So a friend of mine cloth diapers her LOs. DH and I aren't TTC yet, but we will hopefully in the near future. I was cloth diapered and feel strongly about cloth diapering my future LO. DH agrees. I mentioned to DH that the previously mentioned friend was telling me about some great deals she got on used cloth diapers at a yard sale. I said that was such a great option and I hadn't thought of buying them used before, but it would be a huge savings. DH vehemently disagreed and thought it was disgusting to buy a used cloth diaper. I told him the ones she bought were clean, no stains, and in good shape. Plus she washed them thoroughly when she got home (of course). He said it didn't matter and couldn't believe I would consider buying them used. "They've been on another kid's private parts and you want to put them on ours?!" I didn't see what the big deal was, but I thought maybe I am overlooking an eww factor. What do you think bees? This would only be for cloth diapers in good shape without stains. He said it might be better if he knew the people (so he would know they weren't "dirty") but he still thought I was nuts. I thought it was the perfect way to save money and try a few brands before really committing to one that works best for us. Thoughts?
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I did and haven't had any issues.
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The majority of our CDs were new but I bought a few used ones and a friend gave us some that didn't work out for her LO. I also sold some of our used diapers on EBay.
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I'm with your DH on this one. I wouldn't even buy used underwear for myself and most adults don't poop in their underwear.
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I think you have to trust that the washing process cleans out cloth diapers, even if the ones you buy at brand new when you first use them.
If you don't trust the washing process, you probably shouldn't use cloth diapers at all. But if you do, then it's fine to buy used ones. I would just wash and sterilize them a few times before first use.
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Nope. I'm not putting something that held another person's feces on my baby.
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@MrBee: That's pretty much exactly what I was thinking. I think DH just thinks it gross because someone else used it, even if they're clean.
@Lawbee11: I literally laughed out loud at this.
Good points, but like MrBee said, they've been cleaned, so what's the big deal? Is it just an eww factor?
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@Mrs. Peanut: Trying to think of a crazy scenario where you could a disease... maybe if the first kid had some impossibly rare disease like ebola or dengue fever?!
Pretty sure no kid will ever get ebola from a used cloth diaper though! And yah, diapers in general are pretty gross!!
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I bought 1/2 my stash of BG 4.0s off HB- the diapers were hardly used. So keep in mind as you buy not to go too crazy because you might be the one selling gently used cloth diapers if they don't fit your babe well. You should get on Cotton Babies mailing list since you have the time. Their seconds are the same or cheaper than used. I have bought more since I am a fan of how they work for us- so I'm up to 30 now. But I started with 20 when she was born.
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While TTC, I've stocked up on new cloth diapers that were purchased at great deals on Black Friday. For me, I felt weird loading up on used cloth diapers and storing them until an unknown time (I was dealing with IF, at the time). I'm not a germaphobe but storing used diapers wasn't something I wanted to do. (Oh, maybe part of it was the idea that if for some reason, I couldn't get pregnant, I could sell new diapers easier than random used ones.)
Now, that I'm pregnant and the twins will be here in 5 weeks, I can definitely see myself getting used cloth diapers if I wanted to add more to my stash. I have to save all the money I got now that we are having twins.
Oh, to make things easier for us and to hopefully create a positive environment for us to succeed in CDs, I am paying for a CD service that drops off and picks up our dirty diapers. No extra laundry for us for the first 2 months. This is a well known service in our area so I don't find this gross and people buy and use used CDs all the time.
For me, I think I've had to warm up to the idea of using used CDs. Seeing the prices of baby clothes and baby gear definitely made me realize buying used gear is the way to go. I mean if I had tons of money, sure, I would buy everything new. Add in the twin gear... Yeah, it freaked me out. -
@MrBee: I guess no used CD from West Africa for me!
@Youboots: & @Bluestriped bee: Those are good suggestions! Thank you! I've thought about looking into CD services too, but like you said, it feels weird before I get my
. My mom used to use one and raved about it. Thinking of you and your twins too, by the way! Stay put for a while longer LOs! 
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@Mrs. Peanut: Oh, CD services aren't cheap but I really want CDs to work and I'm hoping it helps to not have to worry about the extra laundry.
Oh, if I was having one baby, I probably wouldn't get the service.
I know the thought of CDing twins is scary for most but when we went to the 'expecting multiples' class, my instructor says there are people who can do it. Luckily, I live in an area that is pretty cloth diaper friendly. -
@Mrs. Peanut: yeah the laundry is not bad. BF poo (if you are planning on it) is water soluble so no rinsing. We borrowed newborn CD from a friend- but did not use them much since T had a bad diaper rash due to food allergies and I wanted less moisture on her skin. We started CD more regularly around 10/12 weeks. It's going great now. Next time I will plan on using disposables from the go until they fit into BG 4.0s.
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I use g-diapers & got a starter set new, then bought some additional cloth covers & pouches used, but am only using new g-cloth inserts in them.
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I understand there being an eww factor and I will admit I was on your husband's side when considering cloth diapering. However, we recently bought some used cloth diapers from a consignment store where the lady told us they had gone through one child's use, they were stain free, and looked great. It cut the cost in half. When I mentioned the used factor to my husband he did not care at all and he said it's the same for him as if we had used it on our previous child (an imaginary previous child as this is our first) and they had pooped in it; poo is poo.
I think you do just have to trust the laundering process and make sure they look clean. They are so expensive to buy new and they work better the more they have been used anyway! We are excited we were able to get some used ones just in case it might not work out for us. We did buy a few new ones and will probably buy some more in the future I am sure.
@bluestriped bee: at the store we went to, the cashier had twins and cloth diapered them from birth and she could not stop raving about it! :). She bought some used from her store and some new.
I am becoming a bigger supporter of used things because I know that it's better for the environment and it makes me feel good to be able to reuse things that still have a lot of life left in them.
You have time to get him on board if it is something you are okay with. :). And there are lots of different methods of sterilizing them before use.
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I use gDiapers on my LOs and bought a good number of them used. I don't find it icky as I trust the washing process. Also, how is buying used any different from a cloth diaper service where you could literally be getting "exposed" to dozens of different diapers from different babies. Further, part of the appeal of cloth diapering is the idea of reusing something and not just trashing it when you are done.
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I would not buy used cloth diapers from a private stash, but would be happy with a diaper service that is clearly using used/ communal diapers. For me I trust, the professionals to use proper cleaning and diaper stripping procedures than a private person.
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I have purchased used. a couple hot washes and a little bleach and anything left behind would be gone. there is a little mental ick factor, but for me the cost savings and the rational knowledge that I trust the cleaning process is enough to get over it.
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Nope - but I don't buy used anything for baby or myself!
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The ick factor is too high for me, but the ick factor for cloth diapering in general is also too high for me. I have a feeling this is one of those things that seems like much less of a big deal after you've been cloth diapering for a while. Second kids probably get way more used than first
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@Truth Bombs: +1. their health trumps any savings.
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@rosegold: there is absolutely no health issue here! These diapers are sanitized before being sold and then the next person cleans them before using them. If there was any kind of "germs" that washing didn't take out no one would be able to use cloth diapers bc you'd continually "reinfect" yourself, but there's not so this is moot.
Yep I bought part of my stash off the BG fb swap pages (there's a huge used market). I will also sell my diapers there when I'm done. I'll recoup at least half my costs. If your dh is worried about cleanliness you could always send them to a cd service before using them, I send mine out every 6 months or so.
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I have some used diapers, and some from Craigslist that were never used because the person who bought them decided not to go cloth after their baby was born. I'm super confused at why this seems gross to anyone. I mean had I shown up and the diapers were stained or smelly, I would've walked away. But part of the allure of cloth is being able to use them for multiple kids to save money, sooooo my second kids will all have been used.
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I don't CD, but I would much rather wait for a good deal vs buying used.
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@Mrs. Peanut: Yeah, it's pretty much just the eww factor for me. I find it equivalent to buying a used thong for myself. You could wash it a dozen times and I still wouldn't do it.
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No, no, and no. I wouldn't buy used underwear for myself so I certainly wouldn't buy the equivalent for my brand new baby! It's just yuck to me - I don't care how many times they've been washed.
Disclaimer: I don't buy any used clothes though, for anyone, so I'm sure that greatly colours my view....
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I have no issues with buying used CDs. HOWEVER, we use Bumgenius and have been able to get our NEW CDs for the same price people seem to charge for decent quality used ones ($11-12) by using coupons and buying Black Friday sales. Because of this, I haven't seen any point to buy used Bumgenius... I might buy if someone was selling at a really great price, but I haven't seen that. Plus I should get most of my money back when I sell
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As others have said, if you don't trust the wash process then cloth is going to be tough in general. We have mostly used, from our local store and from individuals. Having said that, even new is still going to be a lot cheaper than disposable.
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No way no how. Way too much ick factor for me.
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No- too much Ick factor. Even if the rational part of my brain knows it's been sanitized, I just can't get past the yuck factor. It feels like buying used undies. For the same reason, I can't buy used bathing suits.
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@jetsa: agreed. tbh I am far more grossed out by the crazy chemicals that are in disposables. I get why it grosses people out, especially those who don't buy used anything, but there is no health issue. any ick factor is a perception issue, not a medical one.
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@Mrs. Lion: yes! Disposables are the worst, my 2 year old is in them until we potty train and I hate it!
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Strip and bleach and you'll be fine
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I'm with you. About half my stash of RAR are used. I washed them prior to using them, clean my washing machine regularly, and I strip my diapers regularly. If he's weirded out, you can send them out to be professionally stripped.
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@jetsa: I hate the disposables too! I can't wait to potty train. It feels SO wasteful to be going through so many throwaway diapers.
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Ick factor and that we don't have laundry in our unit, so no CDs for us.
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So interesting so many people are against this, I wouldn't even think twice about it. I strongly prefer to buy everything I can used so if we CD'd, I would only buy used for sure!
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I would, but I got better prices at Black Friday sales than I did used, so discounted new it was. Bleach kills everything
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I used gdiapers with disposable inserts and absolutely bought used pants. Not all cloth diapers are the kind you are describing. And yeah, I didn't throw away my daughter's underwear if she pooped in them while potty training. If they are clean, what's the difference. I feel like this eww factor can be extended to sleeping on hotel sheets or using a fork at a restaurant.
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If you do want to try out some different styles but really want new, take a look at Jillian's Drawers. They are my hometown store but have an online presence and let you return within 30 days. (I've bought a lot of gently used from them, which are other people's returns
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. My mom used to use one and raved about it. Thinking of you and your twins too, by the way! Stay put for a while longer LOs! 
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