I use BumGenius One Size 3.0s. I made this choice based on research and the fact that I could register for them on Target.com. Between Target gift cards and Visa gift cards that I spent at Cotton Babies (which has the best prices I found at them time), my cloth diaper expenses where a whopping 99 cents.
I have 36 diapers and I wash everyday; the frequency of washing is due to my very small diaper pail, otherwise I could probably wash every other evening and hang to dry for the next morning.
Here's a little Bum Genius One Size 3.0 Review for you:
Cons:
- Quite bulky in my diaper bag. Two diapers fit well, but if I want to be out for a long long time four would be pushing it while sharing space with multiple burp clothes and bibs (yay, reflux!) There will be more space when they outgrow reflux.
- They get a little smelly after a few washes, though it's less smelly or not smelly at all if you're able to sun dry them.
- They require a little more work in the middle of the night with rinsing and separating the parts to prepare to wash them.
- I'm never quite sure what to do with disposable wipes. At home I put the used ones in an old wipes container on the changing table and empty that when necessary. In public, it gets a little weird. I've made resuable wipes but I'm still using the gifted wipes.
- Some people I know are freaked out by washing away human refuse in the same machine that they clean their clothing.
- Diaper Rash ointment could stain them and make them less effective at absorbing.
- You have to remember to put the velcro tabs on the laundry tabs before washing otherwise the velcro will wear out faster and your diapers will be a huge mess when you pull them out of the washer.
- Re-stuffing the diapers is pretty time consuming, though I try to do it while feeding the girls to make up the time difference.
- More expensive up front. (use those gift cards to your advantage!)
- Your babies may outgrown clothing sizes at a quicker rate because of the added bulk.
- I had to wait until the girls reached 7lbs before I could use them so all those preemie/newborn diapers were a necessity!
Pros:
- Cheaper in the long term. The main reason I chose cloth was because it's cheaper than the potential $1600+ a year to use disposables. The main reason I chose a One-Size diaper was because it's even cheaper than buying multiple sizes as needed.
- They have a decent resale value either at Cotton Babies or through a MoM club or an online forum or even Craigslist. So if you paid nothing for them like me... you'll actually get paid to get rid of them! Or you'll make up about 1/2 of your initial investment.
- You can use them for multiple children (i.e. your second set of twins) or children wearing different sizes.
- BGs are so much like disposables that even church nursery workers who didn't receive a tutorial (oops) figured then out easily. Dad doesn't mind changing them either.
- The velcro makes changing quick!
- The fabric feels so soft against baby's skin.
- Just like a disposable the baby doesn't realize she's wet as quickly. I was given a couple of cotton cloth diapers and plastic covers, and my little Aeralind screamed to be changed as soon as she peed in them, but not with the BGs.
- Your baby's bottom actually looks cute (and will be cuter when they can run around in a t-shirt and diaper during the summer).
- Unlike disposables there are some great colors to chose from! I really like Zinnia, Clementine, and Moonbeam.
7 comments:
I think it's great that you're using cloth diapers...good on ya! We're expecting our first little one in January and I'm planning on using cloth as well. However, we are planning on using disposables the first week or so and I was planning on using Nature Babycare diapers because they seemed the most natural disposable option. As such I was interested in what you said about those diapers at the beginning of the post...are they not very good at containing messes on newborns? I don't know anyone who has used that particular brand of diaper so I would be interested in your take on them... Thank you so much!
~Jessica
:o) I love cloth diapering. Honestly, in all my years of using them, I never knew a single friend who was willing to try them. I'm glad you're loving them. We got 36 upfront. Back then you had to order them online, so we payed straight out of our pocket which seemed to be a lot at once ($500!). We got Snug-to-Fit Supremes. I chose snaps, they also have the elastic legs, and are one size. We would start once the kids were a month old (clear from their umbilical cord) and use them through potty training. Now we don't have any more in diapers and aren't planning to have more kids at this point, so a friend bought them from me for $150! Awesome investment. You're right, all of our friends and their disposables spent $1500-2000 per kid per year depending on brand they chose. Altogether (with wipes, waterproof pants, liners, etc.) We spent $600(-150 profit) for three kids and a total of nine years of diapering. SO worth it. Great job, guys!
I love my cloth diapers. It seems most people are unwilling to listen when you tell them how well they work, so I'm impressed to see you try them. I use a simple setup of prefolds and Bummis Original pants, with some Bummis Whisper pants as well. Once I got in a rhythm of washing, it's very easy. Unlike you, I do use disposables when we go places, unless it's a quick run to the grocery store or library. The prefolds take up a lot of space and I hate carrying wet ones in the diaper bag.
I love the look of a cloth diapered baby bottom-so cute!
The Natures Babycare diapers don't have a newborn size-only size one (8-12lbs). Average newborns are 7lbs so that might be a problem for you, Jessica. I've only used three of them when my ladies were 9lbs and their little legs just do not properly fill out the leg gussets. The gussets actually flare out around their legs like a tutu. This may be unique to skinny legged little girls, but I have a feeling that they won't fit my girls until they are closer to 12lbs.
I highly recommend Pampers Swaddlers for the first month or so. Their newborn size (7-10lbs, I think) fit the girls alright at their tiny 5lb birth weight without gaping around the leg though they were slightly large at the waist (I used preemie sizes until they were about 6lbs or so). I've also heard that Huggies makes a "natural" diaper that is decent if you're just looking for something "greener."
I hope that helps; good luck!
Thanks so much for the info, Melissa...that's really helpful! Both my husband and I were small babies so I'm guessing that our baby might end up being on the smaller side so the Nature Babycare diapers sound like they wouldn't really work well for us. I'm glad I found this out before I bought our first week stash...! :) Thank you again!
Hi Melissa Ann! We are also planning on CDing our twins--for many of the same reasons you mentioned. I didn't do it with my other 2 boys--I thought it seemed too "crunchy" and I didn't know anyone else who used them but one very crunchy cousin. But now I have done soooo much research that I am confident it is the right decision for us! I have pampers swaddlers fro the first few weeks/month, but then on to the CDs--and I am so excited! I had a VERY long post a few weeks back about different types of CD's, as well as good online resources that I have found, for detergents, washing, issues, and reviews. There is soo much great info out there, and I hope to become a "goodwill ambassador" to spread the CD love :)
Concerning the early on disposable diapers... We tried both the Pampers Swaddlers and the Huggies Natural. They're nearly identical in softness but for our boys, they had SO many blow-outs with the Huggies we had to stop using them. Our boys are very chunky in the legs and bellies, so it wasn't a matter of fit. They just wouldn't hold in the mess. I've heard good things about them for girls, though.
The Pampers are also much cheaper of the two. If you go online, you can even get extra small preemie for tiny babies. The Huggies, while natural, still have plastic components. The "natural cotton" is actually on the outside of the diaper, not against baby's bottom.
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