Adventures in Cloth Diapering: Choosing My Favorite

I’ve tried several brands of cloth diapers: Oh Katy, Happy Heinys, Fuzzibunz, Grovia, Econobum, BumGenius, Little Bee, and Kawaii.  I’ve tried pocket diapers, all-in-ones, and prefolds.  And I think I’ve finally come to a decision: BumGenius… three ways.  I’m planning to fill up my cloth diaper stash with a variety of BumGenius pocket diapers, all-in-ones (freestyle), and organic all-in-ones.  I like BumGenius the best because of the material and the fit of all of them, and they’re made in the USA.  Each type appeals to me for different reasons.

The pockets are nice because you can add inserts to make them as absorbent as needed.  (I don’t really need this feature yet, but who knows what the future holds.)  Plus, this kind is the cheapest.  I love the all-in-ones because they are so easy – no stuffing necessary.  The FreeTimes are made with a nice material and dry really fast for being an all-in-one.  The only thing I don’t love about these is that the middle is a little bit wide, so the little guy’s legs are so spread out when he wears them.  Which leads me to the organic all-in-0ons.  I think these are my absolute favorite.  Even though the drying time is slow, they are an excellent fit, super easy, soft, and made with organic cotton.

Now that I’ve made up my mind, it’s time to fill up my stash!

P.S. If you’re interested in cloth diapering and want my opinion about any of the other kinds I’ve tried, feel free to email.

I Heart Etsy: Sweet Pea Knits

I can’t believe I haven’t shared this little Etsy shop with you yet.  Sweet Pea Knits is run by my cousin-in-law, Jess, and she makes the most adorable baby hats.  Little O has a sweet chevron hat from Jess, and I love it.  So well made and so cute.

She sells hats and patterns in her shop, and she also writes a fabulous blog, Cherry Street Cottage.  Go check them out!

Adventures in Cloth Diapering: A Favorite Accessory

One of the reasons people may not want to use cloth diapers is because of those poopy diapers.  Although I don’t think they’re fun, I have found a little something that helps: flushable liners.  These might be the key to my success in cloth diapering.  All you do is place the liner right on top of the diaper.  If the little one poops, it lands in the liner, and all you have to do is pick that liner up and flush it down the toilet.  Okay, so it’s still a little gross, but I think this makes it way easier!

Crochet Project #3: Compliments to Yellow Trunk Designs

My first couple crochet projects worked out okay, but when an old friend of mine decided to host a couple crochet classes, I jumped on the opportunity.  And it’s a good thing I did because I realized I was doing a lot of things wrong.  Plus it was so fun.  Carol runs a sweet Etsy shop and blog, both named Yellow Trunk Designs after the big yellow trunk that holds all some of her crochet supplies.  And that’s the trunk six of us sat around, while Carol taught us to crochet.  We all made hats and also learned how to crochet flower embellishments.

I love how mine turned out (minus the large holes at the top of the hat) and can’t wait to start my next one – perhaps one for Little O.

P.S. Keep your eye on Carol’s blog, because she may be doing future classes you could join!

Adventures in Cloth Diapering: Favorite Online Stores

While experimenting with cloth diapers, I’ve also been experimenting with places to buy them.  I just wanted to quickly share two online stores that have great selections and a couple added perks:

1) Kelly’s Closet: Big selection of diapers.  There’s always some kind of promotion going on (for example, I ordered a few diapers to try and  was able to get another one free).  There are lots of reviews posted for many of the diapers, which helps to make educated choices.

2) Sweet Bottoms: Huge variety of diapers to choose from. You gain points when you shop that turn into store credit. Free shipping – no matter how large or small your purchase is.  You get to choose a free sample with each purchase.

That’s it!  Just thought I’d share – for anybody else who uses cloth diapers.