favorite/best brand cloth diapers

[rlee*]

hi mamas
not quite sure where to post this, but i need your opinions!
i'm trying to figure out/decide which brand of cloth diapers to buy for LO. Some good friends have recommended the fuzzi bunz and thirsties and happy hieneys...anyone have experience with any of these brands? any favorites? recommendations? suggestions?
thanks!

[Tresa]

You get what you pay for with cloth diapers. So don't be cheap. There's places online you can get secondhand diapers if you want good quality but can't afford new.

My friend has used her motherese diapers through...she's on baby number 5 now, I think replacing some of them a couple babies ago. They seem very durable.

I used prefolds on my kids...I have both chinese prefolds and Indian prefolds, with I can't remember what but they were fairly pricey covers, and they've held up remarkably well, I plan to use them with this baby also. And sell them in decent condition whenever I'm done using them (if another baby should follow this one).

[St. Margaret]

soooo many choices and it has a lot to do w/ personal preference and each baby (for fit, sensitivities to some materials, super soakers, etc). I've been re-researching the heck out of dipes this month... try the CD forum here, maybe diaperswappers, and good sites like diaper pin, green mountain dipes, etc. thenprocess and decide yourself! I'm getting some cheap pockets that people say are the exception to the cheap=garbage rule and then some thirsties duos covers (almost universally loved it seems) and a few bummies supper brights, and I found some great affordable fitted diapers at baby bunz (they advertise in mothering sometimes I think). I am okay with not "the best" this time around-- last time we did bumgenius 2.0 after newborn prefolds and prowraps, and they were convenient but did wear out before 2 yrs. I thought about just replacing the elastic and aplix on them, but I've been laid up and I think 36 would take me forever! DH really liked having that big of a stash!

Good luck! You can always do a trial package at places like kelly's closet or other good sites... or try a few kinds and resell the ones that don't work the best for you.

[rparker]

We were just talking about this over in the October DDC: http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1247456

Short answer: My favorite at the moment are the new bumGenius One Size 4.0s. They're a great buy for convenience/price/length of use. The old FuzziBunz are great, the new ones have some issues still to work out. I prefer the perfect size FB over their one size. Prefolds and covers are your most economical choice (especially for a newborn) but they can be more challenging than the pockets/all in ones.

I buy all of my diapers from abbyslane.com

[Climbergirl]

Oh, I am have tried so many. I used bumgenius for a long time. Now, I am back to prefolds and flats! They are simple, easy to customize, and the cheapest out of the whole bunch. I love the ones from Green Mountain Diapers. Thirsties are my favorite covers. I am about to buy a few itty bitty prefolds from GMD and Thristies covers (duo, size 1) and some liners and I am done!

Good luck!

I would say if you are not sure about cloth, then go with pockets and all-in-ones (AIOs). But if you are committed and want to spend less money, you could go with prefolds, etc. and then use the pockets for going out.

[MonP'titBoudain]

Yeah, what Climbergirl said!!! I'm on round three and I'm so glad I went with prefolds and wool wraps from the beginning. I had none of the issues my firends had using the fancier pockets (leaking, build-up, expense, etc). Also, when we switched to EC with our second, I didn't feel like I had a whole lot of expensive diapers we didn't use much (prefolds are just as good for puddles as they are on the bum)!

We have always had a small number of pocket diapers on hand for babysitters to use... they're simply easier for someone used to disposables to figure out. But, if you know you want to commit to cloth, definitely go for the most economical and flexible method of prefolds/flats and wraps.

[forumyonly1]

thirsties covers are fantastic if you want to just go the prefold w/ cover route! If you want to go the AIO or Pocket route I really love Swaddlebees/blueberry diapers.. they also sell the one size diapers which are nice

this time around (baby #4) i am using prefolds and making my own fleece covers for newborn/small size until i can use my thirsties covers!

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Diapering

[Pinoikoi]

One size are very economical- although they don't fit newborns well, and a large toddler may size out.. remember though that onesize diapers get washed a ton, so may not last through a second babe.

I have cd'd with fitteds, prefolds, pocket dipes, and traditional aios.. of the three brands you mentioned Op, I think Happy Heiny's don't last as long as fuzzibunz do.. I am trying a few bumgenius with this babe, and although the drying time is longer than a traditional pocket, I really like them.

All three brands have a one size option, but also have individually sized options, which is another aspect to think about.

Fuzzibunz are all snap diapers, whereas bumgenius and happy heinys have an aplix option. Aplix allows for an easier fit, and is most like a disposable, but snaps do better in the wash (dipes don't stick together).

[MayasMama88]

Personally, I prefer to use FuzziBunz. We have OSs and PSs (mediums) for our 9 month old, and we chose them because they seem to be the most adjustable out of every pocket diaper we researched. The OSs fit 7 - 35+ lbs, and you can adjust the legs to 8+ settings and the waist to 4+ settings so you get a really snug fit. And I prefer snaps over aplix because the aplix pills and curls up and gets stuck to everything in the washing machine.

I like the pocket diapers because all you have to do is stuff an insert into the pocket and you're ready to roll! And if you're ever going to have someone else watch your LO, especially if you put him/her in daycare, caregivers seem to want something easy to use since disposables are what most of them are used to.

[labellaluna]

I love happy heiny OS- not the sized ones though! We had great luck with WAHM diapers and swaddlebees. We had a very very chubby baby and the FB's just didn't fit right!

[cinnam0n]

We used prefolds with bummis wraps for the first three months, then switched to fuzzi bunz size small. For the last 10 months we have had our DD in the medium sized fuzzi bunz. I originally was planning to use Bum Genius, but didn't like that they used velcro. Also, the insert didn't seem to stay put very well either. I have no complaints with fuzzi bunz. I am not sure what the previous poster meant about the new version having problems compared to the old. The small ones we had were the old style, and the medium ones are the new style, and I haven't noticed any difference or problems with the new style. :

[cristeen]

I seem to say this a lot on here... But if you're having trouble deciding, then the first thing i recommend doing is narrowing the field. Decide on the generalities. What do you want from your cds? Do you want easy wash and wear (AIO)? Do you want customizable absorption (pocket)? Do you want cheap (pfs/flats)? Etc. Then decide on closures - velcro or snaps? They each have their good and their bad points. But generally if you want your dipes to last through several kids, you want snaps. you need to think about wash routine - pfs/flats are the easiest to wash/quickest to dry, synthetic pockets/AIOs the hardest and aios take the longest to dry. Then you get to decide on fibers. Do you want all natural fibers touching baby (which also means baby will feel wet)? Or do you want a stay-dry (synthetic) inner? If you've decided on pfs, flats or ritteds at this point, then you need to think about covers - wool, fleece, pul or nylon. Pul or nylon can go under clthes, but wool and fleece don't (which is why you see wool pants). There are basically 2 styles - wrap or pull on. Pul comes in exposed (wipe clean) and covered. Etc. There are good and bad aspects to every choice, so you just have to decide what would work for your family.

Once you've made these relatively easy decisions, the choices are narrowed down greatly.

I made the choice to go with natural fiber fitteds with wool, all snaps. I do have a couple pul covers, but i don't like wipe clean pul. And while covers with gussets are great for containing poo, my little guy reacts to FOE. Which brings me to my next point. By prepared to shift gears if you discover something doesn't work for your little.

[Mom2M]

I love prefolds with Thirsties covers. The duos are great but I think I like the regular Thirsties covers even better. I use snappies. I also like wool covers.

We also have fuzzi bunz and DH really likes them because they are easy to put on. I like them for overnight, the fleece lining keeps her dry and when stuffed with a doubler, no leaks.

[Katie T]

My favorite are bum genius 3.0 (snaps) they hold up great mine are 2yrs old and look brand new. I do like prefolds and use those a ton as well but still use the bg for naps and bedtime. I stuff them with prefolds though as I HATE microfiber.

I started using them on DD2 when she was 10 days old and her stump fell off and they fit great and no leaks. She was only 7 lbs 11oz so not a huge baby either.

[terra-pip]

I'm new and only used one kind of dipe so far, so not sure if I'm allowed to say I have a favorite..lol..but I am loving the FuzziBunz one size dipes. They are soft and cute and so easy to snap on. I did use some prefolds and flats with fitted snap covers when my oldest was little as well as a few Bumkins and I was not sold on cloth diapering at all...did not like it one bit. But I love the new style of pockets and AIOs that one can buy now!!!

[MyLittleWonders]

I'm a prefold and cover lover (covers: Imse Vimse, Motherease Air Flow or Nikkys, though I'm looking forward to trying the sized Thirsties this time around too). A prefold and cover just always works for us. (Dh actually likes flats better than prefolds, but he loves prefolds over any other CD.)

We've done AIOs, pockets, fitteds ... I plan on having some fitteds (all natural fibers) for the new baby, but no pockets or AIOs. I like having the option of no cover, I like having only natural fibers against their skin, and I like the ease of washing and drying prefolds (and flats).

[SaoirseC]

My favorites are the Fuzzi Bunz one size (perfect size are okay, but the one size seems to fit better!) and luke's drawers AIO candy wrappers (I think that's what it's called, I got these second hand years ago- these side snap). The FB fit the little ones well with no blowouts, and the luke's drawers side snap fits skinny toddlers well with no wing droop. I also really like prefolds for the 18 mo- 2 y range because it helps me to see when my LO is peeing, and it's helpful for the transition into potty learning.

[4girlsboynames]

I'm personally not a huge fan of OS diapers. I have used Fuzzi Bunz, BG, and Swaddlebees and I can always get a better fit with a sized diaper. For my almost 2-month-old I'm using mostly sized fitteds from hyenacart stores and a few pockets from Diaper Change diapers.

[Galatea]

My favorites are FuzziBunz - they last forever, are trim, simple, and the new one-size option fits almost every baby.