Okay, so we decided to go ahead and do cloth diapers for this little kid of ours. I would love to say it was born out of my deep, abiding passion to save the environment and free it from the evils of disposables (and to a certain extent, that certainly was a factor). But really it was to save money. Piles and piles of money. Because
frick diapers are expensive. Now, I was hesitant because she's going to go to daycare, and most places won't do cloth. But I thought it was worth a shot to at least go part time. Plus, cloth diapers these days are
super cute.
A lot of people have been asking me about it, so I've spent a billion hours doing research and writing this post. There are loads of options for you these days if you want to go cloth, many of which are on the pricier side (you should know, though, that you will spend upwards of $2000-2500 in disposables...no cloth diaper choice will go anywhere near that). So in the beginning I opted for the cheapest route, which is pre-folds and covers. Big time money saver (if you wanted to you could diaper your kid for about $100, and it would last them until potty training), but it had some drawbacks (which I will get to later). I realized I had some money left over in Target gift cards from baby showers and whatnot, and Target sells a few different brands of cloth diapers online, so I bought one of each of those. From there was born my idea: to get one of each of a couple of the most recommended and trusted brands of cloth diapers, try them out, then commit to my favorite. Then I had my second idea: to tell you about it in case you wanted to try cloth diapers. I realize you could do all the research I did and come to your own conclusions. But my research will have pictures of my cute baby sporting all of the different diapers, so...obviously this post is the clear winner. You'll probably still want to do your own research, though...especially if you're nerdy and research gives you a little nerd high. Not that I know anything about that.
I should tell you that we don't have piles of money, so I am presenting a limited review here. There are many other brands that you could go with. I just went with the three that had been recommended to me the most when I decided I wanted to go cloth. They also seem to be the three of the most easily obtained (which is one of my criteria for selection). But hey--any other cloth diaper brands out there that also want me to review your product, feel free to send me some. :) Also: I've only been doing this for a month with a newborn. So I can only attest to how each diaper works for an average-sized newborn, and how well each diaper holds up for a short time.
Speaking of criteria for selection, let's talk about what I consider to be the most important factors in choosing a cloth diaper:
Ghetto Booty. Um, no one told me that cloth diapers would give my baby a serious badonkadonk. So this factor involves how ghetto my baby's booty is. I'm going to be honest with you--this is a major factor for me. Yes, that makes me shallow and superficial. But as you will see, certain cloth choices make my daughter look laughable. We even made up a song about it, and it's called "Ghetto Diaper Booty." Ask Ben to sing it for you. So this is rated on a scale from 1-5, 1 being trim enough to go to South Coast Plaza and 5 being J-Lo (That was so offensive. I'm sorry for being insensitive. But notice I haven't deleted it).
Ghetto Blaster. Besides being the term my dad uses to describe a boombox, this is also the factor that involves how well the diaper contains the booty blasts of a breastfed newborn. My daughter tests this one to the limit, so you can trust the rating here. I can hear her ghetto blasts from the other side of the house. Sheesh. On a scale of 1-5. 1 being the ability to contain a nuclear blast, 5 being you spend the afternoon hosing down and disinfecting your house as well as the diaper and the baby.
Washability. This one's based on both ease of wash and whether or not it actually gets clean. Disclaimer here: the poo of a breastfed newborn is water soluble, and therefore much easier to clean than that of a formula-fed baby or one who's on solids. As my baby will not consume anything but breastmilk for a few more months, I cannot attest to washability past this stage. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being easy and clean, 5 being why would you spend this much effort cleaning a diaper that refuses to be clean.
Ease of Use. Pretty self-explanatory, here. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being even dad can do it, 5 being you'd better want changing diapers to be your full-time job because it will be.
Wallet Abuse. This is how far it's going to set you back to commit to this option. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being it saves you enough money to buy yourself a new car, 5 being you might as well throw your money into a furnace.
Ease of Purchase. How easy or hard it is to get your paws on it. For me, I'm a fan of Amazon and Target. So to get a good score I'd need to be able to buy it there, or maybe at Babies R Us (which is farther away). Here's the sad truth: unless you go the old fashioned bird's eye prefolds and rubber pants, you're probably going to have to work a little harder to get your diapers. Target doesn't sell any modern ones in their store, and they only offer three different brands online, and in limited options. Babies R Us sells one brand in store and just a few online, again in limited options. Which means if you were to want to register for cloth diapers, you probably won't get any unless you specifically tell people, "please go online and order me cloth diapers for my gift." Few people buy off people's registries online, so just keep that in mind. However, there are many, many online cloth diaper retailers, some of which even offer free shipping (I hate paying shipping--I feel like it's a big waste of money, so this is a factor for me). Many of these online retailers even offer registries. So...it's not impossible to get quality, modern cloth diapers. It's just that the big retailers don't really carry much. Which is a bummer, because it really would be nice to be able to see and feel the diapers before buying them. But, at the same time, buying online means you can shop in your pj's. So this is on a scale of 1-5, 1 being it can be found quickly and easily without doing too much damage to your car mileage or your patience, 5 being you might as well walk to Russia because it would be easier and faster. With the ratings below, I will let you know if you can get them at Target, Amazon, or Babies R Us. Assume you can get all of them at online cloth diaper stores and hippie baby stores (the closest one to me is in Newport, called
Granola Babies. I've never been there, although I plan to make a trip soon when it changes locations.) Diapers.com also has a good selection of different cloth diapers.
Clearly my rating system is aiming for a golf score, where low is good. I don't know why, that's just how I ended up typing it. Just go with it.
Random Notes: Of the brands I've selected, two (BumGenius and Fuzzibunz) have both sized and one-size options. This means that you can purchase a new set of diapers for each size (usually xs-xl, just like clothes) or a one-size fits all that can theoretically be used from birth to potty. The one-size diapers have various snaps that allow you to make the diaper larger or smaller. The Thirsties brand offers a sized option and a duo option--two sizes from birth to potty. Here's the deal: yes, the covers snap to be pretty compact. But the inserts and/or prefolds are typically just one size (or two, for the ones I picked). This is okay, because you can fold them over. But you end up with a good amount of bulk shoved into the "small" cover.
Sized covers/diapers...pros: trimmer fit, less likely to leak, less bulky, last longer because they're used less. cons: more pricey, because you have to re-invest every six months or so.
One-size covers/diapers...pros: cheaper because you theoretically only have to buy once. cons: because of all the snapping of the covers and folding of the inserts/prefolds, they're gigantic and bulky on a little one.
Also, for both Thirsties and BumGenius there are snap and velcro options.
Velcro...pros: easy peasy, perfect sizing. cons: doesn't hold up as well as the snaps (although I'm only using mine for the one kid, so that may not be a big deal for me)
Snaps...pros: last longer. cons: can get difficult with a squirmy baby, sizing can get awkward.
So there you go. Armed with my ridiculously subjective scales and criteria, you will understand my reviews. Feel free to now read and choose your favorite diaper based on what criteria are most important to you. And now, at last, the diapers.
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| From top to bottom, left to right, like you're reading a book: Thirsties duo wrap with prefold, BumGenius Flip, Thirsties duo wrap with Thirsties duo insert, BumGenius 4.0, FuzziBunz one-size, Thirsties Duo Diaper size one, FuzziBunz Perfect Size small, BumGenius 3.0 size small. (all are adjusted to their smallest size) |
Basic Option:
Pre-folds and covers. This is what you think of when someone says "cloth diapers," except that these days the covers are cuter. I use
Thirsties duo wraps and
osocozy prefolds (I got these because they have two sizes, whereas most prefolds are a gigantic one-size). Both of these come in two sizes. I also have one
sized wrap. Pros: Cheap cheap cheap. I think I got two day's worth of diapers and covers for about $100.
BumGenius also has a wrap (as do several other brands), although I haven't tried it. You can do whatever you want for prefolds--there are at least a dozen options, a few of which can be purchased at Target or wherever. Most stores don't carry the nice covers, but you can get the old fashioned rubber pants at Target, Babies R Us, and whatnot. If you go that route your bill will be crazy cheap. But if you can afford it, I'd go with the nicer wraps. Note: you have to change baby frequently, because prefolds don't wick away moisture, making diaper rash likely if you don't change often enough. But if you check every hour or two, you should be good.
Ghetto Booty...4. Seriously, these things are huge on my newbie.
Ghetto Blaster...2. I've never had the tiniest bit of poop or pee come out of the cover. Amazing. But it gets a 2 instead of a 1 because the poop gets everywhere inside the cover, into the creases of the leg gussets. This is because the diaper itself doesn't get good coverage. So while I've never had to clean or throw out an outfit because of it, clean-up can be a hassle.
Washability...2. All of the cloth diaper options require a cold wash, hot wash, and extra cold rinse. For someone whose laundry machines are outside and downstairs in the garage, this is a lot of steps. BUT they get clean. The prefolds have stained a little, but I don't really care because you never see them. The white covers have stained a little, mostly just on the inside. Also, you should know that cloth diapers take a loooong time to dry. The covers go fast, but the inserts and pre-folds take quite a while. I alternate line-drying and machine drying to help them last, get out the stains, and keep them soft.
Ease of Use...4. These bad boys are kind of a pain. Once you get used to them, it's not a big deal. But when you change 12 diapers a day (cause that's what those crazy newborns need), it gets annoying. I think if I were to have tried to go full-time forever on these, I would have quit.
Wallet Abuse...1. Stinking cheap. That's what makes them a good newborn option, despite the work. The covers are $12.99 each (for two days' worth you'll need about a half dozen), and the prefolds I get are $11.99 for a half dozen (for two days' worth you'll need about two dozen). You can get cheaper prefolds. I bought all mine on Target and Amazon, so I didn't have to pay shipping. And don't forget the
Snappis (little fasteners...or you can get pins if you really want). Those were about $8 for a 3-pack.
Ease of Purchase...2. You can buy them at Target.com or Amazon. However, if you don't feel like you need or want the cool covers or service-quality pre-folds, you can get everything you need at any store that has baby stuff.
Hybrid Options:
Hybrid cloth diapers use a cover, like Thirsties DuoWrap or BumGenius Econobum, and inserts. There are no pockets to stuff, but you also don't have to use pre-folds and snappis. Pros: You don't need that many covers because the covers don't get soiled with every diaper, really only the poopy ones. So it saves you a little money. Also, you can stuff it with whatever you want. Most inserts are made of either microfiber or hemp. Secret: you don't have to use the same brand of insert as the cover. Put whatever you want in there. A BumGenius cover with Thirsties inserts, vise versa, a prefold, or grab the nearest microfiber dust rag. Whatever. Also, many inserts are stay-dry, which means they wick away moisture and reduce diaper rash. Cons: Messy like prefolds and covers; the inserts can get pricey.
BumGenius Flip. This comes in one-size. When you order, you get the cover and an insert, and you can buy packs of additional inserts. The nice thing about these is that they make three different kinds of inserts: stay-dry (the top layer wicks away moisture like a disposable, so baby doesn't feel so wet and is less likely to get a rash), disposable (good for travel), and organic.
Ghetto Booty...4. On my newborn, enormous. Laughable. Hopefully trimmer when she gets bigger.
Ghetto Blaster...2. See comments for prefolds and covers. The mess stays in the cover, but it gets pretty full and messy in there.
Washability...2. See comments for prefolds and covers. Several steps means difficult for my particular situation, but they clean up really nicely and the materials stay good over time (so far, anyway).
Ease of Use...2. Definitely easier than the prefolds with the snappis. Just lay down whatever insert you want in the cover and go.
Wallet Abuse...2. Like the prefolds and covers, you don't need much. You get a cover and insert for $17. But the inserts are a lot more expensive than prefolds. A box of a half dozen stay-dry inserts is $50. You'll need two dozen inserts for two days, so you're spending quite a bit more. But you only have to buy a half dozen or so covers, and those include inserts, so it's a little cheaper than the pockets or all-in-ones.
Ease of Purchase...3. Available at Amazon.com.
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| shown with Thirsties duo insert |
Thirsties covers and inserts. They don't advertise it as a system like BumGenius does, but you can essentially do the same thing with Thirsties. The duos are essentially the same as the Flip covers. So if you wanted to do a flip type thing you could simply buy some Flip inserts and put them in the Thirsties covers. Thirsties also offers some inserts of their own, a little cheaper (and way more trim) than BumGenius. A
microfiber and hemp insert is $7. (They also make hemp
prefolds for $7 that are trimmer than regular prefolds.) What's nice here is that, if you're like me and you got yourself a bunch of covers and prefolds but you want to have an easier time or a trimmer fit occasionally but don't want to commit to the cost of buying two dozen inserts, you can simply buy a few inserts to go with the covers you already have, or use the inserts from your other diapers in your covers. Ba da bing, a make-your-own Hybrid system.
Ghetto Booty...2. Trimmer than the Flip because it's sized.
Ghetto Blaster...2. See comments for the Flip.
Washability...2. See comments for the Flip (note: hemp takes longer to dry).
Ease of Use...2. See comments for the Flip
Wallet Abuse...2. About the same as the Flip, maybe a little more expensive because there are two sizes instead of just one. Covers are $13 and inserts are $7.
Ease of Purchase...3. Available at Amazon.com and thirsties.com, as well as online cloth diaper retailers and hippie baby stores. Covers are also available at target.com (but not the inserts).
Pocket Options:
The pocket diapers are a step up from the Hybrid. You have a cover that has a lining inside with an opening (or two) on the ends to stuff with your insert of choice. Pros: easier clean-up than the hybrids and prefolds, stuff it with whatever you want like the hybrids, if you stuff it ahead of time it's as easy as a disposable for dad or babysitter. Cons: Pulling out that soiled insert is gross (but, if you ask me, not as gross as prefolds), getting more expensive because you need a new one at each changing (so you're gonna need at least two dozen if you're going full-time).
BumGenius 4.0. Super cute, and I like the material, both inside and out. The lining wicks away moisture so baby stays pretty dry. When you order it comes with both a newborn insert/soaker (extra help for heavy wetters or nighttime) and a regular one-size insert. You can get it in either velcro or snaps.
Ghetto Booty...3. Because it's a one-size it's bulky on the newborn. Although with the newborn insert it's not as bad as with the bulky one-size inserts. I like the newborn insert. Again, hopefully more trim when she grows.
Ghetto Blaster...1. The poop stays in the diaper, and because of the lining it isn't as messy to clean up as the prefolds or hybrids.
Washability...2. See all the comments for above diapers.
Ease of Use...2. If you stuff them ahead of time, easy peasy. The downside, of course, is that you have to stuff them ahead of time and pull out the soiled insert. But otherwise, even dads and babysitters can use them (provided, of course, you stuff ahead).
Wallet Abuse...3. At $17.95 each, it's a little on the pricey side. BUT...when you consider that disposables cost upwards of $100 a month, and these are one-size from birth to potty, you're still saving a large pile of money in the long-run. But it will sting up front, especially if you really use them with newborns. Remember newborns go through about a dozen diapers a day. But if, like me, you wait until baby's a little older and going through fewer diapers, or using them in addition to prefolds, it's not as bad. Also, you can buy them in sets on Target.com and cottonbabies.com, so that will save you a few bucks.
Ease of Purchase...3. Available at Target.com (in two-packs), Amazon.com, and babiesrus.com.
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| (size small) |
FuzziBunz. Here you have a
sized option and a
one-size option. The sized option is our trimmest diaper so far. The inner lining is made of fleece, so it's crazy soft, but on the warm side. Of all the different ones I have, the fuzzibunz seem the most squishy and easy to move in. Both the sized and one-size only come in snap closures. The one-size is different from the other brands, because instead of snaps to change the sizing, you adjust the elastic bands. Which, I'm going to tell you right now, is a pain in the booty (ha! I love puns).
Ghetto Booty...2 (sized); 4 (one-size). The sized ones are pretty trim for a cloth diaper. The one-size are very baggy. It holds messes and stays on, but you could probably use all the extra space on the interior to hold your wallet, keys, diaper bag, what have you. It looks a bit silly.
Ghetto Blaster...1. The poop stays in the diaper, and because of the lining it isn't as messy to clean up as the prefolds or hybrids.
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| one-size |
Washability...2. See all the comments for above diapers.
Ease of Use...2 (sized); 3 (one-size). See comments for BumGenius. But it looses a point for the elastic adjustments business. I guess the nice thing is that you don't even have to think about it for the most part. But there are numbers, and there's a chart, which you have to keep because there's no way you'll remember which numbers go with which size, and the elastic is kind of a pain to deal with.
Wallet Abuse...3 (one-size); 4 (sized). At $17.95 each for the sized, that could hurt when you're doing them for the newborns and re-purchasing every six months or so. The one-size are $19.95 each. The website offers a big giant package that comes with 18 one-size diapers and a bunch of other stuff at a steep discount, so if you want to do these and you can buy everything up front, that would be nice. But you have to have $400 up front.
Ease of Purchase...3. Available at Target.com (only in two-packs, in limited availability) and Amazon.com (in limited availability).
Thirsties DuoDiaper. These come in two sizes, so it's kind of a hybrid between the sized and one-size choices. Note, though: Emma currently weighs almost 10 pounds and is already at the largest snap setting on these. They're supposed to go to 18 pounds. So...we'll have to see how that goes. Also, they're only available in velcro. The inner lining is nice and soft. When you order it comes with their microfiber and hemp inserts that snap together. What's nice about these is that the inserts agitate out of the diaper in the wash, so you don't have to pull out the soiled insert. Bonus.
Ghetto Booty...3. In between the sized diapers and the one-size. A little bootylicious, but not too bad.
Ghetto Blaster...1. Thirsties have double leg gussets, so they're very effective at keeping in the mess. And that inner pocket lining absorbs the yuck, so it stays contained.
Washability...2. See all the comments for above diapers, but add in the super cool feature of the inserts agitating out.
Ease of Use...2. If you stuff them ahead of time, easy peasy. And bonus on the insert agitating out in the wash so you don't have to pull it out.
Wallet Abuse...3. $17.95 each, two sizes from birth to potty, so not too bad.
Ease of Purchase...3. Available at Target.com and Amazon.com.
All-in-One Options:
These are as easy as disposables, but they're made out of cloth. The inserts are sewn in, so there's no need to stuff or remove. But they still have a pocket, so you can add inserts if for nights or heavy wetters. Pros: effortless (except for the laundry). Cons: your most expensive option.
BumGenius 3.0. Here's the deal on these bad boys: I'm reviewing them because I have them, but as we speak there are just a few left on clearance on cottonbabies.com, and I don't know that they'll be making them anymore. So if you're looking to buy some cloth diapers right now, as I type this there are four colors left in small, and that's it. So this is probably useless information for you. But I ended up buying a bunch because they're crazy cheap on clearance, and they're my favorite, so I'm reviewing them despite the fact you probably can't buy them. They are sized and only have velcro.
Ghetto Booty...1. From what I have, it doesn't get any trimmer for a cloth diaper.
Ghetto Blaster...1. Nothing escapes.
Washability...2. See comments for other diapers. Note: these take longer to dry since they're just one, thick piece.
Ease of Use...1. As easy as a disposable (except, of course, the laundry).
Wallet Abuse...2.Well, let's be fair. They're originally priced at 15.95, which is great for how awesome it is. They're on clearance for $9.95, which is even better.
Ease of Purchase...5. Currently (as far as I know), they're only available in very limited quantity on cottonbabies.com. So...go fast.
BumGenius Elemental. Yeah, I don't have any of these. At $25 each and, I'm assuming, as big as the pocket 4.0s, it hasn't happened. But they're out there. Essentially they're a one-size version of the 3.0s. I'm going to assume they are similar in bulk as the 4.0's, but with the convenience of the 3.0s.
BumGenius Newborn. If you're bummed (haha...puns...) that you can't go with the 3.0s for your tiny newborn, have no fear! They still have them in the newborn size, which goes up to 3 months, for $12.95 each. From there you can switch to the 4.0s or the Elementals (or something completely different, because it's your life and you're a grown-up).
Okay, so the big reveal...what I decided to go with...
First off, I'm loving it. The laundry load is a pain, but I already have to do a crap-load of laundry because I have two kids, so what's an extra load every two days? Also, I love that I've never ever had a leak with cloth. Disposables seem to always be leaking poo, no matter the brand, size, or how tightly you close it. So I haven't lost an outfit yet, which is nice.
I should also confess that we still use disposables occasionally, mostly because I'm the only one who will do it, so anyone else that changes her uses the paper diapers. I've also been using disposables at night, because they're more absorbent, and cloth on a newborn is bulky enough without adding doublers and whatnot. But I'm still on the same pack of diapers I opened a couple of weeks ago, so we're barely using them. AND with Amazon Mom and their Subscribe and Save program, you can save almost half on diapers (plus no trips to the store for them). So whatever diapering option you go with, check out Amazon Mom and Subscribe and Save.
I got about a half dozen each of the BumGenius 3.0s and FuzziBunz smalls for the moment to supplement my Thirsties covers and prefolds. When she grows out of them (around 6-9 months, according to the branding), I'll go with the BumGenius 4.0s and Fuzzibunz one-sizes...I think. I'll keep re-trying them periodically to see when they start to fit reasonably. I figure eventually I won't need as many and they'll fit better. Then again, maybe I'll go with the Thirsties duo diapers...ah, heck, I don't know. Come back in 6 months and we'll talk again.
So there you go. If you made it this far, you either have no life, you love my breezy narrative, or you really want to buy yourself some cloth diapers.
Happy CDing!
