CTT: What's Your Favorite Diaper Brand?

Welcome to Cloth Tushie Tuesday! (Better late than never, I suppose!)  This week we are asking all our friends: What is your favorite diaper brand?  Be sure to go see Ms. Funky Mama Bird's post - she has some news you may be interested in.  (Hint: FREE DIAPERS.  Nuff said.)

My post today is probably going to surprise you.  I'm going to write about Flip covers.  This is my new love.  Also, this is all I have photos of.  When we wear our Thirsties diapers they have to be covered in pants, or else we end up with this:

And see that cup of juice on the floor right behind her?  That's why I have to try to keep a diaper on her if I can.

So, the Flip.  Reviewed for your pleasure recently.  But I'll tell you, this is the diaper we use all the time now.

In a Flip cover (color: Sweet) while "helping" Mommie in the kitchen.

More kitchen "helping".

I use the incredible inserts from Twinkletoes diapers, which are nice and absorbent, and also SO easy to pack in the diaper bag.

They work great with prefolds too, which I love.  There's just something about a big stack of "real" diapers that makes you feel like a momma.  Oh, the oatmeal on your pants, that too.

But of course, you know I have to talk about Thirsties too.

Thirsties Duo Wraps come in snaps.  However, they came out with these after I had way too many size Medium and Duo velcro covers (not to mention the request to review the Flip system.)  If I was cover shopping, these are the covers I would buy.  They also now make an insert with a stay-dry top so that you can do an insert-and-cover system that's just like the Flip.

I haven't even seen these in real life, so I'm now raving about a diaper that I have never even laid hands on, let alone used.  However, I use the Duo Diapers every single freaking day, since they are the workhorse of our daycare stash.  The insert to the Duo Diaper has a thin microfiber layer and a thin hemp/cotton layer snapped together.  This makes for some serious pee holding.  Since the stay-dry insert is the same with a soft cozy layer on top, I can't imagine that it wouldn't work fantastically well.

Or just buy the awesomely fantastic inserts from Twinkletoes diapers.  Those I have used, and I can tell you that they're awesome.

Takeaway: if someone bought you some Flips for a baby shower gift, keep them, they're great, you love them.  However, if you're out shopping for an insert-and-cover system, get the Thirsties.  Because, you know, leg gussets and hemp.

And don't listen to the stupid Bumgenius people who tell you leg gussets actually make diapers leak.  Seriously? 

So, what's your favorite cloth diaper brand?  Write a post, link up below, grab the button ... it's a party!

Cloth Diaper Hacks, Tips, and Tricks

What are your mama hacks for using cloth diapers?  Today for Cloth Tushie Tuesday, we are discussing the hints and tricks that help make it easy for you to cloth diaper.  What's something you've discovered about cloth diapering that makes it easier for you?  What can you share about your routine that is really making it work for you?





Here are a couple of mine: 

1.  Your wet bag is your friend.  Don't leave home without it.  Use ones with zippers, the drawstring ones are cheaper, but leak/smell.  You need at least one big one for the changing table or door knob, and small ones for the diaper bag and daycare.  Buy as many as you can in cute colors and prints, and keep them where you can grab them when you are on your way to daycare, to grandma's, etc.  Yesterday I was shopping with the wee one when she had a poo I could smell from across the store.  While in the changing room, I decided to discreetly change her diaper, so that I could seal the poo up in the zippered wet bag, and protect all the other shoppers from the smell.  Only ... I didn't have a wetbag.  Thankfully I did have a diaper bag with a zipper ... that is washable.

2.  Use the simplest system that meets your needs, (and its cousin: find a system and stick with it).  I'm all about trying lots of different cloth diapers.  But when your stash is 10 different kinds of diapers, it's hard to organize and hard to use.  Do your research, yes.  But then: decide.  And if it isn't broke, don't fix it.  Prefolds and covers is one of the simplest diapering systems to use.  We would still be doing prefolds and covers, except for a request from daycare for a "one piece" diapering system.  Now I have prefolds and covers, fitteds, pockets, AIO's, and wool.  I keep saying I'm going to downsize, and haven't.  Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

3.  Here's an interesting trick: don't clean poopy pocket diapers right away.  I learned about this from daycare - I would read the Wee One's report sheet from daycare, and it would say she had a loose BM.  I'd check the diapers for the poopy one to dunk-and-swish, and when I came across the only one with poo, I would think "that's not really 'loose'."  Then I figured out: the microfiber insert continues to absorb the moisture, so what used to be covered in mushy poo is now a semi-solid little mass that you can flick off into the toilet.  I'm not saying let them sit around and grow stuff, I'm just saying a few hours never hurt anything.

4.  Use pockets that unstuff themselves.  I use the Thirsties Duo Diaper, and you don't have to unstuff it when you put it in the washer.  In the first rinse, the insert comes out of the sleeve in the wash.  Fabulous!  If I have a wet bag full of those diapers, I can just dump the whole contents into the washer.  With other pockets, I have to stand there and pull wet inserts out.  Not with the Thirsties.  I have also tried the Pocket Change diapers and those do the same thing - but they aren't as fabulous as the Thirsties!  Now, these pockets "unstuff" themselves in the wash, but I have yet to meet a pocket diaper that "restuffs" itself after the dryer! 

I'm totally drawing a blank here.  I usually have so many little tricks that I've thought of, and now I can't think of any.  What are yours?  Link up your post below!  Be sure to follow me (@MommieV1) or @funkymamabird on Twitter to get next week's topic!

If You Like Thirsties

you'll love this site.  (If you don't already know about it.)

The only bad thing is, you have to scroll down to the bottom of each page to see if they have any items in that category on sale.  But the discounts are great.  Some of the diapers are seconds.  Some of them are discontinueds, overstocks, etc.  I bought some of the Thirsties detergent, and the bottle I got had a label that was crooked.  Um, I'll take a crooked label for a few dollars off any day!

Stuff doesn't stay up for long.  I check pretty much every day as part of my main set of sites I visit.  You never know when you're going to catch something good.

Happy Shopping!

More Duo Diaper Action Shots

I don't know what it is about that position for diaper photos.

Better, a "crawling away" shot.

Another "crawling away" shot.

Finally, a decent "sitting still" action shot.  Too bad all the diapers are now dirty and in the wet bag.

CD 101 - pockets I have tried

Okay, so you've decided on trying pocket diapers. But what kind? Here are some reviews of some pocket diapers I have tried, followed by some suggestions on choosing a pocket diaper.

Reviews start with my favorite diapers, and the ones that I most recommend.

Thirsties Duo Diaper

pros:
Seriously, this is my favorite pocket
-comes with an awesome 2-piece insert that is microfiber and hemp
-openings in front and back makes the pocket super easy to stuff
-nice and trim and fits great
-leg gussets - NO LEAKS or blowouts at all
-now come in super pretty PRINTS

cons:
-don't come in a snap version
-I like the colors, but I liked the old Thirsties Rainbow a little better (apparently, though, they have limited that to an 8-color selection too.  Interesting.)
--

Knickernappies sized

pros:
-VERY trim through the crotch
-side snap, and lots of them

cons:
-inconsistency in sizing on some, although I imagine with the popularity of this diaper now they have worked that out. It was mostly with the G1, and the G2 is all that is available now
-no leg gussets, so the occasional blowout has happened.  Like, at really inconvenient times.
--

Knickernappies OS

pros:
-very trim diaper for a OS
-side snap, and lots of them
-its a one-size diaper, so it will last through multiple sizes

cons:
-leaking issues, really runny poo can get out the side where the diaper snaps
-the microfiber inserts that come with them are kinda dinky compared to others I have
--

Swaddlebees side snap:

pros:
-very trim through the crotch
-side snap

cons:
-leaked badly - the leg elastic isn't topstitched or "cased"
--

Swaddlebees velcro with organic velour:

pros:
-nice trim diaper
-these have cased elastic and didn't leak
-cheap - I bought on clearance as seconds
-come as a COW PRINT

cons:
-industrial strength Velcro sticks to EVERYTHING and got pilly and nasty quickly (and is ruining my Duo diapers in the wash!)
-bought as seconds, so some stitches came loose in early washing

Note - these may be discontinued, as I haven't found any in their outlet store, or at other retailers' websites.
--

Green Acre Designs:

pros:
-pretty trim through the crotch
-side snap
-cute colors of fleece for the inside

cons:
-leaked once, I didn't use this that long before I sold - similar fit to the Swaddlebees side snap
--

Fuzzi Bunz sized
pictured here being used as a nighttime diaper
pros:
-nice big crotch lets you stuff alot for nighttime
-snap closure - but they are front snap and not side-snap

cons:
-they have changed so much even with a single "version" that finding the kind you want on FSOT is difficult - -you have to know if you want the "new size medium" or the "old size medium" and there are even now "old new size medium"s.
-everybody has some listed on FSOT so they are hard to sell, and mamas want to bargain you down to nothing
-lots of fake ones for sale on eBay - be careful
no leg gussets
--

Cloth Diaper Wholesale OS diaper
pros:
-high quality fleece
-snap closure
-cheaper than most pockets, but still well made

cons:
-the pocket is in the front, not the back, so the microfiber insert tends to rub her tummy
-not as large as other OS diapers, might not last into potty learning
-no leg gussets, but its never leaker
--

The only pocket that I have wanted to try and never have is the Smartipants pocket.  I was getting ready to try them when I heard the Thirsties Duos were coming out, so I waited.  Smartipants are a snap OS pocket diaper, that lots of mamas rave about.  If you're considering OS pockets, give them a shot.


There are some that I've tried that I don't even recommend.  One is the Mommy's Touch OS pocket.

It's too hard to figure out the snap settings, and I haven't heard of many mamas having alot of luck with them.

Also, I ordered a OS pocket from a WAHM (work-at-home-mom) and it leaks badly too.
Choosing:
Your decision will be easier if you are diapering a baby you have. Trying to decide what pockets to use when getting a newborn stash ready for a babe that is one the way is more difficult. Prefolds are so much easier on a newborn, though, that you might decide not to try pockets until they are a little bigger. (See that Swaddlebees side snap photo above?  That's a size small pocket on a newborn. Not a good fit.)

That's one reason that the Thirsties Duo Diaper came out with two sizes - one for smaller babies, and one for bigger babies to potty learning.

I always suggest you read reviews, raves, suggestions, and recommendations by mamas on cloth diapering forums. See Mothering Dot Com and Diaperswappers. You will see lots of different opinions. As you filter through them, compare some of the information about their baby to your situation. Some diapers fit chunky babies better, and if yours is long and slim with skinny thighs, you might decide on something different. Age might be a help in comparing, but weight and size will probably make more of a difference.

--Decide if you want to use OS or sized pockets. You might try a OS on your little one and see how bulky it is before you buy a stash of 24 diapers.

--Decide if you like snap or aplix closure. The aplix closures tend to look gross after a while, lots of washing makes them pilly, curly, and not as neat as they once were. Snaps can break or fail or pull holes in the diaper after a while, but look nicer after lots of washings. My daycare person prefers the velcro to the snap closures, and my mom sometimes has issues with pain in her hand that makes snapping diapers uncomfortable for her. However, when your little one gets big enough to want to squirm, crawl, or run away from diaper changes, snapping diapers is difficult at best. A quick change using aplix closures helps.

Of course, my little one now loves to pull off the aplix on the Duo diapers.  We will be wearing alot of shorts over diapers this summer.

--Decide if you like leg gussets. The only pocket I know of with leg gussets is the Thirsties Duo Diaper, but there could be more out there.

Hope that helps if you're considering pockets.  As always, feel free to email me if you have specific questions!

The Thirsties Prints Are Here!!!!!! and other diaper stuff

The Thirsties Prints that I preordered, like, a month ago finally arrived today.  Snappy Diapers were the only ones preordering when I first found out the Duo Diapers were coming out in prints, so I jumped on the preorder bandwagon.  In fact, I was so excited when preordering, I didn't change the drop-down box to size 2, and had to email them and ask them to change my preorder.  Doh!  Kristen did an amazing job of keeping me posted as Thirsties delayed their release.

I washed them immediately so we could wear one as our nighttime diaper.  I used a previously washed insert, tho.  Since the Duo inserts have a hemp layer, multiple washings are required to remove the natural oils from the fabric and make the hemp absorbent.

Thirsties advertises that the prints match the shades of solids that the Duo Diapers are already available in, and they are right.

Blackbird shown with Honeydew, Meadow, Mango, and Ocean

Warm Stripes shown with Rose, Orchid, Mango, and Meadow

Cool Stripes shown with Ocean, Meadow, and Honeydew

The only solid color not seen in any of these prints is the Storm Cloud.  Not a single print has that shade.  Which is unfortunate, because its my favorite of the colors.

Can't wait to try the rest tomorrow.  Will update with photos then.

--++--

In other diaper news, I think we are going to have to retire this diaper:

One night last week, Wee One woke me up to nurse, and she was wet.  No, not wet.  SOAKED.  EVERYWHERE.  She was laying in a puddle and her jammies were drenched.  It was the diaper.  I changed her and laid a towel on the bed.  How much did she have to pee to outdo the absorbency of this diaper?  Only ... the insert wasn't that wet.  I guess the diaper had leaked somehow rather than the insert absorbing it.

I, of course, forgot about this incident.  After washing a load of diaper laundry, I re-stuffed all three nighttime diapers.  I stuff all three the same way, so before her bath each night, I just have to grab one and go.  So I did.  And again, the pink one TOTALLY FAILED AGAIN.  Again, I was changing her at 2 am in the dark and laying a towel down.

This was one of the first diapers I ever bought.  I bought it used off the FSOT thread on Diaperswappers.  I had heard Fuzzi Bunz were good pockets (and they are - if you can figure out the crazy size changes) and this one was cheap.  In the back of the pocket, where the fabric forms the casing for the elastic, a thread had come undone.  However, it didn't affect the function of the diaper, and the mama totally disclosed it, and if I was more detail-oriented and could find a needle in a haystack, I mean, my house, then I totally could have fixed it.

We have used this diaper every third night since last summer.  It's kindof no wonder that it's kicking the bucket.

I'm giving it a chance, though.  I'm going to strip it and see if maybe mineral or detergent buildup is causing it to lose its absorbency.  I'm afraid the PUL might be shot, tho, and there's not really a cure for that.

Yes, that is a diaper in a pot of water with Dawn dishwashing detergent, just boiled.  That's the best method to strip a diaper.

--++--

And lastly, unfortunately I think I'm going to have to redact an earlier rave for these diapers:

I'm loving snap diapers because Wee One tries to take off velcro diapers.  However, twice in the last month I have shown up at daycare with poop dripping down her leg because these diapers are not really good at holding the runny stuff in.  When all we used was Thirsties products - either covers or the Duo Diapers (both have leg gussets) - we never had a blowout in a cloth diaper, only sposies.  With the Knickernappies, I've had two blowouts and it's not been pretty.

That sucks, because I have quite a few of them

(this isn't all - there are two in the wet bag that are dirty, and one is a backup that I keep at daycare.)  I guess I can use them when I don't think she's about to have a big poo. 

And this has nothing to do with the fact that I didn't win six of their diapers in their Facebook photo contest, either.

--++--

Oh, and I meant to celebrate my 100th post when I got there, but that was the previous one to this.  So, Happy 101st Post To Me!

Cloth Diapering 101 - Laundry Routine

I have been meaning to write a post on cloth diaper laundering. I alluded to some of it in the post on wet bags, since what-you-do-with your dirty diapers is kindof the first step in your laundry routine. An email from a friend-of-a-friend on FB (well, now she's my friend too!) got me writing about laundry. And I thought "oh yea, I was gonna write this for the blog".

Washing is both the simplest and hardest part of cloth diapering. When it works, it works. When it doesn't, it drives you crazy.

Do's and Don'ts:

DO start out simple. If what you are doing doesn't work, THEN start experimenting to fix problems. If you have problems, go to the DS forums and post, there are other mams that have fixed the same issues and they can speak to how they did it. Or email me, I'll help if I can.

DON'T use fabric softener. Or anything else that can cause "repelling", or affect the absorbency of the diaper.

DO start with a cold rinse. For breastfed baby poo, this rinse gets the runny poo off the dipes. For babies on formula or solids, you will want to dunk-and-swish, or use a diaper sprayer, before storing in the wet bag. This rinse will get the majority of the "stuff" off the diapers, so the hot water won't set stains. Detergent in this step is optional - I usually put just a little Tide in, or now that we use Thirsties, this is where I use the pre-wash.

DO wash your diapers on hot. Hot water kills germs. Just do it. Use less than the normal amount of detergent - halfway to the first line for Tide powder or liquid, or the recommended amount of Thirsties Super Wash.

DO end with an extra rinse. This will get all the suds out. You don't need 2 or 3 or 4, that becomes overkill. If you need more than one additional rinse, you're using too much detergent.

DO check the rinse water to look for suds. Especially when you are working out exactly how much detergent to use, check to see what the results are. If you still have suds in your last rinse, use less detergent.

DON'T use bleach. Again too harse for baby's skin - and the fabric. Bleach can not only discolor your beautiful diapers, but can break down the fabric. Bleach is very bad for PUL. Oxyclean? Here's my take - NO. A cloth diaper seller has written a booklet that says Oxyclean is great and to use it once a month. I did, and my baby got a rash. A rash that it took multiple washes in a natural detergent to get rid of. Unless you really need it, stay away. If you do use it, make sure you get it all out of your diapers. This may take several washes.

DON'T use Dawn in every wash. I read online that a mama tried this, and it really helped with her stinkies. I tried it and gave my baby a rash. Washing with a squirt of Dawn - or even better, boiling in Dawn - is great for stripping and getting off the errant diaper cream that the babysitter got everywhere. For every wash it's too harsh on your baby's skin.

DO hang your diapers outside to dry every once in a while in the sun. The UV rays in sunlight will kill microorganisms, and so this sometimes helps with the stinkies. Sunlight also bleaches stains out of dipes naturally, so if you have a stain that bothers you, lay the dipe in the sun for several hours.

But, DON'T worry if you dry your diapers in the dryer all the time, it won't hurt them.

(Don't let your infant help you with the folding!)

When I started doing diaper laundry, I used Tide powder. I washed her clothes in Dreft, and her diapers in Tide. She developed a rash that looked like a contact dermatitis. It was all over her chest and back, but not her diaper area. Her doctor asked what detergent we used, and we decided that she was probably sensitive to the fragrance in Dreft. Since she didn't have the rash in her diaper area, he suggested I just wash everything in Tide. Tide for diapers worked for us for a very long time, until I also started using Dawn and Oxyclean, and my Wee One got a rash from an antibiotic. All that happened at the same time, so I can't pinpoint an exact cause. All I know is that it sucked. Around that time, I won the Thirsties cloth diaper washes in a giveaway. The diapers accidentally got washed several times, and on the next wearing ... NO RASH.

It's no secret that I love Thirsties products. I loved the detergent in the beginning. Now I'm kinda on the fence. Because it's a natural detergent, you don't get that strong "fresh laundry" smell when you pull them out of the dryer. And I NEVER got stains with Tide ... and I do with Thirsties. But I keep reminding myself - they're DIAPERS. Maybe when I'm off in a couple of weeks we'll do a day in the sun and see what we can do.

(D'ya like how the Tide bottle is peeking out from behind the new Thirsties bottles?  Like its been displaced or something.  Ah, symbolism!)

Added:  As always, I wrote this post from my perspective as a single mama.  I should add another DO for mamas with parenting partners or other folks living with them.  DO either (a) make sure your partner is well versed in diaper laundry, or (b) agree with them that you will be in charge of the diaper laundry.  I have read many stories online of an errant hubby ruining a diaper by thinking he is "helping".  When I was staying with my parents, my dad "helped" by putting the diapers in the dryer - only they had just been through a rinse, and not a wash, so they got a little stained.  One idea I had was to put a dry-erase board near the washer, so you can write what "step" the diapers are on.  That way another person helping with the laundry will know they need another rinse before drying, or that they haven't even been washed yet, etc.  If you are sharing diaper responsibilities, this might be an idea.  I just opted to tell my dad he didn't have to "help" with the laundry anymore!