Cloth diaper post exported from old blog

IF THIS SHOWS UP IN YOUR READER, I am sorry. It is an OLD post from my OLD blog that I just exported so I can share the link and info with people.

This post is not the typical cloth diaper post listing all the great benefits.
This is basically for people who already use or plan to use them. This is my review of 3 different brands of them. I recently found a VERY cheap cloth diaper, and I thought it was too good to be true. Was it? Well, its not bad...not bad at all.  I have only used one size pocket diapers. I thought they would be easier for Anika's daycare provider to use. I work 40+ hours a week. Andrew works 60+ hours a week and he is often gone ALL week, so I needed something easy. Now that I know more, I think prefolds or other fitted kinds could have been just as easy?

What is funny about this post is that I have had it planned for a while now, but I actually went to Baby class this morning (to meet up with a friend from hypnobirthing) and the subject today was Cloth diapers and baby wearing! Both of which I already do. I love Anika's sling, but I have started using the Ergo too, but I have a hard time getting it on by myself. The lady at class today had a wrap that I want though. It is kind of like a moby, but better. I barely used my moby for some reason. I might get one before baby number 2. She had lots of baby wearing gear and she was such a sweetie. She is also a doula and so soft spoken and calm. I like those traits :) What is also funny-there was a mom there today with a little boy born the exact same day as Anika. When my friend told her Anika was eating solids, she asked me what kind of baby food I buy. I havent bought any...I have made it all. Mostly from veggies from my mom's garden....and a couple from ours, but our garden is not doing so well this year. Her first fruit was peaches from our peach trees. My friend DID give me a bag of organic baby food this past weekend because the maker is a client of hers. Happy baby and happy tots. We havent tried them yet, but I am going to bring them camping this weekend.

I was the real hippy at the baby class today. Baby wearing, cloth diapering, amber necklace wearing, breast feeding and baby food making Mama! Seriously, I haven't shaved my legs in a week, so I even had hairy legs to play the part as well! I also wear long dresses everyday, so I can get away with it :) I was wearing full make-up and bling though, so that part wasn't too hippy. My friend even told me that I am a great mom and that I am her idol! Ok, so English is her 2nd language and Andrew said she obviously used the wrong word, but still...I smiled and said Thank you :)

SO, I received 18 Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers as gifts before Anika was born. They are one size with inserts and $19.97 per diaper, but less money if you buy more at one time. The more you buy, the cheaper per diaper.

I have since bought 1 Bum Genius 4.0 (one size with insert) at $17.97 per diaper (but less with more bought)

I have bought 1 Bum Genius elemental organic all in one at $24.97
I have bought 4 Alva Baby insert diapers at $5.59 per diaper AND FREE SHIPPING!

See, the big price difference in price there? Ya.

I have used the Fuzzi Bunz since the beginning, so I am bias towards them..maybe.

They come with a sizing chart to adjust the elastics in the legs and waist. I didn't adjust the elastics until after A was born because I had no idea how big she would be. I have to admit, adjusting all the elastics (that work with holes in the elastics that go on little buttons) was a real pain in the ass the first time. My mom actually helped me since I had my hands full with a newborn. I was getting anxious about doing them all the time, but I have since adjusted them one at a time as I have needed to, and its been easy. So, that initial adjustment- Pain...but then, no big deal.
Sizing chart for Fuzzi bunz elastics.

In photo above- Green bum genius 4.0, upper purple is Fuzz bunz and lower purple is alva baby (the cheap ones)

I circled the leg part on each diaper. The bg and alva have NO adjustable elastics in the legs, so it uses the buttons/snaps to make them smaller-they Fold down and snap in the front.  The BG and alva (and the Go Green diaper I have as well) all have buttons to fold down the material to make them smaller. The Green BG above is folded and snapped to make it smaller. The Fuzzi bunz leg is adjustable. I did not have the alva baby or BG when Anika was small, but I have a feeling they would have been too big when she was a newborn, but maybe not?  I dont know for sure. Maybe if snapped down to lowest setting they would have been ok.

Above- alva baby comes with ONE inert.
Fuzzi bunz comes with 2 and bg comes with 2. I only use 2 inserts at night time.

This is the BG all in one- I would NOT get more of these. they take FOREVER to dry. Even the girl who did the diaper class today said they take twice as long to dry in the dryer then all the rest. I hang dry mine, and this one takes days. She told me there are options of all in TWOS that snap in so they can dry faster. (of brands I cant remember the name of) I liked them, but I don't need anymore right now :) The BG all in ones are $25 a pop, and not worth it.

 
the BG

I also have 3 HEMP fuzzi bunz. Hemp is supposed to be more absorbent...I haven't noticed a difference, to be honest. This is Anika in her hemp diaper...oh and her new hair do :)  
hemp insert
 
Fuzzi bunz inside (insert in there) and outside view. Oh, I have ALL snaps. I don't like velcro...well, I have never tried it, but I don't like Velcro on other things, so I assume not on diapers.

elastics on Fuzzi bunz thighs and also they are on back of waist.


Fuzzi bunz includes another set of elastics with EACH diaper. Today, the diaper lady told me elastics do wear out and stretch out in diapers. BG and alva baby did not come with new elastics, and the ones that come with them are sewed in, so harder to replace. I plan to use my same set of diapers through Anika's diaper wearing days and with the next kid.
The alva baby $5 diaper with free shipping DOES actually ship from China, so I was skeptical. BUT, I did some research on the company, and it actually makes diapers for other cloth diaper companies here. The same diaper is sold with a different name, so basically they are a manufacturer/distributor. I dont trust China since they dont have to practice the same consumer regulations that the US does...especially since I bought straight from their China based website. I washed the material and brought it to a fabric place and asked if it really was fleece and cotton. Also, my friend who works with textiles and fabrics told me they looked good, and even got some for her daughter! The first few times Anika wore them, I used a disposable liner between the diaper and her privates. Now, she wears them because after much research, I feel ok that they are legit. THEY WORK GREAT. She has worn them through the night and no leaks. The only complaint-  the snaps aren't as great as FB and bg, but for $5??? IT IS WORTH IT. I would recommend for SURE. It does take about 2-3 weeks to arrive from China, but FREE shipping on ANY order.
WE ALSO Have ONE GO GREEN CHAMP Diaper. WE like that diaper as well. It costs $15.95
- Alva baby also sells wet bags. I wish they sold the BIG ones, but they only sell the small ones for day trips, etc. ALL the wet bags I have work to keep the smell in and the wet in. The alva baby wet bag works well, but the only difference is a chintzy zipper. Not sure how long the zipper will last because it looks and feel cheap, but the bag itself is good. I have one fuzzi bunz travel wet bag that cost $16.97 (i had a photo here but I Just deleted it on accident and so just pretend its still here)
And, on the left is a Planet wise day wet bag (med) that cost $16.50. On the right is the alva baby wet bag that cost $4.59. I have 2 of them.  The alva wet bags have TWO compartments/pockets, so sometimes if she spits up on her clothes or leaks at daycare, her sitter can put the dirty clothes in one part of the bag and the dirty diapers in the other zipper portion. Works great.

So...my overall review. The alva baby cheap diapers are worth the $5. I still like fuzzi bunz the best, but I definitely like the BG 4.0 a lot too. My friend's son wears fuzzi bunz and he is 2 years old, and they still fit him great (he is a big boy), so I am confident they will fit until she is out of diapers. Today I saw some prefolds, which are super cheap, so if I have to add to my collection in the future, I will go that route, maybe? For now, we have plenty. NONE of the diapers I have were even at the class today, so it just goes to show how many options are really out there. Its unreal! Oh, and I am using cloth camping this weekend :) I will use the biodegradable liners I received as a gift though, to make it less messy with the poos. (UPdated- I used the CD's camping with no liners because I forgot them and it went great!) No issues at all. Just lots of laundry when we got home.
OH, BIG TIP- The girl told me to put tee tree oil ON a piece of cloth and put that cloth in my diaper pail to help with odors!!! I bought some today and added it to the pail, so I will let you know how that works. (Updated- works well). I had no odors until it got really hot this summer, and even then, its not THAT bad. Also, She recommended a detergent I had not heard of before called Country clean.  I think I will stick with Rockin Green for now since that works well for us. My friend is having major issues with her fuzzi bunz and I guess she was not using a recommended detergent.  I think it is VERY important to use a detergent recommended by manufacturer.
Ok, hope this helped someone. I feel like there was more, but I forget :)
The girl who ran the presentation today did go on about all the benefits and then how "harmful" regular diapers are, and that just made me uncomfortable. I mean, I just looked around at the other new moms and though if I was them, I would be freaking out because this instructor was basically saying (in a nice way) that the method they use now is bad. I try SOOO hard never to make anyone feel that way. WE CHOOSE this method, but I would never scare another mom or make her think my choice was better than hers. Ugh- it was making my skin crawl. When people ask why we cloth, I say because my husband is cheap. That is easy to say (and wont offend anyone). Although there are lots of other reasons why we use them. If you would like to know, you can ask me :) There is a long list.

UPDATED- The cheap alva ones have leaked once on us!  The Fuzzi Bunz do leak sometimes and need to be changed every 2 hours as she gets older. I still like all my diapers. I recently bought a friend some alva baby diapers as a gift. My collection is now plenty big enough and I feel safe I will always have enough.  I do want to try other kinds, but I think I will have to wait for baby #2 to justify buying more :)