I rarely get stains but if I do, they come out very well in the sun in just an hour or 2.

I have never had a diaper rash but I could just have a baby with less sensitive skin.

I don’t need to change him more often than every 2-3 hours – I don’t find that the cloth “soaks through” quicker than disposables at least with the microfiber inserts.

We bought 3 bumgenius and got 3 as a shower gift. I started with just using one early on, figuring that if they didn’t work I could sell the others unused. I first tried when my baby was 2 weeks old and found that it was very bulky and leaked onto his clothes. Found out later that it was just wicking because they didn’t fit him right yet. I tried again at 1 month (he was about 10 lbs) and they fit much better and did not leak, so I put all 6 into my rotation. I liked them so much that I bought 3 more. Yes, that is only 9, but we use them nearly full time (not at night or during long outings). We use 4-5 per day and then a disposable overnight for 12 hours. I spent a total of $88 on these 9 diapers (3 were a gift and I used a coupon code at diapers.com) and I figure they will pay for themselves in about 6 months.

We wash every other day. I throw them in the washer after dinner. I do a cold rinse and then one hot “heavy soil” cycle in my front loader. I use Country Save detergent for HE washers. I got a box for about $10 that I think will last me 2 years and I use it for all the diapers and baby clothes. I put them on a rack to dry and then stuff them in the morning before work (it takes about 5-10 minutes). I use a dry pail with a liner I got for about $10 (Planet Wise) that is the same material as the diapers. The bag makes it nice cause I just dump into the washer without touching the diapers.

I don’t know if many day cares accept them but I have in-home care (grandma and dad) so it works well for us. I haven’t tried them overnight… I suspect they would work ok but don’t feel that adventurous yet. We will use them if we are going out for just a couple hours but not for a whole day trip because they would take up too much room in our diaper bag. We use Viva paper towels as diaper liners. I got a roll for $1 and cut each sheet in half.

They are slightly bulkier, but it seems like I move up a size in clothes maybe 1-2 weeks sooner than I would have otherwise, not a big deal. And we have not had a single blowout using these. Using disposables (Pampers Swaddlers, which Trent says never leak), we would have a blowout almost every day. (Which is an area where I disagree with Trent. Although I haven’t tried any low-end diapers, I have had a lot of leaking trouble with the “premium” disposables I’ve bought so I wouldn’t think cheap ones could be any worse.)

So, we have been very happy with the BumGenius. The new colors are really cute (I only wish we had a girl so we could get the pink ones too) and even my husband loves them. I suggest that you get a few and try them out if you are even on the fence.

I would have to know what the lifecycle is on one of these diapers. If the size doesn’t need to change, then if you have three of them needing 80 uses to hit the break even point would then require 240 uses total for the three. If these can be used as she grows, then you will likely use these more than the 240 uses. This would assume that she only needs one a day for 240 days (which is far less than a year). I would have to say that these are well worth the investment (assuming that the “other” part of the process doesn’t become to time consuming).
Schwamie

I just wanted to say that when I was pregnant with Olive (who is now almost 10 months) I was so overwhelmed with the cloth diaper choices out there. So, I did what all expectant mothers do…I bought one of every kind! We have the pricey All-in-Ones, a little less expensive pocket diapers, and the workhorse prefolds with organic covers.

After 10 months our family (mom, dad, two pre-teens, and grandparents) have all come to prefer the prefolds and covers. I guess you can say it is like learning to ride a bike or tying your shoe laces. We can all do the folds in the dark, at 3 am, in the back of the car, anywhere! Cloth diapering should be viewed as a system that has a very steep learning curve! (To be honest the first few weeks of diapering–which included one use disposables–was the steepest!) Like all good things, a little work and practice upfront and you’ll be rewarded. Our children and our communities deserve the effort!

The benefits of cloth diapers are numerous, and reach much farther than economics and environment. Do a little research into the ingredients found in a standard disposable diaper. Personally, I prefer to avoid all the chemicals found in the “gels” that will be against my baby’s skin.

As for cloth causing more rashes than disposables… that’s simply untrue. Not sure where “anon” is getting their information, but the exact opposite has been found to be true. (Although, in truth, diaper rashes are most closely correlated with the frequency of diaper changes, regardless of diaper type. It’s simply that cloth diaper users tend to change their babies more, because the kids can “feel” the wetness and are more likely to complain.)

One thing to note: Your break even analysis has a flaw – you haven’t taken into account the cloth diapers’ resale value. That bumGenius diaper may retail at $17.95, but you can recoup a lot of that once finished with the diapers. Buying them used to begin with will save a few bucks too. A used disposable diaper has no value.

http://not-the-jet-set.blogspot.com/2008/03/dirty-frugal-job-cloth-diapering.html

cheers!

I’m going to be picky, because I think your post inadvertantly discourages using a less expensive option because of what you perceive to be convenience (and because you made a rather jumpy assumption about my situation – what on earth made you think that I wasn’t one half of “two working parents”?).

Both my huband and I work full-time outside of the house; we ARE two working parents, just like you and your wife, and we’ve got TWINS in cloth diapers. Once you get the hang of it, folding a diaper doesn’t take any longer than putting an insert into an all-in-one (I’ve used all-in-ones as well, so I have a point of reference). BUT – it does take practice. I just don’t want your readers to automatically assume that prefolds are a huge time vacuum (because they’re not), so they should automatically shun them and go for the pricier option.

One thing which has not been mentioned: for any parents exclusively breastfeeding, the poop doesn’t stink. (I swear, that is not parental bragging, ie: “My darling Johnny has rose-smelling doo-doo.”) Really, until a child starts food or formula, there is little smell, so the bleach water is a great option.

If this option is really anathema to you, you can pile up the diapers in the washing machine itself, half-filled with water and a bit of detergent.

Technically, milk doesn’t contain the same bug inducing by-products that meat does, and young children don’t need meat. Protein is easier to break down in foods that have better forms, like broccoli. (I guess that could be another few posts, cooking blog too).

Long-time reader, 1st post.