avatar by on October 22, 2010   •   Giveaways Your Family

4 Cloth Diapers Worth Trying (…to Win!)

This giveaway is now closed. Check back soon for the winners!

This year’s Cloth Diapering 101 series is hosted by four sweet diaper makers, and today I’m psyched to show you their diapers in action — along with a chance to win some.

In case you’ve missed them, here are the previous posts on cloth diapering from earlier in the week:

All the brands I’m showing you today pass the bill for superior durability, absorbency, low on the bulky factor, and totally pass the cute-o-meter.

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avatar by on October 21, 2010   •   90 Comments Your Family

Exploring 5 Stereotypes of the Cloth Diapering Family

Let’s have a show of hands.  How many of you had parents who used cloth diapers when you were a baby?

My parents sure did, and it wasn’t because they were concerned about the environment or that my sister and I were allergic to disposable diapers.  They used cloth diapers because they were absolutely broke and couldn’t afford even the most inexpensive of disposable diapers.  I grew up hearing my parents tell stories of sticking themselves with diaper pins, battling the diaper rash that the plastic pants they used as covers often incurred, and hauling the big, sloppy wet pail full of diapers to the washing machine.

Needless to say, when I became a parent, I didn’t give a single thought to using cloth diapers.

Yet when our oldest daughter was ten months old, I discovered that all but the most expensive disposable diapers caused her to break out in a rash and we were too broke to keep up with diaper costs.  It was at that point that I began to give a lot of thought to cloth diapers.

My husband was supportive of the change, but he was also a little surprised.  At that time, we were not the stereotypical cloth diapering parents. Believe it or not, five years ago we were what you might call a fairly “mainstream” family.  Browsing cloth diapering websites, message boards, and online stores was an entirely new world for me.

Is there a stereotypical cloth diapering family?

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avatar by on October 20, 2010   •   87 Comments Your Family

The 411 Behind Cloth Diapering 101

Cloth diapers. What images just popped in your head? Granola-types who preach the evils of disposables? Upper-class families who have nannies to take care of the “dirty work”? Stay-at-home parents too poor to pay for “normal” diapers? Or maybe your parents, berating you with stories of plastic pants and leaks galore?

None of this is across-the-board true of cloth diapers anymore. And for the next three days on Simple Mom, we’ll chat about the myths, the how-tos, and the where-do-I-go-if-I-want-to-give-it-a-trys behind cloth diapering.

Tomorrow, Megan will explore the myths and stereotypes behind cloth diapers, giving you a more realistic picture of what it’s really all about.

Friday, I’ll highlight some of my current favorite cloth diapers, and give you a chance to win a handful of them!

Today, I’m going to park at the basics. Let’s discuss some of the reasons why it’s not totally insane to give cloth diapers a shot, and then I’ll share some visual demonstrations of the basic to-dos.

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avatar by on June 6, 2009   •   49 Comments Your Family

Cloth diapering: your most common questions, answered

prefold cloth diapers in a basket
Photo by Momma’s Baby

I’m currently working on a big resource list of helpful links related to cloth diapering, and it will be published tomorrow. But I wanted to write up a quick “extra” post to address the most repeated questions I found in the comments sections during our Cloth Diapering 101 week.

Q: What about those of us who don’t have a washer or dryer at home (as in, I go to a laundromat, or I live in an apartment and use their machines)? Those coin-operated machines cost so much money, and won’t my neighbors flip out if they hear I’m washing diapers?

A: To answer the last part first — several of you mentioned the “ick” factor about putting soiled diapers in washers, even in your own. A washing machine’s very purpose is to handle the ick in fabric and remove it, making clothes wearable again. Think of those times you’ve washed your newborn’s onesie soaked in runny poo, the sheets your toddler wet at night, or your preschooler’s shirt he vomited on — you put those in your washer, right?

I know it may feel weird at first to consistently use a washer to remove poop, but it really doesn’t make your machine dirty. If you dump the poop into the toilet first, you’re getting the bulk of it off, anyway — especially if you use a diaper sprayer.

Now, I can understand the issue of spending $3 per laundry load in a coin-operated machine — that’s not going to save you money. In this case, if you’re still interested in cloth diapering, I recommend looking up a cloth diapering service in your area. Diaper services are professional laundries who rent reusable cotton diapers to families. The diaper service delivers clean diapers, and picks up the soiled diapers on a weekly basis to launder them. Check out the National Association of Diaper Services for more info.

Q: How many cloth diapers should I get?

A: There’s no definitive answer to this one, because every baby and family is different. If you’re home full-time and can do a load of diapers every other day, you’ll need less. If you like the idea of going three days before doing a load, you’ll obviously need more. And if your child is a heavy wetter, they might need more, too.

Your baby’s age is a factor, too. If you go with one-sized diapers, where you can convert them to the size you need, you don’t need to buy as many. But if you buy diapers in individual sizes, you’ll need to start with a few and add as they grow.

So there’s no hard and fast number. As for me? I have 10 pocket diapers, 3 all-in-ones, one fitted diaper, three covers, and 40 prefolds (head here for definition of these types). I have way too many. I plan to sell some soon, since I barely go through a quarter of my stash before washing.

If you’re unsure where to begin, and you don’t know what kind of diaper will ultimately work best for you, I recommend starting off with only a few. You can always add more as you go.

Q: I love the idea of cloth diapering, but I can’t stomach the up-front cost. Thoughts on how to get around this?

A: Most of use cloth diapers for the money saving benefits — but that doesn’t mean you won’t get sticker shock in the beginning. If you know you want to go with cloth diapering and you’re still in your first or second trimester, start saving now for your system. Just like saving up cash for all things in life, create a sinking fund for your diapers.

Many sites offer baby registry services now, too. Or you can customize your own internet-based baby registry on sites like Wishpot (here’s my list of baby basics recommendations, fyi, as Wishpot’s “Simple Mom Expert” — I’ll make a cloth diapering one soon). Create a cloth diapering registry, and people can load you up at showers.

And if you’re late in your pregnancy, or if your baby’s already here, you can start off small. Just buy a few diapers at first and combo diaper with disposables. Gradually buy more cloth diapers as you find great deals, and slowly taper off your need for sposies.

And finally, remember that cloth diapering doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing game. We still use disposable diapers for long trips — there’s no shame in starting off with just a few CDs.

Q: My husband can’t get around the poop factor — until you can guarantee that my baby will never poop in her cloth diaper, he’s not willing to try going cloth. Thoughts?

A: Aimee already addressed the poop issue in her excellent guest post answering common misconceptions about CDing. But I’ll reiterate it here, too — it’s the poop that’s gross, not the diaper type. You still have to mess with poop in a sposie.

In fact, I don’t deal with poop any more than I did with disposables, and I think the smell is actually less, since we flush 99% of it down the toilet. If he seriously won’t even put a disposable liner into the toilet, I’ve read some comments this week that some people don’t even get rid of the poop before throwing it into the washing machine! Apparently that’s okay.

The other most common questions were mostly related to finding cloth diapering resources. I’ll be sharing a bunch of links tomorrow, so hopefully those questions will find their answers then. In the meantime, let me know if you have any more questions, and I’ll ( or any other CD mama out there) do my best to answer them!

Don‘t forget to enter the cloth diaper giveaway going on right now — it ends Sunday night!

avatar by on June 5, 2009   •   Giveaways Your Family

The Simple Mom cloth diaper review

So far during our Cloth Diapering 101 week, you’ve heard about the different types of cloth diapers available, why you should at least consider cloth diapers, answers to common misconceptions about cloth diapers, and two videos that show you how to use and clean them. Today, I’m going to review the cloth diaper brands I recommend.

This list is not exhaustive. There are many, many cloth diaper brands that do a great job, and have their superiority for any wide variety of reasons. But I don’t want to review something I haven’t actually tried, so today’s information is solely based on my personal experience. In the comments section, feel free to use similar criteria to add your $.02 about another brand you like.

The reviewed criteria are absorbency, cost, overall fit, drying time (on a clothesline), the cute factor, the company’s customer service, and Dad and Grandparent-friendliness. This last category is contributed by my husband, who rated each diaper based on his first-hand experience. Hesitant dads, grandparents, and other caregivers is a major consideration with cloth diapers, so it’s important to give honest feedback regarding a diaper’s ease of use.

I’ve rated the diapers in each category from one to five clothespins. Here are the definitions:
cloth diaper rating

• Perfect Size Diaper from FuzziBunz (Pocket Diaper)

fuzzibunz diaper review
This is a great diaper from FuzziBunz. It’s the one we have the most quantity of, so we use one of these almost daily. They’re a cinch to snap, and the shape is great around the legs — we’ve never had a blow-out with one of these. My son is skinny, so the caboose is a little loose, but that means there’s plenty of room to add a doubler or extra insert at night. These are one of the fastest-drying diapers we have, and the customer service is wonderful. I’ve interacted with them a few times, and they’ve always responded very quickly to my emails. FuzziBunz is a great company.

I also love their other products I have. We use their hanging diaper pail, and we’ve never had an odor problem. After we wash it with the diapers, it dries really quickly. We carry their travel wet bag in our diaper bag, so the few times we’ve needed it, there’s never been a smell issue — you can’t tell anything’s in your diaper bag. This comes in handy in other ways, too, since it’s waterproof — our older daughter wet her underwear and jeans one time, and we just tossed them in there until we got home. It can also go in the wash.

I like their wipes, too. With their Organic Double-Sided Wipes, one side is cotton and the other side is a soft fleece. They work great for getting off poop, especially in combo with homemade diaper wipe solution.

Overall, I don’t think you can go wrong with anything by FuzziBunz.

• 3.0 One-Size Diaper from BumGenius (Pocket Diaper)

bumgenius diaper review
This is a great, quick-drying diaper that fits my trim baby really well. We’ve never had an explosion in this one, either, and the Aplix (super-strong velcro) stays put. I only have one of these diapers, but I’m happy every time I use it. The insert has snaps so that you can optionally shorten the insert and make it thicker in the front, which is great for a boy. And because you can adjust the size with the snaps in front, you only need one set of these diapers to last from birth to potty.

BumGenius is very popular with cloth diapering mamas, so even though it’s on the pricey side, you might be able to find secondhand diapers on the internet.

• Blueberry One-Size Bamboo Velour Diaper from Swaddlebees (Pocket Diaper)

swaddlebees diaper review
This is quite the luxurious diaper from Swaddlebees! It’s easily adjustable for any size you need, and the inside is a super-soft organic bamboo cotton blend. The Aplix is really strong, too. The best thing about this diaper is the inserts — each diaper comes with two! One is smaller, for the really young age, and the second one is longer that snaps together as a trifold. You can use the smaller insert as a doubler at night, so you’ve essentially got four layers going on. Each layer is really thin but absorbent — this is often our nighttime diaper.

My only complaint is the cost. It’s one of the pricier pocket diapers out there, so if you’re interested in Swaddlebees, you could first look secondhand.

• Side Snapping Diaper from BottomBumpers (All-In-One Diaper)

bottombumpers diaper review
BottomBumpers as more of a hybrid of a pocket and AIO, because BottomBumpers includes a soaker that snaps on top of the inside. It’s a double-folded, super-soft organic cotton padding topped with bamboo velour. It’s a breeze to snap in because you don’t even need to reach inside. But what I love best about these diapers is the fit — for my slim little man, these are the best-fitting diapers we have. They contour wonderfully between the legs, and the side snaps keep it nice and trim on the bottom.

Again, the only issue is the cost. But for an AIO, it’s not bad. And I love that I’m supporting a small cottage industry run by a mom.

• Bamboozle from Bummis (Fitted Diaper)


Oh my goodness, I love this diaper from Bummis. This diaper has four layers of bamboo, which means it’s compact yet super-absorbent. It is unbelievably soft! I love that a 100% bamboo is so eco-friendly — bamboo is a renewable resource with a very short growth cycle and it is grown without fertilizers or pesticides. Plus, it’s breathable, cool, and absorbs 60% more than cotton. This is one of our favorite diapers, and I’d have more if it weren’t for the cost. Still, I love how slim-fitting these diapers are. There’s absolutely no puffy bum here.  He’s wearing this diaper under the Imse Vimse Organic Wrap photo, reviewed below.

• Organic Cotton Prefolds from Bummis (Prefold Diaper)

bummis organic cloth diapering kit

These are the prefolds that come with Bummis’ Organic Cotton Diaper Kit, a complete diapering system in a box. These unbleached prefolds are super absorbent and soft, and they’re a great size for my son — he’s wearing one under the Bummis Super Brite Wrap photo, reviewed below. So far, they’ve held up very well. As we’ve mentioned all week, the best benefit of prefolds is the cost — they’re definitely the cheapest cloth diaper available. But I also love their versatility — you can fold them a myriad of ways to fit your baby, and depending on the wrap you use, you could hold it together with a Snappi or simply hold it securely within the wrap. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of prefolds. Once you get the hang of them, diaper changing goes really quickly.

The main downside is possible reluctance from dads, grandparents, or other caregivers. If this is the case, and you want to mostly use prefolds and wraps, I’d recommend still using a few pockets or AIOs, and they can use these when it’s their turn.

• Super Brite Wrap and Super Whisper Wrap from Bummis (Diaper Cover/Wrap)

bummis cloth diaper wrap review

Bummis makes great wraps! I love both my Super Brite wrap in Blue and my Super Whisper wrap in Froggy Pond. They fit really well around a Bamboozle or a prefold, and the gussets around the legs has meant no leaks at all. I also like that there’s a little pocket in front so that you can slip in a prefold without Snappis. The Aplix on these guys are also the strongest I’ve seen — there’s no way my son could ever take this off. And since these are quite popular wraps, you’re likely to find some secondhand.

• Organic Cotton Cover from Imse Vimse (Diaper Cover/Wrap)

imse vimse cloth diaper wrap review

This is a very lightweight, soft cover with the most adorable farm print. I think this is my favorite in the cute department! The hook and closure front is softer, but our son has never been able to remove this. I do wish there were inside velcro tabs to close up the velcro for wash time, but it’s no problem just to adhere it to the front. This cover also fits my son perfectly – there’s no bagginess, and the gussets in the legs work wonderfully. It’s a bit pricier than other wraps, but if you’re going for cute, you can’t go wrong with these covers.

gDiapers (Hybrid Diaper)

gdiapers review

If the thought of cloth diapers still seems challenging to you, then perhaps a hybrid diaper is your answer. gDiapers consist of a washable, cotton outer ‘little g’ pant and a plastic-free flushable diaper refill. They are made of breathable material just like sports clothing. So the outside is a simple cotton cover, and inside is a detachable waterproof liner. Inside the liner, you add a flushable diaper insert, which makes the diaper absorbent. When it’s dirty, you can either flush the insert, compost it (it breaks down in 50-150 days), or even toss it in the trash — there’s no plastic, so it’s biodegradable. You should still toss poop in the toilet, though.

I thought these would be harder than they were. Putting in the inserts were just as easy as refilling a pocket diaper, and the simple procedure behind flushing the insert is easy, once you get the hang of it. gDiapers’ website has a video on how the process works, and their customer service is fabulous — I called them with questions, and the woman on the phone was friendly, down-to-earth, and helpful.

My main complaint is the cost. These diapers are expensive. If your driving factor behind using cloth diapers is cost, then gDiapers aren’t for you. You can buy them locally at a wide variety of stores like Whole Foods, but the refill inserts still average about $.47. Quite a bit more than standard disposables. Until their price is lowered, I can’t really use gDiapers. But their covers work great as wraps for prefolds, and they’re super cute.

In addition to all these diapers, I also highly recommend using Snappis, Bummis BioSoft Liners, Imse Vimse Flushable Liners, and Soapnuts for cleaning. Many of you use all kinds of products, so please share your recommendations in the comments section. We can make this post a resource guide for people overwhelmed by their choices. So please contribute all you can!

Giveaway Time!

Okay, I know you’re all curious what the giveaway is about. To celebrate Cloth Diapering 101 week here on Simple Mom, several companies want to give away some of their products to the readers!

• From FuzziBunz, two people will win three pocket diapers — two of their one-size diapers and one of their perfect size diaper. Each set of diapers is worth over $55.

• BottomBumpers will give one reader a three-pack of their all-in-one diapers, worth around $60.

• Swaddlebees is giving one reader two of their diapers, a Blueberry Minky One-Size snap pocket diaper and a Swaddlebees EcoNappi, worth $62.

• Bummis is giving one reader a complete Organic Cotton Diaper Kit, everything you need to start using cloth diapers right away! This kit is worth $169.

For a chance to win any of these prizes, here’s what you do:

1. Submit a comment on this post, and do the following: If you’re already using cloth diapers (or did, when you had kiddos in diapers), recommend a brand and type of diaper you liked, and why. If you haven’t used cloth yet, share one reason you’re willing to give it a try.

2.For a second entry, Twitter about this giveaway, using the hashtag #clothdiapers and my Twitter name, @simplemom.

3.For a third entry, write about this giveaway on your own blog, linking back to this post so that I receive a trackback.

This giveaway will only last this weekend — I’ll close the entries on Sunday, June 7 at 11:59 EST. I hope you win! And thanks again to these great companies who want to bless the socks off of Simple Mom readers.

This weekend, I’ll provide a list of a ton of links — from diaper brands, to stores, to services, to online communities, and more.  Stay tuned!