5 Tips for Researching Cloth diapers

I have been researching cloth diapers a lot and wanted to share the things I learned. The first thing I learned was, man! there are a lot of options!!!! The second thing I learned is that different things work for different people. So the first helpful thing I wanted to share was:

1.) Some retailers have stores and some don't. I found it very helpful to actually go to a store/show room. Then you can hold one diaper next to a different one and see things like size difference or texture and thickness, all things that are difficult to tell when you are looking online. The other benefit is the store I went to let me try used diapers on my baby so I could actually see how they fit on her before I bought them. ( I loved that! )

2.) I have learned that detergent can have a big affect on your diaper's ability to perform. Here is one helpful link that rates many different detergents. http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html Also I have read that many popular detergents for cloth diapers are hard on fleece. Some of the diaper companies like Fuzzi Bunz, Happy Heinys, Thirsties, recommend Allen's Naturally for their diapers because it helps the fleece to continue its wicking abilities even after many washes.

3.) Shipping can cost a lot, so shipping deals are worth a lot, especially if you are shipping something like detergent. I have two sites that have pretty good deals. The first is called www.diapers.com, after spending 49$ this site gives you free shipping. They sell a lot of different things so even if you could buy something at your local store, if it would bump you up to the 49$ then you get free shipping! Which is even better then getting it at your local store, no gas! Also look around places like babycenter.com for promotions like 10$ off your first purchase on the site too! The second site is http://www.babycottonbottoms.com/ Here they offer a flat rate for shipping of 5$ which is great for things that weigh a lot!

4.) Buying used is another great way to save some money when buying diapers. While I have been looking the sites over, I have noticed people are even selling new unused diapers for less on the site. One place is from the Babycottonbottoms web page, but is called the Bargain Basement- A trading place for cloth diaper fans. A second site is Little Blessings Resale, you can also check ebay and places like that.

5.)After trying a cloth diaper on my baby, I picked up my disposable wipes I had been using till now, wiped her bum, then went to put them in the diaper like I always did for disposable diapers to wrap them up and throw them away. But I was not throwing the cloth diaper away. I sat there for a second with a poopy wipe as the idea of cloth wipes sank in and made much more sense. I didn't have a great place for disposable wipes, but if I had cloth it could still go with the diaper through the laundry. You can make cloth wipes, and you can even make the solution for wipes as well. The link I posted for wipes also has other great things you can make, such as wet bags, burp cloths, and diaper bags.