Question: What are your personal favorites for your little one?

As the owner of a cloth diaper business, I get asked a lot what my personal favorites are.  Now, mind you, I firmly believe that what works for one person may not work for someone else, and there are plenty of people out there who swear by diapers that we didn’t have success with, for whatever reason.  I have tried a lot of diapers, though, so I am speaking with some experience.  Off the top of my head, I know I’ve tried every make of Thirsties; BumGenius AIOs, organic AIOs, 3.0s; Rumparooz; Evolution; GroBaby; Tiny Tush one-size fitteds and pockets; Fishnoodles; Blueberry; Mommy’s Touch; Bummis wraps;  as well as every diaper carried in my own store (and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few).

I do make a commitment to myself and to my customers that I won’t carry any diapers that I can’t stand behind and so I do think there is something worthwhile in all the brands I carry, but I do have my favorites.

These favorites have definitely transitioned as I’ve tried a lot of diapers, and as Grace has grown.

For newborn diapering, I was fortunate to score a huge lot of used Kissaluvs 0 fitteds on diaperswappers and these remain my favorites.  While prefolds are also an affordable, smart option for newborn diapering, it is a lovely luxury to not have to hassle with folding or snappi-ing the diapers (and I wasn’t always so great at getting a tight fit with prefolds around the legs, and with runny newborn poop that’s sort of a bummer).  I used a combination of Bummis Super Whisper Wraps and Thirsties XS covers over the Kissaluvs and prefolds.

Once Grace hit 12 pounds or so, though, we were ready to progress to the rest of our diaper stash.  Like many expectant moms, I took a blind leap of faith and purchased a bunch of BumGenius 3.0 one-size diapers for our stash.  I didn’t really know anyone that had much experience with modern cloth diapers, and so I went with a brand I recognized.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite as pleased with those as I hoped I’d be… I was disappointed by the bulk of the one-size diaper even on my 12-lber. and I quickly found that the velcro curled and didn’t seem very sticky, rendering the laundry tabs useless.  (Side note: I have used other BumGenius products and do find them superior to the 3.0, so I am not trying to slam the brand.)

I proceeded to try nearly every one-size diaper on the market, and to be honest, the luster of the one-size diaper soon faded.  I do understand the economic appeal of a one-size diaper, but unfortunately I find that they just do not fit as well as sized diapers.  I have tried to stock what I found to be some of the more adjustable and good-fitting one-size diapers in the store, but for me, I tend to find myself drawn toward at least a two-size diaper instead.

Our current favorite diapers include a mix of nearly every type of diaper out there…

overnight: we use two trifolded prefolds in a Thirsties cover (I do not recommend trifolding in the Thirsties cover until your baby is past the runny poop stage, or it can get messy.  Since Grace never poops at night, we don’t have to worry about icky covers.)

alternate overnight: a Thirsties duo diaper with a doubler. I’m not even sure we’d need the doubler, but I haven’t wanted to chance it without.  The Thirsties duo diaper comes with a fabulous double-layered hemp & microfiber insert, and it’s so absorbent. A great option for heavy wetters in my opinion.

overnight for smaller babies: before Grace hit about 11 months, we were able to use just a fitted diaper with doubler and a Thirsties cover.  But at about 22 pounds, she started overflowing with that and leaking.  Still, I think the combo is very workable for smaller babies.

diaper bag favorites: AppleCheeks.  I really love the AppleCheeks and SoftBums for the diaper bag because both can be used as an AI2 diaper.  This means you can reuse the shell until soiled, changing only the inserts at each diaper change. This saves room in the diaper bag. AppleCheeks are my particular diaper bag favorite, because you can also use them as a pocket diaper… so if you are leaving the baby with grandma for a couple hours you can prestuff them to avoid any confusion.

at-home use: Thirsties fab fitteds with a Thirsties cover. I ended up quite a few of these purchased affordably on diaperswappers, and I still remain quite happy with them. A great leakproof, easy solution.

If I were to choose only ONE style of diaper to use all the time, I would have to say my choice would be either a Thirsties duo diaper or the AppleCheeks system.  Why? First, because both have the flexibility to be used as an overnight diaper, just by adding an extra insert or doubler.  Second, they are both easy diapers to use, and neither requires the unstuffing of pockets (a task I personally detest).  And third, as two-size diapers, they’re a happy medium between the one-size diaper or using 100% sized diapers.

Exciting addition to our store!

Mothering Grace is excited to announce the addition of selected Kissaluvs products to our store!  The UPS truck just arrived and dropped off our first shipment of Kissaluv 0 newborn fitteds, Marvels one-size fitted diapers, and Marvels one-size covers!  We have limited stocking of the Marvels items as  we await customer feedback, so if you want to try them, order now!

Kissaluvs products are top-notch, made in the USA, and constructed from the finest materials and fabrics.  We don’t think you’ll be disappointed!