For a few different reasons, I chose to start Sweet A out in disposable diapers for the first couple of weeks of her life. For one thing, Sweet A was too tiny for the cloth diapers that I have. Plus, I wanted her umbilical cord to fall off before I started using the cloth diapers. Lastly, we were gifted a lot of NB sized disposables so I figured I might as well use them.Well, the cord has fallen off, we're running out of NB disposables, and Sweet A is getting bigger. I have also, on more than one occasion, had to peel parts of the disposable diapers off of my baby's butt, even though I'm changing her diapers every 2-3 hours or as soon as I notice they're soiled. Add to this the fact that I have started finding the little gel beads from the disposable diapers on Sweet A's diapering area, and I've concluded that it's time to transition to the cloth diapers. (When I mentioned the gel beads to Mr. H he actually replied,
that's just silica, to which I answered,
I don't care what it is, I don't want it on my baby's butt. Turns out he's wrong. it's not "silica," it's Sodium Polyacrylate, which you can read more about
here).
Here's a rundown of what we've tried so far...
The Diaper: bumGenius All-In-One
The Test Run: These are the easiest to use and the most like disposable diapers. And they're super cute to boot. The one Sweet A wore held her poops well (we've already had an up-the-back blow-out with the Pampers Swaddlers we were using). Unfortunately, Sweet A's legs are still a little scrawny for these and her pee leaked all over Daddy when he was holding her (in comparison, both the Pampers and the Pure & Natural Huggies allowed pee to leak out the tops).
The Conclusion: Back to the basket with these. We'll need to wait until Sweet A has put some more meat on her bones.
The Diaper: Kissaluvs Fleece Fitted Diapers (with a Thirsties Duo Wrap cover
Update: and a GroVia Single Shell)
The Test Run: These are just as easy to put on as the bumGenius AIOs, although the snaps can be a little tricky with a squirmy baby. These leaked around the leg as well, but only a little bit. They are, however, extremely bulky. My Sweetness looks like a pear in these things.
Update: After another wash and with the GroVia shell, we haven't had any leaks!
The Conclusion: I think after a few more washes they might be absorbent enough to handle all the pee my little one puts out. I'm not writing them off yet, although they're certainly not good for wearing out in public. I'm embarrassed for my sweetness when she wears these because her poor butt looks five times bigger than it actually is.
The Diaper: Indian pre-folds (with Thirsties Duo Wrap)
The Test Run: We've tried these once so far. I like the simplicity of these, which may seem illogical since there are so many steps involved, but I like that it's just a piece of cloth. I used the bikini twist. Surprise, surprise, we had leakage. These barely absorbed Sweet A's pee.
The Conclusion: I'm crossing my fingers that with a few more washes these will become more absorbent. I really like the idea of these (and I have so many of them) that I'm hoping with some more practice or with the right cover, these will be my go to diapers for awhile.
The Diaper: GroVia AIO
The Test Run: These are just as easy as disposable diapers and the bumGenius AIO. The legs are a little more snug than the BGs. And these are super cute too. Unfortunately, we suffered leakage with these as well, although to be fair, I don't think any diaper could have contained the poops Sweet A filled this diaper with. I've used these more than any of the others so far because they fit the best right now. In fact, Sweet A is in one right now.
Update: These leaked around both legs the last time I used them. I'm really beginning to think Sweet A is a Super Soaker. Since the entire diaper is soaked, I'm pretty sure this means there isn't enough diaper to absorb her extreme amount of pee. I may have to add an insert to these.
The Conclusion: I'm determined to get these to work for us. They're the best physical fit right now and so easy to use that I'll be very disappointed if we're not successful with them.
A Note About the Thristies DuoWrap: I don't like these. Maybe they're still too big for Sweet A, but they haven't done anything to prevent leaks. Especially around the legs, which makes me think they're still too big. Also, I really don't like the feel of them, very plastic-like. I think I'll retire these until Sweet A is a little bigger.
A Note About the GroVia Single Shells: I like the feel of these much more than the Thristies. They add a little more bulk, but we haven't had any leaks in them yet (knock on wood). I also like the "hook and loop" closure because I can choose how loose or tight to fasten the shell.
A Note About Laundering: Seriously, I don't think washing cloth diapers could be any easier. I feel like there's more work involved with washing Sweet A's clothes. I was initially concerned that some of Sweet A's poops stains wouldn't come out, and was quite doubtful of the
sun's ability to "bleach" out the stains, but it worked! It was like magic! One minute there were yellow stains, and the next, nothing! Okay, so it was more like a few hours, but still, I was amazed.
Some Final Thoughts: You would think that with all this leaking, I would be discouraged about cloth diapering, but I'm not, especially since we've had a lot of leaking with the disposable diapers. Mr. H seems to think only the cloth diapers leak, so it gives me great pleasure when Sweet A's diaper leaks and he asks, in a slightly snooty tone, "What diaper is she wearing?" and I can reply with great satisfaction, "A disposable." I think our leaking problem has less to do with the diapers we're using (except in the couple of cases where another wash or two might increase the absorbency) and has more to do with the fact that Sweet A is a Super Soaker. I have a few ideas I'm going to try out next.
