But I don't feel like doing any of it because I want to blog about my newest obsession...cloth diapers. Yes, you read that right, I have turned into a cloth diapering mama. I think that if I knew more about it before having Ryan Lion that I would have given it more consideration back then, but I thought it meant prefolds and diaper pins. Luckily, the world of cloth diapering has changed dramatically and now I'm addicted.
I guess I should start off at the beginning. We've been using Huggies exclusively on Ryan almost since day one. We tried different types of Huggies, Pampers, Seventh Generation and some store brands, but mostly it's been Huggies. We never had problems with the Huggies. Ryan barely had any blow outs, leaks or diaper rashes. One day at the park I was talking to another mom and she said that she used Seventh Generation. I went home and looked them up and they seemed like a good option to try out, so I went to Whole Foods. They didn't have Ryan's size, so I ended up picking up a box of gDiapers instead. I didn't really know what I was buying, but I figured Whole Foods was selling it, so it had to be a fairly decent product (yes, I know, faulty logic!).
The gDiaper system consists of a soft microfiber outer shell and a plastic liner that holds an absorbable disposable insert. The insert doesn't contain any plastic, so you can flush it, compost it, or just toss it in the trash. The inserts kept on bunching up and I'm really not a fan of the plastic liner, but I really liked the cloth outer shell. The inserts are also really pricey at almost $0.50 per insert, so I figured that if I could find a re-useable insert, then I'd be happy with that system. I bought some Cottonwood Baby inserts, but I found them to be really bulky and not very absorbent. Since I liked the cloth outer shell so much, I figured that it would make the most sense to try out cloth diapers. Cloth diapers have the fabric outer shells, no icky plastic and I wouldn't have to buy disposable inserts.
The information about cloth diapers is overwhelming. I didn't necessarily know what I wanted, so I went with a diaper sampler package. I knew that I didn't want to go the prefold/fitted route, so I went straight to all-in-one (AIO) and pocket diapers. AIO diapers are exactly like disposables. The absorbent layer is sewn into the diaper and when it's soiled, you just toss it into a dry pail to be washed. Pocket diapers contain a pocket between the waterproof outer layer and soft inner layer that touches the baby. You can fill the pocket with an absorbent material like microfiber, hemp, or a hemp/cotton combination. AIOs are really easy to use, but pocket diapers allow you to adjust absorbency which is great for a heavy wetter like Ryan. Yes, I learned that Ryan was a heavy wetter the hard way!
I got a sampler package from Simple Wonders. The one I got came with a Happy Heinys one size, Happy Heinys pocket, BumGenius one size, BumGenius AIO, Fuzzi Bunz, and a Drybees hybrid AIO. Here's my review of these diapers:
Happy Heinys One Size - This diaper is fairly easy to use, I like the large velcro tabs in the front, but overall, I'm not that big of a velcro fan. I'm really intrigued as to how a one size diaper will really fit a newborn since Ryan is at the largest setting already. I think it fits him well, so I'm doubtful that it'll fit a newborn well. Anyways, Happy Heinys are known for their fun prints, but we just have a plain sage one.
Happy Heinys Pocket - I really like this diaper because it has a rolled edge which means that Ryan doesn't get markings on this thighs from the elastic. We have a baby blue one and a cow print one. I LOVE the cow print! It has a higher absorbency rating over the other prints and being in Texas, who wouldn't love cow print on their kiddo? The solid one has a combination velcro and snap which is nice, but if the kiddo can take off the velcro, they can probably take off the snap as well.
BumGenius One Size - This is a really good diaper. It's really absorbent and has nice stretchy tabs, however, I don't like how the velcro tabs are really small. Ryan can take off this diaper by himself, which I'm not a big fan of!
BumGenius AIO - I love this diaper because it's really absorbent and it fits Ryan really well. I think it should have a pocket in the back though so I can really tell if it really is dry. These have the same small velcro tabs as the one size, which I'm not a fan of. I wish they had better colors or prints to make them more fun, I'm not a big fan of the every diaper being pastel.
Fuzzi Bunz Pocket - This is the original pocket diaper. It seems like every cloth diapering store sells these! I like the one we have, but I feel like I really have to stuff it to make it absorbent. I didn't think that I would like the snaps since Ryan hates diaper changes and I figured that velcro would be easiest, but it turns out that using snaps isn't hard or time consuming at all. The only down side to snaps is that you only have x number of settings whereas with the velcro, you can just place it where it fits best.
Drybees Hybrid AIO - This is my least favorite diaper that always hangs on until the bottom of the pile. It's really big and doesn't fit Ryan very well and it's not very absorbent. I like how it's a hybrid, so it's basically an AIO with a pocket in the back that you can stuff. I have stuffed this diaper like crazy and still had leaks. I'm not a fan.
After my initial foray into cloth diapering, I had to see what else was out there, I really wanted to try more because I hadn't found the perfect diaper yet. So, what did I do? I bought more! I don't remember the order I bought them in, so here's just a review of the other ones that I've tried.
JamTots BerryPlush AI2s - I like these diapers for several reasons. They are minky on the outside and if you've ever felt minky, you'd know that it is definitely luxurious! They have a snap in liner, making them an AI2. Instead of the absorbent layer being sewn into the diaper, it is snapped onto the outer shell. If the liner gets soiled and not the outer shell, then you can just replace the liner and not the shell. The liner is really nice because the top layer is minky too. These are great diapers, but I can't seem to get a good fit. We started off in a large, but it seemed too big, so I got some mediums, but I think that Ryan will grow out of them soon. They only have a small band of elastic at the top, so they don't stay up very well. I'm thinking about getting a fitted diaper and putting the shell over it, but we'll see. I like putting Ryan in these for naps so he'll be surrounded in minky goodness. :)
Wahmies One Size - I like these diapers because they are trim, but I can't see to find an insert that does this diaper justice. I started off with the Wahmies hemp, but it didn't seem to hold much and I've moved over to the one size microfiber terry insert, but now it looks way too bulky. This diaper has a unique hook system that takes a bit to figure out, but once you do, it's relatively easy. I have a tendency to put these on too tight though because Ryan usually has marks on his when I take these off. Steven's not a fan of the hooks, but I really think that this would be a really good one size diaper.
Thirsties AIO - We got the large size for Ryan and they are HUGE. I like the leg gussets and it seems to hold a lot. They just came out with a new version, so I just ordered one in a smaller size. This is also a hybrid diaper that has a pocket so you can adjust absorbency, but the hole for the pocket is in the front which means that I have to touch a pee soaked insert every time I pull it out to be washed, which I'm not a fan of. They also have small velcro tabs.
Blueberry Aplix Pocket - I wanted to get a snap diaper, but didn't read the description correctly and ended up getting velcro instead (aplix is the non-trade name of velcro). Overall, I love Blueberry diapers. I think that they fit Ryan well and the insert that comes with it is awesome, but a little bulky. I feel like this is another diaper that I can trust overnight.
Blueberry Minky One Size Snap Pocket - We have this diaper in the cow print and it's one of my favorites. It's the one that I like to show off to people. The pattern is so cute and I just love the minky! However, it is bulky and gives Ryan the pocket diaper bubble butt! It holds a lot and is another one of my favorites for naps and overnight.
Knickernappies Disposanots Pocket - I really like this diaper for during the day. It is really trim and side snapping. I haven't really has any problems with it, but I don't know how it'd hold up at night.
Green Acre Designs (GAD) Pocket - I love these diapers! They are trim and side snapping and come in a vast array of colors! They are sewn inside out and flipped so there are no edges that touch the baby, kind of like the Happy Heinys with the rolled edge. I've had issues with their hemp inserts slipping, so I've moved over to a microfiber and I'm still trying to figure out if its better or not. We have a gadimal and a windpro fleece which are breathable overnight diapers. I'm still in the process of figuring out if they work well or not, but I have to say that the gadimal is too cute!
Diaper Change Minkee Pocket - We've only gotten a chance to use this diaper once, but it held A LOT, so far I'm impressed. I bought it because it's minky and it was on sale. :) It's also side snapping, but along with the other minkys we own, it's a bit bulky.
Okay, I think that's it for now. I've got a few more diapers on the way (Rumparooz), one that I haven't washed yet (Swaddlebees AIO), and one more that I still want (Starbunz). Once we get a chance to go through them, I'll add my reviews. I think that once we've used the ones we have for awhile that I'll start thinning out my stash. Doesn't it sound like we've got a TON of diapers? Hehe...I've always loved variety. :)
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