December 2009 Archives

As I've mentioned this before I'm a petite mama who is concerned about the environment as much as most, and also trying to stretch a dollar bill.  We decided to venture into cloth diapering, which surprisingly has been easier than we could have imagined.  But one thing my dear hubby wanted to hold onto were his disposable wipes--that was until I came home with the wipes made by Bottombumpers.

These wipes are the softest wipes I have felt, thick, plush, and highly absorbent.  They are organic bamboo velour on one side, and organic cotton fleece on the other.  They don't roll in the wash, they lie flat in the warmer, and they are so soft my baby girl doesn't even flinch when wiping her sore tush in these frigid New England winters.  We like them so much I promptly went back to the store to pick up some more packs to get us through a few days so we could wash with the diapers.

I am not a fan of the flannel wipes because of the fact they have to be washed many times before they do more absorbing than smearing.  This mama likes things to work the way I like out of the box.  I also tried the bamboo wipes from Bumgenius being that I like their AIO fitted diapers so much, and those also failed.  They stuck to everything in the wash, rolled, stayed rolled, and just felt too thin.  Also not as soft as I would have liked, but soft enough.  All those wipes took a back seat once I got the ones by Bottom Bumpers.  Highly recommend!  They also make great facecloths for adults.

Being that our little girl was born early, this petite mama was asked by my local cloth diaper shop to test out the new Duo Diaper by Thirsties to see if it really did work on a 6 lb. baby.

So far I'm really pleased with this diaper.  My baby is in the middle of the six lb. range and approaching seven when trialing this diaper, and it fits her just fine.  She definitely has the poofy behind when wearing these diapers, but it isn't so much that she can't fit into her newborn clothes.  These fit her even though clearly she is the bottom end (no pun intended), would no way fit a baby any smaller.

I really like how it is a two-sized diaper.  One of the reasons I don't like the one-size diaper is that there is too much variation and I am worried about too much poof, or not a good fit.  This diaper combats that by being available in two-sizes, and each version can be adjusted for two different sizes.  Perfect!  A little variation works great, you don't end up wondering how you are going to fold down all the extra fabric.  Also with fit, this diaper has great elastic around the legs that doesn't leave any red marks on my girl's skinny thighs, and the rise is not so high that she looks like she is wearing hip waders to go fishing. 

I also like the softness of the fabric, and the fact that both ends of the pocket are open so that the insert(s) will agitate out in the wash so I don't have to pull them out prior to washing.  The diaper does a great job wicking away moisture from my girl's sensitive newborn skin and she appears perfectly comfortable wearing them.  I tend to like the hook and loop closures, but do get a little annoyed by having to stick them to the laundry tabs in the middle of the Bumgenius diapers I'm using.  I like this diaper as the laundry tabs are directly below the tabs and they manage to stick themselves to the laundry tabs on their own as you are setting the diaper down during a change.  One less step for me which is always great.  After the change I can just throw the diaper into the pail without having to take the time to stick the tabs onto the laundry tabs (which I have to do with the Bumgenius.)

As for leaks, not a one!  She can be on her side, tummy, or back and I don't flinch as to wondering what she might pee on.  I am currently using the Bumgenius AIO fitted XS diaper, and leaks have been a problem as her legs are still on the skinny side at this weight.  I have to re-adjust several times when putting on those diapers to make sure I have the elastic tight enough around her legs.  With the Thirsties diaper I get it right the first time without much double-checking.  No leaks!!

The only cons are the poofy behind, and the fact that they are a pocket diaper and that requires stuffing the insert.  I personally don't like stuffing diapers, but I will say that I like these diapers enough that I am seriously considering adding some to my stash for once we grow out of the XS Bumgenius AIO, if I can get over the stuffing.

It's been over a month since I've posted anything, as baby girl decided to join us a little early, so much time has been spent this past month in hospitals, bed rest, etc.  But she is home now and growing like a little weed!  Mom and baby are both doing great. 

That leads me to this post.  The plan was to do cloth diapers, however, since she was on the tiny side we had no choice but to start out with disposables.  So which did we prefer?  Huggies or Pampers?  Pampers.  The Huggies leaked, and just didn't fit as well.  Also, the fasteners came undone by themselves.  The Pampers Swaddlers fit her better, never leaked, and the fasteners stayed put where we put them.  Hubby and this petite mama both agree that Pampers won this battle.