Cloth Diapering | 10 Cloth Diapers Researched

Hello ladies, fellow bloggers, and readers! I was debating whether or not to write a post here about my research in the cloth diapering department, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to share what I've 'uncovered' through reading reviews and research on the different diapers and brands listed in the next section of this post.

I am the main person who keeps track of our monthly budget, and since we have a baby coming in January I've been re-figuring numbers and added expenses to see how things will work with the added expense of having a baby in the house. Disposable diapers alone add a whole number to our budget that is just ridiculous to pay out each month. The cost alone is bad enough, but the fact that you have to KEEP buying them is the real killer. I just don't see how we are going to be able to afford full-time disposable diapers and so my research into cloth diapering began.

At first I didn't think I'd be able to handle cleaning the diapers, but a lady in my pregnancy group suggested buying a pair of rubber gloves like you'd use to wash dishes to wash off the diapers. I am SO glad she suggested that, and those will be on the list of things to get when we get a little closer to the due date. After talking with several ladies I really feel much more confident about venturing into the cloth diapering world. I'm not sure that I want to cloth diaper full-time, but I am willing to give it a try and we'll see how it goes from there.

Enough of me talking, on to what I've researched about different diapers and brands. Most of these I've researched different types of diapers in a brand just to see what other people thought about them, what the used them for, and how well they worked. The links go directly to the pages I looked at (although I didn't include links to every single page I did research on because I didn't think to write this post until I got to the last one on the list) and on there you can read even more about the different brands/diapers. Most of the links have reviews you can read through as well. I read though almost all the reviews on all the pages that had them.

I have yet to purchase any cloth diapers (this post was written 11/30/13), but as you will see in the 'lets review my thoughts' section, I've made some decisions on what type of diapers I want to get or try. When I move to the next phase (purchasing) I will try to share my thoughts again and when we get to the testing stage I'll share my thoughts there as well. Lots to look forward to on this subject in the future!

What I've Researched

(these are in order of when I researched them)

Kissas Marvels & Cloth-eez Pre-fold. These are both sold separately online through Green Mountain Diapers. The lady I talked to who told me about these uses them both together. I am honestly not really liking the type of fabric used on the covers (Kissas Marvels). The PUL fabric is on the inside instead of on the outside of the cover. Supposedly this makes it easier to 'wipe clean'. The pre-folds have different sizes depending on how big your baby is. There is a chart which helps you decide which  pre-folds to buy based on your babies size. I don't like this because you have to buy multiple sizes to change to as your baby grows.

Trend Lab Cloth Diaper with Liner -These are sold online through Target. There are mixed reviews on these diapers. Somewhere I read that they were not sturdy, as in someone had covers which were coming apart after not too long (I'm not sure which page I was on when I read that though, sorry!). After reading through the reviews on the link provided and in general research I wasn't really thrilled with the idea of buying these particular diapers.

BumGenius One Size -These are sold online through different retailers listed on the BumGenius site. Although these look nice, I'm not really sure about the whole stuffing the lining in the diaper part while your changing the baby's diaper. That sounds pretty complicated to me.

BumGenius Elemental One-Size All-In-One -I believe these are the diapers that my cousin is currently using. I am not for sure on that, but it looks almost exactly like the ones she showed me in a video she sent me. This system does not require stuffing (which sounds great to me!) and it has snaps. **If I could afford to spend about $18 on one diaper then I might do this, but I just cant afford it right now.**

Gerber Pre-Fold Birdseye 3-Ply Cloth Diaper -These are sold online and in stores at Walmart. Even before I had considered cloth diapering I had planned to pick up a package of these to use as burp clothes for the little man. There are mixed reviews on this item. Some people liked them, some people didn't. Many people purchased them as burp clothes (I plan to do so as well), and others have purchased them for cloth diapering. Some of the reviews written compared these with more expensive pre-folds and they liked these better because they were not as thick so they washed easier. **I plan to buy at least one package of these to use as burp cloths. If I end up using them as pre-folds for cloth diapers I will be making the burp cloths with something on them so I will be able to tell them apart.**

Gerber Flat Fold Birdseye Cloth Diaper -These are sold online at Walmart. Just from reading the reviews I would not want to use these for inserts in a diaper cover. It doesn't sound like they are very thick or absorbent, both of which would be highly important if you were going to use them for cloth diapering.

Gerber Pre-Fold Gauze Cloth Diapers -These are sold online at Walmart. From reading the reviews it sounds like these would make great burp cloths. Not so sure if they'd work great in the actual diaper department. They are 6-Ply so I assume that means they're thicker than the 3-Ply cotton pre-folds mentioned above?

Econobum, One-Size Cloth Diaper Trial Pack -These are sold online at Walmart. I have read through the 30+ reviews on this trial pack and almost everyone who shared said that this was a good system. Just a quick view at some of the comments: One lady said 4 of these trial packs with washing every other day works for her. Some people have said the prefolds are a little chunky for toddlers or for day time use, but work great at night. Another lady said that with a minimum of 3 covers and 12 inserts (she recommends doubling those numbers) the diapers pay for themselves in 2 months time. **I plan to buy this trial pack to try it out. It's inexpensive, and though Walmart only sells them in white that is ok with me.**

Econobum, 3 Covers & 12 Pre-Folds Diaper Kit -These are sold online at Walmart. This is the diaper kit which is where the trial pack mentioned just above comes from. The reviews here are almost all good and I'm not really surprised after reading all the reviews on the trial pack. **Going with the current price (at time of this post) on the trial pack of $9.63 x4 vs. the $39.29 of the kit it would be about $0.77 cheaper and you would have FOUR covers, not three. So I think I'd rather buy multiple trial packs vs. the kit.**

Sunbaby -I researched the ones sold online through Rock n Bottoms. This is a pocket diapering system. There is a girl in my pregnancy class who has made her own cloth diapers for her baby boy (who will arrive a few weeks after my little man!) and these look very similar to the ones she brought to show our group. I really liked the texture of the PUL fabric (which is the outside waterproof layer). The price of the diapers on this site look fantastic. Most of the diapers are just the outer cover and do not include inserts. There are lots of really cute patterns for boys and girls and there are several designs which could be either/or.

Let's Review My Thoughts

I'm liking the Econobum One-Size Trial Pack and of course I like the BumGenius Elemental One-Size All-In-One's. Both of these diapers seem to be the same style and system, but the first is obviously much less expensive than the second and as money is the whole reason I was looking at cloth diapers in the first place I think we will be going with the Econobum vs. BumGenius. I am nervous about buying cloth diapers period, but I think I'm going to see how long the return policy is for the Econobum's sold at Walmart (if I buy multiple trial packs and don't open them until I've tried one and end up not liking it how long do I have to take the rest back). That will probably be the deciding factor in how many I buy before little man gets here.

On cloth diapers in general: I've decided I don't really like the pocket system (stuffing the lining inside the diapers), and I don't want velcro. Snaps seem to be the most reliable when compared to velcro. I can only imagine we'll be having more babies down the road (I always said I wanted 10 kids, then I got pregnant...now I think 5 will do just fine!) so having a cloth diaper stash the next go round will save money then too.

Questions

I think at this point I don't really have any questions to ask. Thanks to my cousin, I was able to figure out how to use, clean, soak, wash, and dry the diapers (which I might do more sharing on in another post if I go with the cloth diapering system vs. disposable). I've talked to several people all together about how many covers and inserts they have for one baby and how often they wash everything. Most of them wash the diapers every other day. Most of the ladies suggested about 10 covers, and anywhere from 25-35 inserts (or prefolds). Of course they said you could get more than that, but this seems to be the recommended amount for starting out.

Your Help

If you have any thoughts, comments or suggestions which have to do with cloth diapering in general or on either of the two products I am interested in I'd love to hear from you! Especially if you've used either of the diapers I've picked out from both of the brands. Thank you very much!