Disposable v Cloth Diaper for breast fed baby?

S

shoni

Registered User
Hi,

I am trying to decide which would be better to buy for a breast fed baby, disposable or cloth diapers. Baby due in 12 weeks.

I would prefer to use cloth diapers as they are better for the environment but have read threads where there is heated discussion about breast fed baby poo's being incredibly loose and am worried about leakage.

Pampers have a range called 'Swaddlers' which are now available here and are designed apparently just for breast fed babies with the whole leakage problem in mind. Anyone use these?

Also, have read that some cloth diapers need washing at least twice to be 'clean' ay high temperatures, which would make them less environmentally friendly.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

:thanks
 
Check out this website to answer your questions about cloth nappies.

http://www.parentingbynature.com/cloth_diapers_faq.php

I hear all the time from disposable nappy users that cloth is more environmentally unfriendly because of all the water used to clean them. But it takes 500 years to breakdown 1 disposable nappy. The average baby uses 6,000 nappies within the first 2 years (at 8 changes a day for 2 years) and that's a lot of waste. The old days of soaking in harsh chemicals in the cloth nappy world is over thanks to washing machines and you don't need several rinses (unless you want to). Most bathrooms in HK have a shower head attached to a hose. If you have a soiled runny breastfed poo nappy, use the shower head to rinse into the toilet (if your shower hose doesn't reach you can replace it for a longer one or get a hose attached to the toilet like the toilets in Thailand). Once the baby starts solids, you can shake the poo into the toilet- you never have to touch it. It only takes one washing to clean them. There are many ways to wash cloth nappies now and on average it takes 3-5 minutes longer per day (according to an Australian study published in Kindred magazine) to take care of cloth nappies if you have an efficient system.

I use wool covers to prevent leaks and blow outs. If you get a good fitting nappy (cloth or disposable) it will help prevent them but blowouts can happen regardless of using disposable or cloth.
 
cloth diapers are better for the environment only bc they don't create more waste, however, do keep in mind that they use a lot of water ... a different kind of 'unenvironmental-ness'

i recently found these diapers: www.gdiapers.com
they're flushable and biodegrade. i haven't tried them ... but i really want to ... however, sadly our current budget just won't allow it. =( if you try it, pls let me know how they are as they seem like a win-win solution for the environment.
 
Thanks miaka, but I dont think our budget will stretch that far either.

I am currently contemplating BumGenius pocket as they seem to be the best value for money, set of 20 takes you all the way through. Any one used these?
 
i purchased a whole lot of cloth nappies before baby born (now 17months) and I am yet to use them consistently. I did buy a few newborn ones and it was a really silly thing to do as they poop so much then - i think wait a bit if you really want to use them as it is just not practical when they are so small and there is so much else to do - the one size fits all didn't seem to work for a newborn and you would need to buy a lot of special sized ones for a newborn to really make it work.

I think once poo is solid it is easier (our son is usually runny a lot) but like I said despite my great intentions it just doesn't seem to work for us (can't get right fit despite buying a few brands) but I read a few forums on here where people are very happy with them. I put them on every now and again and they just don't last as long - perhaps I should have persisted earlier but so many other things you are busy doing!
 
Are the G Diapers available in HK? I looked at them (although pricey) and saw that they need a special liner only found in Australia and the US. I'm curious about them for traveling.

Even if you do cloth nappies part of the time you are really doing the environment a favour as well as your budget. There are so many options for cloth nappies but you have to find the ones that suit your baby's body type and your lifestyle.
 
I used disposables for the first 3 months, and have used cloth for the last 15 mths.

I thought it might be too much of a hassle in the early weeks with everything else, but a few friends did it from day one and said it was fine.

I use the Fuzzi Bunz which have been great.
The mediums lasted from 3 mths until about 16mths, and the large will last until toilet training.
They still have plenty of wear left in them and I'll be using them again for my second child.

There is no argument that cloth isn't a million times better for the environment (and a lot cheaper) than disposables.
You have to factor in not only the waste, but the chemical by-products and pollution created in manufacturing disposables.
There is no need to wash nappies separatley. As long as you wash at 60 degrees or above, you just put them in with your regular wash.
 
Thanks for your help. I did read that the cloth nappies were a little big for new borns, so disposables at first and then moving onto cloth does seem to be the way to go.

Thanks for your replies.
 
@tikkunolam: gdiapers are available in the US, Canada and online. they are sort of a combination of cloth and disposable. the liner is flushable and biodegradable (in about 150 days vs. 500 years for regular diposables) so you can flush or just throw in the garbage like a disposable.

if it wasn't for the shipping cost to send to hk, i would definitly try them myself. oh well, i guess i'll hafta wait til we're back in the states.
 
Thanks Miaka. I figured I would have to wait until I go back home. They are expensive but if used for travel, I think they are worthwhile. For now when I travel I will use the Seventh Generation disposables which are more eco-friendly but I'm happy with my cloth nappies here in HK.
 
Bumgenius

Hi,

I use Bumgenius diapers and Kushies flushable liners....this is an awesome combo! The pooh does not touch the diapers and my breastfed, 9 months old only goes through about 3 diapers a day! The pocket liner is super absorbent and the snaps allow me to adjust the size of the diaper as she grows! I wash the diapers twice a week and they hang dry super quick!
 
Thanks niahbear, really helpful.

How old was your daughter when you started to use them and how many diapers did you buy?

Also, what detergent do you use and how many washes to get them clean - do you follow the instructions of one wash with detergent and a final wash through without detergent?

Sorry for all the questions!!
 
Hi, we used cloth from 6 months - 2.5years, but that was mainly because a lot of people gave us disposables when he was first born. In the early days, yes it is a bit more work because of the mess and the number of nappies needing to be changed.

Here are some places in HK you can look at different varieties of reusable nappies:

Tots Bots cotton fitted nappies
Mothercare Lee Gardens 2

Mothercare reusable nappy system (like GDIAPERS)
Mothercare Lee Gardens 2, and LCX Harbour City TST, maybe other locations too

Fuzzibunz quick drying pocket nappies
Bumps 2 Babes, Pedder St Central

Fuzzibunz, Tots Bots, BumGenius, Happy Heinys, Bumkins
Online from Macau www.doubibou.com (also run workshops)

Bambino Mio prefolds and covers
www.shopinhk.com (cheaper) and Eugene Club Centre, Queens Rd Central, MegaBox, Tsuen Wan Discovery Park

Normal flat cotton nappies & muslin nappies
Mothercare, all locations. Bumps 2 Babes

And another option, not in HK but close:

Bumwear one size pocket nappies
www.bumwear.com (Singapore)


The Gdiaper type systems are probably your most expensive option of any of them because you're paying not only for the costly setup, but then ongoing costs to buy the absorbent disposable pads.

The flat nappy system is the cheapest of all, because it's not that much to purchase flat cotton nappies and some cheap covers (can get cheap ones from Wing On etc, or more quality ones like Bambino Mio), but they are complicated to fold and more bulky than a shaped nappy.

For all of them, you shouldn't need to soak, just wash them (after getting rid of the solids into the toilet) on a thorough cycle in the machine. I do a cycle that includes a prewash and then a long wash cycle. They always came out fine.

You have to be aware though, that it is never going to be as completely easy as using disposables. You might sometimes get stains, might end up spending more money than you thought, might find problems with rashes. But then, people who consider making alternative choices like this don't make their decisions on what's 'easiest' but on what's best for baby, the environment, and your whole family, so you have to weigh it all up.

We have found that overall the reusable ones were better. When we had occasional issues with them, we just used disposables for a week or so till we got back on track.
 
tikkunolam said:
Check out this website to answer your questions about cloth nappies.

http://www.parentingbynature.com/cloth_diapers_faq.php

I hear all the time from disposable nappy users that cloth is more environmentally unfriendly because of all the water used to clean them. But it takes 500 years to breakdown 1 disposable nappy. The average baby uses 6,000 nappies within the first 2 years (at 8 changes a day for 2 years) and that's a lot of waste. The old days of soaking in harsh chemicals in the cloth nappy world is over thanks to washing machines and you don't need several rinses (unless you want to). Most bathrooms in HK have a shower head attached to a hose. If you have a soiled runny breastfed poo nappy, use the shower head to rinse into the toilet (if your shower hose doesn't reach you can replace it for a longer one or get a hose attached to the toilet like the toilets in Thailand). Once the baby starts solids, you can shake the poo into the toilet- you never have to touch it. It only takes one washing to clean them. There are many ways to wash cloth nappies now and on average it takes 3-5 minutes longer per day (according to an Australian study published in Kindred magazine) to take care of cloth nappies if you have an efficient system.

I use wool covers to prevent leaks and blow outs. If you get a good fitting nappy (cloth or disposable) it will help prevent them but blowouts can happen regardless of using disposable or cloth.
Click to expand...

tikkunolam,

Your information is very helpful, thanks. Because my friend recommended me to use Mother-ease organic ones, and I am currently searching for more information about cloth. I found some information you mentioned at this website, too. www.mother-ease.hk . I'm seriously thinking about replacing disposable with cloth.

Is there any mummy here who used disposables before and replaced them with cloth, please share your experience.
 
I use a combination of both: Reusables at home, disposables when out/traveling.

Very happy with BumGenius --on all counts (price, ease of use). I've used Mother-ease as well and liked those, too, (no leaks!) except for the fact that you have to keep changing as they come in different sizes. BumGenius is one-size fits all and dries very quickly. As one of the previous posters had mentioned, use BumGenius with the Kushies disposable liners and using cloth diapers has never been easier.

The only thing that's proven a bit troublesome for me with BumGenius is that they have velcro snaps and my LO quickly figured out how to take off her own diaper!
------

Cloth diapers or not, I'm hoping to be able to completely potty train my LO soon --she now is able to do the sign (language) for POTTY whenever she needs to go. It's a matter of her being able to consistently 'hold' until we get her to the loo in time. :flower:
 
Hi

I agree with the comments before about cloth diapers. We started out with disposables (through ignorance really!) and then I switched over to cloth once I got a bit more clued up. Sophie of Doubibou was really helpful with email advice- we ended up trying various types (TotsBots, FuzziBunz, Bum Genius) and in the end Bum Genius worked out best for us. The Mothercare disposable liners work well too, as does the nappy soak. Washing has not been a problem and they hang dry well.

One added benefit is that I think the cloth nappies fit my baby better than the disposables. He used to get red rubs where the edge of the disposable rubbed against his legs, but now does not. We still use the disposables when going out, but cloth is great!
 
plumtree,

Thanks for your sharing. But I find the problem with Doubibou is that I cannot see the actual product because it's through mail order. The prices for all the brands are more or less the same, but only Mother-ease has organic ones in one-size that can fit from NB to toilet training, and they are actually available at Citysuper. So, at least I can see the diaper and check the quality before buying.

The other thing that I don't really want to use Bum Genius & Funzzi Bunz because their inserts are made in China.
 
Don't know about Fuzzi Bunz, but with the Bum Genius, you can use any insert you want. You don't have to buy their inserts. You can use terry cloth, flannel, organic cotton.... just cut them down to size or fold them down to make your own inserts.
 
I know this is an old thread but wanted to add!

We use mainly cloth (probably one sposie every so often at night) and they are a lot easier to care for than I imagined. Washing is not a problem. We tried many different types but have found that fuzzibunz and haute pockets fit our baby best. With fuzzibunz you can adjust the level of absorbency by adding inserts, just like bumgenious. He has chunky thighs and bumgenious elastic is a bit too tight and leaves red marks around his legs.

I'm interested in getting some flat 'old school' style dipes. I've seen on an old thread that they are available at wet markets? Has anyone bought any recently? Approx how much are they?
 
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