Saturday, February 6, 2010

May the best cloth diaper win!

As promised, I'm here to give my take on the cloth diapers we have been using for the past week and a half. As I said previously, we bought two different kinds, BumGenius and FuzziBunz.We got the one size adjustable ones on both brands.  There are several other types out there, but these two seemed to be the most popular. They are both built the same way, the difference is just how you size them and the method of keeping it on the child (one is velcro, one is snaps.)
  
Both diapers are built like this.  There is an opening in one side where the insert goes.  It goes in pretty easy, but you have to make sure it's spread out completely from side to side.  If you don't you can get some leakage on the sides.

 
This is the bumGenius Diaper.  It velcros like disposables do.  At first I didn't think I was going to like this.  My opinion on velcro has always been that it doesn't last long and if you washed it, that would shorten the life even faster, but this is some heavy duty velcro, it ain't falling apart any time soon.  And if for some reason, it does fall apart, there is warranty for one year.  The way you size this diaper is by the snaps on the front.  If you snap the bottom three snaps, it's at it's smallest size, no snaps is at it's largest.
 
This is the FuzziBunz diaper.  It closes by the snaps. There are several snaps on there so you can adjust the tightness around the waist.  To size the FuzziBunz, you have to adjust the inside of the diaper.  There is a numbered elastic piece built in to the sides of diaper (that wraps around the leg.)   You simple pull it out as far as you need it and secure it with a button.  The further out you pull the piece, the tighter around the leg it gets.  

Each diaper comes with 2 inserts.  I usually use just one for the daytime, but it is an absolute must to use both for the overnight diaper.  
 
We sprang for this piece of equipment as well.  It's not exactly cheap ( I think we paid like $45 for ours) but let me tell you, it is a must! I would have paid twice that.  Wet diapers are a cinch, but for those dirty ones, you need this. After your done, it's completely washed off. There isn't even a bit of color left on it.

So how does it all work?  It's actually pretty simple.  With a wet diaper, you simple take it off, pull out the insert and throw both pieces in the washing machine.  For the dirty ones, you spray it out using the above tool and throw both pieces in the washing machine You can buy cloth wipes to go with the diapers too.  I bought one pack just to try, but honestly I have just used those as burp cloths.  It's not that they don't work, but the disposable wipes are decently cheap and I go through quit a bit when cleaning up after a dirty diaper.  
How many diapers do you need??  It all depends on how often you want to do laundry.  We started out with 12 and we do a load of diapers almost once a day.  We basically just keep our washing machine empty and throw the diapers in there as we go through them.  You can buy a diaper pail liner that is suppose to work pretty good to keep odors from seeping out. We bought one, but just haven't used it yet. 
Some pros and cons.  The Pros: the days of trash galore are gone! I just use a small bag to put the wipes in when I use them.  I  have saved money not having to buy the disposables.  I've only been using them for a week and a half and am really interested in how much overall I'm going to save.  The diapers are very simple to use, and adjust.  Since I got the one-size, I don't have to keep buying different sizes as she gets older.  These diapers will still be good if Jarrod and I decide to have another child, so I'll save money then too. The diapers are absorbant.  We've only had two leaks, one was my fault for not putting that second liner in overnight, and the other time it was just a little wet around her leg.  
Cons:  your initial purchase of these diapers will want to make your throw up. The average price of one diaper is $17.  We bought 12 diapers, one pack of wipes, and a small diaper pail for travel and it cost us about $260.  They are a little more work than disposables.  Traveling is an issue because you can't just toss them.  I would be okay if the diapers were only wet ones, but those dirty ones are just too much without the sprayer attachment.  I will probably buy disposables for travel.  If you have a small child, the diapers are a bit bulky.  I couldn't use these on Jesalyn until she was three and half months old, and even then there are some pants that don't fit her with the diaper on. 
I would recommend cloth diapers to any mother. Out of the two, I really don't have a preference.  They both seem to get the job done. I have really like using both of them and will definitely use them again if we have another child. Please feel free to ask me any questions that I might not have covered. 


                     

1 comment:

Bonnie James said...

Is she still in cloth diapers? Do you still love them?