Thursday, March 29, 2012

Oops, you have the stinkies!

....aka "My RLR soak story."

Once upon a time, I noticed that our diapers were getting a little...ripe. We definitely were having an ammonia smell problem. Why does this happen? Usually because of detergent build-up (or if the diapers are sitting too long between washes).  It started off small, but soon it was enough to make me wrinkle my nose when I'd get her out of bed in the morning.

I decided to try an RLR soak to combat the issue. I'd heard good things about it, and wanted to see exactly what kind of miracle worker this stuff was.

RLR is a powered laundry additive. It adheres to the residue in your diapers, lifting it away and allowing it to be rinsed off.

We have a front-loading washer, and I'd heard it wasn't as great for front-loaders. So I divided my laundry up and did some in a soak in the washer (the ones that weren't as stinky, mostly my pockets and AIOs) and did some in a soak in the bathtub (my fitteds, natural fiber diapers, and hemp).

For the tub soak, I filled the tub with the hottest water I could, added the RLR, and added the diapers. I added a lot; it was a packed house. Hottest cloth diaper party in town. The washer diapers were jealous.

Within minutes, the water in the tub turned cloudy and dingy. I let them soak overnight, and several times added potfuls of boiling water to the tub (to keep it as hot as I could).  Several hours later, you couldn't see the bottom of the tub. GROSS.


Once the diapers were done soaking, I wrung them out as best I could in the tub, then washed them as usual and gave them a few good extra rinses.  The verdict? NO MORE STINKIES. This is definitely something I'll do again.

Once it was all over, I compared a glass of clean water to a glass of RLR water.





The washer diapers actually turned out just fine as well. To do those, I did the "soak" setting on hot and added the RLR to the detergent tray. Again, I added boiling water (through the detergent tray) once the soak was underway, then when the soak was finished I washed as normal and did an extra rinse or two. For normal diapers, the washer is totally fine, but I think for extra smelly diapers I'd stick with the tub soak.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Winner : Wool Soaker!

Congratulations to Ashley Tyler Brown, who won with entry number 276 by "liking" Cloth Diaper Club on Facebook!

Ashley, I'll get you in contact with Karen she can get started on whatever size soaker you wish.  Please reply to my email within 48 hours!

Congrats!

From this point forward, I'll be aiming for one to two giveaways a month. These first few will be clustered together just because of timing, but after this it will slow down a bit. The blog will continue to be more focused on how-to's, articles, and guest posts about cloth diapering.

That said, we do have our first April giveaway coming up shortly.  Those of you who are pocket diaper lovers....pay attention!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Fitteds and Wool : A Love Story

Lara* is the mother of a (in her opinion) beautiful eight-month-old daughter named Carys. You can visit her blog at A Girl Named Carrots.

Like wool covers? Don't forget to check out our wool soaker giveaway here!

Overnight diapering can be one of the biggest challenges for people to overcome when it comes to cloth. It's often the last frontier of the cloth convert: many people use cloth during the day and continue to use disposables at night, because they are afraid to make the leap to cloth overnight or haven't found anything that works for them. 

My go-to solution for nighttime is a fitted diaper + wool combo. It's been totally bulletproof for us.  And my daughter? She's what's known as a HEAVY WETTER. Da-dum. Or maybe more appropriate term is CONSTANT wetter. I swear she just pees all. day. long. I'm not sure she's ever NOT been wet when I check her. So eight (or twelve if we're lucky...and we're rarely lucky) hours of constant peeing means it can be a challenge to contain it. (I stopped changing her at night - even if she wakes up - once she stopped pooping overnight.)

Wearing a wool soaker at less than two weeks old


I've found that the fitted and wool combo works extremely well for us. We've rarely if ever had leaks (and if we did, it was human error, like the wool wasn't lanolized enough).  I also like it because the combination is extremely breathable, so even with a wet diaper on for hours, she rarely gets red. I also like that the wool generally acts as the bottoms to her PJs, so she's not in extra layers - for instance, she might wear a pair of longies and a t-shirt to bed.  Wool is also naturally anti-microbial.

It's fairly easy to care for as well - you wash and lanolize it every month or two or when/if it gets soiled with poop, but reuse it night after night without washing as long as it's not dirty.  It will likely get damp on the inside from pee - and that's okay. You just turn it inside out and let it dry.  The lanonlin and wool work together to perform some magic trick where the pee turns into harmless salts. I think the two hardest parts about caring for wool are getting the lanolin to dissolve in the water (hint: use hot water!) and getting the wool dry (hint: roll it in a towel and stand on the towel to get as much water out as possible). And really, the drying part is just patience. It's not HARD to get it dry, it just takes a while.

The biggest downside? It tends to be pricey, especially interlock wool. However, because you can reuse it, you really only need one or two at the most (you could get buy with one if you had a PUL cover or other solution for the day or two the wool was out of commission being washed and dried).  And each one lasts a really long time - we're on size mediums of our interlock wool now, but used the smalls for probably six months.  It's very very stretchy!

In a Goodmama fitted as a newborn (her umbilical cord hadn't even fallen off!)

We use a mix of machine-knit Sustainable Babyish/Sloomb longies, a recycled wool Woollybottoms soaker, and interlock wool Wild Coconut Wear soakers and longies. We used to have a Woollybottoms footie, but she outgrew it and I haven't replaced it yet since summer is coming out and we probably will be sticking with soakers for the next few months. We have some homemade knitted WAHM/Etsy wool as well. For the most part, I save that for daytime use because the knit is looser, which means it's generally not quite as bulletproof (the tighter the weave, the more waterproof it is - which is why interlock is great!).

Wild Coconut Wear soaker

I have personally used the soakers under footed pajamas inside a SwaddleMe blanket without compression leaks, but that doesn't work for everyone.

Wild Coconut Wear longies

For diapers, we use Goodmama, Twinkie Tush, Monkey Snuggles, Orange Diaper Company, Tangerine Baby (below), and probably more that I'm forgetting. They are all great for us and I honestly can't say that there's one I like or dislike more than the others, though I reach for my Monkey Snuggles before the others, I'd guess - though that might have just as much to do with the fabric pattern as the diaper itself!

Most fitted diapers don't have a stay-dry feeling and 99% of the time that's not an issue for her (luckily!). If she's red, I'll throw a fleece liner in the diaper to give a bit of extra comfort. This works well for those babies that don't tolerate feeling wet as well.






Sometimes wool and fitteds aren't practical. If we're out and about or someone else is watching her, I prefer pockets.  And sometimes it can be too bulky to wear under PJs. For those times, I have a Kawaii Good Night Heavy Wetter diaper that I stuff with a Knickernappies SuperDo insert.  I love the SuperDo insert and it could easily be used in any pocket diaper for overnight (but the Kawaii has heavier duty PUL that helps prevent leaks, which is always great). I've found it to be much more absorbent than two microfiber inserts and slightly thinner.

No matter what you choose, understand this: IT WILL BE BULKY. Nighttime diapering is always bulky. But your kid? He or she won't care. They'll be sleeping. Giant huge fluffy butts are pretty amazing, anyway.

We've been very lucky with our nighttime routines thus far and they've needed very little tweaking.  Sadly I can't quite say the same for her sleeping. It'll come, I'm assured. It'll come.

So in the comments, answer me this: What's your nighttime solution?

Like wool? Want to try it? Check out our wool soaker giveaway here!
More questions about wool? Click here! (links coming soon)
Want to know how to wash or lanolize it? Click here! (links coming soon)


*(Yes, it's me, Lara, the person who runs the blog...I'm calling this a guest post since it's more personal and opinion-based than a factual article!)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Giveaway : ClothDiaperClub Wool Soaker

I've talked before about why I love fitteds and wool for nighttime - or any time. Today, I'm super excited to announce a giveaway for a custom wool soaker!

ClothDiaperClub is an Etsy shop run by Karen. I'll let her introduce herself here:

I am a homeschooling mother of three wonderful boys. I love all things domestic, and I love taking raw materials and turning them into something lovely and useful. I recently had my third child and was shocked by the number of diapers that were being tossed into the bin. I decided that I wanted to cloth diaper, but I didn't really have the funding to do it. Then I remembered that I could sew! I turned all my maternity t-shirts into diapers for my sweet new baby. I found out that I LOVE cloth diapering! My goal is to make and sell beautiful and functional items that you and your child will enjoy using and to encourage others to leave a smaller footprint on our beautiful earth. Cloth diapering has been a blessing to us, and I hope it will be to others as well. I try to keep my prices affordable so that even on a budget moms can enjoy little luxuries in their cloth diapering routine.  My shop is the Cloth Diaper Club because I was talking to a friend about how much fun it was to find out someone else uses cloth diapers and she said, "I know, it's like being in a club." So true.

Now. How absolutely darling are these soakers and longies???


(P.S. If you love the above as much as I do and are pregnant or have a newborn....enter her giveaway for a set of newborn sock monkey longies and a matching hat on her blog! Heck, I might even enter....for the next hypothetical baby!)

Or....maybe I'll just order myself a pair of these purple/pink ones for the existing daughter I have.



Her stuff has a gorgeous, even, tight knit that is rarely seen in WAHM wool. I usually prefer interlock for overnight, but I might even try this one for nighttime!

One lucky winner will win a soaker just like the one below, in their choice of sizes (the color will be gray - a perfect gender neutral, goes-with-everything color!):


The soaker will arrive at your house lanolized and ready to wear. How awesome is that?

There are two required entries: "liking" the Awesome Cloth Diaper Blog on Facebook (there's even a widget on the left to make it easy) and leaving a comment on Karen's blog, here:

http://clothdiaperclub.blogspot.com/

You can comment on ANY post, including her sock monkey giveaway post!  Once you've commented, come back and fill out the entry form below (be sure to include the title of the post you commented on, *as well as* the name you used to comment if it's different than what you used to sign into the giveaway form).

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, March 19, 2012

Giveaway : Winner!

Congratulations to Brett G., entry #130, who won with a Facebook post!


I will contact you shortly! You have 48 hours to respond to the email to claim your prize. :)

This gives everyone else just enough time to gear up for our next giveaway. Want a sneak peek???

Ok, you forced me!  But shhh, don't tell anyone. This is just between you and me.

Here goes....

.......

.......

.......



This giveaway will begin on March 20, so be sure to check back then to enter!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

35 Weeks of Cloth

We've been cloth diapering now for over eight months - since the day she came home from the hospital (I wanted to do it in the hospital, but my newborn stash wasn't big enough to last four days). I've been doing weekly pictures with her since the beginning and today realized that means I've captured 35 diapers - not 35 different diapers, since I don't specifically try to avoid using ones I've used before, but 35 diapers over 35 weeks nonetheless.



Wondering what diapers those are? Click here for a list.


Monday, March 12, 2012

Giveaway!

In honor of our new Facebook fan page, St. Patrick's Day, the fact that it's supposed to be 72 degrees here in Nebraska on Tuesday, and the fact that today ends in a Y (but mostly because of the new Facebook page), we're going to host a giveaway!

What's at stake? A brand spanking new bumGenius 4.0 pocket in grasshopper.

Yours will be the snap version.

To win, all you have to do is leave a blog comment about what your favorite bumGenius product is (or which you'd like to try if you haven't tried any) and "like" our new Facebook page! There's even an easy one-click widget over there in the upper right corner you can use.  Once you've done those things, fill out the form below (there are even some extra credit things you can do for extra entries!) and BOOM! You could be the proud new owner of a new diaper.

And don't we all love new diapers? Especially FREE ones??

I thought so.

Good luck!

NOTE: Be sure to include the items the entries ask for to allow us to verify your entry! If you tweeted, include the URL of the Tweet (click the time stamp of the Tweet to get it). If you did a FaceBook or blog entry, same thing! If your post is private and I am unable to verify it, I may request a screenshot should that entry be a winner.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, March 9, 2012

What's the deal with newborn cloth diapering?

What makes newborn cloth diapering special?

Well, to start....newborn babies are tiny!  Even though many one-size diaper brands claim that they will fit from the start, they often don't REALLY fit until your baby has reached ten or even twelve pounds.  Newborn waists and especially their little thighs are just too skinny, and many people end up with leaks until they chunk up a bit. The rise is also often too high to work for tiny babies, especially before their umbilical cord has fallen off. Even some so-called newborn diapers have a rise that will rub against the cord before it falls off.

Newborn wearing Little Joey with umbilical cord scoop snapped down (yes, that's a giant postpartum pad next to her!)

And in practical terms, any diaper that is designed to fit until potty learning is going to be extremely bulky on a newborn, even if it does happen to fit (hint: they rarely fit)! There are a few brands that are known for getting smaller and fitting newborns better, but the majority of one-size diapers are simply....not.

Newborn in WAHM newborn pocket diaper


Also, newborns go through a LOT of diapers. We're talking 12 diaper changes a day, on average. If you want to do laundry every two days...that's at least 24 diapers you'll need for a very short period of time.  Many people only use newborn diapers for about six to eight weeks, though some babies are out of them in four weeks and some not until four months.

So to cloth diaper a newborn, you need special diapers, and you need a lot of them. What's a mama to do?

1. Newborn rental program
Some cloth diaper stores will allow you to rent a full set of newborn diapers for much cheaper than it would be to purchase them (see packages here for an example).

2. Prefolds and covers
Prefolds and covers are by far the most economical way to cloth diaper at any stage! For little tiny babies, you'll want to be sure the cover has an umbilical scoop, like the Proraps covers in size newborn have. You can get special newborn prefolds that are tiny and will fit your small little newborn wonderfully. Larger infant-size or one-size prefolds may also work, but will be bulky. For some great picture comparisons of sizes, click here. Generally, you would want 4-6 covers to go with the 24+ prefolds.

3. Buy used
If you watch used diaper sites carefully, you can get some really fantastic deals on used diapers, and build an entire stash for about the cost of a newborn rental program or prefolds and covers.  Newborn diapers come up often since they're used for such a short amount of time.

4. Borrow (or beg or steal)
Did you have a friend who cloth diapered? She may have newborn diapers you can borrow (okay, let's not be sexist: maybe your male friend does too!). Since they are used for such a short time, you don't have to worry about wear and tear as much as you would with one-size diapers, so borrowing and lending newborn diapers is a great option.

5. Buy new
If you're independently wealthy, this could be a great option! And really, if you watch for sales, deals, and coupon codes, you can often get a good number of diapers for the same price you could get them used. And if you look for lesser known brands or WAHM brands on, say, Etsy, you can often get really great diapers for a really great price.

6. Disposables
As much as any die-hard cloth diaper-er hates to say it, a practical solution is to just use disposables until the baby is large enough to fit into their one-size stash of diapers. I used to hate condoning this for many reasons, but mostly because I worried that people would get into the "easy" disposable groove and not want to use cloth, but the people I know that went this route couldn't WAIT until their diapers fit their babies. Why? They didn't like the smell of disposables, and they were having a lot of blow-outs. So using disposables for a few weeks isn't the death knell you might think! And I promise, you won't get kicked out of the crunchy granola hippie club.

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It might sound scary, but it's not! Newborn diapers are SO cute, and there is nothing cuter than a tiny baby with a fluffy butt! You  might be scared of meconium - but you don't have to be. It may stain, but it will sun out. And if you're really worried, you can use a disposable or fleece liner in the diaper to help "catch" it. And if you're really really worried, you can wait to use cloth until all the meconium has passed.

Newborn in Monkey Snuggles newborn fitted, no cover


What about washing newborn diapers? EASY PEASY.  Seriously. Until your baby start solids, you can just toss the diapers in the washer.  No rinsing, spraying, dunking, swishing, scraping, or second thoughts needed. Breastmilk and formula poo is completely water soluble and will just rinse away instantly. (Note: yes, it stains sometimes.) I personally have found that the poop of babies that are formula fed is slightly more, um, solid than the poop of breastfed babies, but that's in my baby-sitting-one-formula-fed-baby experience, so it hardly counts.  I was lucky enough to be able to nurse my daughter (and still am) so my experience is mostly with breastfed babies. Her poop didn't need to be rinsed off until after she'd been on solids for a good month (we use a diaper sprayer now, but that's a whole 'nother post).

Since most newborns wake up several times during the night to eat, you don't have to worry as much about finding an overnight solution, since you will change their diapers during those wake-up times. This is especially true since most newborns will continue to poop during the night for the first couple/few months, and you generally don't want your baby sitting in poop for hours overnight. Once they stop pooping overnight, many people stop changing them during the night, even if they wake up. After all, they'll sleep through the night eventually (right? right???) and you won't be waking them to change their diapers once that happens - so it's fine to let them "get used to it" and stop changing them during those late night feeding sessions.

The biggest thing with cloth diapering a newborn (or any baby) for the first time is that it may take some trial and error. You're both new to this! Give yourself some slack and some time to figure out the best prefold fold for your baby (for us, it was a simple fold-in-thirds-and-lay-in-cover) or what snap settings your pockets need to be on. What's the worst that could happen? A leak? It's no big deal if it does. That's what washing machines are for!

A newborn Goodmama fitted fully snapped, showing the umbilical cord scoop 

Newborn wearing Goodmama newborn fitted with umbilical cord scoop snapped down

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

New AIO releases: bumGenius Freetime, ones&twos, Thirsties AIO

In the past couple months, a handful of new AIO diapers have been released. As an obsessed a dedicated cloth diapering mama, I of course had to get my hands on them to try them out, especially since most of my stash has become AIOs.










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bumGenius Freetime






BGFT on smallest setting










BGFT on medium setting










BGFT on largest setting



The Freetime was released a while ago, so it's not really a "new" new release, but it's one of the newest! The Freetime is made by bumGenius and is a cross between their 4.0 pocket and their Elemental. All three diapers are one-size. It features a sewn-in soaker like the Elemental (though only one end of each flap is sewn down instead of both like the Elemental), but offers a stay-dry feeling like the 4.0 pocket.  Also like the 4.0, the diaper is made of suedecloth and microfiber (which contrasts with the natural fibers of the Elemental). The Freetime comes in 13 colors and two prints and retails for $19.95. You can get it in either snaps or velcro.






Opened










Opened, soaker flaps spread out









Opened, showing opening in soaker flaps. Note the opening is only four or so inches long, so a full insert couldn't fit in there.










~19 pound, 29", 7.5 month old










~19 pound, 29", 7.5 month old





On a ~19 pound, 29", 7.5 month old


Drying time: 
Inner microfiber is still very slightly damp after a 1 hour, 39 minute dry on extra low.

What do I like about it?
bumGenius diapers are universally high-quality and fit a wide variety of babies well, partly thanks to their great stretchy tabs.  Because of the flaps, it dries quickly (more quickly than the Elemental, though not substantially). The suedecloth resists staining and generally stays about as soft as it was new for the duration of the diaper's life. All bumGenius diapers feature their great stretchy tabs that give a fantastic fit for almost all babies, and the Freetime is no exception. It's trimmer than a pocket stuffed with two microfiber inserts.

What don't I like about it?
It's not as trim as the Elemental, which continues to be my favorite. bumGenius diapers all come with three rise settings, which may not fit small babies very well (ours didn't start fitting until about 10-12 pounds).  And they used suedecloth, which has great benefits, but I find that after washing a bumGenius diaper, I am forever picking hair and lint off the inside of it that collects during drying (if you only line dry this wouldn't be as much of an issue). Possibly a deal-breaker on this diaper is the difficulty in spraying poop off. I hate to bring up such a unappetizing topic, but let's face it - we're talking about diapers, so poop is going to be discussed.  The flap system that they used for the soaker can be tricky to use with a diaper sprayer. Ensuring that the back flap is the one on top can help with that to some extent.

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ones&twos


O&T, smallest setting


O&T, one of the medium settings


O&T, largest setting


The new ones&twos AIO is a new brand as well as a new diaper - oh, excuse me. NAPPY. They're an Australian brand, so they get to use the oh-so-awesome word nappy instead of diaper.  They consist of a one-size diaper with a completely sewn-in soaker (very similar to bumGenius sized AIOs) with a stay-dry lining that I believe is suedecloth. The diaper itself also features a stuffable pocket (agian, similar to bumGenius sized AIOs).  Included in the diaper purchase is a separate insert that is microfiber topped with (I believe) a stay-dry microfleece. This setup allows you to use the diaper alone or the diaper with the insert, and the insert can go inside the pocket or simply be laid on top. The ones&twos come in six bright colors and retail for $16.95. It only comes with velcro.

Opened, no insert


Laundry tabs


Inserts alone - stay dry topper on the left, flipped to show microfiber bottom on the right


O&T with insert on top of diaper, tucked into flap (as they suggest)


Front flap


~19 pound, 29", 7.5 month old (with the insert)


~19 pound, 29", 7.5 month old (with the insert)


~19 pound, 29", 7.5 month old


Drying time: 
Dried on high for 30 minutes to seal PUL, and inside microfiber was still quite damp. Did 1 hr 39 mins on extra low (how I generally dry all my diapers when not using a line) and it was completely dry by then.

What do I like about it?
It feels very high quality. Everything about it is soft. The pocket opening is at the front, which I like (as generally, for us anyway, poop goes up the back of the diaper). The pocket opening allows you to customize the absorbency with additional inserts, doublers, or boosters easily.  It is extremely trim without the separate insert.  The fact that there are four rise settings instead of three (which seems to be more common) means that it will fit a smaller baby than most one-size diapers.  It is narrower between the legs that many other diapers, which I really love. The separate insert lets you choose which you want to prioritize: trimness or absorbency. I love the soft laundry tabs - no scratches here! The best diaper I can compare it to would be the old discontinued bumGenius sized all-in-ones - which are some of my favorite diapers - with the addition of a soaker, a slightly different pocket opening, and, of course, the size settings.

What don't I like about it?
While I love that the pocket opening is in the front, the way it's configured with the flap opening facing towards the inside of the diaper means that poop could (and probably will) get inside the pocket. When you're dealing with a breastfed baby, that's not a huge deal since you just chuck the whole thing into the wash. However, when you get into (I'm sorry for this) chunky solid food poop, cleaning poop out of a pocket opening is NOT something you want to deal with.  (Note: if you just set the insert in without tucking it into the flap or stuffing the insert into the pocket, it will mostly prevent this.) While I like the separate insert for many reasons, it is another part to keep track of after washing - so if you don't like pockets for that reason, you may not like this.  The diaper is SO narrow between the legs that I couldn't stuff the extra insert inside easily - the inside of the diaper was too narrow for my average-sized hands. There's no way my husband could stuff this diaper. Luckily, since it's topped with fleece, you don't have to stuff it.

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Thirsties All-in-One


Thirsties, smallest setting (size 2)


Thirsties, medium setting (size 2)


Thirsties, largest setting (size 2)


Thirsties, like bumGenius, offers a wide variety of diaper types. However, they've never had an all-in-one until now.  They have prefolds, fitteds, pockets, covers, and now with the Thirsties AIOs they've just about covered every diaper type possible.  All Thirsties diapers and covers come in Duo sizing system: size one fits about 6-18lbs, and size two fits about 18-40 lbs). I got the size 2. Their AIO is stuffable, much like the ones&twos.  It consists of a microfiber soakers sewn into a diaper and topped with a microfleece stay-dry liner. The diaper is open on both ends to allow for faster drying times, and allows you to add an additional insert, doubler, or booster (none are included). It comes in nine solid colors and four prints, and retails for $15.75 (solids) and $16.75 (prints).  It is available in both snaps and velcro.


Opened


Laundry tabs


Pocket opening with built-in absobant layer




~19 pound, 29", 7.5 month old


~19 pound, 29", 7.5 month old





~19 pound, 29", 7.5 month old







Drying time:

Just like the ones&twos, I dried it on high for 30 minutes to seal PUL, and the inside microfiber was still quite damp after that. Then I did 1 hr 39 mins on extra low (how I generally dry all my diapers when not using a line) and it was completely dry.

What do I like about it?
The Duo sizing system works well for smaller babies, as there are three sizing options within each of the two Duo sizes (so between a size one and a size two, there are six sizes). The sleeve opening allows the diaper to be turned completely inside out if needed for washing or drying, and you can add extra absorbency. It fit very well.  The workmanship is very high quality, like all Thirsties products.

What don't I like about it?
I love microfleece at the beginning - it's SO soft, and I love that it doesn't collect hair and fuzz like suedecloth.  But after use, it does start to get pilly and just a bit rougher (however, given the choice between the two, I'd prefer microfleece over suedecloth). I do miss the double gussets that their covers and pockets offer, but I understand the difficulty in including those (their fitteds don't have them either, but I don't miss them there). It's slightly bulky - definitely not the trimmest diaper in our stash. This is the only diaper we had leaks with - but it was a big poop, something that the other diapers weren't lucky enough to receive. The aplix on this diaper and the laundry tabs SUCK. It is not very sticky at all, and the laundry tabs often come undone.

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Now, to compare all three.


L-R BGFT, O&T, Thirsties - smallest setting*


Medium setting


Largest setting


Opened (O&T insert on top)


*Note that the Thirsties is a size two and not a one-size diaper, and as such wouldn't be expected to get as small as a one-size diaper.

Trimness:
Of the three, the O&T (ones&twos) without the separate insert is the trimmest. With the insert, all three are about the same, with the BGFT (bumGenius Freetime) possibly being very slightly trimmer than the other two.

Drying Time:
In terms of drying times, the BGFT wins, hands down. The other can dry more quickly if turned inside-out, but that's a pain and I feel like it may stretch or tear the PUL if you do that too often. However, thanks to the pocket openings on the O&T and the Thirsties, drying time isn't insane. The O&T seems to have a slight edge over the Thirsties.

Fit:
They all fit my daughter about the same, though the O&T is trimmest width-wise between the legs, with Thirsties a close second and BGFT the widest. Given a newborn or much larger child, I think we'd see more marked differences, with the O&T being the smallest and trimmest for a small baby, and the BGFT possibly being the largest for a toddler (though it's hard to say - the Thirsties looks about the same as the BGFT on the largest settings).

Absorbency:
No leaks or wicking from any in a normal wet diaper.  However, I did have a liquid poop leak around the seams of the Thirsties. I want to be clear that she ONLY pooped in the Thirsties, so I can't speak to whether this would have happened to any of the others.  I did dry them on high to seal the pinholes from sewing, but still got that seepage.  She is on a weekly pooping schedule, so, ahem, her poops have quite a bit of force to them. This may not happen with regular poops. (Was that the most you've read about poop all day? And consider yourself lucky - I had a picture to include but lost it!)

Quality:
Initial impression: they are all about the same, with the exception of the Thirsties aplix being the worst.  I have a large rotation and haven't used any of the diapers long enough to see about longevity, but I don't anticipate any issues with any of them.

Snaps:
I got velcro/aplix for all of mine - right now we're at a very wiggly stage, and I need to be able to change her fast. However, note that the Thirsties snaps come in a straight horizontal line of two snaps, while the BGFT comes in a vertical line of two snaps (see stock pics from their sites below). Neither has crossover snap tabs. The snap configurations can make a huge difference on how diapers fit your child! The O&T is only available in aplix at this time.

BGFT on left, Thirsties on right


Overall:
Honestly, none of them offer anything hugely groundbreaking, in my opinion. All of these things have been done before in some way, shape, or form. There was nothing that made me gasp and say, "Oh, my gosh! Why didn't they think of that before??" I haven't seen stay-dry flaps in that specific configuration like the BGFT offers, but I've seen flaps on other diaper. I haven't seen two openings in an AIO like the Thirsties offers, but I've seen AIOs with openings. I haven't seen an AIO with an extra soaker plus regular absorbency like the O&T offers, but I've seen them with removable soakers. Overall, I want to like the ones&twos best because of the trimness and narrowness between the legs, and I like the customizable soaker. However, I haven't used any of them enough for one to jump to the front as of yet.  I will update this further if a clear frontrunner emerges with more use.