Need Some Recommendations for Reusable Dipers

Hi K.! I actually own a retail website specializing in cloth diapers. =-) I don't want to get too spammy here, but if you have any questions about all of the different brands and styles, I'd be happy to help you. I use cloth on both of my boys.

Also, I head-up a local cloth-diapering group with a very active message board. It's totally free and not a part of my business, so if you wanted to chat with about 70 cloth diapering moms in Southern California, feel free to join up! It's a great way to ask questions and get input from a ton of local CDing moms.

http://attachmentparenting.meetup.com/401/

Best of luck! =-)

M.
____@____.com

Bumkins are pretty darn good. I use disposables most of the time, but I have some hand-me-down bumkins that a friend gave me that I try to use whenever I get my act together enough to remember.

Also, if you choose to stay with disposables, it is totally worth buying them at Sams Club or Costco - they are so much cheaper. And finally, the Sams and Costco brand of diapers are really good - same quality as Huggies or Pampers.

Hey K.,

I have been using cloth diapers with my son for three months. I love the Bumgenius all in ones. I have mostly size medium now, and a few one sizes as well as a few fitteds and covers and prefolds and covers. I LOVE the bumgenius AIO. They are so easy to use. You don't need to stuff any inserts, or pull them out when they are wet/dirty... My husband even loves them, because they are easy to use. I think with your son being older you could probably buy a size large and he would stay in them for a long time. Maybe until he is potty trained. One con about them is that they take some time to dry in the dryer. I would also highly recomend diaperpin.com it's a great resource. anglebunz.com offers discounts for buying more.

Good luck and have fun!
D.

Hi K.,

I used Kushies (babycenter.com has the best prices) for several months. Although they are bulkier than disposables, as all reusable diapers are, they are all-in-ones. I tried using cloth diapers with various plastic covers including Bumpkins, but kushies are the most convenient. They are totally washable and fasten with velcro.

Recently I was researching gdiapers as well. There is a center toss-away (I imagine like a maxi pad or something). These should not be flushed if you are in the So Cal area as the water system cannot handle it. But you can dispose of the center and reuse the rest, which has a built-in liner and uses velcro. The appeal to this one for me is that the velcro seals in the back so it's less likely to be undone by a toddler - bonus! The reason I haven't invested in these yet is because my daughter has an allergy to rubber/ plastic like I do and I can't find these in a store. I need to look at it up close so I can investigate a little deeper.

That's my 2 cents! Good luck!

Bobbi-Lynn

Hi K.-
I have tried a bunch of different reusable diapers and my favorite by a long shot is BumGenius. They are great and easy to use- even my husband loves them- and he was sceptical about using cloth diapers. The best thing about them is that they are one size fits all- they are expandible so you dont need to keep buying new sizes as your baby grows. I have been using them for my son for over a year now and they are still in great shape. I plan to use them for our next baby too. At first I bought other kinds- like fuzzy bunz and bumkins- but my son grew so fast out of them and they are so expensive to use for such a short time.

I have about 18 Bumgenius diapers and that's all I need until he is out of diapers. They also come with newborn inserts now so they fit newborns much better. Lastly, my son is a heavy wetter at night so I bought a few double-stuffer inserts for nightime- they have been working really well- I think they are called Knickernappies-- also great. Hope that helps!
E.

Hi K.!

We've used cloth diapers since my 1 year old was born; just use disposables to go out.

We use the basic prefolds- they are the cheapest- with a waterproof cover that closes with velcro. I like them because they are cheap and very absorbent. In fact, sometimes her poo will blow out of the disposables but not the cloth! The downside is that the cloth diapers are bulky and don't fit as well under pants.

At night I use one-sized pocket diapers- these have a microfiber layer that sits against baby's skin and feels dry- no need for diaper cream and no diaper rash. so even if she wets all night long she feels dry. It's great! The brands I've tried are bum genius, happy heinys, and haute pockets. the happy heiny's are not as cute but now that i've used them i think they are the best compared to the others in terms of wear and ease of use. These are great because I bought one size to use for her whole diapering life!

I highly recommend you visit www.diaperpin.com- you'll find tons of reviews for all the different diapers, as well as a variety of prices and different websites. this is what i used and found very helpful.

Oh- if you buy the prefolds, they come in sizes. When you are pricing them, check the difference in price based on quantity. Some places also give free shipping if you buy enough. So I was strategic in my orders.

You can also call dydee diapers in pasadena- they sell them too- they might let you pick up an order (usually they ship ups).

Good luck!

Hi K.,

While not 100% reusable, I have been using gdiapers for my 9 month old daughter and we LOVE them! They are part reusable - part tossable. The tossable part is biodegradable/compostable. Its like having the environmentally friendly + comfort of cloth with the convenience of disposables all in one diaper. They are a 3 piece diaper: outer cover (soft with velcro closures), liner (keeps cover dry), insert (this part catches mess and is tossable). Having the ability to toss part of it is especially nice when you are away from home because you don't have to carry around a dirty diaper.
You can get them online at www.gdiapers.com or at Whole Foods. They have a starter kit for about $25 so you can try them out without large investment. If you like them, I suggest ordering online as it is cheaper to buy the refills by the case. You only need about 6 or 7 covers which come with 2 liners each.
Hope this helps and good luck with whatever option you choose.

I've been using Bum Genius (pocket kind) for 7months now and I love them! No blow outs, no diaper rash, and I'm still using the set I purchased when my baby was born. The diapers grow with your baby, so I find them to be economical and easy on the Earth.

Good luck!
E.

Thanks so much for asking the question. I am seriously considering as well to switch to reusable diapers just to be more eco friendly to the environment and friendly to our family budget. I looked on diapers.com that offers disposable and reusable, but I don't know of anyone that has had any experience.

I used DyDee Diaper service and enjoyed it. After a while, I chose to use prefolds and diaper covers, just because my Mother in Law had a bunch and I could do it for free. There are plenty of places to find gently used ones out there!
Also, consider checking into Elimination Communication - let your daughter eliminate in the toilet once in a while and you'll have MUCH fewer diapers in the short and long run! DiaperFreeBaby.org
We did it with our son and are planning on the same with babe #2 in Dec. Very relaxed, very easy, let me know if you want more info!

I used prefolds with covers, Fuzzi Bunz and Bumkins all in ones for my two kids. I purchased most of these about 5 years ago, so I'm sure there are other stuff out there but these were my favorites.

Best wishes,
M.

We have used only Fuzzi Bunz since our baby was born 14 months ago. We love them! the nice part is that you can put three absorptive liners in for night time and two just for the regular day time. We use only one liner when we know it's only an hour until bath time or something like that...

Cons.... Can't think of any. We have been super happy with them!

After months of research, we somewhat accidentally stumbled on Kushies for our 6 month old son. They come in two sizes and the infant size seems to fit well. They are fairly easy to clean and we do an extra load of laundry every few days. We love them so far, but are interested to see what happens once he starts solids. We just bought another set of them at an amazingly low price at Wal-Mart (!). Our 2 year old daughter wanted to try them yesterday so we put her in the larger size and she seems to be liking them, after always having been in disposables (Huggies from Costco). We hope this continues to encourage her to use the toilet. We like them much better than the diaper service we tried out when he was first born. I also have a friend who swears by Fuzzi Bunz. Best of luck!

bumgenius 3.0 are the best. They are one size with snaps to change size as they get older. I am on kid number 4, and tried bum genius, and I love them but it is hard to do them all the time with all the running around I do with the four kids...I have a couple of friends that have tried every brand and they love the bumgenius best too!!

I have a 7 month old baby boy and am using Bum Genius 3.0. They grow with your baby. I spent about $460 for a few day supply (before you have to wash) but the diaper adjusts. You won't have to buy disposables again. Go to cottonbabies.com. I love them and wish I used them with my first. I don't have leaks anymore than I did with disposables. The initial investment is a lot, but you will save overall. Good luck!!!

The BumGenius 3.0 One Size diapers are awesome! My friends and I swear by them!! You can check out www.cottonbabies.com for a deal. They have great prices (compared to everyone elae) and they provide a complimentary one year guarantee - having a problem? They'll replace them for free! Another idea is GDiapers... I think their web address is www.gdiapers.com! Have fun!! It is so great to live guilt free... and now my house doesn't evr smell like poopy diapers in the trash... YAY!!

Hi K.,

I've been cloth diapering for about 10 months now. I started about the same time as you, when my son was a year old. I've gone through MANY MANY MANY different brands of diapers and I am really just starting to settle into some that I love.
First of all, every person has their own preference in diapers. But some just really are better than other. Things you want to take into consideration are your child's body type and leg size another is general fit of a diaper. Some brands just make bulky diaper covers for whatever reason. When the diapers are too bulky or big they give the "bumble bee butt effect" and it looks like you stuffed a pillow into your child's diaper. They are not comfortable for baby to maneuver around in. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend Bumkins, the fit is just really bad and fort he price you can get AWESOME cloth diapers!
I saw someone mention bumGenius 3.0. They are great starter diapers and I think a lot of people start with those especially if you are like you or I, starting later in the game. They are SUPER easy to use with Velcro tabs so they are a lot like disposables but instead of throwing them away you wash and reuse them. Another great thing about them is that are are 1 size! So you don't have to purchase a bunch of sizes and spend tons of money. I'm definitely a fan of one size cloth diapers. That said though, bumGenius 3.0's are NOT long term diapers as the Velcro, eventually wears and it does so pretty fast! Also. The microfiber inserts are not so great. Good to start but not long lasting. I've heard and read that microfiber actually becomes less absorbent over time and it eventually traps in the smells even when you "strip" them (that's another conversation all together though). Its well worth the extra money to buy hemp inserts over micro ANYTIME! They actually get more absorbent over time and don't trap smells in. And they are just SUPER absorbent period! If you are not sure get a couple and try them at nap time and bed time! You'll be a believer once you've tried it after a micro night. :) You will also hear about Terry Cloth inserts. I wouldn't bother except to use over the diaper between diaper and skin if you need to use diaper cream or the like.
OK So after saying all that I just want to say my FAVORITE (right now) diapers are Mommy's Touch! You can get them with Velcro or snap tabs. Velcro is easier but snaps keep grabby little hands from ripping them off! It's a matter of preference. They also have such an amazing fit I am beside myself. They fit the most like disposables and even when stuffed (with hemp liner) they are perfect! No bumble bee butt, no cowboy walk. And both sides of the diaper where you put the insert into are open so when you wash them they agitate out in the wash and you don't have to dig the pee (or poo)filled insert out! ha ha
This is SOOOOO only the beginning of cloth diapering. There's prefolds with covers, which are WAY cheaper and not that difficult to use (you DON'T need diaper pins or special folding techniques to use them).
The best advice I would give you is to not marry a specific brand! Buy one of several diapers that look good to you and try them all. Trust me you will be surprised!
I was really lucky when I started cloth diapering, I had spent hours and hours hours on the internet researching to find the best one. Then through a friend I found a retail store near me (I live in Orange County) That sells Cloth Diapers! The store I went to was actually BELLY SPROUT in Fullerton which I saw mentioned above. This is really the way to go. You can go and see the different types they carry which is quite a few and feel them and have the experts that work there tell you about them. When I went it was so neat! There is a lounge area where moms go and just hang out and also classes etc. I was able to meet tons of people who cloth diaper and really learn all about it. I could even go back any time to get questions answered to help when I couldn't figure things out.
Honestly, should you get the chance you should go there and plan on spending at least 2 hours there (seriously!). They will go over EVERYTHING! It's worth the drive even once because they also have a website where you can order after.
I hope some of this helps and isn't too overwhelming. I like LOTS of detail to I give lots of detail! :) If you have anymore questions I'd be glad to answer them.

I have used Fuzzi Bunz diapers. I wasn't interested in cloth diapers, but with 2 babies in diapers, spending $60 a month - when a friend told me how easy these were, I decided to go for it. They are almost as easy as disposables, it only requires an extra load of laundry every few days (but no folding or anything else).

They are not cheap (I bought mine new and they "paid for themselves" in about 6 months), but if you want to look for used diapers, you can get a better deal - if that does not gross you out. You could check eBay or Craigslist (that's where I'm trying to sell off some of my supply since my oldest potty trained, I haven't seen other listings on Craigslist in my area, but they come and go on eBay all the time).

I friend of mine has been cloth diapering for 3 1/2 years and really likes Motherease, but I haven't checked them out myself so I don't know what to tell you about them. All I know is that they are not as expensive as Fuzzi Bunz and she is very happy with them. Another friend of mine has been working on switching to cloth and she really likes the Bum Genius - the one drawback with those that my other friend shared with me is that the velcro does not last forever (as opposed to snaps that last longer).

Hope this helps!

There are so many options for cloth diapering! I'm not a store or anything unlike some of the previous posters, but I can reccommend a few good online shops.

First off, to get reviews on diapers, visit diaperpin.com

I've ordered from a few different online stores and my favorite is greenmountaindiapers.com
cottonbabies.com has a good customer service policy, and if you can sew even a little using a machine, you can make your own diapers. There are many suppliers of diaper-making supplies online, or you can use simple things like old t-shirts, towels, receiving blankets and then buy covers.

I've tried a few types of diapers (there are so many!): prefolds with PUL (polyurethane laminate) covers (yeah, like mom used to use but now you don't need to mess with sharp pins), pocket diapers, fitted diapers with covers, prefolds or fitteds with wool covers... There are also all-in-ones (AIO), one-size pockets and AIOs, and I'm sure there are others.

How you diaper your child can be a very personal decision, and with cloth diapering you may find that you LOVE the options! Many moms are actually addicted to cloth diapers because they come in such cute designs! Do a little research to figure out cost benefits (you can quickly spend more on these than you might on disposables but with cloth, you can re-sell them!), and to decide what will work best for you and your family.

I prefer any pocket diapers like poocket change or fuzzi bunz. They are so easy!11

If you are a Costco member I recommend buying the Kirkland Signature brand. These are manufactured by huggies, but at a warehouse price.

Come to my store!! I have a natural mothering store (Belly Sprout)in Fullerton and we were the first in the entire region (I am talking San Diego to Los Angeles!!) that has a FULL range of cloth diapers and accessories. We offer clinics once a month, but are also able to help get someone started during our store hours. We have online articles and are re-doing our website to load all of the diapers we carry, but please check us out at www.bellysprout.com.

I clothed both of my boys, now 4 1/2 and 3 and really tried EVERYTHING out there. With my first I used pre-folds and wraps until I discovered pocket diapers when he was around 4 months old. I loved them but the fit was off as he had scrawny legs! With my second I used a combo, but found pocket diapers easier as he was practically jumping off the bed when I changed him. I used bumGenius, Fuzzi Bunz, Haute Pockets and Pocket Change. There are no even more to choose from than when I started!

I find most parents coming to me like to try a combo. Once you decide which TYPE of diapers best suit your family/lifestyle, then I can actually help you decide on which brands and how many. Everything we have in the store is high-quality and are excellent choices, so you are in good hands. Every mamas has their favorites( Imse Vimse, Bumkins, Mommy's Touch, etc.) and you will too. It is really much easier than you think and the ability for you to go to a physical store is a bonus, as you will be able to touch and feel.

Please, please contact me as I can walk you through the whole process. The benefits of each diapers, added features, how to trouble shoot, the difference between hemp and bamboo and even the best detergent to use. I get emails all the time asking about cloth diapers!We get shipments every week and are even getting a new, exciting soap that I am sure the mamas will gobble up!

I love cloth and could go on and on, so just contact me or come in! We have classes, workshops and other hard-to-find items for mama (A non-toxic Beauty Bar filled with skincare and makeup) and child. It is really a sweet space!

www.bellysprout.com