When our oldest child was born, we didn't really give much thought to which diapers we would use. We were given several bags at our shower and discovered that, on our skinny baby, Huggies leaked out the sides like crazy, Luvs exploded if we tried an all-nighter, and Pampers were just right. However, not long after our second was born (and our first was still in diapers) Pampers changed their formula. Whatever new chemicals they added started to irritate our babies' bottoms like crazy. At that point I sat down and thought very hard about what I wanted to do with my diapering dilema. Here are the diapers that I finally chose:
1) Bumgenius 3.0 - For baby #2 and #3 I ordered a bunch of Bumgenius 3.0 cloth diapers. I decided that cloth diapering was not only more eco-friendly, but most importantly, the soft cotton interiors are gentle on my babies and are chemical-free. There is a considerable amount more work involved with cloth diapers. They need to be rinsed out after poops (please please buy a diaper sprayer if you're planning to cloth diaper - it makes a world of difference) and then the liner must be pulled out and all pieces must be pre-washed, washed, double rinsed, dried, folded and stuffed. *Whew* Also, there's a hefty up-front cost. Not only did I have to buy the diapers themselves, but also a diaper pail (I use a plain pedal-lid trash can), diaper pail liner, diaper sprayer, wetbags (so I can cloth diaper while I'm out) and pail deodorizers (because I'm notorious for putting off laundry till I'm on my last diaper). I saved a little money by buying my diapers and accessories at Cotton Babies while they were having a sale. Even so, my 30 diapers cost almost $400. However, if you Google "inexpensive cloth diapers" you'll be on the road to discovering myriad sites that offer deals on diapers. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll find something great. I chose the Bumgenius 3.0 because there was a good sale, they are easy to assemble and are applied just like a disposable diaper, and the velcro (rather than snaps) were a better fit for my skinny kids. However, after a little more than a year, some of the velcro is starting to get weak or pull away from the diaper. If you're a decent seamstress, though, it's not a big deal to mend or replace. Overall, I've been very happy with our cloth diapering experience and in the long run, it's saved us a LOT of money. We figured that we'd recoup our cost in 10 months by not buying disposables (or nearly as many anyway) and with two babies in cloth diapers, we'll get much more than 10 months worth of wear out of them.
2) Seventh Generation disposables - Because our children can't wear cloth diapers in the nursery at church, and we don't use cloth when we're using diaper cream, we also keep on hand a supply of disposable diapers. Seventh Generation so far has been the sturdiest and mildest of all the 'natural' diapers we've used. The Kroger brand and Earth's Best diapers are so stiff that they rub sores on our kids' skin. Seventh generation is soft and flexible, but also super absorbent. They've even survived a brief stint in the pool. However, these diapers are also very expensive.
3) Huggies Pure & Natural - so to compromise our stinginess with our desire to protect our babies' skin, we've been using Huggies natural diapers lately. These diapers are super soft and super absorbent and while I'm still dubious as to how 'natural' they really are, they certainly don't bother the kids' bottoms like most 'name brand' diapers do. They fit both my skinny toddler and my chubby baby without leaking and they even have the convenient "yellow turns blue when wet" strip so I know when baby needs a change. And as a plus, they all come with codes for the Huggies Enjoy the Ride program so we can ear 'free stuff' w
These are my top 3 diaper recommendations. If you're interested in cloth diapering, you can search for cloth diaper 'trial packs' that will send you 1 of up to 7 different types of cloth diapers to try out until you find just the right style for your little one. Many even offer a refund if you return the trial diapers to purchase a new set of your choice. So if you're looking to be gentle on baby's bottom without a huge mess to clean up, give these diapers a try!
1) Bumgenius 3.0 - For baby #2 and #3 I ordered a bunch of Bumgenius 3.0 cloth diapers. I decided that cloth diapering was not only more eco-friendly, but most importantly, the soft cotton interiors are gentle on my babies and are chemical-free. There is a considerable amount more work involved with cloth diapers. They need to be rinsed out after poops (please please buy a diaper sprayer if you're planning to cloth diaper - it makes a world of difference) and then the liner must be pulled out and all pieces must be pre-washed, washed, double rinsed, dried, folded and stuffed. *Whew* Also, there's a hefty up-front cost. Not only did I have to buy the diapers themselves, but also a diaper pail (I use a plain pedal-lid trash can), diaper pail liner, diaper sprayer, wetbags (so I can cloth diaper while I'm out) and pail deodorizers (because I'm notorious for putting off laundry till I'm on my last diaper). I saved a little money by buying my diapers and accessories at Cotton Babies while they were having a sale. Even so, my 30 diapers cost almost $400. However, if you Google "inexpensive cloth diapers" you'll be on the road to discovering myriad sites that offer deals on diapers. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll find something great. I chose the Bumgenius 3.0 because there was a good sale, they are easy to assemble and are applied just like a disposable diaper, and the velcro (rather than snaps) were a better fit for my skinny kids. However, after a little more than a year, some of the velcro is starting to get weak or pull away from the diaper. If you're a decent seamstress, though, it's not a big deal to mend or replace. Overall, I've been very happy with our cloth diapering experience and in the long run, it's saved us a LOT of money. We figured that we'd recoup our cost in 10 months by not buying disposables (or nearly as many anyway) and with two babies in cloth diapers, we'll get much more than 10 months worth of wear out of them.
2) Seventh Generation disposables - Because our children can't wear cloth diapers in the nursery at church, and we don't use cloth when we're using diaper cream, we also keep on hand a supply of disposable diapers. Seventh Generation so far has been the sturdiest and mildest of all the 'natural' diapers we've used. The Kroger brand and Earth's Best diapers are so stiff that they rub sores on our kids' skin. Seventh generation is soft and flexible, but also super absorbent. They've even survived a brief stint in the pool. However, these diapers are also very expensive.
3) Huggies Pure & Natural - so to compromise our stinginess with our desire to protect our babies' skin, we've been using Huggies natural diapers lately. These diapers are super soft and super absorbent and while I'm still dubious as to how 'natural' they really are, they certainly don't bother the kids' bottoms like most 'name brand' diapers do. They fit both my skinny toddler and my chubby baby without leaking and they even have the convenient "yellow turns blue when wet" strip so I know when baby needs a change. And as a plus, they all come with codes for the Huggies Enjoy the Ride program so we can ear 'free stuff' w
These are my top 3 diaper recommendations. If you're interested in cloth diapering, you can search for cloth diaper 'trial packs' that will send you 1 of up to 7 different types of cloth diapers to try out until you find just the right style for your little one. Many even offer a refund if you return the trial diapers to purchase a new set of your choice. So if you're looking to be gentle on baby's bottom without a huge mess to clean up, give these diapers a try!
