Diaper Review Pt. 2

As mentioned earlier, after some testing, I have found cloth diapers that I am happy with and am surprised on the results. Here are some pics and more descriptions of the two styles of diapers that I have been trying out. 

The first diaper is the Fuzzibunz One Size Elite that is pocket style and the second is a fitted cloth diaper combined with a diaper cover that I have made. The Fuzzibunz is designed to fit from newborn until potty trained with the leg and back elastics being adjustable while the fitted diaper is designed to fit from 7 until 15 lbs then you need to move up to the next size. Depending on the brand and style there are usually two or three sizes to grow into.

Both are simple to use and wash. Once soiled everything gets tossed into the wash for a pre soak and rinse in cold water then regular wash in hot, during the wash the Fuzzibunz insert comes out on it's own. Once finished I toss the inserts and cloth diapers into the dryer and hang the outer shells for both styles to dry, this will prolong the life of the breathable waterproof cover. The only prep work needed is stuffing the soaker inserts back into the pocket diapers but this only takes a couple of minutes and is no big deal.

A big difference between the two is their over all size. The Fuzzibunz are considerably trimmer than the fitted diapers which makes dressing Owen easier. 

My biggest complaint with the fitted diapers is comfort for Owen, once wet there is no comfort barrier between the skin and wet diaper, it just continues to collect moisture and it can hold a lot. The pocket style diapers have a moisture wicking layer that sits between the skin and the absorbent soaker pad making the baby feel much more comfortable. Now don't get me wrong, it's not like he sits around for hours in a wet diaper, I do around 10 to 12 diaper changes a day on average, if not more. I did notice that once the fitted diaper was wet he became fussy quite quickly and when the diaper was removed he instantly calmed down.

One of the great things about cloth diapers is I have not had any diaper rash issues where I have with the disposables once and a while. 

What sealed the deal for me in using the Fuzzibunz was their customer service, the diapers come with a one year warranty on sewing and a lifetime warranty on the snaps and waterproof layer defects. After a couple of washes one of the diapers stitching came apart around the leg so I filled out their claim form (very easy) and within two hours I had received an email back stating that my claim was approved and that they will be sending out my replacement shortly. In about one week the replacement diaper, inserts and elastic arrived via priority USPS mail and that was it! I was so impressed that they stood up behind their product as well as their warranty and there were no hassles because lets be serious, it's not like I have any extra time on my hands any more ;)

Diaper Review

Now that Owen has grown big enough to fit into the diapers I made we have been using them on a regular basis. I had also purchased a few pairs of pocket style diapers from Fuzzi Bunz as they would fit his tiny waist and they were a very different style of diaper to try.

Finally fitting into the covers I made

I am quite surprised by how everything has turned out so far. I am not happy with using the prefolds at all, they are tricky to put on, especially during the night time changes which I tend to be asleep through, and I have no confidence that they will survive a big poo. The fitted cloth diaper inside the cover works better, easier to put on and can withstand some abuse but does not do a great job at wicking away moisture resulting in more frequent diaper changes and they are quite bulky. I think these will be great for potty training time.

Fitted diaper and cover in action

The third and surprising option are the pocket style diaper. Initially I did not think to use these as they are more expensive and I guessed more laundry as you need an entirely new diaper for each change, not just the insert like the prefold style. They are easy to use just like a disposable diaper, size adjustable from newborn up to toddler which means one set of diapers and so far have been great for containing messes and are nice and trim. When changing you toss the entire diaper into the wet bag and the whole thing gets tossed into the laundry when full. Once dry all that needs to be done is restuff the absorbent insert and you are good to go.

Pocket style diaper in action

I am going to attempt to make a few pairs of diapers in this style as well as ordering more online but it looks like we have a surprise winner!

Family Traditions

This past week I had received an email from my Uncle asking if we were interested in using Opa's baby crib for the first few months. Indeed!! It was made by my Opa for all my aunts and uncles to use, which then was used by myself and all the cousins and now will be lovingly put to use by the third generation.

Held together with peg and hole construction, it is simple to assemble, sturdy and quite solid. There is also an arm which attaches to one end that holds a small canopy but I think I may attach a mobile to it. It came with a white eyelet sheet set and bumper which someone had made but Uncle Paul was not to sure who it was, he thought it may have been my Mom.

Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to use up some of my fabric stash I whipped together two crib sheets yesterday from some fun cotton. It was quite gratifying using up material that I had been saving for at least four years with no intended use and am pretty happy with the overall look, not that I'm putting together a baby room or anything. After assembling the crib I did have a bit of a freak out.

Where are we going to put everything!

Diaper Update

It has been a while since last posting, last week I was a bit busier with work, had to do the glucose test (came back just fine as I suspected) and was fighting a cold. Unfortunately Rob ended up getting it pretty nasty so this past weekend was some very serious sofa surfing for the two of us. Today is the first time in almost a week I am feeling myself again as I have the Beastie Boys cranked on the stereo and I'm accomplishing more than going from the sofa to the kitchen!

A while back I had posted about cloth diapering and how I was interested in trying it out. Luckily for me my parents read this blog and I was sent a fantastic care package of baby clothes, a couple of knit garments and blanket that Mom knit up (sooo cute) and all the materials needed to make my own diaper covers! Well, the second I had enough energy and some time I was cutting and sewing away. Mom, as I am sure Dad was not fabric shopping, chose some very adorable monkey fabric and coordinating solid to make the covers from, including the elastic edging, green velcro and cute patches for the back.

I was able to whip two together in no time, modifying the pattern by adding leg gussets and the inside flap to help hold the diaper in place. The fabric cover is a soft polyester backed with a thin waterproof layer to help keep everything in. These were so much fun to make I have ordered more supplies online so I can use the monkey fabric to make more covers. I have also ordered a few bamboo cloth diapers to see how everything fits together.

Unfortunately I am going to wait until Pip arrives to make many more as I would like to ensure fit is good, it will be easier to alter them once I have a body to put them on. I say that now, we'll see.

Just a quick shot for an idea of scale. So darn cute!