I might be going over to the other side!!!!!!!

[SaraLucille]

I was thinking that going half and half on the diapers would help us out financially. Formula prices are going up, as is everything else. We were going to buy a years worth in one order. I get nervous with the way the economy is. Baby things are always the first to go black market. All of you know how bad it is to change formulas, so this was my idea to prevent that. Cloth diapers might help cut down costs. Since they don't wick away fluids as well, maybe that would be a way to que my son to go. I could use them during that day as a training method.

I was looking up prices on cloth diapers- I had no idea they were so expensive! 15-20 for one diaper! Wow.

Yeah, some of them are pricey! But plain old prefolds with covers are really economical. Our Kawaii brand pockets are just as great as the expensive ones, and only run about $7 per.

[Gakmo]

We use cloth diapers and absolutely love them - we are about to have 3 babies in diapers at once!  I have tried a couple of different types of diapers but my favorite by far has been the Flip System by Bum Genius. http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=139   Because they are sizable, all 3 of my kids will be able to use the same diapers and I won't have to worry about keeping them separated by size. We use the organic pre-folds and once the child is older we put a stay-dry liner on top of the organic cotton.  My experience has been very different than Underdog's.  I find that with disposable diapers I am having to change the kids, especially the bigger kids, twice as often.  The cloth diapers we are using are extremely absorbant.  My oldest has eczema and has only had two diaper rashes in her lifetime.  My 9 mo. old has never had a diaper rash.  We have about 2 dozen shells and about 4 dozen diapers.  Yes, it was expensive (approx. $700 - $800) but for two babies it has saved us A TON of money in the long run.  These diapers will still be good for a few more kiddos too.

As for cleaning them, I actually just finished "stripping" our diapers.  (I do this about once a year just to make sure there are no lingering soap residues, etc.)  I haven't had any problems keeping ours clean but I do know some detergents work better than others but a lot depends on the material of your diaper.

Anyway, that's about all I can think of right now but I love our cloth diapers.  We do, however, use disposables when the kids are sick, swimming, and sometimes for travel!

BTW - I know it is very controversial but instead of formula you could always look at using raw milk.  A lot of mom's I know swear by it - apparently A LOT closer to breastmilk than any formula and very healthy.  We are trying it and LOVE the results!!!!

[elizabee]

I also LOVE cloth! I only have one baby so my experience is more limited. I hate the landfill issue and the chemical issue with disposables. Though for travel this summer I plan on using gdiapers. Anyway...

Cost - Bummis, eg, has a bargain bin, where you can try to focus your buys. If you are going to be buying online, try http://re-diaper.com/ - I've bought some econobum covers from them, as well as some Kawaii baby covers (both the one-size snap kind) and they were/are in excellent condition. I use those with organic cotton prefolds (from Bummis). My MIL also bought us some Kawaii pocket ones awhile back so I use those for nighttime, because they do wick away moisture better.

Absorbency - I've never used disposable except when he was a newborn, so I can't compare, but yeah, I would think disposables are more absorbent. It isn't really an issue for me, though - it's not like cloth leaks after 5 minutes. You can normally go a few hours. I prefer to change him really often anyways but yeah.

Rash - I use aloe vera gel or an enriched version with tea tree oil, lavender oil, and witchhazel if he does get a rash, which is rare. I find it important to bathe him daily (not twice a week at the beginning like the books suggest) and we just use a natural olive oil soap. That and changing often.

Poop - I do EC with him so the amount of poo I deal with is thankfully limited!! Hoping this trend continues when as his diet changes (still mostly just BF).

As the BVM for help - she surely used cloth!

[ErinIsNice]

Satori, if you get pregnant I will send you all of my cotton prefolds  ;D   I got rid of all the one size fits all covers, but having the prefolds will save you some money.

After having three kids in diapers at once and using cloth, I am definitely on UD's side now   I love disposables.  Anyway, Desitin is the only thing that works when Nate gets a diaper rash, and you can't use that with cloth diapers.

[SaraLucille]

I also LOVE cloth! I only have one baby so my experience is more limited. I hate the landfill issue and the chemical issue with disposables. Though for travel this summer I plan on using gdiapers. Anyway...

I've used the GroVia Biosoakers in regular covers (thristies, flip) when out of town, and they work great!

http://www.amazon.com/GroVia-Eco-Friendly-BioSoaker-White-Count/dp/B003IHXN9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1304775752&sr=8-1

[Satori]

Satori, if you get pregnant I will send you all of my cotton prefolds  ;D   I got rid of all the one size fits all covers, but having the prefolds will save you some money.

After having three kids in diapers at once and using cloth, I am definitely on UD's side now   I love disposables.  Anyway, Desitin is the only thing that works when Nate gets a diaper rash, and you can't use that with cloth diapers.

Disposables have their place. I gave up and used them in part because we didn't have a washing machine when she was in diapers.

[Anastasia]

I used cloth for a while, too, when money was tight, and I have some old diapers left if you need to borrow them. They're the rectangular unfolded kind, though. You just have to keep a sharper eye on the kid to see if he's peed through already. And go a size up in ther outer clothes, since the cloth diapers will take up more space. Oh, and BagBalm for diaper rashes

[Gakmo]

I am assuming raw goat's milk? I am considering this as well. Though I have heard that it is a lot of work to prepare with all the additives. Just so you don;t think I am lazy, I am very sick, and trying to find easier ways to get things done so that the whole house doesn't completely fall apart.

Either raw goat's mild or raw cow's milk.  Our whole family has moved to raw cow's milk, even my 9 mo. old and we are really noticing a big difference in health.  We don't have our own homestead - yet - so we order from a local farm that is extremely reliable.  I don't think I can ever go back to store -bought dairy. 

[QuisUtDeus]

That's the plan. As soon as it gets a little warmer I am going to teach my son to pee on a tree. From what I've heard, it is garenteed to work.

I have a story about that...

We have moles all over the place, and one thing that keeps them at bay is if you pee down their caves.  So I told my boys to go crazy.  They thought this was a wonderful idea, and it helped train the younger one.

Then I go outside and there's a pile of poop on the gravel drive that's not from the dog.  I ask my son who is like 2 or 3 (I forget), and sure enough it's his.  Because if peeing outside is great, pooping is better!  I'm like, well how'd you wipe?  Leaves.  I explain to him if he grabs the wrong leaf, like stinging nettle, he'll be sorry.  He says OK.  Obviously, there was a flaw in our discussion because I didn't mention pooping outside - just leaves.  Sure enough a few days later I go out there, and there's another kid pile, except this time with a wad of toilet paper on top.  I'm like, listen, if you could go in the house to get toilet paper, you could have used the toilet.  Boy, was I silly.  In preparation for going out to play, he had put some toilet paper in his pocket, so he was ready.

Make sure you specify peeing and on a particular tree.  That's all I've gotta say.  ;)

[upswife]

That's the plan. As soon as it gets a little warmer I am going to teach my son to pee on a tree. From what I've heard, it is garenteed to work.

I have a story about that...

We have moles all over the place, and one thing that keeps them at bay is if you pee down their caves.  So I told my boys to go crazy.  They thought this was a wonderful idea, and it helped train the younger one.

Then I go outside and there's a pile of poop on the gravel drive that's not from the dog.  I ask my son who is like 2 or 3 (I forget), and sure enough it's his.  Because if peeing outside is great, pooping is better!  I'm like, well how'd you wipe?  Leaves.  I explain to him if he grabs the wrong leaf, like stinging nettle, he'll be sorry.  He says OK.  Obviously, there was a flaw in our discussion because I didn't mention pooping outside - just leaves.  Sure enough a few days later I go out there, and there's another kid pile, except this time with a wad of toilet paper on top.  I'm like, listen, if you could go in the house to get toilet paper, you could have used the toilet.  Boy, was I silly.  In preparation for going out to play, he had put some toilet paper in his pocket, so he was ready.

Make sure you specify peeing and on a particular tree.  That's all I've gotta say.  ;)

Oh my...thanks for the laugh. will get me thru this last half hour of work.