre]

I have an amazon mom code from this month's parenting magazine if you want it :hug.

[Beth1231]

I have an amazon mom code from this month's parenting magazine if you want it :hug.

Sure, thank you!

ETA: Heather, I think Hubby wants to take the plunge and buy a house in the next 3-5 years...so we'll probably be here awhile yet.

[WildFlower]

I am not sure how you could use sposies more than once! I mean, what about the polymers inside the diaper that absorb wetness?!!:hunh if you lay a prefold in a newborn sposie and they pee in it, the wetness would surely go through onto the sposie ruining the sposie so you couldn't use it again.... I am not saying it can't be done, but that doesn't sound like it would work very welll, maybe I am not understanding:scratch

[StumblinMama]

This is the perfect time of year to find 100% wool sweaters at the thrift to make into covers :yes They are awesome because they can be aired out and reused. If you google Katrina's Soaker Pattern you should get some useful info, and your friend could help you sew up a couple. There's also a pattern somewhere on the net where you use the sleeves for legs and it cuts down on the seams you have to sew.

[Chaos Coordinator]

making sweater pants to use as winter diaper covers is extreeeemely easy. :tu

[NewLeaf]

This is the perfect time of year to find 100% wool sweaters at the thrift to make into covers :yes They are awesome because they can be aired out and reused.
This might sound weird but you can also cut out wool squares, lanolize them and use them as a pad underneath baby. Then you can lay baby down at home with just his prefold on. It's a great way to help with the cost of covers and also to learn baby's cues for when he pees so you might be able to EC a little too. :shrug

[NewLeaf]

Just checking back.

What are you thinking? What have you bought so far? What do you lack? :)

[mommy2abigail]

Pm me with what you need...diapers or covers or both. I can sew a little and I could make some stuff for you. I can also crochet if you are interested in using wool. No cost.:hugheart

[Beth1231]

Pm me with what you need...diapers or covers or both. I can sew a little and I could make some stuff for you. I can also crochet if you are interested in using wool. No cost.:hugheart

I'm on my phone and putting LO to sleep but Ill definitely update tomorrow :grouphug

[mommy2abigail]

:heart Sounds good!

[Chaos Coordinator]

dont forget i can ship you my flats ffs!

[Beth1231]

Goodmorning :heart

Okay, here is what I have and what I am thinking (per Newleaf and mum2abigail's question):

4 newborn covers
3 next size covers
1 larger cover (maybe for a 15 lb baby)

25 prefolds (I don't see a color thread on them, so I hope they are one size)
1 snappi

I diaper pail (we got a new garbage can and I kept the old one)

The Econobum 1 cover+1prefold (one size) is temporarily out of stock
The Econobum starter set of 12 prefolds and 3 covers is out of stock too

I'm thinking at this point that I need more one size fits all covers. I still have the $60 that my mom has saved for me for diapers and I think I might wait until Baby is born to decide how best to spend it. I did my homework on diaper sprayers and I plan on getting a shower/sprayer extension at Home Depot and attaching it to our toilet. That seems the cheapest way to go for sprayers.
I practiced how to diaper Flutterbye's stuffed rabbit with a pictorial :wink
I researched the best laundry detergent and we will switch in another month. :yes
I joined diaperswappers :rockon

Ideally, I still want to use sposies half the time (or maybe a bit less) if I can possibly afford it to cut down on washing diapers in the tub or hauling heavy diaper pails down three small flights of steps with 4 yr old and infant in tow. But I feel like I have a plan at this point and can diaper this baby come high, come low.

Jessi, what does ffs mean again, I always forget the swap lingo although I try really hard to remember! :doh

So what do I still need? I'm guessing 12 more prefolds (or flats) and some one size fits all covers so I don't have to worry about baby growing out of them. I plan on going to econobum route if that's the best price I can find. I've been searching ebay and such.

I'm PM you mommy2abigail :hug

ETA: Julyshemustfly is going to show me how to sew prefolds from receiving blankets and possibly how to make a cover :heart

[Quiteria]

have you looked at proraps seconds for covers?

---------- Post added at 02:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:50 PM ----------

http://prodiaper.net/_catalog_80407/Diaper_Wraps

[Chaos Coordinator]

ffs is free for shipping (sorry i would totally cover the shipping costs if we weren't having a hard time financially right now as well, new babies are expensive!!)

i would so so so wait on the diaper sprayer. you wont need it until baby is eating tons and tons of solid food. you could probably get away with not having one for another year, almost. you can buy diapers with that money now and worry about getting the sprayer next winter. :heart

[Quiteria]

ffs is free for shipping (sorry i would totally cover the shipping costs if we weren't having a hard time financially right now as well, new babies are expensive!!)

i would so so so wait on the diaper sprayer. you wont need it until baby is eating tons and tons of solid food. you could probably get away with not having one for another year, almost. you can buy diapers with that money now and worry about getting the sprayer next winter. :heart

:yes Breastfed poo will rinse right out in the wash...solid food poo is where it gets sticky...literally. :crazy2

[RedPetals]

I needed (wanted :giggle) a diaper sprayer as soon as I started solids around 7 months. But I got a cheapo one off of ebay. The Home Depot route is totally doable.. but I wouldn't worry about it yet.

I don't know if you'll really be happy with Econobum covers. Just a warning. I got one to try and I really didn't like it. They only have one row of snaps and I just didn't find them very adjustable. I MUCH preferred the Flip cover. Maybe you could find some used on DS? Or some Prowraps, Thirsties, or something else. But, if you really just want the cheap factor, they will definitely work.

I have one size Small Thirsties cover that I would be willing to send you! It's a gender neutral salmon/light red color. :heart

[NewLeaf]

we never did a diaper sprayer. some like them, some don't. i don't know if you wanted one because you were planning on possibly washing them yourself sometimes though.

are there any diaper services in your area? sometimes they sell used dipes for cheap- just another idea.

there is also craigslist for finding dipes.

i don't know anything about econobums so i can't review their covers. we've used thirsties duo wraps and they've done well, but you do buy two sizes instead of one.

i know figuring this out can be overwhelming!

[Beth1231]

It really is a lot to learn. I can't imagine navigating all this without the internet and GCM! :gcm

Yes, I'm planning on washing them myself a lot of the time because of the cost of putting quarters in the washer. But I will wait on the shower connector/sprayer ideas until Baby is here and I can tell what I really do need and what I don't. :yes

Thank you to the people who have PMed me, I feel overwhelmed with the kindness of the ladies on this board :heart

[abh5e8]

i like these covers...http://www.theluvyourbaby.com/diapercover/ and the price is great