Ok, the best way to describe a prefold diaper is to think about what an old-school diaper looked like. These are typically a dense piece of fabric that is rectangular in shape and is formed to fit the baby’s bottom through the use of some type of fastener. Back in the good old days, they would use safety pins to bundle up the baby’s hindquarters in this big old swatch of cotton. Below, I am going to provide a little bit of a discussion about what I see as some of the advantages and disadvantages are of using prefold diapers on your little bundle of joy from a Dad’s perspective. As a veteran dad (I have nine kids…and yes, they are all mine) and cloth diaper user I have been around, so I feel confident providing dads everywhere with a little insight.

The first five of my kids used disposable diapers…we didn’t know any better, and it is just what everybody does. Fortunately my wife found a group that provided some very good information about cloth diapers and talked earnestly about how easy they were to use.

So we began our foray into the world of cloth diapering. Of course we began with prefolds, because that is what everyone uses right…wrong. Very shortly after getting into prefolds we discovered FuzziBunz, Bummis, and BumGenius diapers and used them for quite a while. I really liked these brands because you use them just like you use a disposable. I like easy. I liked the fact that I didn’t have to mess with a separate fastener (like prefolds use).

However, my wife would end up coming full circle on her cloth diaper preferences. She realized that while the prefold diapers were a little more cumbersome, they did the job better. Apparently they don’t smell as bad as the other brands, and they wick the moisture away from the baby’s skin a little better. She sees these as a definite up side to using the prefolds.

I am not quite as sold on them. I do agree with her that the odor they emit when the baby is wet is not nearly as pungent as the other brands, and they are super absorbent. My primary beef with them is that they do take some practice to get secured on the baby just right. Sure, anyone can strap one on there and hope it works, but in order to get the diaper tight in the right places, it takes some practice. I have gotten pretty good and getting the prefold diapers attached to my toddlers, but I am still working diligently to figure out the best way to cinch them up on my younger children. It just takes some time

Cloth diapering is just like anything else..everyone has their own way to do it. You just have to figure out which type of cloth diaper is going to work best for your diapering skill level and go with that. Regardless of which cloth diaper you go with I firmly believe you will save money over the long run.

Covered Bums – Prefold Diapers

Ok, as a dad I am ready to admit that there are many things about the glamorous world of baby cloth diapers that I am still learning. Sometimes it is tough to keep all of the diaper makers and brands straight. If you are a fellow diapering dad like me you know exactly what I am talking about. You have your Bumkins, Your Fuzzi Bunz (not Fuzzi Buns), your BumGenius, your Thirsties, and your Punkin Butts just to name a few. As if that weren’t bad enough, you have to learn to remember which of these diapers are the all in one (AIO) model and which ones nees to have covers to keep the contents of the diaper on the inside of the unit. But wait, there is more that we need to begin to consider…

I have begun to do a little bit of research into the cloth diaper package . What is a cloth diaper package you may ask? Simple, it is typically a grouping of diapers together (sometimes at a discount). So, if you had a need for not just a single Fuzzi Bunz cloth diaper, but a stack of them you could contact one of the many cloth diaper stores online and purchase the diapers you need in a bundle instead of individually. Additionally, you can get a sample cloth diaper package (depending on the cloth diaper store you frequent) so that you can choose several types of cloth diapers with a single purchase. I like the feature. That way I don’t have to go out and hunt down a Blueberry diaper, or Bumkins diaper, I can just order a sample pack with them in it.

One of the other potential pluses for this approach is that it allows you to buy bulk cloth diapers in a single transaction as opposed to many smaller purchases that would end up costing you more money in the long run. Additionally, if you choose the right cloth diaper store you may qualify for free shipping on your cloth diapers.

Check back later and I will provide more insight for all of you dads joining me in this cloth diaper adventure. Until then keep your chin up…and your nose plugged.

Please feel free to join our discussion and share your thoughts. We look forward to learning from you!

Baby Cloth Diapers

Ok, so last time we spoke, my wife shared her opinion about the BumGenius one size cloth diaper she has used in the past. As a result of her article I decided to go out online and see what I could discover about the different versions of the diaper that are available (as I understand it there are BumGenius 1.0, BumGenius 2.0,and BumGenius 3.0 versions of the diaper). The reason for my research on the diaper is that my wife feels that a part of her dissatisfaction with the BumGenius diapers may stem from the fact that she used one of the older versions (BumGenius 1.0 possibly).

An additional driving factor for extra research was that many of the individuals she chats with on diaper sites and mom sites speak highly of the BumGenius one size cloth diaper line. I think I used them once or twice (as I am partial to the way that the Fuzzi Buns diapers perform…but that is another post) but I honestly don’t remember being passionate about them one way or the other.

So, the results of my research? I went out to the BumGenius site and did some poking around. It appears that there are in fact 3 versions of the BumGenius one size cloth diaper. The BumGenius 3.0 version features improvements like re-designed stretchy tabs, and a wider slot for the soaker pad. Additionally it also has an insert stopper to help prevent leaking and grippier hook and loop to help the diaper stay on baby. The image of the diaper they provided also shows that there is a fair amount of elastic in the legs of the BumGenius cloth diaper and this helps to keep the baby dry…very important.

Overall it looks like the BumGenius one size cloth diaper has made some improvements in its design. Maybe I will have to try and convince my wife to try some of the BumGenius 3.0 diapers and see how they perform.

Please feel free to join our discussion and share your thoughts. We look forward to learning from you!

BumGenius One Size Cloth Diaper

After hearing quite a bit about these AIO diapers I decided to give them a try. I was not too impressed. They always seemed to wick out the legs which left me changing not only the diaper but the onesie or pants, as well. Frustrating!

Maybe it is because I bought them used or maybe it was the “version” of the diaper. I did not pay attention to which version I bought but later discovered that others were having the same issue – saying one version was better than the other. I do know that I seem to have better luck with Fuzzi Bunz diapers.

So, I guess it’s a personal preference and maybe you’ll have better luck than I did!

Please feel free to join our discussion and share your thoughts. We look forward to learning from you!

BumGenius

Ok, so to start our discussion about Fuzzi Bunz, I will point out a couple of the items that I like about the way they are designed. Allow me to place a small disclaimer here…I am sure that my wife will be writing more later and she is the real Fuzzi Bunz expert, but I can tell you what I like from a dad’s point of view.

As I stated in the initial post, transitioning from standard disposable diapers to cotton cloth diapers was a bit of a challenge for me…it just didn’t seem right. Never mind the fact that people have used baby cloth diapers for hundreds or thousands of years, never mind that millions (maybe billions) of people use similar cloth diaper solutions on a daily basis. As absurd as it sounds I had bought into the marketing machine’s spin on things…cotton cloth diapers were archaic and uncivilized! I suppose the mental picture I had of cloth diapers didn’t help at all either. After all, the only cloth diaper I had ever seen was the one I used to double as a burp cloth…and I knew I wasn’t talented enough to wrap that around one of my children!

However, I was soon introduced to modern diapering…with makers such as Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius, Bummis and Thirsties. Let me tell you…these were no burp cloths. I have been surprised at how similar they are to standard disposable diapers, but better. As I stated previously, disposable diapers get expensive quickly.

I like the Fuzzi Bunz diapers for several reasons. I like the way they are designed. The cut of the material fits the bodies of my children nicely…and this is important. Trust me, the last thing you want is a surprise leak. The other design item I really like about the Fuzzi Bunz is that they have snaps that are strategically placed on the front of the diaper. The placement of these snaps allows for a snug fit on the child, and no messy surprises. Check them out and let us know what you think. Next time we will look at the BumGenius product line.

Please feel free to join our discussion and share your thoughts. We look forward to learning from you!

CoveredBums.com