Let's start at what I think is the beginning. Definitions! There are so many kinds of cloth diapers and diaper combinations. I started to write my own summary, but there is an awesome summary over at Nicki's Diapers. Check it out: Diaper Definitions.
What type of cloth diapers to use? In my opinion the 3 main choices are:
Pockets - almost the same as an AIO, but have a pocket to put in an absorbent insert. This cuts down on drying time, and allows for customization of how much absorbency you need.
Hybrid(insert + cover) - lots of different insert options ranging from prefold cotton, hemp, microfiber, to disposable, and even more cover options than you can imagine.
From what I hear, people tend to think of AIOs and Pockets as about the same thing. It's basically a one piece diaper versus a cover and insert combo. Practically speaking you'd need to purchase one full diaper per diaper change, so approximately 12 full diapers per day. People in the AIO camp seem to like the ease of just putting on one piece like a disposable.
People in the Hybrid camp seem to value more variety in their covers and inserts, so they can customize absorbency, and they seem to value the economic benefit of needing less covers than insert. You really only need to change a cover if a baby poops on it, so maybe you'll need 12 inserts per day but only 2-5 covers depending on the age of your baby. So the Hybrid option can be substantially cheaper than the AIO option.
I found that I fall more in the Hybrid camp. It's pretty easy to just change an insert when wet, rather than changing a whole diaper. It feels less wasteful to me somehow. Esp for those moments when a baby pees/poops during a change. Then I'm not throwing a whole diaper and cover in the wash, just getting a new insert. I also like the affordability of needing less covers than inserts.
We have, however, found that we really like to have a small number of AIO diapers on reserve for going out. Even though it's still easy to change an insert out and about, it is a little faster to not have to assemble it, and just put on your AIO. But the AIO's do take up more space in the diaper bag. Given that I'm more of a homebody, I don't have the cloth on the go thing quite figured out yet, but those are my thoughts so far.
So in sum, my personal recommendation is to have a hybrid diaper system at home, some combo of your favorite covers and inserts, and some AIO's to take with you on the go. Now with that said....which ones are my favorite? Well, I've tried a few different covers Proraps, Thirsties Duo Wraps, Imse Vimse, and Flip covers by bumGenius. They all have their ups and downs, but I've recently fallen in love with bumGenius! and just about all of their products. I tend to do that...when I find one brand I like, I go all out and get some of everything they make. I guess I've always been a kind of a brand whore. We really enjoy using the Flip system, by bumGenius. It's the perfect Hybrid system!** Really cute covers, that we found do not leak much, as compared to others, combined with either a stay dry insert, that requires NO folding, or an organic cotton insert that is super absorbent for overnight use or heavy wetters. You can even use disposable inserts, which I have, but haven't tried yet. I've really fallen in love with one-size covers, not only because they will be usable for most of the diaper time of your baby, but they are more of a custom fit. If you have a baby with a big waist, but medium legs, a medium diaper will be too small in the waist, but you can get a more custom fit with your one size adjustments.
I've also tried the econobum, which is a really affordable cloth diaper set of one-size covers and prefolds. The prefolds are very soft and absorbent, and the covers are pretty nice for the price. Not as high quality as the Flips, but I still like them. And I like that they come in white! We've tried a few different pocket diapers, and for me, the winner again is the bumGenius one size pocket diaper. Wonderful fabrics, simple covers, super super absorbent, and overall just a really great diaper. I'm hoping to increase my small collection of these for my on the go diapers. In fact, over at Jillian's Drawers, they're having a giveaway of the new bumGenius 4.0 diapers!
Ok, brands and diaper types aside, other questions...what do you do with them? Is washing them hard? Is it a pain? What about wipes? My answers are yes you wash them at home, and no it's not hard or a pain. And use cloth wipes, it makes cloth diapering easy! With breastfed babies, baby poop is water soluble, so it will wash away easily without rinsing or soaking. We use cloth wipes so when a diaper change is done, both diaper and wipe go in the laundry bin, with a washable liner (I love the Planet Wise bags both for pail liner and to take dirty diapers home on the go!).
As for wipes, we bought some generic flannel wipes from Cotton Babies (the also the makes of bumGenius, but I didn't know that at the time). We prep them with a wipe solution mixed with water, and put them in a wipe warmer. We use a wipe warmer, by Prince Lionheart, because we found that it helps keep the wipes moist. When we had them in any other container, they would dry out.
So when washing come around, take the laundry bag dump it into the wash, then dump the bag in along with it, and you're done! Some covers can be dried in the dryer, but others need to be line dried, but I believe all inserts can be tumble dried. Some people use special detergents, but we just use a generic brand as long as it has no additives. We even recently tried hanging our poop stained prefolds to dry in the sun, and they came out looking as white as new. The sun bleaches things naturally!
So that's my somewhat stream-of-consciousness diapering story. I hope someone other than me found it interesting!
** One caveat...I think one size diapers work best for babies 10lbs and up. So before Emeline was big enough for these (which was a while, given she was so small) we used a cheap entry diaper system of newborn size prorap covers and chinese prefolds. These covers/prefolds are affordable and really durable, and you need a lot for all the newborn baby poop. If we had another baby, I'd use this combo until baby was big enough to use the one-size solutions. Ask me again later once Emeline is on the large size of one size to see if they still fit a toddler :)
i actually ended up using blogs like this when i was trying to decide what diapers to use. wasn't it you who told me about gDiapers? we considered cloth, and even had some pocket diapers to try, but my conclusion was that while cloth are better in terms of less going to landfills, that they are worse in terms of global warming because of the extra energy to wash, especially if you wash poopy stuff in hot water. also i thought, we're going to have enough extra wash to do as it is. i don't want to add more. gDiapers uses more water to flush inserts, but nothing to landfill and only a little extra laundry. we now do a combo b/c daycare can't deal with anything other than disposable. i bet daycares in CA are more flexible...
ReplyDeleteYes I remember stumbling upon gDiapers when you were looking and telling you. I also remember liking your perspective on the energy it takes to wash diapers and how that cuts back on the green element of them. But for us the choice was also very economic. gDiapers are great but seemed to cost similar to cloth diapers, if you buy the cheap prefold, but they are not reusable. So the expense was too high for us. Esp cause with cloth you can reuse for multiple children. But yes, that would expend more energy for washing. gDiapers now sells cloth inserts, which I hear are good, but of course you have to wash. I do hear that you can use cloth in some day cares, but they require AIO or pocket diapers because they dont want to mess with much assembly. I dont know if any will do gDiapers though.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear cloth is working for Emeline! I love using the cloth wipes too! So easy & after 5 months I have only gone through 2 packs of disposable wipes (when traveling, etc). Not to disagree with the "more energy" w/cloth stance above, but after 5 months now, I am only doing 1-2 extra loads of wash per week. I combine all baby clothes with our regular wash & then wash diapers/wipes seperately. If you treat the stains & can control the smell, every 3 days is often enough. I dry in the sunshine all summer long - so very little extra water. And no late night trips to the store bc I am outta wipes or diapers! :-)
ReplyDeleteElanie, I have noticed the ammonia smell is getting stronger, so I am having to strip the diapers every 2-3 weeks. I am using a product called "Rockin Green" that strips all the soap (which binds to the urine to retain smell). Soak all diapers/wipes/inserts in the tub overnight. Wash as normal. Also, with the intro to solid foods, the poop only gets more interesting. It more like "real poop" which has been kinda amusing! I recommend getting a sprayer attachment for your toilet. I bought one off amazon for $35 and it installs to the piping. You can wash the poop right into the toilet. (some of it just shakes right off though!).