Cloth Diapers, Again! More!

Hi, Amy!

I am having a baby in January, which is exciting and terrifying. I must admit that I have an aversion to All Things Baby (as in, I started hyperventilating when my husband and I walked down the crib aisle at Target to simply look at what was available). So some of the baby registry questions have me a bit overwhelmed. Mainly, I am concerned at this point about cloth diapers. Since I know you love talking about cloth diapers, I was hoping you’d give some more advice. We know we want to use cloth diapers, but I am a school librarian and I am going to go back to work after a few months. A lot of daycares require the all-in-one diapers, so I have been leaning towards the bumGenius organic all-in-one one-size with the snaps. I notice you didn’t go with the all-in-ones. Am I going to regret this decision? Should I wait until he’s here to make a real decision? I love the idea that I can get the all-in-ones AND the one-size. It sounds so simple. But maybe it’s too simple? Help!

-K

P.S. I am planning on using disposables (hopefully something like 7th Generation) until he is big enough for the one-size. In case that affects what you advise me to do.

Oh! Cloth diapers. It’s been awhile since we talked about them, no? A couple months maybe?

First, we actually DO use the all-in-ones. Not sure why you’re worried we use otherwise and would recommend something different (other than the fact that the cloth diaper-speak can just plan be confusing and overwhelming, with the SAME DIAPER getting called a dozen different category names across different websites.). When I was purchasing my diapers, FuzziBunz had not yet come out with their one-size style, so the only difference there is we went with a sized diaper — but it’s still a “pocket” or “all-in-one” type of system. We got all mediums, which are supposed to fit 15 pounds and up, though Ezra weighed a bit more than that when I felt they actually TRULY fit him. But no matter, at almost-two-years-old and somewhere in the mid-20s pound-wise, the FuzziBunz fit him GREAT and we’re still nowhere near needing the biggest snap setting. They also look just as good as the day we bought them. If (IF IF IF BIG IF) we were to have another baby, I would 100% reuse our existing stash of FuzziBunz (though I’d splurge on fresh inserts), and would be mighty tempted to pick up a few of those one-sized versions so I could perhaps use them pre-15-pounds. I LOVE THEM.

We also own the bumGenius style you mentioned — the all-in-one, one-size, pocket-style diaper. The cadillac of cloth diapers. Though again, the all-snap version was not available at the time, so we have the kind that use snaps to adjust the “rise” and velcro that adjusts the waist. Here, I’d have a tougher call with the “what I’d buy again” question. Velcro is INFINITELY more adjustable than snaps. You will never get such a perfectly customizable fit around the waist with snaps. To this day, if one of our diapers DOES leak, it’s likely to be a snap-up diaper. Usually because someone (usually a sitter or grandparent) snapped it up too loose, either because they’re unsure of how tight the diapers can comfortably go OR because trying to change a toddler is sometimes more like wrestling with a greased pig in a pile of mud. (The velcro also gets points in that department — faster, easier diaper changes.) I LOVE THEM.

BUT. The velcro does not hold up nearly as well as the snaps. If we were to use our bumGenius diapers again — or if I felt Ezra was still months off from potty training (he’s SO CLOSE it’s driving me nuts, just DO IT ALREADY, CHILD) — I’d need to get all of them converted to snaps. Not a huge deal. There are several shops on Etsy that will do this for a couple bucks a diaper. Pocket change, in light of the initial investment we made in the diapers, and compared to the money we’ve saved on disposables. But then again, BOO, I’m left with all-snap diapers and worry I’d miss the velcro, as imperfect as it is.

So, anyway. I continue to heartily recommend the diapers we use, even with these six-of-one, half-a-dozen-of-the-other type caveats I have with each design. The all-in-ones ARE one of the most expensive cloth diaper options out there, but like you said, they are often a must if you plan to use daycare, and they are so well-made you really can buy once wisely early on and use them for as long as your child wear diapers and then pack them away like any other hand-me-down for possible sibling use.

But, in other cloth-diaper-advice-I-know-I’ve-given-before, there is NO REASON to fully commit to ONE BRAND or ONE STYLE right away, particularly if you plan to use disposables through the newborn phase. Get a couple of the bumGenius with snaps and a couple with velcro. Try a FuzziBunz or Rumparooz or some other overly-adorably named diaper that comes in a color you like. Once you test drive a few of them, fill up your stash with your favorite. (Most good cloth diaper sites offer gift certificates, in case you’d like the diapers to be part of the shower-gift registry/recommendation info.)

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