Cloth Diapers

I am thinking of switching to cloth diapers. I know in the long run it will be cheaper but they are so expensive to start off with if you don't want to use pins (and I don't lol). I am wondering if anyone knows of cheaper cloth diapers that work well or if I should just stick with the disposable ones.

[AnnieBrooke]

I'm with you.  Next baby is definitely all cloth.  We figured out on another thread recently that from birth to potty-training, you use 8,000 to 9,000 diapers.  I've taken to heart that this is a terrible thing to do to the landfills -- think how many babies there are in the US every year and how many diapers that is.  I'm thinking that if they aren't quite absorbent enough, I'll just put a diaper doubler in it.  Even diaper doublers make a lot less bulk for the landfill.

[mikaleen]

It seems to me that a cloth diaper would also be much more comfortable for baby, and I'd really like to try them with my next.  I am a little leery of the unknown though, so I will be interested to see if anyone has any suggestions.

[AnnieBrooke]

My aunt, as gifts to her nieces who were pregnant, would sew these super great cotton flannel diapers.  I don't know where she got the design, but it wouldn't be that hard to see what a diaper looks like nowadays (in terms of thicknesses of fabric, etc.) and make your own, or enlist a family member who sews to help.  I'm thinking that with modern fabrics being so good, making your own wraps might not be that hard either -- our local fabric store has all sorts of waterproof and water-resistant fabrics, cute ones too.  Since I have a little time before the next try for a baby, I'm going to do some prowling on the Internet and see what is out there in terms of patterns and suggestions.

[ma2isiah]

We use bumgenius and fuzzi bunz. They work great. And as far as I can tell they are more absorbant than disposable and way more comfortable. We have saved lots of money and the washing really isnt that much more work. You can google both brands to check them out. The upfront cost was expensive, but then you don't have to buy any more diapers per month. It is awesome. Feel free to ask me any questions. My dd is 2 and they still work great!

[AnnieBrooke]

Do you think either bumgenius or fuzzibunz is the better of the two?

[ma2isiah]

I really like them both! I think if I had to pick one I would pick fuzzibunz because I think the snaps would last longer than the velcro. But I like the bumgenius inserts better so I bought them for my fuzzi bunz. I have 5 bumgenius and 12 fuzzibunz. I like having both. I use 2 inserts at night for my fuzzi bunz and no leaks :)