Right now we have 5 packages of newborn disposable diapers - one of each brand on the market.
The diaper thing is a bit of a problem for us for a couple reasons. One, we're down to one car now and one income, so the drive to the nearest town isn't always easy or affordable. We wanted to stock up on diapers now so we didn't get stuck without them later and then REALLY be screwed.
The cloth "nappies" used here cost a LOT and seem overly complicated to me. Beau and I are still stuck in the olden days, since we were expecting the basic piece of cloth and safety pins. Little did we know now it consists of an expensive "outer" nappy and then you get like 3 "inserts." Buying more "inserts" is not cheap either. Since apparently a newborn goes through 8-10 nappies a day, it's a big investment for us to start stocking up on these too, especially since the baby will be born in the summer when our water supply, and therefore our ability to do tons of laundry, will be a constant issue.
We were at the enormous Baby Factory this past weekend thinking of putting some things on layaway (or as they say here, "layby"). The manager was giving me a very long, but very informative lecture on all things baby when she stopped in mid-sentence and gasped. Beau was some distance away from us in the diaper section. In his hand was a package of the old-school cloth nappies - he had found some.
"He's not seriously thinking of buying those, is he?" she asked appalled.
"Umm....yes?" (We still thought we would invest in a FEW cloth diapers, just to have them on hand if we ran out of disposables).
"Oh no no!" she scolded and made a beeline for him, me trotting after her.
She then gave us a lecture on the whole cloth diaper phenom and told us that they tend to leak anyway, despite the thick inner and thinner outer layers. She finally relented and said if we wanted to buy one package of the old school diapers, that might not be such a terrible thing, so they could also have other uses like a puke rag or a baby wrap.
Argh, not such a big deal really. It'd be a nice if money and distance wasn't an issue and we could have a nice big stock of both kinds ready and waiting. Ahh well. Thoughts?
10 comments:
I don't think I'll be much help. I had absolutely no desire to use cloth diapers, tho it crossed my mind once or twice. We had very little issues with disposables. I don't know anyone personally who used cloth. So while I have no advice, I just wanted to let you know I'd been thinking of you, and your new post was a reason to say HI!!! lol
Thanks Jenna! Love you! (And it's actually nice to hear that there might not be any problems with the disposables!).
I think cloth diapers are awesome. Andy is confused. I had more problems with the disposables leaking than the cloth. I used "mothers ease" diapers, ones that are one-size-fits-all, though they don't really fit tiny babies. They fit on like a disposable and then have a water-resistant outer cover. The ones I really wanted to get were the "bum genius," but we got the ones we did off craigslist. Yes, they do cost a bunch at the start, but they pay off for sure over time. We stopped using them around 18 months because with our schedules I just didn't have the time to wash them every day and didn't want to buy more and was just tired. If I wasn't at work/commuting most of the day, I would have kept it up.
Last night I told Andy he was confused about the cloth diapers leaking, and he said what he meant to say was that cloth doesn't hold five pounds of pee like disposables can. I don't see that as being a problem since you shouldn't let a diaper build up five pounds of pee anyhow.
I did find that disposables were often easier on road trips. You can get / make a nylon bag for holding wet/dirty diapers.
As for the expense, if people are asking what you need for the baby, you can always point them to a site for cloth diapers or else say you are saving up for cloth and would love a donation to the stash fund. You can also look around for people selling used diapers, which could sound squicky, but really, lots of people sell their old diapers and lots of people buy them...especially the ones that are fitted since babies outgrow them.
And as for laundry, I had 12 diapers and did a load every day or every other day. If you had more, say twice that, you could probably still get them all done in one load but only have to do it half as often. You do need to be careful with the type of detergent you use since some leave residue that can build up on the diapers. Every now and then you probably will have to "strip" the diapers washing them in vinegar...we also often added baking soda to the load to freshen things up. If you let them line dry in the sun, it helps get rid of stains and any lingering odor.
Another thing I did that I thought saved money was to use cloth wipes for all but the really nasty poos. I made them out of flannel about 8" square doubled and sewed up the edges. Fairly cheap. Worked well. I kept a little spray bottle by the changing area filled with water to help with cleanup...some people put a touch of soap in there, too. The little squares do double/triple/whatever duty as spit up rags, wipe up random messes rags, whatever. Oh, I also made my own breast pads out of a pair of old flannel baby blankets someone gave me. Pretty much done the same as the wipes but round and bosom-sized. If you're crafty, you can even make your own diapers.
We convinced our sitter to use the cloth. She'd never used them before and was surprised at how easy they were.
One final thing on the cost...I know I'm weird. There are so many things for babies that everyone says you should have, and I feel about 90% of them are a waste of money and space. My recommendation to an expectant mom would be to get the following:
1. cloth diapers and wipes
2. sling
3. car seat
4. boppy (or similar)
5. bouncy/vibraty seat
6. a dozen or so onesies (though if kid is coming in the summer, she can go nakey most of the time)
Pretty much everything else, in my opinion, can be done without.
Thanks, Cabol! I read your comments slowly to try to let them sink in. I think it sounds really good, though I have one problem with our washing machine. It's not quite the powerhouse like the ones in America. It's much smaller and when I washed the dog's blanket in it recently, the inside of the machine was a total mess of dirt, tiny twigs and small leaves. I thought I had shook the blanket out really well beforehand AND had assumed the machine would kind of drain all that stuff away anyway. Now I'm wondering what it might do with shit! :)
I also like your must-have list, though it is different than 2 others I've been (verbally) given. One said "A bed and nappies," and another had a longer list which included other things than yours.
Btw, what's a boppy?
Here's what we have, or have promised to us on loan:
- bassinet
- cot (crib) though I'm worried it may be too old
- Awesome changing table/baby bath
- diaper genie
- diapers
- Jolly Jumper (I got it super cheap and couldn't resist)
- baby frontpack
- What SEEMS like plenty of clothes, especially onesies, particularly for 0-3 months.
- car seat (will rent through local health provider)
- a wool blanket and cotton sheets
- some books
- a Mr. Potato Head
What I really want and don't have yet:
- an electric breast pump
This is all rather overwhelming, and though the community we live in is very loving and supportive, it's also very poor and I'm not expecting anything really. It's not like I'll be registering anywhere...we live in a similar area as you...really rural...really OUT there.
Cabol wanted me to add this, since her iPad is not letting her post:
A boppy is a pillow shaped sorta like a donut cut in half. It goes around your waist and baby rests on it. Great for feeding time, nice for napping, fabulous for daddy to wear on his head.
Not sure about the washing machine. You can get a hose thingy that attaches to the potty kinda like a sink sprayer. It will help wash off most of the poo into the potty before the diapers go into the machine. I didn't have one, but it would have been nice.
Maybe for you disposables would be better. I'm no cloth diaper freakazoid. I do think they are easier and less scary than a lot of people think and have some good advantages, but as with pretty much everything parenty, do what works for you. You are the Mommy!
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I will add that our washing machine is not super powerful (in fact, they didn't even carry it in stock at Home Depot, I guess because it is somewhat compact), but there weren't really any problems. At least not with stuff from diapers, which is all basically water soluble. Unlike when I washed my very first stuffed animal ever, and the stitching came loose, and a gazillion Styrofoam BBs entered the washer and created enough friction in the pump that I had to disassemble it (twice) before it would drain again...
I think we picked up an electric breast pump on eBay. Or maybe Craigslist.
Ooooh a boppy sounds cool. Haven't seen one yet, but then, haven't exactly been looking for one.
I did get a gliding rocker several months back off of TradeMe for $55. Pretty psyched about that.
Well, we'll see how the diaper thing goes. We'll get some cloth ones in and try them both and goes with what works. As long as it's not a really dry summer, it should be okay, I think.
Thanks!
I agree with the Boppy thing! DEFINITELY GET A BOPPY!!! And I didn't mean to scare you with the disposable thing, I just wanted to point out that for some babies really only one or two brands work. We stocked up like crazy after we discovered which brands were good for Cooper but really we wound up selling on craigslist some of the ones we bought beforehand because they leaked immediately.
I've had some babies in the daycare where I used to work who used cloth diapers and they were okay I guess I would say. You do have to change them more often but they rarely leaked (and there were several different brands in use)and the kids seemed to get no more or less rashes than those who used disposables. To me disposable vs. cloth is 100% about the convenience vs. environmental responsibility factor. We recycle EVERYTHING in our house, we're big craisgslisters and freecyclers but when it came to diapers I never even considered using cloth. It is for sure better for the environment, cheaper (in the long run) and there are some good brands out there. But for me you just cannot beat the convenience of disposable and when you're a new mom convenience is VERY IMPORTANT :) I notice that you said you had a diaper genie and those are terrific, we still use ours and love that Cooper's room never smells 'poopy'. Keep an eye out for the refills on sale and stock up on them and they won't be too expensive either.
I love talking about this stuff because I just went through it and already I've learned SO much. My best advice is do what works for you guys in your unique situation :)
I never used cloth diapers (though I do wish I had tried them), but have friends who have used them. One friend bought the outer cover, but made most of her inserts, especially with her youngest. She, like Cabol, is very crafty, and also made most of her slings, too. I sorta think she, too, made wipes, breast pads and the vinyl bag to carry the used diapers/inserts in. If you are interested, I can talk to her and get some ideas on brands she liked and ask how she made her inserts.
The only problem I had with disposable diapers was when Catie was outgrowing the old ones, they would start to leak. But, I finally figured out I should just move up a size.
Here in Norway, we have wool breast pads to wear during the winter, to help warm so that the milk doesn't freeze in our boobs and set up infections. Does it get that cold there ever or do you get cold? If you'd like some, I can send a pair or two to you.
Oh, and I just used a no electric breast pump when I used one. I never had much extra milk to store up, though, and just used pre-made formula the few times when I couldn't be there to feed her.
Instead of a bassinet, we just used the carrycot out of the stroller/pram as a sort of Moses basket. It had handles and was easy to carry around, get her ready and tucked in while inside and carry her out to where the frame for the stroller was set up ready to go. When she was very little, we'd just place the carrycot into the crib at night, as well, when she wasn't sleeping beside me (because breastfeeding at night was much easier that way for us...).
But, I third, forth or fifth what everyone else has said about it being your choice what you use. You may have to try several different things before you find what works best for you and the baby: diapers, beds, clothes...everything.
Fortunately, the baby will be born in the summer here (beginning of February) so it will be warm. We were really worried about a small baby in winter since houses here (including ours) are just so incredibly frigid. It's shocking really since NZ is not THAT cold. I never knew what an advocate of insulation (or decent home heating) I would become.
Ours, like many, is only heated through a small fireplace, but since this house is shaped like a long rectangle, with the fireplace on one end and our bedroom on the other, we really worried about the baby being cold and sick.
I asked our neighbor the other day about our home's owners (they raised 3 daughters here) and I was told, "She just kept the fire going all day long to heat the house up."
We only make a fire at night since the days are just cold, not freezing, and so we weren't burning a small forest of wood, but I guess when winter comes again, it's going to be an all-day inferno in here.
As for the other stuff, I guess I'll just trial and error it all. I am loving these comments/suggestions though. Like I've said, Beau and I are infant-stupid and are a bit nervous about the first year.
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