Guest Post : Roxanne from "The Good Life"

Roxanne blogs at "The Good Life" and is the mother of almost-9-month-old Mckinley!

______________________________________________________

Cutie With A Fluffy Bootie

A few people have asked recently how our diapers work so I thought I would write a little somethin something about what we use and how it works.

I can still remember sitting in my classroom months before even getting pregnant staring at my computer at all of the overwhelming information about cloth diapers. I had no clue what anything was or what any of the terms meant (cd, hemp, insert, aio, fluff, hybrid, etc), but I knew this was something I wanted to try. I also remember telling people we would be using cloth diapers once I got pregnant and I am sure you are thinking how excited everyone was for us and how positive they were and I would laugh in your face because you are funny. Most people (not all, but most people) said we were crazy or that we would only do it for a few weeks and then give up. Well those people don't know me very well because when you tell I can't or won't do something you bet I will put my 190% percent into whatever you said I can't do.

So here we are almost 8 months into our cloth diapering adventure and my baby has super padded fluffy butt (that is what we call our nigh time diaper system) right now as we speak.

We just bought our second pack of disposable diapers (We bought 1 pack of disposables at the very beginning because I did not want to wash meconium off of my liners and I might have forgotten to turn on the dryer after stripping my liners and had no dry diapers the other morning). I had no clue what size to buy, but I did find some that were made from plant based materials and chlorine free which made me very happy.

What We Use

We use 2 different brands of CD's (Cloth Diapers). Our main go to diaper is Best Bottoms. They are a one size (they have different snaps to make the diaper different sizes so baby can wear them from birth to potty training) hybrid diaper system which mean you have a diaper cover

 
That you snap an insert into

When baby pees or poops you remove the soiled insert and snap a new one in. I usually grab a new cover and insert and place the cover removed from babies bottom to the side to use later unless it is soiled.

The dirty liner goes into a wet bag (We use one like this in her room and we have a few smaller sizes for traveling). Depending on how dirty the cover gets we might throw the cover in the wet bag to be washed or we might need to use the diaper sprayer to spray the poo off and then place it in a wet bag to wash later.

We wipe her down with cloth wipes (inexpensive terry baby wash cloths) and a spray solution of warm water, baby oil, and a drop of baby wash) and those get thrown into the wet bag with the soiled diapers to be washed later. We use a special diaper cream on Kinley's booty since most creams are not cloth diaper safe which means they will leave a residue buildup on the cloth insert causing it not to absorb liquids and leak. This can be fixed by stripping (washing diapers in VERY hot water or washing with dish liquid to remove all buildup allowing the diapers to absorb more). We us Organic Coconut Oil.

If you have never heard of it look it up because it is Amazing stuff. It can be use for Anything and Everything! We slap some of that on at each diaper change and we have only used up 1 large jar in 7 months. On the very rare occasion her booty gets red (if she is on antibiotics) we will use a little regular diaper cream and we just slap a piece of fleece fabric on top of the inside of the diaper to keep the cream off of the liner. We will wash these separately later.

Our Nigh time diaper routine is pretty much the same just with a different brand of diaper. We use Fuzzibunz which are a one size or a sized pocket diapering system. This means It is a cloth diaper with a pocket in the middle that you stuff inserts into to make it more absorbent. We normally double stuff (stuff 2 microfiber inserts into the inner pocket) which make the diaper more absorbent for the 10+ hours baby girl sleeps. 

Our wash routine has become just that part of our family routine. We wash every other day unless baby girl poops a ton that particular day and we use either E.C.O.S. detergent which can be found at Walmart or Tide Free and Clear (The less brighteners and additives in the detergent the better it is for the life expectancy and absorbency of your diapers). There are other detergents you can use, but these are what I have found work for us. Before Kinley started eating food we did not have to spray the poo off of er diaper because breast milk is water soluble so we just threw everything into the wash together. Now that she is eating 3 meals a day we spray all of her poop diapers off and I usually throw them in the washer and run a rinse/soak cycle. Then I was them on cold/cold. I hang my covers to dry and just throw the liners in the dryer and run it twice since they are so absorbent and hold so much liquid until they completely dry.

Why we decided to use cloth diapers.

I purchased all of our diapers online because sadly there aren't many places that sell cloth in Memphis. I have recently heard that there are a few places that are hit or miss, but may have cloth diapers occasionally. Almost every single one of our diapers and liners were previously owned and before you saw GROSS you should know that most people who use cloth either borrow from friends or buy them used and there is a HUGE resale market. We initially purchased Gdiapers a hybrid diaper system from www.diaperswappers.com, but those turned out to not be our favorite brand to use. They leaked too much and I didn't care for all of the parts you had to put together. After a little more research I found Best Bottoms and we absolutely love the versatility of them. Buying used diapers helped save us even more money then we already would be saving by using cloth. These diapers will last us through potty training Mckinley and then we will reuse them on our next baby adventure. All in all I would say we have spent maybe $400 in diapers and diaper supplies. Including detergent maybe $500. So we are saving thousands on diapers.

One great thing about cloth diapers and cloth diaper companies are diaper giveaways and sales. If you search the internet and sign up for different sites like Zulilly, Baby Half Off, Baby Steals, Green Baby Bargains, Hippo Bargains, or Eco Baby Buys you can get brand new diapers for dirt cheap. As I am typing this I am entering a lifetime giveaway for some fluff and boy could I use a lifetime supply of fluff. I could go days without washing! Booty Buns are super cute one size pocket diapers. I don't currently own this brand, but I LOVE trying new kinds of diapers with different fits and I just love winning stuff and what is better then free diapers. 

If you want to know more about using cloth diapers the best place to find information is theAwesome Cloth Diaper Blog written by the lovely Lara. Lara has a way of explaining everything that makes it so easy to understand. If you are considering cloth this is where you need to start to learn about everything. Another place for condensed cloth diaper info is one of my favorite blogs . As I was reading late last night I came across this post about using cloth diapers. 

SO there it is. Why and how we use cloth diapers. I am by no means a cloth diapering expert, but I have read everything there is out there about cloth and I LOVE showing people how they work and if anyone ever needs any advice I am always up for talking about cloth. 
It's super easy, affordable, and who doesn't love a baby with a super fluffy bum!

New Pocket Releases : Blissful Booty and FuzziBunz Elite

Recently, a couple of new pocket diapers have been released. And, as usual, I was eager to try them out. Pockets are generally "eh" with me. I actually love stuffing them, but my go-to diapers have evolved into mostly being AIOs. So I was interested to see if these new pockets changed my mind at all.

Fuzzibunz (left) and Blissful Booty (right)

____________________

Blissful Booty

Blissful Booty on smallest setting

Blissful Booty on medium setting

Blissful Booty on largest setting

The Blissful Booty pocket is made with TPU or minkee outer and a stay-dry suedecloth inner. The inner features a row of internal double gussets, and the diaper features elastic at the front and back. There are three rise settings.  The Blissful Booty pocket comes with a single bamboo insert, though additional inserts are available for purchase. The diaper comes in 22 solid colors and prints (13 with TPU and nine with minkee) and is available in snaps or aplix. The snap diaper offers hip snaps as well as crossover tabs. A TPU diaper is $16.00 and a minkee diaper is $17.00.

Laundry tabs on the aplix diaper

Snap diaper configuration

Single bamboo insert

Front elastic

Elasticized back pocket opening

Double gussets

What do I like about it?
I love the double gussets - especially for little babies who have (ahem) runny newborn poo. The extra gusset really helps keep the messes contained! I also love the extra elastic at the front of the diaper - this is great for older babies who nap or sleep on their stomachs. Very few companies offer elastic at the front - AppleCheeks and AMP diapers are the only two I can think of off the top of my head. But it's brilliant! I don't find that it cuts into her stomach or is uncomfortable for her at all. I love how soft the outer TPU is. I don't usually like minkee, but I was able to feel one of their minkee diapers and it was extremely soft and seemed trimmer than other minkee diapers I've seen.  I used an aplix diaper, which seemed to have high-quality closures and the laundry tabs especially were VERY sticky - I can't see those coming undone in the wash! The snaps configuration on the snap diaper seems like it would work well for many babies and the hip snap is always useful, but I can't speak to the fit specifically, as I didn't use it. The fit on my daughter was perfect, and it was very trim. The quality seems decent.

What don't I like about it?
Their AIOs came with super soft fleece inners, which I loved. These come with suedecloth. You know how I feel about suedecloth (if you don't: it's a love/hate relationship! I love that it doesn't stain and stays relatively soft, but I hate picking lint and hair out of it!).  The biggest downside to these diapers that I can see is the insert: one just isn't going to cut it for older babies or heavy wetters. They do sell additional inserts, but I feel like it'd be a better option if they came with two like most pockets.

____________________

FuzziBunz Elite

Smallest elastic size setting

Medium elastic size setting

Largest elastic size setting

Snap configuration

The replacement elastic and sizing guide on back of package.

The FuzziBunz Elite is an updated version of their classic one-size diaper. The outer is PUL, and the inner is stay-dry microfleece. Rather than using rise snaps to adjust the size of the diaper, you adjust the leg elastic and back elastic with a series of buttons. The FuzziBunz Elite comes with two minky inserts that can be used alone or together, depending on your needs (one is larger and one is smaller).  FuzziBunz products are only available with snap closures. Every FuzziBunz diaper comes with a set of replacement elastic. The Elite retails for $19.95 and comes in 14 colors.

The inner adjustable elastic

The pocket opening

 Two minky inserts

What do I like about it?
I was surprised - I acutally like this diaper and reach for it regularly. Why does that surprise me? I NEVER reached for our old one-size FuzziBunz (though I used and really liked their small Perfect Size). The adjustable elastic is either a plus or a minus depending on how difficult it is for you to get the right fit - I was lucky and got it on my first try, but I know people that seemingly have tried every setting and still couldn't get it to fit correctly. The elastic does, however, give an very large number of size settings rather than the three or four with most one-size snap-down rises. The minky inserts are very soft and seem to be quite absorbent - at this point I'm only using the larger one with my daughter, but would definitely need two for naps or longer periods of time. Right now, it fits very well and is extremely trim.  The inner microfleece is extremely soft as well.  I also like that I can replace the elastic easily should I need to do so (haven't had to yet). The quality is excellent.

What don't I like about it?
The elastic can be very difficult to get sized correctly. They don't have crossover tabs at the waist, which was a huge problem when my daughter was smaller with both the Perfect Size and the old one-size (even with the elastic at the tightest setting, the front would gape open). She's big enough now that she wouldn't need them crossed over, but I imagine it would be an issue for littler babies (maybe this is why I didn't like our old one?).  The pocket opening is HUGE (good for husbands stuffing pockets) but it has tons of excess fabric, and it can be difficult to get the excess to stay tucked in neatly. At the smallest setting, there is a lot of leftover elastic inside the diaper, which I can't imagine would be comfortable for the baby. At the largest setting, there is barely any stretch to the elastic and I don't think it would work well for holding in messes. However, most people are going to be using it on one of the middle settings, so neither of those should be a huge issue.

____________________

Now, to compare the two.

Trimness:
Thanks to the unique sizing system, there is no fold-down rise on the FuzziBunz (FB), so it's a bit trimmer overall. I believe it's a bit narrower between the legs as well (though only very slightly).  However, they are both very trim diapers.


Fit: 
They both fit extremely well. The FB is a bit narrower and I really like that, but the elastic at the front waist of the Blissful Booty (BB) gives it the edge.  And I know from first-hand experience that it can be difficult to get a good fit with the FB.

Absorbency:

Since these are pockets, you can customize the absorbency as you need. However, the FB comes with two inserts (super soft minky) and the BB only comes with one (super soft bamboo).  I used a doubler with the BB and didn't have any leaks.
 

Quality:

While I love the BB, something about it seems slightly different than the FB (which feels very high quality). I can't figure out what though. The sewing is fine, the materials feel nice...I think it might be in my imagination because the TPU is softer and a little floppier than the PUL on the FB, and the bamboo insert is also floppier than the minky insert...which means the overall diaper is a bit floppier. I'm used to diapers with a bit more structure, so the extreme softness and floppiness of this diaper is different for me. But I bet that equals comfort for the baby (sadly I can't try it on myself to see).  The one thing I do like on the FB more is the slightly thicker leg and back elastic; I feel like that doesn't cut in as much. The FB also has two layers of microfleece for reinforcement at the wings, while the BB (and most pockets) only has one layer of the inner fabric.

Double gusset:
Only on the BB! A great help for keeping poop IN the diaper!

Pocket opening:
I definitely prefer the elasticized pocket of the Blissful Booty to the wide-open pocket on the FuzziBunz. The extra fabric can be difficult to corral at times.  Thought the BB pocket opening SEEMS smaller, even my husband was able to stuff with ease since the elastic stretches. 

Spelling:

Blissful Booty spells it minkee. FuzziBunz spells it minky. WHO IS RIGHT? We may never know.

Overall:

It's a toss-up. I like the high quality feel and trimness of the FuzziBunz, but I love the waist elastic and super-soft TPU outer of the Blissful Booty.

(Note: I received the Blissful Booty for free from the Blissful Booty company.)

Help! What are the different kinds of cloth diapers?

First, know that within the types of diapers, you can get several types of fits and closures.  You can read about the difference between sized and one-size diapers here, and diapers can either be snapless or close with snaps or Velcro (also called aplix).

There are six basic types (though each type has many subtypes!). For more detailed information on any type, including pros and cons, pictures, and brand lists, click on the name.

Diapers That Need Covers

These diapers need a separate cover to become waterproof. 

Flat

A flat diaper is just a layer or two of an absorbent material like cotton, sewn into a large square. You can fold the diaper into various configurations to create an absorbent diaper that is secured with pins or a Snappi, or fold it to use as an insert. A flat diaper needs a cover to be waterproof. If your grandmother cloth diapered, this is probably what she used.

Prefold

A prefold diaper is a flat diaper that has been pre-folded and sewn to create a more absorbent area in the middle. You can fold a prefold diaper around a baby and secure it with pins or a Snappi to create a diaper, or fold it in thirds to use as an insert.  If your mom cloth diapered, this is probably what she used.

Fitted

A fitted diaper is a prefold that has been sewn into a diaper shape. It looks like any other cloth diaper, diaper, but it doesn't have a waterproof layer, so needs to be covered with a cover to become waterproof.  The one above is snapless and needs a Snappi or pins to close it, but they can have snaps or velcro as well.

Diapers That Do Not Need Covers

These diapers have the waterproof layer included and don't need a separate cover.

All-in-One 




All in one diapers are just what the name says: all in one. Everything you need for the diaper is included - both the waterproof outer and the absorbent layer. All sewn together in one big happy package!  These are great for dads and daycares, as they are essentially just like disposable diapers, except instead of throwing them away, you put them into a wetbag or diaper pail.  On the downside, they usually take a long time to dry.

All-in-Two/Hybrid

 
All-in-two (AI2) diapers can be confusing, as there are essentially two types of all-in-two diapers, and they are quite different.  However, they are all named for the fact that there are two parts: the waterproof outer and the absorbent layer, and these two parts are separate.

• Hybrid all-in-two diapers are waterproof shells (covers) that can be used with different types of inserts, for instance, with a disposable insert or with a reusable insert. 
• Snap-in or lay-in all-in-two diapers are all-in-one diapers that come in two parts.  Rather than having the absorbent layers sewn into the waterproof outer layer, the absorbent layers are separate and can be snapped in or lain into the waterproof cover. 

Pocket



Pocket diapers are a waterproof cover and a liner sewn together, with a pocket opening at the front or back (or both). The diaper on its own has no absorbency, but when you place absorbent inserts into the pocket of the diaper you have a complete diaper. This allows you to customize absorbency and wash and dry the diapers quickly.

*************************

While not types of diapers, these are important components to some types of cloth diapers:

Covers

Covers are placed over non-waterproof diapers like pre-folds or fitteds to create a waterproof layer. Covers are commonly made of PUL, TPU, wool, or fleece. 

Inserts, Soakers, Doublers, and Liners

Inserts, soakers, and doublers are layers of absorbent material that are placed into covers or pocket diapers or are part of an AIO or AI2 diaper. They are commonly made of hemp, bamboo, microfiber, or Zorb. Liners are thin pieces of fabric that are placed between the diaper and the baby to help with disposing of poop, to create a stay-dry feeling for the baby, or to protect the diaper from a non-cloth-diaper-safe rash cream.

Double Gussets

Double gussets are additional rows of elastic at the legs of the diaper to help contain leaks.

What's the deal with pocket diapers?

What is it?
Pocket diapers are similar to all-in-one (AIO) diapers, and, when stuffed, are essentially the same thing. So what's the difference? And what's stuffing? A pocket diaper has a lining sewn into the waterproof outer, with an opening (or two) left at the front of the diaper, back of the diaper, middle of the diaper, or both, which allows you to put the unattached absorbent layer (the insert) into the diaper.  Before washing, you remove the insert so it washes separately outside the diaper, and before placing it on the baby, you'll need to "stuff" the insert back into the diaper.  The pocket opening and removable inserts allow you to customize the absorbency; for instance, some people will "double stuff" a pocket with two inserts for night, and use just one insert during the daytime.

Some pockets have elastic or  foldover pieces of fabric at the opening to help contain the insert, while others are loose.

Pocket diapers almost always have a stay-dry feeling.

What do they look like?

Happy Heiny pocket diaper showing pocket opening

Happy Heiny pocket diaper with insert halfway removed

Bum Genius microfiber insert shown alone (without pocket diaper)

Oh Katy diaper showing pocket opening in front (hard to see, but on the right side of the picture), with a foldover layer of fabric to protect the opening.

 Rumparooz pocket opening at back

Alva pocket opening, with elastic

Thirsties pocket diaper with elasticized openings at front and back

What size do they come in? How do they close?
These can be sized or one-size and may close with snaps or velcro.

What kind of variations are there?
Sleeve pockets have openings at both ends instead of just one.  This can make it easier to stuff and supposedly allows the insert to agitate out on its own during the wash - but many people unstuff them anyway, just to be sure. And not all washers will agitate out the pocket (HE washers are notorious for leaving them "stuffed".)
Envelope pockets have openings in the middle. Again, this supposedly allows the insert to agitate out on its own in the wash.

What are the pros and cons?
Pros:
Can add or remove inserts to personalize absorbency, can replace included insert with a different kind, dries quickly, inserts get very clean since they are washed separately.

Cons:
Have to stuff and unstuff. Can be bulky. Unstuffing diapers can be difficult with a very poopy diaper.

How do I care for my pocket diapers?
Most pocket diapers are made of synthetic materials, which means to prep your pocket diaper you just need to wash it once.  After the diaper has been prepped, you can wash using your normal cloth diaper wash routine.  Depending on the brand of diaper and type of washing machine you have, you'll likely need to pull out the insert prior to washing. Some people do this immediately after taking the diaper off the baby and some people unstuff just before putting the diaper in the washing machine. Be sure to attach the laundry tabs for velcro diapers. After the diaper is washed and dried, you'll need to re-stuff the insert back into the shell before use. Again, some people do this for all their diapers immediately; others stuff as needed.

What are common brands of pocket diapers?
Bum Genius 4.0
FuzziBunz
Rumparooz
SunBaby
Alva
AppleCheeks
Blueberry
Happy Heiny
Kawaii
Knickernappies