Hellobee

Name: Diana
Baby’s Age & Gender: 10 month old boy
Registry: Babies ‘r Us and Jillian’s Drawers (a local store)
City: rural area outside Ithaca, NY

Cloth Diaper Registry

Flip One-Size Diaper Day Pack Snap Enclosure (2 one-size covers and 6 one-size inserts)
Flip One-Size Diaper Day Pack Hook & Loop Enclosure (2 one-size covers and 6 one-size inserts)
(2) Flip One Size Diapers Snap Enclosure w/ Stay Dry Insert
Flip Disposable Inserts 18 Pack
(2) Bum Genius V4.0 Snaps
(2) Bum Genius Stay Dry Doublers, 3 Pack
(3) Smartipants One Size Diapers
Planet Wise Wetbag
Planet Wise Wet/Dry Bag
Skip Hop Duo Deluxe Diaper Bag

We started with a mix that I registered for and received as gifts, or that I purchased on my own. I bought some new and some used on diaperswappers on the FSOT boards.

We started with 5 different brands: Bum Genius, Smartipants, Sunbaby, Flips, and Kawaii. Over the first few months I also tried Fuzzibunz, GroVia, and Bestbottoms. I’ve bought and sold quite a bit, and am actually buying a few more to change up our stash right now. Flips, GroVia, and Bestbottoms are hybrid or All in 2 Diapers that you snap/lay the absorbent part into the waterproof cover and put it right on. They are nice because they seem to be trimmer when they are on the child, and they are more compact when stuffing them into a diaper bag. Also, you can reuse the cover several times if it’s not pooped on, cutting down on laundry. They also are more cost effective than pockets because you don’t need as many covers (about 8 total), and the inserts are usually about $5-$8 depending on brand. The pocket diapers – Bum Genius, Smartipants, Sunbaby, Kawaii, Fuzzibunz – are nice because once they are stuffed, they go on just like a disposable diaper. They tend to be easier for other people to use and hard to put on wrong.

We went with all one size diapers so that we didn’t have to re-buy diapers when my son Logan moved up a size. They have a snap rise that you can adjust to three different sizes. Logan was a big baby, so this worked out well for us. He never would have fit in most newborn diapers, so we didn’t waste any money, and he was in most of the one size diapers by the time he was a month old. We started with about 20 diapers, mostly pockets. We also used all snaps, except for when we tried GroVia, since they tend to last longer and the aplix (self-grip fastening) can make your diapers pilly if you aren’t very careful about using laundry tabs.

Initially the Sunbaby diapers fit my son the best, as they have a smaller cut than Smartipants or Kawaii. Bum Genius diapers were right in the middle fit-wise. I washed just about every day, which was incredibly easy since we were breastfeeding and everything just went in the washer. After Logan was about 3 months old, I ended up buying more Bum Genius Diapers and selling the Sunbaby diapers. Once he got bigger, the fit wasn’t as great with the Sunbaby diapers and the elastic was a bit tight on his thighs.

We eventually ditched everything but BumGenius pocket diapers and Flips. This system has worked for the last 7 months. We used the pockets at home and used Flips at daycare. In total I had 8 Flip covers, 24 Flip inserts, and 8 pocket diapers. I love the stretchy tabs on the Bum Genius and Flip diapers. It makes getting a great fit much easier.

We tried Fuzzibunz, but I didn’t like the fit, they were hard to stuff, and the adjustable elastic was hard to get right. Best Bottoms we tried briefly early on, but the covers are a double PUL, so they seemed really hot and not as flexible. They were also more expensive than the Flips, but did have much cuter patterns and color choices. I hated the aplix on the GroVia diapers. They also had a mesh lining on the covers, which got dirty more easily than the Flips so I couldn’t reuse the cover as often. They too, had much cuter prints though! And they do have a snap version. We ultimately sold the Smartipants diapers because they didn’t fit Logan well and he tended to leak in them. They have a wider cut crotch area and only one row of snaps at the waist, but they come in a lot of colors and are cheaper than many other brands, especially if you buy them used.

Right now we have been battling diaper rash, so I’m buying some more pockets. We are using disposable liners, which look like dryer sheets, and laying them on top of the diaper to help remove poop and protect the diaper from the harsher diaper creams if you need to use them. The liners don’t seem to stay put on the Flip inserts, so we are using pockets for a while. The Flips seem to leak a tiny bit at the legs and back on some of Logan’s huge blowout messy diapers, of which he’s had MANY lately, and the pockets seem to hold it in a it better. I am actually buying a few Smartipants to try again now that Logan is bigger, hoping that they will fit better. I love cloth diapering, but really hate paying full price for diapers.

I think if I were creating a registry around cloth diapering, I might have different products than what I registered for, that I think would be very helpful for first time moms. There was certainly a huge learning curve for me since I didn’t know anyone who cloth diapered before I started with Logan. For example, most diaper creams will cause cloth diapers to repel water, so they aren’t recommended. CJ’s Butter is awesome, and I’ve been using the stick (for the diaper bag and daycare) and the tube (for home).

Also, I registered for a Skip Hop Duo diaper bag, which is not at all practical for cloth diapering. It is far too small. Instead I’ve ended up using a Timbuk2 Cargo Tote with a shoulder strap as a diaper bag. It has organizational pockets inside, and it is big enough to hold a few cloth diapers, a medium wet bag, bottles, toys, food/snacks and a change of clothes or two. It doesn’t look like a diaper bag, so my husband will carry it, and it will last long beyond the diapering years. I have another Timbuk2 bag that’s well over 10 years old and looks new.

We also started using cloth wipes once we got the hang of cloth diapers. We started with a bunch of baby wash cloths, but then I bought a pack of GroVia Cloth Wipes. We just fold them up and put them in an empty plastic disposable wipes container. A dash of baby oil and a squirt of baby soap mixed with warm water is all I use to make a “wipes solution” which I dump the wipes into, wring them out, fold them and put them in the container.

Initially we were going to use the hanging wet/dry bag from PlanetWise in the nursery, but ended up with a PlanetWise pail liner inside a basic trash can with a swinging lid. Much easier. However, I use the hanging wet/dry bag almost every weekend when we go to my visit my parents or my in-laws. It holds a weekend’s worth of diapers, and the stink stays contained in the wetbag part so the clean diapers stay smelling clean all weekend. We use the medium wet bag for daycare, and it easily holds a day’s worth of diapers.

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