sometimes we fail

As part of our rapid spiral into toddlerhood, the girls have started peeing more. Like a lot more. Like soaking their diapers in 10 seconds more. For the most part, this hasn't been a huge issue. I've started adding the NB doublers to our pockets and our old style BG AIOs. We haven't developed a leak issue in cotton, which is what we generally use on the weekend (well, aside from the size Ss which still fit but are getting inappropriate in rise and absorbancy...probably time to pack them up or sell them...).

Last weekend, we took the girls to the NYC Marathon expo. They had on their BG Albert freetimes and I figured all was well. The absorbancy of these is good, more than a standard insert, and they were happy as clams in the stroller sucking down their milk.

They walked around a while then got back in the stroller when I bought some stuff. Then we got them out.

OOPS. Maybe changing their diaper immediately after breakfast (and some milk) then giving them milk in the car (~5oz) then cups in the stroller through the expo (~9 oz) and FORGETTING TO CHANGE THEM for about 4 hrs was a bad idea. Quinn was damp but Avery basically flooded her seat, pants, onsie. You get the picture.

I didn't bring a change of clothes, so she ended up eating lunch in the expo center in her sweatshirt and diaper. It was 45 degrees outside and windy. I hung the pants on the stroller to dry (they did, mostly, before we left -thank heaven for fleece) and had her sit on a blanket instead of the soggy seat.

at least it had cute dinos on it.

Needless to say, I think it is time to pick up some more hemp for longer outings when mom might forget about toddler bathroom needs (daycare is excellent with the 2 hr diaper change!).

35/35

Its so hard to believe the girls are 9 months old now (more on that after our 9 mo well baby visit tonight!).

A very belated 35 weeks in/35weeks out montage...

35w0d. About 12 hours before the girls were delivered.

Avery, 1 hr or so old, freshly bathed and hanging out in her Size 1 diaper. Our hospital was cheap on diapers and put even small NBs in Size 1 folded down (NB diapers ARE $$).

Avery, 35w (8 mo)

Quinn, 2 hrs old. She got a preemie diaper in the NICU, so it fit pretty well.

Quinn, 35w (8 mo)

Cloth diaper reviews, part C

disclaimer: these were all purchased with my own money and I receive no compensation for reviews.

Our newest addition: Bum Genius Freetime
In short, I LOVE love love this diaper. I am finding I really love AIOs (my Grovia AIOs (and AI2s), my Swaddlebees Simplexs and these are the first I reach for). I think it is because I am lazy. Stuffing pockets is annoying (though they certainly have a place in a stash, for nights and car trips especially).  This is an awesome diaper design, with the two half attached soakers and the stay dry top. Avery is sensitive, so the stay dry is a plus, and I can hang these diapers in my basement overnight without the low cycle I usually put my AIOs through before hanging to dry. They're generally half dry before I even pull them from my water-sucker washing machine. I picked up half a dozen of these to add to my daycare stash, and may get more as I finish selling off our NB/size 1/stuff I don't love. I am a little concerned about absorbancy for the toddler stage, but I think you could put a small soaker under the flaps, and we can cross that bridge if we ever come to it.  Next time I sell off some stuff we don't use/have outgrown, I might get more of these. I just LOVE how easy they are. Also, so far so good on the aplix for daycare - its sturdy!

Baby of Nerds = HAD to have the Albert print!

Sustainablebabyish fitteds. 

These are all the rage in the Cloth Diaper world for overnight (I might have a slight addiction with reading cloth message boards for new ideas...). Now, I'm not particularly into fitteds. They're expensive, way more on average than pockets, and you still need a cover. I DO still like our Thirsties Size 1s (we've long since outgrown the XSs, and these have a pocket to add absorbancy) for overnight, especially on the peanut, so I was really hopeful about these. I picked up 4 of these used, 2 snapless and 2 OBFs (one small and one medium). Avery, at 13.5 lbs or so, fits into all of them. They're all giant on Quinn and her mini hips.  The snapless are made of this awesome squishy material. I DO Like them. They're really fluffy/huge though, and I'm not a super Snappi-er. The OBFs are just kind of, well, blah. I don't get the obsession (and I'm not about to buy any wool covers). They're so thick and not super soft at all. And she seems to soak them in a half a night. Now, she still drinks a big bottle going to bed and usually one or two more, so maybe that's the issue, but I'm still not really impressed. I wanted these to be a magic solution, but alas, I might sell them next time I get around to selling a bundle of stuff.

I've been meaning to talk about wetbags too, but maybe another day.

Cloth diaper reviews, part B

disclaimer: these were all purchased with my own money and I receive no compensation for reviews.


One Sized

Bum Genius 4.0.So far so good. We started using these around 9 and 10 lbs and they fit just fine. Both babies are still quite skinny (though their thighs seems darn chunky compared to their newborn legs), and we haven't had any leaks except one from user error (a NB insert for 6 hrs isn't a good idea even at 16 weeks and 11ish lbs).

We also have a couple of Flip covers and some stay dry inserts which are made by the makers of the BGs. The fit is the same, they're just more trim since its less fabric. I like them, especially since its fast and simple and less volume in the laundry and less to hang dry. They also held in a giant 3-days-worth of EBF poo this weekend (just imagine the mess that could have been. it took 4 wipes to clean up. my life is exciting, isn't it?). That said, these are kind of "my" diapers. I love using them because they're faster in the laundry - no stuffing etc - and smaller in the diaper bag, but everyone else seems to throw the whole shabang in the pail regardless of if the shell is soiled. Granted, I haven't really explained  the AI2 concept to anyone. I am always a little wary of scaring folks with my diaper chatter, especially since these are more "complicated" than your basic pocket from the diaper-changer's perspective.

BumGenius Elementals
These fit pretty much the same at the 4.0s, but are not pockets and are somewhat trimmer in the bottom. So far so good. We haven't given these a run for their money yet, but I have a feeling they'll be a good choice for outings and such due to the organic cotton which I've found to be nice and absorbent.    I kind of want more, but I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of BG's new "freestyle" - the AIO with a stay dry inner AND flap construction - so I'm holding off.


Oh Katy These are OK. They're a little trimmer than the BGs, and I like the snap-over waist. However, it never seems to lie flat (seeing as we are no where near the outside snaps). The hip snap is good though, and they work fine. The colors are awesome too.

Avery's first OS diaper (around 10 w and 8.5 or so lbs)

Rumparooz These are my favs. If they weren't $$$ I'd get a full stash of them (I think 5 of our 6 were bought used). The aplix and snaps fit equally well, even on our skinny babies. I like the fleece more than suedecloth too, and they're easy to stuff (some of our more well loved BGs seems a little sticky inside). They're a little more fluffy than the BGs, but I love them. The leg gussets - inside and out - are also nicer to me.

Quinn's first OS diaper (probably around 10w and 7.5 or so lbs)

Kawaii
We have three (bought used, I think they're One Size Minkys). They fit similarly to the BGs, and the minky fabric truely is soft. The inside is sort of rough though, and I'm not sure if its from age or just lower quality than the other diapers (given the cost and all). But, so far so good in terms of diaper-duty. The pocket is GIANT (deep/roomy - the opening itself is sort of narrow) on these and I think I might like them a lot for overnight.


BottomBumpers
I only have one of these - the snap down inside is a cool way to adjust the fit, and its pretty trim for a OS. The soaker is super soft too. Its perfectly fine, but I'm not smitten - for the money, I'd rather stick to more utilitarian pocket diapers and splurge on some sized AIOs for trimmer clothes.

Grovia
We have several of these AIOs. I love the side snaps and trimness - even with them snapped down  - and how narrow they are between the thighs. We have long skinny girls, so this is a bonus.  You do have to be sure the soaker is tucked in when you put them on, and tuck the sides in behind it/on top of each other (this issue would go away with a larger baby), but so far so good. My only beef is the leg holes are still too big on our peanut baby, even with the second soaker snapped out, so I can't leave these out for grandmas (or, well, anyone but me since I clearly have a PROBLEM with diaper obsession...)

Avery in a Grovia and Quinn in an Oh Katy, 16 weeks (probably pushing 12 and 11 lbs, respectively)

We also have several grovia shells. LOVE these. They're lined with a mesh, so there's no PUL on baby, and the fit is trim. NB and small prefolds fit nicely inside, but I also love their snap in soakers because they are a) absorbent and b) don't move around. I'm itching to get more, as I have more shells than soakers (though plenty of prefolds...). But, see commentary on Flips about them being "mine".

Fuzzibunz
We have two OS Fuzzinbunz, and I have to be honest, I only used one twice before putting them both in the to sell pile. It worked fine, and it wasn't that hard to adjust down to fit, and was relatively trim on our then 9.5 lb baby.  BUT....we have two in diapers. Due to the elastic, this is just NOT an adjust-on-the-go diaper...so...I will be selling them.


I think that's it in our current sized and one size pocket/AIO stash...I have a couple of other things to review in another post.  We do also have a couple of beyond adorable Blueberries, but they will need to wait a bit - they look bigger than our BGs, so I'm holding off on those until the babies are more like 13/14 lbs.

Cloth diaper reviews, part A

Its been a while...
At this point, we've mostly moved into one sized diapers, but I admit I have a soft spot for a nice, trim sized diaper. So...a few reviews to date...

disclaimer: these were all purchased with my own money and I receive no compensation for reviews.

Sized

Bum Genius AIOs (discontinued except XS). Love. Love. Love. Trim, sturdy, excellent fit. Our XSs are in the to-sell pile now. The Ss are favorites of my mom, who is anti-cloth just because, well, she is (she admits she doesn't have a reason, she just thinks disposables are "normal"). I just bought half a dozen used Ms because I love these so much and am bizarrely worried I won't be able to find them in 3 months when we need them. Considering about 70% of my stash of these was used, the aplix is in great shape, and the smalls work just fine overnight with a hemp doubler inside.

babies in Extra Smalls, around 8 weeks old.

Bottom Bumpers
I just got a S one of these used and it is awesome. It seems to be a little shorter in the rise than our other smalls, but it has 4 snaps on each side. The insert is super soft and it dries pretty fast. I'm thinking about getting more, but will probably look for Mediums since I'm concerned about the rise.

Fuzzibunz
We have a couple of these in S that I bought used. The inserts seems weirdly small for the size of the pocket, but they work fine. There is NO way these would fit a 7 lb baby - we started using them around 10 and they just fit - but I like them, they're trim-ish, and we haven't had any leaks. I'm also considering more of these since they're pretty affordable for sized diapers.

Swaddlebees Simplex
We have 3 of these in the old version. These were my first sized diaper, and omg. So crazy trim, they feel like a disposable under clothes. They're a little taller than the bottombumper, and shockingly absorbent. These actually lead me to think the cotton holds more than microfiber.  Supposedly these run small, and I just picked up 2 used Ms I told will fit more like 10 than 12 lbs (which is what's marked), but we're still on the tightest snaps of the Ss, so I think we have some room in them.

Thirsties Duo
We have several of these in Size 1.  They were our first pockets and I really liked them. We used them with just half of the soaker for a while, then both when our then 7 and 8 lb babies started sleeping 4 hours at a time. When we moved into other pockets though, I kind of lost the love. The pocket is awkward and they're really bulky for a (semi) sized diaper - no trimmer than our OS pockets. Also, the aplix is not very sticky. Granted, ours were secondhand, but I bought them in good shape and they seemed to wear quickly. They're in the sell pile now.

Newborn diapering

Size conundrum I mentioned in my previous post aside, I've been pretty happy with cloth diapering so far.

First, they're pretty darn cute. 
Second, Bailey has, um, snacked on a couple of used disposables. Have you ever seen pee soaked disposable diaper gel? It reminds me of that silica gel stuff used to keep new shoes and such moisture free. Everyone in our house looks at me a little weird when I talk about it, but having that stuff next to our little newborn's bottoms 24/7 kind of skeeves me out.

Anyway, Avery is in cloth about 50% now, and Quinn will be soon (eg, when I make diapering decisions).

So, a rundown of my reviews to date on our newborn diapers:

Prefolds: nice and soft, love how fast they wash/dry, cheap and absorbant. I don't love changing them since, well, they're wet, but they go on fast and I love them for when I know I'll be changing a diaper again asap (eg, before a feeding). They're also a million times better than bibs as, well, bibs. Maybe we have crappy bibs but spitup seems to roll right off of them.

Workhouse fitteds: So far s
o good. I feel like the elastic in these is a tiny bit tight but maybe her little legs are just sensitive? They are on the thinner side and I find the snaps a little difficult, but I love how these fit under covers.

Thirsties fitteds:  We have some XSs (discontinued, I bought them used) and size 1s, both in velcro. LOVE these. easy on, and so plush and soft. Pretty fluffy though on our 6lb-ish baby, about the same size as a snappied prefold.

Covers: We have some Thirsties XS, Thristies Duo size 1, Rumparooz NB and Bummis Super Bright NB. The Bummies are 7-10 lbs and huge on her, so no review there. My favor on the others is the order I listed them in. I find the rumparooz are sort of wide.  The Duo is a trimmer cover, which must be why it doesn't feel as bulky despite similar snaps.  The XS is a nice fit though, even on our little baby.

Lil Joeys: freaking adorable and work just fine for us! These also dry suprisingly fast.

Bum Genius XS AIO: I think these are also discontinued, but we have a few in the xs and s sizes. The XS is supposed to be 6-12 lbs, and I like how trim they are, but we keep getting leg leaks. I think Avery's thighs are still too skinny.

Thirsties Duo (Size 1): Love. We've been using just one insert (it snaps together) and so far so good. LOVE the gussets.


As a sidebar, I got Luvs for our "extra" disposables and I hate them. We have 300 and they're working fine, so we'll use them. But I'm thankful the 300ish Size 1s we were given are Pampers. The Luvs smell TERRIBLE when peed in. Maybe it is on purpose to be sure you change the baby?

Tiny

If you're never held a 5 lbs baby, here's a little bit of assistance in seeing how tiny they are...

This is Avery at about 5 lbs 4 oz in a lil'joey newborn diaper. Next to her is a XS Bumgenius (6-12 lbs), a S Bumgenius (8-16lbs) and a One Size Bumgenius (10ish-35 lbs).