Cloth Diapers: The Stash
This is the cloth diaper corner of our house. It’s a funny little nook in Ze’s room that fits two IKEA DVD shelving units. By the way, I am highly recommending the Billy bookshelves from IKEA. We’ve had 5 units for the past 6 years and they still look brand new, hold hundreds of books, and we’ve used them in 4 different set-ups for all sorts of different things.
Back to the diapers…This is the top of the shelf where we have (some not pictured because they were either in the wash or on Ze’s butt) 6 Cuteybaby all-in-ones, 3 sposoeasy all-in-ones, 4 Cricketts, 1 hemp prefold, 2 medium Bumkins covers, and 3 small Thirsties covers. Here’s my thoughts on these dipes:
Cuteybaby: We haven’t tried these yet because they are too big still. They look well made and I’ve read good reviews. I’ll have to give my feedback later.
Sposoeasy: Really simple to use, just snap them on the baby. No leaks in these.
Cricketts: These are the diapers we use at night with a Thirsties cover. We have to be careful that no part of the diaper is sticking out from the cover. Ze’s butt looks huge when he has these on and they are soaked when I change him in the middle of the night. But that is the point of these diapers: to absorb everything. They work great! I think they’re too big to use during the day but perfect for nighttime.
Hemp prefold: I haven’t used this yet but my plan is to use it at night. I’ll have to test it out during the day though. I’m always paranoid about using new diapers at night because I don’t want to rock the system. I want him to sleep as long as possible.
Thirsties covers: Love these! As long as the diaper is fully inside the cover, they keep in everything! If I were starting all over I would just get Thirsties covers and prefolds in different sizes.
Bumkins covers: I haven’t used these yet but will use them when he grows out of the Thirsties covers. They feel much more “cheap” and flimsy than the Thirsties covers but…we’ll see how well they work.
Here we have (again, some not pictured): 12 infant prefolds, 1 mama-made pocket, 7 Happy Heineys one-size pockets, 8 GroBaby covers, and 18 GroBaby inserts.
Infant prefolds: We used these with a Snappi and an x-small Thirsties cover when Ze was new (started using cloth the day his cord stump fell off). They worked really well. Now I use them with the small Thirsties cover and no Snappi. I just lay them in the cover. They are much harder to put on this way but I don’t want to buy larger prefolds when we have all the other diapers. These are mostly back-ups when the other dipes are in the wash.
Handmade Pocket and Happy Heineys Pockets: We mostly use these at night or when the GroBabys are dirty. They are harder to put on because they snap. Also they tend to get detergent build-up on them after about a month of use so they get less and less absorbent. Theses are the only diapers I’ve really had leaks in. I wouldn’t use these at night but they are easier to put on in the dark than the Cricketts with a cover.
GroBaby: I love GroBaby! They have a new name – GroVia – now but are basically the same. Each diaper comes with a cover and a snap-in insert. You can also buy more inserts and disposable inserts. I’ve never had a leak with these diapers, even when Ze’s legs were skinny. They are easy to put on. The only problem is that Ze was pooping so often, the poop often got on the inside of the cover so I was washing the covers a lot and would run out of diapers. If he just pees or only poops a little, it stays on the insert and I can just change that instead of the whole cover. Oh, the inserts do stain a lot but if I lay them out in the sun for a day they are perfectly white again. Also, these dipes are super cute! Here’s Ze modeling a GroBaby diaper in mandarin (and the cutest hat ever that my friend found at a nearby thrift store). So freakin’ adorable I can’t stand it!
So far we love cloth diapering. I got a little obsessed with buying different kinds. I probably have a bunch more than I really need, but now I’m committed to not buying any more unless absolutely necessary. The whole process is a lot easier than you would think and I love the way his little butt looks in cloth. I’ll have to write more about the process later when the little guy’s not distracting me with all his cuteness.
