Diaper Review

So I posted a while ago that we ordered a few different kinds of diaper covers just for comparison.  Originally, I had ordered the Flip Diaper System and I absolutely love them!!  They’re a great fit for Parker, easy-to-use, and really affordable.  They come with either the Organic Inserts or the Stay-dry Inserts (which we have) and I also like these the best.  They seem to be the most absorbable although they are the most expensive.

I heard a lot of great things about the bumGenius 4.0 diaper so I decided to give it a try.  No bueno.  They’re about $1 or $2 more than the Flip Diapers and they seem to be a bit better quality but we don’t like them quite as much as the Flip Diaper covers.  The Flip Diapers have a flap in the front and back of the cover to hold the insert in place.  Once the insert is dirty, simply change it and reuse the cover.  The bumGenius diaper cover has only a flap in the back and a wide slot (almost like a wide pocket) to slide in the insert.  I never use it because I want to be able to reuse the cover and if I used the pocket then Parker would be getting the cover dirty as well so I just put the insert on top of the pocket, as I would the Flip Diaper cover.  I also find that the cover is a bit thicker, making Parker a little sweaty when he wears it.  Consequently, the bumGenius cover is the one I pick out once all the others are dirty.

I also ordered a Best Bottom diaper cover.  I didn’t realize that there are inserts specifically for these covers so I didn’t order them.  I still use the Flip inserts I have although they do not snap in as the Best Bottom insert would.  I find that this cover is the biggest out of all of them.  Biggest, meaning giving Parker the biggest cloth diaper butt I’ve ever seen.  Some of his pants don’t fit over them.  Pros- they do have a double elastic edging around the legs for extra leak protection and they come in lots of fun colors!  The Best Bottom diapers are my go-to cover for overnights.

Now to the inserts.  Like I said, the Flip System Stay-dry inserts are my favorite.  I took the advice of another blogger that recommended the Bummis Organic Cotton Prefold Inserts.  They are the most economical I have found – 6 prefolds for $16.  They’re super soft and surprisingly absorbent (when I first got them I was a little skeptical since the middle panel is pretty thin).  We’ve been using them for a few weeks now and after I wash them I dry them on low in our dryer and I’ve noticed that they have shrunk significantly.  They still work well but have not kept their shape.  Because of this I definitely feel that the Flip Stay-dry inserts are worth the money.

 

Which Diapers To Choose…?

No blowouts, no stained clothes, fast washing…I’d say that week 1 of our cloth diaper experiment has been going very well!

We received our order of the Flip Diaper System earlier in the week.  It came with 2 diaper covers and 6 stay-dry inserts.  So far we love them.  They are OS (One Size) snap diapers that adjust as he grows.  I was afraid of him having this huge diaper butt but they are actually very slim and fit perfect.

As far as leakage goes, the covers are waterproof and the form fitting elastic around the leg area prevents it.  I’ve been wanting to order a few more covers but it’s a little hard to find.  You can’t order them straight off of the Flip Diapers website although the website does give you a list of suppliers, online and retail stores by state.  Even though we really like these I ordered a few different covers just to compare and decide which ones we want to use.

Our box came with 6 stay-dry inserts.  You can fold them over for sizes Small, Medium or Large, with the flap either in the front for boys or the back for girls.  Compared to the prefold inserts we also have, these are MUCH more absorbent but they are also MUCH more expensive.  1 stay dry insert= $4.50.  I just ordered Bummis Organic Unbleached Prefolds as suggested by another blogger.  6 infant size prefolds=$16.00. I’ll let you know how they compare to the others.

Cloth Diapers

The idea of cloth diapering has crossed my mind a few times since having Parker.  The kid has massive blow out poops once, maybe even twice per day and just the chance of cloth diapers not holding everything in and then having to use an expensive cleaning service to clean the diapers just scared the crap out of me and are the main reasons why I chose disposables in the first place.  A few friends of mine have gone the eco-friendly route and I couldn’t understand why.  After doing a ton of research, blog reading and asking a lot of questions, I have decided to take the plunge and cross over to the world of cloth diapers.  Here are the reasons why:

Cloth diapers are healthy for our environment.  This is my number 1 reason simply because it can take anywhere from 300-500 years for a single disposable diaper to decompose.  We try our best to recycle and I have a hard time justifying us throwing away anywhere from 10-12 diapers per day is actually helping us do just that.

You save an incredible amount of money – somewhere around $2000 a year.  Lets face it.  We have no money.  We live off of student loans.  If this will save us any amount of money, I’m all for it.

 

They are MUCH easier to use than I originally thought.  Using a cleaning service is no doubt more expensive and I have also read that the chemicals they use to clean the diapers are not so great for my baby’s sensitive little bum.  Rinsing in cold water and washing the diapers in the washingmachine with hot water will suffice.  Modern day cloth diapers no longer call for safety pins-most are either velcro or snaps.  Baby poops, take out the insert, place another, spray poop off of the dirty insert, throw in wet bag, wash.  So easy 🙂

Maximum comfort for baby.  Like I said there are no pins involved and since we are using diapers with snaps there is no velcro rubbing against Parker’s delicate skin.  Babies are in diapers every single day for about 3 years so why not make them as comfortable as possible.  The more comfortable baby is, the less cranky baby is and that equals a happier mommy and daddy.