One-size diapers? Help me decide!

[ZombieMama]

I'm expecting my 5th baby in December. I'm not new to cloth diapering, but I have never used a one-size diaper. When the new baby is born, my youngest will be 14 months old, and probably still in diapers. I mostly sew and knit my own covers, and use prefolds. But this time around, with so many kids, and so little free time... Well I really don't have the time (or have the motivation to set aside the time) to sew more covers.

I found what seems to be like a great deal (25 one-size rumparooz w/2 inserts each for $528). Are one-size diapers really that great? I have heard they don't fit newborns very well, but I have plenty of prefolds to use on a newborn.

I guess I just want someone to tell me they are awesome and put my mind at ease, so I don't have to worry about having two sets of diapers for both babies, and can just diaper share.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[cristeen]

I love our Rumparooz. I've been using them since 12 mos (he's 19 mos now). But I've watched a friend use them from NB to 8 mos. She did use KL0s until the stump fell off, I believe. But she's been using the RUmparooz ever since.

The one thing about them though is that they are lower rise than some others. On my 19 mo, completely unsnapped, they fit about like a brief. Another couple of inches of height though and they'll be bikini rises. But my kid is unusually tall. Some people want higher rises on their toddlers. Knickernappies OS are good for that, but they never would have fit my skinny-legged DS as an infant. The RARs have internal gussets so even if the leg openings are loose you dont have blowouts.

[Jaimee]

Many people love Romparooz... I haven't really heard anything bad about them.  But, I also never recommend buying just one type of diaper just in case they don't work well for you or for your dc.  I know it's so tempting to get a package deal, but honestly, if I were purchasing a stash, I would try out 2 of each kind of OS dipe I was interested in.  I would also check out www.diaperswappers.com for good deals on used dipes.  And don't forget Craig's List!  Here are some other great brands to try: bumGenius 3.0/4.0, Happy Heinys, Knickernappies, Smartipants, Thirsties Duodiapers (really a 2 size dipe), and Fuzzi Bunz (though I'm not personally a fan of their OS). 

My kids don't fit OS dipes for a couple of weeks so I use prefolds, fitteds, contours, etc. for that period.

[ZombieMama]

Good to know about the low rise, thanks.

The FuzziBunz OS is the one with the adjustable elastic, right? Looks like a pain. Thanks for the other recommendations, I'll check them out!

[Jaimee]

Yes, the FB OS has elastic in the leg holes that you adjust like toddler pants or some maternity pants.  It's only a pain when you first get going to figure out where it should be.  But after that you just adjust up a button hole or two as baby grows.  The idea behind this is that you are customizing the area of the diaper that is most prone to leaking- the leg hole, so a lot of people get a great fit with these when they don't with other OS dipes.  However, the crouch is quite slender- the most slender I've seen on the market.  Again, this is great for some babies (generally chunkier thighed toddlers or smaller babies), but for others this makes getting that good fit difficult.  I might try just one of these diapers (maybe get it used) and see what you think.

[TNmommyBFB]

My absolute faves are my Bumgenius 4.0s (especially the artist series).
Their solid colors are on sale, B5G1free. They come out to 15 a piece. A while back they even had the artist series on sale.

[puremodernmama]

Love the Rumparooz One-Size and have been using the BG elemental on my daughter since she was born.  Prefolds are a great way to get a good fit on a newborn and they are so economical.  That will buy you a bit of time until the onesize diapers fit your nb.  One of the nice things about the Rumparooz is that you can use the small insert in the beginning which cuts down big time on the bulk.  The other diaper that works great on a nb and grows with your baby is the SoftBums Echo line.  Their one size covers are extremely innovative and they are such a trim diaper.  They are by far our favourite diaper in our stash right now. 

[MayasMama88]

We actually really like the FB OS here. I know the elastics can seem intimidating at first, but they're actually very easy to use once you understand how it works! They're the most adjustable OS I've ever used, and I love how trim they are. The crotch is cut narrower than most OS diapers, which I think is great because I hate to see newborns with their legs splayed open because there is so much bulk between them, lol. And once our DD got old enough to crawl/walk/run, I liked that I didn't have to wonder if her thighs were getting chafed by excess bulk. They are supposed to fit babies 7lbs - 35+lbs, and I adjusted them as small as they would go and they looked TINY as heck! Granted, they'd probably be a little bulky on newborns simply because there is enough material inside and out to accomodate such a wide weight/height range, but in a few weeks your LO would grow into them more. If you buy them here (where I always buy our FBs) you can get 24 for  $442.80 with free shipping (there's never a minimum purchase amount for that), plus they have a great rewards program. If you bought that 24 pack you'd end up with an extra $44.28 to spend on anything on that site. It's awesome! They even have a Bonus Bunz deal going on right now, where you buy 5 OS FBs and you get one free. If you got a 24 pack, you'd end up with 4 extra diapers! Heck, I might have to get in on that, lol. Anyway, just my two cents, but I did try a RumpARooz OS and didn't like it at all. Way too bulky, and I don't personally like the looks of the snap-down rise.

[MayasMama88]

I don't know why it didn't edit my last post when I tried to (or maybe it did and I'm just not seeing it?) but I forgot to mention that the FB OS come standard with two microfiber inserts (one newborn and one toddler) each, OR you can choose contoured hemp jersey inserts (with the 24-pack it'd be an extra $48).

[ZombieMama]

Thank you all so much, you've given me some great advice!

My SO and i talked about it, and i think we're going to buy a few smaller packages (3, 6, 12) of a few different brands of OS diapers to see what we like.

The FB is intriguing, and I can see how the leg elastic being adjustable would be neat, but part of the appeal for OS diapers (especially for my SO) is being able to use any diaper for either child. Just a grab-and-go thing, you know?

Thanks again!

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by ZombieMama 

The FB is intriguing, and I can see how the leg elastic being adjustable would be neat, but part of the appeal for OS diapers (especially for my SO) is being able to use any diaper for either child. Just a grab-and-go thing, you know?

That may actually be the most possible with the OS FB b/c there is no rise to adjust.  The leg hole adjustment could possibly fit both a nb and a toddler b/c you would snap the diaper shut farther out or farther in.  Does that make sense?  With the other OS brands you will need to snap or unsnap the 2-3 rise snaps when switching between your nb and toddler.

[ZombieMama]

Jaimee, I guess maybe I need to "see it in action" to get it?

I did put a few of them on my "wish list" along with the Rumparooz and BGs.

[Agatha_Ann]

I'm close to having my fifth and I use OS, love it! I have BGs 3.0 and 4.0 (love the diapers, my 4.0 are snaps and I wish they all were, DON'T do aplix!) FuzziBunz OS (love them, and I adjusted them at four months and haven't touched them since, still fit my 2 year old no problems) and Charlie Banana (Adore these diapers, VERY slender, super soft, not my favorite for nights). I think you will like one size diapers!

[LaughingHyena]

I had a few motherease one sizes which I used to take out with me for my two (two years apart). They did need the snaps changing between kids, but I unsnapped them for washing  anyway. They worked OK on both kids but were not without there drawbacks. I found them fairly bulky on a little one and I would have preferred a bit more absorbency for the older one. However it was nice to only need to carry one set and be able to change either child as needed.

I think a lot of one size designs are more of a "grow with your child" than fit multiple sizes at once.

Our main nappies were terry flats, they were truly one size once you've got the hang of a couple of folds. We've used them from newborn and still on the 4 1/2 year old at night, though that is becoming a bit of a squeeze.

[HidaShara]

I used Swaddlebees Ecosnappis (OS pocket) with my DD and LOVED them! They are "narrower" at the crotch and came around longer - DD has a long rise so this was extremely helpful.  They never leaked though we started using an extra insert around 18 months.  They lasted us from 3months - 24months, and I intend to use the same ones with my 2nd!

[ZombieMama]

Oh, I loved Swaddlebees with my DS2 and DS3, but back when they were in diapers, SB didn't have a OS diaper.

[Petite Bottoms]

I totally agree with trying out a few brands before you settle on just one. The FB OS are on sale this moth as well as BG, buy 5 get 1 free. A good time to buy and save for when you need them. :)

[Galatea]

Originally Posted by ZombieMama 

My SO and i talked about it, and i think we're going to buy a few smaller packages (3, 6, 12) of a few different brands of OS diapers to see what we like.

The FB is intriguing, and I can see how the leg elastic being adjustable would be neat, but part of the appeal for OS diapers (especially for my SO) is being able to use any diaper for either child. Just a grab-and-go thing, you know?

I NEVER recommend getting 24 of one diaper.  What if you don't like it???  Get a few of all the popular OS and try them out.  Then you'll know what you like.  We have liked FB OS, BG 4.0 OS, Knickernappies OS, Rump-a-rooz OS, Flip OS... the list goes on!

As for ease of adjustment and sharing between a baby and a toddler - it is a drag to readjust the diaper each time for the specific child, no matter the brand, so we just made a rule: pastel for the baby, bright for the toddler.  Worked fine.

[mamadiamond]

th FB OS were the first to fit dd when she was a skinny newborn. all my other OS dipes leaked in the legs till her thighs got bigger about 8 weeks. the crotch is narrow, so i never use them at night because i can't stuff enough absorbancy in them, but i love it in daytime because there is less bulk getting in her way. i have only had to adjust the elastic twice in 10 months. for overnight, my favorite is bg OS with an extra hemp insert. it's the only one that goes all night without leaks. a great brand to try is "kawaii baby". they are extremely cheap but hold up and work well. the regular OS is $10, and the organic bamboo OS is $14...you can't beat that.