Our Cloth Diaper Stash - Covers, Prefolds and Fitteds

This is the second post in a three part series. Read about our all in one and pocket diapers in part one, and our cloth diapering accessories in part three.

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The second half of our stash is made up of covers, prefolds and fitted diapers.

Covers
A cover is a waterproof layer that goes over a prefold, fitted, or flat. Many of them are rinse and wipe covers which means they can be reused as long as they are not soiled by poop. There are also covers made from wool. They can be one sized or sized, and have snaps or Velcro as closures. 

Flips
Purchased at Kelly's Closet
$14.95 at Kelly's Closet

Pros: Flips are made by the same company as the BumGenius, and they are our favorite covers. They're durable, well made and have a great fit. They've fit him since birth and I can see them fitting him throughout potty training.

Cons; With all of the covers, you have to double check to make sure the prefold or fitted diaper is tucked into the cover to stop leaks, which isn't a con exactly, just an extra step.

Buy Again? Oh yes!

Thirsties Duo Wrap Diaper Cover (Size 1)
Purchased at Kelly's Closet
$12.75 at Kelly's Closet

Pros: These rank only slightly below the Flips for favorite covers. The Velcro closure is strong and great for a fast diaper change, especially at night. The double gussets keep everything in and I can see the size 1 fitting him for a long time. The colors are nice and vibrant and there are some cute prints as well.

Cons: We have a white one, and Kieran's poop has stained the gussets along the legs. I've tried to sun bleach the stains out, but it hasn't worked. Again, just making sure to tuck in the prefold or fitted diaper to stop leaks.

Buy Again? Yep! When he grows out of the size 1s, I'll probably buy a couple of size 2s.

Bumkins
Received in Cotton Booty Box
$10.95 at Bumkins.com

Pros: Double gussets, strong snaps, fits well.

Cons: There are a lot of snaps. While this ensures a great fit, it's takes a while and I can see it being difficult to use with a wriggly toddler.

Buy Again?: I'm glad we have it, but I don't know if I would go out of my way to buy one since we like our Flips and Thirsties so much.

SoftBums Echo Shell
Received in Cotton Booty box
$21.95 at Kelly's Closet

Pros: Eh....not a huge fan of this diaper.

Cons: This is a strange diaper. It has an insert that snaps onto the shell and you're supposed to be able to take out that insert and place in another like a cover, but I've never been able to do that because the shell always gets dirty. We've also had leaks almost every time we've used it.

Buy Again?: This was a Cotton Booty diaper so I didn't choose it, and as of right now, I wouldn't buy it again.

Sweet Pea One Size Diaper Cover
Received in Fluff Fairy purchase
$11.99 at Kelly's Closet

Pros: Fits fairly well, has many snaps which  ensures a good fit and has double gussets 

Cons: Having many snaps ensures a good fit, but I can see it being difficult with a wiggly toddler. 

Buy Again? Meh. Again, I don't think I'd go out of my way to buy it since we like our Flips and Thirsties so much, but I'm glad we have it in our stash. 

Fitteds
Fitted diapers, commonly referred to as Fitteds, are diapers that resemble the size and shape of a disposable diaper. They are very absorbent and made up of many fabrics like cotton. They do require a cover, but can be worn by itself to try to let baby's bum breathe to clear up a diaper rash.

Kissaluvs Fitted Cloth Diapers - Newborn
Received as a present
$13.95 at Kelly's Closet

Pros: I never looked into fitted diapers, so I'm glad that we received this as a gift. It's great at soaking up liquids, and I've heard they're great at for overnights, but I've never tried since we love our BumGenius so much. It also has a snap down for the umbilical cord, so it's great for newborns.

Cons: Only con I can think of is the size. He's going to grow out of it soon and I wish we could have gotten more use out of it.

Buy Again? Maybe. I'm still deciding if I'm going to buy the next size up once he grows out of it, only because we have other diapers that we enjoy using.

Prefolds

Prefolds are rectangles of (usually) cotton that are wrapped around baby, pinned on the sides (think old school diapers,) and then covered with a waterproof cover. They can also be used as burp cloths and rags around the house once baby is out of diapers. 

We ordered our prefolds from Green Mountain Diapers and originally ordered 12 of the newborn, and 12 of the small. Since we like our newborn prefolds so much, we ended up purchasing another 12 for a total of 24. The newborn fit him well at birth, and still fit him at 3 months old. I don't see them fitting all the way up until 6 months, however.

Pros: They are easy to use. They can simply be tri-folded and laid into a cover, or there are a bunch of more complex ways to fold them (we're currently using the angel wing fold.) They're also cheap and can be used as inserts in pocket diapers. Keegan has told me that he enjoys using prefolds (as much as you can enjoy diapers,) which surprised me.

Cons: They're a bit more "labor" intensive than AIO or pocket diapers if you're using a fold and not just laying the prefold inside a cover. We started using the angel wing fold because Kieran's poops were starting to leak over the side of a tri-folded prefold and got the covers dirty.

Buy again? Yep! We already have 12 of the next size up, but I'm going to wait to see if we still love prefolds as much as we do now before buying the size after that.

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I wasn't expecting to like our prefolds as much as I do. Our regular rotation is BumGenius for bedtime, Rumparooz for daytime, and prefolds after we run out of the Rumparooz. Many times I reach for a prefold over a Rumparooz because they're a lot trimmer than a pocket diaper, so his pants fit better.

Next, I'll talk about our cloth diapering accessories!

Our Cloth Diaper Stash - All In Ones and Pockets

When I was researching cloth diapering, I couldn't find a lot of information from people on what diapers fit their kids at what ages. Because of this, I've decided to do updates about what diapers fit Kieran at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and a year (or around those times.) I will let you know what diapers are in our stash, which ones we like the most, and what accessories we're using.

I purchased all of the diapers myself (except for the 2 Applecheeks that I won in a giveaway,) and all reviews are my own. I do have an affiliate link at Kelly's Closet that you can use if you click on the banner on the right side of my blog.

I will split our stash into two posts: all in ones / pocket diapers in one post, and covers, prefolds and fitted diapers into a second. Accessories will be in a third.

Here we go!

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When we decided to cloth diaper, we decided to try out a bunch of different types and brands to see which ones work best for our family.

I went about getting my diapers in 4 different ways:

1. Cotton Booty subscription box. - This is a monthly subscription box for $24.99/month. You receive a name brand diaper, sample(s) and a fun item. In past boxes, we received Kwaaii diapers, a Happy Heineys diaper, samples of Rockin' Green detergent, a wet bag, a teething bracelet, and more. I have now stopped my subscription because we've learned which diapers we like/don't like, but I really enjoyed the service while I was subscribed. It allowed us to try many different brands of diapers as well as getting small samples of cloth diapering accessories.

2. Fluff Fairy packages from Kelly's Closet - Inside each Fluff Fairy package is one diaper (or cover/insert combination,) and 1-3 samples or accessories. When the Fluff Fairy is announced, Kelly's Closet gives hints about what is inside the package so that you buy a package that works with your baby's age (don't want to buy a newborn package for a potty training baby, etc.) The price varies with what is inside, but I've never paid over $30 for one, and the contents are always worth the price. In the past we've gotten Rumparooz diapers, Snappis, and samples of Rockin' Green and CJ's Butter.

3. Ordering From Kelly's Closet - After a few Cotton Booty boxes, Fluff Fairy purchases, and a lot of research, I decided what diapers I wanted to order. There are many cloth diapering websites that you can order from, but Kelly's Closet was the first one I stumbled upon and decided to stick with. They always have comparable prices, free shipping over $49 (which is pretty easy to get to,) and great coupons that give you free diapers. The free diaper coupons is another way that I learned about diapers that I wouldn't have ordered myself.

4. Giveaways. There are many bloggers out there who do cloth diaper giveaways. This isn't the most effective way to build your stash (I'd say I entered 100 giveaways before winning a diaper,) but it is the cheapest!

Below I'll list the type of diapers we have and pros/cons about each. I'll also tell you how I received them.

Kieran was 9 pounds, 1 ounce at birth, and weighed 10 pounds 8 ounces at his 2 month check up. I'd say he's around 11 pounds at 3 months.

All In Ones

An all in one diaper (AIO) is the most like a disposable diaper. They can either have a snap or Velcro closure and are the easiest diaper to use since they don't require any stuffing of inserts or covers. Many newborn diapers are AIOs and have snaps to make room for the umbilical cord. Many families send these diapers to daycare because they are the least complicated of the options. 

Rumparooz Lil' Joeys Newborn Diapers
Purchased from Kelly's Closet
$29.97 for two from Kelly's Closet

Pros: This was a great diaper for our first cloth diaper, and since it has a snap down for the umbilical cord, we could use it as soon as we got home from the hospital. It fit well, it kept all of the newborn poop and pee in, and made for a great overnight diaper. The diaper also snaps down super small, so it would be great for a preemie all the way to a "normal" sized newborn.

Cons: This diaper only lasted about a month for us due to Kieran being born at 9 pounds, 1 ounce. Not the diaper's fault, but we didn't get as much use out of it as I hoped we would.

Buy again?: Maybe? I'm glad we had them, but since he was so big at birth, many of our one sized diapers fit, so we didn't need the newborn diapers. If he was a smaller baby, I doubt many of our other diapers would have fit him, so we would have gotten more use out of them.

Pocket Diapers

A pocket diaper has a pocket opening between the waterproof fabric and layer of fabric that touches baby's skin which you place the insert into. They can be one size or sized and are available in both snaps and Velcro.

BumGenius 4.0 One Size Pocket Diaper
Received two in Cotton Booty boxes, and one as a free diaper with coupon.
$17.97 at Kelly's Closet

Pros: These are our favorite overnight diapers. He can go 12+ hours without needing a diaper change (as long as he only pees, I do change him if he poos,) and we've never had a leak with these. We only have three of these, so we try and save them for nighttime. They're extremely well made and one of our favorite diapers.

Cons: Keegan says he has trouble stuffing the inserts into the BumGenius, but he has gorilla hands, (his words!) so he has difficult stuffing all of our diapers.

Buy Again? Yep! I'm hoping Kieran gets a few more for Christmas

Rumparooz One Size Pocket Diaper
Received two in Cotton Booty boxes, one in a Fluff Fairy purchase, purchased one
$23.95 from Kelly's Closet

Pros: These are our favorite day time diapers. They hold a lot of liquid and fit him really well. The double gussets make leaks very infrequent, and any leaks have been because of user error. I'll reach for a Rumparooz over any of my other diapers for daytime. They also have a huge range of prints and colors.

Cons: Cost. They are our most expensive diaper, but I feel that they're worth it. Also, since Kieran is on the smallest size right now, we fold the insert almost in half and put the folded part in the front (since boys pee more in the front.) This creates a bit of a gap around his stomach.

Buy again? Heck ya! I'm considering selling a few of the diapers I'm not the biggest fan of and buying another Rumparooz.

Applecheeks Sized 1 (categorized as an envelope cover at Kelly's Closet)
Won 2 in a giveaway, purchased one at Kelly's Closet
$19.00 at Kelly's Closet

Pros: These were the diapers besides the Lil Joeys that fit him pretty much from birth. I love the colors and also like that they're made in Canada.

Cons: I want to love them, but once Kieran's poops became larger and more liquid, we've had a lot of leaks with the Applecheeks. They always leak out of the leg holes, even though they seem to fit around his legs. He still fits in them, but I only use them if everything else is dirty. I'm hoping these will fit him better once his legs chunk up.

Buy Again? I really want to say yes, but we've had a lot of problems with them lately that makes me reach for them last. We ended up buying a third because we liked them at the start, but once Kieran's poops became larger, these diaper didn't hold it as well. I'm hoping something changes soon so that he's able to wear them again.

Happy Heinys Pocket Diaper
Received in a Cotton Booty box
$18.95 on Happy Heiny website

Pros: Has a large opening to stuff the insert into.

Cons: We've had a few leaks in this diaper, but I'm not sure if that's due to user error or the diaper.

Buy Again? Meh. Don't hate it, don't love it. If I hadn't gotten it in a Cotton Booty box, I probably wouldn't have purchased it for myself.

BabyKicks Pocket Diaper
Received in Cotton Booty Box
$15.99 at Kelly's Closet

Pros: ....it has interesting velcro?

Cons: Not really a fan of this diaper. The fabric that sits against baby's skin is really strange and it's very small through the crotch, so even I have difficulty stuffing it. We've also had leaks almost every time Kieran has worn this diaper. The Applecheeks rank over this one.

Buy Again: Nope. Just not a fan of this diaper.

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That's our current all in one / pocket diaper stash. We keep our BumGenius for bedtime and I'll pick a Rumparooz over anything else in my stash. If anyone has had luck with Applecheeks, Happy Heinys, or BabyKicks and wants to purchase my diaper, let me know!

Questions? Leave them below and I'll try to answer them!

Next I'll share what our stash of covers, prefolds and fitted diapers looks like.

Kieran 3 Months

If you want to see this post that include pictures of Kieran, go to our family blog. If you need the password, let me know below! 

Height: Approximately 23.5 inches

Weight: unknown

Head circumference: unknown

Clothing: He can wear anything from 0-3, 3 month, or 3-6 month clothing depending on the brand. The majority of the clothes are too big in his shoulders and stomach area, but he's still long with the added fluff in the booty from his diapers, so he needs the length of the larger sizes. Carter's brand fits him best, but it's also the most expensive, so I try to grab pieces when they're on sale.

We're still cloth diapering and started using cloth wipes this month as well after the brand of wipes we use was recalled due to a bacteria issue.

Nicknames: Chubby Cheekers, Bubba, Mister Man, Grumpy Gills when he's super fussy.

Food: Still exclusively breastfed. We've been playing games with trying to fill up his tummy before bedtime to try and get a larger chunk of sleep, but nothing we've done has really helped. We tried feeding him from one side for 30 minutes so that he gets the fattier hindmilk, feeding from both sides for 15 minutes, and feeding him a 5 ounce bottle. There wasn't a big improvement with any method, so we flip between feeding on one side and feeding on both, depending on when his last feed was.

Sleep: Sleep has been so-so this month. Right after he turned 2 months old, he regressed to newborn sleep - getting up every 1-3 hours. Mama was tired! It has gotten better lately with him sleeping from 9-4 and 9-1 the past couple of nights. We were putting him to bed around 7 or 8, but if he only does a 5 hour chunk of sleep, that means he's waking up at 1 or 2, just a few hours after we go to bed. If we keep him up until 9, he seems to sleep until at least 2, which gives me a good four hour chunk of sleep.

Naps: Naps are still hit or miss. We've finally gotten a loose schedule for naps - he'll fall asleep on the drive to work, 2-3 hours after waking up for the day (usually between 9 and 10 am,) then again around noon or 1, and then one more nap in the afternoon anywhere between 3 and 5 pm. Naps will last between 20 minutes and 3 hours. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the length, so it's hard for me to try and get things done because I never know how long I have.

At work, he sleeps best in the Ergo, but there have been a few times when he's fallen asleep in my lap after nursing.

Milestones & Tidbits:

- Nana and Grandpa Wright came to visit! This was Ann's second time meeting Kieran, and Kenton's first.

- We had a medical scare that required Kieran to have an MRA under sedation, but everything came back clear!

- We've noticed that Kieran holds his thumb in between his second and third fingers

- He has also found his hands and has started holding them together. Sometime we can pry them apart and place a toy in his hands and he'll hold it for a few minutes

- He started doing this at 2 months, but we're still getting smiles. He smiles when we talk or tickle him, as well as recognition smiles. He lights up when Keegan comes home from work which makes my heart so happy!

- Still a drooling machine and still loves to suck on his hands or arms. He's started trying to fit both fists in his mouth at the same time, but that doesn't go well. Both Keegan and I have become a teether when we've held him and he's decided our hands are tasty.

- He found his voice this month. His soft coos have turned into loud talking and babbling. He hasn't started the screeching phase yet, thankfully.

- He's still batting at toys, especially the ones on his play mat, but he also started reaching for toys that I am holding. He's not the best at holding onto them, but it's a start!

- We got our first giggles! I was giving Kieran raspberries on his tummy at work one day and he giggled all of a sudden. He wouldn't do it for Keegan for another couple of days, but I eventually got him to giggle again with lots of kisses. Lately, only Keegan can get him to giggle by tickling him under his chin.

- He rolled over from back to front for the first time. I put him on his play mat on his back, and Keegan noticed a few minutes later that he was on his side. We were both in the kitchen when he started crying and when we looked over at him, he was on his tummy! He hasn't done it again since, but he will roll to his side often on the play mat or when we're changing his diaper.

- He still gets hiccups, but thankfully not everyday like it used to be. He's able to handle them better and only gets frustrated if they last longer than 5ish minutes. One day, he got 4 bouts of hiccups in one day! The only thing that'll make them go away is nursing.

- We celebrated Kieran's first Halloween! We didn't do anything, but he did wear his "costume"

- My work had an event at which there was a fire. Kieran was extremely interested in the flickering lights

- We sat him in his bumbo for the first time

Likes: Snuggles, eating, sleeping, bath time, his Kick and Play Piano playmat, Daddy, going for walks, looking around at all of the new sights and sounds.

Dislikes: Getting his clothes changed (he doesn’t like things going over his head,) getting his diaper changed, being cold, being in the car seat when the car isn't moving.

Baby + Work Update: Having him at work with me has gotten more difficult since he's not as content to just lay there, he wants to be played with and entertained. Since my coworker has left, I'm going to bring in his play mat so that he'll have some toys to play with. We have gotten into a good routine and I'm able to be mommy and work. It helps that my coworkers absolutely love him and are willing to take him for a few minutes when I need to get something done.

Kieran gets more fun as he gets older. His smiles warm my heart, and seeing him get so excited to see Keegan is the best part of my day. I love his laugh and wish I could get him to do it more often!

16 Minute Club Subscription Box Review

When I was pregnant, I heard about the 16 Minute Club subscription box, but promptly forgot about it after Kieran was born. I re-found it last week and decided to order a box. Your first box comes with a small binder that contains information about breastfeeding. In each box, you will get another chapter to add to your binder that has to do with your baby's milestones during that month. If you'd like to see a review of the first box, you can watch this video.

A description of the box from the website: "Breastfeeding is natural yet not always easy. The 16 Minute club breastfeeding program will provide support and resources delivered directly to your door to get you through any obstacles you may face as your baby advances and develops...Each box contains a chapter of our breastfeeding handbook and a collection of products designed to support the changing developmental milestones as a baby grows."

Because I ordered the box when Kieran was about 2.5 months, I received the 4th box of the series. The box cost $35.00 (but I had a coupon for 10% off which made it $31.50,) and here's what I received:

- Buggy Hook in red, $8.99

Use / Not Use: Probably use. I can see this being handy when I'm trying to carry 20 grocery bags because I hate making multiple trips! 

- Indestructibles Book: Baby Peekaboo $5.95

Use / Not Use: Use! Having a library for Kieran is really important to me and the fact this this book is rip proof will come in handy when he's older. 

- Sugar Booger Diaper Organizer bags (clean and dirty bags only) - Approximately $13 (the set below is $20 on Amazon, but we only received the two dirty and clean bags)

Use / Not Use: Probably use. I wish they were more like my wet bags I use for the cloth diapers (these bags have mesh on the back,) but I'll keep one in the diaper bag just in case. 

- Compressed Wipes by Green Sprouts - $5.77

Use / Not Use: Use! These will be great to keep in the diaper bag for when I forget our wipes....which I've done before. Thank goodness for public bathroom paper towels! 

- Infinity Teether Rattle by Green Sprouts - $8.13

Use / Not Use: Use! We used this the night I received it and Kieran likes it. He's still too young to actually grab it, but he seemed to like looking at the bright colors and listening to the rattle. 

- Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Milkin' Cookie - Approximately $1.50

Use / Not Use: Definitely used this one. It was in my mouth 2 seconds after I opened the box. It was delicious and I need to find a recipe to make my own! 

- Cossettie Changing Table Cover - $7.99

Use / Not Use: Will probably use. I'll put it in my diaper bag just in case I ever forget our regular changing pad. I do like how this one covers the entire table unlike the one that came with our diaper bag which Kieran is quickly outgrowing. 

- Purity Breast Milk Storage Bags (4) - approximately $1.20

Use / Not Use: Use. You can never have too many freezer bags. 

- Boleo "Hold Your Water" - $2.50

Use / Not Use: Probably not use. Both my diaper bag and stroller have an area for water bottles so I don't think I'll have a need for this. 

- Breast milk storage guidelines magnet from Milkin' Cookies 

Use / Not Use: already on the fridge

- $5 towards your next purchase from Bamboobies as well as a sample of their organic nipple balm

Use / Not Use: I already have some Bamboobies and they're ok. I have another set of breast pads that I like more, so I may use this coupon to buy some for a friend. 

- 20% off next purchase from The Dairy Fairy 

Use / Not Use: I'm not sure if I'll use this. I have a very large bra size and while they claim they have a size that'll fit me, I don't know if I want to take the risk. If anyone wants the coupon code, let me know! 

Total box worth: approximately $55.03 (without adding in coupons)

Total of what I'll actually use: approximately $52.53

I'm really happy with this box. It is more than worth what I paid for it, and it introduced me to brands I've never heard of before. I know I'm going to order at least one more, and if I still like it, I'm going to ask for the rest of the boxes for Christmas. 

Do you receive any subscription boxes? If so, let me know! I think I've been bitten by the subscription box bug. 

I paid for this box with my own money and decided to review it so that other ladies could learn about the service. All opinions are my own. Links are affiliate links. 

Last MRA Update

We got a call from Kieran's doctor and he agrees that his MRA came back clear, which we're so very thankful and excited for. Unfortunately, we're kind of stuck as to what is causing the asymmetry in his face. Since we started with the most high-tech (and expensive!) method of trying to figure things out, there isn't another test for us to do. So now we wait and see if Kieran starts to show any other signs of something being wrong. If he does, then that will determine what our next test will be. He'll be monitored at all of his appointments, and if nothing else comes up, then I guess we're assuming the asymmetry is something he'll grow out of.

So, that's where we are now. Kieran doesn't have another appointment with his doctor until his 4 month appointment in December, so I'll update then.

Thank you all for your love and well wishes!

Microblog Mondays: Traveling With Baby

For both Thanksgiving and Christmas, we're going to be traveling to visit family in our home state and driving anywhere between 8 and 14 hours. Both times, we'll also be spending time with both of our families which means sleeping in two different houses. We will be driving, so we can pack our crossover SUV to the brim with whatever we need, but what should we pack? I'm 99% sure we're going to bring his swing since that's what he's sleeping in right now, and I want to keep things the same as much as possible in hopes that he'll sleep well in a new environment. Do we bother with little things like his tub, or just bathe him in a sink/the big bathtub? We'll be in large cities, so it's not like we can't run to a store to pick things up, but I'd rather not have to buy an item we already have.

Also, what is the best time to drive with him? We have four options:

1. Leave around noon and get arrive around 8 which is when he normally goes to sleep

2. Leave right after work, around 6 pm, and get to my parent's house around 2 or 3 am

3. Leave around 8, when Kieran normally goes to bed, and get into my parent's house around 4 or 5

4. Leave around midnight and arrive around 8 am.

I'm leaning towards leaving at 8 in hopes that he'll sleep for the majority of the drive, but that will only give us about 2 hours of sleep once we get to our destination before he normally gets up for the day.


Kieran will be 3.5 months for Thanksgiving and 4.5 months for Christmas if age changes anything.