advice for a fuzzibunz newbie

[emmaegbert]

So my neighbors just loaned me 24 fuzzibunz size small (old style). Wow! Most have 2 inserts, some one, some are empty. To get them all with 2 inserts I will need to buy 12 more.

I never had pocket dipes with my son so I have some questions. I'd appreciate any advice on the following!

1) getting more inserts:
So, I will buy some more inserts but I want them to be something I can use beyond the couple of months that these particular dipes will probably fit my baby (my son was 20lbs by 6 mos, so I am not anticipating these will actually fit for that long). I was thinking I'd get hemp inserts/doublers b/c I might be able to use them on their own inside a cover for a NB (I have 4 NB covers which will probably fit my baby for like a month), and then after the baby grows out of the FB I could use them as a doubler with prefolds/fitteds (I have quite a few PF and a small stash of fitteds, and I am thinking I'll sew some fitteds out of recycled cotton over the summer when I have time!) Does this make sense? any particular hemp insert/doublers you'd recommend? Does the size matter a lot or can I sort of stuff whatever in there?

2) washing, etc:
do you use liners with them? or does the poop pretty much peel off the fleece? I had all cotton dipes before so I don't know how that poly fleece works with poop. It will probably only be during exclusive BF part of the baby's life, so the poop shouln't really be too bad. And do the legs contain runny BF poop? they always look kinda like it would run right out...

3) nighttime:
we cosleep so I don't want leaky dipes at night. with #1 we usually used a fitted or pf w/ 1 or 2 doublers at night and a well-fitting PUL cover, and didn't have problems. But, I was planning to use wool soakers at night this time (didn't know about how great they were back then!). do you use fb at night? do you throw a soaker on top or even just wool longies to catch stray leaks? Again, to me somehow the leg openings never look that snug...

[Ifluffedthree]

I can only step in on this a little as I have never used fb diapers.

Hemp is a great, natural choice. It can be used with any diaper - prefold, pocket, fitted, even as a booster to AIO's if need be during longer wear times. It is always my first choice fabric for absorbency. I don't think you will go wrong with that purchase to fill in your need.

I always found night time tricky. Soakers are great and I would say try them, but if they don't perform well for you at night you already know you have something time tested that does work for you and you can always supplement your stash with just enough of that variety to use at night and use the soakers during the day.

Good luck. And what a nice neighbor.

[myfairbabies]

I've heard good things about joey bunz hemparoos, and the smalls fit perfectly in my small old style fuzzi bunz, but my baby hasn't been born so I haven't actually used them. I've also heard great things about these bamboo ones http://hyenacart.com/greenhorn/index.php?c=12 and I really want to get some to try out (though it wasn't specific to fuzzi bunz). Another hemp one I plan on trying out based on reviews, is knickernappies stay-dry hemp doubler. If you want to get microfiber, I've heard that the cottonbabies onesize works well in fb, but again, I haven't been able to try any of this for myself yet!

[brietta]

I use fuzzi bunz exclusively. (LOVE them!) I have the new style, but I assume that doesn't change the absorbency. Anyway, I've never had to use 2 inserts except at night.

As far as washing the poop, it all depends on what your little one's poop is like. Exclusive breastmilk poop is straight-forward: you don't have to do anything with it. When it's solid, it either rolls right off the fleece or is easily "pushed" off with the cloth wipe(s) used during the diaper change. If it's loose solid-poop (does that make sense?!?!), you may want to use liners or get a sprayer or just plan on swishing. (Whenever my daughter has diarrhea or something she's eaten makes for a loose BM, I just hold the tops of the diaper with it inside out and swish it out really well in the toilet-- works for us just fine!)

Also, I've NEVER had a poop leak, not even with runny breastmilk poop. I can't say how the older style is with this, but the new ones are amazing!

As far as co-sleeping, I know exactly how you feel about not wanting leaking! Honestly, 2 standard FB inserts have always worked fine for us. My daughter has congenital heart disease and is on furosemide (a diuretic that flushes fluid from the lungs/heart) and her evening dose makes for a VERY wet nighttime diaper! Even so, we RARELY have a leak with just the 2 standard inserts.

Hope that helps!

[emmaegbert]

thanks for the responses- that helps a lot. I've never actually used FB except on my friends' kids, so I feel like I don't have a lot of first-hand knowledge of what works and doesn't.

I never had hemp with #1 and I am thinking it'd be really versatile throughout diapering, so it makes sense to go ahead and get some and try them out. Also interesting to hear I don't really need 2 inserts, I guess I just figured I did b/c thats how I got these dipes- double-stuffed (except for a few that aren't).

I'm not loving the microfiber idea, but on the other hand, I am sure it works well and they are a free loan, so I am inclined to just go with what I've got!

I think we'll try them at night and if we need something else, we'll go for it. I have a bunch of CPFs and will probably get or make a wool soaker or two anyway. (and my DH shrunk my preschooler's soaker by accident- so I have a super-thick soaker but I am not sure the sizing!)

I guess I shouldn't worry too much about the poop- there is pretty much no way these will fit my baby anymore when we start solids, so it'll be BM poop only (unless its a huge genetic surprise, like, totally different from any baby in our entire family history... we are big people who come from a long line of big people...) But... since I will be returning them after we're done with them I just don't want to stain them or anything. The sun works wonders on BF poop-stains though as I recall.

[emmaegbert]

and yes! I do have nice neighbors! having #2 is so different- so many mom friends are passing along SUPER useful items to us. We live in a student housing complex, so I think in a funny way, people are extra generous- we all live on such limited resources that we know what its like- its great.

[Googy]

I suggest one microfiber and one hemp at night, with the microfiber touching the fleece and the hemp touching the PUL. The microfiber is great for absorbing the pee really quickly, and then the hemp holds a LOT of pee. That combination has never failed me at night, and my DD nurses all night long, so she is a very heavy wetter.

I've only ever needed one microfiber during the day.

Poop is super easy with the FB. Newborn poop you can just wash as is. When they're in the 6-12 mo phase when they're only eating a little bit of solid foods, you have to kind wipe it off with toilet paper into the toilet. My DD is 14mo now--her poop just falls right off into the toilet. I never use liners except during the rare times that she has a rash--I'll put a liner in so I can use diaper cream.