Cloth Diapers

In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we are now cloth diapering Baby C.  Cloth diapers are something that I had never considered with my other children.  They both used disposables for their entire diapering days.  I never had any problem with disposables, and we used disposables with Baby C up until about a month ago.  Mr. W has become very environmentally conscious, and mentioned that we might give cloth diapering a try.  I admit that I needed a little convincing.  I will be the first to admit that I had my reservations.  I do not like things that are messy.  Thankfully, I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy to use cloth diapers have been.  I thought that they would require a lot more effort than diapering with disposables, and surprisingly they do not.  I think the biggest obstacle to using cloth diapers is figuring out which diapers work best for your child and what method you would like to use to store and wash your dirty diapers.

Initially, we started using G Diapers.  They caught our eye on the diaper aisle on one of our many trips to Babies R Us.  After researching them on the Internet, they seemed like a pretty cool product.  The Internet is filled with positive reviews of G Diapers.  G Diapers are referred to as a hybrid diaper.  The outer layer is made of cloth and a disposable pad fits into a waterproof sleeve in the diaper.  Ideally, your child's mess will be contained within the disposable pad, and you can simply reinsert a new, disposable pad and reuse the outer cloth layer.  This was rarely the case in our experiences with G Diapers.  We got really excited the few times that we were able to reuse the cloth shell.  Baby C almost always leaked her G Diaper, which meant that we had to change her outfits with almost every diaper change.  One of the things that also bothered me with G Diapers is how awkward they are to put on your child.  The velcro fastens in the back, which is something that I just couldn't get used to.  After suffering for a couple of weeks with our G Diapers,  we quickly reverted back to using disposables.

Despite our negative experiences with G Diapers, we continued to remember all of the negative effects that disposables can have on the environment and we decided to give cloth diapering another try.  On a trip to one of our favorite locally owned, baby stores, we decided to look at their selection of cloth diapers.  We did not realize how many choices there are as far as cloth diapers are concerned.  We were overwhelmed by all of the decisions that we needed to make in order to determine what cloth diapers would work best for Baby C.  Also, the initial investment in cloth diapers is expensive, so we wanted to make the best choice possible for Baby C.  After researching cloth diapers on the Internet and looking at all of the options available at several local stores that specialize in cloth diapering, we decided to purchase 6 Tiny Tush Elite Pocket Diapers with snaps, 3 Imse Vimse AIO (all in one) diapers with velcro, and 2 Thirsties Duo Pocket Diapers.  In addition, I just purchased, but have yet to use: 4 Rumparooz G2 Pocket Diapers with snaps and 3 Bumgenius Organic One -Size AIO Diapers with snaps.


I have read that small babies tend to leak a lot in cloth diapers when they are under 12 pounds.  Baby C is still only 11 pounds at four months, so she still does have leaks sometimes, but for the most part her messes have been contained.  I read that most people prefer snaps because they are more durable, and I would agree.
Based on the diapers that we have tried, I really like the AIO or all-in-one diapers.  They are more expensive than other cloth diaper options, but I think they are well worth the added cost.  They are incredibly easy to use because there are no pockets to stuff and empty when they get dirty. Aside from the velcro, I would say that the Imse Vimse are my favorite.  I really like the Imse Vimse because they never leak.  They have "true" leg gussets that contain the messes really well.  I just read that Imse Vimse are now available with snaps, so I might have to try those out.  What are your favorite cloth diaper brands? 

My least favorite, besides the G Diapers, are the Thirsties Duo Pocket Diapers that we have.  They seem to leak a lot and they do not seem to made of as high quality materials as the other diapers that we have.  Also, the pocket is open at both ends which I think makes the inner pad shift more than the other pocket diapers. 

One of the stores that we purchased diapers from suggested that we wash them in Charlie's Soap, but I do not feel that the Charlie's Soap is cleaning them well enough.  I just purchased some Rockin' Green Classic Rock Detergent after reading a lot of good reviews about it online.  What is your favorite method of cleaning your diapers?  What do you use to clean them? 

At home, we store our dirty diapers in a PUL bag, and we purchased a small, wet bag to store dirty diapers in when we are on the go.  We also use Imse Vimse flushable bioliners in the diapers to help contain the poop.  We like the bioliners, and I would recommend them to others as a less messy alternative to the diaper sprayer. 

 I have been surprised at others reactions to our decision to use cloth diapers.  Many of our friends think we are crazy to bother with them.  We try to tell them that they are very user friendly and that they are a lot different than the cloth diapers that our parents used.  I wish others would give them a try because I think that they would be pleasantly surprised just like we were.  Do any of you use cloth diapers?  I would love for you share your positive and negative experiences with me because it seems that there is still much to learn about cloth diapers.