Greening Mommyhood - Part 4

(See Part 1, Part2, & Part 3 if you're interested in my cloth diapering adventures!)

My next shipment of cloth diapering supplies arrived from Cotton Babies and I have some more reviewing to do!

Items I ordered:
1 Kissaluv's Contour diaper
1 Cottonbabies One-Size Insert Sock
1 BumGenius 3.0 All-in-one diaper
1 BumGenius Diaper Sprayer
6 more Chinese Prefolds

COMBINATION 5: Kissaluv's Contour + Bummis Whisper Wrap



The Kissaluvs contour diaper was interesting. They have a "super soaker doubler" sewn right in (above center), so I thought it would be pretty absorbent. They are nice and soft as well. The benefits I saw over using my other prefolds is that it was slimmer in the crotch, they come in colors, and you don't have to do any folding because it's already shaped like a disposable. Mine seemed to soak through pretty quickly though, and while the Bummis wrap continued to keep the wetness in, I didn't think those few benefits really justified paying $6 for one cloth diaper when I could get many more prefolds for that price. So, while I wasn't horribly disappointed with them, I don't think I'll purchase anymore of these contours. I'd rather put my money into nicer all-in-one's than these prefolds that didn't really absorb any more (or as much) as my current prefolds. But, I continue to use the Bummis wrap every night and it works well!

I also thought that when soaked through, which happened quicker to this than my Chinese prefolds at night, the shape basically totally wraps the baby in wet diaper. At least with the prefolds in the Bummis wrap, the wet diaper is just through the crotch, not wrapped around the sides too. Maybe this is no big deal but it was another reason I'd rather just stick with the prefolds I have...wet cloth against less of my baby's already sensitive skin.

After having a couple of those stickier poopy diapers where you can't just drop the "business" into the toilet, and having to swish the diaper in the bowl, I decided to make the $40 investment in the diaper sprayer. After doing the old swishing move, standing there with a diaper dripping with toilet water prompted me to go pick up another diaper pail to keep in the bathroom. There was no way I was going to run that thing across the hall into my baby's room while dripping all over!

I tried installing the Bum Genius diaper sprayer myself as they say it's so easy and it came with some very well illustrated instructions. However, the toilet was leaking like crazy before I could finish so I put it back the way it was and set that aside for my hubby to try later. He did get it installed successfully and it sure does take away from the gross factor of dunking the diaper in the toilet bowl, and the pressure takes the poop off very easily. I still am glad I got another diaper pail near the toilet to minimize toilet water drippage across the floor! If anyone else has suggestions to avoid that I'd love to hear them. I did just spot this contraption online for wringing out the wet diaper, which may be worth a try, although with the sprayer I don't have to do the dunking/swishing maneuver.

COMBINATION 6: CottonBabies Insert Sock stuffed with Gerber Prefolds + g Diapers


I also ordered one of these CottonBabies insert socks for $2.99. The idea with these is that you can put an insert (absorbent cloth that holds the pee) into one of these, and the microfiber fabric will keep your baby feeling dry, much more like a disposable does. This worked pretty slick, and I used this solution coupled with my g diapers. I got some of the "premium" Gerber prefolds (nicer than their Birdseye Prefolds, but not as bulky as the nicer Cottonbabies Prefolds) I really liked this combination...I previously reviewed the g diapers as my favorite so far and this addition was the cherry on top. (why I keep using food analogies with diapering, I'm not sure) I think this would also make it easier for Dads and babysitters to have a bunch of stuffed socks ready to go into the g diaper or bummis wrap because it keeps the diaper all folded nicely how you want it. No worries about dropping the diaper in the middle of the night and having to re-fold. Although it is an extra step to stuff the sock, I think it's worth it to keep baby feeling dry (and in turn, sleeping longer at night!). The fabric is a microfiber, and I found I could make these much cheaper myself. Check out my tutorial to make your own! As long as the test of my home-made socks works, I'll just make more of these.

COMBINATION 7: BumGenius 3.0 with both included inserts


I also ordered one of the Bum Genius 3.0 diapers, and I must say, if my budget were limitless, I'd almost use these exclusively. They are the ultimate when it comes to not giving up any of the advantages of disposables...they go on just as easy (SUPER Dad and sitter friendly!), and they keep the wetness off of baby's bum just as well. I decided to max mine out and give it the biggest test right of the bat. I stuffed the pocket with both of the inserts that it came with and put it on my little guy at 1 am. It remained dry and fuzzy against his skin, and it wasn't until about 6 hours later that it finally leaked on his pj's, probably due to my first attempt at insert-stuffing because it hasn't leaked since. While he had a wet spot in the morning on his clothes, I couldn't even feel a wet spot on the diaper, just the insert which were supposed to be wet. So, two thumbs up and 5 stars for Bum Genius! I've had NO leaks since the first time I tried it and decided to go against my cheap nature and invest in a 12 pack! The price tag is a shocker, but after trying all these options, I decided it was worth it in the long run. Especially when you factor in that these are one-size, and can grow with your baby, so no need to re-purchase when you need a bigger size! I can't wait for my shipment to arrive! Getting 12 at once I believe saved me about $10, and then I was able to get another 5% off using a coupon code, which was another $10. I love a deal.

So, having just invested $200 just 12 of the BumGenius diapers on top of all my other experimentation and having found a few combinations I am very happy with, I am going to end my cycle of buying-and-trying.

My final favorite combinations:

Daytime:
- g Diapers stuffed with a thinner prefold (Gerber Birdseye or Premiums)
- or BumGenius 3.0

Nighttime:
- g Diapers stuffed with a Chinese Prefold, if possible in an Insert Sock
- or Chinese prefold wrapped with a Bummis Super Whisper Wrap
- or BumGenius 3.0 rocks day or night!

This is the system that has worked best, at least for me and my baby. Of course, it may change as my baby grows, and all babies are different. But, I hope this has been somewhat helpful for anyone else out there interesting in taking the cloth diapering plunge!

Before I end though, I do have one other question that I'd love to poll you other experienced, green, cloth diapering mommies on. So far the few times I've had to change cloth diapers while away from home, I've continued to use my "diaper duck" bags because they are waterproof plastic and nicely scented for sticking a wet or dirty diaper back in my bag to bring home. This has been working fine, but I'm curious if anyone else has any better ideas for ways to transport the dirty diapers back home. I feel a little silly having to transport cloth diapers in another disposable plastic item! Also, what do you do with a poopy cloth diaper away from home? I just don't want to dunk a diaper in a public toilet and then stick it in my bag! So far I just put them in the diaper duck bags, poop and all, bring them home, and take care of it there. I'd love to hear any of your suggestions!