Part 2 - Sized Cloth Diapers on an Infant (a comparison of several different brands)

If you read the first post, you've seen my comparison of several different "one-size" diaper brands on an eight-week-old baby of 13 pounds. For Part 2 (that would be this post!), I am going to show you how all of our "sized" diapers fit the same baby.

bumGenius 3.0 All-in-One / AIO (Size Small)

Sadly, this diaper has been discontinued. So I'm kind of teasing you by showing this...but I'm going to show you anyway, in the off-chance you can pick some up on eBay or Craigslist. Because they are awesome.

When Claire was a newborn, we used the bumGenius newborn AIO diapers (just like the one in the pictures, only smaller). Although we did have occasional leaks in the newborn diapers, (again, the whole fat-belly-and-skinny-legs thing) we rarely experienced them in the size smalls (probably because her thighs had chunked up by the time she fit in these).

These were incredibly easy to use and due to the size (not bulky like a one-sized diaper), they were ridiculously trim. These were the diapers I threw in my diaper bag when we went anywhere.

Unfortunately, they only fit her for a couple of months (I was lucky and had picked these up a deep discount when they were discontinued, and I have saved them all in case we have another baby...so I feel like I more than got my money's worth).

FuzziBunz Perfect Size (Small)

This has to be my favorite sized diaper. Claire was probably close to 10 pounds before they fit, but she's currently about 17 pounds and we still have room to grow in these diapers.

They are on a small setting in this picture - if you could see her in them today (hmmm...another post, maybe?), you'd see she still has lots of room to grow. And, they are incredibly trim (I replaced the microfiber inserts in most of them with FuzziBunz hemp inserts and that made them even trimmer). Here's an idea of how trim they really are (it's about as noticeable as a disposable would be, only in a cuter color)...

Also? They are inexpensive - about $14 each - and I feel like when it comes to sized diapers, you can't beat the value of these (since she'll actually be able to wear them for months before she outgrows them). FuzziBunz Perfect Size Diaper = WIN.

AppleCheeks Envelope Cover - Size 1


This was one of the cutest diapers in my stash. Sadly...Claire only fit in it for a short time. She had almost outgrown it when this picture was taken (at just 13 pounds).

This diaper cover (insert not included) was expensive ($19), considering the short time Claire was able to wear it. The Size 1 supposedly fits to roughly 20 pounds, but that wasn't the case for us (she had outgrown it around 14-15 pounds). They do sell extender tabs for the waist, but they seemed kind of expensive too ($8) considering they would probably only buy us a few more pounds.

I stuffed the diaper with a bumGenius newborn insert and I must say, it was super trim - and the ruffles?? OMG. Too. Cute.

But. along with fitting for only a short time, I also had some leaks out the back (the tag is sewn on to the back of the diaper, and pee leaked out of the stitches - boo).

So, while I liked the trim fit and adorableness of this diaper and have saved it in case we have another baby, I wouldn't make an entire stash out of them (nor could I afford to).

Drybees AIO (Small)

I wanted this diaper because I liked the print. So when I saw one for sale on eBay, brand new for $9, I bought it.

These diapers are supposed to fit as early as 6 pounds. In our case, they were still quite large around the legs when Claire was 8 pounds...and honestly, we had continual leg leaks until she had outgrown this diaper completely (which was right around 15 pounds).

The velcro was great (nothing more annoying than bad velcro!) and the print was cute. I just wish it hadn't leaked!

When it comes to sized diapers, my recommendation is to get them cheap or buy a brand that's going to fit for awhile (or, wait until they're a bit older and their growth has slowed down some). Yes, you get a trimmer and truer fit, but babies just grow so darn fast in the beginning!

And if you want to see how one-size cloth diapers fit, check out Part 1 to this post (you can really get some bang for your buck with one-size diapers).

Part 1 - One-Size Cloth Diapers on an Infant (a comparison of several different brands)

I decided when I was pregnant with Claire that I would cloth diaper her from birth.  And so, I started doing my research.  I spent a lot of time reading reviews and a lot of time window shopping and a lot of time googling "newborn in one-size bumgenius," "newborn in lollidoo," etc. I wanted to see actual pictures of the diapers I was going to buy on actual babies (not just the vendor's pictures).

I had limited success...there were lots and lots of pictures out there, but not always pictures of a small baby in diapers...they were often older babies.  I ended up buying lots of different types of diapers, and I decided that when my baby was born, I was going to take pictures of her in all of her diapers as a newborn and put together a blog post that would show - in one place - how all of these different diapers fit one baby.

Of course, then she was actually born and in the haze of the newborn days this never happened.

But, when she was two months old I finally got my act together and took pictures of her in all the cute little diapers she had been wearing.  And now (four months after I took those pictures!), I am finally putting it all together.  My hope is that if you are trying to decide which brand (or brands) of diapers you want to buy, you can come here and see a bunch of them all in one place.  If I save a pregnant lady some googling, I have done my job.

I am going to break this up into two posts...one for one-size diapers and one for sized diapers (so if you are interested, be sure to check out the other post as well - that one has several "small" diapers from various brands, and some of those were my favorites!).

Claire was not a newborn in these pictures (clearly!).  She was eight weeks old, and about 13 pounds.

The "one-size" diapers she is wearing are supposed to fit from "birth to potty training" (as the manufacturers claim).  "Birth" is really about 8 pounds, and "potty training" is around 30-35 pounds, depending on the brand.  Remember though, that even a baby born at 8 pounds might not fit in one-size diapers.  Newborns tend to have big tummies and skinny legs, so it may be awhile before the baby really fits the diapers properly.  In my case, most of the diapers did actually fit around 8 pounds...Claire was a few weeks old and chubbing out by then...but they didn't start to consistently contain leaks until she was closer to 10 pounds (that being said, you'll be hard pressed to find a disposable to contain leaks during those early days, too).

But enough of my rambling!  Let's get started.  Oh!!  And please note that when I talk about a diaper leaking, I am talking about pee...I have yet to have a poop explosion or poop leak in *any* of these diapers - which is more than I can say for disposables!  :)

bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Stay-Dry

Claire did fit in this diaper when she was 8 pounds, but she fit a lot better in it when she was 10 pounds.

At 8 pounds, we had the occasional leak (mostly out the legs).  From 10 pounds on, the fit improved and we stopped having any leaks.  I have had a lot of bumGenius diapers (this is almost the only diaper we used with Jack), and they really are amazing.  They are high quality and consistently perform like you would want a diaper to perform (hold up well, and hold bodily fluids in).  If I could only have one diaper, this would be it.  This diaper is a workhorse!

bumGenius Elemental (Organic All-in-One)

This diaper didn't fit (at all, really) until Claire was 10 pounds.  At 8 pounds, there were still gaps around her legs.

Even at 10 pounds, there were still gaps and the fit just wasn't what I'd call "snug" - and diapers need to be snug around the legs.  As much as I love these diapers now that she's a bit bigger, I would definitely not depend on them for the early days.  You'll love these when baby gets bigger and you'll extra love them when baby's a toddler (so trim!).


FuzziBunz One-Size

I didn't have this diaper until Claire was about 10 pounds, so I can't say for sure how it would have fit as a newborn...but in this picture, the diaper could be set to a smaller setting (FuzziBunz has elastic that you adjust to change the rise and leg openings).  I believe that this diaper would be the most likely diaper (out of the brands I tried) to actually fit a brand new baby.

I didn't like having to adjust the elastic, but it did allow for a more custom fit.  They are narrower in the crotch than most other brands, and very trim.  Jack also had a FuzziBunz one-size, and it was almost as trim as his underwear!  He was 31 pounds in the picture below.

Charles complained about the "tricky" snaps (they snap in three places on each side, and I guess he was overwhelmed by the unique snap configuration and the extra snap...ha!).  I ended up taking these diapers out of my stash because I was tired of listening to Charles complain (however, no way am I'm giving up the FuzziBunz Perfect Size diapers...more on those in Part 2 to this post!).

Happy Heinys One-Size Diaper

I originally bought a Happy Heinys for Jack to use during his naptimes.  It was the only cloth diaper I used for naps for some time (they are larger diapers and you can stuff more in the pocket, PLUS the velcro allows for a nice snug fit).  I bought some for Claire and was surprised at how small they could become.  They actually have four settings, and here Claire is in the smallest one.

She fit in this diaper right at 10 pounds.  At first, we were having leaks (out the top mostly).  I finally figured out I needed to adjust it to a larger setting and that did help some.  We still have occasional leaks and I can't seem to figure out why, so I usually only put these on her when she's going to be in an upright position (in the Ergo, for example).  I expect we'll have better luck with these diapers when she's bigger (I loved them for Jack when he was about 18 months old until potty trained).

Bummis Tots Bots

These fit right at 8 pounds, but in the beginning we did have some leaks (around the legs).  Once she filled out, this problem seemed to resolve itself.  We still get the occasional random leak when she's rolling around on the ground, but I trust these diapers enough to lay her down for naps in them.

My favorite thing about this diaper is the velcro.  I have had a couple in rotation for over 8 months now and the velcro is as good as new.  Also, they are super easy to stuff (the insert is attached to the pocket) and very trim (these fit great under Jack's jeans when he was still in diapers).  These are incredibly user-friendly.

Lollidoo Overnight

This is the brand of diaper I could not, for the life of me, find a picture of on a small baby.  Claire was three weeks old when she started wearing her Lollidoo at night. I was convinced it was going to be too big for her, or I would have put it on her sooner.  The nighttime leaking was driving me nuts - I tried every diaper in my stash as well as disposables, and she was still waking up after an hour or two due to leaks (I blame this on just being a little baby and not fitting into any of her diapers properly at the time).  As you can see, it does look huge.

Keep in mind that this diaper is stuffed to the brim with cotton inserts (this is what she wears to bed).  And although it looks ginormous, she didn't have any trouble sleeping in it (and as she's gotten bigger, it fits her even better...and when Jack was still in diapers, he wore these to bed and they were downright trim!).  I do need to put her in pajamas a size larger than normal to accommodate for that fluffy bottom, but guess what?

No leaks.  And as you can see below, although it looks huge, there are no gaps around the legs (they adjust with elastic).

Claire wakes up dry every morning, and better yet...no red marks on her legs or bottom.  It's as if she's been naked (minus pee all over the bed, of course). This diaper is fleece and the inserts are cotton (although I have used all kinds of different inserts with success), so it's completely breathable.  I have so much confidence in Lollidoo I won't even try another diaper (I'm always looking for an excuse to try another diaper, but there ain't NO WAY I am messing with sleep).

My only wish is that they would come out with a tiny newborn version (with velcro).  You hear that, ladies over at Lollidoo??  A newborn version before I have another kid, please! :)

Flips

OK - I am cheating here.  I don't have a picture.  So you'll have to believe me when I tell you they just didn't fit right at this age.  The organic inserts were too bulky, and the stay-dry insert didn't take up enough space, leaving gaps at the leg.  Now, though?  Claire is about 17 pounds and they are awesome.  So, maybe don't plan on using Flips in the early days and save them for a bit later.

The moral of this story is that most one-size diapers will actually fit your baby best when she gets to be 10 pounds or so (FuzziBunz being the most likely to fit a smaller baby, but also the least likely to fit a big toddler).  You have a lot of great choices out there, just be sure to wait until baby's big enough to actually fit in them properly (I imagine it could be frustrating to deal with leaks and poor fit for someone who is new to cloth diapering and doesn't know what to expect).  

Now...click here for my post on sized diapers.  I have more pictures for you!

The 21st of January

It's the 21st of January.  Claire is six months old (what!) but today we celebrated another birthday, as well.  Today was Charles' grandmother's 97th birthday.  *97* As in, almost 100 (makes Claire's 6 months a little less...astounding, I guess).

Because of the birthday party, and because Charles was gone last night and I started my morning at 6 AM, I did a pretty crappy job of recording my day.  Unlike the first month I started this project, when I diligently took a photo on the hour, every hour, with a decent camera to boot, this month was a little more...slapdash (and I am really happy to have used the word "slapdash" in a sentence).  Taking pictures was, unfortunately, an afterthought...and this really is too bad, as there were tons of tons of great photo ops today (Jack and Claire with their great-grandmother would have been one, Claire with a beautiful black Friesian horse another...you get the idea).  Forgetting a real camera was a parenting FAIL.

You can see the results of my thoughtlessness below.

6:00 AM

I don't have a picture for 6:00 AM.  It was dark.  And even if it wasn't dark, I wouldn't have remembered to take a picture.  Because it was 6:00 in the MORNING.  That is really, really early for me.  Ungodly, even.  But Claire wanted to party and Charles was spread out by himself in a hotel bed somewhere so I had no choice but to get up.  

7:00 AM

So, guess who woke up early?  Yeah.  Jack was up by 7:00 AM.  As always, it was anyone's guess as to whether or not Jack would awaken in the form of Jekyll or Hyde.  The morning was tense as he swung back and forth, back and forth...alternating between throwing himself onto the couch howling for Memaw (my mom spent the night) and asking (nicely) for Lucky Charms.  I do my best in these situations to coax out Jekyll, and this morning was no exception.  Cartoons and a mug-full of sugared cereal later (I know, I know...bad), a pleasant little boy was cuddled up on the couch.  

8:00 AM

An hour later, he was still on the couch.  Watching his new favorite show, Octonauts.  And I have a picture of this, but apparently in my phone-to-Shutterfly picture transfer, this one was lost.  Oh well.  

9:00 AM

My mom leaves and I decide to cook up some eggs for Jack.  In a moment of domestic-wannabe-ness, I offer up Millenium Falcon eggs.  Another mom FAIL.

See, we have a couple of Star Wars cookie cutters.  So I thought, "I'll just put the cookie cutter in the pan and pour the eggs into it and they will cook in a perfect Millenium Falcon shape and I will be the BEST. MOTHER. EVER!"

First mistake?  I asked Jack if he wanted Millenium Falcon eggs without ever having actually created Millenium Falcon eggs.  

Second mistake?  I couldn't make them.  If I have learned anything as a mom of a three-year-old, it is under-promise and over-deliver...not the other way around.

The eggs were a complete failure.  Meltdown ensued, and ended with me promising Tie-Fighter eggs instead and Jack shaking his finger at me as he said, "Be gentle with the eggs this time!"

Long story short, the Tie-Fighter eggs were no great success either but they were at least consumed.

11:00 AM

At 11:00 AM we are finally on our way to GG's (GG = Great Grandmother) for the big party.  We tell Jack that if he goes to sleep, we'll get there faster.  Here he is "trying to go to sleep."  We spend the first part of the trip trying to convince him to go to sleep and the second half of the trip trying to keep him up (because we really don't want to have to wake him up right when we get there and deal with the risks of Jekyll and Hyde syndrome in public).

12:00 PM

My mom holds Claire and she tries to pull Jack's hair.  Jack loves this new game, but it's short-lived as other children arrive.  From this point on, Charles and I are on Jack like white on rice.  He is relentlessly harassing (hitting, growling at, yelling at, etc.) the other kids at the party.  AAAAGGGGHHHHHH....ready for this phase to pass).

1:00 PM

One great thing about having a sweet little nursling is that at large family gatherings, when the going gets tough, I can escape to a room to nurse my baby and get away from it all.  OK, it wasn't really "tough" at GG's 97th birthday party, but a few quiet moments with my baby was appreciated nonetheless.  

2:30 PM

At 2:30, we are headed home.  Within minutes, Jack starts telling us he doesn't feel good and his tummy hurts because he ate too much cake (he did).  A few more minutes, and he's crying and telling us his knees hurt (they often hurt so bad at night he wakes up crying).  A few more minutes?  He's full-on screaming and crying in the backseat.  Which is *extra* awesome because Claire has just fallen asleep.  The screaming gets worse and worse and...even worse.  See the picture I posted?  We are in the middle of nowhere.  After 45 minutes of non-stop screaming we get to a drugstore and buy him some Tylenol.  

A few minutes post-Tylenol and he's asleep.  Silence.  

4:00 PM

We will soon be closer to an In-n-Out than I ever was when living in California.  But since In-n-Out isn't open yet, we swing by Whataburger.  I need some caffeine.  And it's 4:00 PM...which means it's waaaaay to late for me to be drinking caffeine.  But I got up at 6:00 AM and just listened to 45 minutes of non-stop screaming, so I indulge.

We get home a little after 4:00 and they are still sleeping. It's still quiet.  I get in the backseat and block the sun from Claire's eyes so she'll stay asleep.  I do this for kind of a long time, because, well, it's reallllly nice to have two sleeping kids.  Even if it means we are stuck in the car.

5:00 PM

When Claire wakes up, I bring her in and we play while Charles sits in the car with still-sleeping Jack.  He eventually brings him in and puts him on the couch, and here he remains until we wake up him at 6:15 (and that doesn't go so well - think Mr. Hyde).

6:15 PM

7:30

It is finally bedtime for Claire.  Last week our rocker broke (super duper sad face) and we had to send it back to the manufacturer to be fixed.  So, I am without a glider for the next several weeks.  Today we borrowed a rocker from friends (no words to express my gratitude for this!) and I covered the chair and ottoman with crib sheets (not like we use those anyway) because I would like to return it in the excellent condition it is currently in (as opposed to broken-in-by-a-three-year-old).  

10:00 PM

No surprises here, but Jack is wide awake and just had a mini-meltdown because he told me he was hungry and I supplied him with cheese and crackers.  I'm not sure what he wanted and I didn't ask - don't negotiate with terrorists! - and this appears to have worked, as the plate is now EMPTY.  My goal is to get this published before the baby wakes up (again - she's already woken up twice since I started this post, but Charles has put her back down both time...remind me again that someday she will sleep, please!).  

And wow, that was a ridiculously long post for a few crappy pictures!  But you know what they say.  

"The days are long but the years are short."  

And today was no exception.  Long as I live it, but a mere minute in my lifetime.

Just keep telling myself that, right?

Sick With Kids...Not the Same as Sick Without Kids

We are sick.  Well...Jack, Claire and I are sick.

This morning as I was laying in bed I had a quick flashback to what being sick meant before kids.

Yeah, it still sucked...I felt awful and it would mess up my work day (and really messed things up in the days before I was able to work from home) and I hated it.  Being sick is never fun.

But...(and this is a big but!) I could stay home and SLEEP IT OFF.  I could wallow in my sickness in a giant bed, by myself, only getting up to move to the couch and put on a movie that I would then watch the whole way through.  I would ask my mom or Charles to bring me Gatorade and maybe a popsicle or two.  I would eat these in peace and then leisurely check my email and then go back to the bed.  By myself.

Not anymore.

Today I write this from the couch as the baby plays on the ground, which she will often due for long stretches of time.  When she's sick though, I am lucky to get 10 minutes from her.  Jack is watching The Pink Panther.  I have been trying to watch less TV but on days when Jack is sick/especially grumpy I am ridiculously grateful to whoever invented the TV and grateful for the fact that we have one and the electricity to run it...because I think it's safe to say that the TV won't be turned off today.

The house is extra messy, I can't imagine finding the energy to dress everyone, and the thought of actually leaving the house to run an errand makes my head spin.  I have an arsenal of wipes ready to collect all the snot two small children can produce (guess what - it's a lot of snot).  I am insanely grateful for our health and I can't wait until it returns.

It's likely that we'll spend the day in our pajamas, watching Scooby-Doo and on-demand train movies while I beg the kids to nap.

And actually...that doesn't sound a whole lot different than our healthy days!