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!