Cloth Diaper Reviews

Someday I won't be so exhausted and unable to come up with repartee about any and all subjects, so for now, a diaper review.

My take on Cloth Diapering: I started Violette out with 7th Generation disposable diapers, just to get the hang of a newborn, then over the second and third month switched to cloth diapers at home.  Disposables are too easy when we're out in public (plus I opted for large designer purse instead of a traditional diaper bag so there's not exactly enough room to tote clothies around).  I comfort myself in knowing that the 7th Gen are compostable (although I've yet to put Violette's wet diapers into our compost yet).  I prefer cloth to disposables for many reasons, one of which is Violette's comfort.  Although she's never had a complaint from disposables, she's almost four months old and has never had a diaper rash (knock on wood).  I like the green aspect of cloth diapering, now that I have enough diapers we only do laundry ever other day and it's really not that bad.  Some cloth diapers can be a little bulky and I have to plan to dress her in a footy sleeper or her larger size cloths to accommodate the extra size.  All reviews are for diapers used from 2-4 months on an exclusively breast fed girl.

gDiapers all in Two Hybrid
http://www.gdiapers.com/
Flushable Insert:  I didn't care for the flushable insert.  I tried them when Violette was pretty small so I wasn't totally into leaving her to flush the insert for every diaper change, just seemed like a pain in the ass.  Many of the inserts ended up in the diaper genie.  The paper insert didn't do well with poos, especially blow outs (more on that later).

Cloth Insert:  I really love the cloth insert.  One side is nice fleecy cotton and the other is hemp.  The hemp is ULTRA absorbent.  Even with a super wet diaper the fleece stays pretty dry.  Handles poos great, but blow outs soil the liner.

I like gDiapers and would recommend them.  Going in, I wasn't prepared that blow out poops would leak into the liner (they rarely leak into the little pant-the only time was with the flushable inserts).  But I was unprepared for blow out poops at all, luckily they're infrequent.  Buying extra liners solved that problem.  The absorbency of the cloth insert is the best of all the inserts I've used.  Violette has outgrown her first set of little pants and I still use her small size inserts as doublers in her Bum Genius and Flip diapers.  I experienced bunching (in the front) with both the flushable and the cloth inserts, usually only when wet.  One downside is that gDiapers come in sizes so you'll end up buying at least two sets.  They come in Tiny (5-8 lbs), Small (8-14 lbs), Medium (13-28 lbs) and Large (26-36 lbs).  We get by with six pairs of little gpants, 12 liners, and 12 inserts (along with other diapers).  Now that Violette is in the Med/Larges I don't think I'll buy the next size up, opting for cloth diapers that will span the life of her diaper days although gdiapers has frequent deals and sales, so I'm not totally opposed to buying more.

GroVia all in Two Hybrid (Velcro Closures with sizing snaps)
http://www.gro-via.com/index.php
GroVia diapers have a snap in soaker pad with two layers of cloth and a layer of waterproof cloth.  I like all in twos because all you have to do is change the liner.  They are a little expensive, the new line just came out so they're hard to find on sale.  I like GroVias a lot because they are very slim fitting and the organic cotton in the inserts is very easy to clean with the toilet sprayer.  The GroVias come in one size, all you have to do is snap it open as the baby grows.  The diaper grows with the baby, although their size chart shows inches, I'm guessing they are similar to the gDiapers in sizing.  GroVia also makes a disposable insert, similar to a maxi pad (has a sticky side you adhere to the diaper), but I haven’t tried them yet.  These are definitely my favorite cloth diaper for ease of use.

GroVia All in One (formerly Dream Eze)
This review is of Dream Eze, I haven’t tried the new GroVia all in one yet and probably won’t.  These diapers have the easy clean up of the all in twos, but instead of an insert have two soakers sewn into the diaper.  The back is attached, but the front is not.  They take a long time to dry, usually needing two rounds on permanent press in the dryer.  They get really bulky if you buy the organic ones without the cover.  The soaker pads are a little unruly and bunch up in the dryer.  After using the hybrids I wouldn’t go with an all in one again.

Bum Genius 4.0 Pocket, Hook Loop Closure
http://www.bumgenius.com/index.php
Bum Genius have a nice microfleece type covering over the pocket, and a waterproof inner lining.  The inserts are plushy terry cloth and have good absorbency.  They are one size with snaps for sizing.  They come with two inserts: a newborn insert and an insert that also has snaps for sizing.  You can use the newborn insert as an extra soaker, and I also use my old gdiaper inserts for this as well.  These diapers are great for people who are not used to cloth diapers like caregivers or grandparents since you can have them put together and they look and go on like disposable diapers.  The diapers have to be air dried to extend the life of the waterproof lining, but even in cold weather mine line dry in about 16 hours.  These diapers are fairly bulky but handle poos like a champ.  They clean easily too.  I like that they are one size so I won’t have to buy anymore.  So far, no stains.

Gerber Organic Prefolds (with Flip Diaper Cover)
It took me awhile to warm up to the idea of prefolds, I thought they’d take a long time to load up while Violette was on the changing table, but that’s not the case at all.  I fold them up after washing so I really just have to grab one or two and set them in the diaper cover.  You can use them with any diaper cover, I use Flip diaper covers because that’s what my local cloth diapering source carries.  They are one size and work great with any insert or prefold. 

Bum Genius Diaper Sprayer
Eric installed the Bum Genius Diaper Sprayer on our toilet.  It was easy to install, but he had to go back and tighten some of the parts since it leaked at first.  If I turn on the sprayer full blast (which I generally don’t need to, it has terrific pressure) it sometimes leaks.  The sprayer is almost too good; I have to be careful about aiming it correctly otherwise water will splash around the toilet and the bathroom.  Best used with toilet seat up.  Super convenient, I’m sure any brand would work fine.

FuzziBunz Doorknob Wetbag

Giant wetbag that has hooks to fit over the doorknob.  Has a zipper on the bottom so you don’t have to unload diapers into the dryer, just unzip, dump, and throw it in.  I don’t observe any odors.

Hospital Bed Pads
I use hospital bed pads over my changing pad cover and when Violette was very little while changing her in our bed at night.  I rarely need them anymore, but I got a bunch on sale so I always have one stocked on the changing pad.  I recommend them to first time moms and dads just getting the hang of diaper changes.