Cloth Diaper Mamas

While my daughter wears primarily fitted diapers, my son lives in pocket diapers.  It has just worked out that way for us.  And when I recently had an opportunity to try some new pocket diapers out on my kids and review them?  Well I jumped at the chance!  I love to try new diapers and quite frankly, my son could use a new diaper or two in his well-worn stash.

You can check out the entirety of my review over on my review blog, but the long and short of it is:  these are great diapers.  If you’re looking for a new diaper to try out and like to support a WAHM, check out Happy Baby.  She does quality work!

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Soon, I’m going to be talking about nighttime diaper solutions.  Do you have any questions about cloth diapering overnight that you’d like to ask?  If so, just leave a comment below and I’ll try my best to answer it (or get it answered by someone else) in the post.  Also, if you have any tips to share, leave those in the comments as well!  I’d love to have a few to use in the post, to help share the information!

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Also, if you like to write or blog and have experience with cloth diapering, let me know!  I’m always looking for other mamas to join the site here and post their experiences with cloth diapering.  Just leave a comment or drop me a line or whatever else works for you.  Thanks for reading!

It’s no secret that snappiable fitteds are my new love.  For those who aren’t in the know, snappiable fitteds are diapers that are one-size fitteds that do not have snaps to close them.  You either use a Snappi or pins to close the diaper.  This allows you to get a much better fit on your baby and I believe helps the diaper fit your baby longer too!

In this exercise, I’m comparing BSRB (Bagshot Row Bamboo) Ultimate Fit, scuttlebutts one-size snappiable fitteds, and Sticky Peas’ NRSS (No Roll Simply Sticky).  There are many others out there, but these three are generally considered the leaders of the pack and are a good representation of what options are out there since all three have different doubler systems. And I thought it would be very helpful to show pictures of all these diapers (and even a comparison against a Goodmama fitted diaper for reference’s sake) side by side and a couple of action shots as well.  I want to send out big thanks to Sara of Twee Baby for letting me use her pics.  This saved me a lot of time and angst and since her pictures were great to begin with, why not use them?  Sara, you (and your woolies!) rock!

First, each diaper’s description from their website (minus Goodmama, since I’m going to assume you know all about them already):

NRSS:

What does NRSS stand for? “No Roll Simply Sticky”. I converted my prefolds into prefitted style diapers. For a lot of babies these will be one size diapers. Mamas have been able to have their little ones use these from as small as 10lbs and up. They have a 18″ rise and the waist and thighs are flexible just as a prefold would be.

Outer Layer:     Decorative Knit

Middle Layer:    Organic Bamboo Terry

Inside Layer:     Organic Bamboo Velour and/or Cotton Velour

Soaker:             Zorb in between 2 layers of Organic Bamboo French Terry topped with a layer of OBV or CV. A second soaker made of two layers of OBCF is attached to the back of the main soaker.  Wool backed fleece doubler is included so that you can adjust the absorbency to fit your baby’s needs.

Sizes:

Newborn: coming soon
Regular: 18” rise
X-Large: 19.5” rise, longer wings.

BSRB:

As with each of my other fitteds, the Bagshot Row Bamboo Ultimate Fit is fully adjustable by folding down the rise, which is 18″ at it’s highest.

It is constructed from two absorbent layers of bamboo/organic cotton fleece with an outer layer of boutique cotton knit that is perfect for use with a snappi or pins. The difference, however is in the wings and the new doubler system.

The Bagshot Row Bamboo Ultimate Fit has more narrow front and back wings, so there is no need to fold them to prevent wing droop on older babies! Just lay the fitted beneath your little one, adjust the rise according to your needs, snappi/pin and you’re done!

The new doublers system is perfect for those who require lots of absorbency, but want to cut down on the bulk.

Each Ultimate Fit includes:

Not one, but TWO full sized two layer bamboo/organic cotton fleece doublers that have been serged together in a quick dry style for your convenience.

The snap is now hidden between the layers of these two doublers for your baby’s added comfort. The full sized doublers are generous enough in length to allow for folding in half or even into thirds for maximum absorbency!

If that is not enough bamboo for you, an extra two layer bamboo/organic cotton contoured doubler is also included so you can place it where you need the most extra absorbency!

When each of the full sized doublers are folded in half, your fitted will provide you with a total of 12 layers of amazingly soft and absorbent bamboo!

You would think that a fitted with that much absorbency would be bulky, but not this fitted.

Why sacrifice the absorbency that you need most for a trim fit, when you can have both?

Luxurious and absorbent organic bamboo + a trim and trendy design = The Bagshot Row Bamboo Ultimate Fit!

scuttlebutts:

Diaper Features:

* A gorgeous hand-made, turned & top stitched snappiable, pinnable fitted.

* Diaper body is made of:

Outer: Cotton Knit printed fabric
Hidden Core: Organic Bamboo Fleece
Inner Layer: Organic Bamboo Fleece or Organice Bamboo Velour or Cotton Velour (she does all three!)

* Snap in tri-fold soaker is one layer of bamboo fleece & one layer of cotton velour for a total of 9 thirsty layers when folded in place.
* New! Now includes a matching 3 layer doubler.
* Soaker unfolds in the wash ensuring easy & complete cleansing as well as super quick drying time. Embellished with the signature scuttlebutts heart on the underside.
* No confusing snaps or messy velcro.
* Diaper can be pinned, snappied, or just held in place by a snug cover.
* This diaper is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-y with long wings so it’s easy to get a nice, snug & totally customizable fit whether baby is 8 lbs or 28 lbs, a skinny minny or a chub-a-wub!
* Elasticized legs and back help contain messes
* Absorbent!
* Since these fit until at least 35ish lbs (and quite possibly longer) there’s no need for constant sizing up; these easily fit from birth to about 24 months which means less money spent on new diapers.

Easy, uncomplicated, user friendly, earth friendly, plus luxuriously soft and fabulously fashionable! This diaper is no doubt going to create a scuttlebutt at your next play date!

* Each order will come with usage instructions including washing tips. I also cloth diaper my kiddos so if you’re having a problem, chances are I’ve been there & can offer some advice. You’re always welcome to email me with questions. I love talking cloth!
* This is a fitted diaper, which requires a cover.
* Hand made in a smoke-free, dog friendly home.

Here are all four: Goodmama, NRSS, BSRB and Scuttlebutts, side by side:

As you can see, they’re all similar but have subtle differences.  They are all turned and topstitched, unlike the Goodmama on the far left, which prevents any chafing and rashes your baby may get from the serged edges.  And, as I mentioned before, they all lack snaps.  This is a good thing because not only can you get a better fit with a Snappi, your baby isn’t going to have any reaction to exposed snaps against their skin (my daughter has and it’s not pretty!).  The scuttlebutts and the NRSS both have a longer rise than the BSRB and the GM.

Here they are on the inside:

Here is where the differences really show!  The GM has an OBV inner (some of their fitteds now have cotton velour inners as well) and a snap in soaker with two “petals”, each backed with organic bamboo fleece.  The NRSS (next on the right) also has a snap in soaker with “petals”.  Their inner is also composed of OBV, but the organic bamboo terry on the soaker is turned “smooth” side out and there is a material called “Zorb” sandwiched in between.  Included is a organic bamboo fleece doubler to go between the petals that is backed with wool interlock.  The BSRB is all organic bamboo fleece inside, turned smooth side out.  The soaker snaps in via 1 snap and is long and thin (often referred to as a “snake” soaker) with two strips.  The advantage here is that you can fold these strips however you see fit and to match your baby’s absorbancy needs.  A OBF doubler that is contoured in shape is included for you to use where you see fit.  Lastly, on the right, we have the scuttlebutts.  The inner can be either OBV, OBV or cotton velour.  The soaker here is a “trifold” soaker that snaps into the back with two snaps.  You fold it into thirds and place the doubler where you see fit (I usually tuck it inside the soaker).  The soaker is topped with whichever inner fabric is used and backed with OBF.

In my experience, the least effective is the Goodmama diaper.  The OBV is very soft and silky and it is very absorbent.  But the OBV loses it’s silkiness after a while and though the diaper has considerable bulk from all of it’s layers, it is often hard to contain leaks through the wetzone with this diaper.  With a cover on, it isn’t a problem.  But when going coverless as we often do at home, it would be nicer if they “lasted”  bit longer.  The other three work incredibly well with perhaps the edge going to the BSRB.  The ability to fold the soaker so you have the absorption where you need it the most is extremly effective.  I don’t think my daughter has leaked out of a BSRB yet!  And their nighttime diaper (which is a whole ‘nother post unto itself!) is so unbelievably thirsty that after a 10 hour night, my daughter has yet to leak through all the layers of soaker.  Yes, I check!   All three diapers work very well at containing mess and leaks though and are definitely nap-worthy in this house!  The back elastic on the BSRB leaves a little to be desired as I could see explosive newborn poo’s perhaps escaping it’s confines, but the rest have very tight back elastic that will contain just about anything that comes it’s way.   I love the wool backed doubler on the NRSS and the whole soaker just feels very well made and of high quality.  On the scuttlebutts, I love the print backed doubler and the little heart detail she sews to the inside of each of her soakers.

On the baby, each snappiable fitted diaper is super trim!  Here is a Goodmama on the bum:

Adorable, yes, but a little bulky on the bum.

Here is a BSRB on the bum:

Much trimmer!

And the scuttlebutts:

Also very trim!

I don’t have an action shot for the NRSS but I can assure you that it is very similar to the scuttlebutts.  A little more bulk in the back from the soaker but not as much as the GM.

I hope this gives you a good idea of what to expect from these diapers.  If I had to pick a favorite, I would say scuttlebutts.  It’s the perfect combination of cute design, lovely WAHM, great customer service, affordability and effectiveness.  Then again, I also simply adore Joyce and BSRB.  I can guarantee if you try one of these diapers you won’t be disappointed.  If you’ve been turned off by snaps and serging on fitted diapers before, then look no further.  These diapers are the answer!

It is a side-bonus to cloth diapering that my children have had far less rashes since I started using cloth.  When my oldest was a baby, he had rashes all the time and they were BAD rashes.  I became familiar with all the different creams and ointments out there and used them all.  All the time.  In fact, that was our big push towards potty training.  I was tired of having to “hurt” him when changing his diaper.  Poor kid.

These days?  Rashes are few and far between.  But they DO happen.  Every once in a while.

My daughter has had a couple of yeast rashes.  I’ve found the best and quickest way to deal with these is to use an over-the-counter yeast infection ointment.  I learned that from our pediatrician!  Changing often and regularly applying the ointment clears up that sort of rash in a jiffy.  Oh, and be sure to wash the diapers thoroughly and with very hot water to make sure to kill all those rash-y bacterias!  We’re lucky that our hot water runs REALLY hot so killing off bacteria just hasn’t been a problem.  Hot washes are very effective around here!

My son has had a few of the good old fashioned diaper rashes.  If it’s just a red bum from a particularly virulent dirty diaper, I use a medicated diaper powder.  That clears it up in one change every time.  I’ve used Johnson and Johnson’s Medicated, but have had the best luck with Gold Bond Triple-Medicated powder.  My poor son also combats moisture rash on his tender parts.  It’s because he wears pocket diapers most of the time and they’re not 100% effective at keeping things dry.  And once a rash is present, it doesn’t take much moisture to irritate it.  Short of giving him a lot of naked time (which is just in direct contrast with my personal parenting philosophy), the best solution I’ve found is constant application of both diaper rash cream and powder at EVERY diaper change.  And changing OFTEN.  It may take a day or two to clear up completely but it does clear up.

Now, diaper rash cream tends to stain cloth diapers so what I do when I need to use that or the yeast infection cream or even the powder, is I put down a simple fleece liner that I’ve cut from a yard of fleece fabric myself.  I have a bunch of these.  Not only do they save diaper inners from stains from nasty dirty diapers (handy for those diapers that I hate to see get stained!) but it keeps the inner from getting in contact with the ointment or cream and therefore remains stain free!  I hear so many people who have kids with bad rashes and their answer is to switch them back to disposables so they can use the creams to combat the problem.  It’s just simply not neccessary and disposables can even aggravate the issue.  Stick with the cloth, use liners and cream and change often!   You’ll beat that rash in the end, guaranteed!

If you’re getting rashes and are not sure why (you’re changing diapers often, no one is teething, no yeast present, etc), take a close look at your wash routine.  If you’re not rinsing the diapers enough (until there are no bubbles in the water any longer), you could have some detergent buildup and that can sometimes cause and aggravate a rash.  Conversely, if you’re not using enough detergent to get the diapers clean, the bacteria that remains on the diapers can cause and irritate a rash.  I recommend striping your diapers with regular blue Dawn dish detergent every so often and lots and lots of rinsing.  And don’t be afraid to use plenty of detergent!  Just be sure you rinse enough to get all the detergent out.  Sometimes this means adding an extra rinse cycle or two.  Trust me, it’s worth it!

What’s your best solution when the red rash beckons?

It’s a well known fact of cloth diapering that it can be difficult to find regularly sized clothes to fit over the cloth diapered bum.  Depending on the diaper brand you use, jeans may be something your baby never wears until they are out of diapers altogether.  If you use fitteds, you have the bulk of those (some are bulkier than others, admitedly) and then if you want to leave the house and ensure no leaking, you need a cover.  A lot of people use wool but if you don’t have any (and can’t afford any), then you need a PUL cover.  THEN the clothes.  Wow, that’s a lot of layers!  And a lot of bulk.

Luckily, the cloth diapering community houses some very clever and very talened mamas and there are some wonderful solutions for what to dress your child in.  Enter Little Kahootz.   This talented WAHM (stands for Work At Home Mom, in case you were unfamiliar with the term) sews knit pants and shorts, among other things, that have built in fleece liners as well as a fleece soaker for added protection.  What does this mean?  It means an outfit that is both stylish and adorable clothing and an effective diaper cover all in one.  Plus, not only is this an effective diaper cover, it is also breathable.  This is especially great if your little one is prone to rashes.

Laura can also make your little one a matching shirt to go with their new pants.  For my little girl above, she took a tank top and added the sweetest little flutter sleeves for that perfect girly touch.  Evie loves her Little Kahootz set and so do I.  The sewing is perfect quality and the WAHM was so nice to do business with.  I couldn’t be more pleased.

Also wonderful?  These will last us for a long time!  She can wear them after she potty trains and is out of cloth diapers as regular pants.  I ask you, what isn’t to love?  So if you’re looking for a cute outfit for your little one to wear over their cloth diapers that will also double as a diaper cover, definitely check out Little Kahootz.  It’s a wonderful solution and I only wish we had more of them for her to wear!

Somedays, the only thing that makes the day worthwhile is getting a special package in the mail.  Before I started cloth diapering, interesting packages in the mail were few and far between.  I could happily go days before checking the mail.  Mail was bills and ads and junk.  Who cared?

But now?  Mail is something else altogether.  When I’m expecting a package, I will stalk my mailman, counting down the minutes until the mail has been delivered.  I check delivery confirmation numbers to see just where in the U.S. my package is right at that moment.  I see a package waiting for me and I quite literally squeal with delight.

In the cloth diapering community, it is known as “fluffy mail”. And the mail isn’t always literally fluffy.  Sometimes it’ll be fluff-less.  But the feeling is just the same.   Something special that you bought or ordered online, crafted by talented hands (most often handmade) and packaged with care before dropped in the mail to come live at your house.

I got some fluffy mail today.  It was the only thing in my mailbox and I couldn’t have cared less because FLUFFY MAIL!  In this case, it was definitely fluffy and very cute and I almost can’t wait for Evie to wake up from her nap so I can put this new diaper (a Scuttlebutts one-size fitted, fyi) on her and see how it works.

I have more fluffy mail (and some not so fluffy as it’s poly mailers and labels and such for the home biz) on the way to me.  That’s a good feeling.  I’ve gotten kind of addicted to getting fluffy mail and always feel like I have to have SOMETHING coming to me.

Surely I’m not alone in this?  What has the fluffy mail brought to your house recently?  What are you expecting to come?

photo credit: SC Fiasco