# how long do cloth diapers last?



## motherofgrace (May 3, 2004)

Hi, my first post. I've been lurking here for quite a while and just now got the nerve to post my first message. Well, lately my husband has been on my case about using CD's because he says I have spent way more on cloth than I would have on disposables. I still don't have my system down yet and my daughter, Grace is almost 6 months old. I keep buying and trying out all sorts of diapers to see what I like and don't like.

I'm trying to convince him that my diapers will last for more than one baby since Grace is our first, but after ready some posts about diapers having holes or the elastic wearing out, I'm not sure how long I will actually be able to use the diapers I have now.

So how long have you used your diapers before they just weren't usable anymore? Were you able to use them for more than one baby?


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## JennInSeattle (Nov 22, 2003)

I know many people who were able to use cloth diapers for more than one baby, some for 3 babies! Motherease One Size I hear people do that a lot with and especially prefolds.

Personally I don't expect these diapers to last longer than two babies but I'll be thrilled with those that do! Normally I'd say I don't exect them to last longer than one baby but my little cabooses are holding up beautifully and Nathan will grow out of them in the next 6 months to a year so they may work well for the next one.

All types of covers really seem to stand the test of time too so that should help. Not to mention the resale value helps when looking at cost efficiency too.









Welcome!!


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## ChristiansMomma (May 20, 2004)

I think it just depends on the type of diaper and quality. I have some Fuzzi Bunz that are over a year old and are still going strong! I think it also depends on the amount you have. If you have 20 diapers you would probably have to wash every other day or less and they would get worn and holey faster then if you had 30 or more.

IMO most of those threads about holes and tears on there diapers are usually Heyna type diapers and the mommas probably only have a few. So they would get used more often because thay love them and washed more often, too!


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## Camellia (Jun 2, 2004)

I agree w/ the above and wanted to add that cd's are about way more than saving money. They are better for your baby and better for the enviornment. I am not cding to save money (although you certainly can!). I want to be kind to the Earthand have fun diapering my baby









Plus, who wants to wear paper and plastic undies? Cotton is sooo...much comfier!


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## ilfan96 (Mar 23, 2004)

I am on baby #4 and have used the MEOS on all of them. They are starting to thin out quite a bit, but still serve the purpose.







I have some infant prefolds that are now on their third baby and they are sill going strong. With covers, I have some ME airflow covers that I bought when I first started CD'ing four years ago...they are on their 3rd baby and some of my most reliable ones.

I think even if you spend quite a bit that in the long run, you are still money ahead b/c you should be able to resell quite a few of the dipes you accumulate.


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## motherofgrace (May 3, 2004)

thanks!

I agree with all the extra benefits, but right now my husband is only looking at $$'s. I love cd'ing and am totally hooked but I think because of the trial and error process, he's getting a little frusturated with me at this point. He has been really patient with me in all of this and supports me but gets frusturated when I try to buy more diapers. I haven't even ventured out to wool yet.

I did show him a kiwi pie on ebay at one point that was going for $180 and said aren't you at least glad that I'm not spending that much on a cover? He's really just way when it comes to money.

Charis


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## saharasky (Dec 20, 2002)

If the stash is big enough to minimize the washing then technically you could probably use the same diapers on 3 or more babies. However if the diapers are washed everyday (and I say this having shared my stash with my roomate and her twin girls ...which necessitated (sp?) DAILY washings) then the diapers will wear out very quickly ... NONE of my HoneyBoys or other flannel or 100% cotton knit diapers survived the 8 months of abuse(those are all considered delicate fabrics so I really shouldn't have been surprised ...but they had survived the year prior with no problems at all). Since the roomate left I have replaced my entire stash and am thrilled by how little wear they get when only washed every 3 days.

editing to add that the majority of the destroyed diapers had sewn in soakers ...which means that in order to dry them fast enough to be used immediately they ALL went through the drier twice ... you won't catch me with any sewn in soakers in my stash now ...everything is quick dry and can be dried EASILY on the line.

Also I have to add that overall I think WAHM diapers (most of them anyway) have way more attention to detail than the mass produced diapers (so they're just nicer and they come in nicer prints and way more style variety ... so you can get the fit you need by shopping around) and can be expected to last just as long so long as you don't abuse them.


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## bwylde (Feb 19, 2004)

Almost everything I've used on DS is second hand so I have no idea how much use/abuse they've taken before him, but everything is holding up very well. Most I've been using for nearly two years. We have a huge stash in use so that helps make a difference.

The only things I've ever had wear out are some prefolds that were cheap to begin with (the kind with poly stuffing for the soaker; they were FFS, so no big loss) and gerber pull on covers that weren't made to last :LOL. So they'll be used for the next and hopefully the one after that and who knows from there







. It has definately been worth it for us to CD!


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## Book Addict Jen (Mar 1, 2004)

The main thing is to adoivd the dryer! That will shorten a diaper life real fast!


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## motherofgrace (May 3, 2004)

"The main thing is to avoid the dryer! That will shorten a diaper life real fast!"

That's really good info to know. I didn't realize this and have been using two drying cycles to dry them. Some just seem to take forever to dry. So you just hang dry all your diapers? I've been doing this for my covers and the shells of my AIO's but have dried my diapers in the dryer.

Also I really like WAHM diapers and those make up most of my stash besides my cpf's, so should I not expect those to last as long as the industrial diapers out there?


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## barbncrew (Jul 8, 2004)

My cpf's have held up quite well, I do use the dryer on them. My Fuzzi Bunz, Wonderoos and covers have all held up well, I line dry them. But many of my AIOs are developing holes. That said, we have been using an all AIO system for almost a year and for much of that year I had a "stash" of only 12-18 diapers so I was washing every day and a half or so. These diapers have been worn and washed at least 3x a week for a year. Really, it seems I've gotten my moneys worth out of them!







Oh, for the money and dh... when we moved a few months ago, for various reasons, I ended up using 'sposies for almost a full month, to the tune of over $60! There are definite savings to be had! As mentioned, you can sell the supplies that don't work for you, and recoup some of your spendings. When I started I _had_ to try all the dipes out there.







Of course much of that didn't work for me. I sold it on boards like the TP board and recouped almost what I had spent, not to mention, discovered some great deals on new fluffy mail.









I will be diapering baby 4 (2nd in cloth) with much of the same supplies that I used last time. I won't need to purchase any medium covers (and some of them I purchased used) and all my cpfs are still good too.
hth,


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## Book Addict Jen (Mar 1, 2004)

CPFs are great in the dryer. PUL AIOs get the crap chewed out of them tough. They do take 24-36 hours to dry though.


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## Max's Mami (May 25, 2003)

I really think it depends on the type of diaper and the amount of diapers you have. If you have a substantial amount then they are getting used and washed less often so will last longer. Some diapers are better quality than others and will last longer. If you line dry vs drying in the dryer will make a difference too -- drying really wears them out quicker.

We used only organic cotton contours for the first 5 months and even with all the wear and washing they are all still like new and would probably last through 5 more babies! They will be the bulk of our stash for our next newborn.

There are a lot of factors so its hard to say but I would guess that with the right care and use most will last through two babies.


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## Slackermom (Jul 23, 2003)

DD is only going on 8 months, and she's our first. But her wee little dipes fit her until she was about 4 months, and considering how many diapers a newborn goes through per day, that's a lot of diaper abuse. But they held up really well, and we'll use them again for the next baby.

I line dry when I can, or else put them in the dryer for a short cycle and then finish drying on a drying rack.


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## KermitMissesJim (Feb 12, 2004)

My 15 flannel fitteds held up through a short period with ds and a longer one with dd. Now I am concerned because I only have 16 pockets and I wash every other day. I line dry the pockets but one of the reasons I am doing this and ONLY buying GN diapers is that they *have* to make it through another baby. I mean, none of my FBs or HHs have shown tremendous wear, but this thread is making me nervous...


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## lmonter (Feb 26, 2004)

I've only had my own diapers for maybe 5-6 months so far, so no idea with those yet. Although I've heard elastic doesn't age very well (like if you had your kids 10 years apart or something). So I'll probably sell off everything but my prefolds.

My mom used prefolds she got from Sears or JCPenneys in the late 70's and used them through me and my sister. Neither of us potty-trained until we were 4yo (my poor mom). After that, they lasted until the mid-90's as fantastic dusting rags, then bit the dust after Dad started using them to wax the cars. So I know the good prefolds will last almost forever.


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## motherofgrace (May 3, 2004)

After stumbling onto this website and browsing through the forums, I must admit I was impressed with the whole diapering community and how adamant mothers are with cloth diapering. You even have you're own vernancular! I had to keep asking my wife what all your abbreviations meant caseinpoint, AIO's, PF, DH and the like. Sure I support my wife when it comes to spending money on our baby. I don't hold anything back. Even though I said to myself I wasn't going to spoil our baby Grace, I find myself always giving in to Daddy's little girl. But when I see one diaper cover going on ebay for over $180 that's just ridiculous! Anyone spending that kind of money on a cover is either filthly rich, or incredibly profuse. I work hard for our money and the more money my wife spends, the more days I have to spend away from my girls. I'm a FF (firefighter) and we work 24 hour shifts which means we don't get to come home and have dinner, play with the kids or sleep with our spouses like most people. To me I would rather spend time with my wife, who I adore, and our beautiful baby girl than to work overtime just to pay some diapers. I hope you people don't cohort that kind of action and I'm sure a majority of you don't. I agree with most of your reasons why cloth diapering is better. But some of the prices I stumbled upon are just about as ludicrous as the house price increase in California. To be honest with you I didn't see why my wife was making such a big deal about something that holds poop and pee. But after seeing how passionate she is about this, all I can do is offer my support. Thanks for listening and I hope I don't offend anyone because that is not my intention at all. Keep up the good work. You guys are a great source of information for my wife.


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## ChristiansMomma (May 20, 2004)

Charis! That's my sisters name too







COOL


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## motherofgrace (May 3, 2004)

That's pretty cool I've never known anyone with the same name.

Sorry if my husband offended anyone, I didn't mean for him to write in, I was just showing him what everyone had said to me.

I really like this place and don't want to be banished!


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## Ok (Feb 6, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *motherofgrace*
Sure I support my wife when it comes to spending money on our baby. I don't hold anything back. Even though I said to myself I wasn't going to spoil our baby Grace, I find myself always giving in to Daddy's little girl. But when I see one diaper cover going on ebay for over $180 that's just ridiculous! Anyone spending that kind of money on a cover is either filthly rich, or incredibly profuse. ...To me I would rather spend time with my wife, who I adore, and our beautiful baby girl than to work overtime just to pay some diapers. I hope you people don't cohort that kind of action and I'm sure a majority of you don't. I agree with most of your reasons why cloth diapering is better. But some of the prices I stumbled upon are just about as ludicrous as the house price increase in California. To be honest with you I didn't see why my wife was making such a big deal about something that holds poop and pee. But after seeing how passionate she is about this, all I can do is offer my support. Thanks for listening and I hope I don't offend anyone because that is not my intention at all. Keep up the good work. You guys are a great source of information for my wife.

You make a lot of good points!









I can't spend that much on a cover. Most of us can't. Some folks do have more money. Heck, I lived in a double-wide for years and see college kids driving cars that cost more than my house







: Anyway, some of those big prices are also auctions for helping out a couple moms in the diapering community who have children that are very sick.

CD'g doesn't *have* to be expensive. Or it can be very expensive. For many of us its become a hobby. I've spent more than I probably needed to b/c I have more diapers than I actually *need*-- but in my case I'm the working parent and dh stays home, and this is part of how I get to participate in his care even when I can't be there full-time.

Anyway, I know you weren't asking us to justify ourselves, but I wanted to make sure and say "hey" and "thanks for the input." (I can't imagine my dh coming on to say "hi"-- o yeah, thats b/c I never let him have the computer







)

Take care.


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## ChristiansMomma (May 20, 2004)

Hugs! Don't worry we won't banish you!









I knew another girl in college with that name







It's more rare then my name(Deana)


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## kimisaur (Aug 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *motherofgrace*
But when I see one diaper cover going on ebay for over $180 that's just ridiculous! .

I showed that link to my husband. He told me that if I ever spent that much on a diaper or cover, I'd be "toast". :LOL BTW, he loves cloth, and is very supportive of it.

I think the thing to remember is that you can cloth diaper for a very, very reasonable amount of money. If you have a basic system, then adding a few, fun items (NOT $180 ones) won't add all that much. I love this board, and love looking at all the cool new dipes. To many it really is a hobby, and so some of the excess is justified. But in my case....talk is cheap. My system is very basic. I've only spent about $300 TOTAL on diapers, and I'm diapering my third baby now. The husband is definitely enthusiastic about that!









-Kimberly


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## lmonter (Feb 26, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *motherofgrace*
But when I see one diaper cover going on ebay for over $180 that's just ridiculous! Anyone spending that kind of money on a cover is either filthly rich, or incredibly profuse.

I do agree that some of the auctions of the popular and hard-to-get diapers seem a bit out there to me, but that's just my opinion. I also think it depends on the person. I got all of our stash for less than $500, as much as I'd like to buy more. And unless we get a random inheritance, that's it for us - bills are more important right now.

Using cloth diapers (strange as this sounds) is kind of a lifestyle. After we started using cloth, I started looking at other things and thinking 'hey, we don't need to use disposable this or that.' I've got reusable products for me, use my clothesline more than anybody in my neighborhood (maybe even our town), and we're being more conscious about throw-away items and the food that comes into our house.

And good for you for checking out MDC. My dh is still a little scared of it.


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## BethHG (Oct 25, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *motherofgrace*
That's pretty cool I've never known anyone with the same name.

Sorry if my husband offended anyone, I didn't mean for him to write in, I was just showing him what everyone had said to me.

I really like this place and don't want to be banished!


You have a great husband!







No banishment here! I agree with what he says. It is obvious that he loves you and your baby very much. You are truly blessed!


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