I know there are several people who are curious about cloth diapering. Some are curious because they are considering cloth diapering their own children and others are curious because they think I'm crazy :) So I wanted to share my cloth diapering experience (thus far) in more detail for those who are curious (whatever your reasoning may be ;). There are tons of retailers, tons of types/styles and tons of brands which means there are tons of options! This may take me a few posts to fit in all the information. Plus, I'm new to this so I'm sure I'll learn something new and have to write about that too. I don't want to go into too, too much detail because that would probably just be information overload, but I do have to give a little bit of background information. So, here's the AIO's- "All In Ones" The name speaks for itself. This diaper has the liner, fleece, and cover all wrapped up into one convenient diaper. You just throw the whole diaper into the pail after each change. This is basically the cloth version of a disposable diaper. The pro's to this system is that it's easy to use. No stuffing or folding and you don't have to touch a dirty insert. I would consider this system to be the most expensive way to cloth diaper. For this reason, I have not tried an AIO and I probably won't. (But who knows, maybe one day I'll give them a try) I don't have a lot to say about AIO's because, like I said, I've never used one. Pocket Diapers- For the longest time I couldn't figure out what the big difference between AIO's and Pocket diapers was. I finally came to the conclusion that there really isn't a big difference between the two. Pocket diapers simply have a slit in the back of the diaper so that you can remove the middle absorbent insert. After I spent all that time figuring out the difference, then I thought, "Wait, why would I want that?" So after more research and pondering I realized it is to speed up the drying time in the dryer. SO AIO's and Pocket diapers are very similar. AIO's and Pocket diapers range from $15 to $25 each. Since the whole diaper get's washed after each use you need enough diapers to last a couple of days which can get a little costly. AI2 and Hybrid diapers- AI2- yep, you guessed it... stands for "All in Two" diapers. Soft Bums Soft Bums would be considered an "All in Two" or hybrid diaper. It is a one size diaper which means it is made to fit from birth to potty training. The size is adjusted by two little drawstrings which tighten the leg gussets. What I paid: Brown Shell: $21.95 Dry touch pod: $4.95 Super dry touch pod: $5.95   The fuzzy lining is both a pro and a con for me. I like the softness of the liner against baby's skin, but it obviously can't just be wiped out if it gets wet.  The Super dry touch pod looks huge but it's nice because you can just fold it up and it doubles the absorbency!  see!...  The Dry touch pod just sits in as well.  This is a pretty cute diaper and not too bulky  Ooooh nice blurry picture, Hil. Besides showing you an out of focus picture... I was trying to show the leg gusset. As you can kind of see, the soft fleece lining comes out right around the leg. I was concerned this would mean more leaks, but it actually hasn't so far.  Caius get's his tummy time in while his crazy mom makes him try on diapers :)   .............................................. Prefolds: Prefold diapers and a diaper cover is most like traditional way to cloth diaper... ... Actually... It IS the traditional way to cloth diaper with some minor changes This is the most cost effective way to cloth diaper! Thirsties Duo Wrap Duo Wrap: $13.25 Thirsties Prefold: $7.75 Imagine "Smart fit" Prefold: $1.50  The Thirsties wrap is like the new rubber pants. Although, I've never actually seen rubber pants I can assume they were similar. Rubber pants sounds uncomfortable though.  the inside is lined with a PUL waterproof lining that can be wiped out in between diaper changes. You can use a tradition diaper wrapped around baby and secured with snappis or pins, a Thirsties insert (or any insert), or a flat diaper like this one... As you can see, this is the Thirsties brand flat diaper, but you could use any prefold diaper you want.  fold once  then twice  fan it out a little in the back to cover up the buns  ...and you are good to go. The double leg gussets are definitely a good thing to have.  Ha, I got his diaper on a little crooked :)
I have only used Thirsties covers but there are tons of other brands of covers that I am sure work just as well. Econobum, Flip diapers, GroVia, Weehuggers, Rumparooz, Bumkins, and Blueberry diaper covers to name a few. I should be getting an Econobum and flip diaper in the mail today, so I will see how those work :) .............................................. Best Bottom Now, if I would've just stuck to my first gut instinct I would've just ordered Best Bottom diapers and called it a day. I asked around and posted on a few diaper pages to see if this was a good idea and most people said NOT to go with just one type of diaper until I had tried a few out. That being said, I probably would've been fine just buying Best Bottom diapers. So far I really like the one I have. Cover: $16.95 Insert: $3.95 Package deal: $235.86 (9 shells and 24 inserts... which, if you are wondering, would be PLENTY. I could probably go three days in between washing with this package) Out of all the colors I could've ordered, why did I order white? I have no idea. It's kind of a bore. Anyways, this would be considered a hybrid diaper...   It is a one size diaper, so you can use it from tiny to toddler. You can choose between a hemp insert or a cotton microfiber insert. There are small, medium and large sized inserts.  As you can see, it looks very similar to the Thirsties diaper. One difference is that the best bottom has two layers of PUL material so it may be a little longer lasting.  Another difference (and it's a BIG difference in my opinion) is that the liners SNAP into the covers! So, there is no shifting. Which is nice.  You could also use a traditional diaper in this cover as well   I will say, there is something about this diaper that fits kind of funny. It just looks weird when the babies are still tiny. I don't think it looks funny under clothes though, so it doesn't bother me.  double leg gussets awww... squishy Caius leg   I haven't found anything to complain about with the Best Bottom diaper thus far. I really like them. Pending what I think of the two diapers arriving today, I will probably go with Best Bottoms. I haven't quite convinced my brother-in-law that cloth diapering IS indeed more cost effective so out of curiosity I've put together some price comparisons. My prices are based on www.nickisdiapers.com's prices. For nine covers and twenty-four diapers/inserts... Thirsties covers and Thirsties stay dry inserts: $278.01 Thirsties covers and Imagine "Smart Fit" prefold diapers: $158.25 Best Bottom shell and Stay dry insert: $235.86 Flip cover and Flip insert: $244.35 Flip cover and Imagine "Smart Fit" prefold diapers: $173.55 Econobum: $104.55 Hopefully that was a little helpful for those curious people. Casey, did I convince you?? :) Like I said, there are tons of options and I am only highlighting the ones I'm interested in or have already tried. So, if you are seriously considering cloth diapering definitely look around and find what you like because the options are endless. I could keep writing, but my house is a mess and I've got a husband to feed... or maybe we'll just have take-out tonight :P Here are some sites that I have found helpful in my cloth diaper quest. Where to start?
Where to buy?
...and... Youtube!! There are so many cloth diaper videos! After all the reading I did I would just go to handy-dandy Youtube and type in "Best Bottom review", "Thirsties vs Flip" etc. and I would see what other mom's had to say about each brand. Very handy! One last thing... I was curious about where the poop goes and no one would just say it! Maybe it's obvious to everyone else, but I looked and looked and looked online for someone to just tell me in detail where the poop goes. Now I know! So I'm going to tell you in case you were wondering too. It goes in the toilet! :) Little new babies, like Caius, obviously don't put out anything toilet worthy, but when babies start solids you can just toss it in the pot. I also have a diaper sprayer that hooks to the back of your toilet's plumbing so you can just spray down the diaper into the toilet. There, I've put it out there. Now you know. Phew, that felt good :P Overall, I've really enjoyed cloth diapering and it's not gross or icky. Soon I will decide on the diaper I like the most and I will finish buying the rest of my stash so I have a couple days of wiggle room in between washes. Then, maybe, I'll stop talking about it :) I might even go as far as to say... it's kind of fun. (I can hear the experienced-moms chuckling and saying, "Oh, honey... that's cute... you'll see.") --------------------------- Well, that's it. That's the poop on cloth diapering. Oh, and Clinton, it looks like carry-out tonight!  | ||
Friday, February 10, 2012
What's the poop
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:) I love our AI1. It holds the most pee pee and is super easy to wash. The liner just comes right out in the washer, I don't have to pull it out. I also do my wash at night and usually by the morning all my diapers are dry, including the AI1.
ReplyDeleteGood post, Hilary. Hopefully you've convinced some people, or at least your sis and brother in law! :)