In a perfect world this sweet girl would get to roam around bare bottomed. However we have seen the effects of that style of parenting and it's not always pretty. (i.e. poop and pee all over the floor, couch, bed, etc.) So while it may be great for some people, it's not ideal for us. I'm sure our landlords would agree. So I am on a quest (thanks to my mom, sister, and all the other people who got us diapers as shower gifts... we still haven't had to buy any... just wipes) to find the best, cheapest, most practical diapering system around.
The hospital started us off with papers sensitives. They were great because they have the umbilical cord cut out. But even better, they have a strip that changes from yellow to blue to let you know if the baby is wet, much better than the smell test or reaching your hand in and seeing what you find. Also pampers have sure sesame street characters. I think so far Elmo is Haley's favorite.
We have also tried loves. They are incredibly absorbent, but definitely feel like paper.
now for my favorite. Huggies, ands down. Featuring Winnie the Pooh (how appropriate) These diapers also come with the yellow color changing strip, but they just seem to fit beter and be more comfortable. This shout out also goes to the huggies wipes which seem to keep baby'b bottom much more clean.
I also have to give a shout out to the diaper genie. I don't think it's necessary but it's easy and it does keep the potty smells at bay. The blue diaper bundles are not environmentally friendly, but maybe it's better to have all of the disposables contained.
Cloth Diapers
First I tried prefolds with a fuzzi bunz as a cover (it's what I had been given) I don't like the prefolds because the entire thing is soaked through leaving baby's bottom very wet ( this could be useful for potty training but we are far from it) The snappi did however make the prefolds much easier to put on, without the danger of pins. I also didn't like that when I washed these they stained very easily, making it seem like they weren't really clean.
The fuzzi bunz made a great cover since all the real covers I have are too big, but it did make the whole thing incredibly bulky. I like how adjustable the snaps are too.
My cloth diaper winner. Bum Genius 3.0. Several people suggested these and after some research I decided to try them out. THey are great, designed for babies from 7-35 pounds, so you don't have to buy more as she grows, just adjust the snaps. I love that they velcro on like a disposable to get the perfect fit. (my friend who uses these said after a few months the velcro wore out, but it was easy to replace). This diaper comes with 2 inserts (a newborn one that can later be used as a doubler and a bigger one that has snaps to adjust to the diaper size). I love the cute colors these come in.
You can save a little money by buying in bulk, but I hope that using them often will save money in the long
run. I currently own 8. I use them at home but switch to disposables when I'm out and about and during the night. I wash them every other night. It's easy too. When they are soiled I take them off and fold down the velcro flap, then take out the inset, putting them both into an empty industrial pickle jar (my diaper pail) While she's breast feeding only there is no need to rinse them off or dump them in the toilet first. Then when she's gone through all 8 I dump them all into the washer.I run them through a cold pre-rinse cycle. Then wash them regularly with an extra rinse in warm or hot water. I have been using tide free (which research says isn't the best for cloth diapers, but not the worst either, and I can wash regular clothes and baby clothes in it. - Dreft is not suggested) Then dry them in the dryer on a normal setting put inserts back into the diapers, and set them into the basket on the changing table, ready for another use. Disclaimer: There is a slight urine scent that comes with cloth diapers, but if you keep a lid on the jar it doesn't permeate the whole nursery so at least so far I'm not to worried about it.
As I start to run out of disposable I could definitely see using these more at night and out of the house, I will just have to invest in more of them. They are a little bulky but there great. And when Haley starts moving around more she may appreciate the extra padding on her bottom.
