Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

I suppose I could have asked this on the Board, but I think the people who use cloth diapers are all over here, and this way I can ask questions better afterward. But I would like to learn a bit more about this concept. However, I don't need them for an infant - I'm mainly curious about using them more in the "pull-ups" stage.

First, the background. My little girl is potty trained, though she wears a diaper at night. I'm getting sick of buying diapers for her just for that, but even if she goes potty right before she goes to sleep, her diaper is wet in the morning. Since it is just wet and not messy, I started wondering if I could get cloth ones to put on her overnight.

My son, however, is a special needs sort of cutie. He is getting much better about things, and I think I might get really brave and try to potty train him this summer. (He is good about going on the potty, and slowly improving at waiting until he gets on a potty to go.) Needless to say, since he is 5 1/2, I am really, really sick of buying him diapers. Pull-ups cost twice as much as diapers. But is there any way I could switch over to a cloth option he can pull up and down? With normal kids, I would just put him in little boy briefs, but considering he remembers his colors one day and then forgets them the next, I am anticipating a lot of accidents. It would be really nice to have a re-usable pull-ups option. Especially since cloth is supposed to help with potty training, since they don't stay quite as dry as disposables do. I would even settle for extra absorbant undies or something.

So. I don't know anything about cloth diapers, except that I think for little ones there is an absorbant insert part and more wipe-able outside part. Is there anything out there that might work like pull-ups? Are there brands or types I should look at? Or am I just off my rocker and no one makes them for this stage of kiddo?

If no one responds, PM with your e-mail and I'll put you in touch with my cousin. She's something of a cloth diaper expert.

I'm on vacation for the week and don't have time for research, so if you don't get anything before then, let me know and I'll research for you.

One thing that might be an option at least for your daughter at night would be to actually use cloth menstrual pads. I switched to using them about a year ago (there's your TMI for the day!), and when I was doing my initial research into the idea, I came across a lot of comments about people using them for their kids who have trouble staying dry at night (and also adults using them for incontinence). They just snap around the crotch of your underwear and they've got a waterproof layer built in usually. And they come in all different lengths, so you can find some that won't be huge for a little kid. I'm not sure how well they would work for your son, depending on whether he needs them for poop or just pee, but they do come in non-girly colors and prints, so it might be an option for him if you don't find anything better. The brands I've used are Party In My Pants (http://partypantspads.com/shop/pads), and Lunapads (http://lunapads.com/). The Lunapads have a base and insertable liners so you can build them up as thick or as thin as you want, and the Party In My Pants are just a one-shot deal that come in different lengths and thicknesses (and I think they're a bit cheaper than the Lunapads, and have way more different colors and prints). So there's another idea for you!

DL: Well, I did a bit of research myself, so mostly what I need is personal opinions. First of all, can regular cloth diapers be pulled up and down? Sometimes I can do that with disposables, so I was curious. Second, are there brands you like/dislike? About how much do they cost? It seemed like most of the sites I saw online just described them, no prices.

I did find that these were the highest rated by one review site: http://hyenacart.com/ladderhilldesign/ . But they are $17 each! That's a whole box of diapers. Basically by the time I get enough to last from washing to washing around here (one a day for my daugther), I could have bought her a year's worth of disposables. And buying enough for my son to wear every day would add up really, really fast. They sell the pattern, so maybe I will look into finding the fabrics and making my own for my son.

NerdGirl: I never, ever would have thought of that . . . but that might just be brilliant! It wouldn't work if I was worried about solid waste, but I'm not. Again, if I can find the fabrics I need, I might make some (I am rather addicted to my sewing machine, and found this site rather helpful :http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/PADS.html) But if not, I am for sure getting some of those Party ones. They even have some small ones on sale!

I was headed to Jo-Anns today anyway, so I'll see if they carry this "PUL" fabric there. I sorta doubt it, but they have it on their online version.

Progressive Pioneer has a post about them, if you want a person's opinion on diapers: http://www.progressivepioneer.com/progr ... ebate.html

Fail.

I made a couple of little pads yesterday, but it just wasn't enough to hold overnight. I really thought it would work - she didn't have much to drink last night, went right before bed, and seemed realy into the idea of getting a treat if she was dry in the morning. Sigh. But the good news is that now I have PUL fabric (hooray for 50% off coupons!), so maybe I will buy that pattern and make something more heavy duty. And I can still use the pads I made, either for me, or maybe for when we are on a long car trip with my daughter and want some insurance.

But I'm still open to ideas . . . when DL gets off vacation, I guess .

Hmm. The PUL would probably help them not leak as much, but I just had a new idea. I bet you could trace a pattern from a pair of underwear and make your own cloth pull-ups. Just use the same fabric layers you would for a pad, and sew elastic around the top and the leg holes.

I'm not sure how well this will address what you want to know specifically, but your question reminded of a Board answer from back in the day:
http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/57121/

http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/most-po ... -trainers/

In that post there's a link to a cloth diaper trainer pattern, and also some reviews of pre-made ones.

(uh, I'm not a mom....I just read cloth diaper blogs... yeah, I'm never going to explain that one very well)

And good luck! I don't know the half of it, but I know that both the blessing and challenges of special needs children are overwhelming. God bless you.