No Two Diapers Are Alike

You often hear people say that you shouldn't invest heavily in one type of diaper or diaper system until you have had a chance to test it out first.  Just like a pair of jeans wouldn't fit you, your mom, your grandma, your best friend, and Beyonce the same (the magic jeans in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants excepted), a single diaper won't fit every baby the same. A diaper that works perfectly for your child might not be what works best for someone else.

Here's proof.

(Top to bottom: GroVia, FishNoodles, Alva, BumGenius size medium, 

BumGenius one-size, Tots Bots Easy Fit, AppleCheeks)

These are all diapers that are supposed to fit a baby in the same weight range. While the difference may not look pronounced in the above picture, here, with the location of the leg elastic marked, it's more obvious:

The top diaper, a GroVia all-in-one, is narrow through the legs and trim throughout.  The bottom diaper, an AppleCheeks, is wider between the legs and has a higher rise. Even the overall shape, seen below, is different: the Applecheeks is more square, and the GroVia is more triangular (or, if we're getting technical, more trapezoidal?).

Another look:

Somehow, both shapes work well on my 20 pound, 30" tall daughter, though I prefer the GroVias under jeans and pants. However, the shapes of the diapers are so very different that they may not work the same (or at all) on different babies. This is one reason experimentation is key if you aren't happy with your current diapers!

Here are three more diapers, stacked on top of each other with the right edge exactly lined up. (I'm not positive, but I believe it's a Sunbaby on top, a Blueberry in the middle, and a Tiny Tush Elite on the bottom).  Again, much different widths that may work very differently for different babies.

Conclusion? If you aren't happy with the fit of your diapers on your baby, try a different brand!

Real Diaper Week

Are you celebrating Real Diaper Week in anticipation of the Great Cloth Diaper Change?

Here's the focus for the rest of the week (from here):

Real Diaper Week will take place April 16 – 21, 2012.  The focus of RDW is advocacy and education.  Each day we will focus on one area of advocacy, with supporting education and challenges. The overall theme of the 2012 Real Diaper Week is “Real Simple. Real Diapers.”
We’d love to hear how you’re participating in Real Diaper Week. Please join our blog hop by writing posts on one or more days throughout the week, tied to one of the focus areas or activities described below. To participate, see instructions here.

Bloggers participating in Real Diaper Week can download a badge for your website, which can link back to this page where people can find out more information about advocating and educating people about cloth diapers during Real Diaper Week.

Wednesday: Real Simple Real Diaper Savings

Advocacy Recommendations

•     Contact a local community action agency that provides family support services and offer to teach a simple cloth diaper class for low income families on a budget.
•     Lead a class on how to make your own cloth diapers.

Education Focus

•     Cloth Diapering on a budget (inexpensive and simple!)

EXTRA

•      Identify a simple diaper to bring to the GCDC, to be donated to a cloth diaper charity (such as Giving Diapers, Giving Hope or similar cloth diaper charity, or  a local social service organization that would be willing to provide them to clients)

Thursday: Real Simple Real Diapers for Babies

Advocacy Recommendations

•      Tell a daycare provider, hospital, or pediatrician about cloth diapers
•      Tell a doula, midwife, childbirth educator, or lactation educator about cloth diapers. Let them know they can get a demo kit to demonstrate cloth diapers to their clients from the Real Diaper Industry Association: http://realdiaperindustry.org/consider-cloth.

Education Focus

•      Health benefits of cloth diapers http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php 
•      How to use cloth diapers in daycare. Daycare tip sheet and cloth-diaper-friendly daycare provider directory: http://daycare.realdiaperindustry.org

Friday: Real Simple Real Diaper Reuse

Advocacy Recommendations

•      Personal Re-Use Challenge Day!  Identify one area where you are not already using something reusable (night time diapering, traveling with diapers, potty training, swim diapers, coffee cups, water bottles, grocery bags, snack bags, feminine products, etc).  Figure out the simplest solution for you to make the switch.

Education Focus

•      Traveling with Cloth Diapers: http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/100/TravelTipSheet.pdf 
•      Cloth Diapering at Night: http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/100/ClothOvernight.pdf 
•      Other Ideas for Reuse: http://www.reusealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/Reuse-Alliance-Top-Reuse-Tips.pdf

Saturday: GREAT CLOTH DIAPER CHANGE 2012!

Advocacy Recommendations

•      Bring a friend to the Great Cloth Diaper Change!

Education Focus

•      Share how cloth diapering has made an impact in simplifying your life.

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)

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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.)

Cloth Diaper Battle Royale : Snaps versus Aplix

Snapping diapers versus aplix/velcro/touch tape diapers. This is a question as old as time...or at least as old as modern cloth diapers.

Which do you choose? Which SHOULD you choose? Is one better?

The answer: it's your choice. No, really! As with much of cloth diapering, there's no one right answer, and the one you should get is based on which one works best for you and your baby. And in the end, many people have a mix of both.

Aplix generally comes in one configuration and almost always allows for crossover tabs (center diaper).  The only diaper brand I can think of off the top of my head that is aplix and has a different arrangement is gDiapers, which velcros on the side and doesn't allow crossover tabs.

So many kinds of snaps! And one velcro.

Middle: ones&twos AIO. Clockwise from top: Kawaii GoodNight Heavy Wetter, Applecheeks, itti bitti, FuzziBunz, BumGenius Elemental, GroVia AIO, Swaddle in Cloth fitted, Goodmama GoodNight fitted

Snaps come in as many configurations as their are diaper brands. Some have crossover tabs, some don't. Some snap in front, some snap on the side. Some are arranged in a vertical row, some are arranged in a horizontal row, some in a triangle, some in a square, some in a parallelogram (I was going to say just kidding about that last one, but there probably really are snaps in that shape somewhere).  What does this mean? It means that if you don't like the way one diaper snaps, try a different one. Each snap pattern fits a different shape of baby differently, and some fit certain babies far better than others.

________Snaps________

Pros

Longevity/durability: snaps last longer than aplix.

Baby-proof: snaps are more difficult for curious older babies and toddlers to undo, leading to less waking up to a diaper-less baby playing in their own poop (dude. it happens!).

Streamlined: snaps offer a "cleaner" look on the diaper and blend in better, or may be done in colors to enhance the look of the diaper.

Adjustability (some diapers only): some brands of snap diapers have snaps in a vertical row of two that allow the waist snaps and thigh snaps to be placed on different settings, accommodating a wide variety of body shapes that can be difficult to fit otherwise (for instance, you can have the waist snaps at the smallest setting while the thigh snaps are are the largest). See the blue Applecheeks in the picture above for an example.

Laundry: no extra step (no laundry tabs to affix).

Crossover snaps on a Goodmama

Cons

Speed: it takes longer to snap a diaper - important when time is at a premium with a toddler who won't lay still.

Difficulty: it can be more difficult to figure out the right snap settings on a diaper, particularly for babysitters/dads/grandparents/daycares who aren't as used to them, and particularly at night when you're trying to change a diaper after a week of not sleeping more than 30 minutes at a time. I often come home to find that whoever was watching her put it on a setting two or three snaps off what I would have used.

Customization: not all snap diapers offer crossover tabs, and you must choose pre-determined settings to snap the wings. If your child is between snap settings, it can be awkward trying to make it work. 

Side snaps on a GroVia all-in-one

________Aplix________

Pros

Speed: attaching velcro takes seconds (a bonus on a wiggly baby).

Customization: because you can attach the velcro at any point on the velcro patch, you can get an extremely custom fit (compared to snaps, which you must make fit certain pre-determined points).

Familiarization: velcro diapers look most like disposables, which means they are less intimidating for those starting out or who aren't familiar with cloth diapers.

Ease: it's a cinch to close an aplix diaper, and they are great for babysitters or dads or grandparents or daycares.

Aplix and laundry tabs on a Blissful Booty pocket diaper

Cons

Looks: aplix generally comes in one color: white. It stands out and doesn't offer the streamlined look that snaps do (there are a few with colored aplix, like Tots Bots new ones). 

Wear: aplix wears out faster than velcro, and gets pilly. You can replace the aplix on most diapers, but it's an extra step that usually isn't required on snap diapers.

Destructive: if you aren't careful to fasten the laundry tabs perfectly every single time, the aplix can catch on the PUL of other diapers and cause snags. 

Easy to undo: some babies figure out how to undo velcro diapers quickly, leading to the aforementioned scenario of a diaper-less toddler playing with their poop in the crib.

Laundry: an extra step to washing (affixing laundry tabs).

My personal solution to the old "snaps versus aplix" question is to have a variety of both. I have a number of aplix diapers that I save for babysitters and my husband and usually take these on the road with us (they're great for showing people how easy cloth diapering is!). I also have a number of snap diapers that I use, both because I like the fit and look of them, but also to last us longer and to be used when/if she figures out how to undo velcro.

Winner : Blissful Booty Perfect Pocket

Congratulations to Daphne Clara Moret Frendak, who won with entry #569 by Tweeting! You have 48 hours to respond to my email to claim your prize!

Guest Post : My Diaper Stash

Lara is the mother of 8-month-old Carys and has been building her stash since the day she found out she was pregnant. Literally. You can read more of her blog here.

Cloth diaper addicts like myself horde diapers like they're rare collectibles - which may explain the frantic buy/sell/trade forums that are all over the place.

When I was building my stash during my pregnancy, I decided that I would try a crap ton of different diapers and sell what I didn't love, and then add more of what I did.

That actually worked really well. I have tried almost all "big" brands of diapers at least once, along with a bunch of smaller, WAHM brands. After eight months of doing the buy/sell/trade dance, I'm pretty happy with what I have. I still have a wide variety, but it's definitely gone from 100 different diapers to a handful of main brands. These are the ones that work for us. They might not be the ones that work for you; in fact, you may have tried them and hated them. And that's the beauty of cloth diapering: there are SO MANY options that you're sure to find something that works for you eventually! And it likely won't be the exact thing that works for someone else.

I got most of these used or on sale, but not all, and won quite a few in contests/giveaways as well. 

This picture is several months old and a few things have changed since then!

So, my entire stash right IN USE now consists of (deep breath!):

12 bumGenius sized AIOs (size M)
9 GroVia AIOs
8 bumGenius Elementals
3 Tots Bots Easy Fit AIO
3 CPB AIOs
1 ones&twos AIO

1 Mamamade (Etsy) AI2
1 BeBeBritches AI2
1 Doodle Dype AI2

4 Applecheeks pockets (size 2)
2 AMP pockets
2 SunBaby pockets
1 Alva pocket
1 FuzziBunz Elite 
1 Blissful Booty Perfect Pocket
1 Kawaii Good Night Heavy Wetter

3 Monkey Snuggles fitteds
2 Goodmama GoodNights fitteds
2 Twinkie Tush fitteds
2 Tangerine Baby fitteds
2 Goodmama fitteds
1 Orange Diaper Company fitted
1 Swaddle in Cloth (Etsy) fitted (size M)

2 Best Bottoms covers
1 Rumparooz cover
1 Baby BeeHinds cover
1 Thirsties cover (size 2)

Other things:
40 or so cloth wipes (various sources)
12 or so fleece liners
8-10 hemp inserts (Artsy Fartsy Foo Foo and BabyKicks JoeyBunz Premium)
5 Blissful Booty stay-dry doublers
4 Best Bottoms inserts
3 wool soakers (Wild Coconut Wear and Woolly Bottoms)
3 wool longies (WAHM, Wild Coconut Wear, and SBish)
2 Kissaluvs pail liners
1 S Planetwise wetbag
1 M Planetwise wetbag
1 L Planetwise wetbag
1 Rumparooz pail liner
1 Rumparooz wetbag
1 Knickernappies diaper sprayer

Everything is one-size unless otherwise indicated. Of all of these, the GroVia AIOs, bumGenius Elementals, and Tots Bots Easy Fits are my go-to diapers. I loved the fit of the AppleCheeks size 1s on her, but the size 2s are still a bit bulky and big. I'm surprisingly loving my one FuzziBunz Elite (I hated the old one) and though I just got the Blissful Booty pocket, I'm really liking it as well.

The bumGenius sized AIOs are almost exclusively used for my husband and our sitter who watches Carys one day a week. I also use them when I got out and expect that other people might be changing her (my mom always volunteers). They're just really easy - not even any rise snaps to confuse. Literally the closet you can get to a disposable. So while I love them and they get used ALL the time, I don't use them often because I save them for others.

The fitteds are used mostly at night, but as you can see we have plenty to choose from, so they do get used during the day - mostly coverless during the day to get some more, ahem, air flow down there. I can't wait until summer when she can run around outside in just a fitted and t-shirt!  I love them all, but the Monkey Snuggles fit my daughter best.

Why so many wetbags and pail liners?  Well. Our dirty diaper system consists of a large hanging wetbag in her room, the contents of which I transfer to a diaper pail in the laundry room every night (her room is tiny with no room for a diaper pail, but 2 or 3 days worth of diapers don't fit in a large hanging wetbag).  After using them just fine for seven months, when we started spraying our diapers, I found that our PlanetWise wetbags leak. A lot. They worked fine for "normal" diapers - even very wet ones - but just can't handle the dripping wetness that comes from a sprayed diaper. The Kissaluvs pail liners work okay and weren't leaking per se, but I always get condensation inside the diaper pail. I'd heard good things about the RaR bags, so I got a wetbag and pail liner to try and they haven't leaked yet! I use the RaR wetbag and pail liner now whenever possible, and just use the large PW bag and Kissaluvs liners when the RaRs are in the wash. Unfortunately, since the RaR wetbags only come in one size, I still have to use the small/medium PW wetbags in the diaper bag, but since diapers in the diaper bag are rarely soaking wet, I haven't had an issue with leaking there.

This does not include any of our newborn diapers or diapers that we've grown out of or are to small for still. And I have a handful of diapers in the "thinking about selling" pile that aren't listed here, as well as a couple dozen prefolds.

Eeek. No one show this post to my husband!

Any questions about my stash or any of the diapers listed? Ask in the comments!

Giveaway : Blissful Booty Perfect Pocket

Blissful Booty started out with sized all-in-one diapers that I LOVED for when my daughter was little. They were super soft (TPU instead of PUL) and had wonderful interior double gussets that were fantastic for containing breastfed baby poo, as well as elastic at the back AND front of the diaper (brilliant!). They felt very high quality as well. Unfortunately, she grew out of the XS, S, and M sizes by six months, and we had plenty of one-size diapers at that point so I didn't get any of the larger sizes.  In addition to a ton of other accessories, they offer fleece-topped stay-dry doublers that I love and still use to this day. 

Blissful Booty AIO

Blissful Booty recently rolled out a new product: the Perfect Pocket.  Cathy from Blissful Booty sent me one to check out, and a review will be coming later when I review a couple other new pockets at the same time and have had some time to really live with it and use it, but so far - thumbs up! In the meantime, you could win your own! We have one "electric mango" bright orange minky snap diaper to give to one lucky winner!

The prize!

Like the AIO version, the pocket has soft interior double gussets as well as front elastic (love this feature!), and is covered in either TPU or super soft minky, depending on the pattern or color you pick. The back pocket opening has elastic to keep the insert nice and contained.  The pockets come with one bamboo insert, which may not be enough if you have a heavy wetter like me, but Blissful Booty offers additional bamboo and microfiber inserts at a fair price if you need more.  The snap version looks to have plenty of settings as well as hip snaps to fit a variety of babies well.

Double gussets on my tester diaper

Front elastic on my tester diaper

 Elasticized back pocket on my tester

In addition to the pocket diaper and included bamboo insert, Cathy has provided an additional microfiber insert and one of their stay-dry doublers! With that combo, this diaper should have enough absorbency for ANY wetter.

The whole prize pack - the diaper, a bamboo insert, a microfiber insert, and a stay-dry doubler!

To win this giveaway, you must "like" our Facebook page (there's a handy widget on the right hand side of the blog) and "like" Blissful Booty's Facebook page. After you've done these mandatory entries, you can get extra entries as well!


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