Cloth Diapers 1, Mom 0. Time for a re-match...

The Cloth Diaper Adventures continue...

Alright, so the cloth diaper adventures have hit a slight snag. After giving the Thirsties Duo Wrap a solid try for the last several days (on each of our three little ones) it’s clear that they are neither a good fit for our various-sized children, nor a good match for the birdseye pre-folds we purchased. I’m sure that somewhere, these are simply perfect for someone else. However, we’ve had major problems from the onset. First, imagine trying to place the wrap under a wriggly toddler while then fitting the pre-fold on top of that in just the right manner. Then, add to that the disposable liner that is supposed to catch all the solids. Just getting all three things to align is a feat in itself, but next comes the oh so tricky part of bringing it up to attach it at the top. It must have taken three or four attempts at each diaper change just to get each step to work.

The fit itself is horrible for all three kids, as well. These ones claim to fit kids “tall or short, thin or chunky.” Well, mine are all tall, and they are stocky, really tiny, and a bit chunky- in that order. I figured these would be just perfect to fit my multi-sized family. Each child falls within the weight range for the “size 2,” so I purchased several wraps in different colors to pair with the pre-folds. However, even my tiny little girl has a difficult time with how snug these really fit. Don’t get me started on the other two…

I believe part of the problem to be the short span of the front. Every disposable I’ve even tried (as well as the one brand of all-in-one cloth diapers I’ve tried) all have tabs on either side that are meant to reach toward the back and help wrap the front more snugly. It hardly covers the belly, let alone the sides. The Thirsties Duo Wrap seems to be rather short in that respect and I find myself almost willing the sides to stretch and grow so I can feel like they are offering better coverage. Even with the rear aplix tabs attached at the front as intended, it seems there is a rather large gap along the sides that leaves a lot open for accidents.

So, after only a few days of use, the Thirsties will be retired and I will try something new. I have 3 Bum Genius 3.0’s to try out, and I’m hoping they offer better coverage and fewer headaches. At least I know the inserts will stay in place, and there will be no pre-fold to slide around. If the liners are able to do their job this time (instead of clumping up with the pre-fold within moments of wear, and thus negating any hopes of an easy clean-up)I might be willing to stick it out. Right now, I find my resolve weakening just a little, so I’m really counting on the BG’s to pull through. The adventure continues…

Back into the world of Cloth Diapering we go...

Adventures in CD’ing: Day 1

When our younger son was born, we jumped head-first into cloth diapering. Having never tried it before, we found it a mix of confusion over how to properly clean them, (and remove stubborn solids- wow...) gratification that we were attempting to be a little greener, and a whole lot of  “What the heck did we get ourselves into?" I had found what seemed like a great deal for a new stash on EBay- 24 one-sized all-in-ones that had adjustable snaps and came in impossibly cute colors. Little did I know, they were inferior quality, not the best at keeping everything in, and would soon become a source of disgust that nearly every outfit we put him into was trashed by the time the next diaper change came along.

After about 6 months of exclusively CD'ing, we went on vacation for a week. Since we wouldn't have ready access to a laundry facility at our hotel, (and were going to be spending long days at a busy theme park) we elected to use disposables during our trip. By the time we returned home, my husband and I made the silent decision to stock up on disposables and set aside the leaky, albeit cute, bum covers.

We've had two more babies since then, and I've always wanted to try again with a better set of diapers. Now that we have 3 kids in diapers (and another baby on the way) I decided it was time to try something new. Our son is now ready for potty training, and I am fed up with buying Pull Ups for him and regular diapers for the girls. I have been researching different reusable training pants, and after reading that nearly all will still leave a puddle after becoming wet, I decided to go a different route. I found the Thirsties Duo Wrap, which is a cloth diaper cover that can be used with regular pre-folds as a diapering solution. The tipping point for me was the fact that I could buy one size that would fit all three kids, and use them the exact same way for both diapering and potty training.

Of course, there is always the matter of, well, matter…but I also ordered a couple rolls of disposable diaper liners to place in between the pre-fold and the skin, so the theory is that the liner can be disposed of and also keep the solids off the diaper itself. (Many users have also suggested that liners that have merely been urine-soaked can be laundered with the diapers up to 4 or 5 times, which would really stretch that investment as well. Those that have caught solids just get thrown out.) As for the diaper cover itself, it has a waterproof interior that can be wiped clean in between changings and re-used right away, unlike a regular one-size cloth diaper that is used once and then thrown in the wet bag or diaper pail. The idea just seemed too good to be true, and I had to get them home and give them a try.

They are now here, and I have pre-washed my birdseye pre-folds several times to prepare them for a beating. I have a few liners ready to go, so now I just need to jump in and make that first diaper change. I’m a bit nervous to see how they work, and more than a little apprehensive about the laundering process in my high-efficiency front loader. It’s almost like I’m a newbie all over again. Here goes…