I have been changing diapers for fifteen years! I have tried every brand of disposables, including brands they don’t make anymore. I remember Pampers before they had swaddlers and Huggies before they were supreme. And yet, after six babies I felt it was time to make the switch to cloth. Actually I started with cloth 15 years ago, but that was back when your options were rubber pants or rubber pants.

When I was pregnant with Cora I volunteered in the church nursery. I noticed during the service that there were several babies wearing cloth diapers. Being the inquiring person that I am, I asked a million questions and watched a few diaper changes. It didn’t take long before I was sold on the idea of cloth for Cora.

After spending way too much time online researching different types of cloth diapers I decided to go with Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius. I honestly couldn’t decide between the two. Fuzzi Bunz received a huge recommendation from Amy over at Mom Advice, and Bum Genius were the ones my friends were using.

The type I bought were pocket diapers, which basically means you slide an insert into a pocket inside the diaper. When the baby dirties the diaper you pull (or shake) out the liner and put both diaper and liner into the pail.

Here a few features I like about the two different brands I purchased.

Fuzzi Bunz

• Softer on the inside. (The part that touches the hiney)
• Multiple snaps make for a better fit around the leg. (A benefit for skinnier babies)

Bum Genius

• Velcro closure makes diaper changing very easy. For the first few weeks, my dh and daughter would only use the BumG’s because they couldn’t quite figure out the snaps on the Fuzzi Bunz.

I purchased a few extra inserts, a wet bag for traveling, pail liner, and a kitchen trash can with a flip up lid. I purchased my diapers and accessories from Nurtured Family. I recommend them because they have competitive prices and fast shipping.

My neighbor gave me some cloth wipes she made from old blankets and her husband’s t-shirts. I just wet them and use like a regular wipe.

I purchased 18 diapers, which last about 48 hours. To wash them I dump everything, including the pail liner into the washer. I put them through one cold rinse cycle and then run a hot wash cycle/ cool rinse, with an extra rinse. I dry the inserts in the dryer and hang the diapers on a drying rack. The diapers are dry by morning in a few hours.

It takes an extra 30 seconds to change a diaper using cloth, if they are poopy. If they are just wet there is no time difference between changing a cloth and a disposable. It takes me about 5 minutes to start the laundry load and then hang the diapers on the rack once they are washed.

They work very well and Cora has only leaked through a few times and that was more due to user error than diaper error. The only problem I had with the diapers is that they were too big for Cora until she was about 7 weeks old. It wasn’t until she weighed about 9 pounds that the diapers fit well around her skinny legs.

If you are hesitant about making the jump to cloth, take it from someone who switched after 6 babies in disposables. It is easy, better for the environment and will save you money long term. Diapers that are well taken care of can be resold on sites like ebay or diaperswappers, or used for your next baby. I even considered using cloth on our vacation, but didn’t want to use someone else’s washing machine while traveling. I do use them when we are gone for the day and she wears them at night too.

There are many choices for cloth diapers, so check out which brand will work best for you.

I know cloth diapers are a great discussion topic so I started a new thread in my forum. Feel free to ask questions, share your favorite cloth diapers, or share why you would never use them!

Also if you are interested I can post a video of an actual cloth diaper change. I didn’t want to video it, unless there was some interest. I know for some people seeing is believing!