Cloth Diapers-Part 2

My husband and I chose to do cloth diapers because they were the most affordable diaper route. We have a practical outlook on our spending, so anytime we can save money we jump on it! I must say so far Nolan has been pretty cheap since we use cloth diapers, he is breastfed, and now I am starting the process of making my own baby food. Believe me I know the expenses will catch up to me once he gets older. In my previous post, I talked about how I used prefolds. Prefolds are the most inexpensive way to have cloth diapers. Now I want to talk about the fancier type of cloth diapers. We decided to try two different types of cloth diapers: BumGenius and FuzziBunz. On our original purchase, we decided to get the one size fit all type so that we can use them throughout the whole diaper phase. Now when he was a newborn, these swallowed him so I just used the prefolds. Once he got a little bigger, I was able to adjust the sizes on these one size diapers to fit him. At first, I didn't like the BumGenius 4.0 due to the bulk of the insert. Then I changed it out with the extra insert that came with my FuzziBunz, and it fit much better. I strongly suggest using "pocket diapers" because you can stuff as many inserts into the diaper as you need especially for outings, naptime, or at night. I have heard that the all-in-ones take forever to dry because there is no insert to take out since it is all sewn together. We have no problem with the BumGenius 4.0 leaking, but I do see occasional wet spots from the FuzziBunz one size around the legs because little Nolan has skinny legs. However, the FuzziBunz have leg and waist adjustments built into the diaper so that can help adjust to the size of your baby. The BumGenius just has snaps that you adjust on the outside of the diaper. If you like a trimmer fit, I strongly suggest the FuzziBunz Perfect Size diapers. On Black Friday last year, I bought 3 size smalls for a great deal. Currently Nolan can still wear these, but he will be moving up to size medium in a month probably. Here is the BumGenius 4.0: FuzziBunz:

Here is a typical diaper day schedule for me:

• Change out overnight diaper (FuzziBunz or BumGenius double stuffed with 2 inserts)
  
• Put on prefold with a cover
  
• Change out for naptime diaper (FuzziBunz or BumGenius sometimes 1 or 2 inserts)
  
• After naptime diaper, put on prefold with cover
  
• Change prefold and cover to another one
  
• Change to naptime diaper (FuzziBunz or BumGenius 1 or 2 inserts
  
• After naptime diaper, put on prefold with cover
  
• Change prefold and cover to another one
  
• Put on nighttime diaper (FuzziBunz or BumGenius double stuffed with 2 inserts

Now obviously sometimes we could use less or more diapers depending on the day. Nolan is a heavy wetter so I do change him quite often. I love the prefolds because they are inexpensive however they don't wick away from the skin like the fancier cloth diapers, so I usually don't leave him in one of those too long. I own 24 prefolds, 3 size small perfect fit FuzziBunz, 3 BumGenius 4.o, and 2 one size FuzziBunz. I do not come anywhere close to using all the prefolds anymore now that he is older. I could probably go 3 days without washing his diapers, but I don't due to them getting yucky. At his age, I would suggest purchasing 12 prefolds and then 8-10 fancier cloth diapers of your choice. You could probably get away with less than that especially if your baby isn't a huge wetter, but it's nice to have the options.

We really love using cloth diapers and strongly recommend it. It can save you $2k-$3k or possibly more if you use them for multiple kids. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!