Sooooo ... a lot of my friends are pregnant, and I have collected a lot of the information below in different places, so to help myself and possibly others, I wanted to blog about cloth diapers. (Above is a stack of some of the cloth diapers/diaper accessories shipments I've received and some of the diaper covers we'll be using with Elle.)I have been reading about cloth diapers for quite some time - for several months before we were even trying to have a baby, I bookmarked blog posts, scribbled down Web sites, etc. I was intrigued by them for several reasons:
1. In the long run, they are cheaper than disposable diapers, especially if you have more than one kid and keep the diapers to use for future children.
2. They are better for the environment than disposable diapers.
3. They are better for the baby just because there are less chemicals and they're more natural.
4. They've come a long way and are (by all accounts) easy to use.
Cloth diapers do come with some tradeoffs - you'll end up doing more laundry (although with a baby, you'll be doing more laundry, anyway), the initial investment is greater, you'll get lots of rude comments and looks when you say you're going to cloth diaper, etc. But after we found out we were expecting, I discussed things with Tim, and after hearing reason number 1 (and refusing to acknowledge that he WILL have to change diapers), he was on board. I started researching in earnest and bought a substantial amount of one brand (the bumGenius 3.0 All-in-Ones) from two craigslist sellers. After doing some more reading and realizing that the baby likely won't fit in those right away, I decided to try a different type and bought a few prefolds and diaper covers that will work better for a smaller baby.
I made the mass purchase of the bumGenius diapers because I have faith that they will work and work well for our baby. Overall, they get excellent reviews (the main complaint is that they are a bit bulkier than most disposable diapers, but that is par for the course with cloth diapers). However, there are a lot of other diapers (all-in-ones and prefolds/covers) that seem to work well for some babies and not well for others, so I wouldn't jump in to a massive investment with one brand or type of diaper unless you are confident that you'll like them and they'll work for the baby. (There are several levels of cloth diaper economic investment, too, so you can choose a type of diapering that fits your budget and your baby.) The ones I've bought for the first few months of Elle's life (before she fits well in to the bumGenius diapers) came highly recommended and were a good price - and I don't need a ton of them. If one brand doesn't work out for you (or us!), there is always the opportunity to resell the diapers, and many companies offer trial packs so you can try out several kinds and brands of diapers to find out what works best for you before purchasing a mass quantity or deciding on a type.
Some parents opt to use a diaper service instead of buying and laundering the diapers. Cloth diaper registries are also available on many Web sites to help offset the cost of the diapers. (Certain brands and sizes of cloth diapers are also available to add to a Target registry.) As I've researched all of the options, it's reassuring to see how big the cloth diaper movement is and how many options there really are for both novice and experienced cloth diaperers.
Through all of this researching and buying, I still feel like I have little clue what I'm doing, but I have been able to watch for good deals and valuable information that I figure will make more sense after I'm actually "in the field" on the cloth diaper front. I *do* feel like I know a lot more than I did a few months ago and that I'm more prepared to go forward and learn from my successes and failures - and more importantly, know where and who to go to with questions. And I will definitely be updating this post as I find more sites and social networking avenues to feed my need to save money :)
So, without further ado, here is some of the suggestions I have/information I've accumulated:
* Search for used or new diapers on craigslist.
* Check out amazon.com and eBay for new and used diapers.
* If you have diapers or are looking for used diapers, join some of the discussion groups/trade forums on the sites below to trade and sell diapers.
* Become a fan of these businesses on Facebook (the first three have helped me find my best deals so far):
DiaperShops.com
Wee Little Changes
Organic Girl Giveaways and Reviews
Best Baby Organics
Cloth Diaper Outlet
Bumkins Finer Baby Products
* Follow the following people/businesses on Twitter (this is where I get a lot of my coupon codes, and the first two especially have helped me save money):
http://twitter.com/diapershops
http://twitter.com/WeeLittleChange
http://twitter.com/happyheinys
http://twitter.com/bumkins
http://twitter.com/CrunchyBabe
http://twitter.com/DiaperDaisy
http://twitter.com/sugardipes
http://twitter.com/snootybdiapers
http://twitter.com/BumEssentials
http://twitter.com/googoogaia
http://twitter.com/GlobalEnfant
http://twitter.com/sweetcamobaby
http://twitter.com/bestbabyorganic
* Check out these sites/resources and join the rewards programs offered by some and sign up for whatever newsletters/e-mails possible - a bit of junk e-mail can save you money!:
www.diapers.com
http://www.kellyscloset.com/
http://clothdiaperclearance.com/
http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/
http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/
http://hyenacart.com/Spots_corner/
http://www.clothplanet.com/index.html
http://www.cottonbabies.com/
http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp
http://clothdiapernation.com/vbforums/index.php
http://diaperswappers.com/
http://www.theecofriendlyfamily.com/
And not all cloth diaper purchases have to be made online. There are a lot of smaller stores or boutiques that sell locally - you can usually Google for them.
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