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.
so fun that cloth is working out for you!
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