cloth diaper question

I hope I don't sound really stupid but I know next to nothing about cloth diapers. I always wanted to try it but I never did and now I'm pretty sure it's too late. Ds will be 3 next month and I'm not sure when he'll decide he wants to potty train but I think it would probably be more expensive to cloth diaper now than buy disposibles. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Now for my question. Even if isn't worth it to cloth diaper during the day, would it be worth it for night time? I've been buying Huggies Overnights and they last about 5 or 6 weeks for $18. I'm about to have to move up to the next size so less diapers for the same amount of money. I was thinking about getting a few fuzzi bunz to use just at night since I'm sure it'll be quite a while before he's night time potty trained. What do you think?

I think that is a great idea. When we started cloth diapering #2 at a few weeks old, #1 was trained during the day. After weeks of using pullups at night, while washing for the baby, I got fed up of buying the pullups. Plus, they leaked all the time. I bought some trainers on diaperswappers.com on their FSOT board. We've been using them for months now. I spent about $60 on trainers and inserts and would have spent just about that much on pullups these last few months. It is looking like night training is still a dream for me and we are now saving money because I don't have to buy more.

I would suggest getting 3 or 4 fuzzibunz and some extra inserts to add absorbancy, depending on how often you want to wash. You will want to wash these and their inserts separately from other laundry because you will use less detergent and no fabric softener, in order to keep them absorbant.

I love the money savings and DS loves not waking up in a puddle of pee! Go for it!

It is NOT too late at all! My dd is 5.5 years old right now and has been daytime potty trained since she was not quite 3. But she still needs Pull-Ups or GoodNites at night, and we spend about $25 a month on them. She's a deep sleeper and just can't stay dry at night, and I'm not willing to push.

Based on great advice received here, I bought two Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers, and we love them! I debated on whether or not to get pocket trainers, which are more like underwear, in that they can be pulled up and down like underwear or Pull-Ups, but they still have the pocket diaper design that you can stuff with whatever you want for absorbency. Some pocket trainers have snaps on one or both sides to make it easier to stuff and to take off if there is a mess.

But I went with XL Fuzzi Bunz, and they fit my tall, lanky kid well. They make one size bigger, even. They have not leaked a single time, and Pull-Ups and GoodNites leaked almost every night. Waking up to wet panties and blankets is not fun, for her or us.

I will have made up the cost of these two Fuzzi Bunz in about six weeks of not having to buy Pull-Ups or GoodNites.

My friend just got six Fuzzi Bunz for her 2yo on Ebay for $50. She'll probably end up getting six more. Right now she has to use a couple disposables during the day sometimes as well as the six FBs she has, and she has to wash every day.

I second the FB's at night! There are other options too. Some pull up styles that are more expensive off the bat. If you think he'd like that style better. My dd is 5 and is still a bedwetter. I cd my 14 month old too, so I just got my 5 year old 3 FB's and that is what she uses at night. It seems like a bigger expense to start with, but if you figure up how much you will spend over the next year on disposables for at night, it will definately save you money over all.

Do I need to buy the extra absorbant inserts for the fuzzi bunz? I have a ton of the gerber cloth diapers that I used for burp cloths. Will those work? If not what inserts do you suggest? Now I'm wondering if I should just go all the way. They have prefolds on ebay that I could get a dozen for less than $30. How many covers would I need if I did daytime too?

For a kid that is almost 3, I bet you could get away with 3-4 covers for daytime use. If you go the prefold and cover route for during the day, I would get some premium/toddler prefolds from a real diaper store. The gerber prefolds are small and not very absorbant compared to real chinese or indian prefolds! Especially the ones with the foam center. You can get a dozen premium thirsties prefolds for $26 and toddlers for $32 at babycottonbottoms.com Flat rate shipping is 3.50 per order, so brand new prefolds for the same cost as used on ebay!

Thanks for the website. Just for the record the prefolds were new on ebay but I still feel more comfortable ordering from a real store online.

There are lots of good websites to learn more about cding. I like diaperswappers.com and diaperpin.com Both have forums where you can browse and ask questions. DS uses the same format as here, so I find it a bit easier to navigate. DP has product and company reviews. Both are great resources. There are also lots of sites selling prefolds. Just put prefolds into your search engine and you will find lots of options. Feel free to come back here to see if anyone has input on the site you choose to buy from.

In addition to prefolds and covers, you might want to get a couple snappis. THey are a great alternative to pins. You will also need a pail of sorts. I use a kitchen trash pail with lid. I then empty it into a wetbag to haul to my mom's to wash the diapers. IF you wash at home, which I am assuming you would do, you could transfer straight from pail into washer.

Pinstripesandpolkadots.com is a great resource for washing diapers and other diapering things. It has a list of detergents that are safe for use with cloth diapers. I use purex free and clear because it is cheap, easily found and is ok for dipes.

It can seem a little overwhelming at first, but it is really fun and easy once you get into it. I love taking my clean dipes out of the dryer and knowing that I am doing something great for my kid!

Since we only use our FBs at night, I don't worry about making them ultra-trim. I use a dishtowel-type cloth, folded in fourths (left long, to fit the length of the pocket) along with the microterry insert that came with the FB when I ordered the brand-new one. It's bulky, but it's for nighttime and I want it to soak it all up.

For daytime, I imagine just a good insert would be enough, or just a Gerber prefold. Automotive towels have been recommended to me, too, but I haven't tried them yet.

I don't have the patience to fold and pin prefolds, and put on separate covers.

Hemp inserts w/a microfiber auto cloth wrapped around it has been highly recommended for pocket dipes for night time. That's what I'm planning on trying. The hemp holds a LOT more then the microfiber, but doesn't absorb as fast. So buy wrapping in the microfiber, it absorbs quickly then transfers to the hemp insert which can hold quite a bit. Hemp inserts are pretty expensive...but if it works, it's worth it.

I also bought Fuzzi Bunz based on the advice here after becoming frustrated with the pull-ups leaking and not fitting well. Don't buy hemp unless you need it. If you need XL Fuzzi Bunz, buy from fuzzibunzstore.com because they include a larger microterry insert actually made to fit the XL. This insert was all my dd needed even at night. Other good nighttime cloth options similar to pull-ups are Happy Heinys pocket trainers and SnapEZ pocket trainers.