Cloth Diapers - Brands and General Info

Updated on May 17, 2011
B.C. asks from Suncook, NH
7 answers

I'm thinking of choosing cloth diapers for my second child. We used disposal diapers for our son but he got a lot of diaper rashes from different brands. I love the idea of cloth diapers being good for the baby, the environment and saving money.

Do you recommend cloth diapers? If so what brands? I don't really want to spend $200 plus to get started on cloth because I'm nervous we won't love it. Plus daycare may not love the whole cloth diaper.

From what I learned so far it seems Bum Genius and Fuzzi Bunz are good. Can you buy 4-6 diapers and just changing just the liner each time they pee / poo or is it a new diaper each time?

Thanks so much everyone and sorry for the loaded question.

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

More Answers

M.P.

answers from Provo on

BumGenius (BG) and Fuzzibunz (fb) are a pocket meaning there is the waterproof cover then a fabric liner making a pocket. An insert goes inbetween the fabric and the cover and that is what soaks up all the pee. So you would need to change the complete diaper.
If you are wanting to spend less than $200 I would suggest going with prefolds and covers. That is where you can just change the prefold and not have to use a different cover unless it gets soiled.
Check out my blog. This is a post I made for a previous mamapedia question.
http://largebummies.blogspot.com/2010/09/question-form-fr...
It talks about all the different types of diapers and I review some too. I hope this helps out.
I really do love Bg's and FB's. They so far are my favorite. I do love the Oh Katy's. I haven't written about them yet, but they have worked well for my son. And I love the colors that they come in not just the typical ones.

If your daycare doesn't like the cloth, try suggesting a hybrid cloth diaper. I like Gdiapers. That is where there is a disposable or a reusable liner. My daycare wont let us so I'm rather disappointed, but even if you do it part time, it saves you tons.
Oh and you can PM me if you ever have any questions.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.P.

answers from Kansas City on

Congrats in your thoughts of switching to cloth diapers! :) It not only helps reduce waste in the environment, but in the end, it will save you $1000's on diapering, particularly if you can pass on the diapers to another child once you are finished! Keep in mind that cloth diapering will have it's challenges, just like anything with a new baby. Cloth generally produces little to no diaper rashes or blowouts. You need to have the right fit in order to avoid leaks, but that just takes a little trial and error practice and a good fitting diaper. If you are worried, you can always buy a few at a time and start slowly until you know what you want to do for sure. Many mom's start off with only a handful of cloth diapers before investing the $500 or so for fully starting up. I would steer clear of anything made with microfibre, as this causes a build up of minerals (from detergent, urine etc) within the material, that requires stripping of your diapers quite often to avoid any stink issues. Also, make sure you get snaps instead of velcro. They last much longer and test through the dryer much better. I would recommend Smart Bottoms. They are a new brand that was created/made by a mom who was frustrated with ill fitting diapers she was ordering online. They are made of 100% organic cotton and hemp and have several options to choose from. They have the prefolds, inserts and all in one diapers. They also come in a variety of sizes from new born right up until potty trained. They have unique leg snaps to make sure leaks are held at bay with the right size diaper. They are also absorbant when the liquid hits the diaper/insert rather than needing pressure to absorb, which many cloth diapers require. They do home parties, which means someone comes to your home and demonstrates how to use the diaper, care for it, and becomes a consultant for you the entire way! I am not sure if there are any in your area. Smartbottoms.com will be a good way to find out. I sell them in the Kansas City area. Please email me with any questions or if you'd like to find out more about cloth diapers or the Smart Bottoms ____@____.com They do many virtual parties as well where you can view a party online and ask questions through the chat feature. Good luck, and remember, you can start slow and build up, you want to make sure you like the diapers you are going to purchase!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.W.

answers from Boston on

I have recently become a part time cloth diaperer with my second son, I started around 14 mo. and he's now 16 mo. All for the same reasons as you, especially the environment.

After doing research I decided to go with a hybrid diaper, I got the brand Best Bottom covers and ordered both the hemp and microfiber inserts (after 2 months I'm undecided on which inserts are better, the microfiber dries way faster!) I ordered 4 diaper covers and 18 inserts, I do laundry every 2-3 days. I like these diapers because you simply wash/wipe the cover if it gets a little poop on it and it dries quickly and yes, you just change the liner after they pee/poop. nickisdiapers.com does free shipping on all Best Bottom diapers.

I'm happy with my decision to do cloth diapering, he still wears plastic occasionally(at night, car rides) due to him being a super soaker but we go through way less disposable diapers. Goodluck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.F.

answers from Boston on

Hi. I cloth diapered my 2nd and loved it. If you are looking for something that you can just change the liner, I would recommend the Flip by Bum Genius. It's a great one size cover and you just change the inserts unless it's poopy or something. I loved the Flip. It can also be used with prefolds or flats which are definitely the most economical option. I had all pockets in my stash initally, mostly Bum Genius 3.0 plus a few other brands. I eventually added the Flip and used that a lot. One thing to consider as well in cloth diapering is your washing machine. If you have a front loader it can be a little more difficult to get them fully clean, not impossible, but a top loader is much easier. You could always buy some used diapers (sounds gross I know, but there washed and there's a big market for them) at a cheaper price to figure out what you like before you invest in a whole stash. I would definitely recommend trying out a diaper before buying a whole bunch of them. www.diaperpin.com is a great resource for reviews and getting questions answered. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.A.

answers from Dallas on

Bum Genius is great but it is a new diaper every time. I use both cloth and disposable. When we are out and about I don't want to carry around a dirty cloth diaper in my bag so I use disposable but when we are at home I use cloth. It is a lot of work to keep them clean. You wash them twice and then do an extra rinse if you follow Bum Genius directions. I would recommend getting about 20 or more so that you are not washing every day. Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.B.

answers from Missoula on

I just started cloth diapering my second baby, who is eight weeks old. We are using GroVia hybrid diapers and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. If I had had any idea that cloth diapering could be this easy I would have done it with my first baby as well. I did a lot of research before we picked these diapers, I looked at Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius, Kissaluvs, g-Diapers, Flips, Happy Heinies, and a few others, but I choose GroVia because they have the option of being semi-disposable, and because these diapers have two separate parts, a waterproof cover and an absorbent soaker pad that snaps into the cover. When you change a diaper, you can simply remove the soaker pad and reuse the cover, as long as the cover wasn't soiled. They also have a disposable, biodegradable insert that you can stick into the cover instead of the cloth soaker.
They are really easy to use and wash up really well, and they are a one-size adjustable diaper that fits babies from about 10-35 pounds.
If you are interested in hearing more about them then feel free to PM me and I would be happy to give you more info and answer any questions you have.
Oh, and we used disposables for the first few weeks. One size diapers won't really fit until baby is a bit bigger, and since we didn't want to buy any tiny newborn cloths, we just did Huggies for the first 4 weeks or so.
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.C.

answers from Minneapolis on

I use cloth at home and disposables for daycare (part-time during the school year), travel, and night time. I really like Kushies ultra (reasonably priced, fit well, and easy to use) with liners (have used Kushies brand again, but currently using some other brand as they were cheaper). You could try diaperswappers.com or other site to buy used. Most of the infant diapers I bought for my son lasted for him, my daughter, and are now being used by a friend. The toddler diapers they wore longer, so I don't anticipating passing many on, but will likely get 4 years use out of them. I bought 25 infant diapers and 20 toddler diapers and we usually wash diapers every other day. My daycare is very patient if I accidentally bring my daughter in cloth diapers, but they change her into disposable at the first diaper change. Child watch at the Y allows me to bring her in cloth diapers. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions