Eco Friendly Living

Since my previous blog post (http://blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/eco-friendly-living-2/0/0/cloth-vs-disposable-diapers-) regarding the disposables versus cloth diapers, I made a complete switch to cloth diapers. It’s been over 2 weeks since the switch and I have to say, it’s not bad at all. This is a very surprising revelation, considering I have failed once before. But then again, since my last attempt, there is an abundance of choices out there for cloth diapers. This was very exciting, but also daunting, not knowing which products to try.

After many hours of research, I found a website www.diaperjunction.com where you can buy a sample package of various diapers. In this package, I received each one of bumGenius All-In-One diaper, Fuzzi Bunz, Kissaluvs, Chinese Prefolds, and Bummis Cover. From the suggestion of one of the readers, I also ordered 1 bumGenius 3.0 cloth diaper. Such experience was done on my 21 month old, 30 pound daughter. Here are my thoughts on each of the diapers.

Chinese Prefolds are not for me. When you use the prefolds, you need to use the water proof covers along with it. The prefolds are very bulky and even after a very short time, it leaked all over. However, these prefolds will make excellent burpie cloths for me. Kissaluvs diapers are incredibly soft. But it isn’t waterproof, so you do have to use a waterproof cover with it as well. Again, this made my baby’s bottom very bulky and most of her pants wouldn’t fit properly. I also tried the gDiapers without much success. It was messy and the whole tearing of the liners in the toilet, swish around with the stick and flushing twice was more work than necessary. I also have a septic system at home, which means that I can’t flush the liners. So in the end, gDiapers was similar to disposable diapers (since I had to throw them away in the trash can), but cause as much laundry as traditional cloth diapers to wash the outside covers and a very expensive process overall (the biodegradable liners cost more than disposable diapers).

As for bumGenius 3.0, I really wanted this to work. All other diapers come in small, medium, and large. However, bumGenius 3.0 comes in 1 size fits all and the size of the diaper can be adjusted by releasing the plastic snaps. This would’ve been perfect when our 4th baby arrives in April. I could buy 1 type of diaper for both of the children and can use them throughout the diapering stage. However, this diaper wasn’t big enough for my daughter. It was too tight on her thighs and would leave red marks on her hip areas with each movement. Also, the fastener is made of Velcro and made it extremely easy for my daughter to remove the diaper when it got too uncomfortable for her. The bumGenius All-In-One was my least favorite. It has a built in insert and is very difficult to wash and takes long time to dry. I have to wash and dry it twice as long as the other diapers.

My favorite of all is Fuzzi Bunz. It’s a pocket diaper design with a microfiber insert, similar to bumGenius 3.0. However, it comes with snaps that can be adjusted for both legs and waist making it virtually leak proof. My daughter sleeps 13 hours at night and is a heavy wetter. I haven’t had a single leakage with this diaper. It also seems very comfortable for her and does not leave any red marks around her thighs even when she is very active. My daughter hasn’t been able to remove the snaps on her own… as of yet. At bedtimes or during long naptimes, I would put 2 inserts in the pocket for additional protection. The diaper washes very well and easily at the first try.

But there is one product that does make the cloth diapering system a breeze. It’s called Kushies Flushable Biodegradable Diaper Liner. This liner lets the wetness go through, but the solids remain on the top. Instead of trying to scrape off the solids in the toilet, you can just remove the liner where the most of the solids are captured right into the trash. I also purchased biodegradable doggie bags (half the cost of biodegradable diaper bags) to throw the liners in.

I am thrilled to report that I am a cloth diapering mom now. Even my husband has been impressed with the whole process. So, for all the parents who have thought about giving cloth diapers a try, do what I did. Buy several different brands and find the one that works best for you. I am happy to report that the cloth diapering world has come a long way… they are definitely not the diapers we grew up in. I’d also like to give special kudos to www.diapers.com. Not only do they have free shipping, but I’ve been receiving my shipment the day after placing the order. This has been fantastic when I am in an emergency and have to order extra inserts and liners. They don’t carry all “green” products, but I’ve found enough eco friendly products on this website to make the switch extremely easy. If you are using a different product or have other product experience, please share them with me in the comment section below. I would love to learn more. Happy diapering everyone!

P.S. I do have a secret stash of Seventh Generation diapers… break in case of an emergency!

Future Topics: Certified organic products, chemical free cleaning, chemical toxins, eco friendly living, eco friendly products, environment friendly home, household toxins, organic living, tips for living green.

Comments for Test Results: Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers

Sunday, February 8, 2009 by Monica:: My sister, Cacilia, is using the Fuzzi Bunz with her son and doesn't find them too difficult to use. Her older son is also almost potty trained so they are reducing their impact on the environment tremendously! The diapers are expensive though.
Sunday, February 8, 2009 by David:: The best way to clean cloth diapers is to pre-rinse them off in the toilet using a Bathroom Bidet Sprayer. So convenient and if you are trying to help the environment (and your pocket book) you can give it a double whammy by virtually eliminating toilet paper use at the same time! Available at www.bathroomsprayers.com they come in an inexpensive kit and can be installed without a plumber. And after using one of these you won't know how you lasted all those years with wadded up handfuls of toilet paper. Now we're talking green and helping the environment without any pain.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Lucy:: A reader recently asked about the Kushie Liners via the feedback section on Greenenergytv.com. Yes, I used Kushie Liners with Fuzzi Bunz. Kushie Liners come in a roll similar to toilet paper and actually looks and feels like it as well. You tear off a sheet (about 18 inches) and put it right on top of the cloth diaper. This helps so that the wetness goes through and most of the solids stay on top of the liner. Trust me, it's a God sent! I was able to purchase the liners from diapers.com (Amazon.com carries them as well) for $7.99 per roll of 100 liners. Hope this helps!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Jennifer:: I am so happy to hear this. I want to move from regular diapers to cloth and my mom said forget it, it's too messy. My mom actually read your blog and forwarded it to me and told me to try it out. She (my mom) will be changing most of the diapers since she is watching my 1 year old because I work and go to school. Thank you for taking the time to research all this. It will make my job a lot easier! Keep it up!
Thursday, February 12, 2009 by Julie:: I am not the author of this blog but I might as well have been. My story is almost exactly the same. I'm not the "cloth diaper" type. The greenest thing I do is recycle and I ignored many of my friends who ever tried to tell me about cloth diapering. I've only tried Fuzzi Bunz and won't try anything else (except the all-in-one that they're releasing soon). It's easy, my baby loves it, and I'm helping my environment. My husband and nanny have also both easily embraced this new diaper change since it's just as easy to change this cloth diaper as it is to change a disposable. No leaks, stains, or smells and we've used it for a month following the company's instructions. I tell all new moms about it. I do believe that whoever will try it, WILL like it too!
Friday, February 20, 2009 by Mamashares:: There is definitely a greater offering of cloth diapers since the daunting task of swishing "poopy" cloth in a bucket. However, if you want to have less of an impact on the environment, focus on laundering the cloth diapers a certain way to reduce its carbon footprint, e.g. cooler water, line dry etc. Otherwise, you will defeat its purpose and you might as well use disposable diapers.
Friday, March 6, 2009 by Lucy Zamary:: Hi there everyone! Since my swith to the cloth diapers, I've been very happy so far. I am exclusively using Fuzzi Bunz now, but thought I would share couple of new products that might make your clother diapering experience a lot easier. Fuzzi Bunz came out with one size diapers that's suppose to work from 7-35lb babies. Since my almost 2 year old is quite big, I was hesitant about using this. But I have to say, I am pretty impressed again. Now, I haven't tested this out on an infant, but will have the opportunity in April when our fourth baby arrives. I am excited that I can make one initial investment on the diapers and don't have to worry about another purchase ever again. And it's nice that I can use the same diaper for both of my kids. I purchased 12 these one size Fuzzi Bunz from a website called www.littledumper.com. This seems like a new company and a very small operation. However, with free shipping and 10% discount by using coupon code tinytots2009, it was the best bargain out there. Again, it seems like a very small business, but we are all about supporting small businesses and fellow moms out there, right? I also found Imse Vimse diaper liners. I've been using Kushies for awhile, but heard that Imse Vimse can be washed and reused again. Imse Vimse is a biodegradable liner that can be flushed down the toilet when soiled, but when the diaper is just wet, I just pop them in the wash with the diapers and have been able to use them over and over again. And since my daughter's potty schedule isn't predictable, I've been using the liners with each diaper change. Imse Vimse definitely lasts longer since they can be washed. It's much wider than Kushies and seems to work better for my daughter. However, I do have to use 2 at a time to capture all the poop. I've been getting a tremendous amount of emails from fellow moms who are making a switch to cloth diapers. It's funny that I would say that I am excited about diapers, but I really am. It's good for the children, the environment and our wallet. Happy diapering everyone!
Saturday, March 7, 2009 by jeni:: I use the WAHMIES one size CD and had no problems with it. It fits my daughter from infant up til toddler. The inner part is sooo soft and stays soft after all washings. Compared to other CD's I have tried. I wouldn't reccomend the WAHMIES one size hook, its a PAIN and don't do as good of a job. Definetly worth checking out. Its all snaps like FB but you can really make the diaper small... I love it what can I say!
Thursday, March 19, 2009 by Carol Jones:: I came across your blog while looking for info to support cloth diapering - I have a small store and an online website (www.thebabylane.com). I am attending a local Parenting Expo this weekend and hope to grow local business. Your stories are great! Another disposable liner is by Bummis for people who are looking. Please keep spreading the word on cloth and small businesses that are trying to grow.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 by Christy:: I read Lucy's article regarding the use of disposable diapers. Great job! I wanted to offer help to anyone contacting you regarding cloth diaper use. We specialize in diapering systems and support through our retail establishment, Maine Cloth Diaper Company as well as our popular website. We ensure success. Cloth diapering can be so EASY with the correct help! Please let me know if you have any questions or can ease the minds of others regarding cloth. I have 3 kids and 3 small businesses and somehow I manage to do what others see as a mundane and difficult task of cloth diapering! Best Regards, Christy Perce, proud mom to Kaden (6), Audrey (4) & Hanna (20 ms) www.maineclothdiaper.com www.huggabuns.com
Monday, March 1, 2010 by rbenson:: Cloth diapers are like clothes. Different manufactures fit different babies differently. The best way is to order a few different brands to see which ones fit the best and which style you like the best. We settled on thirsties Duo Wraps. They come in two sizes that are adjustable. The are on the premise as the one size but they come in two sizes. I found that the one size where too bulky for a new born to one year. The duo wrap fit much better on my child with out the bulk.
Friday, April 23, 2010 by Caroline:: Thanks for this article. To each his/her own - I prefer bumGenius diapers over Fuzzi Bunz myself (I prefer velcro closures). I've got to recommend a better liner though - Bio Soft liners from Bummis (http://www.bummis.com/ca/en/bio-soft-liners.php). They feel like silk instead of sandpaper, are cheaper than Kushies liners, & work just as well.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 by Monkeybunz:: When it come to choosing cloth diapers there is a lot of information out there. For some great articles about cloth diapering go to http://www.monkeybunz.com