CD Update

It's been a while since I've mentioned cloth diapers (CD's) so I thought I'd revisit the subject since I've got some good experience under my belt now ;)
The reason it even came to mind is because I just ordered 12 more Charlie Banana's. These are my favorites, of any of the CD's we've tried..and we've used several brands!

(This is my model wearing CB's... I should have taken a picture with a fresh diaper but instead this is pre-diaper change - sorry!)

Here's a quick recap of the ones we have tried:
(** = CD's we're still/currently using)

**Charlie Banana One Size Diaper

**bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper (Hook/Loop Closure)

**bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Cloth Diaper with Snap Closures

**bumGenius 3.0 DELUXE All-In-One Cloth Diapers (Available with Snap Closure or Hook/Loop Closure - we have the Snap Closure)

**Happy Heiny's Pocket Diapers (Available with H/L or Snap Closures - we have H/L)

**FuzziBunz Perfect Size Diaper

**SoftBums Echo shell with Slide²Size and SUPER Pods

Bumkins All-In-One Cloth Diaper

gDiapers: little gPants, gCloth inserts, & biodegradable gRefills

flip Cloth Diaper Cover & Organic Insert (We tried the Disposable Inserts, too)

I think that's all of them.
It wasn't intentional but these are pretty much listed in order of my satisfaction of the products (with the exception of the Bumkins - I did like them but they were size diapers so we just don't fit those anymore and I've chosen to invest in more CB's because they are my favs).


For me, the most important qualities in a CD are:

-One Size (OS)
That usually means a couple of extra dollars up front but, for us, it's worth it. We can buy, let's say 6, diapers one time & they will fit from birth up to about 35-40lbs (depending on the brand) as opposed to buying 6 small diapers that fit from 7-18lbs & then having to buy 6 medium that work for 15-30lbs (and so on).
Initially I was concerned that OS's might be bulkier but in my experience there doesn't actually seem to be much difference.

-Snap Closure

The Hook/Loop are nice because it's the same concept we're used to from dispoables. Also, it makes diaper changes a tad quicker, which can be valuable time with wiggly babies. However, in my opinion, once you find your snap setting (ex: third snap in on the bottom, 4th snap in on top) it's only miliseconds of difference in time to get on and the snap closure offers more security. Think - babies pulling at diaper when they discover what those busy hands can do. It's definitely more difficult for those little hands to undo snap closure than h/l's!

-Pocket Diaper
(^^Pocket shell and insert)

(^^Stuffed pocket diaper)

This is just a style of CD's that's offered and if you visit the links above you'll see that the majority that I've used have been pockets. The all-in-one's (AIO) are nice for convinience sake (no stuffing) but they usually take a little longer to dry.
Also, technically you can add inserts to AIO's but they wouldn't be secured in the diaper like they would in a pocket. In my experience it's a valuable feature to have the inserts neatly tucked into the diaper as opposed to just lying on top, especially once baby is moving/crawling. If it's not in a pocket the insert can move around and potentially wiggle part of it's way out from the back or from a leg hole and we don't want that. Again, that's only a problem if you wanted to add an insert for extra absorbancy so that's not generally a problem with AIO's but it's something to consider (especially for overnight use).
Yes, pocket diapers take a few seconds of preparation (stuffing inserts) but I've found that if I just take the time to stuff them straight out of the dryer it's not a big deal & then they're ready to go when I need them.

(My ready to go CD pile w/ back up additional inserts in back. *Not all of my stash is shown here.)


Wrapping this up...

What I like about Charlie Banana's so much is that, they encompass all of the qualities I've found best fitting for us, and aside from a couple of insane blow-outs that no diaper on the planet could have possible contained, I've never had a leak with them. They're very absorbant (I only use one insert for general use) and they're in the moderate range for bulk. The extra puffiness of these CD's doesn't have a major impact on the size of clothes Auria wears (sometimes big CD's means having to go a size up in clothes).

I won't go into the details of what I do/don't like of all of the others because I'm not sure anyone cares. I'm blogging details for myself to reference later if need be but I'd also like it to be a place for anyone thinking of using CD's to get information, too. Everyone's experience with CD"s is different and this is just my take on a few brands.. there are tons more kinds of CD's out there! With that said, if you are interested in all of the boring details of my experience with the others, just let me know and I'd be happy to blog it out ;)