I heart All-in-Two Diapers

Recently, I contributed to Padded Tush Stats' series, If I could Cloth Diaper All Over Again. In it, I said that I would build a cloth diaper 'stash' of many types of diapers, but if I had to pick just one type it would be All In Two Diapers.

Every week that goes by with Baby Sister this has become even more true, and for a few reasons:

   1. They are so easy for daycare-bag packing! When I transfer the dirty diapers from the day to the diaper pail, many of the covers can be aired out and as new insert can be snapped right in. And I don’t have to do yet another trip up and down the stairs.

   2. They travel well. When we head out for a morning, I toss one extra insert and one complete diaper (cover+insert) and we are set. One drawback to cloth diapers can be that they take up a lot of space in a diaper bag. Even when you master packing the essentials in your diaper bag, you still have to have DIAPERS. And you gotta admit, those ‘sposies are rather compact. Enter the AI2. Save space.

    3. The patterns are cute! I’m not afraid to admit (anymore) that one reason I really have stuck with cloth diapering is because they are so dang cute. And both Grovia and Softbums make really cute patterns (think flowers and chevron!!).

     4. They give you options! Not only are AI2's my favorite type of diaper, I think they are also the best way to get started with cloth. If you decide cloth isn't for you, you can just use the shell as a swim diaper. Also most AI2's are hybrids, which means you can use a disposable insert, which lots of folks find easier for travel. And remember, if you run short on the specific inserts for your diaper type, you can always use the shell as you would any other diaper cover and mix-n-match.

** This post contains affiliate links to Diaper Junction**

If I could cloth diaper all over again...

As a part of their series "If I could cloth diaper all over again..." Padded Tush Stats has invited me to share with you my thoughts!

First, let me give you a little insight into my life. I am a mother of two (an amazing three year old boy and an adorable 6 month old girl), and married to my fantastic husband/best friend for 7 years. We've been cloth diapering since our son was 3 months old (my idea, but hubby is gracious enough to go along with it as long as I do the washing). We both work full time (40+ hrs) outside the home. Both of our kids attend a childcare center while we work our 9-5's.

Given our situation and experience with all kinds of diapers over the years here's what I would do if I could cloth diaper all over again:

1. I would stick with disposables for the first 6 weeks to few months. I prefer one-size AI2's and AIO's (more on that later) and those didn't generally fit either baby until they were almost 10 lbs. Also, as a new mom (especially as a first time mom) I didn't need another new thing to put pressure on myself about. The points about needing to figure out something new or having laundry to wash are debatable (because disposable diapers were new to me, too, and my son generated plenty of laundry from blowouts in disposables).
   What I really did: this. I wanted to do a cloth diaper trial, but more towards the end of my maternity leave when I was feeling settled (and recovered from stitches!) and ready to take on a little experiment. So in the meantime we used the diapers from the hospital and the diapers gifted to us from our baby shower. And then some more diapers :) We emptied that diaper genie 2-3 times a week!

2. I would do a diaper trial. I'd look around for a trial that appealed to me (like those from Modern Cloth, Jillian's Drawers, and Kissed By the Moon) while I was still pregnant, and contact them to set up a trial for when baby approached 10 lbs. but also (hopefully) I'd still be home on my maternity leave to get acquainted with the process. I would get enough diapers to really try this full time (24 or more diapers, to get me through two days before doing laundry).
   What I really did: a mini cloth diaper trial. I was fortunate enough to live a short drive from the then-home-based Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique. Beth helped me choose a small sample of diapers to cover the basic types (prefold+cover, pocket, AIO) but I was only willing to fork out the cash for 4 diapers. Most diaper trial state up front that you get all or most of your money back at the end of the trial, so there is really no risk even in the event that you find you don't like cloth diapering at all. It's key to note that you really need a pretty full 'stash' of diapers to get a feel for the real diapering process. I only had 4, so that only got me through half a day, and then I felt like I was wasting water and energy(even with a small load) to wash those four diapers and get them dry to use again. And it seemed like I couldn't really fall in love with one type or another because of how infrequently I used them. Luckily I was still hooked on cloth and decided to move forward with it.

3. Stock up on your favorites. But not too much. After the diaper trial, I would look for upcoming sales or discount deals to get 20-24 diapers (many stores offer store credit and discounts from their trials). You'll need this many to keep on with the routine you developed from your trial. I stress favoriteS because you and your partner may like different types of diapers - get both if you don't want to have to change all the diapers. You may like one type for at home, another for out and about and still another for naps and nighttime. Get a small variety.
   What I really did: added a few here and there when there were deals ands sales. At one point I did buy 10 of the same diaper through a website with a pretty good deal. They were our favorites for a while, but I am finding that with baby number two they aren't (or at least right now they aren't...).

4. Know ahead of time that you WILL want more. It just happens. Your second baby is a girl, so you need more pink and feminine prints! Baby is now walking or having solid poops, so a style you used to like now isn't the best choice. A new diaper or print comes out that you just HAVE to try or need for a special event or holiday. Figure out where to sell off or trade in or donate your least favorites.
   What I really did: slowly add to my initial collection of 4 diapers. Painstakingly slow. It is hard to pony up that much money all at once, but retrospectively, I knew I was going to use cloth, and could do the math to justify it. I still add here or there, but have promised my husband I will only do so if they are free... from winning a contest or using store rewards points).

5. Get a few 'extras'. Get some CJ's butter in your favorite scent (Irish Tweed for a boy, and I am still deciding my favorite for a girl - probably lavender). Get a few wetbags (see below for my picks). Cut up a receiving blanket to make 16+ cloth wipes (we dont' send these to school, so this is plenty for evenings and weekends). Get at least one swim diaper for each size, but buy these as you go, since you won't know how big your baby will be each summer. My favorites are the bummis swimmi and the Little Bee Co Aqua Bee. But even a spare diaper cover works, too (just beware that chlorine may wear on the PUL, and ocean water may discolor anything white!)
   What I really did: pretty much this. I went with only one medium wetbag and one pail liner until my second baby was born, but now I have a couple more. I still use one for water day at school for my toddler or to keep a spare set of clothes in the car for my mostly-potty-trained toddler.


Maybe you were expecting me to say, "I would buy x diaper" so then you could go buy it. OK, then. After having tried more than 13 different types of diapers, I feel like I do have some favorites. If it were up to just me, I would probably buy 10-12 Softbum Echo's or Grovia AI2's with 15-20 or so extra inserts (so 25-32 total inserts). And I would be done with diapers (unless I found I had a heavy wetter, in which case I'd add a few bamboo inserts for nighttime. Also I would get two Planetwise medium wet/dry bags, and one large hanging wet/dry bag (ours hangs just right off one of the bedposts on the crib, near the changing table). I'd also cut up a receiving blanket to make some cloth wipes (I did finally do this about 6 months ago - but I could have been saving tons of $$ if I'd done this sooner!)

If you are asking my husband, he would just as easily use disposable, but if he had to choose a cloth diaper, he likes the TotsBots EasyFits the best. He doesn't like to mess with matching pieces together, and likes that he knows how to easily add an insert to it for nighttime.

And if I was a SAHM (and/or only used cloth at home) I'd go with prefolds and covers. They were intimidating to me at first, but now I find them really simple (read about them here). And they are cheap! I recommend everyone keep at least three prefolds and one cover around... just to have.

If you want to more about what diapers I send to daycare see this post: Cloth Diapers for a Working Mom: What I send to Daycare.

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Cloth Diapers for a Working Mom: What to Send to Daycare?

Thanks for asking, " What kind of diapers do you send to daycare?"

I have all kinds of diapers, but only so many total, so I eventually have to send whatever I have on hand. However, when they are all clean and I can choose here is what I like to pack in baby's bag:

1. AI2's - these are my favorite diaper to use, period, at the moment, but I really like them for daycare because at school they function as an AIO (see #2), but at home, I can just snap out in the inners and snap in new ones. Boom. Ready to go for the next day. [This is for wet diapers. Poop diapers usually require that the cover be washed, too]

my favorites: Grovia hybrid AI2s, Softbums Echo

2. AIO's -  these are all one piece and function most like a regular disposable diaper. I feel like this makes the transition for my baby's caregivers easier (the are changing lots of other disposables over the course of the day) and there is nothing to get lost or confused. They are also easy for me on the back end to just toss in the wetbag at home or wash.

my favorites: BG Freetimes, Grovia AIO, Thirsties AIO, Swaddlebees Simplex AIO (one size).

3. Pockets - I send these when all the other options are dirty. I think pockets are bulky for daytime and kind of a pain. At home, I prefer a prefold/cover combo to pockets. But I think they are easier than prefolds at daycare, so occasionally I'll send these.

my favorites: little bee co (love their mission!), Rumparooz

What else I send:

cloth-safe diaper cream - i only send a sample-sized jar. my kids don't seem to use much, and i am sure to give her a good slather in the morning with her first diaper. I can easily refill the small jar from my bigger one at home. But I think its fine to send whatever kind you prefer (spray, etc.) as long as its cloth safe. I like CJ's BUTTer (especially in the Irish Tweed scent!).

a wet bag - actually we send a medium sized wet/dry bag that seems to hold 4 or 5 diapers. We take it home each day with the dirties and send it back the next day with clean-ies. We have two of these in rotation (and 1 large bag at home to collect all the diapers until wash day). I like the ones from Planet Wise.

back up disposable diapers - I think this serves three purposes. a) there are extra special days where my baby goes through more than the 6 diapers I send (especially when teething!) and these are easy to just keep at school so I can make sure most of my diapers are in regular rotation. b) the kids get to do special art projects sometimes and school, and usually are only in a diaper or have on a smock. event though the materials are usually washable, I'd rather risk a 'sposie just in case. But also c) I think it lets the teachers know I am not THAT crazy (no offense to anyone that disagrees with me!) that I think disposable diapers are the devil (however the disposables I do send are eco-friendly... (and these Honest diapers are SUPER cute).

* when baby starts having solid bowel movements, you may choose to use disposable diaper liners (I like the smaller version of these TweedleBugs brand). If so, I recommend you pre-line the diapers you send with them. The goal is to make this process as easy as possible on the caregivers as we want their attention on the right things (safety, etc of all babies in the room).

What I DON'T send:

prefolds/flats + covers (unless I put one on as the first diaper of the day at home. Beware of the snappi though. We've been skipping it lately, but I know it can be tricky for those who aren't familiar with it, and I have seen little cuts occur with them). As I said, I really like to use these at home, but I don't think they are a good fit for daycare.

regular diaper cream. NOT EVER. Unless you have a really bad diaper rash or your doctor has prescribed it (in which case you are using disposables along with it), just don't even go there and let there be confusion about what to use with your cloth diapers. Regular diaper cream can ruin cloth.

Side note, some feedback from the occasional "grandma-care" is that she prefers velcro diapers because the snaps are harder for her to work with and hurt her hands.

A great cloth-diapers-in-daycare resource: http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/daycare/tip-sheet.php

* this post contains affiliate links *

Cloth Diapers: Going Simple

photo credit Diaper Junction

If you are interested in cloth diapers because you want to save money above all other reasons, then think prefolds. Prefolds are pretty much the least expensive way to cloth diaper ($1-2 per diaper + a few covers that start around $11 each). Though you will need a couple of sizes to cover your baby from birth to potty training, you can still get everything you need to diaper your child for 3+ years for less than a couple of packages of disposables. If you are only cloth diapering part time, this is still a great option to save $$, too.

So what do you need?

1. Prefold Diapers - before I started cloth diapering, I knew these as burp cloths, but really they are the 'old school' diapers you see on baby posters. Some good options are Thirsties Cloth Diapers -hemp prefolds, or the very inexpensive but effective Indian Prefolds.  For full time diapering you probably need 20-30 of these, depending on how often your baby 'goes' and how often you want to do laundry.

photo credit Diaper Junction

2. Diaper Covers - Thirsties Diapers makes two great options - either a sized cover, or the Duo Wrap, where two sizes will cover your baby's diapering lifetime. There are lots of cute patterns and options out there to choose from, so check out Blueberry and can be very inexpensive, like Econobum,  For full time diapering at home you probably need 3-5 of these in each size, depending on how often you do laundry, or how often baby poops. Covers can be reused several times between pee diapers, but need to be washed after poop gets on them.

3. Snappi (optional) - the snappi replaces the need for pins in this 'old fashioned' way of diapering. It works like the gripper on an Ace bandage to hold together your folded diaper. I say this is optional, because I often forgo the snappi and fold the diaper Angel Wing style and just lay or tuck it into the cover. You probably only need one or two of these for full time diapering.

THAT'S IT. That is really all you need.
... Of course it is easy to go crazy with a collection of covers, and maybe you will get a few accessories (like a wetbag for storing dirty diapers, detergent specific for cloth diapers, cloth diaper safe diaper cream, to name a few)

I admit that I don't send these to daycare (I am so grateful that our teachers are willing to cloth diaper, that I want to minimize any potential intimidation), but I frequently turn to these myself at home. They take up very little space when packing the diaper back for a whole day out - and we seem to always have some handy. That big stack of burp cloths? Those can double as a diaper in a pinch, too (after all, that's what they really are...).

Guest Blog Post: What about the Poop?

I am long since numb to being up to my elbows in poop and other baby messiness, but my husband still cringes at these messes. What's more - this is one of the first questions you'll be asked about when you tell someone you use cloth diapers!

Kanga Care and Rump a rooz were kind enough to let me write a guest post on their blog about the subject!!

What's in my cloth diaper 'stash'?

I do not particularly care for the term 'stash' popular in the cloth diaper world for your wardrobe of diapers, but that is what 'they' call it so... Also, know that I just picked up about 4 or 5 new diapers, and some new inserts in anticipation of our baby girl arriving in February. We got along perfectly fine with about 26 diapers (4 of which were overnight pockets... plus our prefolds and fitteds for backup) until M was potty training.

Also see below for a little crash course in the different types of diapers used for cloth diapering.

So, in case you want to know what we have on hand...

All-in-One's (AIO) - one piece, literally, so this is as close to the disposable experience as you can get. This one blew the mind of our daycare director when we first brought up cloth diapering...

BumGenius Elemental (7-39 lb) - 9 (Clementine, White, Grasshopper, Butternut, Noodle, Sweet, Twilight, Albert, artist series blue)

BumGenius Freetime (8-35 lb) - 2 (snap, Albert & Blossom)

Tots Bots Easyfit ('old' version, aplix, 8-35 lb) - 4 (orange, green apple, cosmo, teal )

Swaddlebees One Size Simplex (10-35 lb)- 2 (swirls, tweets)

GroVia Organic One Size (10-35+lbs)- 4 (vanilla, airplanes, trees/birds, teal)

Thirsties Duo - 1 (aplix, size 2, 18-40 lb, Scottish storm)
Ragababe 'Easy' All In One - 2 (size S, 9-20 lb, pink leopard; size L , 23-40+lb, Pinwheel)

All-in-Two's (AI2) - a two-piece system of a cover that can be reused before washing (if not soiled, can be aired out if wet) several times by changing a (usually snap-in, proprietary) insert.

SoftBums Echo (6-35 lb) - 2 (yellow Aliens, Pink giraffe)

GroVia - shell (aplix, "birth to potty" for weight - blackberry) + 2 stay-dry soakers (we lost one of these diapers very early on - it was thrown away by accident... but it was in the cutest bird pattern that is now discontinued... :(  It had the organic cotton soaker, and I didn't care for how crunchy it was starting to get...)
little gPants (Medium, 13-28 lb.) - 1 (graceful rose)

Pockets - a two (or more) piece system of a cover that cannot be reused until washed because the insert(s) goes inside a fabric tunnel in the diaper.

Little Bee Co Bee Changed Microsuade (8-35 lb) - 1 (Mexican Sol)

Rump a rooz G2 One Size (6.5-35 lb)- 3 (aplix - rootbeer, platinum, lazy lime - the dog ate one of these we had in white...)

Kawaii Goodnight Heavy Wetter One-Size (8-36 lb) - 1 (black/white cow)

GoGreen Champ (6-45 lb) - 1 (toady)

Total: 31 diapers

PLUS....

Prefolds - the 'old school' diapers many of us know to be burp cloths nowadays

Unbleached Indian prefolds - (3 infant, up to 15 lb; 6 Premium, 15-35 lb)

Snappi (3)

Fitted - a self-closing diaper that is not waterproof, so requires that a cover go over it.

Thirsties Fab Fitted - 1 (size two, 18-40 lb., mango)

Ecoposh Recycled Oraganic OneSize (6-35 lb) - 1 (ginger)

Covers - PUL - the waterproof layer that goes over a non-waterproof diaper, like a prefold, flat, or fitted.

Thirsties Cover (size x-small 6-12 lb. , baby bird lavender)

Thirsties Duo Wrap (size 1,  6-18 lb - mango, size 2, 18-40 lb., ocean blue and meadow green)

Covers - Wool -  the waterproof (seems crazy, i know, but sheep stay dry in Ireland, right?) layer that goes over a non-waterproof diaper, like a prefold, flat, or fitted.

Sustainablebabyish Knit Wool Cover - 1 (Large, 30+ lbs, falcon)

Swim Diapers - basically just a diaper cover, usually with a mesh layer closest to skin and gussets. All that's required of a swim diaper, disposable or cloth, is that it contains poop. Even if you aren't into cloth diapering, save a TON of $$ using these instead of disposable swim diapers!!
iPlay Swim Diaper - 2 (Medium, 18-22 lb.,  white)
Swimmi by Bummis - 2 (Large, 22-30 lb, turtles and clownfish)

Extra Inserts - for boosting absorbancy in a standard-from-the-manufacturer diaper. Especially handy for nighttime and napping.

Thirsties Fab Doublers

Rump a Rooz (hemp and microfiber, two sets each)

Little Bee Co (hemp)

other - i've forgotten how these others turned up... but i seem to have about 4 extra, plain, microfiber inserts...

Liners - for keeping moisture from touching baby, especially for diapers without a microfleece layer closest to baby (including prefolds). The disposable version are a big help in dealing with poop, especially in what I call 'stage 2' - beginning solid food.

microfleece - 4

disposable bummis biosoft (small)
disposable Tweedlebugs (small)

WetBag - handy for storing dirty diapers (and their smell) until you get home to your diaper pail. I like wet/dry bags to keep the clean ones in one side, dirty in the other. Also handy for bringing home wet/dirty clothes for kids, grownups, and after the pool/beach. A must for transporting such things home from daycare.
Planet Wise wet/dry bag - 2 (Meadow tweets & lime cocoa bean)
Planet Wise pail liner - 1 (white)

Cream - you need to use a cloth-diaper-safe cream. Sadly, A&D and Desitin are not cloth-safe. But coconut oil is (yes, next to the olive oil at Trader Joe's) and is preferred by many.
CJ's BUTTer (Irish Tweed, Lavendar, Bluberry Crumble)
Lansinoh lanolin (not for babies - for me... and for lanolizing wool)

Wipes - you can use cloth wipes just as you can use cloth diapers. Up until now, I admit that I haven't really started using these... I just felt like they would get more poop into our wash, but I wanted to try them with Baby Sister on the way, thinking of cutting up a few receiving blankets we have and don't need, too.
Green Elephant Co - 6
baby washcloths
Seventh Generation & Honest (disposable, yes, but they are what we use!)

Detergent - most manufacturers recommend that you use a detergen they approve of. For a long time I used All Free & Clear, but eventually moving in with hard water made me change my strategy. I also found a detergent that can be used for stripping diapers - for a periodic deep clean.
Rockin' Green
Mighty Bubbles (stripping treatment, do even one more rinse than they suggest... just for good measure, and don't overfill the washer!!)
free samples for traveling (seriously, whenever you buy from your favorite retailer always check to see if you qualify for a free sample of detergent! They are so convenient to pack for travel. I tend not to be picky about brand on this, as they are all cloth diaper safe, and washing in something different every now and then probably helps prevent build up, right?

Training Pants
Honest Training Pants (eco disposable, but for now we are using these as we potty train for naps and nightime)
Gerber Training Pants - 12 pair (3T, white and boy patterns)

... starting on a tangent at this point... potty training is a whole other topic!!


QUESTION: I added the weight ranges that the manufacturers claim their diapers will fit (so I remember when to break them out for Baby Sister), but I am skeptical at a few claims... can anyone attest to the lower weight ranges of any of these?

QUESTION: Which of these would you like to see reviewed first? I have already reviewed the elemental since its the one we have the most of in our 'stash', though not necessarily our favorite.