What do I reach for first - 2 months

So for month two the diapers I reach for first are as follows:

Daytime
Winner: Simplex Newborn AIO

LOVED these diapers once I got used to the leg rolling and got my new wash routine going.  It has pretty much solved my stiff diaper problem and I pack these diapers wherever I go.  About halfway through the month I found that the absorbency of the Thirsties was getting a bit lacking if she was nursing a lot.  

I may have an addiction to Blueberry brewing.  I am using all my available Ibotta money to buy more newborn diapers.  The recent seconds grab bag sale got me some fun new prints!

Next....Mommycon....oh dear!

Runner Up: Thirsties Newborn AIO

Still loving these diapers, but when she is nursing a ton she is starting to outwet the diaper.  Still love how soft and easy to use this diaper is.  I do think she will outgrow this diaper in the next month.  

Other diapers in my stash:
Lalabye Bamboo: this diaper almost made it as the runner up diaper.  Love how trim this one size diaper is!
Best Bottoms Cover with Medium insert:  Works, but is a bit on the bulky side.

Diaper Rite Bamboo Prefolds with Blueberry mini Coverall
Diaper a rite Bamboo Prefols with Thirsties Cover

Nighttime: Honest Diapers

We ran out of Bambo diapers and we decided to switch to Honest which we can get at our local Target.  I do like these diapers, but she keeps leaking out the back at night so I will be looking for other nighttime options.

Naptime
Simplex Aio/Lalabye

What do I reach for first-1 month

One of the questions had most when I first started cloth diapering was if certain diapers that worked in the beginning would continue to be favorites at a different age.  So many things can influence whether they work for an older child versus a younger child.  So once a month I will be publishing a new list of what diaper I reach for first.  I will include all the diapers I have in my stash at that time and divide it out by daytime and nightime/naptime

So for month one:

Daytime
Winner: Thirsties Newborn AIO

The Thirsties newborn diaper is just so soft and tiny.  I found the absorbency to be perfect for a newborn and it fit perfectly underneath her umbilical cord.  I had three of these in my stash and they were always the first to be used.

Runner Up: Simplex Newborn AIO

I didn't get any of these until she was just under a month old.  I did like this diaper a lot.  It fits perfectly well, but it is a much bigger diaper.  I love the fact that it uses natural fibers, but the downside is that it is a bit stiffer.  You also have to make sure that the leg elastics are rolled in since it does not have cased elastic.  Not a big deal but I did feel more comfortable using the Thirsties in the beginning because of this.

Other diapers in my stash:
Diaper Rite Bamboo Prefolds with Blueberry mini Coverall
Diaper a rite Bamboo Prefols with Thirsties Cover
Lalabye Bamboo 
Best Bottoms Cover with Medium insert

Nighttime: Bambo Nature Disposable

We chose to exclusively disposable diaper at night since we had a horrible time with our oldest not sleeping well.  Bambo diapers were very absorbent and cuddly soft and I felt good about the contents of the diapers.  Downside of the diaper is that they are abnormally wide so we did have to overlap the wings to get a good fit.  Also, they did not have an umbilical notch.  So weird for a newborn diaper, but oh well.

Naptime
Simplex Aio

Leaking? Let troubleshoot!

Diapers that are put on incorrectly can leave mom with telltale spots!

Damp pants, damp shirts, crying baby, sad mama, and frustrated daddy.

These are the downsides of cloth diapering with a bad fit.  Leaking can plague even the most experienced of cloth diapering families.  I personally struggled with leaking issues for months before I figured out what the problem.

What was my problem you ask?  I had a heavy wetter and my absorbency wasn't up to the challenge. I was using the microfiber inserts and they were not up to the task.  Once I put hemp and bamboo inserts into my pockets my leaks stopped.  Then Homeboy outgrew the diapers.  I was thrilled.  I got to buy more!!  Shhhhh....it was my first....don't judge.

So if you are struggling with dampness try these tips before you give up!

Is your diaper or insert completely saturated when you change the diaper?

• This means you probably need more absorbency.  Try a natural fiber such as hemp or bamboo or try adding a doubler to your diaper.
• If you waited longer than three hours to change the diaper, try changing every two hours.  Babies need to be kept dry so most diaper experts advice changing every two hours.

Leg gap on a Diaper Rite Bamboo Pocket

Are there gaps around the leg when you hold the leg up?

• Try tightening the leg by snapping the leg snap tighter or decreasing the elastic size in diapers like Fuzzibunz.

Is the dampness happening on the front of a stomach sleeper?

• Try using a diaper with a PUL front flap with your insert tucked underneath the flap.

Is the outside of the PUL completely wet and the inner not saturated?

• Did you prep the diper completely?  If not, keep washing.  The diaper might not be ready to use yet.
• Are there cracks in your PUL?  Does it look like a peeling sunburnn? If so, this diaper is your new swim diaper unless you can figure out how to rewaterproof your diper.  This can be caused by bleaching or harsh wash routines or just age.  If the diaper is relatively new this may be covered under your manufacturer warranty.  Be sure to call and ask.    

  

  Incorrectly fastened Thirsties Cover.  Tuck it back in!

• Did you make sure that the lining of the diaper is not showing when you put it on?  If you can see any of the diaper liner it can allow moisture to get around the PUL.

Do your diapers smell like ammonia?

• Try stripping your diapers.  Build up can cause your diapers to repel water.  This also means that you need to alter your wash routine.  Try adding more soap and an extra rinse.

Have you used diaper rash cream?

• Most diaper rash creams are not cloth diaper safe and since they are designed to prevent urine from sitting on skin, they can actually waterproof your diaper causing it to repel liquid instead of absorb.  Look for cream or yellow streaks on the diaper.  Use Dawn dishwashing detergent and scrub stains with soap and a toothbrush.

Are the diapers repelling liquid?

• You may have detergent build up from using too much soap.  Try washing several times with no detergent.  You will see soap suds during these washes due to the excess washing out.  Use less detergent in your wash routine to fix this issue.

Diaper Prepping

I got some new fluff mail today! 

Kittens, the Blueberry and Me exclusive for July got here this past week.  I justified the purchase for a few days and finally pulled the trigger.  I woke up Thursday to find out it was out for delivery.  Hurray!  Perfect timing since it was diaper laundry day!  Prepping Kittens will started asap.

Prepping diapers correctly is as important as fit.  A diaper that is not well prepped can leak and repel water.  I used a partially prepped diaper a few weeks ago and ended up with pee all over myself. 

Prepping involves washing and drying a diaper to increase its absorbancy and to wash out the ickies that it has picked up during the manufacturing process.  Natural fibers need to be washed up to 10 times to reach maximum absorbancy whereas synthetic fibers just need to be washed once, however, decent absorbency is achieved after about 5 washes so I begin to use them partially prepped.  Let's be real.  Who can really wait ten washes to use the cute little diapers?

On to prepping.  Here are some general things to remember.

1. First. DO NOT prep natural fibers with synthetic.   Natural fibers have an oil that washes away with the first few washes and that oil can coat your synthetic diapers causing them to repel liquids.  Once the diapers are prepped it is fine to wash them together, but the first few washes need to be separate.  This includes a diaper such as a pocket that has a natural insert.  The pocket will need to be prepped separate from the insert.
2. Second.  You don't need to dry most diapers between washes with one exception.  Cotton.  Cotton needs to be dried between each wash since drying helps fluff the fabric which increases it's absorbency.
3. Third.  Prepping does not require much detergent.  Use a minimal amount.  Save it for when the diapers actually have some poop on them.

So here is what you need to do.

1. Determine your fiber type using the following chart.

Synthetic Fiber	Natural Fiber
Microterry	Cotton
Microfiber	Bamboo
Microfleece	Hemp
Minky	Wool
Suedecloth	Birdseye
Zorb

     2.  Separate your diapers into two piles.  Natural and synthetic.

     3.  Wash

• Synthetic: Wash synthetic fibers with minimal detergent between one and three times before using. Drying is not required between washes. 
• Natural: Wash natural fibers at least five times before using with a normal amount of detergent.  If you choose to use before at least eight washes, don't use the diaper for nap or overnight.  You will most likely get leaks.  If the diaper leaks, don't write it off, wash a few more times and that may just do the trick!

Cloth Diaper Storage

Cloth diapers take space.  The cute diaper storage bags that hang on the crib or door knob just doesn't work for cloth.  I made one thinking I could make it work and it worked ok, but it wasn't ideal.  So for the past few months I have been looking something that could organize the cloth diaper clutter that is in my room.  This past weekend I set out to organize the mess.

I have a pottery barn changing table (Craigslist score for $50) that I have used for several years and it includes two small sock drawers and two large clothing drawer plus a pull out for a diaper pail and a small slide out tray.  I use the drawers for clothes so I am left with just the slide out tray for diapers which is crazy because cloth is bulky.

Target to the rescue!  I found a curio shelf with nine bins that were just the right size for cloth diapers.  Hobby Lobby supplied the wire bins to contain the extra fluff and accessories and my new diaper changing station is ready to go!

My new station can store 50 complete changes of cloth diapers with ease in addition to disposables and accessories such as CJ's butt spray, Desitin, snappis, boingos, and my spare wet bags.

What does your diaper storage look like?  Do you have any ideas to make mine better?

The Magic of Sunning

My mom used to say we needed sun to grow as she shooed us out the door to go play.  She didn't need any sun apparently because she was already grown (nice mom real nice).  The magical Sun is what grows our, food, runs the tides heats our ocean, and whitens our dipers....stop...what?

Diapers?


You becha! The sun can make what looks to be a ruined diaper with stain not even bleach can take out and make it look brand new.  You doubt?  Well look at my icky diaper that I currently have.

Now look at it after it just one hour in the sun.

Magical.

Just Magical.

So now before you ran and just toss out all your ugly diapers in the sun, WAIT let me tell you how to do it.

First you need to wash your diapers as usual and then take them still wet outside and lay them flat exposing the stained side to the sun.  Check on them periodically and when the stain are gone just finish drying them in the dryer if they are not all the way dry.  So easy!

Do you have some stained diapers? How well did sunning work for you?

The case for prefolds

My husband eyed the ivory colored prefolds that I was folding.  You could see the puzzled look in his eyes.  He finally asked "Is that really a diaper?".  I laugh thinking about it, but my mom used prefolds on some of my siblings so it isn't something that is totally outlandish to me.  My husband on the other hand had never seen a prefold before.  All he could see was a puffy piece of cloth that looked nothing like a diaper to him.

Prefolds are the cheapest option for cloth diapering.  They are also the ones that bring about the most fear.  A rectangle of cloth somehow magically gets tied on the baby and becomes a diaper.  The faint at heart would probably reject the idea right there.

If that is you, wait!

It really isn't a big deal.

They really are so easy.  Some might argue they are the easiest way to go.  I can change a diaper in about 1 minute using a prefold.  A disposable takes me about 45 seconds.  Not really a big difference. It just takes 3 special steps (Thank you Paw Pilot :-) )

1. Fold the prefold 

2. Place Prefold under baby

3. Use a Snappi or other fastening device

Done!

So in case you are still dubious, let me lay out the benefits of prefolds.  Let's look at the cost comparison for a newborn using the most cost effective diapering options using the following assumptions.

1. Baby was born at 6 lbs
2. Gains 1/2 lb a week
3. You change 16 diapers per day/night for the first 10 days and 10 diapers per day and night thereafter.

Using the cheapest diapering option which is Parent's Choice (Walmart Brand) you can expect to spend $174.70 in diapers over the first four months of life.  This covers the baby from newborn to 16 pounds. The following purchases would have been made:

1. 2 boxes of 40 Newborn Diapers
2. 840 Size 1 Diapers
3. 560 Size 2 Diapers

If you were using the cloth options you would have made these purchases

1.  6 Tiny Tuckable Covers from Assunta at 5.99 each
2. 36 Newborn Cotton Prefolds from Diaper Rite
3. 25 Small Cotton Prefolds from Diaper Rite
4. 2 Size 1 Snappis from Diaper Rite

The cost differential is astonishing.  $80 vs $174.  That is a significant amount of savings especially considering that you can use the newborn and small prefolds later folded as inserts into pockets and covers.  If you were to use these diapers on a second child your cost would be cut in half.  AMAZING!

So take a look at prefolds....they really are pretty cool and easy!

Lalabye All in Two Cloth Diaper Review

Lalabye diapers have developed quite a reputation on cloth diaper boards.  You either are a lover or a hater.  The haters claim that they are just custom China cheapies.  The lovers say they are quality diapers produced in a dedicated facilities that just happen to be located in China.

I was intrigued.  Which one was it?

I was looking for a diaper that had a natural fiber insert and would ensure that Homegirl's skin would not touch the TPU because skin sensitivities run in my family so I didn't know if the Best Bottoms would work for her or not (they did).  The Lalabye diaper fit my criteria so on Earth day I bought 9 from Nicki's diapers.  They took a week to come in and then I had to wait another month for her to be born. Plus another three weeks for her to start fitting them.  I was an impatient Momma by the time she was big enough to try them.

So after all that waiting, I finally got to try them!

Overview
Lalabye diapers are a hybrid of a pocket and AI2 (All in Two).  Meaning that you could choose to reuse the shell if you lay the inserts on top of the stay dry lining or you can use it like a pocket and stuff the insert inside the diaper.


These diapers are designed to fit babies from 8 to 35 pounds.   The interior of the diaper is made of microsuede which is a wicking fabric designed to keep the baby feeling dry.  This diaper also feature a TPU waterproof outer shell.  TPU is basically a biodegradable version of PUL.  So if the environmental impact of the diaper once you are ready to dispose of it matters to you this might be the diaper for you!

Inserts
There are two inserts that come with every diaper a newborn insert that can later be used as a doubler and a one size insert.  Both snap in place on the inside of the pocket.  Both inserts are made of four layers of bamboo rayon with neatly serged edges.  Since the inserts are made of bamboo they are incredibly thin, soft, and naturally anti microbial.  No more ammonia smell in your diapers!

Snaps
This diaper has the signature, color coded waist snaps that make diaper changing super simple.  Once you know what color snap your child is on, you don't have to double check to make sure the sides are even.  You know you will get a great fit each and every time no matter who is changing the diaper.

Pocket Construction
One of the difficulties of pockets is that many pocket diapers are difficult to stuff because the opening isn't wide enough for larger hands.  The Lalabye diaper has an extremely generous pocket opening that is open at both ends of the diaper so that instead of wrangling the insert with one hand you can actually use two and it makes stuffing a breeze!

Care
Prepping these diapers is easy.  Just wash in hot water and air dry the covers and toss the inserts into the dryer on a medium/low heat.  You can use these diapers after just one use, but because bamboo is a natural fiber it will continue to increase in absorbency up to the 10th wash.

Actual Use
Homegirl began using these diapers around the same time that she started fitting into her medium Best Bottoms at 3.5 weeks old.
I found that her belly was too wide to use the crossover snaps so we started off at the blue waist setting and the smallest rise (see how easy it would be to tell somebody how to change diaper?). From the start we actually got a pretty good fit and I was thrilled that these diapers had a hip snap which made wing droopage a non issue.

So far we have just been using the one size insert and we have not have any leaking with the exception of one poop leak when I was experimenting with the waist sizes.  Once we got the correct fit we have not have any leaking.

This diaper would fit the bill for a "trim" one size diaper as even on a newborn the diaper is barely bulkier than a disposable.  I find that the absorbency is well beyond what my little 6 week old baby can put out.  I wonder how well this diaper will do with a toddler size urine output even with the booster, however, we aren't there yet so I can't put that to the test yet.

We did not use the diaper as a AI2 because frankly I don't see how hygienic it would be to reuse the cover since for certain the stay dry lining cannot be wiped clean like the typical cover can.  So for me the AI2 feature is a bust.

I do like this diaper.  I love the fact that it makes jeans wearable for my cloth diapered baby.  I think that for a diaper that is constructed in China it is a bit on the pricey side, but I find the quality to be much higher than that of the regular Chinese cheapies.  Honestly I would rate the quality to be on par with my Blueberry diaper.

Affordability
These diapers run $19.95 per diaper regardless of the website.  Right now you can get a 10% discount on the retiring contrasting snap diapers which I find adorable.  There are exclusive prints released periodically so check out their Facebook page to find out when and where the new releases will happen!

The best price I could find on the diaper is at Dream Diapers at $15.95, but they only have one color left (pink) and I am sure it will be gone quickly.  Ordinarily when they aren't discontinuing a color line, you have to wait for a sale which only occurs Earth Day, Black Friday, and occasionally you can find a sale on Lalabye.com for a holiday weekend.

Blueberry Newborn Simplex Review

Blueberry.

The name is talked about like some long awaited high tech gadget that is hitting the market after years of anticipation.  Just like those gadgets, Blueberry diapers are expensive.  As in $19-$28 each expensive.  

*Choke*

Imagine a whole stash of that!  Might want to get insurance on those poop holders since somebody might take those along with any other valuables.  I was really shocked at the price and I honestly keep asking myself if they can possibly be worth that.

They get nothing, but rave reviews online so I just went to peek at their diaper offerings to see if I like anything.  I ended up falling prey to their super adorable girly prints and purchased a Newborn Simplex to try out.  I ordered it from Sweet Bottoms Baby and it arrived two days later.  I fortunately had a diaper load ready to wash so I got to try it out the very next day.

They really are super adorable and the silky outside feels softer than any other diaper I own.  The snaps coordinate with the diaper and snap readily with a quality pop.  They are rather difficult to unsnap at first, but I am sure they will wear in after a few changes.  Despite that when unsnapping the diaper it does not feel like you will be tearing a hole in the diaper every time you pull them apart.

The leg elastic is a rolled elastic which means they do not have the stitched which holds the elastic in place.  It is suppose to be gentler on the sensitive baby skin, but it does mean that you must make sure that only the PUL is showing when you fasten the diaper.

The interior of the diaper is made of 11 layers of birdseye cotton which makes this one of the only AIO newborn diapers that does not have any synthetic materials against the babies skin.  This fact along with the made in the USA label tells you why this product is so expensive.  The diaper has a "tongue" that will agitate out in the wash that will need to be tucked back into the pocket before use.  So the questions remains..was it worth the $18.95 price tag?

Our Experience
I've had this diaper for a little over a week and it has not leaked. It held up to its promise of keeping the red marks on her legs to a minimum.  This is a wonderful daytime diaper option if you can afford it, but this diaper does not hold up to nightime baby pee.  I tried it out and her outfit and bed were soaked.

Homegirl is about 11 pounds right now and she will probably wear this diaper for another two months I would guess unless she plans on doing some serious growing in the next few weeks.

Care
Washing this diaper was super easy, but it did take a bit longer and the microfiber AIO diapers to dry.  This isn't a huge deal though, but it should be taken into considerations since you don't want the diaper to mildew because it was put up without drying all the way.  I was also a bit surprised to find that the "tongue" insert only agitated out in the wash about half the time.  It did not, however, affect the cleanliness of the diaper.  I do have an HE washer so that could be part of the difference.
 
Affordability
Blueberry unfortunately is rarely on sale and doesn't promote seconds.  I have seen a few seconds released along with an exclusive print, but of course those are limited and sell out very quickly.  If you do want to find a sale check out Earth Day sales and Black Friday deals and other than that you may just have to pay full price or watch for coupon codes, but double check because most stores exclude Blueberry from their promotions.

 Do you want to see your little one in a Blueberry diaper? Which one?

Boingo vs Snappi

I am a barefoot queen.  Ever since I was little I have hated to wear shoes and I got without as often as possible much to my husband's chagrin.  It has never caused me any problem except for the lone event when I was seven years old.

My mother cloth diapered.  Which in and of itself was not a problem except for the fact that she also used diaper pins.  For those of you who don't know what a diaper pins is, think giant safety pin.  One day I was running around with my usual exuberance and I stepped rather hard on one and managed to get it stuck rather deeply into my poor heel.  The following removal and series of Dr's visits does not make the list of favorite childhood moments

.

Needles to say when I decided to cloth diaper it was very important to me to make sure that all the items I used were safe.  So I researched and while some people prefer to use the old fashioned diaper pin, there are two companies that have come up with a system that is safe for all unsuspecting feet.  

Meet the Boingo and Snappi!

Boingo

Boingo was created by a mother of seven children who clothes diapered her kids with prefolds and pins for 18 years.  She started designing the perfect diaper pin replacement and from her sketches and test the Boingo was revealed!

Boingo consists of two silicone fasteners that have small plastic "teeth" on the back that grip the fabric on a prefold, flat, or fitted.  The manufacturer states that you use one for smaller babies (one side on each wing) and two for larger babies.  If they get dirty you can simply wash and use again.  

Boingo comes in a wide variety of colors and is available through most online cloth diaper stores.  Cost wise they are $7.50 per set although you might be able to find them on sale or use a coupon code since most diaper shops do not exclude fasteners from their discount codes.

While I love the idea behind the Boingo I would say that for newborn it really does not work.  The decorative star ends are super cute, but we're so big that they kept digging into her belly when she curled up.  I also found that prefolds are not wide enough for one Boingo to work so for us we had to use one on each side.  I think they would work well on a toddler as there is enough hip space to make the digging issue a moot point.  I am putting the Boingo up for now, but I will pull it out in a few months and update you guys then.

Snappi

The Snappi was invented by one frustrated dad in South Africa.  Tired of poking his fingers with pins, he came up with the Snappi in 1987 and soon brought them to a fair trade show where he sold 4,000 in just a few days.

The manufacturer is vague about the exact materials used in the Snappi, but claims that all the products are FDA approved and does not contain any BPA products, latex, silicone, or modifying polymers.  In other words, they are made of a stretchy non toxic, but unknown material.  The Snappi has three arms that have teeth on the underside of each end that grip the fabric ensuring a snug grip on any prefold, fitted, or flat.

The Snappi comes in two sizes.  Size 1 for birth to 16 months and size 2 for babies beyond that and offers an extra 4 inches in stretch and will fit a waist up to 30 inches.  The Snappi is available  in almost every cloth diaper store for between $4 an d $5.50 each.

I have found that the Snappi makes diaper changes super easy and I have not had any problems.  It was a bit stiff at first, but with use it has become stretcher and easier to fasten on Homegirl.  I do rinse it off every few days to avoid urine build up.  Other than that...BUY IT!

Have any of you found a diaper fastener that you love?

Thirsties Newborn AIO Cloth Diaper Review

Thirsties Newborn AIO came out in early 2015 and was the first Newborn AIO that Thirsties offered. It comes in 14 different colors and retails for $15.50 on the Thirsties website.

The diaper is constructed from a waterproof PUL exterior and lined with microfleece.  For added wettness absorbtion, there is a single layer of microterry sandwiched between the waterproof and microfleece layer.  The insert is made of four layers of microterry and topped with microfleece to wick moisture away from the baby.  The insert is attached only at the back of the diaper to decrease drying time.  The diaper has an umbilical cord snap as well as 2 different rise settings to ensure a snug fit on babies weighing between 5 and 14 pounds.

Newborn Results 

We started using this diaper when Homegirl was just a few hours old.  It was the very first cloth diaper that she wore.  It fit exceedingly well and did not rub her umbilical cord at all. She was on the smallest rise setting for the first month and the elastic around the legs was snug and we did not have any compression leaks.  All said.  It was a great first diaper!

5 week Results 

Right now Homegirl is five weeks old and 11 pounds and just moved the the largest rise setting and still has three snaps to go on the wings.  I do think that she will be able to wear this diaper for at least another month. We have not had any leaks or poosplosions aside from one compression leak that I am pretty sure was my fault since I was wearing her in a carrier and hadn't changed her in 2 hours.

Affordability 

Thirsties regularly offer sales through their retailers so it is fairly easy to find them for less than the regular price.  I was able to get mine for about $11 each from Sweet Bottoms Baby during their earth day sale.  Also watch the Thirsties outlet for seconds for some super savings!

Price Comparison
Right now the best price I could find online is at Kelly's Closet for $12.60 a diaper, but you have to purchase a set of six using the coupon code that will be emailed to you once you sign up for their newsletter.

If you find a better price let me know and I'll update the post!

Best Bottoms Cloth Diaper Review

When Homeboy was about a four months old he started out wetting his Fuzzibunz diapers. I was really disappointed and I spent months trying to find a solution.  The solution for us came in the form of a new diaper set.  Best Bottoms by Nicki's Diapers.

                                             Homegirl wearing her Best Bottoms diaper at 4.5 weeks

One of our must have criteria for cloth diapers is they have to be dad friendly.  My husband has huge man hands and stuffing pockets was near impossible for him so if I hadn't stuffed the diapers yet, my husband would just do a disposable which isn't really what we wanted.  We also needed to be able to easily add doublers without adding too much bulk.  At a whopping 26 pounds at 12 months, we couldn't continue to bulk out his little rear as it would have been near impossible to find clothes to fit his giant rear and short legs.

When I first saw the Best Bottoms diaper I knew it could be a solution to our problems.  It was dad friendly, had doubling options, and offered hemp inserts (Natural fibers offer super absorbency and trimness to diapers).

I ended up purchasing four covers and 10 inserts to begin with.  I loved them!  My super wetter could go with just the microfiber insert for about two hours without leaking.  If I used the hemp insert I could make it through nap time without the telltale damp spots on his pants.

I sold my Fuzzibunz and bought a complete set of Best Bottoms and used them until we potty trained at 20 months!

When I got pregnant with Homegirl I knew that I would be using Best Bottoms with her.  I didn't know how quickly she would fit them though since the ONE reservation I had about using the diaper on a newborn is that they don't have an umbilical cord snap down.  So I ended up deciding to use them once her cord fell off.  Since Homeboy was 8.5 pounds at birth I decided to skip the small inserts and start with the medium (11 pounds and up).

                                                         Medium and Large Microfiber Insert

Homegirl first fit into her medium at 3.5 weeks old.  It was a little bit bulky, but it worked fine.  Only drawback was she was still having the explosive newborn poop which meant quite a few cover changes.  We didn't have any leaks though, thanks to the double gussets.

By 4.5 weeks they are quickly becoming our favorite cloth diaper.  They fit snugly around her thighs, the fit around her waist is perfect, daddy lives them, and they have some amazing girly covers!

She is currently on the smallest rise setting.  The diaper has a total of three rise option which means the diaper can fit a child ranging anywhere from 8 to 35 pounds.  Just look at the difference in size.  The diaper on the left is on the smallest rise with a medium inset and the diaper on the right is on the largest rise setting with a large inset. 

  Best Bottoms Diaper in Cookie Monster on the smallest setting on the left and Strawberry Shortcake on the largest setting with a large mibrofiber insert on the right

I love that the diaper has two snaps on the waist.  I find that diapers that have just a single snap the waistband sags and often causes gaps around the leg.

                                        Two snaps on each diaper wing keep the legs snug and secure

Double gussets should be a must on all newborn diapers.  Gussets are essentially two bands of elastic, one slightly smaller than the other, that keep poop where it should be.  Inside the diaper and not on my lap.

                                        Double gussets on each leg keep the poop inside the diaper!

Best Bottoms offers a wide variety of super cute prints and solids.  Names such as Cookie Monster and Strawberry Shortcake really tell you how super cute this collection really is!

Check it out at Sweet Bottoms Baby where Best Bottoms are on sale right now!

Tell me.  Do you love Best Bottoms?  Why?

Newborn Cloth Diaper Review

Cloth diapering a newborn is a tough sell for most people.  The expense of purchasing 25 to 40 diapers and the thought of adding laundry to the sleep deprived newborn phase deters many parents from starting out in cloth.

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We started cloth diapering our first at 3 weeks once he had grown a bit and could fit on the one size diapers we had purchased.  This time I decided to cloth diaper from the moment we got home which was a few hours after baby #2 had been born.  Newborn cloth diaper options range from the classic prefolds and cover option to super cute AIO (all in one) diapers.  After much reading, I decided to try a combination of brands and diaper types and this is what my stash ended up looking like:

                                 Blueberry Mini Coverall over a Diaper Rite Bamboo Prefold and Snappi

                                               Thirsties Size 1 cover with a Diaper Rite Bamboo Prefold and Snappi

                                                                                 Thirsties Newborn All In One

3 Thirsties Newborn AIOs (fits babies 5-14 pounds)
21 homemade bamboo/hemp AIOs
12 Newborn Diaper Rite Bamboo prefolds (fits babies 6-12 pounds)
1 Blueberry Mini Cover (fits babies 6-18 pounds)
3 Size 1 Thirsties Covers
2 Snappis
1 Boingo
1 package of Bambo Nature Size 1 Diapers

My opinion after 3 weeks of cloth diapering a newborn?  Cloth diapering a newborn was not that difficult.  Hubby declared he wasn't using the Prefolds, but he was fine using the AIO diapers even with his big man hands.  Baby is 3 weeks old now and we still have a few of our disposable diapers left.  I do think I had too many changes and could have made do with far fewer diapers especially since I ended up using disposable at night. 

My favorite combination had been the Blueberry cover with a Diaper Rite bamboo prefold. 

Why do I love it?

Extra snap for custom fit
Blueberry has the extra snap which allows you to get a snugger fit around the leg which makes it virtually poo-spolsion proof

Easier Laundry
Having the cover separate from the absorbent layer makes drying easier since I can pull all the covers out before I stick everything in the dryer.  No more worrying about damaging the PUL with the dryer heat!

Super Soft
Bamboo makes the prefolds super soft which is perfect for a newborn.  Prefolds will continue to get fluffier and softer with each wash

Snappy Snappi's
Having an easy way to fasten the prefold makes this combination doable.  If I had to use the old fashioned diaper pins I would be steering well clear of prefolds, but Snappi's can be fastened very quickly and aren't a possible hazard if they are stepped and can't accidentally stick the baby when the diaper is put on

So far I have not had a single leak with this combination!

So if I could redo my newborn stash, what would I have purchased knowing what I do now?

Here is what I would have done:

5 Thirsties Newborn AIOs ($14.75 each I purchased mine on sale for $11.45)
18 Bamboo Prefolds ($13.95 per pack of 6)
4 Size One Blueberry Covers ($15.95 each)
2 Snappis ($6.75 for a pack of 2)
1 package Bambo Nature Diapers

Total Cost $181.95

The cost might seem a bit high but remember that the covers will fit the baby until they weigh 18 pounds so you will be getting months of use and the prefolds can be folded us and laid flat the the diaper as an insert once they can no longer be Snappi'd on the baby.  The only things on the list that are strictly newborn are the disposable diapers and the AIO diapers.  Also remember that the resale value of newborn diapers is over 50-90% of the new value so you will be able to recoup a lot of your cost once you are through.

AIO thoughts

I found that the homemade AIO diapers, while I had used top quality fabric, were prone to leaking and therefore I didn't use them as much once Homegirl was a bit bigger.  The Thirsties AIO diapers were perfect for the times when Daddy was changing her diaper or for when we went out. They were fairly absorbent, but I did find they leaked on occasion.  I would buy them again in a heartbeat since putting on a prefold when you don't have much experience is a bit more daunting when you are in a public restroom which a screeching newborn.

The AIO Thirsties did give a fairly snug fit around the legs so for skinny legged newborns this is perfect  Homegirl is now 5 weeks old and still fitting in the diapers at 11 pounds.  I would expect that she will probably get another month of use out of these diapers.

Covers and Prefolds
I ended up using on average 2 covers each day along with about 6 prefolds.  In the beginning I used a lot more covers while I was figuring out how to put on the prefold correctly.  Once I figured out my technique, I now actually prefer a prefold over an AIO.  Stay tuned for my Prefold tutorial!

Fasteners: Boingo vs Snappi
Snappis are just the perfect size for newborns.  I found that the Boingo was way too big and dug into the belly when she curled up.  I do thing it is a great option for older babies and I will be trying it again once she gets a bit bigger.

Night Time Cloth Diapering
I ended up choosing to disposable diaper at night since she, unlike her brother, sleeps the entire night with only three or four dream feeds.  Getting her woken up with multiple diaper changes was not in our best interest.  Next time I may invest in a Sustainable Baby Overnight Fitted diaper, but we will see how she does with the one I have once she grows into it in a few weeks. 

Bambo Nature
I have loved using the Bambo Nature diapers.  They are super wide for some reason, but they fit her quite well from birth (7 lbs 10oz) and so far we have had no leaks.  My only complaint is that they lack an umbilical cord notch, but that isn't must for me since I just folded down the top until her cord fell off a week later.

So if you are thinking about cloth diapering a newborn I would say to go for it!  It is fun to diaper such a tiny tush and it can be more economical than you think since newborn diapers hold their value quite well!