Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Cloth Diapers in Germany

Do stores in Germany sell cloth diapers?  I have visited two stores so far this week looking for cloth diapers.  The first store was Kaufland, which is kind of like a Walmart but a lot smaller.  They did not sell any cloth diapers.

Today I went to Toys R Us and they only sold one kind.  It was a rather large piece of fabric thing.  I talked with three employees, I'm glad they weren't busy because they were all trying to help me.  The one who spoke English the best tried to explain how the fabric worked.  Apparently you tie it around the baby multiple times.  He said, however, that most Germans do not use cloth, they use Pampers.  I asked if they knew of any stores in Germany that sold cloth.  He said no and to try online.  I told him I was surprised more Germans did not use cloth considering how small our trash cans are.  I said once my son was born we had to trade in for the largest size (which is about the size of our small in the States).  The trash men also only come every other week.  The employee said, "yeah, I know, but Germans are lazy and just use disposables diapers."  I asked them if they knew of any stores that sold cloth diapers and that I was specifically looking for some that functioned like a disposable.  None of them knew of a store that would sell cloth diapers nor have they ever heard of a cloth diaper that looked and worked similar to disposables. 

When I got home I was determined to find a cloth diaper retailer who would sell and ship inexpensively overseas.  And I found one, Mom's Milk Boutique.  The cool thing about this company is it is owned by two sisters who are also mothers.  Their employees are able to bring their babies to work with them and they encourage you to bring yours too if you visit them.  Their brick and mortar store is located in West Frankfurt, Illinois.  But the BEST thing about this company is they offer free shipping.  There is no minimum purchase on most items.  All US orders qualify for free shipping in the USA and to military addresses.  Another neat thing is they ship to almost any address internationally.  There are some brands that they cannot ship internationally.  But many products they ship for FREE internationally, which is very rare.  So expat friends, if you have been considering cloth diapers and want to pay cheaper USD prices for them, check out Mom's Milk Boutique.  They also sell other products besides cloth diapers.

These past few days as I continue researching cloth diapers, I have discovered the Flip Diaper.  It's a hybrid diaper that looks easy to use and is very economical.  I went ahead ordered a Flip Day Pack: Stay Dry today for $49.95, which basically is like buying six cloth diapers.  They are made by bumGenius.  I'm going to look at the bumGenius 3.0 tomorrow and am still considering buying some of those or the FuzziBunz to complete my stash of cloth diapers.  But for $50, I thought I'd go ahead and buy this day pack that seems like it will be great for overnight and day trips.  Another cool thing is you can buy disposable inserts if you want.  Right now I'm going to try the cloth inserts and see how I like them overall before buying any disposable inserts.  Once I receive the Flip, I'll let you know how I like it. This is what the Flip diaper looks like. 

I am super excited about trying cloth diapers.  Maybe that's weird, but I'm just tired of throwing away so many diapers.  It is probably just a personal thing but it seems easier for me to wash a load every other day or two then continuing to pile our trash with disposable diapers.   Of course once the washing begins that will probably be another story.  Remember, I hate doing laundry and my husband does take out the trash.  I'm sure my husband will be happy once we receive the diapers and I move onto something else to talk about.

11 comments:

  1. There is a place in Bonn and in Munich that sell cloth ... our midwife also knew exactly how to find them. It's not rare, at least not in Cologne. That said, I think the US has more in terms of cooler, newer ideas for the diapers (the whole wrapping babe in wool plus rubber pants is soooo 1950s). If you're interested, a friend of mine who had a boy said Gdiapers leaked for her but FuzziBuns were fabulous... Hope whatever you choose works out for you. A word to the wise, though, ... change often to avoid diaper rash.

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  2. How funny! I was just researching for a post (which I already published) about foreign cloth diapers. The ones I found in Germany were very utilitarian. Tying nappies, simple white snapping fitteds, and wool covers were all I could find. Also, the websites were in German lol

    I think I had two German ones in this post.
    http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/cloth-diapers-from-around-the-globe/

    Glad you found a way to get all of the fun american diapers!

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  3. C - that's a great idea to ask a midwife. But I think you're right, they probably don't sell as many styles in Germany as they do in the US.

    Kim - thanks for recommending your post. I also really like all of your videos. They have been a huge help in me deciding that cloth diapers are possible.

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  4. Hi,

    I just came over from the DirtyDiaperLaundry blog... I had to comment. I was recently also an expat in Germany and cloth diapered. There is a shop (it's usually above a Bio grocery store...) They carry cloth diapers, including the tying type... sadly, I really cannot recommend them. I would see if anyone is traveling or can ship you a few of some different kinds of cloth diapers from the U.S. While I use Rockin' Green in the U.S., I safely (WARNING: may void warranty) used Persil sensitiv (the liquid white one) for about 10 months. I'll try to check back later if you have any questions for me.

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  5. Hi there! I just found your blog....
    We started cloth diapering in April and are loving it. You are absolutely right that it is difficult to find cloth diapers here. There are some online retailers:
    http://www.zwerge.de/shop/index.php/cat/c529_Windelsysteme.html/XTCsid/5fcf5dc9a32d8f8c90590c1499e66c55 and
    http://www.sonnenschnuckel.de/index.php?page=categorie&cat=6 are a couple that I have found, although I have only purchased "accessories" (extra liners, pail liners and detergent) here, having bought the actual diapers in the States.
    I look forward to hearing more about your cloth diaper experience.

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  6. I live near Amberg (Nurnberg), if anyone knows a prefold cloth diaper dealer PLEASE let me know!! Thank you! :) xpinkpink@yahoo.com

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  7. Not sure if you still need the info but lotties has a mail order catalouge with diapers.

    There are also many websites.

    To be honest many US brands are not sold here and those that are cost significantly more, so I bought most my covers in the US.

    There are also some shops in the UK that ship here as well.

    If you are willing to use used diapers ebay has a lot

    The most well known brand here is Popolini, disana, and lotties from what I have found.

    Popolini even makes prefolds they are called kalifornische or systemwindel and cost between 17-20 euro a dozen on amazon.de.

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  8. Just wanted to add I looked at the Boutique and the prices are a lot higher then if you buy from the diaper companies themselves such as cotton babies. But with the free shipping it may balance out.

    I buy the cheapest I can find and have them sent to my mom then she forwards them on to me.

    Another great way to save if you are willing is to buy seconds which many times have unnoticeable flaws. :)

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  9. Hi, I own Different Diapers in Franklin, TN, and carry several brands of cloth diapers and accessories. I would be happy to ship my products overseas. You pay the U.S. prices and I will put together a few quotes from the Post Office for overseas shipping. You can view my webpage at www.differentdiapers.com. I also offer Skype Consultations and speak German. I used to live in Leverkusen (near Köln) and München. I would be happy to help you with your cloth diapering journey! It is becoming more popular and more parents worldwide are switching to cloth!

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  10. Danke für die Idee? Ich habe noch nie Filterflaschen überprüft, weshalb ich sie eher nicht empfehle, aber meine Freunde, die sie verwendet haben, mögen sie. Die meisten, die ich gesehen habe, sind Plastik, was ein weiterer Wermutstropfen ist. Ich muss in deinen Edelstahl schauen


    https://bestellen-nembutal.de/

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  11. I'm an Indian living in Germany. Traditionally we prefer only cloth for our little ones. When I moved to Germany with my first kid i was so disappointed that using cloths in no way there. 1.we can't find a reliable brand, 2. Weather is a factor. 3.baby tend to pee very often.4. No kindergarten encouraged it.
    But now with my second kid I got to.know.about a brand called Superbottom. They present us with really good cloth diaper with advanced caring tech. I feel in love with it instantly and had built my stash now. Though laundry is hectic it s like a therapy for me now, while go green and save earth had become my motto now.

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