egoldber
10-28-2002, 10:10 PM
I promised to post the results of my cloth diaper experiment and here it is! As usual, I’m pretty long winded (sorry!). If anyone else has any cloth diapers they can review I would love to read about it!
Overall I have found that I really enjoy cloth diapering. It is actually (I think) rather fun. There are so many options and varieties available, it is much more fun and interesting than the “Pampers, Huggies or store brand dilemma!!” On the other hand, the fact that there are so many choices available makes getting started really overwhelming for the newbie. Also, the only cloth diapering supplies you are likely to find in your local stores are garbage, so you are pretty much limited to on-line shopping.
I figure I will use fitteds with covers about half the time, All in Ones when out and prefolds when I run low on fitteds at home. The fitteds will mostly be Motherease Onesize diapers (that I hope I will be able to use again with baby #2). My main nighttime diaper will be Motherease Sandies. I have placed two "large" orders and when they arrive I will have about 3 dozen diapers and 7 covers.
Prefolds: I tried the bleached Chinese prefolds from naturalbabies.com. I tried premium and regular. The regular are almost too small for Sarah, so I ordered more premiums. These aren’t as bad as I thought they’d be, but I don’t prefer them. I was using the "traditional/angel wing" fold to start with and they were too bulky in front. I then read about a bikini fold, and that seems to work really well for Sarah. A premium fits perfectly in the medium/large Motherease Airflow cover. My prefold "system" is a premium prefold with the bikini fold, held together with a Snappi in a ME Airflow cover. Here’s a good link to some folds: http://www.dy-dee.com/html/Folding/folding.html
Fitteds: These are great and will be my mainstay. Easy to use and not as expensive as AIOs. Would be OK for out and about, but an AIO makes struggling with the fold down changing station in the Target ladies room MUCH easier.
I have tried these fitteds: Kissaluvs, Kushies Classic, Motherease Sandies, Motherease Onesize
Kissaluvs: These are really nice, very plush and absorbent and very easy to use, but the size 1 is snug on her now, even though she is within the weight range. I am ordering one in a size 2 also just to try, but in general I am going with the ME Onesize over these because of the re-use factor. But since I will still need some newborn fitteds whenever baby#2 arrives, when that time comes, I will definitely try the Kissaluvs Newborn (size 0).
Kushies Classic: I liked this OK, but not as well as the Kissaluvs which are less expensive. I love the feel of the flannel exterior, but the interior flannel in these takes much longer to dry than does the terry/fleece in other fitteds I tried. I have seen these in BuyBuyBaby stores, so they are more readily available for registries if a BBB is in your area.
Motherease Sandies: These are another very plush and easy to use diaper, (I see why KathyO really likes them) with snap sides, which I find easier to use in general. The Large size fits perfectly on Sarah right now on the smallest setting, so she has plenty of room to grow into them. They are a little more expensive than the ME Onesize. I find I don’t need a liner/doubler during the day. With a Sandy liner they are great for nighttime (if a bit bulky). I will order some of these to use as my nighttime diaper. I am going with the Onesize over the Sandies for most of the time, again because of the re-use factor. These are not trim fitting at all and give baby a big bubble butt. I LOVE these diapers and hope I don’t regret ordering more Onesizes instead.
ME Onesize: These are a great, easy to use diaper. Not as plush as the Sandy and I need to use the Snap-in liner pretty much all the time. But they work fine for daytime. They are supposed to go from newborn (well 10-12 pounds) to 35 pounds, so I hope to get a lot of use from these both with Sarah and with a next baby (or two :) ).
AIOs I tried: Kushies Ultra AIO, Bumkins, Motherease, Fuzzibunz
Kushies Ultra (AIO): This is a relatively inexpensive and very easy to use all in one. It works OK for me, but again takes a long time to dry due to the flannel. It has a very "plasticky" smell though and is not a favorite. For a dollar or two more, I would buy Bumkins. The nice thing is I found I didn’t need a doubler for absorbancy even for naps, because they have a built in one.
Bumkins AIO: This an easy to use diaper. Great for reluctant DHs and to show off to mommy friends how "easy" cloth is. They are not the most absorbent in the world, but OK. Great for the diaper bag. I have no trouble getting them dry.
Motherease AIO: These are very plush and I love them. They have the side snaps that I prefer over the velcro or front snaps. They are rather expensive. I love the look on the baby though (I find I am coming to love the cloth diaper big bubble butt!).
FuzziBunz: Not really an AIO, but an AIO type. These really do work very well and have a great feel. But, I found it to be a pain to “stuff” the diaper, I would much rather lay in or snap in a liner. Also, they are astronomically expensive at $15 a diaper PLUS you have to buy the inserts separately. You can use a prefold as an insert, but many people prefer using two Fuzzibunz microfiber terry inserts (at $4.50 each) or two JoeyBunz (by BabyKicks for $4.75 each) so you end up with a $20 diaper. I didn’t like them THAT well and won’t be buying more unless I find a need for them.
Covers: Bummis, Prorap, Motherease Airflow, Motherease Rikki, Kushies
The Bummis Super Whisper Wrap with Velcro are quite nice, but I can’t seem to fit a premium prefold in a medium cover. (These were the best Velcro cover I tried). Fitted diapers seem to fit just fine in this cover though. I REALLY like the Motherease Airflow cover, but I can’t seem to get the Motherease Rikki wrap to work for me at all. I also used a Proraps, which is inexpensive and OK, but not great. But many people like them. The Kushies worked just fine, but seemed very cheaply made compared to the others.
Yikes, this got long! I'll post again with more info about inserts, liners, etc.
Overall I have found that I really enjoy cloth diapering. It is actually (I think) rather fun. There are so many options and varieties available, it is much more fun and interesting than the “Pampers, Huggies or store brand dilemma!!” On the other hand, the fact that there are so many choices available makes getting started really overwhelming for the newbie. Also, the only cloth diapering supplies you are likely to find in your local stores are garbage, so you are pretty much limited to on-line shopping.
I figure I will use fitteds with covers about half the time, All in Ones when out and prefolds when I run low on fitteds at home. The fitteds will mostly be Motherease Onesize diapers (that I hope I will be able to use again with baby #2). My main nighttime diaper will be Motherease Sandies. I have placed two "large" orders and when they arrive I will have about 3 dozen diapers and 7 covers.
Prefolds: I tried the bleached Chinese prefolds from naturalbabies.com. I tried premium and regular. The regular are almost too small for Sarah, so I ordered more premiums. These aren’t as bad as I thought they’d be, but I don’t prefer them. I was using the "traditional/angel wing" fold to start with and they were too bulky in front. I then read about a bikini fold, and that seems to work really well for Sarah. A premium fits perfectly in the medium/large Motherease Airflow cover. My prefold "system" is a premium prefold with the bikini fold, held together with a Snappi in a ME Airflow cover. Here’s a good link to some folds: http://www.dy-dee.com/html/Folding/folding.html
Fitteds: These are great and will be my mainstay. Easy to use and not as expensive as AIOs. Would be OK for out and about, but an AIO makes struggling with the fold down changing station in the Target ladies room MUCH easier.
I have tried these fitteds: Kissaluvs, Kushies Classic, Motherease Sandies, Motherease Onesize
Kissaluvs: These are really nice, very plush and absorbent and very easy to use, but the size 1 is snug on her now, even though she is within the weight range. I am ordering one in a size 2 also just to try, but in general I am going with the ME Onesize over these because of the re-use factor. But since I will still need some newborn fitteds whenever baby#2 arrives, when that time comes, I will definitely try the Kissaluvs Newborn (size 0).
Kushies Classic: I liked this OK, but not as well as the Kissaluvs which are less expensive. I love the feel of the flannel exterior, but the interior flannel in these takes much longer to dry than does the terry/fleece in other fitteds I tried. I have seen these in BuyBuyBaby stores, so they are more readily available for registries if a BBB is in your area.
Motherease Sandies: These are another very plush and easy to use diaper, (I see why KathyO really likes them) with snap sides, which I find easier to use in general. The Large size fits perfectly on Sarah right now on the smallest setting, so she has plenty of room to grow into them. They are a little more expensive than the ME Onesize. I find I don’t need a liner/doubler during the day. With a Sandy liner they are great for nighttime (if a bit bulky). I will order some of these to use as my nighttime diaper. I am going with the Onesize over the Sandies for most of the time, again because of the re-use factor. These are not trim fitting at all and give baby a big bubble butt. I LOVE these diapers and hope I don’t regret ordering more Onesizes instead.
ME Onesize: These are a great, easy to use diaper. Not as plush as the Sandy and I need to use the Snap-in liner pretty much all the time. But they work fine for daytime. They are supposed to go from newborn (well 10-12 pounds) to 35 pounds, so I hope to get a lot of use from these both with Sarah and with a next baby (or two :) ).
AIOs I tried: Kushies Ultra AIO, Bumkins, Motherease, Fuzzibunz
Kushies Ultra (AIO): This is a relatively inexpensive and very easy to use all in one. It works OK for me, but again takes a long time to dry due to the flannel. It has a very "plasticky" smell though and is not a favorite. For a dollar or two more, I would buy Bumkins. The nice thing is I found I didn’t need a doubler for absorbancy even for naps, because they have a built in one.
Bumkins AIO: This an easy to use diaper. Great for reluctant DHs and to show off to mommy friends how "easy" cloth is. They are not the most absorbent in the world, but OK. Great for the diaper bag. I have no trouble getting them dry.
Motherease AIO: These are very plush and I love them. They have the side snaps that I prefer over the velcro or front snaps. They are rather expensive. I love the look on the baby though (I find I am coming to love the cloth diaper big bubble butt!).
FuzziBunz: Not really an AIO, but an AIO type. These really do work very well and have a great feel. But, I found it to be a pain to “stuff” the diaper, I would much rather lay in or snap in a liner. Also, they are astronomically expensive at $15 a diaper PLUS you have to buy the inserts separately. You can use a prefold as an insert, but many people prefer using two Fuzzibunz microfiber terry inserts (at $4.50 each) or two JoeyBunz (by BabyKicks for $4.75 each) so you end up with a $20 diaper. I didn’t like them THAT well and won’t be buying more unless I find a need for them.
Covers: Bummis, Prorap, Motherease Airflow, Motherease Rikki, Kushies
The Bummis Super Whisper Wrap with Velcro are quite nice, but I can’t seem to fit a premium prefold in a medium cover. (These were the best Velcro cover I tried). Fitted diapers seem to fit just fine in this cover though. I REALLY like the Motherease Airflow cover, but I can’t seem to get the Motherease Rikki wrap to work for me at all. I also used a Proraps, which is inexpensive and OK, but not great. But many people like them. The Kushies worked just fine, but seemed very cheaply made compared to the others.
Yikes, this got long! I'll post again with more info about inserts, liners, etc.