Any one using cloth diapers

[Brown Eyed Gurl]

I just bought 24 BumGenius 3.0 cloth diapers and I'm gonna give them a try just wondering if anyone else does it or has any opinions on them.....I'm am quitting work in 2 weeks to be a SAHM and just trying to save where I can.....so I figure I'll give it a try and use them til I get my moneys worth and if I don't like them well I'll quit then.....but hey I will do what I have to do to save money so I can stay with my kids....I am also making my own laundry soap and my cleaners.

[tbeards]

Yes, you will find you will like them much more than you ever thought. The cleaning of them is so hassle free. I also heard that if you hang dry them out in the sun on a warm/hot day, the sun bleaches them out nicely. Never tried that but it is an option I guess. Only our doublers got dingy from use.

[Brown Eyed Gurl]

Thanks a ton well I have some ordered and should be here maybe Monday and I have heard alot of good things about them and I was told for the smell to use less detergent and only the kinds with no additives.....so hoping for a good experience....since we go through 14-16 diapers a day heck I can pay for the cloth ones in about 3-4 months then if I don't like em I'll just go back to paying for the outrageous disposibles lol

[tbeards]

We LOVED our bumGenius diapers!!! We used them with our dd from about 3 months old to about 13 months. She never had diaper rash. In fact, the reason we went to them is because she kept getting diaper rash with the disposables. I think she was just more sensitive to the disposables than most kids. Also, my husband cringed when I told him I bought some but he ended up cleaning most of them and thought they were pretty cool. They are really cute too ; )

Ok, so you read I said 13 months? The reason we stopped using them is because every night she would leak out of them. She was and is a very heavy wetter and even with the doubler in the diaper she would leak into the bed. Also, they can stink after awhile even after washing. Do not use any diaper creams or any other "oily" stuff on their bums because it will build up on the diaper. I highly recommend the BioKleen detergent and also the Bak Out spray for spraying while in the pail to prevent odors. When I switched to the BioKleen and Bak Out, that residual smell was gone and didn't come back unless I used another detergent. It is also better for the environment so that is a plus. I also recommend the diaper sprayer that you attach to the toilet. Poopy diapers come clean with just a few sprays.

Where I live, water is pretty cheap so I think the cost savings depends on where you live. To save on the heating of the water, wash the diapers first on a cold cycle and the a second on a short cycle with hot water. You can also air dry the diapers to save on drying. Also, the cost savings is really when you use them long term. We found that the savings for us would have came out at about 1.25 years with our dd so we didn't quite make that but we will use with the twins so we will recoup our costs. We won't be able to use them for a little while because they are still so small and in their newborn sized disposables.

In short, IMHO, I think the bumGenius is by far the best cloth diaper out there for pocket diapers. I forgot to say that the organic one we bought was terrible. The poop gets inbetween the layers (not a pocket diaper) and was really wet on our dd bottom. We ended up not using that one. I think the diaper rash comes from using cloth diapers that are not pocket ones. The bumGenius has a fabric in it that wisks away the wetness. After they wet the diaper, you can touch it inside and it is dry.

Good luck and pm me anytime you have questions about them.

~t

[Brown Eyed Gurl]

maybe with one baby it isn't that much more cost friendly but with 2 I think it has to be a little better. and since my kids are going through 14-16 diapers a day and if you average that out it's a $.25 a piece that $8-9 a day heck I can pay for my cloth diapers in 3-4 months...and the new cloth diapers look just like the disposibles...and they make them where they don't hold moisture against the skin....you should check them out

cotton babies . com  

and I am a coupon cutter too but even with those I'm still going crazy buying diapers..and I do alot of laundry anyways and we have our own well so that isn't going to cost us more water.....and I plan on doing alot of line drying......but anyways I told DH I'll use them at least long enough to get my money back and if I don't like them then I'll quit...

and as for the cleaners....well I just looked online for home made cleaners and laundry soap and so far they are all basic stuff you'd have in your kitchen.....you should google it...
and I got the laundry recipie from the Duggar's website....you know Jim Bob and Michelle the ones that have 18 kids.....just look up their site and it will give you the info.

[kindergal]

I just got something on line the other day comparing costs of cloth vs. disposable....If I can find it again, I'll send you the link.  It factored in the cost of hot water...etc...environmental costs..etc...diaper rash cream (since there tends to be more diaper rash with cloth than disposable...etc..  After reading it, both have pros and cons equally.  
Have you sent off to Luvs, Pampers, and Huggies for free diapers?  They will send coupons for a free pack when you send them proof of having twins.  In addition, they will send you GOOD coupons also..as in $5, $2 off.  Our Kroger has packs of Pampers diapers this week for $8.99 if you buy three packs...so I used my big coupons today and they were soooo much cheaper than even store brand.  I also scooped up all of the organic and DHA Gerber foods they had on closeout and used coupons there also.  
Ah, the little things in life that give me such a thrill!!! HA!!!!

[pookie1121]

We considered it when DD was born, but then my midwife said that it wasnt actually that environmentally friendly and the cost savings werent as high as one expects because of all the additional laundry you will do and extra laundry soap (but I guess if you are making the soap, maybe it is!!).  

Do you have to change them more often because they aren't as absorbant as disposable diapers are?

How are you making the soap and cleaners?  Where do you find the time to make your own laundry soap?!? :)  Good for you!