Gateway to Crunching

We decided to use cloth diapers for several reasons. First, the cost of disposables were outrageous when DS1 and DS2 were in diapers. The cost of diapers has since risen considerably. Our MSPI babies go through lots of diapers (about 36 in 24 hours). Second, we can't just use any diaper for our children due to the extreme sensitivity they have. We dealt with rash after rash and had to use so many prescriptions just to take care of them. We were forced to use the most expensive disposable diapers on the market. Third, we desired to try something natural.

We were given simple velcro diaper covers and cotton prefolds from a friend who decided to quit using cloth diapers. We used them as soon as the meconium was no longer prevalent and fell in love with cloth diapering. As DS1 grew out of the newborn size covers, we sized up and realized these next ones wicked. Oh, what a stink! Friends of ours blessed us with a gift certificate to a local venue which sells cloth diapers so we bought some FuzziBunz OS and FuzziBunz Hemp OS diapers. I really like the hemp inserts. Actually, I love hemp inserts! They're far more absorbent than those microfiber inserts and they don't stink. They also don't ever repel and our son wakes up bone dry. I do not, however, like FuzziBunz covers at all. The thread they use on the diapers wick at the gussets. I only use these during the daytime. Never at night. I did more research and tried out a friend's BumGenius 4.0 OS diaper. I fell in love! The suede cloth lining keeps DS3 dry as dry can be and they do not have to be stripped nearly as often as the FuzziBunz (the fleece lining in the FuzziBunz repels very quickly).  We use the BumGenius at night with a couple hemp inserts. Even at 15 months, he is dry as dry can be. 

We really like our pocket cloth diapers, but Michael doesn't like to stuff them. His hands are quite large so it just doesn't work well for him. While I was at a local cloth diapering/birthy store, I found BumGenius Freetime OS diapers. Who could resist?! Yes, cloth diapering has become an addiction of mine. I picked up the two boy colored diapers they had to try them out. While I don't prefer using them at night time, I do like these diapers. They're convenient, dry fast and Michael doesn't have to try to stuff a diaper with those big hands. If we must use one at night, I place a small Thirsties hemp insert beneath the two flap "inserts" and it does the job of containing the urine just fine. What I love about the Freetime is that there is less junk in the trunk and he looks normal in his clothes. We like these for outings. 

On the following visit to our local cloth diapering/birthy store I ended up bringing home two medium Swaddlebees Simplex diapers. These are awesome daytime diapers! They're all-in-one (AIO) diapers which actually don't take long to dry. They're constructed of an outer layer of PUL and birdseye cotton. I was very skeptical of the side snaps, but those aren't a big deal at all. They stay snapped without a problem. The cotton does keep the moisture at the skin, but they don't ever repel and never need stripping. They're also not at all bulky so we like them for outings as well as daytime since DS3 is walking now. The bulky diapers like the BumGenius 4.0 make it difficult for DS3 to walk and run properly.