Today’s blog post is written by a brand new mama (Jessica) who is totally diggin’ cloth diapering. In fact, she’s probably on the mildly obsessed side (she admits it) and has a stache stash that even Albert Einstein would be jealous of.  She gives her thoughts on lots of cloth diapers below. Happy Reading!

When my husband and I started talking about having a baby, I knew I wanted to do cloth diapers. Since getting pregnant took longer than I had hoped, I had plenty of time to feed my obsessive need to research and indulge my love for shopping. So when our little guy arrived in December, his bottom got to try out a wide range of diapers. For brevity’s sake, I’m not going to define the different types of diapers, just my experience with them. There are so many great websites online that can explain all the different types and lingo. So here’s my assessment of our stash after two months…

Kissaluvs Size 0: All the reviews I read said these are the best fitting diaper for the newborn phase. They are a fitted diaper (need a cover) that fit up to 14 pounds. Seriously, baby bottoms look so cute in these diapers – so much so that we had S.’s newborn photos taken in them. These diapers fit great and even have a fold down for the umbilical cord. We have had zero leaks or blowouts with these diapers. They were great prior to him fitting in one-size diapers. But, I would definitely be cognizant of frequently changing these diapers. They get really heavy and warm when wet. They are extremely absorbent and as a result need lots of rinsing, particularly if you have a HE front loading washer. Now if you are doing cloth diapering solely for the financial savings, I would suggest skipping these and using up all those newborn disposable shower gifts. My chubby guy is almost out of these diapers at two months. If you want to do cloth from the start, they do have regular “second” sales on their website.

Diaper-Rite Prefolds: My husband insists I like prefolds due to my childhood obsession with origami. Possibly. But, I also love how easy they are to wash and care for. No smells ever. They are the most inexpensive to diaper. This particular brand is very soft and their sizing decreases some of the bulk found in other brands. Again no leaks or blowouts, just a little more time consuming than using a pocket diaper. I suggest having some prefolds on hand just because they are so versatile (burp rags, doublers, in all-in-two diaper covers, etc.).

Thirsties Duo Wrap: Since the prefolds and fitted diapers can get so heavy when wet, I love how lightweight these covers are. They adjust from x-smalls to smalls without adding much bulk, increasing their cost efficiency. I love the extra leg gussets. These are my favorite covers. Hands down.

Bummis Super Whisper Wrap: These covers work well and have adorable designs, but I can’t help compare them to the Thirsties. They are heavier and stiffer in comparison and only come in the individual sizes. I haven’t had any leaks with these covers either, but overall prefer the Thirsties covers.

BumGenius All-in-One sized Diapers: First, I have to mention that Cottonbabies just discontinued these diapers in all but the x-small. My husband made me buy extra because these are his favorite. I’m hoping that they come out with a replacement. Personally, I think these diapers are the best for cloth diaper prosletyzing to disposable users. They are just as easy as a disposable and people tend to be surprised at how much cloth diapers have changed.  They take a long time to dry, but I usually just put them on the drying rack after a dryer cycle. I’d recommend having a few for grandparents, babysitters, church nursery, etc.

Fuzzi Bunz Perfect Size Pocket Diaper: Another great diaper for converting cloth diaper heathens. They are different from the BumGenius AIO in that they need to be stuffed. But, as their name suggests the hip snaps do make for great sizing. They are extremely well made, so soft and I expect that they will last for multiple kids. The smalls were great for us, prior to S. fitting in one size diapers.

Happy Heiny’s One Size Pocket Diaper: Of the one size diapers, these are my favorites. They are extremely soft, wash well, and fit my baby well. I LOVE the cow print. They also look like they’ll fit my baby longer than the BumGenius one size. It’s not a coincidence that my favorite Kawaii diaper (see below) is the one most like the HH.

BumGenius One Size Pocket Diaper: These are my husband’s favorite one size diaper. They are very well made and wash nicely. We haven’t had any leaks. I like that they come with a newborn insert and the full size insert can be snapped down as your baby grows. Personally, I don’t like the suede cloth lining on the inside and prefer the fleece in the Happy Heiny’s. I do have the older model (3.0), and have heard positive things about the changes in the newest 4.0 style.

Softbums Echo Diaper – I so wanted these to be my favorite because they are just adorable and so soft. They use an elastic slide sizing that makes the fit very customizable. But, I really can’t recommend them. They are an all in two diaper where the cover is supposed to be used multiple times before washed.  Each cover comes with 3 inserts and one mini insert so they are on the expensive side. But since the cover is fleece on the inside, it gets wet almost every time and poop can’t be wiped off the cover. The thought of letting it dry out and using it again feels a little gross to me. So essentially, I tend to use each cover once (maybe twice), making it a very pricey diaper.

Best Bottoms  All-in-Twos (with Hemp inserts): I bought these after reading great reviews and in the hope of having a trim cloth diaper. They also come in a stay dry microfiber insert, but I can only speak to the hemp. I love the covers – adorable colors, stretchy, easily wiped, leg gussets, snap downs for the inserts, no leaks. But, so far I have found that EBF poop tends to get on the cover and the hemp inserts seem to bunch up in the middle. I have noticed though that as my little man gets bigger (which he is doing quickly), this is happening less and less. So while they aren’t my favorite now, I think my opinion of them is going to improve. The AI2 style is great for traveling, and the inserts wash really well.

Flip Hybrid System: At this point the Flips are my favorite hybrid/AI2 diaper. Even without snap downs, the cover keeps the insert secure and I love the stretchy cover fabric. So far, the EBF poop has stayed more consistently on the insert than the Best Bottoms. I’ve tried both the stay dry inserts and the organic cotton and really like the quality of both. Because I only need to pack extra inserts, these are the cloth diaper I most frequently bring in my diaper bag for outings.

Kawaii Assortment – Soft, soft, soft! I bought these because I read about how inexpensive they are while being very similar to some of the big brands. I love them. So even if they don’t last beyond one child, I only paid about $7 for each one.  While they are on the bulky side, they are so soft. My favorites are their one size aplix heavy wetter pocket diaper and the one size snazzy minky pocket diaper. I’ve had some leaking with the bamboo, and think I might just need to wait for the S. to be a bit bigger. The heavy wetter reminds me very much of the Happy Heiny one size and the super soft snaps, my Fuzzibunz. I always pick these diapers at bedtime when I’m putting S. in a sleepsack. So stinking cuddly. They are one of the many low cost diapers now coming out of China, but are sold by a woman in Canada. The owner has a statement on her website related to worker conditions. The quality may not be as consistent as some of the other brands, but they are a really nice way to start out or complete your stash.

So there you have it. On my wish list are Sloomb wool covers, Babykicks, Rumparooz, GroVias and Ragababes. Cloth diapering is an addictive shopping habit that still allows me to save money over time. Perfect.

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