I cloth diaper the my sweet girls.  I know what you’re thinking… “She must be crazy!”  Maybe I am, but you probably already knew that. Of course, I’m not that crazy; we did not cloth diaper for about the first 6 weeks.  We used disposables that were given to us at baby shower in sizes preemie-size 1.  I actually still have one pack of Size 1’s, but my girls legs are so thin that I imagine a foul blowout every time I put on this particular brand (Nature’s Babycare).

I use BumGenius One Size 3.0s. I made this choice based on research and the fact that I could register for them on Target.com. Between Target gift cards and Visa gift cards that I spent at Cotton Babies (which has the best prices I found at them time), my cloth diaper expenses where a whopping 99 cents. 

I have 36 diapers and I wash everyday; the frequency of washing is due to my very small diaper pail, otherwise I could probably wash every other evening and hang to dry for the next morning.

Here’s a little Bum Genius One Size 3.0 Review for you:

Cons:

• Quite bulky in my diaper bag. Two diapers fit well, but if I want to be out for a long long time four would be pushing it while sharing space with multiple burp clothes and bibs (yay, reflux!) There will be more space when they outgrow reflux.
• They get a little smelly after a few washes, though it’s less smelly or not smelly at all if you’re able to sun dry them.
• They require a little more work in the middle of the night with rinsing and separating the parts to prepare to wash them.
• I’m never quite sure what to do with disposable wipes. At home I put the used ones in an old wipes container on the changing table and empty that when necessary.  In public, it gets a little weird.  I’ve made resuable wipes but I’m still using the gifted wipes.
• Some people I know are freaked out by washing away human refuse in the same machine that they clean their clothing.
• Diaper Rash ointment could stain them and make them less effective at absorbing.
• You have to remember to put the velcro tabs on the laundry tabs before washing otherwise the velcro will wear out faster and your diapers will be a huge mess when you pull them out of the washer.
• Re-stuffing the diapers is pretty time consuming, though I try to do it while feeding the girls to make up the time difference.
• More expensive up front. (use those gift cards to your advantage!)
• Your babies may outgrown clothing sizes at a quicker rate because of the added bulk.
• I had to wait until the girls reached 7lbs before I could use them so all those preemie/newborn diapers were a necessity!

Pros:

• Cheaper in the long term. The main reason I chose cloth was because it’s cheaper than the potential $1600+  a year to use disposables. The main reason I chose a One-Size diaper was because it’s even cheaper than buying multiple sizes as needed.
• They have a decent resale value either at Cotton Babies or through a MoM club or an online forum or even Craigslist. So if you paid nothing for them like me… you’ll actually get paid to get rid of them! Or you’ll make up about 1/2 of your initial investment.
• You can use them for multiple children (i.e. your second set of twins) or children wearing different sizes.
• BGs are so much like disposables that even church nursery workers who didn’t receive a tutorial (oops) figured then out easily. Dad doesn’t mind changing them either.
• The velcro makes changing quick!
• The fabric feels so soft against baby’s skin.
• Just like a disposable the baby doesn’t realize she’s wet as quickly.  I was given a couple of cotton cloth diapers and plastic covers, and my little Aeralind screamed to be changed as soon as she peed in them, but not with the BGs.
• Your baby’s bottom actually looks cute (and will be cuter when they can run around in a t-shirt and diaper during the summer).
• Unlike disposables there are some great colors to chose from! I really like Zinnia, Clementine, and Moonbeam.

You might still think I’m crazy, but I think cloth diapers were a great investment for our family!