"Fluffing" the large bum

My son was born weighing 10 lb. 4 oz. and did not fit into the newborn-sized diapers I purchased for him. He has continued to be large for his age, always measuring in the 95th percentile in height and 80th in weight. Around 18 months old, we had troubles squeezing him into most of his “one-size” diapers, especially nighttime pockets that needed extra stuffing. Friends told me that he’d “slim down” and his diapers would fit well again and that he is not really chubby. He’s just tall and solid and his physique has not changed. By 20 months, diapering was nearly impossible and our son was upset that his diapers were pinching or digging in on his skin. I had to find other solutions.

My search began in our own diaper stash. I found his Thirsties large covers still fit perfectly, but the “one-size” fitteds and standard prefolds did not. I ordered large Thirsties Fab Fitteds and found this to be an EXCELLENT combo with plenty of room to grow. The Fab Fitted is so soft and stretchy and the cover is plenty roomy. Also in our home stash, we found FuzziBunz perfect fit diapers in large are also still fitting and working, though on the last hip and waist snaps. Bumkins large all-in-ones fit great and are a favorite with babysitters, grandparents and my husband. But our combined stash of all these items added up to 6 diapers, and I do diaper laundry every OTHER day usually.

Yay! Time for shopping! There are some terrific new options out there! The Sandy’s Toddle-ease fitted paired with a Mother-Ease Air Flow cover in the toddler size is incredibly absorbent and very roomy. I find this combo is a bit bulky, so works best at home with no pants, with stretchy pants like sweats, or with jammies. With a Babykicks Hemparoo Joey Bunz doubler laid inside and a wool soaker cover outside, the Sandy’s Toddle-ease is without a doubt our new nighttime solution.

The softest, most comfortable (and hands down ABSOLUTE trimmest under clothing) of our new finds is the Bamboo Baby all-in-one toddler size. My son prefers this diaper and keeps asking for it. (He says, “New softie diaper, please, Mommy!”) The Thirsties Duo diaper in size 2 is a consistent part of our new rotation and like the large Thirsties cover and Fab-Fitted, offers a soft, stretchy diaper with room to grow. One of my favorite finds and the one that will also work when potty-training is the Little Beetle Organic Velour Cotton Learners. These training pants are thick and absorbent where it matters and have worked as well as any diaper with his Thirsties, Mother-Ease airflow or wool soaker covers on top. The Little Beetle Learners are also a great option when we are at home and he can wear them alone to more easily use the potty. They pull on and off like pants, or have snaps on the hips for easy removal when wet or soiled. The Knickernappies side-snapping pocket diaper is also a true fits-to-40-pounds diaper and one my son can’t take off when he wakes up from his naps. (Bonus!)

There are a few brands of one-size diapers from our past diapering (now mostly being used on our 4 month old) that will still work in a pinch, but do exactly that - pinch. It took a bit of research and some trial and error, but keeping our big toddler in cloth that fits until he’s using the potty is the best reward.

Contributed by Kimberly P.