Cloth diapering? Where to begin?

Question

Hey ladies!! I currently have a 1yo and another LO on the way! I’m a SAHM and looking to save some money by cloth diapering. I have TONS of questions and don’t even know how to begin this journey as we used disposable diapers with our first... 
•Which brand/style is the most cost efficient but yet reliable?
•How many of the diapers & inserts do I need to buy to get started?
•And last but not least, how do I even get started???? 😆
At first I do plan on using disposables when out in public until I get the hang of using cloth diapers. I really want to get started but I don’t even know how! Thanks for all the help!

Answer

So the best bang for your buck in terms of brand (imo) would be babygoal/Alva. You can get them on amazon. How many you will want to get depends on how often you plan on washing. I have about 45 diapers and I wash every 3-4 days. You will have to figure out for yourself what style of cloth diapering you want to do (I.e pockets, prefolds, flats, etc.) I do pockets at night and prefolds during the day. There’s a giant leading curve, but it’s amazing. I would check out Fluff Love University on Facebook. Utilize the search bar and just try really hard not to get overwhelmed. You can also message me if you have any specific questions!

Answer

I'm buying exclusively snap diapers, and am not worrying about newborn. Idk about folded or velcro diapers, but snap newborn diapers are just as expensive as the normal snap diapers (7-30 pounds usually, but can vary) except your baby only wears them for a month or so! Depends on your baby, but I'm about to start cloth diapering and all of my friends have advised me to take it easy with throw away diapers while I'm recovering and start cloth as soon as they're out of the newborn size. 
Here's some advice I've been given:
Your diaper cream has to have zinc in it. 
Hemp and bamboo liners are the best. Microfiber isn't so great, all synthetic fibers are less absorbant than natural fibers. Typically you need 2 liners but it depends on your baby and the absorbency of your liners, you'll just have to learn what works best!
You need to remove liners from the diapers before washing (snap diapers).
Rinse diapers on hot water then wash on cold with a gentle free & clear detergent. To prevent staining on your diapers, you should call your city and check what kind of water you have. If you have very hard water you may need special detergent.
LINE DRY DIAPERS. This saves you electricity, although once a month you should dry them in the dryer to make sure they keep their shape. You can just dry the diapers and continue line dry the liners when you do this, as you like. 
Wash every 2 days and you won't need more than 25 diapers. One of my friends had 40 snaps and she said it was ridiculous, 20 is enough and 30 is absolutely max. One of my friends who had a terrible experience with cloth diapering washed every 4-5 days. She also used folded diapers. Other friends say that's why she had a bad experience. Washing often and having good snap diapers is the way to go! And honestly, I'm not letting urine soaked diapers sit for longer than 2 days, I just think that's really gross! 
Breast-fed babies' poop is water soluble. You literally do not have to clean these diapers (I will probably still rinse them though) they can go directly in the washing machine. No, it won't stain your diapers. No, it won't leave poop in your washing machine. Formula-fed is not water soluble so you have to be more careful with these to make sure you get all the poop off before washing! 
You can buy flushable liners to put on top of the liners if you want. Buy a biodegrable brand. They're very inexpensive! This helps contain some of poop for easy removal and you have less to rinse off. 
Check on amazon and ebay for good deals, but don't get 20 of the same brand. Some brands will fit your baby better than others and it's good to have variety! Where I live, pharmacies sell nice cloth diapers and I can find them in health food stores and most baby stores so don't be afraid to shop around in person! I've gotten some great deals so far.
If you buy nice diapers and take good care of them they can last for up to 2-3 children! 
Where I live, good snaps diapers cost 10-16$ and 20-25$ is the more expensive end. If I buy 25 diapers at 13$ average, this will cost me only 325-350$! Cloth diapering does not have to be expensive, they only cost a fraction of what throw aways cost and you can use them for at least 2 kids! 
A wet-dry bag is essential for when you go out! They're made out of the same fabric as the diapers, PUL, and have 2 zipper pockets, one for dirty and one for clean. They have a load of cute ones on ebay for like 5$. You only need one. 
Don't get a fancy diaper hamper. Some cloth diapering websites sell these giant cloth laundry bags and they're completely unecessary! All you need is a washable pail (like a garbage pin) with a lid that securely snaps on (in case of any odors). They have some at walmart for under 10$. 
You can check on youtube to see the sizes of snap diapers and the way to adjust them. It's a breeze once you get used to it! 
Some older babies have a hard time making it through the night with a cloth diapers. If they pee a lot, sometimes the liner just isn't absorbant enough. My friend had to switch to throw aways for the night when her baby was about 18 months, just to get her to sleep through the night. I just want to tell you this so you know that it can happen, but all babies are different and will pee different quantities. However, you can just invest in some good hemp liners for the nights. Again, you'll just have to learn your baby! 
You will probably be changing the diaper more often, because babies won't stay as dry with cloth diapers. Yes, they will probably have red butts and sometimes the cloth diapers will leave marks but this is all normal and nothing to worry about, you'll just check to make sure the diaper fits your baby well and isn't too snug around the thighs. Most brands fit differently around the thighs which is why it's good to have several different brands. 
Cloth diapers leak less! A lovely perk! Apparently diaper blowouts are quite rare.
So I think that's it sorry this is so long, but I wanted to tell you everything I currently know! I feel extremely well informed thanks to my friends, and I'm so excited to start cloth diapering! There's tons of resources online as well, and tons of articles on pinterest you can read. Good luck!

Answer

Check out the clean cloth nappies website and facebook page for the correct way to launder your diapers. A lot of companies that sell reusable diapers have instructions that are incorrect which leads to smelling/stained diapers. If they are washed incorrectly you can end up with ammonia burns which are painful to bub. I have been using modern cloth nappies for 5 months with no issues from following their washing techniques. Check MCN tips / tricks / ideas group (modern cloth nappies) on fb, there is a lot of info about different types of diapers etc on this group, most of it is relevant to australia but it will help you decide what you need to start.

Answer

Hey there and first off congratulations!! We did prefolds with my son who is now 5, with the covers and Snappis. It was a little more work than I would have liked, plus he grew ridiculously fast (19 pounds by 4 months old) so we switched to pocket style and I love them!
Now have a 9 month old daughter too and we have only ever used pocket style. I think I only have 15-16 for her which isn’t a lot to most folks but guarantees I wash them frequently at least. It’s honestly just another load of laundry; I will say I use disposables at night (probably out of laziness lol)
The cloth group on FB is super helpful. I do a cold rinse and then a warm wash cycle and when it’s sunny I’ll dry them in the sun. The poop once you start solids can suck but it hasn’t been a dealbreaker for us. 
Here’s my fluff butt 😍

Answer

I'd ask the cloth diapering mamas on fb, they are super helpful. Any ways I love alva pockets, they are cheap but still work great and are decent quality. How many you get depends how often you want to wash but you'll probably need at least 8 to 10 a day.

Answer

FYI. Starting a cloth diaper stash is expensive. I think the cheaper route are the services that offer to send you the stuff and pick up once a week/leave you another set.

Cloth diapering? Where to begin?

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