I think these pictures speak for themselves...

Here they are...

...our new diapers!

A bazillion prefolds, a few covers, and a few bumGenius's for trips outside the house.

I made them into a pile and tried to get Hollie to sit on it for the picture, but that just wasn't happening.

Our official first all-cloth-diapering day was last Friday, and Hollie's been doing really well. 

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The outdoor temperatures have necessitated finding new fun things to do indoors lately, so we recently tried crayons.  Yeah, we won't be doing that again for a while.  They just taste too darn good.

So instead we tried drawing with pens.  Just regular old ball-point pens.  It was great...she had fun, and I didn't have to worry about her ingesting anything!

An added bonus: we also discovered that we may have a future tattoo artist here...

Voila!

Cloth diapering, round 2

The new diapers are in!!

First, the Dream-Eze All-In-One.

This one got great reviews, and is supposed to be very trim (as in close-fitting (as in not bulky)) and narrower between the legs.  I was worried that this would give it an awkward fit in the back, and it does...sort of...but Hollie doesn't seem to mind.  She seems reasonably comfortable in it.

It is, however, bulkier than I thought it would be, in the back.  :(

I guess I had gotten my expectations ridiculously high (I tend to do that), but Daniel reminded me that you need some bulk, if you want any absorbency.  Which is true.

Moving on...

The pre-fold and Snappi (so cool!)

(Sorry, I didn't realize the prefold would match our bedsheets so perfectly.  Hopefully you can see it!)

Here's how they work.  I tried to get a picture of it on Hollie, but it just wasn't happening.  I was also anxious to get the cover on it, before she figured out how to remove the Snappi!  [Also, the bear is not the same size or shape as a baby, so the fit is not at all this awkward on her!]

So, here it is with the cover.  Even easier than I thought it would be...I love it!  It took waaay longer than our average diaper change, but it once we get used to it I'm sure it will go quicker.

I think our plan, at this point, would be to use the pre-folds and covers at home, and something more user-friendly (like an AIO or pocket) whenever we go anywhere and might need to do a quick change in the car/restroom/park bench/etc.     

We're going to use these for a while, give them a chance to fit into our life, and then decide exactly what's best for all [three] of us.

Cloth diaper trial [pt 4]: Happy Heinys

No one is paying me to write about this, the opinions expressed are my own and no one else's...blah blah blah.

Can I just say, I think this is my most favorite brand name of anything...ever?  I love it.

These diapers worked great.  They didn't leak at all...during the day.  We didn't even try them at night.  Continuing to use disposables at night is sounding more and more like what we will end up doing.  With any future babies, we do plan on just using cloth right from the beginning so they'll be used to a more bulky diaper at night...but Hollie is just too old at this point to make that kind of change.

She seemed fairly comfortable in them.  The only thing that seemed to bug her was the velcro straps that close in the front - they are very wide (top to bottom) and thick (front to back).  Just like wearing a very wide belt that cuts into your belly when you sit down.

Otherwise, it is a pretty trim diaper, fitting into most of her clothes, which is a big plus.

I also loooooved this print!  She looked like Pebbles from the Flintstones!!!  I wish she had enough hair for a little ponytail.  sigh...

 And who says you can't just park it in the bathroom to read a book?

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Here's what it all comes down to.  

When we started all this, I assumed that our best option was to go with one-size diapers that can adjust all the way from newborn to toddler size.  So that's what I ordered for our little trial.  However, we're worried that with this style of diaper we're sacrificing a good fit, and by going with "sized" diapers instead: small, medium, large...we'll get the diaper that Hollie's most comfortable in.  And that's what's most important.  That and saving $$$.

We are going to return the Fuzzibunz and the Happy Heinys, but we stained the bumGenius so we're keeping it.  I kind of liked that one the best, anyways.  :) 

So we're back to square one with a new trial.  I just ordered two more diapers: an "all-in-one" diaper, as well as a "prefold" with a cover.  

The all-in-one, or AIO, is like a pocket diaper (like the three we just tried) except that the insert doesn't go inside a pocket, it just snaps into the inside of the diaper.  Don't worry, there will be pictures.  I ordered this particular brand because it's supposedly the best fitting, "trimmest" diaper out there.

The prefold is almost unchanged since your grandmother used them (except that you don't use pins anymore).  They're basically squares of super-absorbent material that fold into a diaper shape.  Instead of pins, you secure it with an amazing little contraption called a Snappi.  Then you put a cover over it, which is just like the waterproof outer layer of a bumGenius or any of the other ones.  These, I think, allow the most customizable fit, which is what we're looking for. 

Can't wait for them to get here!  If these don't work out, I think we're just going to throw in the diaper towel on this, and, like I said earlier, start our next baby in cloth right from the beginning.

Cloth diaper trial [pt 3]: bumGenius follow-up

Disclaimer: No one is paying me to write about this, the opinions expressed are my own and no one else's...blah blah blah. 

So, I tried the rubber-banded-insert thing overnight, and I threw a Sham-wow in there to be safe... and it leaked.  :(  Both the insert and the Sham-wow were wet, so I'm glad I used both.

After that, my next thought was that the diaper wasn't fitting her properly.  Obviously a diaper that's too big will leak, and I've been leaving them on the largest snap setting, hoping that will make her the most comfortable.

The next night I tried sizing the diaper down one setting, and it still leaked. 

To fix this problem, I think we would need to add more inserts.  But since doing that isn't an option (for Hollie's comfort) then I guess one solution would be to use cloth during the day, and disposables at night.  In terms of cost, this would still save us money over using disposables exclusively.  

I should add that during the day, we can use one insert normally, and she is just fine.  It's only during the night that we're having the difficulty.

Grumble grumble grumble.

Moving on to Happy Heiny's...

Cloth diaper trial [pt 2]: FuzziBunz & bumGenius

Well, at first we liked the Fuzzibunz because they use only snaps, without any velcro.  We were afraid that she would be able to open the velcro herself.  Fuzzibunz also seemed to be the most adjustable, with all the different sets of snaps, and the adjustable leg elastic (love).  Unfortunately, we had to rule them out once we tried them on her, because even on the largest possible setting, they were a little snug. :( 

I feel like reminding you- No one is paying me to write about this, the opinions expressed are my own and no one else's...blah blah blah.

Now we're trying the bumGenius. 

This decision has not been nearly as cut-and-dry as I expected it to be.  We've had to do a lot of experimenting, so please forgive the round-about style of this post.

Here's the kicker for us.  She's a big-time wetter at night, and these diapers (all of them) are very bulky (more on that later), especially when they're double-stuffed for overnight.  I think there are some other options we could look into for inserts, other than what comes included with the diaper, but up-up-up goes the cost...

To be fair, we tried the bumGenius overnight with both of the inserts provided...and it leaked.  *cringe*  Just a little, from one side, out the top.  

This may sound crazy, but tonight we're going to try putting a Sham-wow there with one insert.  We figured, hey, it's worth a shot, while we're just trying them out!  We'll put it beneath the insert, on the farthest side from her skin.

Back to the bulkiness.  There was one thing that I guess I failed to factor in when I was planning out how we would choose our diapers - Hollie's opinion.  When we put her in her very first cloth diaper, it was stiff and held it's shape very rigidly, as almost anything does when it's brand-new...and as she got up to walk around, her expression was one of obvious discomfort.  Now, nearly every time we start to put a cloth diaper on her, she squirms and whines and generally resists.
  
You should feel the insides of these diapers, though.  They're sooo fluffy and fleece-y and soft...it's the waterproof outer layer that's causing the problem.

Now that she's worn them a few times, she generally doesn't fuss after its on, when we use one insert.  With two, she pulls at the velcro and wordlessly begs to have the darn thing taken off.  It's incredibly discouraging, and could possibly be a deal-breaker for us.

I guess that's the main reason why we're trying the Sham-wow overnight.  Its thinner than any insert, and as the commercials would have you believe, even more absorbent.

But I had another idea, too!  Its the obviously the wideness of the part between her legs that's making it so uncomfortable for her, so I thought if maybe I put a small rubber band around the middle of the insert, it would reduce the bulk (but keep the absorbency) and impede her movement a little less.       

Or, you know, maybe after a bit of wearing and washing, the diapers will loosen up and relax their shape a little. 

So far, I have to say our overall impression of the bumGenius is favorable.  Not as they are, but maybe with some Sham-wow or rubber band modification (or both).  We'll let you know if, and how, we are able to make them work...then we'll move on to the Happy Heinys!

But first check out this adorable model...

Cloth diaper trial [pt 1]: They've arrived!

Cloth diapering is something that I've been thinking about for awhile (like 15 months), and just haven't been able to get around to actually doing.

For us, it was the start-up cost.  Those things are expensive.  Especially if you're not convinced of how well they'll work, the extra hassle they'll require, the accessories...a lot of unknowns, combined with the high initial cost...it was holding us back.  If only there were some way to just try them out...

But there is!

I found this place advertised in a magazine, and so we decided to give it a try.  It's a small price to pay for getting a real hands-on trial of a very expensive, but worthwhile, product.

Of course, no one is paying me to write about this, the opinions expressed are my own and no one else's...blah blah blah.

The package includes one (1) bumGenius, one (1) Fuzzibunz, and one (1) Happy Heinys.  Those brand names are just too cute.  :)  Here they are, with their inserts, in that order...

In case you're more familiar with old-school cloth diapers that involved lots of folding and safety pins, here's what those inserts are for...

They go in there.

Cloth diapering has certainly come a long way.  Anyways,we'll be trying them out, one at a time, and let you know how it goes!  I'm so excited.  :)