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If you are looking for cloth diapers that can comfortably fit both your six-month-old and your almost potty trained toddler, then Wonderoos Pocket Diapers may be just the thing for you.  The diaper consists of a fleece lined waterproof pocket, in which you insert the part that absorbs water.  Then you snap the completed diaper snuggly around your baby or toddler and off you go.

Wonderoos come in one size fits all, and that claim is almost true.  They really are too big for newborns.  But once the baby weighs around fifteen pounds, baby can wear them.  How big can baby get and still fit them?  Well, my 36 lb four-year-old wears them at night, and there’s still plenty of growing room.

They come in all sorts of bright colors, which can be fun for the children wearing them.  My girls like to match.  But they also come in plain white if that’s what you prefer.
They are convenient on the road, because once they are properly assembled, they go on and come off just like a disposable diaper.  The main difference, of course, is that you will then take them home, take them apart, and run them through the laundry.  If you have someone else care for your child, it’s easy to “train” that person to use the Wonderoos even if she has never used cloth diapers before.  I use my Wonderoos for day trips and family vacations, when before I used disposables.

I’ve definitely enjoyed mine and overall consider them to have been a worthwhile purchase.

Like many cloth diapers, you get the occasional leak, and that tends to be exacerbated if you have used any kind of diaper rash ointment on your little one as lotions and oils tend to make the fleece repel water.  That problem is solved by stripping, and after using my Wonderoos for over two years I’ve only had to do that once.  If the diaper gets too full, it will start to seep through the pocket, so you want to make sure you are on top of changing that little one.  Still, they can hold a decent amount before they give you problems.

My diapers are getting old, and the first place I’ve noticed it is that those elastics aren’t as snug as they used to be, and sometimes I’ve had the “wee” come out the sides, leaving an almost completely dry diaper (and a wet bed).  This happens sometimes when my baby is lying on her side.  I have used these diapers on two people for over two years, and continue to use them.  I mean, they have been through a lot.

Technorati Tags: cloth diaper, Wonderoos, pocket diaper, one size diaper

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Thirsties Fab Fitted Diapers are made from silky cotton velour on the outside and comfy soft microfleece on the inside to keep baby dry. Grab yourself a rainbow of FAB diapers!

What’s to like? Thirsties are very absorbant, super soft and very easy to use. My son is a super soaker, when the new Thirsties Fab Fitted’s came out I bought a few, then a week later I sold all of my other diapers and bought 12 more. We have never had a leak with these diapers. The whole diaper is so soft, both the outside and the insides have stayed just as soft over multiple washings as they were they day we bought them. The aplix closures make they really user friendly, even my 9 year old likes to change his diaper now! They also come in some really cute and fun colors. They also have matching covers that make our cloth diaper stash really pretty.

The only thing I do not like about these diapers is that the aplix laundry tabs don’t work very well. They come apart in the wash and stick to each other, but it hasn’t caused any problems for us.

Technorati Tags: cloth diaper, thirsties, fitted diaper, aplix, velour diaper

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I will admit I am not much of a hyena anymore. While I was going through cancer treatment my son started wearing disposable diapers (gasp!) and now he just wears the same old cloth he had before with only a few new ones that boring mom sewed for him. ;) . I  seem to have lost my inner diaper connoisseur. BUT I stumbled across a few diaper boutiques that had me salivating and I hadn’t done that in a VERY long time it seems. Unfortunately for me I am not the only one salivating over these diapers because I picked true hyena food (Hyena: A term for hard to get, popular diapers that are stalked by diaper hungry moms). AND strangely enough the diapers are prefolds which never really tempted me all that much…it appears that prefolds are back big time!

The first find was Peanut Butter and Ellie Baby. The mom owner makes beautiful prefolds called Grae Flats which have two layers of silky soft bamboo velour backed with a bamboo loop terry. They look scrumptious!

This particular site then brought me to the Sugarlump Boutique where the mom owner takes regular prefold diapers and dyes them mouth watering colors and embellishes them with fabric. Peanut Butter and Ellie Baby sent a couple Grae Flat samples to Sugarlump to get jazzed up and this was the result.

The prefolds at the top of this page are from Sugarlump Boutique and here are some more delectable designs:

Visit both of these stores to stock up…that is unless someone else beat ya to it!

Technorati Tags: cloth diaper, prefolds, Peanut Butter and Ellie Baby, Sugarlump Boutique, hyena diaper

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This is a training pant it’s just like the Happy Heiny pocket diapers.  The only real difference is that the trainers give you the option of both sides sewn shut, or snaps on one or both sides.  It is made out of the same materials as the pocket diaper.
I like that you are given the option of snaps or no snaps.  Also, you can make them as absorbant as you need….just one insert for day time accidents and as much as you need to use at night.  I use one happy heiny insert during the day.  At night I use one happy heiny insert plus one hemp prefold folded in thirds.  We have had no leaks yet.
The only things that I don’t really care for is how “puffy” they are and the sizing.  They are very puffy, my son doesn’t really complain about it, but his calls them the puffy’s!  The sizing could be a little closer to true size.  I had to order 2 different sizes before getting the right one.  My son weighs 34 lbs.  By the weight he should fit into the medium.  The medium about fell off him.  The smalls are the one that we finally got to fit.  They seem to be just right, but without much room for growing.  The bad part is that when he outgrows this size, he still won’t fit into the mediums for a while. I will also mention that there have been a few morning that I have noticed red marks on his hips where the snaps are.   It would be nice if the snaps were hidden is a way that would keep them away from his skin.

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Diaper Free Baby: The Natural Toilet Training Alternative by Christine Gross-Loh

I Like everything about this book and dislike nothing! It is a wonderful book!  The book explains in thorough detail the age old concept of Elimination Communication (also called Natural Infant Hygiene).  The author talks about the history of EC and how it’s been around for ages in various parts of the world-  even before the diaper came to be.  She even notes that in some countries, a baby never even sees a diaper!  She then goes on to explain how one can begin trying EC for themselves.  She candidly discusses with such clarity and wisdom why one should consider ECing  and then she breaks it down according to age and amount of time one wants to commit to EC. She begins with ECing  a newborn 0- 3months, Middle Infancy 3-8 months, ECing your mobile baby and then ECing your toddler. 

The book is wonderfully written and it includes many testimonials from parents and other caregivers who practice EC.  They comment on various aspects of EC’ing wh ether it be age (advantages and disadvantages), common struggles, or the amount of time one is able to commit to EC’ing their little one and how it works for them. 

The author is wonderful in that she explains how to EC at any age, and for any amount of time without any judgment or bias thus making one feel completely comfortable if they are a “late” starter who only practices ECing occasionally or part time.  She says to try it for a week and see what happens.   Prior to reading this book, I thought I’d need to meet with others who practiced EC before being able to start.  This book has proven that I can go it alone and has been extremely helpful to me in beginning my own ECing journey with my baby. If I were going to read only one book on the topic of EC, this book would be it!

Buy Now!

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There is an exciting new service for ‘green’ parents in the US; Thanksgiving Day saw the launch of www.myuseddiapers.com, an auction site specifically for washable cloth diapers. Over 6,000 auctions have completed since April ‘07 on their UK sister site www.usednappies.co.uk and their customers are delighted with this new facility enabling them to recycle and reuse their babies washable cloth diapers once they’ve finished with them.

As a company, they feel strongly that reselling/reusing cloth diapers is doubly eco-friendly and believe that there are huge benefits to babies, buyers, sellers and of course, the environment. Cloth diapers often have lots of use left in them once little ones have finished with them; sellers get to auction them to raise some extra cash and buyers can get some great deals (and parents new to cloth diapers get the opportunity to try them out at a lower cost than buying new). It’s a win-win situation!

They have swiftly built a reputation for excellent customer service and love to hear from their customers. Testimonials can be found on their UK site at here.

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Like many natural parents you may have taken a stance in the great diapering debate and decided that the comforts and benefits of cloth diapers for baby and planet win out. Now that this important decision has been made it is time to decide what type of cloth diapers you will use and start building your diaper stash. The choices are endless…prefolds, pockets, AIOs, and fitted diapers are just a few of your options. Add to that the choices you have for different fabric prints, colors, and textures and your head might start to spin. For many moms this decision also includes finding the most cost effective cloth diapering system available. Cloth diapers don’t have to require an expensive initial investment.

Even the most expensive cloth diapers are a more frugal choice in the long run compared to disposable diapers but when you see several cloth diaper brands selling for upwards of $17 a diaper, that pack of disposable diapers for only $14.99 starts to sound like the better deal. So what can moms on a more modest budget do? Here are some ideas:

Prefolds - A Classic Diaper Choice

Prefold diapers are probably what your mother or grandmother used. They are flat diapers with layers of fabric quilted together with a larger and more absorbent portion running down the middle. They can be folded in many different ways to increase efficiency and they are usually secured with pins, a Snappi, or a wrap style, diaper cover. Prefolds are typically the least expensive choice in cloth diapers, costing in the area of $15-$20 per dozen. They are affordable, very absorbent, easy to clean, and quick to dry. Since these diapers are not waterproof they do require a diaper cover to contain but even with the extra “pieces” you need for prefolds they are still a tried and true favorite among frugal moms.

Used Cloth Diapers

One of the great things about cloth diapers is that they have resale value and the used diaper market is growing more and more every day. This is great news for you because it means you can sell your used diapers to recoup some of your money after your diapering days are long gone. It is also great because it means that if you are in the market to buy you can get some great deals on previously loved cloth diapers. A diaper that retails for nearly $20 may be purchased used for a fraction of the original price. Buying used allows you to try out several different diapering systems cheaply so that you can experiment and decide which system works best for you. Used diapers can be found on diapering forums and message boards and on local lists such as Craigslist and Freecycle.

Sew Your Own Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers can be made out of a variety of materials so get creative and sew some truly unique and affordable creations yourself. Check bargain bins at your local fabric store or see if you have any used clothing or blankets that can be recycled into cloth diapers. Free patterns can be found online for diapers, covers, and even wool soakers. Garage sales and thrift stores are excellent places to pick up wool yarn to use in making wool soakers or covers and fabric remnants and thread that can be used to make diapers.
With all of the frugal diapering options available today, cloth diapering on the cheap is not a hard task!

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