Author Archives: Maria

Maria is an aspiring "fit mom" of 3 children, writing about cloth diapers, going green, and her life as a single mom. Maria works with many companies within the cloth diaper industry and beyond, providing social media management, product development, and other services.
Cloth Diapers One Size Diapers Pocket Diapers

Haute Mess (not really!)

>The Haute diaper I really only chose because it was clearanced and the price was right.  I didn’t really have high hopes for it, and that feeling was spot on.

I got the mint color which is nice.

haute pockets

The liner had a shape unlike any other I’ve seen.  I am used to them being rectangles with rounded ends.  This was the same shape as the diaper, with big wings (very hard to explain).  This made is very difficult to get in the diaper and incredibly difficult to get it in the diaper on the snapped down medium setting.  It was square peg/round hole, trying to put something big into something small and ended up bunched up.

Even with the liner all bunched up, it was still trimmer than the bumgenius.

Like all the other velcro diapers, it was very simple to use.  It seems to be a common theme here but the medium setting seemed larger than the medium setting of the BG.

Really, there was nothing special about the diaper.  I didn’t have any major problems, but I did notice moisture on my son’s legs at the leg openings when I changed him, and the laundry tabs seemed the most useless of all the diapers I’ve tried.

Overall, I would continue to use this diaper, but it would be in the bottom of my stash, to use when all other diapers were dirty.  It makes sense to me why these aren’t being carried anymore.

Edit August 2010: I’ve heard quite a few people say that Haute Pockets are their favorite commercial pocket diaper, but they just don’t work for me.  The oddly shaped insert means it’s always bunched up and ends up leaking.  I keep meaning to try it with a different insert to see if that works better, but I haven’t yet.  For now, this is in my “laundry day” diaper pile, since I finally have enough diapers to be picky about my favorites!

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Cloth Diapers One Size Diapers Pocket Diapers

FuzziBunz One Size Pocket Diaper

>Fuzzibunz were actually my first choice initially when I researched long before I even had a baby on the way.  I really don’t remember why I changed my mind and decided to go with bumgenius.  The velcro maybe?

I chose the aqua color, thinking it was gender neutral, without being the usual pastel green or yellow.  It is a bit lighter than it appeared on the screen & is very pretty.

fuzzibunz

The fuzzi bunz are very adjustable.  They don’t have snaps for a fold down waist, they have adjustable elastic on the waist and legs, reminiscent of adjustable waist pants.  I am not sure if it is a piece of elastic through the leg opening cinched on each end, or if there is also a piece running through the rear waist.  I suppose the rise itself is reduced by the elastic in the legs being drawn tighter.  When it is clean, I will have to look more closely. (ed: looks like I was correct)  They came with extra elastic, and according to their website, it is easy to replace.

I imagine you can really get a custom fit for your baby, so if you have a skinny baby with chubby legs, you can still get the right fit. 

I need to double check, but I think it came set on “2” for both the legs and the waist.  I assumed this was equal to medium, but when I looked it up, it appears there are 4 waist settings and 8 leg settings, and 2/2 is the largest setting? (ed: yep that’s right)

I will take a closer look when it’s clean, but it appears I put my 15.5 pounder in a setting for 30+ lb babies?  If so, then this is truly idiot proof because it worked wonderfully with no leaks.
I really wish the diaper came with detailed instruction on sizing, how to adjust and how to get the best fit.
This may be stupid, but it does concern me that they have buttons.  I realize that diapers go on the kid’s butt, but you will always have a stash of diapers around, often in the child’s bedroom.  We all know that no matter how closely you watch your child, it only takes a split second for something to happen.  I wonder if a child has ever gnawed the button off of a fuzzi bunz diaper, or if one has fallen off?  I seem to have bad luck with buttons falling off clothing items.  These buttons are small and I imagine one could come off without the parent immediately realizing it, and that it would be hard to locate if it did.  Meaning, a baby could find and ingest it.

This was the first and only diaper I’ve had with snaps.  I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get a good fit and that I’d have a hard time snapping them.  I had no trouble at all and in fact, it was nice not to have to struggle with laundry tabs or diaper chains.  Looking at all those rows of snaps was intimidating but it was easy as pie.  I question how this diaper would work on a younger baby.  The second set of adjustments must cinch the rear waist tighter.

I’ve read that snaps are great for bigger babies, especially older ones who try to take their diapers off.  The longevity of a snap is supposed to be better than velcro also, though you will likely have to replace a snap here or there someday.

The liner seemed smaller than the bumgenius, but we had no absorbency issues.  It had a doubler included as well.  Here’s a photo comparing the BG to the FB liner.  Doublers not pictured, I usually only use them at night.

This diaper is so trim I can hardly believe it is cloth.  This is the diaper I thought I’d like the least, but it’s my new favorite.  I do wonder if it would be a lot more bulky on smaller settings, but as I used it, it was still trimmer than the BG on the largest setting, with a single, unfolded liner.

Photo shows the diaper after I corrected it to the 3/3 setting.  Not as trim as the large setting, but still trim.

As of today, this would be my #1 choice for diapers I’d like to fill my stash with.  It doesn’t have the extra PUL stopper to prevent wicking, but we didn’t have any wicking problems. 

My inclination would be to use these during the day and use the BG on the largest setting at night, with multiple doublers inserted.

Here’s a question though, is my kid going to immediately poop in every new diaper I get?

Edit August 2010: I don’t care for the triangular snap formation and I didn’t care much for the fit one I sized it down.  This is another one that I will plan to try again when my son has grown a bit.  I am very interested in trying Fuzzibunz “perfect size” diapers.

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Cloth Diapers Diaper Cream Diaper Rash Made in the USA One Size Diapers Pocket Diapers

Grandma El’s + Happy Heiny’s=Happy Heiny

>My kiddo usually ends up in sposies in the evenings & overnight, but I had a clean one at bedtime last night & put him in it.

Before I did, I used a tiny, tiny, tiny bit of the cloth safe diaper cream I’d bought.  It had a very mild but pleasant scent that reminded me of something I couldn’t put my finger on.  It warmed up and spread very easily and didn’t leave a disgusting, gloppy mess on my hands.  In fact, my hands felt soft after.

 

grandma els

Usually my son is very red in the morning.  This morning was the first time in a long time I have seen him look completely normal.  Not a trace of redness.  I am sure part of that was from being in a cloth diaper all night, but that cream is a miracle!  Huge, huge difference.  I’m planning to keep it right by the diapers & just put a tiny bit on at each change.

His second diaper of the day was the Happy Heiny’s.  I did look on their site and the 4th snap is a newborn/extra small setting.  However, the medium setting seemed much larger than the medium setting on the bumgenius.  Even my daughter commented that the diaper looked big.  Not a problem, it still fit him great.  I imagine that it would fit him longer than the BGs if it is a bit bigger.

 

happy heinys

The diaper is soft, flexible and really easy to put on.  It has large, overlapping velcro tabs.  The insert was really easy to put in, though I had to be sure not to put it too close to the front or back of the diaper so it wouldn’t wick onto his clothing.

 

Overall it is trimmer than the BG.  The print is flipping adorable!

 

When it was time to change it, we had no poop blowout and no leaks.  Usually after a poopy diaper, even if I change it within seconds of the poop actually occurring, he has redness where it touched his skin.  The breathable barrier of the diaper cream certainly works because there was no redness at all.

Edit August 2010: We still love Grandma El’s but I’m just not able to get a good fit with my Happy Heiny’s.  They always end up leaking, so they’ve been relegated to the “laundry day” drawer.  I’m hoping they might work in the future when my son is older.

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Cloth Diapers Diaper Cream One Size Diapers Pocket Diapers

Fluff Mail!

>I was very excited to get my package today (yesterday by the time I got around to finishing & publishing this).  The colors are lighter than I’d expected, which is the opposite of what I’d experienced with the bumgenius. 

The monkey print I chose for the Happy Heiny’s diaper is adorable!!  It confuses me a bit though because it has 4 rows of snaps.  Most one size diapers have 3 rows.  All open for large, 1st to second for medium and third for small.  I’m guessing it must be an extra small setting?

The Blueberry Minky diaper is super soft and very cute.

My initial instinct is that the Bumgenius are nicer than all of these others. 

The BG pockets are kind of hidden, rather than just open at the top of the diaper, and it has additional waterproof material at the front and back to prevent wicking onto baby’s clothing if the insert were near the front or back. 

The BG inserts also seem much larger, which makes me think they would be more absorbent & would be more likely to work with the single insert alone on the larger settings, rather than having to use the doublers.

Lastly, as much as I’ve heard people say the BG laundry tabs stop working over time, these other diapers’ laundry tabs seem useless already.  I had a heck of a time getting them to stick when getting them ready to wash the first time.  After I’ve washed the BGs, I actually struggle to get the velcro OFF the laundry tabs!

I had a bit of a diaper chain when I got them out of the wash.  They are hanging to dry and I am starting the process of washing the blueberry diaper’s insert multiple times.  It is made of hemp and it comes with natural oils on it that need to be washed off.  It has to be washed separately to avoid causing absorbency issues on other items, and it will not reach it’s maximum absorbency until after 6-10 washes.

cloth diapers

I will with hold judgment until I have seen them in action, but if I had to pick RIGHT NOW which diapers I would prefer more of based on just this initial assessment (and price aside) I would choose more BG 3.0s.

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Cloth Diapers Diaper Liners Diaper Sprayers

Oh Poop

>Right now, poop on a cloth diaper ain’t no thang.  Breastfed baby poo is water soluble, so you can just throw em in the washer.  As baby gets older, you can just flip it in the potty & be on your way.

That in between stage is much more hazy.  I have memories of peanut butter consistency poo in rainbows of colors.  I’ll tell you, I am simply not interested in the ol dunk & swish method.

There are a couple brands of biodegradable/flushable/disposable diaper liners, some of which claim to be septic safe.  Reviews for one brand even claim they can be washed a few times if they are just wet.  In the end I’m not sure that solution is for me.

On the flip side, you can get a diaper sprayer that attches to your toilet & allows you to hose them in your toilet.  There are downsides to that too, and some people have come up with really clever solutions.  You can even find instructions for a homemade sprayer made with items you can find at your local home improvement store.

In the end, I think we will go with the bumgenius sprayer in our 1/2 bath, along with a large wet bag stored there as well.  They are expensive though, so I’m not sure if we will manage to get one before we start solids!

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