gDiapers have arrived!

My first fluffy mail arrived today! I decided to try the gDiaper system when I discovered that the starter kits were on sale at the gDiaper store online. I bought 2 kits in size medium hoping that they would work for both of my twins (one is smaller than the other). My daughter was borderline, but the gDiaper website has a demonstration video with a boy the same age (21 months) that looks bigger than her and he was modeling the medium. The kit comes with 2 covers, an extra liner, and 10 disposable (flushable!) inserts. It also comes with a plastic stick that you're supposed to use to stir the insert in the toilet before you flush it. There's a whole process involved when you flush them (I have not tried this yet).

I haven't washed them yet, but since only the disposable liner touches their skin I decided one little test drive wouldn't hurt. So as soon as the twins woke up from their nap, they each got stripped naked and outfitted in a gDiaper. Here's a shot from behind. My daughter is wearing the vanilla color on the left and my son is in orange on the right. I think the size is pretty good for both of them:
The other diaper that arrived today is a Happy Heinys diaper that I bought from another mama on Diaper Swappers. It's brand new and has a cute rose print on it. It's a large, so I'm not sure if it will be too big on my daughter. It didn't come with an insert so I can't try it out until my inserts arrive (or until I make some inserts). I also want to wash it first and test out those liners I bought.

I'm now waiting on my Bum Geniuses and Fuzzi Bunz. OK so as I'm writing this I hear the sound of aplix unhooking and I turned to see my daughter trying to undo her gDiaper. The g's have the aplix closure in the back of the diaper, but apparently it's not much of a deterrent! I'm sure it will work better when they have clothes over the diapers.

Waiting for my Fluffy Mail

I ordered my first cloth diapers a few days ago and I can't wait for them to arrive! On Friday I placed an order with Cotton Babies for some Bum Genius 3.0 diapers. I bought 2 BG pockets with fleece lining (this is a limited edition because most BG are made with suedecloth linings) and 1 BG organic. I think the organic is an AIO, but I'm not 100% sure. Whatever it is, I'm excited!!! I also bought some prefolds and flushable liners at the same time. I chose the Imse Vimse liners because they come highly recommended. Plus, you can run them through your washing machine if they don't have any poop on them. Bonus!

Then, last night I found an awesome deal on some Fuzzy Bunz from SoftClothBunz. Right now you can get 3 FB pocket diapers with 3 extra inserts (6 inserts in total) for $53.75. That includes shipping! FB diapers seem to be the only mass produced pocket diapers that use snaps. Rumor has it that FB owns the patent on snaps for pocket diapers, and that's why BG and HH (Happy Heinys) use aplix. I don't know if that's true for sure, because there are tons of smaller companies (and WAHMs) who put snaps on their pocket diapers. Wouldn't FB try to protect their patent? If you have any information about this, please leave a comment.

ETA: I'm not too thrilled with the SoftClothBunz people right now. They emailed me to tell me that they only had the pink FB in stock and would I like three of those instead. Or I could wait until Friday when they get more colors. Uh no, I don't think so. I emailed them back asking them to cancel my order and (4 hours later) I have not yet heard back from them (grrr). SO I placed the same order (3 FB medium pockets plus 3 extra inserts) with the Fuzzi Bunz store. They are running a sale too, and it was actually about $3 cheaper. Bonus! Let's hope I don't receive a similar email from them...

Update: I had to email the SoftClothBunz people again to ask them to cancel my order and they were pretty quick responding to email #2. The Fuzzi Bunz store shipped my order already so it should be on its way!

Finally, I bought a Happy Heinys rose print pocket diaper from another mom on Diaper Swappers. It's brand new, but doesn't come with an insert. So that's a total of... 7 diapers comin gin my fluffy mail! Diaper Swappers is a great online community where you can learn everything there is to know about CDing, buy supplies to make CD, and buy/sell/trade with other mamas. Everyone has been very nice to me since I've joined.

I will be back to review my diapers after we try them out!

Who knew fleece could be this complicated?

Did you know that there are 23982838634 kinds of fleece? OK, I'm exaggerating, but it's quite overwhelming to the novice diaper maker. First of all, what do you need fleece for? Fleece is most commonly used to line the inside of a diaper, but can also be used as an outside layer.

The weight of your fleece is also very important when using fleece as an inner lining in your diapers. You want thin microfleece for your inners so as not to add bulk. Microfleece serves as a nice soft layer against baby's bum that also keeps baby dry by wicking in the moisture into the absorbant core of the diaper. Look for 100 weight microfleece. Some people use 200 weight. I haven't used either yet, but I'm planning on using 100. Microfleece can be expensive ($9+ per yard) so some people look for cheap microfleece blankets on sale at places like Marshall's and TJ Max to use for material. If I find any good deals, I'll post them. Right now I'm stalking eBay and putting a call in to Tonitex later today.

Fleece can be a great outer cover for a diaper, but only if it is waterproofed with something called a DWR coating. DWR stands for Durable Water Repellent and Malden Mills sells this as Polartec WindPro. If you try to use regular fleece, baby's clothes will be soaked as water just wicks right through it. WindPro is expensive at $15+ per yard.

Not all fleece is created equal. Some brands are preferred over other brands in the diaper making community. The most popular brands of fleece are Malden Mills and Tonitex. You've probably heard of polar fleece? That's Malden Mills. Another popular brand is Huntingdon Mills, but they are no longer in operation. However, you can often still buy Huntingdon Mills fleece on eBay. I have read that Tonitex is the same company, but I'm not 100% positive.

Snap Pliers found!

I have found another place to buy the coveted snap pliers that until now have only been available through the elusive yahoo group mentioned in the previous post. I just placed my order. They are backordered for 2-3 weeks, but they ship from the US so (I assume) they will arrive much more quickly than the ones from the yahoo group that ship directly from China. I bought the pliers and the bonus snap packages as well. It seems like a good deal. When my pliers arrive I'll demo them on YouTube and review them as well as the merchant I purchased them from. I bought them from KAMsnaps.com.

Velcro vs. Snaps

First off, it's not called Velcro because Velcro is what they call a genericized trademark. Velcro is a popular brand name for what is generically called a hook-and-loop fastener. For example, I don't ask my husband to bring me a "Puffs" even though that's the brand name of tissue that we use. I ask for a Kleenex, even though Puffs are clearly not made by the Kleenex people. Well, that's what happened with Velcro, and Band-Aid, and Q-tip, and (believe it or not) Escalator! Can you imagine asking a sales person in a department store where the "moving staircase" is? Now I've wandered off topic...

OK, so Velcro. For cloth diapers, the brand names of choice for hook-and-loop fasteners are Aplix and Touch Tape. I've read that using actual Velcro is a no-no because it isn't strong enough to hold up to the vigorous washing demands of CDs. I'm not sure where to buy either of them, but there are many websites out there that sell supplies for making cloth diapers. Aplix and Touch Tape are preferable by many because it's so easy to use and it's very similar to disposable diapers. However, many toddlers have no problem figuring out how to take these diapers off. Hook-and-loop fasteners might be best for younger infants.

The popular alternatives to hook-and-loop fasteners are poly resin snaps. These are PVC-free plastic snaps that come in every color imaginable, although the most popular color for cloth diapers is white. The snaps allow for a more baby-proof system of closure, yet are still easy to use. It sounds to me like snaps would be a better choice, but I have yet to try them out myself so don't go by me.

Since I plan on making my diapers with snaps, I had to research what I would need to apply the snaps myself. In order to attach the resin snaps to diapers, you need either a snap press or snap pliers. Snap presses run upwards of $60 plus you have to buy attachments depending on what size snap you use. The most common size for making diapers is size 20. With a little more searching, I discovered that you can also buy a pair of snap pliers for around $30 that don't require any extra pieces. These pliers also come with a sample pack of snaps. Unfortunately, you can only get these pliers at this price from one source, and there is quite a waiting list. They are sold by a woman named Serena through this yahoo group. It may take a few days (or weeks!) before she accepts you into the group and you may have to reapply. I applied 3 days ago and I'm still waiting. It looks like I will have to wait a while longer because it now says that she is closed to orders. I'll post an update when I have one. In the meantime, you can see the products she offers here, or you can check out her eBay listings. Keep in mind that the prices on her eBay packages will be slightly higher due to the fact that she has to pay listing fees and commissions.

Remember, I have not actually seen the insides of this yahoo group, nor have I ordered anything from Serena myself, so I can't recommend her personally. However, I keep reading great things about her and these snap pliers. She also sells the more expensive snap presses.

The Many Faces of Cloth Diapers

There are many different kinds of CDs. First off, let me mention that I am NOT recommending any of the brands of CDs that I have listed here because I have not yet tried them. I am merely using them as examples. They are names that I have seen and heard while reading up on CD. I suggest you Google reviews on any item listed here before you try it for yourself. There are pros and cons to every CD.

Fitted diapers are usually made out of cotton and other absorbent materials like hemp, bamboo, and terry. Popular fitted diapers are BSRB diapers, Kissaluvs, and Swaddlebees. Fitted diapers do NOT have a waterproof outer shell. This means that they must be worn with a cover in order to be effective. Here is a picture of a Kissaluv fitted diaper:

Diaper covers are made out of fabric lined with a polyurethane laminate, otherwise known as PUL. PUL is also used when making pocket diapers and all-in-one diapers because those diapers are designed to be used without a separate cover. Two companies I've seen with diaper covers are Thirsties and Bummis. Bummis is a Canadian company that manufactures their own version of PUL. Here is a picture of a Thirsties diaper cover made from one layer of PUL:

Pocket diapers usually consist of an outer PUL layer and an inner microfleece or suedecloth inside. There is also a pocket between the two layers where you add whatever absorbent layer you wish to add. You can simply put in a pre-fold diaper (the old-fashioned rectangular diapers) or any number of inserts that are available. These inserts are made of many different fabrics. Hemp/cotton blend fabric is very popular because it absorbs more than cotton by itself. Microfiber also absorbs a lot of liquid. Popular pocket diapers are FuzziBunz and Happy Heinys. Here is a picture of a FuzziBunz fitted diaper:
And here is a basic pre-fold diaper:

Next we have the kind of diaper that I originally was most interested in making. This would be the all-in-one diaper, or AIO. This diaper is like the pocket diaper and insert sewn together as one diaper. AIOs can either have PUL as the outer fabric, or a hidden layer of PUL underneath the outer layer. People like the ease of AIOs because you don't have to go through the hassle of putting in an insert. It's basically like a reusable disposable diaper. The inner layer that touches baby's skin is similar to the inner layer of a fitted or pocket diaper. It's usually a polyester fabric that serves to wick away the moisture onto the absorbant inner layer. The AIOs that seems to be the most popular are the Bum Genius diapers. I have since decided that I do not like AIOs because they take a long time to dry and the absorbent layers are hidded. This means that you can't take them out to really clean them well. Here's a picture of a Bum Genius AIO:
Somewhere in between a pocket diaper and an AIO diaper, is the all-in-two diaper (AI2). This diaper has an outer shell (usually PUL outside and moisture wicking inside) but instead of a pocket, the insert snaps into the diaper on top of the inner lining. I think this is my favorite diaper because you really do have the best of both worlds. You have the ease of an AIO with the ability to wash the soaker separately. Plus, if baby only wets the soaker and doesn't soil the shell, you can just snap in another insert and use the shell through more than one diaper change. An example of an AI2 diaper is Softbums and here's a picture of one. The insert you see snaps into the back.

I also stumbled across a disposable-cloth hybrid diaper known as the gDiaper. This diaper is basically a diaper cover with a disposable insert. The disposable insert is earth friendly because it is flushable and it can completely decompose in less than half a year. However, the disposable inserts alone are just as expensive (if not more) than disposable diapers. The outer cover is made from cotton, but you also need an inner waterproof layer of nylon PUL that snaps in. So that's three separate layers: cover, liner, and disposable absorbtion pad. You can also fold up an infant pre-fold to use in place of the flushable liner. JUNE 2009 UPDATE: gCloth inserts are now available from the gDiapers website! Here's a picture of the gDiaper covers and disposable inserts: