Diaper duty

For a long while now, Todd and I have been considering going the cloth diaper route.  Some friends in Cheyenne used cloth diapers for their little girl and we were impressed.

I know what you're imagining: a rag, some diaper pins and a plastic bloomer to prevent leaks.

Not so!

That option does still exist, but it's not the only one.  In fact, the number of brands and diaper styles is a little overwhelming.  Cloth diapers today are soooo much more advanced.  They're basically shaped like a disposable - only you throw them in the washer, not the trash.

This was one of the appealing factors to us when considering going cloth.  We're not crazy granola folks or anything, but we do believe in being responsible and we felt good about not contributing to the clogging of our landfills.

Also, the amount of money you can save with cloth diapers is amazing - upwards of $1,500 before your child is potty trained!

To help us in our decision we turned to a store in Denver called The Giggling Green Bean.  It's where our friends learned about cloth diapers and where they ultimately got theirs.


Before Rosie arrived, the weekend before in fact, Todd and I took a cloth diaper class at the store to learn about the different options.  The Bean has this great program where you give them a $50 deposit and they give you $100 in merchandise to try for two weeks.  At the end of that time, you send back what you don't like, keep what you love and they figure out the difference.

What a great opportunity to try out the different styles to see what works for you!

Let me help you visualize some of the options.  After some research and several questions for the girls at the Bean, here is what I finally decided on for our trial.  The red and orange diapers are called pocket diapers; the purple is an all-in-one; and the green is a hybrid...

This diaper is Rumparooz brand and is what our friends used.  The snaps along the bottom are used to adjust the rise.  So, when your baby is smaller you use that bottom row and as they grow you move up to the next row.  The snaps along the top hold the sides together in the same fashion as a disposable...

Why did we want to try this brand?  Well, first of all we've seen it in action.  Secondly, it has a patent-pending double gusset that is supposed to really fight leaks.  Those pads to the right are what you stuff down the center to provide extra absorbency...

This Baby Kicks brand diaper is also a pocket style.  The girls at the store agreed they thought this brand has a more trim profile than the Rumparooz.  Since bulk can be an issue when you're dealing with cloth diapers I thought a slimmer fit was appealing...

This is what's called an all-in-one.  This is the Tots Bots brand from Scotland.  Basically, it's the same idea as the pocket, but the soaker pads are sewn in.  I knew immediately I didn't like them.  You have very little control over the soaker pad which means it will always be bulky.  But, I gave it a try just to verify my first impression.  Yep.  Not happening.  I do like, however, how the Scots describe this product and how to use it.  "Wee in their nappy," is used many times on their website...

And the hybrid...

This is a GroVia brand diaper.  Hybrids come with a shell you snap liners into...

The idea with these is that you buy about 10 shells and 24 liners.  When it's time to change baby, you don't have to dump the whole diaper in the wash, just the shells; unless, of course, there is a mess on the shell.  The other diapers require you to wash the whole thing every time.

Ok, let's take a test drive!

Here is the Rumparooz.  Rosie looks pretty happy, right?  Really, I was too, but I did find them to be a bit bulky...  

And the Baby Kicks...

Again, I liked it overall.  It did have a more trim fit, which I really liked, but I was a little disappointed it didn't have very many snap options like the Rumparooz.  I worried about running out of room as she grows.

Are you noticing how her legs are ALWAYS kicking?  Baby Kicks, indeed...!

I didn't even take a picture of the Tots Bots.  I found the sewn in soaker annoying and bulky, just as I assumed, and they just didn't fit as nicely.

Here's the hybrid at work.  With this particular brand you can choose between Velcro or snaps for the side closures.  I wanted to go the Velcro route during our trial period because everything else we chose had snaps.  For purchasing, I would go the snap route.  That Velcro was crazy adhesive and stuck to everything...

I loved the hybrid!  It's super easy to use.  Snapping the liner in and out is a breeze.  The shell can be used more than once if not messed on.  They weren't super bulky.

It was the winner!

A cute picture of Rosie's bum sporting the GroVia...

We're pretty sure we'll be moving forward on cloth diapers!

This week I will be calling The Bean to talk to them about the hybrid.  There's a brand we are interested in that is made mostly in the USA, but the store doesn't carry them.  Currently, anyway.  That may change.  The GroVia brand is made in China (as are the Rumparooz and Baby Kicks) which makes us unhappy.  It kind of defeats the purpose of trying to reduce our "carbon footprint."

We'll see how this goes!