Ever since I got pregnant, Andrew and I have said we wanted to do cloth diapers. Many called us crazy when we told them, and I know others thought in the back of their head "it won't last" but we are proving them wrong! Our journey in cloth diapering has begun (and it really has been a journey!)
So me being the book nerd that I am and Andrew being the practical, show me the proof person he is has resulted in us doing massive amounts of research for many of the items we bought for little Micah. So when it came to cloth diapers we of course did our research. This led us to a great little store here in KC called Teeny Greeny. They offered a diaper trial of a variety of different types of cloth diapers. Of course we both thought this was just great as we then could try them and make a decision instead of just stare at them in the store wondering what works best.
So two weeks ago we got the diaper trial and tried out a variety of diapers. We thought we were going to go with BumGenius as we had heard so many good things about them but after trying the different kinds I fell in love with FuzziBunz. Here are my reasons
1. They dried the fastest out of all of them (line drying). I know for some people no big deal - but when I go back to work in October I don't want to waste precious time waiting for the diapers to dry instead of playing with my Micah.
2. They were a lot less bulky in the front. This wasn't a big deal for Andrew, but it was for me. When you have to have a row of snaps in the front to make it bigger/smaller like BumGenius, some of his clothes just didn't fit. I personally just didn't like how the bulk in the front looked. Also the one size insert in which you had to fold to make small, medium, or large added to some bulk. FuzziBunz has 2 size inserts and you adjust the size by adjusting the elastic in the legs and back. (I will show you some pics)
3. I like the feel of the fleece in the inside of stead of the suede that BumGenius had. I know fleece gets bally sometimes, but I just thought it felt so nice and would be nice on his bottom.
4. I like the adjustments on the legs and back. Micah is a long skinny guy (like his dad!) and having the option to loosen or tighten up the legs really made the diaper fit great on him.
5. I liked the wipes of FuzziBunz as well. I know I could just get the FuzziBunz wipes with the BumGenius diapers, but Teeny Greeny had a great package deal for wipes and diapers and that just sealed the deal for us.
So we ordered our variety of FuzziBunz and are on our way with cloth diapering. We ordered 24 diapers as we knew we didn't want to spend all of our nights washing/drying diapers, they would all last longer as we wouldn't wash them as frequently, and we want to use them with all of our kids so we might at times have 2 in diapers and need the extras. It was quite the investment, but when looking at what we have already spent on diapers/wipes in his first 2 months, we know it will pay off soon!
**Note about the wipes**
I was not planning on using cloth wipes and we had been making our own wipes with paper towels. My sister had said that her friends who use cloth diapers liked the wipes as well, but I really had to use them first to learn that they are much easier. First, you are already washing the diapers, so the wipes are nothing to just throw in with them. Also when you change a disposable diaper, you put the disposable wipes in the diaper, wrap it up and throw it all away. Trying to use disposable wipes with a cloth diaper was a little more difficult as you can't put the wipe in the diaper but instead throw it away right then. Try it once and you will understand how it can be mildly annoying! Without the diaper trial I wouldn't have found that out till after we bought them.
So here is our latest investment - we went with 2 of each color (except the 2 pink colors). The picture just shows one of each color. Aren't they pretty? :-) My favorite is Mac n Cheese (yellow ).
And each one comes with 2 size inserts, the diaper, and replacement elastic.
Here is an up close look at the diapers for those of you unfamiliar with FuzziBunz (or cloth diapers in general)
So we got all our diapers and were very excited to get started (Andrew was excited because we only have a handful of disposal diapers left and he didn't want to buy more!)
Since we had done the trial we had a good guess as to what size he would need on the legs and back. The one downside to FuzziBunz is having to change the elastic when he changes sizes. But it doesn't need to be done all that often so it is worth it. We changed them all while watching America's Got Talent (go Team iLuminate). Micah is at a 4 in the legs and a 2 on the back.
So you just button the elastic to the number you want and tuck them into the little slots. Once he gets bigger you just change it up. And there is the nice snug leg fit on his diaper.
And the back one is similar with a button on each side.
So now we have the diapers all sized, we just had to stuff the insert in.
Here is an example of one without the insert and then one with the insert. Andrew stuffing the Kumquat colored diaper (I love that word)
And now Micah is ready for some wonderful diapering! Sometimes is crazy to think how much money and how excited we got to buy these diapers. Really - they hold poop! Anyways...
This is the diaper all stuffed and ready. This is the "Grape" color - in honor of UNI Panthers!
Although we just spent the time adjusting the leg straps, there are other ways to make sure the diaper fits. If you notice all the snaps in the front - those help make this adjustable as well. But as you can see there are hip snaps and then two top snaps. Once his legs start filling out and he gets a nice big milk belly, we can adjust the sizing using these before adjusting his legs. So many options for so many different sized babies!
Right now Micah is on the smallest setting as you can see.So now we diaper Micah up using the new diaper and wipes. Now how do you keep the wipes wet you ask? And where do I keep the smelly diapers (even though they aren't bad right now - another advantage of breastfeeding!) My answer is by using our lovely products from Planet Wise!
We keep his diapers in the large wet dry bag (black and white curls) and the pail liner in a kitchen size garbage pail (dark brown) Although we haven't used it yet as we don't have the pail. And in the AM I just wet down about 10 wipes and put them in the medium wet dry bag (brown and green circles) and zip it up. Then when I use a wipe, I just unzip and they are ready. Same for the dirty diapers - when it's time to wash I just dump over the bag and throw the whole bag in the wash with the diapers. The smells stay out but the moisture stays in.
**And when Micah wants his solid foods we will be using these to help with the larger poops!**
I have officially made it 1 full day with cloth diapers and it has gone great. I would say the worst part is pulling out the insert to do the wash, but each time I do it I just think of the all the money we are saving and it doesn't seem too bad. Oh - and I think about how we are helping the planet as well :-) Did you know a diaper stays in the landfill for over 500 years? That means if the pilgrims on the Mayflower had been using disposable diapers, they would still be over at Plymouth Rock for another 110 years or so before they decompose....ewwww!
