I must let you know that I personally had 7 criteria to justify the use/hassle of cloth diapers.
- I had to be able to calculate that I would truly save or at least even out money in the long run including yearly laundering costs
- NO leaking/stinking/staining etc (basically, I wanted the performance to be close to the disposable diaper)
- NOT be much workto clean and NO toilet dunking or WET pails and easy to use!
- NOT be saggy/bulky (cute factor is an added plus)
- NO PINS (I'm toooooo clumsy).
- Able to use in the future with more children and/or resell at a great value.
- Environmental savings - I am making a difference for my son!
My solution was the BumGenius one-size diaper. This is a pocket diaper with velcro tabs that grows with your baby. Look for a comparison of diaper types to see what a pocket diaper is if you are curious. I've been doing cloth since he was 4mo old and wanted to start sooner but just didn't take the time to do it. I have been VERY IMPRESSED with this diaper and continue to be impressed with them as they are well-made and appear to be holding up very well!! I wish I had started when he was a month old and definitely will start at that age with future children. Have I used other modern cloth diapers? Yes. I comment on them at the end.
Point #2: Performance
Leaking: Moms with babies who are not eating solids worry about leaking a lot more than moms whose babies are eating solid as the poo changes. Breastmilk poo is more likely to leak than formula poo - I can say that from experience.Point #2: Performance
For those first six months (two of which we were cloth diapering), we actually had less leaks with our cloth diapers than our disposable ones! I could probably count leaks on one hand and they all involved urine, not poo. These diapers actually prevented our biggest leak problem which was poo coming up the back. I HATED ThHOSE because all the outfits go over the heads and you have to basically pull the poopy part over the head to get it off! I have not had a "poo up the back" get out of these diapers. After the first six months, poo leaks are not as much of an issue to most moms and it is also when they will branch out and try other brands of diapers because you aren't as worried about leaks in general. I do recommend LUVS as a back disposable diaper if you need one after 6mo but I only recommend Pampers Swaddlers for the first 6mo. (I am a little bit of a diaper snob LOL!)
Our boy is a heavy wetter especially at night and he has thin thighs so we do have to make sure we carefully have everything pointing down and towards the center of the diaper. That makes the difference in leaks for us. We also have to make sure the legs are tight enough and I can actually adjust the legs by changing the angle with which I velcro the diaper.
Are they good enough for going out in public? DEFINTELY and BETTER than disposables. I totally like to go in public with these diapers because I trust them more than disposables now!! We get less leaks with BumGenius than disposables. It's also easy to just fold up dirty diapers with the tab and then pu them in a little Bumkins sack or grocery bag in the trunk and all is well!! A note on changing babies in public...well, I just think it is gross seeing other babies in those changers without a pad and I hate changing in a nasty public restroom esp since he is so wiggly and grabby now so I change him in the trunk (HAH!) or inside the backseat and just feel like it's more sanitary so I leave the diaper there in the car and it doesn't waste diaper bag space. I haven't had any problems with leaks into there - i have this foldable mat that I use. Now that he's bigger it is more challenging but I actually change him standing up on the floor of the passenger seat while I sit in the seat if it is only a pee diaper.
Smell: Actually, I must mention that if it is only a pee diaper, we DON'T smell it for quite some time in the BumGenius diapers and change more based on habit/timing and if we smell poo. I actually switched for a week to disposables for a trip and I could ALWAYS smell when those diapers had even a little bit of urine in them. So, I'd say that BumGenius are FAR superior to disposables in terms of urine smell and poo smell. I STILL get surprized if I'm just routinely changing a BumGenius and there is poo in there when I thought it was only urine! Even if you don't smell them though, you have to change them often enough because you don't want it sitting on your baby's sensitive bottom. Caveat: When he had mostly breastmilk, we did smell the poo BumGenius diapers but that is just a different and not-bad smell - not the same as regular poo smells. It's hard to describe and I don't know why we could smell those and not regular poo diapers but that's the way it is.
Staining: If you use old-fashioned cloth with breastmilk, you usually have to deal with staining over time unless you dry your diapers in the sun quite often. (Sidenote: sunshine will remove breastmilk poo stains from clothing). After 6 mo of using, I have not had a single issue with staining wrt to the covers!! Part of the reason is that they are microfleece and if you have ever worn a microfleece shirt, you'll notice that food just doesn't stick to it and it is the same with poo. After you run just one cold cycle, that poo is gone!! I have noticed a virtually unnoticeable amount of light staining on some of my inserts. No one else would probably even see it since I stuff them into the outer shell before letting someone else put them on him. It doesn't bother me like I thought it would but I did want to mention it.
Point #3: Easy Cleaning
Ease of Use: You do have to put the inserts in the diaper and for a few months I stuffed them all ahead of time but now I don't. I just stuff before I use them as it is easy and quick to do. If I'm going out, I'll pre-stuff though. You just put them on the baby the exact same way you would put a disposable on and you have very strong velcro tabs instead of the sticky disposable tabs. Lately, now that my baby is SOOOO mobile, it is very hard to hold him down while you change him and I find that after I remove and clean the old diaper, I can get him to sit up and sit on these diapers and then I fasten them that way. He struggles less when I do that. I can't do that with disposables very easily as they move around a lot and are a little smaller and much thinner they get scrunched up. Helpful Hint on inserts: I recommend alwasy inserting the insert so that the tag is in the back so you can grab the insert by the tag and pull it out without touching the insert. For a boy on the first or second diaper setting, put the insert in so that the snapped part is at the "front" of the diaper the "open part" of the fold is facing the baby. I just think this makes for a better leak-free fit.
Comfort: I forgot ot include this category before as it does matter. Now, when I put disposables on him, they feel so rough to me!! These BumGenius I'm using have microfleece in them so it is soft and stays drier than the disposables. SOME people are into the "super-natural" all organic fabric on the baby bum but I don't mind having something soft/synthetic and dry. I actually also have played with this other diaper that was recommended to me "motherease" that was all natural and cotton absorbant material and with the cover it did hold everything in and was all natural but I felt bad when I took it off as it was all wet against his skin and the microfleece doesn't allow that. As an alternative, fuzzybunz really are soo soft too!
Toilet Dunking: On dealing with removing the diaper and what to do with it. I have had problems finding a wipes solution or even a disposable wipe that will work with my baby and not give him diaper rash. I have used just water before but it is harder to remove poo with just water. He has an extreme sensitivity to Pampers wipes - even the unscented ones but seems to be OK for now with Target unscented sensitive skin wipes as well as Huggies wipes for sensitive skin with cocoa butter. This matters becaues if you are just going to use regular wipes and drop them in the trash, then you just take the diaper to the trash and turn inside out and flick once/twice and drop the wipes in. This is no extra work than disposables because you have to drop the disposables in the trash too. What doesn't come off comes off in the washer very very easily and quickly. Then it gets washed out with 3 more washes or rinses you do on the diapers. So, your washer won't be dirty (Sidenote many moms-to-be don't know: your washer will have poo in it even if you don't use cloth because your baby's clothes WILL get poo on them with disposables especially the first month or two).
If you are using homemade wipes that are not disposable (you can make home-made wipes from papertowels), you will be just putting the wipes in the diaper or directly in the bag whichever you prefer. The extra step will be if you decide to just flick extra poop into the trash or into the toilet. Remember toilet takes water but you can always save water by waiting to flush your toilet use until you've put a diaper poo in if you know about the time of day you usually have diaper poops. :) If you so choose, you MAY rinse off the diapers with a toilet sprayer which attaches to the side of the toilet or use a diaper ducky to rinse in the toilet but I would jsut think this would make the diapers too wet and messy to move in/out of the dry bag.
Remember that the majority of diapers after 2mo won't be poopy so you dont' have to worry about this step. You don't do anythign for a pee diaper - just drop it in your dirty duds bag.
Wet Pail? Wet pails are considered unsafe and unsanitary in general these days. I have an I take my extra large waterproof/stinkproof/washable Bumkins bag and store the diapers dry - that is to say that you just stick them in the bag and pull the drawstring and no water is involved.
Washing: IT IS SOOOOOO EASY to clean them! Now adays you don't need any gross wet pails or anything. I have 20 diapers and around 5pm every 3rd day, I take my extra large waterproof/stinkproof/washable Bumkins bag full of the dirty diapers to the washer. I turn the bag inside out without touching the diapers. I then drop the bag inside out in there too. There is plenty of room in our washer which is normal sized for all 20 diapers plus the big bag.
For those hard-core environmentalists, I use an environmental friendly detergent I found cheapest after shipping at cottonbabies (not too expensive for a year of washing) that was made FOR cloth diapering (modern cloth diapers need to be taken care of nicely). There are many kinds available and you can just use "regular" detergent as long as it is "free and clear" just be aware that you will have to strip your diapers monthly. Manufacturer instructions vary from what it says on the website so you don't have to be too specific...I generally follow a routine of coldwash+soap, hotwash+soap, rinse, rinse but had to modify it to work for our washer a little better as they are very old. This is my current wash routine and you just kinda work out what works for you:
- I fill the washer with cold water + 1/8 c liquid detergent.
- I run a hot water + 1/8 c liquid detergent or even less so it rinses well
- I run a short cycle with no detergent and an extra rinse.(you don't need this step, our washers are OLD) *Note you can add 1/2 c vinegar here if you think the diapers are too basic for your little one.*
- I take the outside diaper "shells" and the Bumkins bag out after the previous cycle.
- I hang the diaper bag inside out to air dry and put external part of the diapers on a make-shift clothesline that nathan made. I used to dry them in the dryer. They dry in less than an hour on the line in the cold wintery basement.
- I keep the inserts in the washer for one last rinse cycle (again, OLD washer).
- I can then just hang the inserts up to dry but it takes a LONG time SO I pop them in the dryer for 15min then hang them up and I let them dry overnight.
As for ease of use, the ones we use look/work EXACTLY like disposables and all our friends/family think they are really easy to use. No one needs to ask how to use them actually (I do stuff them ahead of time to make it easy). You just put them on like any other diaper and just stick the tabs to the front like any disposable.
Something else to know is that you don't have to button and unbutton the outer shell part of teh diaper with each wear and wash cycle. Just keep those buttons in place. I DO unbutton the insert when I'm pulling it out of the diaper and I insist that anyone who changes him removes the insert and unbuttons it before putting it in the wash bag (I mean who really wants to dig around a bag of dirty diapers to find the ONE diaper that didn't get the insert out of it!!)
And just a final note...all this diaper laundering has changed how I do the family's laundry. I think it is just too much to do family laundry several times a week as well as the diapers so I ONLY wash once a week unless things get dire in which case, Nathan might run a small load over the weekend. For this reason, I make sure that we have at least 7prs of pjs (or less with a few backup onesies) now for Samuel (seems like he always has enough close for over 7 days) and enough pants for Nathan and I to wear through the week without washing.
A general comment for suggestion for the first month of cloth diapering: I HIGHLY recommend using disposables for the meconium (the first few tar-like poops) they are discusting and really hard to clean off of anything...and probably just for the first month disposables until you know about what size baby you have. You will probably be given newborn diapers at a shower and if not, well, i'd buy a package or two. That meconium stuff that comes out for the first week is gross and I've heard very hard to clean out of cloth. I mean it is really gross and sticky and blah!!! Breastmilk poo is so easy to get out and if there are any stains you put it in the sun and it bleaches out!! So, honestly, I'd recommend disposables for the first few weeks.
ALSO, you will have to wait to use the diapers until the cord falls off which for some babies can be up to a month (the diapers do not smell at this stage - I mean not really - so you don't have to buy a diaper can just for a month or two of diapers - ours just now started smelling a little since I've started some solids with him). Yes, they do make a type of cloth diaper for the cord but I didn't want to spend that much money on something he'd only wear a month.
Also, you never know how big the baby will be (long/chubby/small/whatever) or how fast they will grow at first so they might only be in the first size you buy for a month. It will also affect how baby fits in things. Besides that, you're just adjusting to a new one and doing extra laundry anyways and tired and the first few weeks you are just physically tired/getting used to breastfeeding which ain't always comfy/recovering. I'm just saying there are more variables that first month that you might not get your money's worth out of your diapers and you're just getting used to being parents too so make it easy on yourself if you can.
Point #4: Sag/Bulk
Sag: These diapers do not sag. Even when wet, as long as you have the size adjusted correctly, the elastic on the waistband and the tabs keeps the diaper up up up! This is an issue for some types of cloth diapers.Bulk: They are bulkier than disposables but I have lately found that a benefit since we are now pulling up and falling. It's some extra padding! It is also a benefit since our baby is pretty lanky. It helps 2-piece clothing sets fit in the waist as well as length-wise. I have no idea how this would affect an extremely pudgy baby so that MIGHT be a factor to keep in consideration. They will add *some* bulk to pants/onesies if you use the regular insert and not the newborn insert.
We were having problems with a baby who was drinking about 18oz of formula ALL NIGHT LONG. That made him too much of a wetter for even our disposables with disposable inserts. During that time, I made the diapers one-size larger than his usual size and put two regular inserts in and that makes it pretty bulky but we didn't have leaks. Now, I only need a regular insert and a newborn insert in there at night.
Cute: I think they are cute and I like the different color selections. That being said, I have seen cuter cloth diapers (blueberries are very very cute) as well as a wider selection of colors (fuzzybunz) as well as patterns (bummies). I really like the "look" of BunGenius though over the look of other diapers.
Point #5: No Pins!
There are things called snappies now that moms who want to use pre-folds can use that are pin free. BUT I LIKE MY VELCRO! The BumGenius and all other modern cloth diapers use either snaps or velcro.
Point #6: Resale/ReUse
When I got my BumGenius diapers from CottonBabies, there was an insert in my package explaining that they would buy gently used and well cared for cloth diapers back from you for $12.50. They will do this for other types of diapers too. On the "Craig's List" market, BumGenius go for $16. On the "Diaper Swappers" market, they go for $14-$15. So the resale value is typically very high.I have been using my cloth diapers for 7mo now and the covers are in AWESOME shape and if there is any pilling, I could easily cut it off and it would look new. As long as the elastic holds (which is seems like it will) and the velcro remains as strong as it has, they will definitely last A LOT longer. I'm planning to use for other kids and I have no doubts at this point that i will be able to.
#7 Environmental Savings
I did not realize UNTIL I became a mother how much I do want to make the world a better place for my son. I've never been great at recycling but I want to do it now and it makes me feel good to know that I am really helping him and that we won't have to throw these diapers away. Whenever I'm through with them I can sell them to someone else I hope! :)I'm sure it is obvious that using cloth cuts down on the waste in the environment and using environmentally friendly detergents cuts down on the unfriendly effects of detergent on the environment. So, no need to go into that here but I think it is unbelieveable how many disposable diapers go in the landfills each year!!! CRAZY!
Other Diaper Systems?
Prefolds: I have not tried prefolds with a generic cover more than one time because I just didn't like it. I consider that to be "old fashioned" cding. My personal issues with the "old fashioned" cloth diaper system was: 1. leaks, 2. covers - you need to buy ones that change sizes with the babies and if you buy the good ones they will still be $5-$8/cover so why not buy the easier stuff - the whisper wear ones don't leak. I have since learned that the resale on these covers is about 90% so you don't actually lose that much money as long as you do resell. 3. BULK! clothes don't fit right and the baby waddles and looks all "droopy-drawer" when they walk! 4. Where's the cute factor? I do have a Bummis cover and I think it is SUPERCUTE! I also will say that Bummis are about the best covers out there and do work pretty well to keep leaks from getting out within reason and the constrains of teh prefold you used.. I just couldn't deal with the mess of it all. If you want to deal with prefolds, make sure you buy high quality Chinese prefolds and Bummis covers for best performance.
Motherease: I bought a Motherease diaper because our Bradley teacher recommended it for night time use. It is similar to a regular prefold system but the prefold itself is adjustable for different ages and thicker and and easier to put on the baby and it had snaps. It worked great for keeping out the leaks but I didn't like that the wetness stayed against the baby's skin. This is different from BumGenius because the wetness sits in the insert and there is a layer of microfleece protecting the skin. I also felt that with shipping they were as expensive as BumGenius and I couldn't find any sale prices and since I didn't LOVE them, I didn't want to use them.
Fuzzibunz: My Biggest issues with Fuzzibunz are also their greatest strengths as you will see. They are insert diapers like BumGenius and have an even softer cover on the inside. The are made with snaps and the snaps are adjustable for the legs and the waistline within a certain range. This means they fit a baby very snugly and great...and it will fit ANY baby body which is also great. It also means that you have to buy small/med/large sizes and that seemed to really increase the cost of the diaper system to me EVEN IF they area bit cheaper in cost in general than BumGenius. I have heard that you can take each size and then swap/sell them on diaperswappers.com for a larger size for relatively little out of pocket but I didn't want to have to deal with that. I also wanted all the diapers I was going to use with next baby "in hand". If you sold/swapped all the diapers including the first size you bought, the system would be chaper. I also think that velcro is easier than snaps and I like that the BumGenius tabs are stretchable and that allows for as good a fit as the Fuzzibunz with only a little more bulk. Both fuzzibunz and BumGenius have elastic in the back and legs to help contain leaks so they both really do work well in that aspect. Since I've owned a Fuzzibunz I will also admit that they are a very tiny smidgen softer than BumGenius (and BumGenius are pretty soft!) I believe the fuzzibunz are the thinnest cloth diaper on the market. Maybe my friend Owen's mommy can leave us some tips on fuzzibunz!
gDiapers: This is a cross-brand for parents who want the ease of disposables, the cuteness of cloth and most importantly, the environmental factors of disposable diapers. I was disappointed with my gdiapers because I had a hard time getting the insert to swirl properly and I had issues with leaking. They were very trim. I tried using a prefold and it just didn't fit properly in my opinion so you'd have to keep using the inserts and they are about the same price as premium disposables at full price...since I buy on sale and sometimes generic, I just didn't like that I wouldn't be saving money on them. I tried using prefolds with them and they were too bulky. I wonder if I had bought some cotton babies prefold covers if it would have fixed the situation. I also used them backwards the first time so that didn't help anything!! LOL! They do have one feature though that is good - they velcro in the back more and that makes it harder for a 2yr old to take it off. I am wondering how long it will take Samuel to strip and then undo his diaper...of course, he'd be able to undo a disposable one just as easily so maybe a Fuzzibunz would help. I'm going to wait and deal with that when the time comes.Minkys: minkys come with snaps OR with tabs. I do like snaps as I feel like they might hold up better in the long run and more importantly, snaps will give a nicer fit around the legs too. The tabs are really easy for others to use though! So, I bought tabs. I think the Minkys are higher quality material than even cottonbabies but I think it holds less liquid before leaking. If the insert gets "wet" it leaks through the diaper so I probably wouldn't buy it again. I got them on sale for $17.95 each if I bought 2 at Christmas.These are by Blueberry and they are so cute and soft. They are very expensive ($25) but seem to have a sale 2x a year that puts them at the same price as BumGenius. I still use them as they are sizeable like my BumGenius and I only have two but both DH and I always put them off to using them last as again, we both feel they leak "sooner" than BumGenius which never seem to leak.
Any other details to know?
Newborn comment: I did not use BumGenius with a newborn or a small baby. My baby was around 12lbs or so when we started using them so I don't know what they are like. I have heard that the BUMGenius can be tricky on the 8lb babies (goes 7-35lb) and you usually want to use the newborn insert so it isn't too bulky which you can use later as a doubler for nighttime. They have recently added a smaller insert and I don't know how good it is but it seems like it would be a good thing and it is nice to have as a doubler when they are older. I think a fuzzybunz might work better on a very small baby if you were planning to buy different sizes anyways. Unfortunately, ours flew through the "size small range" in one month - seriously, he was like in newborn sizes for 2mo and was too skinny for the small fuzzybunz diaper we had but then has only spent a month each in 0-3mo and 3-6mo clothes. He's in 6-9mo now because of torso length (without the clothdiapers). I don't know how these will hold upo through 2 kids as I'll use them the wholre time but cottonbabies has a reputation that they'll replace major issues if they come up...oh, and a guarantee - you can try 1 for 15 days and return! So, even if Fuzzybunz fit a small baby - those babies grow fast. I know plenty of people though who have said they did Fuzzybunz small and then BumGenius for the other sizes.
Comment on the Insert: The cottonbabies insert is amazing - best out there I've read - will hold 15ml!! They are adjustable too but get bulky on that smallest size! You do have to pay attention to the rinsing and make sure there are no suds because detergent can leave a residue on the diapers will make them either smell like a locker room (even if the diaper is clean) or smell like ammonia after a full pee diaper. You can also add vinegar afterwards to help too.
Diaper Liners: I would not buy any of the Kushies paper liners that go in the diapers as poop does not stick to these diaper very well anyways. BumGenius just don't need the liners and it is one more thing to throw away (even though the are biodegradable) and one more thing to be wet against the skin and one more thing to buy and one more thing to add to the steps of putting on a cloth diaper. They are cheap though and if you are nervous about poo, go ahead and try them.
Wipes: Another thing to think about is whether or not you are going to also use cloth to wipe with and if so, what solution you are going to use for the liquid - that site has some great recipes. Samuel's skin is very sensitive and the first one works for us most of the time. And also what do you do for diaper rash IF it happens to develop (even if it shouldn't). You don't want to use desitin with our diapers as it can stain them and affect the wickability. I do think that it is hard to find an extremely soft wash cloth and haven't found mine yet and I've tried a few brands. I have heard you can just cut up a receiving blanket and that is next on my list!
Diaper Ointment: You may also choose to add a diaper balm to baby's bottom. Good brands I've heard are: Burt's Bees, Northern Essence (made for cloth...they have creams for both regular rash and yeast rash) , and Arbonne. Our baby's sensitive skin could not take the Northern Essence regular balm and I haven't tried their sensitive skin one yet. You can't use most types of over-the-counter diaper rash creams with your cloth diapers without messing up the wicking, adding smells, and staining the diapers (staining makes them hard to sell). It is rare to get diaper rash but it does happen if you don't change enough or if you have build up or for other random reasons such as teething or food allergies. Here is a resource for it. You can also find natural powders or even use corn starch to help with wetness after wiping (a bigger issue if you use water only).
I hope that I've covered everything and you made it through this post! Feel free to email me with any questions! Go Go Go BUUUUMMMGEEENNNNIIIUUUUUSSSSSS! :)
Comment on the Insert: The cottonbabies insert is amazing - best out there I've read - will hold 15ml!! They are adjustable too but get bulky on that smallest size! You do have to pay attention to the rinsing and make sure there are no suds because detergent can leave a residue on the diapers will make them either smell like a locker room (even if the diaper is clean) or smell like ammonia after a full pee diaper. You can also add vinegar afterwards to help too.
Diaper Liners: I would not buy any of the Kushies paper liners that go in the diapers as poop does not stick to these diaper very well anyways. BumGenius just don't need the liners and it is one more thing to throw away (even though the are biodegradable) and one more thing to be wet against the skin and one more thing to buy and one more thing to add to the steps of putting on a cloth diaper. They are cheap though and if you are nervous about poo, go ahead and try them.
Wipes: Another thing to think about is whether or not you are going to also use cloth to wipe with and if so, what solution you are going to use for the liquid - that site has some great recipes. Samuel's skin is very sensitive and the first one works for us most of the time. And also what do you do for diaper rash IF it happens to develop (even if it shouldn't). You don't want to use desitin with our diapers as it can stain them and affect the wickability. I do think that it is hard to find an extremely soft wash cloth and haven't found mine yet and I've tried a few brands. I have heard you can just cut up a receiving blanket and that is next on my list!
Diaper Ointment: You may also choose to add a diaper balm to baby's bottom. Good brands I've heard are: Burt's Bees, Northern Essence (made for cloth...they have creams for both regular rash and yeast rash) , and Arbonne. Our baby's sensitive skin could not take the Northern Essence regular balm and I haven't tried their sensitive skin one yet. You can't use most types of over-the-counter diaper rash creams with your cloth diapers without messing up the wicking, adding smells, and staining the diapers (staining makes them hard to sell). It is rare to get diaper rash but it does happen if you don't change enough or if you have build up or for other random reasons such as teething or food allergies. Here is a resource for it. You can also find natural powders or even use corn starch to help with wetness after wiping (a bigger issue if you use water only).
I hope that I've covered everything and you made it through this post! Feel free to email me with any questions! Go Go Go BUUUUMMMGEEENNNNIIIUUUUUSSSSSS! :)
