Do the diapers hold the doo doo?

So we now have a very active four month old, what diapers are holding up to the test of time.

Well, I do like the Sandy's - but they are only good for daytime use. They are not absorbent enough for overnight.  

Our favorites - the two we have purchased in mass quantities.  

BG 3.0 - they are great, my only concern is that we have a big girl, we are already on the second snap and she is four months old - are they really going to last until she is toilet trained?  We had to do away with the newborn inserts - just not enough for our super soaker - but the larger inserts they come with are doing the job - and you can throw the newborn one in for overnight use.

Fuzzi Bunz are the other front runner - I love that they snap - this doesn't catch on clothing the way velcro does.  The con is that they are sized.  But we have purchased a bunch of mediums which are just starting to fit - as she is only approaching 16 pounds - they are great double stuffed for overnight.  And the smalls still fit and show no signs of being too small.

I think I might want to try one or two more types though - just to see.  But, I think that those two will remain my favorites.

Dripping Daytime Diapers

So first up this morning was a bum genius diaper. I have to say I liked it - wasn't as bulky as I anticipated. I really thought it would be because it is made to fit such a large range of baby bums. It held all the pee inside - though I do know that if used overnight I would have to stuff a liner in because she filled it to the brim in three hours.

The second diaper of the day was a Kushies prefold with the mesh bummis cover. So not sure that I am going to like these. She had another soaker and it leaked out the side of her leg. And not only was the prefold and the waterproof cover wet, but her onesie and pants were also soaked through. We tried the prefold again for the third diaper - thinking that maybe it would take more practice to fold it better. This time there was a stinker. Again there was leaking around the leg and the cover was saturated as well - though the industrial cover seems to have prevented the clothing from becoming dirty as well.

Fourth up is the Sandy's again - this time for daytime use. Again my concern is the bulk - I don't know how many of her clothes will be able to fit over this system - though it might become less of an issue as she gets a little older.

I think we are going to use a couple of g diapers next - I really want to use up all the disposable liners before she outgrows the diaper.

Tonight we are going to be testing the Fuzzi Bunz over night with the help of a second liner. I think my super sleeping soaker will need the added protection - and I don't want to have to wash all her bedding everyday!

My Super Sleeping Soaking Baby

Last night was the first night of the cloth diapering experience. First observation, we might need to buy larger sizes in all her clothing. The sleeper would not do up...and she has a serious case of big bum. But maybe they won't all be so bulky.

So my superstar sleeps from about 10pm until about 6am in the mornings, I picked her up this morning and the swaddle blanket wet, the sleeper wet, the diaper - not a dry piece of cloth to be had and her bum and back were also wet.

We used the Sandy's with the waterproof cover which apparently cannot withstand the soaking abilities of my baby girl. A disposable always could. I think if we try this diaper again for nighttime we will need to put a liner inside to help increase the amount of absorbency.

The Investment...

So what was purchased, how much did it cost and how much would it cost to use that diaper exclusively.

The following need to be taken into consideration when determining final price.

• Cloth diapering experts recommend having at least 24 diapers on hand and 36 to cut down on constant laundering.
• Cloth diapers have weight ranges; some are made to fit babies of all sizes, others have more specific weight limitations - this can increase/decrease costs depending on choices.
• Some cloth diapers are purchased with everything you need, others require accessories - such as diaper covers, pins, fasteners, or extra liners for added absorbency.
• Many when purchased in bulk offer cost savings.

Sandy's
The first of the contenders is the Mother Ease Sandy's Fitted Diaper. It is a white fitted cotton terry cloth diaper made in Canada. It is very soft to the touch and makes me think that it would feel nice next to a baby bum and uses velcro to fasten. It requires a waterproof diaper cover- we have purchased the Mother Ease Air Flow Diaper Cover, which snaps shut. The cover is available in plain white or a number of very baby patterns. The diapers come in two sizes, the small fits 8-20 lbs and the large 20-35 lbs. The covers are also sized, we have purchased the medium cover which fits from 10-20lbs.
Diaper - $11.95 per
Cover - $13.50 per


Fuzzi Bunz
This is a pocket diaper, which is available in an assortment of colours and is sure to please any fashionista. It was recommended that we purchase a hemp liner for over night use. Fuzzi Bunz has 100% polyester microfleece next to baby's bottom and again feels like it would be very snuggly. This diaper is sized, we have purchased the small which fits babies from 7-18 lbs.
Diaper -$25.50 per
Extra Liner - $7.99 per
* if more than 12 diapers are purchased you save $2.00 a diaper

G Diapers
I call this the cloth diaper lite - it is a cross between a disposable and a cloth diaper, it is made of cloth but features disposable and biodegradable liners. The perk- when the baby soils the diaper - you just toss the liner (it can be flushed or thrown in the garbage - but take much less time to break down than their disposable counterparts). They are cute (love the G on the back), come in many colours and patterns, made of cotton and fasten with velcro. These are sized and we have the small size which fits from 7-14 lbs (these were the first we purchased and we have been using these for a while already). The refills are also sized and available either small or medium/large.
Diaper - $16.99 per
Liners - $14.49 for 40
*there are discounts to be had if buying starter package or cases of refills.

Kushies/Bummis
We bought the patterned prefolds (I am not a white person), though in retrospect since we also chose to go with diaper covers, probably could have bought the white - as the covers are also patterned, and saved ourselves $3.00. With the prefolds you have choice, choice is good, you can use diaper pins (scared I would stab our squirmy child), fasterners or liners. We chose liners as they add the waterproofing capability and help to keep the diaper in place better than the other options - though in fairness, I feel I should at least give the fasterners a try. To go with them we purchased Bummis covers - they were recommeded to us over the Kushies brand. We purchased two different types of covers the industrial for nighttime use and the mesh breathable ones for daytime use. The prefolds appear to be one size - we could only find one and are 4x8x4 (this number says something about the absorbancy). The covers are sized as well and we purchased the medium 13-20 lbs, they are velcro fastened.
Diaper - $23.99 for 6
Cover - $13.50 per

Bum Genius 3.0
I like that the Bum Genius is a 3.0 - this makes it sound very technologically advanced, perhaps it will add to the experience of using the diaper - it sounds cool! They are available in six colours and are the only diaper we purchased that are made to fit the baby for their whole diaper experience. From 8-35 lbs, birth to toilet training. They are velcro fastened pocket diapers. We were told that they were one of the best selling diapers but because you use them for three years they typically only withstand one child.
Diaper $22.00
*you can get a 5% discount if you purchase more than 12