New to CD'ing and these boards--where to go from here?

[4Cats]

Hi,

I've been lurking for some time on these boards but this is my first time posting. Thank you to everyone for all the helpful information and discussion that led to my and my DH's decision to switch to cloth!

This week we've begun CD'ing our 8-week old DS. Right now we have 7 small Fuzzi Bunz with cotton baby inserts and 5 Kissaluvs size 0 with terry/fleece boosters. I use a Bummis Super Whisper Wrap over the Kissaluvs combo.

We really like the Fuzzi Bunz so far, although they seem to have a slight quality control issue (discussed previously on these boards)--they seem to vary slightly in size, snap placement, etc... But all in all, it seems they fit well, do a good job of holding "stuff" in, and have room to grow. I really like the trimness, too.

Our problems are mainly with the Kissaluvs. The size 0 are supposed to last until 15 pounds, but on my DS (about 11-12 pounds at most) fills them out already. In particular, the fit is very "low rise" on him. They are great at holding in BF poo, but when he pees, it saturates the front in particular, and often seeps up through the cover resulting in the front of his clothes getting wet. I don't think he's a super heavy wetter (we rarely had pee-overflow in disposables). So I wonder if the problem is the fit of this diaper (i.e., too small) or just the general style of the diaper (too low rise)?

So, my questions are...

1. Is there a different fitted diaper/wrap combo that may provide more coverage/absorbency but is trimmer under clothers than the Kissaluvs? Or, should I go with a Kissaluvs size 1?

2. Are there other brands of pocket diapers that I might like, given that the FB's fit and work well for us?

3. Should I contact the merchant about one of the FB's which seems to be cut significantly narrower in the crotch than the others? I've washed this one (before I noticed it) but haven't used it yet.

I need to figure out what to buy next (yeah!) assuming I ditch the KL's 0's soon...


Thank you very much!

Best,
Kristin

[niccig]

Kristin,
Welcome to the boards and to CD. All the mothers here are a great resource. I use cloth because of this board. Keep posting anytime you have a question.

Your problems with Kissaluv 0s are very common. They're not as absorbent as other fitted diapers, but they work great with newborns as the poop, especially breastfed poop, is contained. You're normally changing them so often the absorbency isn't an issue. But it was for me, as my little man is a fire hose.

How often are you changing his diaper? Cloth isn't as absorbent as the chemical gel in a disposable, so you can't go for hours as some parents of sposie kids do. At your DS's age, I was making very frequent diaper changes. He's older so it's slowed down now to about every 2-3 hours.

Is he saturating the diaper in just one pee? If that's the case, you need more absorbency. You could try using a cloth doubler to increase the absorbency. I use hemp doublers with a top layer of microfleece. The hemp is more absorbent and the microfleece keeps his butt dry.

As for the fit of the kissaluvs, you really can't go by weight, measurements of thigh, waist and rise are more important. Your DS may have a long rise and outgrow diapers here before he reaches the weight limit. Try doublers and see if this gives you more use out of the kissaluvs. If not, sell them on one of the diaper swap boards to fund the next purchase.

I wouldn't try kissaluv 1s. Other fitted diapers you might like are sugarpeas, either front snap or side snap. They are easy to get. There are also plenty of other fitted diapers that we can suggest. If you post DS's measurements, it will give us a better idea of what would work.

As for pockets, I don't use them so I can't help. But someone else will be able to.

HTH
Nicci

[mudder17]

I second pretty much everything Nicci just said, especially the NOT going with K1s. Sugarpeas are easy to get and work quite well for many babies. The side-snapping ones work better for chunky thighs. I also love the Bijou Baby Gear basic hemp diapers. Awesome fit, very trim, quite absorbent. But as Nicci said, it will help us to have your DS's thigh (where the diaper hits the leg), waist, and rise to figure out a good diaper.

For pockets, well, it sort of depends on whether your DS is more on the chunky-thighed side or skinny mini. Baby Blankets (front aplix) work great for tall and thin babies, while I think Happy Heinies (I think I'm remembering that name correctly and I believe these are also front aplix) work better for chunky thighed babies. I'm a personal fan of Snap-EZ (front snap) because I love her workmanship and I think that they work well for chunky and skinny babies. Like FBs, you can adjust the thigh and waist separately. But they are lower-rise diapers (they are supposed to sit about an inch below the belly button). They fit my high-rise baby very well. And I love her fleece pockets. She's been working on keeping a bunch of things in stock, so it should be easier to get things from her then it would have been a few months ago. But they are more expensive than the others (but worth it for me). For all of these, I would stick to the solid colors instead of the prints because although the prints are cute, they tend to be less soft and are prone to wicking. For fleece pockets, there are the Snap-EZ, as I mentioned, as well as Ella Pockets (I think I'm remembering that correctly) and ApronstringBabyThings. I have no experience with the Ella Pockets, but as I said, I LOVE the Snap-EZ and I also like the Apronstrings. For trimness, I prefer Windpro fleece to the other stuff whose name currently escapes me (lol).

For the FB that is significantly different, yes, definitely contact the merchant, or better yet, call the MOE people (they don't seem to answer e-mail). I'm sure they'd be willing to replace it for you.

HTH and gives you a good start. Keep the questions coming. :)

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[4Cats]

Thanks for your replies!

I tried measuring my DS:

Thighs: 7.5 inches
Waist: 15 inches
Rise (wasn't sure how to do this so I went from the bottom of the "buttcheeks" (naked) to the height of his bellybutton): 5 inches

I don't think he's particularly skinny or chunky---he seems pretty average to me.

Like I said, the size S FB's work well for him. My DH suggested getting all FB's, but I think that would be way too boring (I've discovered it's FUN shopping for diapers)! We may stick with the FB's or other pockets--you mentioned some I'll look into, perhaps fleece ones--for daycare which starts in a few weeks, but for other times I want to investigate other fitted diapers and covers.

Sugar peas was mentioned, but how about Loveybums or SugarPlumBaby fitteds? From what you can tell, would these work for my DS? It seems they both have a selection of sherpa, velour, cotton, and hemp. Are any of these fabrics superior over the other or is it just personal preference? I'm looking for a trim option. Also, Loveybums had a large selection of wool covers which intrigued me. Are these nice? Trim?

Finally, I need to figure out a good nighttime set-up now that DS is sleeping occasionally for some 5.5 hour stretches (a record for him!). We've been using disposables at night mainly because we don't have enough FB's to get through the day (I wouldn't dare put him in a KL 0 overnight), but FB's do seem to be a popular choice for an overnight diaper.

Thanks again for your help!

Kristin

[niccig]

Kristin,

For the measurements, this is what I do:
The rise is from the belly button to the back at about the same height as the belly button. For a cloth diaper you measure your DC naked, but for a cover you measure over the diaper you will probably be using. Someone correct me if this is wrong.

If the measurements aren't listed on the site, I email the store/WAHM and ask before making a purchase. I've learnt the hard way. DS has chunky thighs and things often don't fit eventhough he's within the weight limits.

Your DS does sound pretty average, which gives you a lot of options. You may want to experiment with a few different styles of diapers until you find what you like best. This is the fun part of CD. If something doesn't work, you can sell the diaper on the swap boards. (Reminds me, I need to do this)

I suggested sugarpeas as they are easy to get. Other fitted diapers like Loveybums aren't always in stock. Sign up to either a store's email list or yahoo group to get advance notice of stockings. Have a look at the review section of diaperpin.com People rate different cloth diapers and covers and you can get an idea if they will work for your DC. Run a search on this board for the diaper and you can read what other people think.

You can also buy CD secondhand either through the BBB yahoo swap group (I think you need 50 posts before joining) or the diaper swap yahoo group. It can be an inexpensive way to try different diapers before making a large purchase.

Fabric choice is also preference. I like the softness of sherpa/velour but DS is a heavy wetter so we stick with all hemp.


Wool covers can be nice and trim, it depends on the style and type of wool. You may want to wait until DS is past the explosive poop stage. Cleaning that off wool wouldn't be much fun. I use wool, either covers or knitted soakers.

Night-time diapers - there are several diapers just for night-time use. I can't help here as we use disposables. DS pees more at night and so far only Huggies Overnights work.

HTH and keep asking questions. We'll help as we can.

Nicci

[mudder17]

Again, I agree with Nicci. :)

Your DS definitely sounds like an average baby, so you'll have some fun experimenting.

For fitted, a lot of people here seem to like all three a lot, but if I remember correctly, SugarPlumBaby's run on the small side, so you'll want to size up on them, while Sugarpeas run on the larger side. Still, my guess is your baby would be in a size 1 sugar peas or a small or medium side-snap (Kaya was in a size 1 and a medium at the same time).

Personally, Sherpa is soft, but it was never even close to being absorbent enough for Kaya, at least after the newborn stage. Every one of Kaya's diapers right now is either hemp or it's a pocket stuffed with hemp and MF. Since hemp is the most absorbent (IMO), you can also get them fairly trim. My absolute favorite diaper right now is a Sam's fitted, although they're not as trim as a Bijou Baby Gear, for example. But they're very cuddly, so I love them. My Kindhearted Women ones are also quite trim.

Wool? Well, I didn't have any wool for Kaya until she was over 4 months and her pooped had slowed down. It will work, obviously, but cleaning poop off wool (and I've had to do it every time we miscalculated and she had a stomach virus while wearing wool) is not always fun. Although my stretch wool cover from Angeldry (nice and trim) can actually go in the wash with my baby clothes. I would probably stick to fleece or nylon (or PUL, but I'm not a fan of PUL) until he gets out of the leaky poop stage.

For night time, I have two fitted options that have worked great for my heavy wetter, plus a pocket option and a fitted pocket option. Benjamuffin Nightdreamers and Very Baby Simply Nights (size up for night time) are awesome for night time for my very heavy wetter and I've never had a leak with them. I put an aristocrat wool cover or an Angeldry wool cover over them. The Apronstrings fleece pocket (300wt, sized up) stuffed with a Lizajane hemp insert + Zannadu microfiber towel also works great. And I just discovered a pocket fitted (lullaby dream pocket fitted) that will probably work well, once I figure out the stuffings. It's very cuddly soft! An FB would never have worked with Kaya, but it may work with your baby.

HTH!

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png
Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[4Cats]

Thanks again for the input! I'm waiting on some SugarPeas size 1 and some SugarPlumBaby fitteds to try. Many of the diapers I looked for (Benjamuffin, Bijou) were indeed hard to come by so hopefully I'll like these!

Meanwhile I have in my possession a Daisy Doodles (size small) and a Bum-Ware AIO (medium). The Daisy Doodles fits very loosely around my DS's legs--it doesn't "hug" his thigs, and there's a huge gap! Adding a doubler makes this worse. I have not yet actually used this diaper since I'm positive it would hold nothing in! Have other people found this to be the case? He's at the top of the weight range for Daisy Doodles (he's 12 lbs and the upper limit is 14), yet they seem big.

My question about the Bum-Ware AIO has to do with the confusing sets of snaps... Excuse my ignorance, but with am I supposed to be able to adjust the legs and waist separately (like with Fuzzy Bunz)? There is only one row of snaps on the wraparound/outer sides, but two rows on the inside front. Also, there are some snaps on the wraparound sides that apparently serve no function, since the actual functional snap part faces away from the diaper. Any insights here ;)?

Thanks again,
Kristin

[niccig]

I can't help, I've never used these diapers. You may want to repost this as a new post, as somepeople who can help may miss it at the bottom of your original thread.

Jaime at Bijou has a yahoo group. Join that and she'll let you know when she's stocking next.

Nicci