I decided a long time ago that I wanted to try cloth diapering. Once I started researching it, I realized it’s kinda complicated. There’s so many options and I didn’t know where to start.
A few weeks ago, I visited a local baby boutique that specializes in cloth diapering for some advice. This boutique is known for their excellent customer service. They are in business to help women, rather than try to upsell them. The associate ran me through all of the different style options and costs. In the end, it was obvious that prefolds are typically the least expensive option.
Later that night, I was browsing my favourite local online classifieds and found a Bummis Organic Cotton Infant Diaper Kit for sale, never used for $180 – $40 off local retail price. This kit is for infants 8-15 lbs and is the prefold + cover style. The kit includes:
- 24 Organic Cotton Prefold Inserts (infant)
- 6 waterproof wraps: 1 Simply Lite, 1 Duo-Brite Wrap, 3 Super Whisper Wraps, 1 Super Snap
- 3 rolls of Bio-Soft Liners (small)
- 5 Fleece Liners
- 1 Fabulous Wet Bag (large)
- 1 Snappi
- User Guide
I decided to pick it up to begin my adventure into cloth diapering. The woman also threw in a few extra rolls of the Bio-soft liners.
I also connected with another amazing friend who is a big cloth diaper and baby-wearer. One night a few weeks ago, I stopped by her place to view her stash of diapers. She compiled her cloth diaper collection through gifts or buying used, and a combination of trial and error. She explained what she likes/dislikes about each one. She loves prefolds personally, but finds they are more difficult for her husband and other family members to use. She said they like pocket-style better and her preferred brand is Bum Genius. She also explained the pros/cons of snaps versus velcro.
I was excited to hear that buying used is an option. I didn’t realize there was such a market for used cloth diapers. The thing is with proper care, they can truly last for years! My friend tagged me in a classified post of a huge variety lot of diapers, but they were gone immediately. After I realized how much you can save buying good condition used diapers, I decided to start my own hunt.
I found a used Bum Genius and Flip lot for $250. Although this seemed like a big dip in my pocket book, the lot was worth well over $700 brand new retail price. It included not only diapers and inserts, but the diaper sprayer for the toilet, 4 wet bags, and a 2L container of laundry detergent. I sent the ad to my friend for her approval. She confirmed that it was an excellent deal.
The total lot included:
- 6 Twilight Velcro Bum Genius 4.0 pocket diaper
- 6 Grasshopper Velcro Bum Genius 4.0 pocket diaper
- 6 Albert print Snaps Bum Genius 4.0 pocket diaper
- 4 Mirror snap Flip diaper covers
- 2 extra large wet bags
- 1 small travel wet bag
- 1 wipes wet bag
- 1 Bum Genius diaper sprayer
- 21 small inserts
- 28 large inserts
- 9 Flip diaper inserts
- 2 L of cloth diaper detergent
I contacted the poster and hoped this would work out for me. When you purchase used items, there’s always that fear that 1) the house will be super sketchy, 2) the person will be super sketchy or 3) the product won’t be as advertised. All my fears disappeared when I heard back from the seller a few days later and arranged a time to see the diapers. This woman, her husband and children were all adorable. She explained how to use each item to me and how she handled washign them. She even threw in a few extra covers and liners that she had at no extra cost (not listed above as I pulled those numbers from her ad).
She had also recently replaced the elastic in a few covers and threw in a few extra elastic/velcro replacement kits for me. Bum Genius actually sells replacement elastic and velcro kits. I may consider replacing the elastic in a few other covers just to ensure they are a tight fit for our baby. I watched some tutorials online and it seems like an easy fix. Although the velcro and elastics were going in a few covers, that is regular expected wear. The rest of the lot was in very, very good used condition with no stains. I paid well under half of full retail price per diaper. I have no problem putting in a bit of effort for maintenance if it means that much savings to start. Another plus about Bum Genius is that they adjust to fit almost all sizes. No need to upgrade once baby reaches the toddler stage!
So far, we are $430 invested into cloth diapering with a combo of brand new/used styles. I have MORE THAN enough diapers to last me right through to potty training. I’m debating just using the wet bags and not getting a diaper pail which may save us even more money.
One thing my husband and I have agreed upon is that if our baby is too small to fit cloth right away (which is highly likely), we will use disposables for the first few weeks. I’m also open to using disposables for convenience when travelling. I’d prefer to use a more eco-friendly disposable diaper, but those options are so expensive.
We’ve also agreed that if we end up truly frustrated, we will just resell our cloth diaper stash, but I do really hope this venture works out for us. I’ll be sure to let you know as we go. 🙂
Check out our other purchases:
- Baby Buys: Part 1 – Highchair, Playyard, Swing, Bouncer, Changing Pad
- Baby Buys: Part 2 – Bassinet, Stroller, Bathtub, Monitor, Diaper bag
- Baby Buys: Part 3 – Car seat and adapter
- Baby Buys: Part 4 – Nursery furniture and storage
- Baby Buys: Part 5 – Breastfeeding basics
- Baby Buys: Part 6 – Nursery bedding
Cloth diapering can be entirely overwhelming in terms of options, I’m glad you have support figuring it all out! I hope you find it goes nice and smoothly!
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That’s awesome. Good stash. Be careful with cloth diaper detergant though. They usually aren’t powerful enough and lead to build up leaks and stink issues!
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What brand do you recommend or use (if you cloth diaper)? There’s so much conflicting info online.
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We do cloth! Exclusively from birth 🙂 we use powder. We find the liquid doesn’t work as well as we buy whatever is on sale as long as it isn’t free and clear because they don’t work as well. We do a cold rinse with vinegar then a hot wash with lots of detergant, what you would use for normal dirty laundry, and then an extra rinse cold at the end. Let me know if you have any questions. I’m in love with cloth. Oh and we hang dry mostly. And never tumble our pockets because it’s bad for pul and elastic
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Sorry for all the comments. I should make sure I’ve said all I want befor hitting enter! I may be tin foil hatted here but honestly I’ve heard the reason stores and manufactures recommended special cloth detergant is they know there will be a build up which will mean you’ll buy more diapers when yours start to leak inevitably
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Ah totally makes sense!!! There’s a little conspiracy to all sales approaches 🙂
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I have powder detergent and just picked up that Octopus hanger from Ikea to hang dry along with a rack we already have. Do you use a top or front loader machine? Is the vinegar routine your normal routine for stripping?
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Perfect. We use two of the octopuses for cloth wipes haha and our nightime fitted inserts so that’s awesome. Sun is the best thing for poop stains! We have a front loader. I use vinegar just because the initial rinse gets all the gunk off the diapers so your wash isn’t just swishing around poop. I feel like the vinegar gives it a little oomph but it’s certainly not a must
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Yeah Bum Genius recommends Dawn and Bleach for stripping (actual manufacturer reccomendation) but that seems so harsh and chemically driven to me.
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Definitly. I’ve never stripped our diapers. If you wash them properly there’s no need. If your prefolds need a strip the easiest is just boil them actually! No products needed. And they say blue dawn but apprently that can really mess up your washer
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Yes I’ve heard that too! Hence the reason I’m asking due to all the conflicting info!
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Washing Soda and Borox both work well and are natural, safe and gentle.
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Shawns is a bit mistaken here. We have a top loader washing machine.
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I agree withe the conflicting info. I can tell you though now that she’s on solids and pees and even from the beginning if we used a cloth detergant it wouldn’t even have started to clean off all the gunk. It’s human waste and needs proper soap 🙂
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I just use a free and clear detergent.
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Good to know. A specific brand?
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Purex because it’s cheap. They were out if it last grocery trip so I will be trying the purex natural.
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Check out varagesale and fb groups for cloth too. There’s tons used. I got our whole stash for $150 including the supplies to sew my newborns
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That was a great deal! Yeah I’ve joined quite a few Facebook groups.
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That’s great that you’re cloth diapering! I was eager to try since I’ve already switched to cloth menstrual pads, but then the reality of returning to work at 3 months and doing laundry every other day hit me. We’ve had trial and error even with disposables, and I think we’re finally settling on earth’s best.
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Yes I have a few cloth menstrual pads too. I already use the Diva cup, so that switch was easy. I might just buy a package of organic disposable ones for post baby though.
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Yes you’ll need some super sized pads right afterwards!
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I wish you the best with cloth diapering! I
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Doh, typing on my phone with a fussy baby, not a good combo.
I always thought I’d CD, but when it came time for it, I just couldn’t be bothered. Thankfully I hadn’t invested much. In fact my MIL bought more (and new!) for me than I did. I love her! CDs are def resold here often. I still have some to sell thru might have to go very cheap though.
Oh,anna sun truly does do wonders for getting poo and puke stains off of cloth! Even if it isn’t full sun!
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Luckily I live in the sunniest province in Canada! 🙂
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Thank you! I won’t deny – it’s got me a bit worried especially because we won’t be trying it out right away. I think once I have everything washed and put away I’ll feel better.
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Awesome stash! You’re set.
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Wow! You found some amazing deals! I’m hoping to cloth diaper from the first day home from the hospital. My babies don’t seem to have a problem being big enough, I just always thought it would be super hard to cloth diaper right away. But then I thought about the fact that I have to do laundry anyways, a load of diapers every couple of days isn’t going to change much. 🙂
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Exactly. I’ll be washing baby clothes, so what’s the difference. Save time not having to go out and buy diapers!
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Well done Lindsey! Sounds like your little boy has quite the stash already! I’ve also heard great things about Bum Genius. They are so expensive though, so I’m hoping that we can find some in good used condition too!
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I was shocked when I found the lot I did. She used a not as popular online classifieds site, so I think I lucked out. If they were on varagesale or any of the FB groups they would have been gone.
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My sister-in-law offered me her complete set of cloth diapers from her 2 kids- I think I’m going to take her up on it but I have a lot to learn! Good to see so many helpful comments!
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Mamaetmaman also had a post about cloth diapering that had amazing comments on it. Might want to check it out. If you SIL is offering it, you’ve really got nothing to lose.
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Will do- thanks!! I’m excited to hear how it goes for you!
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Dang, good for you!!!!! I hope you like cloth diapering!
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I do too! Only time will tell I guess…
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Ooh! That’s a fab stash 😍 I used BumGenius newborns but have switched to AMPs for this next size. So soft and pretty! I’m sure like everything else once you get into a rhythm with it it’s easy peasy! See if you can pick up an Ubbi pail for a bargain anywhere! SO pretty and you can lock it for when tiny hands might be exploring 😖
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I will keep an eye out! Is that the main reason you got the Ubbi over the Dekor? I’ve heard good things about the AMPs. How do you find washing for you?
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Hmm … I liked the colours if the Ubbi 😂 I’m style over substance everytime! AMPs are absolutely my fav now because they don’t leave nasty harsh marks on their delicate chubby thighs.
I got a fairly big stash (I got 48 BG AIOs of the newborn size). And I’ve got more than enough to wash every third day now so I’m not finding any issues at all with it. And like others said if you’re on the ball with your washing process you’ll not need to strip I don’t think?
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We cloth diaper too (although we’re using disposables right now since I’m just recently back at work) and I just use a wet bag in a garbage pail. Was cheap and works like a charm.
My stash is 90% AMP since they’re made in Winnipeg but really I love love love my grovia diapers with AMP inserts. The grovia diapers can be air dried and reused several times before washing so I alternate between 3 all day. Saves on the amount of laundry to do.
I have 2 bum genius diapers and I love them also. The AMP are just ok. We also have a stash of flat fold diapers but they are tricky and my girl hates them.
I also found that some brands fit my daughter better than others.
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Yes I’ve heard it can be trial and error if the fit doesn’t work with one brand. I’ve heard lots about AMPs – basically they are very similar to Apple Cheeks. Our local Mommy/baby store sells them too. I’ll have to check out the Grovia ones. I like the less laundry concept. I think another local store carries them but I haven’t been in there yet. I’m contemplating the wet bag with a garbage pail. Seems like an easy and low cost option.
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I have been doing some dabbling on the cloth diapers myself. I found a Facebook group in my area that swaps “gently” used or never used diapers. This has become very helpful for me. I had done so much research and decided to go with the pocket style myself. I am leaning towards: pocket, All In one, snaps. Like Bum Genius 4.0. But I have accumulated some gently used diapers 14 *wore a few times* for a total of $80. These were all different kinds mostly name brand. I also just bought a pack of Avla diapers for $39.99 for 6. They have mixed reviews so I thought I would try them out. So I currently have 20 all in one pocket diapers for $120.00.
I think you are right about the decisions that come with cloth diapering. It is very hard road to start researching. And guessing what is going to work for our child isn’t easy either. I would love to hear more about your cloth diapering in the future. Especially his newborn years. We have made the decision to go with disposables during newborn if the all in ones don’t fit him right away.
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New born days* haha
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Yes we are also doing disposables for the newborn stage. I follow a few local FB groups too. I’ll be sure to write an update once we start using the cloth diapers on what’s working for us and what’s not
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Yay!!
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Btw, you found some amazing deals!
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Thanks! I have been on the hunt. Haha
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