Sunbaby Diapers, Bumgenius, Blueberry, Green Moutain Diapers, Thirsties, Bummis, Econobum, itti bitti, Twinkletoes Diapers: Reviews

So....one month! Paige is one month and a few days old today. After beginning my foray into cloth diapering I decided to just get some thoughts down here. We've tried several different diapers now and I'm starting to decide which ones I've come to love and the ones that just are not working.

I'll first start by saying that she's been mostly breastfed, but with the occassional formula bottle recently due to some belly issues that we're working on. She she's had mostly that great, sort of gross, yellow and 'splosey sort of poop that can get everywhere. I'm happy to report that the the blowouts have been few and far between and have actually only had the first leaks within the past couple of days.

I'll first start out with the diapers that have been the biggest let downs for me. 

itti bitti d'lish:

Oh, these are the softest, most luxurious diapers that exist anywhere. I used to walk into the nursery before she was born just to give these diapers a little rub. The outside is that wonderful minky stuff. It's an all-in-one diaper (the only AIO we bought) and there is a bamboo insert sewn into the diaper on the inside.

Well, the diaper is sort of strange fitting on her right now. Obviously she really is just an itti bitti at this point (she's less than 10 pounds), but the diaper is a size small and she's already wearing it snapped on it's wider settings. There's just too much gap at the legs when the waist is adjusted properly. One of our very few blowouts happened in an itti bitti. I also don't care for how long it takes to dry. I knew going into the AIO purchase that a downside is the drying time. But I don't know how people make their entire diaper stash out of AIOs since it takes SO long for it to dry. We had ours hanging outside all day and then inside all night and it still felt damp the next morning. She's worn these diapers so few times- and only because of how long it takes to dry. they're out of rotation every other load of laundry.

So I'm disappointed overall with these wonderfully soft diapers. I'll keep trying them to see if she grows into them better. I also own one in Medium size, so perhaps she'll fill out the leg holes better for that phase.

Here's an action shot:

Of all the diapers I own so far, the itti bitti is the only one I've made an official decision not to buy again.

So for the rest of the reviews I'll just divide them into two categories- pocket diapers and prefold/covers.

Prefold and covers:
Prefolds-
Green Moutain Diapers-

These are the prefolds I've been using. Green Mountain Diaper unbleached, orange-edged, newborn sized prefolds. Awesome, absorbent, fit her pretty much immediately. she was 8lbs at birth, slightly smaller coming home, and these were pretty much fitting her right away. I did have some trouble folding themwith the cord stump, but that was mostly my incompetence. I just didn't know how to fold a prefold. Once I got the hang of it the cord fell off. Had I had some practice before hand I think it wouldn't have been an issue.

Either way, these prefolds are soft, absorbent, and I'll be buying a few more in the next size. I do prefer pockets so far, but I really to like having the prefolds because they keep me assured that I won't run out of diapers. I know it seems like a strange reason. And I do diaper laundry every 2-3 days, with plenty of pockets to get me through most of the time. But I prefer knowing I have these on hand JUST in case. I also still use them pretty regularly. I feel like they contain poop diapers better than a pocket when you fold it just right, but admittedly, I'm still perfecting the folds. Sometimes I can get the 'poop pocket' perfect, and if she has a poop-slosion it's contained without a problem. Othertimes it just misses and the poop manages to get everywhere in the diaper. I'll get back in a few months and see if I get any better.

Thirsties Duo Wrap

So far, this cover is my favorite as far as overall performance is concerned. It has always fit the best from day one. I know many diapers boast that they will fit from a certain poundage on, but that's definitely not the case. These truly did fit from less than 8 pounds. I love the double leg gussets, although I do admit that my covers and diapers without the double gussets still perform pretty much just as well. I feel better knowing the double gussets are there, though. The cover itself is lightweight and fits her with plenty of room to grow. The duo is one of two sizes and I know it's meant to go up to 18 pounds or something like that, so I also feel like it's relatively economical. I wouldn't mind making my entire stash out of these covers- that is if I could settle for their sort of boring color selection and could also curb my obession with drying different sorts of diapers.

I have two of these in velcro and two in snaps. I ordered most of my diapers in snaps, thinking that snaps would be better for the one-sized things that would stand up to a toddler trying to undress better than velcro might. But I'm shocked to admit that velro is definitely much preferred right now. In hindsight, I'd get all velcro for any diapers being used on a newborn.

Action shot:

Bummis Super Whisper Wrap:

I have two of these and was so glad that I did.I got them in Newborn size and they were absolutely the best fitting cover for a few weeks. I was concerned that they only have the single gussets on the legs, but never once did we have a leak. I also think of all the covers we have, these have the nicest FEEL to them. They're a heavier weight sort of material, and to me that means that they feel like they're better quality. I'm not sure what my brain translates this to mean better, but it does.

They're still fitting at almost 10 lbs, so I'm very content with this purchase. I'd recommend these covers to anyone interested in prefolds.

Again, their color selection is boring, but that's definitely outweighed by their awesome performance for the newborn phase.

Bummis Super Brights

A surprising Cinderella story.

I didn't care for this cover at first, but that was because it was too big. I got this in a size small but for our very newborn, it didn't fit at all. I felt like it was inferior to the Whisper Wrap since this is made of a lighter material and just wasn't working. The double gussets made me long to use it, but it definitely didn't actually suit her until she was a few weeks old. Over the last week or two I have found this is a cover I reach for over the others. I love the velcro, the double gussets and the fit. So far, no leaks at all in this cover.

Highly recommend, but I would absolutely look into Newborn size diapers if you plan to use this on a newborn.

Twinkletoes Diapers:

These are just adorable. I LOVE the variety of patterns that this shop offers, and I love the fact that they're one-sized even more. I was able to wear them on her when she was still very new- less than 8 pounds. I love the double leg gussets.

I did NOT love how the black start diaper washed- it pills very strangely and looks sort of yucky after a wash or two. I also have been reaching for my velcro covers before snaps lately, which doesn't exclude just these diapers. Overall, they're cute and functional, but I'm not loving the material that these two are made of. The black diaper shows the weird wear way more than the lighter color. But for 11 bucks a cover I would still recommend to someone interested in a better variety of patterns than what is offered by the bigger name companies.

Econobum:

I'm not sure you can get a more basic diaper cover. It's one-size, which is awesome. Single gusset. Obviously the colors are very basic- white with colored trim- and a small selection of colors. But this cover is deceptive. I was ready to dislike it for all it's simplicity. But it actually works really, really well. It's got a strange stretch to the material that makes the fit snug and secure, and we've been happy to have no leaks whatsoever. i'd recommend the cover to anyone. Admittedly, though, I did get a prefold with this diaper that I don't like. I only used it once so I can't give a good enough review. But it didn't fit anywhere near as nicely as the GMD prefolds do so I just put it aside and sort of forgot about it.

This cover is awesome though!


On to Pocket diapers.

I'm definitely a fan of pocket diapers. So many people told me that they thought they'd prefer pockets but fell in love with prefolds that I wondered whether my instincts would deceive me. But nope. I like them. I like that they're one, simple piece after you stuff them. I like that you can add hemp or doublers or other things as needed. I like that you don't have to mess with putting on two separate things when you have a crying, pissed off baby. I like that they seem to come in so many different color and pattern options, and that since they're a one-time use thing I have a reason to have so many different diapers. I mean, I can't really justify buying 24 covers when you can reuse covers over and over for just pee.

The brand we have are Blueberry, Bumgenius, and Sunbaby.

So far they have all worked so well. Sunbaby is definitely the trimmest, even the Size two verisons. BG and BB are both wider in the crotch and they don't offer the leg snap that Sunbaby does. Here are some comparison pictures.

From left to right- Sunbaby, BG, BB

My favorites have definitely been the Sunbaby diapers. The patterns are adorable. So far, I really enjoy how trim they are. The BG and BB both fit her, but since she's still so small the wider crotch area bunches up much more on her. Despite the size, though, none of them have been a problem for leaks.

I do admit that the BB diapers do somehow FEEL like the're a better diaper as far as material or quality is concerned, but I wouldn't expect anything less of a 25 dollar diaper. The inserts are SUPER soft- I mean, even after washing they have a much nicer, softer texture. But the inserts aren't going against their bum anyway so I know it's sort of an irrelevent advantage. The Sunbaby diapers, while they're just as absorbent and work great, seem to pill a little and definitely don't wash as nicely. They just don't look as pretty as the BB on the inside of the shell. Again, not really an issues since you don't SEE the inside of the diaper. But I am just covering all the things I've noted.

So let me get some of the individual differences down:

Sunbaby Diapers-

Love them...Probably will be buying more if the patterns or colors strike my fancy.

They are trim, absorbent, and we've had no leaks. I love that there is a leg snap because it makes the fit so much nicer. They come with one very basic microfiber insert, but I ordered extra inserts when I bought them. These diapers come in Size1 and size 2 (both are are one-sized diapers, but Size 1 is for skinny babies, size two is for chunky babies). Both Size 1 and Size two diapers fit Paige already. I'm not sure I see much a difference in the sizes.

I'll recommend these diapers until the cows come home!!

Bumgenius 4.0

Love these diapers, too. I like that there is also two inserts with these- a one-size, and a newborn. I've been using the one-size insert already, though. The newborn was fine for a couple of weeks, but the one-size insert fits into the shell on the smallest setting without a problem so I don't see any reason not to use it. 

The only drawback to this brand is that they have few patterns and the colors are sort of boring. That is something I like about cloth diapers- the possibilities to tap into my aesthetic side a little. When the color of diapers bores me it makes it hard to LOVE a diaper fully. 

Blueberry:

Pretty damn nice.

I hate admitting that the most expensive diaper I own is one of the better ones. I don't like admitting it when you get what you pay for means that you need to shell out money for nice things. But this diaper proves that sometimes, paying more DOES mean you get nicer things.

The cheaper diapers in my stash certainly do perform just a nicely as this diaper- but the FEEL of this diaper is definitely where the difference lies. The material is softer and feels stronger. I've had no leaks, and the designs are really pretty. it also comes with a newborn insert and one-sized, but I don't like how the one-size fits in the smallest setting of the diaper so I'm still using the newborn insert. She's starting to have heavier pees though so that won't last much longer. I'd love to have more of these, but I definitely can't afford to make it my whole collection. If money is no object to you, though, the Blueberry pocket diaper is definitely an option you should consider.

And some random diaper shots:

That's all for now!!

Cloth Diaper a Newborn- 1 week old

Allow me to first introduce Paige-

She was born on February 21st, 2012, weighing 8 lbs even and was 20 inches long. She was much bigger than her older sister was at birth, and even the doctor laughed and asked where I was hiding all that baby. I know 8 pounds isn't very big as far as babies go, but for me it certainly seemed huge.

I figured I would write a quick post about our experiences with cloth diapers so far. My plan was to  use cloth from the first day home from the hospital. I bought a newborn-sized stash separate from the one-sized stash that we'll hopefully start using soon. I didn't buy any disposables beforehand, even though I was unsure if this was a good idea. I figured in the very least, I'd take home the rest of the pack from the hospital and have those.

Well, first of all, I definitely enjoy the diapers. If I'm being honest, prefolds intimidated me a lot. I couldn't get the hang of it while practicing on stuffed animals and I was nervous about trying to learn on a squirmy, scrunchy newborn. And the first couple of days were rough, I won't lie.

I couldn't figure out how to maneuver the cover and fold the prefold in a way that worked with her legs still so scrunched up to her body and the umbilical stump still attached. It seemed that no matter what I did I was irritating that damn stump. I tried different folds and nothing seemed to work, so for the first couple of days I settled on just tri-folding the prefold and laying it in the cover. It worked, but I found that poop was ALWAYS on a cover that way so we wound up going through covers like crazy. I was doing wash a couple of a times a day just for those.

We did use the disposables a couple of times while washing was being done. It was these first couple of days home that made me realize I definitely should have a pack of disposables on hand.  I wasn't going to 'cave' because disposables were easier and that no matter what, I loved using the cloth at this point. Having them wasn't going to somehow ruin the love. But running out of diapers, however, would be a disaster of a different kind, so I went out and picked up some sposies for the just in case situations. I'm glad I did, even though I've only used one of them since I bought the package. I feel better knowing that I won't somehow be stuck waiting on laundry to wash and dry. I should have just gone with my gut instinct to begin with but on the advice of many people I didn't. Oh well, live and learn, I guess!

So here's what I had for my stash-
2 Bummis super whisper wraps- Size NB

1 Bummis Super Bright-  Size Small

2 Thirsties Duo Wrap- Size 1



24 Green Mountain Diaper prefolds- Orange Edge Newborn size


And a few snappis.

Part of my one-sized collection is two diaper covers from the WAHM shop called Twinkletoes diapers. On their smallest setting, they have worked as covers already.

That's it! I also have some Sunbaby pocket diapers in Size 1 that may fit once the stump falls off, but as of right now they are definitely not working yet. They weren't really intended as part of the NB stash but I already had 12 size 2's so I decided to try some size 1's as well.


So out of all the covers, the Thirsties Duo covers work the best. I ordered two more, actually. They fit best and I like the double leg gussets. I wish that they were a little more- I don't know- fun, though. They're so boring and the selection of colors and designs is horrible.

The Bummis Super Bright is alright, but it seems a little wide for her as of yet.

The Bummis Super Whisper Wrap is actually my favorite of all of them, but I just don't like how there's only a single leg gusset. I'm positive that once her poops get more explosive, I'll have leaks more often than with other covers. For now they have worked great- but I haven't actually had any leaks at all yet. This cover just feels nicest. It's a little heavier and for some reason just feels like a higher quality than all the others.

I also am surprised to find that I like the velcro closures much more than snaps so far. This may change as she gets older, but the velcro has made life a ton easier. I opted for all snaps on the rest of the collection of diapers because I was worried about her being able to take her own diaper off as she got older, but I certainly would get velcro if I could somehow ensure that wouldn't happen.

Washing hasn't been a problem at all. The only issue, which I don't really care that much about, is that a couple of the diapers have stains from the meconium. I'm not overly worried about it at this point. The rest have washed wonderfully and I can't complain at all. We have been using Ecos Free and Clear, the same that we were using with Kayla's night diapers.

I guess that's pretty much it. I am really happy with how things are going so far. If I could do it again, I'd probably just keep some disposables on hand like I wanted to originally. Everything else has worked out pretty much to plan, and now that I'm getting the hang of the snappi situation I officially can say that I enjoy diapers as much as I thought I would.

I can't WAIT to rub the fact that it's working out in the faces of all the haters! To everyone who told me point blank that I would hate using them, and that they were disgusting, and that they thought I was weird. Yea, what now, nay-sayers?!

Here are a a couple of pictures I managed to take during the first few days:

These are a couple in her Thirsties Duo size 1 diaper cover and a GMD prefold. As you can see in the first one, they were perilously close to the cord stump and it drove me nuts. It looks really big, but there was never a leak.

 This is a Twinkletoes diaper cover and GMD prefold. It's a one-size cover but still fit her even i the first few days weighing under 8 pounds.

And since I wrote this originally, her cord fell off! YAY! And here's a picture in one of her itti bitti d'lish AIO diapers, size small. Fits pretty well! It's a tiny big big still but didn't leak when she had a breastmilk explosion in it so that's all I can ask for! Plus, these diapers are so unbelievably soft that I used to walk into the nursery just to rub them.