So, DH is definitely on the CD wagon, so this weekend I read him all the different types so he would understand how they all work. He (not surprisingly) wants to lean toward prefolds or fitteds because they are less expensive. Then I think it would make sense to have a few all in ones for babysitters, MIL, etc. and probably a few pockets for when we need extra layering at nights.
Obviously, I'm just starting to research and I have a ton of great online resources, but for anyone who uses prefolds or fitteds, what brand do you lean toward? I'm trying to figure out where to start in those categories first.
Re: CD mommas-a question
Our collection is mostly pre-folds. We LOVE them for many reasons: cheap, easy-to-use, absorbent, they don't smell, etc...
We get our from a local cloth diapering store, Little Padded Seats (they deliver). We use the unbleached Diaper Rites with Blueberry OS (one-size) covers (we have 4 covers).
If you plan on using fitteds or pre-folds overnight I highly reccomend investing in a few wool covers and some quality fitteds. I don't know a ton about fitteds as we only have a few in our collection and they are just so-so.
Neena Mae. 1/7/10
"A baby nursing at a mother's breast is an undeniable affirmation of our rootedness in nature." - David Suzuki
We use mostly pre-folds. We love them for all the reasons that Jenn listed. We have Bummies small and econobums (they come with the econobum covers which I adore). I have some Bummies that are the next size up but they haven't been prepped yet.
For night time and sitters we use pockets. Our daycare provider prefers prefolds also. She will use all the prefolds before she will use and pockets we send (we only send pockets when we really need to do diaper laundry).
Covers wise we have econobums (fave), Flip (I like them, DH doesn't), Rumparoo (hate) and had a thirsties (was great but she grew out of it).
We have just started thinking about venturing into fitteds so I can't help there.
We used GMD unbleached newborn prefolds with Thirsties Duo (size 1) covers for the newborn stage. But when she was about 10-12 weeks old, we started with pockets (most BGs, a few BBs) and haven't looked back.
Our daycare provider was on board with using pockets, and they seemed easiest for DH (he never truly got the hang of prefolds, but did it as a short-term solution) so we went that route. If I were a SAHM, I might've stuck with prefolds/covers, but it wasn't the best solution for us given our work/daycare situation.
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We use mainly prefolds. I've tried a few different brands and my favorite are Green Mountain Diaper prefolds. Most of our covers are Thirsties, either the sized ones or the duos. We use BG pockets at night (stuffed with a microfiber insert and a prefold).
Just a warning about prefolds, the moisture doesn't wick away from the skin and some babies hate being wet. I've heard of babies not being able to wear prefolds because they get upset the second they pee.
Aspen Marley ~ 12.22.11
My Blog of Randomness - Pocketful of Roses
I know this is not what you asked, but I would recommend doing this:
http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10/tryclothfor10
It was nice to try all different kinds of cloth diapers and see which fabrics/brands I liked and which ones I didn't.