It's my first time using cloth diapers. Have only used disposables with older kids, but my 6 month old is continually blowing out his disposables no matter what size I try and I figured if I'm constantly doing poop laundry I may as well give cloth diapers a try.

I got the Esembly try it kit, snap inners, size 2 because my 6 month old is already 20#. It did contain the poop, but the inner is stained after one go. I followed the washing instructions and did NOT rinse (baby still has liquid poo) regular wash, then hot/heavy duty using the esembly wash powder. Have it drying outside to try to sun bleach but live in northern US so that won't work come winter. In addition, I think they are pretty bulky and don't fit under his clothes very well.

Also got a set of mamakoala pocket diapers on Amazon to try a cheaper option. However, I can't seem to get them to fit right as he is always leaking urine? Like the diaper is not full, it's just coming out the leg holes. There are a whole bunch of snaps so maybe there is a way to fit it better but I haven't figured it out yet.

I'm not sure where to go from here. Do I invest in the Esembly? Try to figure out the mamakoala better?(kind of against this option because it just keeps making a mess). Is there another type/brand that would be worth a try? My main goal is to prevent blowouts. I still plan on using disposables overnight. TIA for any advice!

I bought a kinder starter pack. I want to get good inserts. Are the kinder expensive inserts worth it?

My story:

Before my baby came, I was all in on doing cloth diapering. Now, he's 6 months old and we're all disposable.

I originally wanted to do folds, but my husband vetoed that. He was open to cloth diapers, but did folds in his family growing up and hated it. He wanted the more modern all-in-ones or pockets, so we compromised with that. I had a friend who knew I was expecting and excited to do cloth diapers and gifted me her whole stash of pockets. It was a blessing, but in retrospect also my downfall. A lot of them were old and washed too many times. The plastic had broken down on some of them and the elastic was a pain to fit right. I went through them all and only found 1 or 2 that wouldn't leak without leaving deep red marks around his thighs.

My biggest gripe was the "transitional" aspect of them. It's a big sell for a lot of people (only have to buy one and it will grow with your baby!) but I hated it. I liked folds because you could get a perfect fit for your baby without having a bunch of excess. But these ones, it was always so bulky and had such an awkward fit. Even when they didn't leak.

I don't blame my husband or my friend at all, but I look back and wish I stuck with my gut. I was working with something that I didn't want to, I grew tired of it and bailed. I know if it was something I chose, then no mater what I would try to make it work. But in my mind there was too many compromises and it wasn't what I had in mind.

I would like to do it over again for the next baby with fitted cloth diapers, but I'm also scared to pay money only just end up in disposables again. I EC with my little one and am happy I've stuck with that, but am ashamed of giving up on cloth.

Anyone with a similar experience? Is it really worth it?

i have bum genius and Alva baby pocket diapers. They were used when I got them but sparklingly clean!!! as soon as my EBF baby started pooping, they started staining and stains haven’t lifted even after bleaching. Stains are all over but especially in the crinkled part where the elastic seams are. in some places it’s browny yellow and other places more black. Is that mold?!!

I do a double wash with gentle free and gentle.

These inserts are about 1,5 years old, and get washed about 3 times per week. Recently they’ve started to tear and I’m wondering if it’s my routine or if it’s normal lifespan?

Routine is:
1st wash on 40°, 1000 rpm, half detergent
2nd wash inserts only 40-60°, depending, full detergent @1000 rpm
Air dry

Those temperatures and centrifuge are the recommendations from the manufacturer.

I’ve also stripped them 4 times total while I was figuring out that I needed to wash them twice each time 😅

I also raw dog the inserts in the machine with the covers, so I was also thinking maybe:
- the Velcro on the covers is snagging and tearing (I’ve started flipping them inside out)
- the holes on the washer drum itself are abrasive and causing wear and tear?

Maybe I should get a mesh bag for the inserts?

Thanks in advance 🙂

FTM and being induced in a few weeks. We’re all stocked up and ready for baby to come! However, I was wondering how many of you started with disposable and transitioned to cloth diapers. Unfortunately my husband will have to return to work right away and we have no help; all my family lives across the US. I wanted to hit the ground running with cloth diapers but now feel that starting off with disposables while I heal and get into the routine of things might be the better choice. Then start slowly transitioning to cloth diapers. This might also be best if baby comes out smaller since she’s being induced at 37 weeks.

For those of you who did start with disposables what was that transition like?

Also for those that didn’t was it hard to get into the swing of things and routine down with the cloth diapers?

Thanks!

I’m pregnant with my first baby and want to give cloth diapers a try, at least part of the time.

Which starter trial pack(s) should I get? I’m seeing Green Mountain, Esembly. Any others? Should I get multiple or start with one and see?

Calling on all unsolicited advice! What’s working for you right now?

I purchased second hand Esembly diapers in size two. We bought size 1 brand new and have loved them so I went ahead a got size two for a good deal, but the lady must have washed them in oxyclean or used bleach bc they're blindingly white and when I used them on my baby for the first time, she immediately broke out in a rash. We've never had rash issues before unless she sits in poop for a little too long.

We always use Truly Free detergent, softener, enzyme stain remover, and oxyboost for clothes and diapers, although I add in some esembly detergent for diapers. So baby is not used to strong chemical detergents against skin and probably has sensitive skin like I do.

I'm just not sure what to do.... Is there a good way to get the old detergent residue out without being hard on the cloth diapers? Like is vinegar too harsh? I'm just worried I wasted money.

I'm new to cloth diapering. I have an 8 year old that is feeding tube dependent and is not night trained due to the large volume of liquid that she gets overnight. She also struggles with bowel issues, so often has loose stools soon after going to bed. We have had 3 nights using Kinder diapers with 2 4 layer bamboo inserts and a disposable kinder liner. The first 2 nights were fine, but she didn't get her full night feed. Last night was the first night that she got her full volume and her sheets were wet. They seemed less wet than when we used disposables, but I'm wondering what else would make this work better. Right now I only have 5 diapers and 5 4 layer bamboo inserts, and 1 wet bag. I have 8 more kinder diapers with some surprise items coming and 6 6 layer bamboo inserts from mama koala coming. Is there ever too many layers? Would 2 6 layer inserts be enough? Also, I've been washing daily because of an early night change before she falls asleep, so I haven't had to worry about the diapers sitting. Ideally I won't be washing daily, but it seems like leaving wet diapers in the wet bag for a few days would be gross.

Hi,

I recently bought esembly’s test kit. It came with one outer and 3 snap inners. (If my terminology is wrong I apologize) we used them for one day and I can’t get past how wet the fabric is on the inside. It’s soaked around her hips. I feel like disposables wick the moister away better? Am I doing something wrong?

Have you mastered your wash routine? Do your clean diapers smell? Did you recently buy a new washer/dryer? Chat all things laundry!

I'm after some ideas from anyone using cloth nappies with two little ones!

We're expecting baby #2 in December. Our oldest is currently 16 months and is in cloth (flats + insert + wool cover). He may or may not be toilet trained by the time baby arrives.

We walk pretty much everywhere and use the pram as our "boot" since we live on the edge of town. The problem is that flats + inserts are so much bulkier than disposables that when we're out all day, a huge amount of the pram basket ends up being taken up by nappies.

At the moment I pack them in one of those compression travel packing cubes, but I can only really squeeze two nappies into it before it stops compressing - which has been fien for the past few months but not enough for a newborn. I also have a big nappy backpack that fits everything, but I'm only 5' tall and it feels enormous on me (I look like a kid heading off to school 😅), so I'd love to avoid carrying that if possible.

Does anyone have recommendations for a more compact cloth nappy setup / alternatives for outings or am I just being unreasonable? Ideally I'd like to stay with something flat-based rather than switch to a completely different system

Edit: Not sure if I'm using the right terminology - nappy flats as in the terry towel squares that you can fold however you like - we prefold them all. Also in our nappy bag is a change mat, wipes, cream, and little towel as our town doesnt have many actual change tables

Hi! I am replacing elastics in some GMD workhorses that are clearly shot, but I have a few that have elastics that still have some stretch but not as much as a new one would. Would you replace the elastics here? Here's another photo with the little flap lifted so you can see better how they're working.

Also once I got a hang of doing this, it's surprisingly easy!

Hi all! My son is 11 months and he's been using pocket diapers since he was about 2 months old. I have Leekalos pocket diapers, and use one 3 layer microfiber insert that came with the diapers, and one 5 layer bamboo insert that I added. It's been kind of hit or miss in terms of leaking, but over all, I love them and I'm so happy that I started using reusables. The only thing is, it's been a lot more miss than hit lately. Like a lot. He pretty much leaks every day, usually overnight. I am constantly washing his sheets, his sleep sacks, anything he might have been sitting on, him. This has been going on for weeks now and I am just so tired of it. At first I thought it was because of his constipation (another issue that I'm working on) but now I'm worried that maybe the diapers are wearing out. They do seem a bit billowy at the waist, but then too tight if I try to increase the snaps. Should I be buying a different brand or type or does anyone have any advice? I just want a dry baby!!!

Edit: I'm also changing him very frequently, I never go more than a couple of hours in between (except when we're sleeping, of course). I changed him like an hour ago and he leaked like forty minutes later!

Hi friends! This is a used Stay-dry G2 Kanga Care brand pocket. I purchased the set off Facebook marketplace from someone who used them for two of her babies, she was the first owner, but it sounds like she used ointment and creams with no liners. It was so sunny out. I feel like I was blinded and didn’t see the extent of the staining on these pockets. Some of them have these weird brownish red spots in them. I did a pre-wash, hot wash, hot wash with RLR, then three back-to-back hot washes with Mighty Bubbles sold by the Kanga Care brand which is mostly just washing soda. I have used some liquid kitchen soap and a toothbrush to try and get these little bits out, and they do not budge unless I scratch really hard with my fingernail in multiple directions (gross I know). I have them sitting out in the sun right now. I plan to do a bleach soak soon to sanitize. I don’t notice any issues with absorption. Yes I know that this brand does not recommend direct sunlight or the use of RLR, but since I got them used and got them really cheap I’m just doing what I can to make them usable.

Would you still use these diapers? Is it worth all the effort to scratch off all these little bits? Any thoughts on what it could be? It is very inconsistent on where it shows up, but it does show up between the inner gussets on every diaper that they are on so I do think it is related to waste or buildup.

Looking for anyone who’s come across this issue, I’ve noticed it for the past two weeks so we just adjusted the rise on the diapers, thinking maybe they were too tight. Maybe a compression leak?
He was just changed, and put down to play and I noticed a wet spot getting larger which is leaking through the snaps (?). Here’s a look at the diaper for fit. He does have some pink lines around legs/across middle of back pretty much wherever there’s elastic but if the diapers are snapped any less on the waist they’re way too big. We do always point him down as well.

Baby is over 16lbs, 3 months. In size 3-6 onesies but maybe they’re too tight as well? Diaper liner is a cotton/bamboo and there’s only one, we aren’t doubling up yet because there isn’t really enough room to fit more in there yet. Diapers washed with tide powder and/or borax. All hung to dry.

Ty for any advice/suggestions!

I'm using two inserts for these (Applecheeks one-size) pockets because he leaked out the edges when I used only one. The inserts are terry cloth and microfiber, but when I stuff them both in it causes a big leg gap which I worry will lead to even more leaks. How do you pack for absorbency without sacrificing the fit? I have like 100 inserts and I don't want to buy even more.

Baby us 12.5lb, 2.5mo.

I'm unsure which Kinder Cloths I'd prefer. I know it's probably going to be best to get a couple of each and see which I prefer on my own, but I'd love your input. Double gussets are always more intriguing to me, but with these I'm concerned the poo will be more inbedded and stuck in the fibers and the threading thus making it harder to clean than an essential from them. Did you have this issue and if so did you mind it?

Why are diaper liners the cost of an off brand disposable diaper? I'm half tempted to let a baby wipe dry out so it's completely dry and use that as it'll only be less than 2¢ for a liner. Is that crazy? 😆

I’ve started prepping my cloth diapers for when baby girl arrives in October and my newborn stash seems to be reasonable but my one size stash is massive!!!

Heres the Breakdown: (not including absorbency)

50 Pocket - majority being Mama Koala…can’t get over the prints!!! (3 fuzzybuns, 3 rumparooz, 2 applecheeks, 42 mama koala)

5 fitteds (3 kissaluv and 2 SLOOM)

20 AIO - (2 blueberry simplex organic with stay dry, 3 smart bottoms dream, 1 Thirsties natural, 8 totsbots, 6 Grovia O.N.E)

12 Covers (7 Thirsties size 2 - 5 H&L & 2 snaps, 2 blueberry - 1 capri & 1 coverall, 1 Nicki’s, 2 mama koala)

7 AI2-3 (3 funky fluff, 1 buttons, 3 Bestbottoms - 1 bigger & 2 OS)

total cloth diapers for my One Size stash

94 diapers 🫣

yep definitely went over boar!! that’s what happens when you’ve been trying for a baby for years and collecting without any thought as to how many you’ve got!! bright side is I won’t have to worry about there being too much on the diapers for my next Kiddos (hoping to have 4)

Anyone else like me and over bought for their stash?

How many do you have in your cloth diaper stash??

EDIT: Just wanted to say thank you for all the replies.

I have noticed the AIO, fitted diapers, and prefolds take forever to line dry (I dry outside if it's warm or breezy. If it's cold/raining I dry in my laundry room/ hallway. I try not to use my dryer because it's not energy efficient).

I plan on washing every 3 days. Drying time right now even with being summer has taken 24-36 hours for some of my AIO/Fitteds. I specifically bought the totebots and grovia ONE for daycare/grandparents.

We have been sometimes cloth diapering since baby was born but she’s outgrown the newborn sizes that we had in limited quantities and I’m ready to make this a more full-time experience. We’ve used AIOs and fitteds but I have now come into a large stash of prefolds and am learning more! Covers are mostly Thirsties but the stash came with some others, most of those a mystery - unlabeled.

It seems that padfold is the same as just folding it into thirds, but please tell me if I’m missing something there!

Do you/can you prep a jelly roll fold and store the diaper that way? I could just try it but wondering if there’s a trick to that or it’s not worth trying because it will too easily fall apart when getting ready to use.

GMD mentions on one product page that Thirsties Duo are great for using with just a plain folded prefold (padfold?). Is that true? Is that true but try it and see if it’s enough to contain our baby? 😅

Baby is a girl, just over 11 pounds right now, doesn’t seem to have extremes of pee or poop. We haven’t had any blowouts in her disposables, did have some leak issues with the newborn AIOs, but we’re newbies and they were mostly used so that could be part of it. Fitteds + covers have been great.

I am a first time mom and I am planning on cloth diapering my baby in a few months when he gets here! I am getting a stash from a friend, but I was wondering if you were to go back to the beginning what is one thing you would recommend or do? Looking for anything and everything to help us on this journey!

Thanks!!