Diaper Service or Pocket Diapers?

I have tried a few different kinds and like the BumGenius the best. I suggest getting a sample package of different brands to see which style fits best. We started with Thirsties and then moved onto BumGenius. We now bought the one size fits all which fit great and will grow with her-saving money in the long run not having to buy new diapers! We have never tried using them at night since she hated be wet/dirty and would wake up from her naps. she isn't a good napper anyway. I really think the cloth diapers will help with potty training. Good Luck!

Hi L. - I didn't start with cloth until my daughter was 7 months, so I can't speak from personal experience. I've only heard that prefolds work well on newborns.

I have tried a lot of different diapers - prefolds, fitteds, and recently 5 different pocket diapers. I'm happy with them all, but my three favorites are Knickernappies with a hemp Loopidoos insert, Bum Genius, and Green Acres (in that order). They really aren't difficult to wash, so I'd say save the money and go for it yourself! Blessings!

Try a diaper service for the first 3 months to make sure you can handle the extra work of cloth diapers because they are much more work than disposables. We use cloth and I personally really like pocket diapers much more than all in ones. Fuzzy buns are by far my favorite but we also have some knickernappies that are really good. If you get pockets, get enough inserts for 1 per diaper, but then also get a handful of microfiber cloths that you can tri-fold to double the absorbency. It probably won't matter much in the very beginning, but it'll be helpful in the long run!

I used (still use) Fuzzi Bunz for my 2 kids. They worked pretty well. I only bought 3 sizes; (S, M, L) 18 of each size. I wash them myself. We have a very new washer and it gets them very clean with just mild detergent. We used disposables for the first 5 weeks or so because the Fuzzi Bunz were a little large and we had to change so often. I couldn't possibly keep up with the laundry in the first few weeks. I would double the insert for nap and overnight, but when my kids got mobile and started to sleep on their stomach, I switched to disposables for over night.

I have BumGenius and Mommy's Touch one-size all-in-ones and I've been happy with both. The BumGenius seem better designed, and if you order them from diapers.com, you can get 10% off your first order. There are usually promocodes in Parents magazines, or on the web.

That said, we used Baby Diaper Service with our daughter for the first 4 months, and were SOOOOO happy to have one less load of laundry. We are expecting again in May and will do the same thing with baby #2. If you have a Chinook Book, there's a coupon in there for 15% off your first 6 weeks or something like that. For keeping the cloth diaper shut we used SNAPPIS cloth diaper closures (a godsend, no pins!). We used ProRaps covers for the cloth diapers, Litewraps, and Bummis covers. The proraps were best when she was tiny, the bummis were best when she was in the chunky infant phase, and the litewraps were great for overnights and when she was a little bigger--we still use the LiteWraps large over her training underwear.

I really liked the cotton cloth diapers a lot and actually considered buying them before getting the AIOs because those are microfiber. Our daughter never had a diaper rash in the all cotton diapers. Of course her day care didn't do cloth, so disposables during the day and boom--her first diaper rash. It was never bad though.

The convenience of the AIOs, combined with the Grow-with-the-child sizing, made it an easy choice to use them. They wash very easily. I highly, HIGHLY recommend Charlie's Soap (online ordering only, as no stores in Seattle seem to carry it), it's very earth-friendly, concentrated (affordable), and rinses completely clean off the cloth diapers which is crucial for absorbency and to not irritate the baby's skin. Avoid the "unscented" and "free and clear" versions of the major soap brands, they're terrible for cloth diapers and leave residue that prevents absorption. Also, as I learned the hard way, full-strength Desitin is NOT cloth-diaper friendly! A&D ointment is.

Good luck with your new baby, and I hope you find a diapering solution that works for you. Remember that with the diaper service you just chuck the diaper in the pail they send you and use a fresh diaper. It's super easy.

PS, if you do a service: Check online for the best deals on diaper covers. ProRaps by Dy-Dee diapers in California were much less expensive than purchasing them from Baby Diaper Service. You should have 4-6 covers, as you can reuse them as long as the baby hasn't blown out. I also had good luck at Me N Moms consignment store in Ballard for diaper covers.

If you're interested, I teach a cloth diapering class "Adventures in Cloth Diapering" at Birth and Beyond (http://www.birthandbeyond.com) - the next one is on March 15th. In the class we cover the different styles available and what they work best for. You're right that BumGenius will usually be too big at birth.

We love BumGenius diapers. They are so easy and convient. We have even stopped using disposable when we are out and about because we like the cloth diapers so much better. We have one Fuzzi Bunz diaper that we use as well. I like the BumGenius because of the velcro, I find it easier to use than the snaps. I think it all depends on how big your baby is. My son was only 5 pounds when he was born. We started using the BumGenius when he was 7 pounds and haven't had a problem. The smallest size in the one size worked out well, and the velcro tabs can overlap each other if your baby is on the skinny side. My husband is the main washer and stuffer of diapers. He said the stuffing relaxes him, who would have thought. I would just spend the extra money on pocket diapers instead of the diaper service. Hope this helps.
Y.