Cloth 101: Fitteds

When looking into diapers, many people want to know what is the absolute BEST diaper of a certain style. This post is to show you why you can't really select one "best" diaper... there are many designs for the same type of diaper! This post will show you a couple "fitted" diapers.

Before I continue, I would like to apologize that the only fitteds I have left anymore are pretty much the same style. I will show a few older photos I have from when Bobble was younger, and also mention a few other styles that I don't have anymore.

Fitted diapers are full diapers that still need some sort of waterproof cover (such as wool covers, PUL/TPU covers, fleece covers, etc.) to be complete. The benefit to fitted diapers is that the entire diaper is absorbent, not just a strip between your child's legs. If you find yourself in search of a night time solution that won't leave your child's bedding damp in the morning, these might be your solution! Imagine a diaper with just the strip between your child's legs being completely saturated. If they roll over or shift positions, that pressure on the insert will cause liquid to seep out. Odds are, that will go to their clothing and bedding. In a fitted, the entire diaper is absorbent. Not only is that less likely due to the fact the liquid can spread out (thus, less concentrated in one area!), but if there is pressure applied in one spot, it just seeps into other parts of the diaper. I really wish I had discovered fitteds sooner!

(There are also hybrid fitteds that have a layer of material sewn inside to help keep moisture inside the diaper. These are not completely waterproof, though they can be worn without a cover longer than those that do not have this feature. I am not covering any of these hybrid diapers in this post.)

TotsBots Stretch Bamboozle on left, Sustainablebabyish Overnight Bamboo Fitted on right

 

 Thirsties Fab Fitted (above left and right)

The two brands of fitted diapers I still have and use are TotsBots Bamboozle (left) and Sustainablebabyish (S'bish) Overnight Bamboo Fitted (OBF for short). I also use S'bish Happy Little Clouds (HLC), but I didn't have two to show open and closed, so that will be below.

TotsBots Bamboozle - This diaper is available in a size 1 and size 2. There are adjustable rise snaps, and the wonderfully durable TotsBots aplix closure. The booster snaps in, held by a pair of snaps in the front of the diaper. More absorbency can be added between the cover and the fitted, or a smallish booster could be placed under the snap-in inset inside the fitted. This diaper is possibly the trimmest fitted I've ever used, but holds a ridiculously huge amount of moisture. It's also very soft.

Sustainablebabyish OBF - These diapers also have snaps to hold the insert to the diaper, though the insert is much longer and can be folded to boost absorbency in different areas. There are cross-over snaps to help get a good fit, but these diapers are sized, so you won't find rise snaps. While the can hold a lot, the material is rather stiff around the edges where it is serged (like the legs), and that seems like it would be uncomfortable on baby. My little one ended up with the stiff material around the leg elastics sticking straight out, pushing into her thighs. That aside, I loved how these diapers worked. If trimness under clothing is a concern of yours, you might not like this diaper.

The above 4 pictures are all the Sbish HLC. The two two show with the front up, the bottom two show with the front folded down (for shorter babies)


S'bish HLC - This diaper is almost identical to the S'bish OBF. The differences are the outer diaper material and the sizing/adjusting. For the material, the insert that snaps in is the same as the HLC, while the outer material is a very stretchy and soft material (much like the Bamboozle). This eliminated the only complaint I had with the S'bish OBF. This diaper, like the OBF, is sized... but differently. The OBF has sizes XS through XL while the HLC have only two sizes. Size 1 fits from 7-15 lbs, and size 2 fits from 15-35lbs. To make these diapers adjust a bit to accommodate baby, the HLC has both cross-over snaps and the option to fold down the front of the diaper. Inside the diaper there are more snaps, allowing you to effectively shorten the rise of the diaper (See bottom two pictures of the HLC shown above.)

Thirsties Fab Fitted - This fitted is super soft and easily one of the most pleasant diapers I've ever touched. It has rise snaps (visible at the pictures shown at the top of the post) and a stay dry material that goes against baby. Not many fitteds that I've encountered have a stay dry material! These diapers have the option of a snap or aplix closure (please note that the aplix closure pictured in this post is their old aplix. Their new aplix is wider and more durable), and their snap closure diapers do have a cross-over snap. These are offered in size 1 (6-18lbs) and size 2 (18-40lbs). For added absorbency, you can easily slide a booster or doubler into the tunnel created by the way the diaper is sewn (see above picture). The only down side to this diaper is that the absorbent material is all microfiber. If you're not a fan of microfiber, you're not going to want this diaper.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

Cloth 101: Washing and Prepping in a Front Loader

You've decided on cloth diapering, but now you're staring at a bunch of unprepped diapers and a high-efficiency front-loading washer. What to do now?! No worries! Grab your diapers, your detergent, and get ready to prep (and wash)!

To start, you want to make sure that you know how to prep your diapers. Man-made materials need to be prepped differently than natural materials such as bamboo, hemp, or cotton, so make sure you look to see what your diapers are made of before you go any further.

All your diapers will come with different washing instructions, so make sure to read what is recommended by the manufacturer to start. Any covers and microfiber items only need one wash and they are good to go. Easy-peasy! If you have natural material items, you'll want to do multiple washes to take the natural oils off of the materials (these oils can prevent the material from absorbing liquid, and if you accidentally wash with other diapers before these are prepped, they can get on the other diapers and cause repelling). Depending on the brand, you could see recommendations for anywhere from 3 to 7 washes before first use. I always try to do at least 5 washes, but the more they get washed, the more absorbent they will become. If you only have a couple of natural items to prep, you can wash them with loads of clothes or towels (whichever you wash on hot) so you don't feel like you're wasting water.

Your wash routine is going to be the trickier aspect of washing your diapers because no one way will work for everyone. There are many variables to take into consideration when coming up with your wash routine. First, you want to know your water type. This will determine how much detergent you need to use. The harder your water, the more detergent you need to use each wash. Once you know what type of water you have, you'll want to pick your detergent. Different diaper manufacturers recommend different types of detergent. The important thing to remember is that a cloth-diaper safe detergent will not void warranties on diapers. If you opt to use a commercial detergent, this may void a warranty, so take that into consideration!

Everyone seems to have a variation on a cloth diaper washing routine, but the basic routine seems to be:

1. Pre-rinse (cold) with partial amount of detergent
2. Wash (hot) with detergent
3. Rinse (warm) without detergent

Here are some tips to get your diapers the cleanest you can:

• Rinse and/or knock solid waste out of diapers before adding to diaper pail or wetbag 
• If your child is exclusively breastfed, you don't need to rinse the diaper (though this can prevent staining) 
• If your child sleeps for extended periods of time, the diapers can have a stronger smell to them. Rinsing these diapers before putting in a wetbag or diaper pail will help cut down on smell

•  Dissolve your powdered detergent in a bit of hot water before adding to the washer 
• Dissolving your detergent before adding to your wash helps prevent buildup on the diapers from any granuals that might not have gotten fully dissolved

• In HE FL washers, the more delicate the cycle, the more water it will use 
• HE washers are designed to use less water, but that isn't helpful when washing cloth diapers! Since there is no agitator in an HE FL washer, the clothes are expected to beat against other clothing items to get clean. There will be more friction if there is less water. To be more gentle on delicates (less friction), the machine adds more water when more delicate cycles are selected. This is great for washing diapers!

• If you have a button to select soil level, select 'heavily soiled' to make sure you still get a good clean! 
• Some machines have an "extra water" or "water plus" button. If your machine has one of these, use it for your cloth!

• Wash 12-18 diapers per load 
• If you find that you have a significant amount of suds and have to rinse a lot after your wash cycle, try adding a few more diapers to your load next time or using a little bit less soap. Any time you add/remove a significant amount of diapers to your wash, remember it could alter the rest of your routine (might need more/less soap to make sure they get clean).

• Sun, sun, sun! 
• The sun can be your best friend! Not only will the sun help take away stains, but it does a great job disinfecting/sterilizing your diapers, too!

Once you find what routine works best for you, stick with it! HE FL Machines can do a fantastic job cleaning cloth diapers!

** This does not apply to wool covers **

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post may contain affiliate links. 

Cloth 101: Boiling to Prep

If you have found yourself with only one or two natural items that need to be prepped, you've likely heard about boiling them to prep. This is a quick little info post on boiling.

• Do not boil anything that has snaps or PUL. Boiling will ruin these items. If you are looking to boil something, it should be only material (a wipe, a flat, an insert, etc).

• Do not boil bamboo. Bamboo is not as durable as hemp, and you will shorten the life of your item. Can it be done? Yes. Will it instantly disintegrate? No. Do you want to shorten the life of your bamboo? Probably not... so it's best to just not boil that one. 

• Do not boil wool!

• Do not boil any man-made materials. I know your microfiber might get smelly and it might seem like a good idea, but don't. It is not made to hold up in temperatures like that, nor will it.

Okay, not that we've gone through what you shouldn't do, how about what you should?

To prep your natural item via boiling:

1. Get a large pan of water and bring it to a boil
2. Add items to boiling water (make sure there is plenty of water to cover said items) and boil for 20 minutes
3. Remove items using tongs and place in a bowl (or directly in washer after draining water out). 
• They will be HOT. Do not place them in a bowl and then try to use your hands to put them in the washer. (Sounds like common sense, I know... but yet it still slipped my mind. I'm just trying to save you from a burned finger!) 
4. Wash on 1 hot wash with detergent with something like towels (NOT diapers). This wash will remove the oils that may have stuck to the fabric as you drained/removed them from the pan. You don't want those oils on the other diapers!)
5. Dry and then use!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post may contain affiliate links.

Cloth 101: Diaper Covers

When looking into diapers, many people want to know what is the absolute BEST diaper of a certain style. This post is to show you why you really can't select one "best" diaper... there are many designs for the same type of diaper! This post will show you the variation between just a few of the many different styles of diapers covers.

                             Rumparooz                                Flip                               Blueberry

Rumparooz (Far left)
Rumparooz (OS) have a very stretchy material, making them ideal for covering any sort of diaper (including even the bulkiest of fitteds). They have elastic at the top of the diaper in both front and back, creating a snug fit for any body type, and the double gussets around the legs keep in messes like a champ. The waist and hip snaps are directly above one another, and there are rise snaps to adjust for baby while they grow.

Flip (Center)
Flip (OS) covers are also stretchy. They only have elastic along the top back section of the diaper, but they do have a flap to put the flat/prefold/insert in to hold it down. Due to the lack of elastic in the front, sometimes the material stuffed into the diaper pushes the flap up a wee bit and can cause it to poke out over the top of the diaper. This can cause small leaks or wicking of moisture. This is easily avoided by not overstuffing or by making sure the snaps are creating a snug fit around baby's waist, though it might not allow for enough absorbency for nighttime use. Flips only have the single bit of elastic around the leg, hip and waist snaps immediately above one another, and rise snaps to adjust as baby grows. They don't always cover all parts of some brands of fitted diapers. These covers are ideal for padfolding/trifolding.

Trifolded prefold in a Flip cover

Blueberry (Far right)
Blueberry (OS) covers also provide a good amount of stretch in their material. They have elastic along the top back of their diaper (not in the front at the top), and double gussets. They have off-set waist and hip snaps (meaning they snap at a slight angle to allow for more room in the hip than in the waist), and rise snaps to adjust while baby grows. The diapers also will cover even the bulkiest of fitteds, making them ideal for nighttime use as well as daytime.

These all perform the same function of covering a diaper, but they are designed (and fit) differently. These are just THREE of the many different covers out there, too! Different diaper covers fit different body types in different ways, and they also cover different types of diapers in different ways, so it is best to think about what features mean the most to you before investing in a large quantity of any one brand. If possible, it's best to try out a variety of styles before settling on only one type of diaper.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post may contain affiliate links.

Cloth 101: AIO diapers

When looking into diapers, many people want to know what is the absolute BEST diaper of a certain style. This post is to show you why you really can't select one "best" diaper... there are many designs for the same type of diaper! This post will show you the variation between just a few of the many different styles of AIO diapers.

GroVia

 Above you can see the Grovia AIO diapers. They have rise snaps to adjust for a growing baby, and the absorbent part of the diaper is attached. There is a snap in booster that can attach to the underside. These diapers are side-snapping.

Totsbots

 

Above are the v3 Totsbots Easyfits. They came with a liner (far right), and have one long tongue that can be stuffed into the diaper (seen on left) or that could be folded to rest atop the diaper. They have rise snaps to adjust for baby's size. These diapers can be stuffed with extra absorbency, or left as-is. These diapers have some of the sturdiest aplix you will ever find.

Blueberry

This is a sized Blueberry AIO (simply because my OS is a bit stained inside). It has openings on both ends of the diaper to stuff the absorbent tongue and any extra boosters you might want. The tongue agitates out in the wash. This particular diaper is side-snapping. Below is a picture of the (exterior) of a Blueberry OS AIO. The diaper also has dual openings and the tongue agitates out, but the material inside is natural and not a stay-dry material. You can see the rise snaps on the diaper and it is not side-snapping.

As you can see, these three brands are all very different from one another, but they all are AIOs. THREE of the many different AIO diapers out there! Some AIOs have the absorbent part completely sewn down (so they don't create "tongues" - these take much longer to dry). Different diapers fit different body types in different ways, so it is best to think about what features mean the most to you before investing in a large quantity of diapers. If possible, it's best to try out a variety of styles before settling on only one type of diaper.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post may contain affiliate links.

Cloth 101: Pocket Diapers

When looking into diapers, many people want to know what is the absolute BEST diaper of a certain style. This post is to show you why you really can't select one "best" diaper... there are many designs for the same type of diaper! This post will show you the variation between just a few of the many different styles of pocket diapers.

Each diaper in the picture is shown with an open version of the same diaper below it.

The far left diaper is a (new) FuzziBunz OS (large). You can see that there are no rise snaps on the diaper. There are adjustable elastics in both the waist band and the legs that allow for you to adjust the fit for your baby. This pocket diaper stuffs in the back, and the diaper has a cross-over snap on the tabs to allow for a tighter fit on your little one.

The middle diaper is an AppleCheeks (Size 2) Envelope cover (can be used as a cover, can be stuffed like a pocket). This diaper doesn't have adjustable elastics or rise snaps, as it is a sized diaper and fits from between 15-20 lbs up to 35-40 lbs (really, it depends on if your little one is short and chunky or long and lean as to how long they wear the size). This diaper stuffs 2/3 of the way back, and the inserts agitate out in the wash thanks to this design. You can see the diaper bunches in the front at the top from elastic. This feature is fabulous if you have a tummy sleeper because it prevents the inserts from pushing the material out (thus, wicking and creating leaks). *AppleCheeks size 1 will fit from birth, and they recently released a size 3 which fits up to 60 lbs

The far right diaper is a Rumparooz OS diaper. This diaper stuffs from the back, and has sewn in double gussets to help contain messes. It has a snap-down rise to adjust for different sized babies. The waist and hip snaps on this diaper are directly above one another, unlike the off-set snaps of the other two diapers. That does not change the functionality, however, as this diaper is made of a stretchy enough material that it is easy to snap the top snap in one tighter (or looser) than the hip snap.

As you can see, these three diapers are all very different from one another, but they all get stuffed. And think about it: These are just THREE of the many different pocket diapers out there! Different diapers fit different body types in different ways, so it is best to think about what features mean the most to you before investing in a large quantity of diapers. If possible, it's best to try out a variety of styles before settling on only one type of diaper.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post may contain affiliate links.

Earth's Best Diapers & Wipes giveaway!

Would you like to try out Earth's Best training pants (or) disposable Diapers and Chlorine-free wipes? Here's your chance! Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Earth's Best Disposable Diapers

The following review was written by a guest-blogger, Deanne.

After reading the package of the Earth’s Bestdisposable diapers and looking at the Earth’s Best website, I was pretty excited to try the diapers out on my baby. 

While I most often use cloth on my son, we do sometimes use disposables while we are going to be out of the house or for the church nursery on Sundays. Most of the diapers we have tried, either give Eli a rash, or they just don’t absorb enough pee! The Earth’s Best website says that their diapers are “chlorine-free, are made with fewer petro-chemicals, are latex and dye-free and contain natural materials such as wheat and corn”. So that, along with the suggested retail price, made me think that these must be WAY better than the diapers we have been using. 

 

With much anticipation, I opened the package of diapers and pulled one out. I was immediately a little disappointed. It looked just like the “cheapie” store-brand diapers you can get at Wal-mart or Target. I pulled the diaper open and sniffed it. It smelled just like a “cheapie” diaper too! You know that smell…kind of like formaldehyde? Now, I don’t know if there is actually formaldehyde in these diapers or even other brands, all I know is that “cheapie” diapers have that smell. I decided to try them out on Eli anyway. 

 

I put the diaper on, and since I have a somewhat skinny baby, I tried to overlap the tabs. They would NOT stick at all! The side panels of the diaper are nice and stretchy though, so I just didn’t pull them as tight and stuck the tabs down on the “strip” on the diaper instead. They stuck, but not as tight as some other brands I have used. It still fit well enough on my skinny babe, and there were no gaps around his legs. I would say that these diapers fit true to the weight range on the package. Eli is about 16lbs and I used a size 3 diaper on him, which says it fits from 16-28lbs.

 

A few hours later, before Eli’s nap, I changed him and was pleasantly surprised that he wasn’t sopping wet! Normally, if I leave him in a disposable diaper for more than an hour, the diaper is either bulging with pee, or his clothes are already wet. After a few more changes throughout the day, the Earth’s Best diapers continued to prove themselves to be super absorbent. During the week that we used them, we only had 2 leaks, both of which were caused by Eli drinking a huge amount of liquids. He also did not break out in any rashes during our trial run!

So in conclusion, this is my list of pros and cons for Earth’s Best Chlorine Free diapers:

Pros:

• No chlorine
• Fewer petro-chemicals
• Dye and Perfume-Free
• Super absorbent
• Didn’t cause a rash

Cons:

• Tabs do not overlap for skinny babies
• Looks cheap
• Smells cheap
• Has a high price-tag  

 

I would not personally buy these diapers again, as they are just out of my price-range. But, if you are very concerned about chlorine, dye and perfume, and you aren’t concerned about price, these might be a good buy for you! 

 Disclosure: Sample(s) were received for the purpose of testing and review, but this did not sway the opinion on the products. These opinions are Deanne's own and may differ from those of your own.