Try Cloth Diapers Risk Free

Try Cloth Diapers Risk Free
Showing posts with label FuzziBunz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FuzziBunz. Show all posts
Hello. My name is Jen. And I’m a Cloth Diaper Addict.

Admitting it is the first step, right? Although this is an addiction that I’m not sure I want to get over.

Growing up, I always had some sort of addiction or vice, especially when it came to shopping. At first it was cute hair accessories. Then maybe it was jeans. Then…shoes. Oh, yes, I was all set to become the next Imelda Marcos. Then, when I became pregnant, I stopped being able to wear my gorgeous 4-inch stilettos. I suppose it was only a matter of time until my addiction changed.

When I started considering cloth diapering, I spoke to a couple of my friends who were in the middle of doing it themselves. Not only are they an incredible support system, but they also pointed me in the direction of all the great online shops like Kelly’s Closet where I could get amazing deals on diapers. They told me to start “Liking” these different pages on Facebook so I could learn about the fantastic promotions they run.

And that’s how it started.

First, it was the bumGenius and FuzziBunz promos. Then I started seeing all the benefits from the free diaper coupon codes. Do you know how easy it is to find $35 worth of fluff to buy in order to get a free diaper? I could do that with my eyes shut. Then, of course, I’d add a little more in order to take advantage of free shipping – because why would I spend money on shipping when I could spend it on more fluff?

Pretty soon, the orders started piling up. My inbox was full of order confirmations, and my doorstep was full of fluff. I have to admit, it was pretty fun getting all those packages in the mail – it was like a Fluffy Christmas every day! Before I knew it, I had nearly 40 diapers, 4 wetbags, 2 pail liners, a handful of inserts, and a bunch of little accessories.

Oh, and did I mention I haven’t even had my baby yet??

When friends and family members saw my stash, they were understandably surprised. My mom even asked, “Were you planning on only washing diapers once a month?” One friend asked me if I was having twins based on my stash. A couple of my fluffy friends expressed their jealousy at all my fancy new diapers.

I know it’s only going to get worse, too. Once the baby actually shows up, I just know I’m going to love seeing his or her little bum in these adorable diapers. I probably won’t even let the kid wear pants, because I’ll want to see its little tush all the time. And, once I know whether it’s a boy or a girl, I can always add some more gender-specific prints to my stash (as if I needed another excuse to buy more diapers).

So, here I am, with one month to go before the baby arrives, and I’m still as addicted as ever to cloth diapers. I’ve become quite the CD evangelist, talking to anyone and everyone who will listen to me (and some who won’t). Thankfully, my job is in social media, so I can spend my days on Facebook watching all the cloth conversations and waiting to jump on the next great promotion. And, of course, I’m biding my time until my next fluff purchase…it is, after all, only a matter of time.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go fill up my shopping cart – all this talk about cloth diapering has given me an itch to make another purchase…

Jennifer S. is a soon-to-be first-time mom with a full-time copywriting and social media job. She’s looking forward to all the excitement and challenges of motherhood (and cloth diapering).

This post was originally posted on TCDW blog on 10/6/11
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Cloth Diapers Anonymous; Are You an Addict?

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This blog post originally posted on September 11, 2010. With the recent after-math of Hurricane Sandy we thought we would re-post for you:

The renewal of hurricane season and active storms has made me re-evaluate my emergency plans and preparations. I have given thought to water supply, food, batteries, important documents, and more...but with my decision to use cloth diapers exclusively, and the disappearance of the very last disposable diaper, I have new plans to make. Part of my preparation will no longer include picking up an extra pack of disposable diapers. It is important to me to find an environmentally safe emergency plan.

How will I wash my stash if we were to lose power and water? What happens when I run out of clean cloth diapers? Do I really plan on washing everything by hand with a limited water supply? Many questions began spinning through my head, and I realized I hadn't planned for conditions without a washing machine.

In formulating my plan, I slowed down and asked myself the following questions:
  • How many diapers does my child use in a day?
  • How often will I wash diapers? (As a load, or individually?)
  • Do I have enough diapers to rotate clean/dirty diapers in time for them to be dry and ready?
  • Where will I wash the diapers? (In a bucket? The sink?)
  • Do I have extra needed accessories (diaper rash cream, laundry detergent, wipes, liners)?
  • Where will the waste water be disposed?
  • How will the process maintain sanitary conditions? (Hand-washing/disinfecting?)
  • How long will I be prepared to be without power/water?
My stash of cloth diapers includes mostly One Size FuzziBunz and bumGenius, with a few Rumparooz, and Thirsties. I also have 3 Bummis Whisper Wrap Covers which I use with a Kissaluvs Hybrid One Size Contour (I really need to get more inserts!). I have enough diapers to last 3 or 4 days, but from experience realize that it is necessary to plan for a week or more in an emergency situation. My planning decision revolved mainly around the question of hand-washing diapers that I already have (counting on enough extra water to the supply to enable this), and/or finding an alternative solution. Standard disposables for me will be an absolute last resort, and I won't stock them.

Kelly's Closet offered me a very appealing solution: GroVia Bio-Soakers! With this option, I can reuse a cover multiple times and replace the insert as needed...without a significant water resource impact (I'll only need to clean covers). I will always have my other cloth diapers and inserts, as additional options available in my emergency kit. Even if I ran out of Bio-Soakers (my first choice for avoiding a heavier wash load), I will still have a wonderful supply of fluff to wash and reuse. GroVia also makes Bio-Diapers, an alternative to disposable diapers that may be another option.

Cloth diapers are actually a perfect solution for emergency situations. Long before washing machines, cloth was THE only option, and mothers (and fathers) made it work. Granted, emergencies can be slightly different without a known unlimited source of water, but the same principles apply. Reliance on modern convenience is not necessary to making cloth diapers effective. The biggest added bonus is not having the worry of a panicked sell-out of all disposables at the grocery store...my cloth will always be right there.

I'll be ordering some GroVia shells and Bio-Soakers to test drive this solution. In the meantime, I may come up with other ideas, but at least I'm on the right track for being prepared in an emergency with cloth diapers. Are you?

By Julie G.
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From The Cloth Diaper Whisperer Archives: Cloth Diapers in an Emergency

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Join us Wednesday night (August 15th) for an intimate Facebook chat with Tereson Dupuy, the owner and creator of the FuzziBunz line of cloth diapers and accessories.

When: Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

Time: 9:30-10:30 PM ET

Place: DiaperShops.com Facebook Fan Page

How to participate:  Starting at 9:30pm ET and we’ll be posting our opening remarks on our Facebook Fan Page.  Join the conversation by leaving your questions and comments in the post comments of that status message.  To continue to see the conversation you’ll need to refresh your page often.  Both Calley and Tereson will be actively responding to your questions and will be providing you with some great tips on using the FuzziBunz products.  Follow along and have fun.

Bonus:  I hear their may be some prizes (free diapers perhaps) awarded to random participants in the chat.  More info on that coming soon.

Super Secret Surprise:  We’ll also announce a little secret during the party so you’ll want to join us to find out more.


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Facebook Chat with Tereson, Owner of FuzziBunz Cloth Diapers – 8/15

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Fluff Friday:
1 - FuzziBunz(R) One Size ELITE Cloth Diaper
1 - FuzziBunz(R) Zippered Diaper Tote


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Fluff Friday 175

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Like most cloth diapering Moms out there, their husband wasn’t on board at first. I knew if this cloth diapering challenge was going to happen I needed to find something that was Husband proof. I started doing my research and quickly realized the prefold/flat route was not going to be for us. There was no way I was going to convince him to fold and pin and then put on a cover. Next I looked into sized and realized he wasn’t going to see a return in his investment if I went down that path. So finally I decided on one -size. Of course the battle doesn’t end there. After looking at many different options I decided pocket was the way to go. I knew hybrids were out because our neighbors had some that he had changed and he wasn’t crazy about the insert that stayed on top of the cover.

I kept looking at the different one size pockets to decide which ones to get. One thing in my search for the perfect cloth diaper system for us, my husband kept saying we will only have one type of diaper. The pressure was on to find a diaper that had to work for us because I don’t know what I would do if I picked the wrong one and it didn’t fit. I ran across FuzziBunz. Their one-size says they fit as little as 7lb babies. That was awesome because most say 8-10lb babies. I knew I was a small baby and I wasn’t sure about my husband but his nickname is 5lb 7oz little baby Lippy so you can guess he isn’t a big guy. So I really would have been shocked if we were to have a big baby.

One settling on FuzziBunz one-size, I showed my husband and he agreed it looked simple enough. So we ordered 18. I get them home and prepped and adjust all the elastic to the recommended settings for a newborn. Fast forward months later and our little man is born 7lbs 5 oz. and wears fluff on the way home at 7lb. I had a skinny baby and so glad I went with this diaper. I did quickly notice that the legs and waist needed to be tightened a little more after a few poop drips down the leg. My son is now 6months and about 12 lbs. so still a tiny guy and though we now have more than FuzziBunz one size in our stash it is still the majority at about 25. We do have a couple other pocket one size such as Kawaii and Blueberry but those are on the smallest setting. The blueberry one size gaps at his legs a little and the Kawaii I struggle to make the waist as small as possible and there is a wing droop because of that.

FuzziBunz one-size ended up being the perfect diaper for my family of skinny guys. On a side note an added bonus is as a New Orleans gal it was invented in Louisiana! We do know that if we were to have a child that was smaller than 7lbs we would have to go with a newborn diaper but we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.

Alexandra L. is a Louisiana girl married to Minnesota Sailor currently living in Hawaii. She enjoys being a first time mom to her happy 6 month old boy.
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A FuzziBunz Family

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When my baby reached the three month mark she hit a ton of new milestones at the same time. She started cooing and giggling with recognition. Her head got strong enough for her to hold on her own. Most importantly, she started sleeping for longer stretches at night. 

Since Hannah was born a few weeks early, the pediatrician originally recommended I feed her on demand, which often amounted to every 2-3 hours at night. I was also following the suggestion to change her before meals to help wake her up since pre-term babies have a tendency to fall asleep nursing. After she hit the 3-month mark I started changing her after meals and experiencing leaks for the first time. We needed to find a new diaper, stat!


I ordered new diapers and began prepping them in a separate wash, following the manufacturer's instructions. You should always wash new diapers separately because they can distribute the oils that we are trying to get rid of to your other diapers. Also, some manufacturers recommend hot vs. warm washes, so not every cloth diaper becomes absorbent with the same prep work. Even stranger, while prepping some diapers I found that the same types of diapers gained absorbency at different times. Before using them, I checked them in the sink using the age-old test of pouring water right into the diaper. When I was finally confident they were ready, I would use them during a nap first- and always with a lap mat underneath my baby just in case.


Even though not every diaper worked at night, I took the time to learn and appreciate how they could work well during the daytime. I visited the manufacturer sites for helpful tips on fitting the diapers, such as buttoning snaps from the bottom up to ensure they are snug. I also found out that some Moms use their microfiber inserts in combo with a Swiffer for a green, antimicrobial way to clean the floors. What a great way to re-purpose your stash after baby grows out of the diapers!


Ultimately, I’ve settled on using Fuzzibunz in size Small with a hemp doubler. I also made the switch to using cloth wipes and keeping them in a warmer so they are more soothing at night. She’s growing quickly, so we will have to begin trying diapers for the next phase soon.  If you end up in a transition stage between sizes- don’t give up on cloth right away. Seek help on the message boards or from the manufacturer directly. Also, if you haven’t reached this point yet, save some of your cloth budget in case it happens to you. Sweet dreams to you and yours.


BIO: Jeannette is a budget conscious mama with a degree in Design and Merchandising from Drexel University. If you like this post, visit her blog for daily updates @  www.5weeksearly.blogspot.com.
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The Importance of a Good Nighttime Diaper

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Super Saturday Coupon

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The two most valuable things I have learned about cloth diapering, whether its one child, or more than one, are that wet bags are invaluable, especially for eliminating plastic bags from your life, and also that One-Size diapers are a life saver. We are also experimenting with cloth wipes for additional cost savings and waste reduction.

In case you hadn't heard of them before, planet wise wetbags are these fantastic fabric, waterproof bags, that you can use to hold your diapers. Whether you are on the run, on vacation, or at home. They come in different adorable prints, and 3 convenient sizes. So far, I've ordered the small art deco and the bumble deco--which has a cute bright yellow lining inside. These bags are great for carrying two to three diapers from my toddler or newborn.

We use only One-Size diapers, just in case I forget to bring a diaper for someone (a lesson I learned when my first two were in disposables, a baby can fit in a toddler diaper, but a toddler cannot fit in a baby sized diaper. This is assuming you remember to pack diapers at all, haha!) I ordered one size diapers for my toddler when she was 19 months old. I ordered one sized diapers in the hopes that we would be able to use them for the new baby once the toddler was out of diapers. My husband was still reluctant to use cloth on the baby we were expecting, so I thought I would take it slow and see how it went. As a compromise, we agreed to switch to cloth for the toddler, and we would also use cloth on the newborn, but not for the first 6 weeks, when laundry would be daunting. We requested diapers as one of the games at my baby shower, and had more than enough disposables, in fact, I haven't had to buy any since the baby was born (5/19/11). We ended up cloth diapering after about two weeks, since I ended up being able to deliver normally (VBA2C rather than c/section), and I was getting back into the laundry rhythm for our toddler.

This happened to be around the time that bumGenius was running a buy 5 get one free sale, so we stocked up on those, for both kids, and I also ordered several Kawaiis, Rumparooz, and most recently Fuzzibunz. My absolute favorite thing is that if I run out of diapers before I can run the laundry, I can simply adjust the snaps (or elastic) for whomever I am using it for. We have also tried to take advantage of the Kelly's Closet one-size diaper coupon deals, whereby you get one free diaper with a certain minimum purchase. I have been having some leakage issues with my newborn, but I think it is more of a matter of him being in between snap sizes than anything else. I am experimenting with fit to figure out what's going on. One-size diapers have been wonderful for us. I definitely don't miss the $20/box expenditure that we were making before we made the switch, and that was when I only had one in diapers full-time, and one wearing them only at night!
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Diapering More Than One: Some Pointers

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When I was pregnant and it was decided that I should leave my job to stay home with our children, I was looking for ways to reduce expenses. It didn't take me long to realize that cloth diapers could play a major role in that equation. I will admit that I spent months reading and looking at pictures and trying to figure out what all of the diapering terms meant before I took a huge leap and actually ordered some. Disposables were fine for us with my older daughter and I'm not exactly a fan of laundry, so I was really having to wrap my head around the idea of washing diapers...and their contents. I kept referencing the Excel spreadsheet that I'd made, reassuring myself that the cost savings would be worth it.

My sweet husband was on board from the beginning and actually mentioned it to one of his coworkers whose wife was pregnant with their second baby. The coworker raved about their bumGenius diapers, so that was my first purchase. When they arrived, I was in love with how cute they were and how soft they felt – I was delighted at the thought of putting something so gentle against my baby's skin.

The more I read, the more I realized that I would probably need some newborn sized diapers. I ordered Rumparooz Lil' Joeys (love the darling whale print!), XS FuzziBunz and Kissaluvs Fitteds in size zeros, plus four covers. My husband, eight year old daughter and I spent a morning diapering one of her stuffed bunnies, practicing with the snaps and trying out the different styles of covers. I also bought several dozen inexpensive white washcloths to use as cloth wipes in a Prince Lionheart wipes warmer.

After Noah was born, the first cloth diaper we used was the Lil' Joey and I was hooked. His behind was so fluffy and cute, and I never worried about the cost of diapers when he'd go through three or four in a row during one changing – I just laughed and figured on an extra load of laundry that day! Once I caught myself running low on cloth diapers and did a quick count as I loaded the washer to figure out exactly how many we'd been through that day: nineteen diapers and twenty wipes. Referencing my spreadsheet, which used the cost of the least expensive store brand, that day's changes would have cost me about $3.50 and used a quarter of a package of disposables.

The Kissaluvs fitteds with a cover has worked the best for us, especially at night. Our heavy wetter would soak through microfiber inserts and then not only would we be changing him, but we'd be changing the bed, too! Plus, it was nice to use the same diaper all the time at night so we weren't trying to figure out different configurations of closures while totally exhausted. Since Noah was born at 8lb 2.7oz and 22.5", it wasn't long until he outgrew the Lil Joeys, but I was glad to have them since the inner gussets really held in the newborn stool. Along the way, I added a couple of Applecheeks in size one, and the super-absorbent bamboo inserts made for a great overnight diaper.

One of the best things that happened was when a mom commented on how cute Noah's diaper was, and how disposables had come a long way! I explained that it wasn't a disposable, it was a cloth diaper, and it sparked a great discussion about how easy cloth was with a group of moms as we waited to pick up our older children (By the way, the cute diaper was a Bummis Super Whisper Wrap cover with the red rocket print.)

My precious Noah is now six weeks old and I feel like we've gotten in a groove with cloth diapering. We only carry cloth in our diaper bag and made our first out-of-town trip with cloth when we drove five hours to my parents' house. We've experimented with some different washing routines and installed a clothesline to take advantage of the bright Texas sun. We're certainly not experts – I've called the helpful ladies at Kelly's twice now with questions! – but we're confident in our ability to effectively cloth diaper and in the knowledge that this is saving our family money.

I'm Maryn Taylor, mom to an eight year old daughter who helps with cloth diapers and a six week old son who looks extra-cute wearing them.
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The First Six Weeks

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We always talk about how trim diapers are under clothes, but I'm more interested in how trim my diaper bag can get!

With a 2 year old and a 2 month old in diapers, having enough cloth in one bag for a day's outing was bulky and not working out very well.  I could have purchased a bigger diaper bag, but I am addicted to my Skip Hop Duo!  (And I reeeally didn't want to carry around a bigger bag!).

Enter the GroVia diapers!

When I pre-snap 2 shells with soakers in the center of the bag, there is still room for 2 soakers in each interior pocket.  That means no fumbling around for an insert when I need it.  When I pack it this way, there is a total of 6 diaper changes in my bag!  That is enough changes to get us through a full day of activity!

The amazing benefits of having these diapers especially for my diaper bag are that I don't have to worry about packing the right size for both kids.  (This makes my husband really happy...I can't seem to remember very much!).  Plus, I love to advocate cloth diapers, and GroVia is such a user-friendly option for showcasing the ease of cloth diapering.

There is also enough room in the bag for other necessities:

- Wet Bag (I love my Fuzzi Bunz).
- Wipes in front pocket for easy grabbing.
- Planet wise snack bags with trail mix or crackers.
- Muslin receiving blanket (perfect for a nursing cover).
- Sippy cup.
- 2 changes of clothes for baby.
- A handful of small toys/books.
- My wallet!  (If I can find it somewhere around here!).

Of course, sometimes I throw in one of my other diapers to coordinate with their outfits, but for a full day out, this is what works best for us.  I'm happy that I have a super-trim diaper bag ready with cute fluff!

By Julie G.
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My Super-Trim Diaper Bag!

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A few weeks ago, the stars aligned for a big family adventure in the minivan. We would be traveling almost 2000 miles, attending 2 weddings, and staying in 3 hotels plus my parents’ house over the course of about 8 days. Never mind buckling four kids in and out of car seats, I was slightly stressed about traveling for that long and with such a haphazard schedule, and successfully cloth diapering my little guy. I didn’t hesitate to switch to disposable nighttime pull-ups for my two big kids, but Baby R has never done disposables and I figured a long car trip would not be a good place to test them out.

After a little bit of research and some strategic planning, I decided that I would attempt a hybrid cloth diapering approach.  For the daytime car trip, I purchased a package of FLIP disposable inserts to use in the FLIP covers that I already own. I was pleasantly surprised by how affordable they were! I layered two FLIP disposable inserts into my cover and hoped for the best. 240 miles and four hours later, we stopped for lunch - I hadn’t heard a peep from the rear-facing carseat in ages. I grabbed my diaper bag with additional FLIP inserts, a Fuzzibunz pocket diaper (just in case his bum was looking red), some Kissaluvs diaper changing spray, and headed into the (surprisingly clean) restroom.

The FLIP disposable inserts were a total success. They were wet, but his bum was not red, the FLIP cover didn’t leak, and he was not at all uncomfortable. We decided to give a double disposable FLIP insert another try for the next leg of the trip. I switched out covers and decided to use a Bummis cover (the bright yellow one in the background of the photo up top). I felt like I could rest a little easier now that the disposable inserts had passed the first big test!

When we arrived at our first hotel for the night, I wanted to stick with our regular nighttime routine: a Bum Genius pocket diaper stuffed with a regular insert plus a hemp insert, lined with a disposable Bummis liner, covered with wool - usually a Kissaluvs cover or longies my mom made. Although I wouldn’t have access to a washer for another day, I grabbed the plastic “laundry bag” from the hotel room closet and turned that into my mini travel diaper bag (yup, totally forgot the wet bag!). Back in the car the next day and back on the road, I only put a single FLIP disposable insert into his cover because our road time was only scheduled to be two hours before we reached our next destination - New York City! The singly insert was also a success. No complaints and we all arrived happily at our hotel.

After we checked into our second hotel, I went back to my normal daytime cloth routine knowing that I was about 24 hours away from the use of a washing machine at my mom’s house! (Such a nice feeling.) I used about a 1/2 days worth of my regular mix and match cloth diaper approach - an all-in-one, a fitted with a cover, a pocket... I can’t commit! All of these diapers were tossed into our de facto diaper laundry bag, ready for the big washer at Mimi’s house! Using Bummis disposable liners helped keep the mess to a minimum while we were out of our element.

Back on the road the next day, we were back to our road-friendly double layer of disposable FLIP inserts and a cute cover. Knowing that we had about five hours of driving from New York to Boston, I also put a pair of fleece pants on - they seem to help with any leaking issues. (I certainly didn’t want to be dealing with a wet carseat.) Finally arriving at Mimi’s house, I made a quick dash for the laundry room and dumped all the diapers in for a good soak in cold water. For the rest of the time at my mom’s house, we were able to continue our regular routine and I wasn’t at all hesitant about using the disposable inserts for our long trip back to Charlotte at the end of the week. Having a cloth diaper travel system in place really helps me to know that I have one less thing to worry about on my next trip!

By Erin Brighton, Charlotte, NC  
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Traveling Is Hard Enough... How Not To Let Cloth Diapers Ruin Your Trip!

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It took me a few months (well, maybe six months) to figure out the "perfect" way to keep my cloth diapers organized.  I now have a great system that works for our family.

I keep all of the fluff in Sam's dresser.  When he was younger, and couldn't roll like a baby alligator, this is where his changing pad rested.  When we picked out his furniture I was set on getting a changing table but a salesperson talked me into getting a dresser and placing a changing pad on top instead-I sure am glad I met that man!  This dresser has so much space for his fluff and is useful still once changing baby on a changing table isn't feasible anymore, which was around six months of age for us.

In the long, top drawer I keep (in photo order) FuzziBunz Hemp Inserts, extra micro inserts, micro doublers, Hemp Babies doublers, and Birdseye Cotton Flat Diapers (in natural).
In the next two drawers I keep all of my pre stuffed pocket diapers (an assortment of FuzziBunz Perfect Size, Bum Genius 4.0, Kawaii, and Rumparooz).

The bottom drawer houses my covers which include Flip and Bummis Super Lite.  (I use my flat diapers tri folded in these).

On top of the dresser I have a Prince Lionheart wipe warmer and I keep their "Warmies" in it.  I keep my FuzziBunz wipes underneath that I spray with a bottle of water-these are amazingly soft and are great at drying his little bum after wiping it.

Next to the wipe warmer I keep three jars filled with Q-tips, cotton balls, and baking soda (to sprinkle in the diaper pail).

I also keep a basket on top filled with my old infant prefolds that are great for cleaning up messes, a spray bottle of water, and a baby jar filled with coconut oil.  I use the coconut oil on Sam's bum for his eczema, diaper rash, and as a barrier cream.  It works great and smells amazing!  Oh, and you can't forget the Jayhawk.  Rock Chalk!

In the side cabinet doors I keep random accessories and yes, I have a "sposie" stash for very rare occasions.

And let's be honest, this is usually what his room looks like with the fluff piled on the floor until I have a chance to stuff the pockets and get everything put away.

Happy Cloth Diapering!

By Michelle P.
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How I Stash My Fluff-Part 1

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My newborn cloth diapering experiments continue…can you tell how much I’m loving this?  At 6 weeks and roughly 11 ½ lbs he is still comfortably in the Happy Heinys.  The Bum Genius AIO Size XS and FuzziBunz XS Pockets are just starting to get a little snug, but still work very well.  I have added a couple of new diapers to my routine: Applecheeks Size 1, Thirsties Cover Size XS, Blueberry Mini Deluxe and Tots Bots Tiny Fit.  He has completely grown out of the Rumparooz Lil Joeys and the premie prefolds so they have been retired.

Of this new group of diapers the Tots Bots Tiny Fit is my favorite.  It is a great fit with room to grow, the inside is super soft against him and the fact that you don’t have to unstuff them prior to washing is a great bonus.  We haven’t had any leaking though it is a very trim diaper.  I give a definite thumbs-up on this diaper.  It has prompted me to take a look at the Tots Bots Easy Fit for down the road when he’s wearing one size diapers.

The Blueberry Mini Deluxe is an incredible diaper.  It is very similar to the Happy Heiny in that it is a mini one-size.  It has snaps to adjust the rise like a one-size, but it is just smaller (hence the name mini).  You can start with this diaper in the hospital and it seems like it will fit for quite a while (it claims up to 15lbs, I’m thinking I will be able to push it longer than that).  It is very absorbent, fits great around the belly and thighs and never leaked.  It’s definitely a favorite, though I would love the option of aplix both for fit and ease when fumbling around mid-slumber during the night.  

I’ve previously asserted that I am not a prefold and cover kind of gal, but I have to say I’m really liking the Thirsties cover.  I have paired this with a newborn prefold and can appreciate that it was leak-free and inexpensive.  My favorite, however, is to use it with the Thirsties Duo Insert Size 1.  This insert has tons of layers to absorb, a stay-dry top layer and it unsnaps for quick drying time.  Keeping in mind that we are working with EBF poops, he has dirtied the cover when using the insert instead of the prefold, but he has never leaked out of this cover.  For those who want to keep newborn cloth diapering costs down I would highly recommend this cover with either insert option.

The Applecheeks is a different kind of diaper.  You can use it as a cover or a pocket and as a pocket you do not have to unstuff it prior to washing.  It is generous in size so it will definitely fit him for a while and the pocket is big enough to stuff with whatever you would like.  I found the Applecheeks Bamboo 3-pli insert to be a bit bulky for such a little guy so I just stuff it with a small size microfiber insert and a bamboo booster and it works great.  The bonus, for boys in particular, is the elastic on the front waistband of the diaper as well as the back to really help prevent leaks.  This diaper seems like it will fit for quite a while, but it is kind of pricey compared to other covers or pockets.  Though it’s a good diaper, I would definitely have a list of several others I would purchase more of before this one.

At six weeks in I feel that my preferences have been a mix of very predictable (my love for pockets remains strong even for newborns) and a bit unpredictable (really enjoying the Thirsties Cover, Duo Insert and even dabbling in prefolds).  What has been quite surprising to me, however, is the lack of blow-outs with all of these diapers.  I have not-so-fond memories of many, many blow-outs with disposables when my daughter was a young infant.  The cloth has held up beautifully against breastfed poops and impressed me yet again. 

By Jennifer G.
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Cloth Diapering at Six Weeks

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May is "Foster Care Awareness Month", and my husband and I are just weeks away from being a licensed foster family!

We had someone ask us a few weeks ago if we are going to use cloth diapers with our future foster children or not.

Truth is, the first thing I said is no! Disposables it is!

The thought of dealing with another child's dirty diapers grossed me out a bit, lets admit it, cloth can be messy sometimes!

But then, in these past few days we've had a friends little one year old hanging out with us, and we ran out of "sposies"!

The only thing I had was my daughters Fuzzibunz stash, freshly clean and awaiting her next diaper change! So I said what the heck, and put one on him.

It's day three of having him in cloth, and it's not bad at all! I'm not sure what I was so grossed out about before, I actually LOVE how cute he looks in them (and he cant rip them off!). Also, despite popular belief, foster parents do not get much money to care for the child/children they have placed with them, using cloth with everyone will help the budget in a huge way! Who knows, maybe the children's parents will be interested in using cloth when they return home!

So YES! We will be using cloth on our future foster children, each and every one of them (that wear diapers!) will have their own Fuzzibunz stash awaiting them, and I cannot wait!
Now for the fun part...the building of their stashes..!

By Shay P.
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Foster: Cloth.

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I have to admit, the first time we ventured back “home” with our little bundle of joy I was extremely apprehensive about packing all of our fluff and whether other family members would be comfortable changing the dreaded cloth diaper.  Regardless, I packed up all of the fluff that we had at the time, a small container of soap, and a wet bag hoping for the best.   On this trip my son was 3 ½ months old and we flew which is only a little over an hour-long flight.  He wore ‘sposies in transit because that is what I was most comfortable with, at the time, changing in public.  Once we were at my parent’s house I did my best with using cloth but being a novice cloth diaperer, we ended up using mostly ‘sposies.  At the end of the trip I was pretty bummed about this.

Our next two trips we drove and used ‘sposies in the car but mostly cloth once we were at my parent’s house.  The nice thing about staying with family is the availability of a washing machine.  My mom used cloth on me so she didn’t have any hesitations about me washing our cloth in her machine.  Our next trip we used cloth in the car but there were times when other people changed him and used disposable wipes and diapers.  I don’t know if it was a combination of climate change and the disposables, but the end of this trip and a few days after being home and solely using cloth diapers and wipes, my poor son had “baboon butt”…aka bad diaper rash.  It didn’t seem to bother him much, but it was a sad sight.

I am proud to say that our last trip “home” over Mother’s Day weekend we did not use a single disposable diaper or wipe on my son’s bum!  My husband and I did most of the changing and when someone else would change him I would just set out a pre-stuffed pocket diaper (generally FuzziBunz Perfect Size as I find that those are the easiest to snap) and tell them what settings to snap it on. 

My biggest fear, in the beginning, about traveling with cloth was how to pack it all.  The system that has worked incredibly well for us is rolling all of our pre-stuffed pocket diapers into a tote bag plus some flats (for extra night time stuffing), doublers, a small container of laundry soap, come cloth wipes, a spray bottle, biodegradable liners, coconut oil (for his eczema and as a barrier at night) , and a large wet bag.  I made a “changing station” by hanging the wet bag on the closet door and kept a spray bottle of water and cloth wipes close by.  While out and about I just carry a small wet bag filled with 2 pre-stuffed pocket diapers, 4-5 cloth wipes, a small spray bottle filled with water, and a couple of plastic grocery bags for the dirties.  I was able to wash the diapers every other day just as I do at home.  For traveling home, I just left the dirties in the large wet bag and stuffed them in the trunk with the rest of the luggage.  I did make sure to do a wash the night before heading home so that I didn’t have many dirties.

So don’t worry if you relapse to ‘sposies here and there, we sure did. I am so happy that we are now comfortable traveling with cloth and our confidence in doing so got stronger with each trip.

Happy Cloth Diapering!

By Michelle P.
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Traveling With Cloth

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I spent a year--yes, a year—waking up in the middle of the night, having to completely change my daughter’s diaper. My little heavy wetter leaked through her diaper and on to her pajamas and sheets on a daily basis. You’d think I would have given up at that point, but I am stubborn and wanted to conquer this issue. I had blamed my stay dry diapers for repelling, I blamed gussets for leaking, but all I really needed to do was a little bit of research on the kinds diapers that held up at night.


Hopefully I have done a little bit of this work for you. At Padded Tush Stats, people fill out surveys on how different diapers worked for them. One of the questions they are asked is whether or not the diaper works for them. So here are the results on how some diapers have worked at night:

Ragababe AIO - 83%
Softbums Omni - 63%
Rumparooz One Size Diaper – 63%
Green Mountain Diapers Prefolds (Cloth Eez) – 50%
Green Line Diapers - 48%
Bumgenius Flip – 48%
Fuzzibunz One Size – 46%
Econobum - 44%
Bumgenius 4.0 – 44%
Bumgenius Elemental - 32%
GroVia AIO - 28%
GroVia AI2 – 18%
Bottom Bumpers Side Snapping AIO– 14%

One of the things I found when looking through survey responses is that although a pocket diaper may not hold up at night with the original insert, many have added an additional insert or a different insert altogether. For example, one very popular insert people recommended was the Joey Bunz Hemp Insert.

I highly recommend having some night time diapers set aside specifically for night time use. For example, I love my Bottom Bumpers Side Snapping AIO and my GroVia AIO for daytime use because of their trimness. However, at night I like to use my Bumgenius 4.0 in velcro (velcro means Zombi Mom gets a diaper on faster and without accidentally snapping a chunky leg or something).

However, for naptime I like to use snaps because my girl likes to play a while before going to sleep and she takes off her diaper if it is velcro (see picture above).

Can I just say that the WEEK I figured this all out and found the perfect nighttime solution, I brought home a newborn. Isn’t that how life works? So I am no longer waking up throughout the night for one baby, but I am for another. Ah the life of a Mom! But in case you are wondering, here are the diapers that I use for my two kids at night for minimal leaks:

Baby #1: (24-pound, 20 month old heavy wetter , female)– Ragababe size large with a large insert laid overtop, Sustainablebabyish Magic Fitted Diaper with a fleece cover, or a Bumgenius 4.0 or Fuzzibunz One Size stuffed with a Knickernappies Super Do Insert.
Baby #2: (10-pound, 11 week old skinny legged heavy wetter, male) – Kissaluvs size Zero or Little Boppers Newborn fitted with a Thirsties XS cover.

I hope this helps give you some leak-free nights. Have you tried out a diaper that either worked really well or perhaps not-so-well at night? Please head on over to Padded Tush Stats and fill out a survey. This website runs on the fact that people take a few minutes to fill out a brief survey on how a diaper filled out for them, so thank you in advance!

Tara
www.paddedtushstats.com

BIO:
My name is Tara and I am the owner of Padded Tush Stats. I am a happy mom of a wonderful 17-month old baby and am about to be a mother of a newborn! I stay home with my girl as much as possible, but I am also a full time graduate student in education. I have cloth diapered my daughter for over a year now and love it. I started only because I am just so frugal, but now I am excited about how I am helping the environment.


I experienced a lot of difficulties finding the "right" diaper for my daughter (she is 17 months and I feel like I JUST figured it out). She is a heavy wetter, so I went through a lot of brands before I found what worked for me. But I spent quite a bit of money on highly recommended brands, only to find that they didn't work for her. That's when I wondered if there was a way to categorize reviews based on the unique needs of babies. My dissertation is a survey study on writing programs--so when I had this question about cloth diapering reviews, my mind immediately went to surveys! The surveys in here are in no way a reflection of fancy statistics and survey work, so please don't judge me on that. These are just simple surveys to hopefully help out a few cloth diapering parents/guardians.
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Leak Free Nights

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If I had a nickel for everyone who told me, “This woman is crazy if she think parents are going to cloth diaper again, no way!” I’d, well, have a whole lotta nickels! So many people batted down my idea to invent a modern cloth diaper back in 1999. There were many naysayers.

Albeit, I have to admit that now I hear more often “If those FuzziBunz would have been available when my child was in diapers, I would have definitely used them” or “Those diapers are awesome, I’m so glad I now know about them,” I should start collecting nickels from people who tell me that now.

A valuable lesson I learned along the way was to trust in myself. With all the naysayers out there, I had to trust that cloth diapering could come back in-style and that a strong-willed entrepreneur like myself could make it happen. It was a huge risk starting something that many thought was doomed to fail. But I knew if I focused on these negatives I would, myself, become negative; however, if I focused on what I could control and if I put faith in myself, my ideas and my capabilities, I knew I could do anything.

Today I couldn’t have been more proud to see all the moms turn out to set the world record for most [cloth] diaper changes done simultaneously. It made me smile. And simply by talking to the moms who turned out to my local site, I got a lot of “Those diapers are awesome, I’m so glad I now know about them.” I started to add more shiny nickels to my collection.

Known as the “Mother of the Modern Cloth Diaper,” Tereson Dupuy invented the cloth diaper that started the entire modern cloth diapering movement more than a decade ago. She later turned her invention into what is known today as FuzziBunz cloth diapers, a popular brand of cloth diapers since 2000.  As an inventor, business owner and mom to three, Tereson has many years of personal and professional experience in the cloth diaper industry, and she's excited to work with The Cloth Diaper Whisperer to offer her perspective on cloth diapering trends and insights. She can be found online at www.FuzziBunz.com
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Cloth Diapers? You’re Crazy!

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It’s funny how the ordinary and sometimes icky task of changing diapers is something us mothers moan and groan about. Let’s face it, it’s not the most exciting thing we do and no one likes to do things when poop and pee are involved.

But as a mom with diaper-less children (my youngest is now 9), I honesty can admit that I miss diaper changing duty. Here’s why:

Diaper changing time used to be so exciting for me. I used to use my children’s bottoms as experimental havens for trialing new cloth diapering products. Now I depend on my network of moms to help trial the new products; however, nothing can replace the day-to-day personal experiences I used to have. I miss that.

Further, I really miss diaper changing time. While the poop and pee left much to be desired (stinky!), I miss those intimate moments with my kids where I cleaned them up, nuzzled with them and soaked in all the smiles they had to offer. Diaper changing duty was fun indeed!

Kids grow up fast and what seems like mundane, day-to-day chores soon become the pinnacle of your fond memories. Enjoy diaper changes and everything it has to offer – it goes by fast!

Known as the “Mother of the Modern Cloth Diaper,” Tereson Dupuy invented the cloth diaper that started the entire modern cloth diapering movement more than a decade ago. She later turned her invention into what is known today as FuzziBunz cloth diapers, a popular brand of cloth diapers since 2000.  As an inventor, business owner and mom to three, Tereson has many years of personal and professional experience in the cloth diaper industry, and she's excited to work with The Cloth Diaper Whisperer to offer her perspective on cloth diapering trends and insights. She can be found online at www.FuzziBunz.com
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Fuzzi Memories: I Have Diaper Changing Envy

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As a mother of three little girls four and under, I am constantly strapped for time! Cloth diapering when I had two little ones seemed much easier than it does now, because recently I've found myself not having time to deal with the diaper laundry! There are times when I have wanted to give up completely, but cannot stand the thought of my lovely FuzziBunz stash not being used. I had to make this work, I love our cloth!

I ended up making my diapers their own schedule! Crazy maybe, but I had to dedicate two mornings out of my week for "Diaper Care Day!" When I will wash, strip, sun dry, and re stock our stash for the week to come! Our oldest two girls love helping me hang and stuff the fluff, it becomes a family thing!  It works perfectly for our family now, there is never "the last clean diaper" in our house!

Cloth diapering is great and has transformed our family, but it's obvious that it does take time and a little bit of work to keep up! Sure, it's not as easy as taking off a disposable and tossing it in the trash, but the savings, both money wise and green wise, is definitely worth it! So if your feeling a little overwhelmed or strapped for time when it comes to caring for your cloth, mark one or two mornings (or nights! whenever works for you!) to get it done for the next few days, and keep on a schedule so that it never comes down to having one more clean diaper and a pail of dirty diapers while your walking out the door to work! It works and it's worth it!

By Shay P.
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Keeping Up With Cloth

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When we cloth diapered my daughter, we used bumGenius One-Size diapers - almost exclusively.  While we were happy with the overall performance of the BGs, we wanted to try a different brand with our son.  I had heard about FuzziBunz and how fantastic they were.  So - we ordered a good supply of size small FuzziBunz Perfect Size diapers.  I also had one FuzziBunz One-Size diaper to try.

I was really surprised when comparing the two.  When I had read about the diapers, the Perfect Size diapers promised a more trim fit than the One-Size.  However, when using the diapers, I found quite the opposite to be true.  The Perfect Sized diapers seemed a little more bulky to me than the One-Size FuzziBunz.  I found the One-Size to be very trim on our chubby baby.  When he outgrew the size small FB, we switched to the medium sized FBs.  I noticed the very same thing.  The Perfect Sized medium diapers were much more bulky than the One-Size FuzziBunz.

The other differences aren't as pronounced - but present nonetheless.  I find with the Perfect Size (PS) diapers, I get more leaks during bedtime use.  The OS diapers seem to be a better fit, overall - with fewer leaks.

As for ease of use - both diapers bode well.  But the Perfect Sized diapers are a bit easier - since I don't have to adjust the elastic in the legs.  The One-Size (OS) diaper is much more durable.  When we used the PS size small, a couple of them didn't hold up well and the PUL started to wear out here and there.  The OS diaper that we have seems to be made of higher quality materials all together.

As for the inserts - I can use almost any type/size of insert with the PS diapers.  Alternately, the OS diapers seem to only fit the FB inserts that came with them.  That is a bit annoying when I'm in a hurry and just want to grab a diaper and an insert on the run.

Both diapers are great.  I like using FuzziBunz well enough.  I think the diapers are just as good - if not better - than the bumGenius line.  They are soft against my baby's skin, the colors are pretty, they wash well, they are easy on the planet and equally easy on the wallet.  No matter the size, FuzziBunz diapers are definitely good diapers.

-Amanda W.
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FuzziBunz One-Size vs. Perfect Size

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