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Eco-Friendly Family
LittleD8081
member
So discouraged re:CDing
LittleD8081
member
I'm not sure this is for me. I was so excited to get my Jillian's Drawers trial, but the reality of it hasn't been as good. We have only tried a few of the diapers in trial, but there has been a problem one way or another with every single one of them. Am I doing something wrong? Here's the breakdown:
Bleached Chinese Prefold with Thirsties Cover: The prefold was way too bulky for the cover. Although it didn't leak, it certainly didn't look comfortable. I think the Thirsties in general are too small or something. (See below)
Thirsties Fab Fitted with Thirsties Cover: This did not seem to fit Parker well. We tried this combo twice now and both times he leaked. he had red marks on his legs and the top of the diapers just didn't seem to come high enough on his tummy. It looks like it sits really low on his tummy and goes too far down on his legs or something. I didn't like this combo at all. After trying it twice, I think I'm done with Thirsties. (Oh...I went by the sizing and he's in the "right" size for his weight, but I do have a short, fat baby).
bumGenius AIO: LOVED this diaper the first time he wore it. The fit was GREAT, and no leaks! The second time, however, he leaked through his diaper, onsie and jeans! YIKES! Just a fluke???? I kept that diaper on him longer than I expected 'cause we were out and about (5 hours)...but, a disposable has never leaked after that same length of time.
FuzziBunz Pocket with Insert left red marks on Parker's legs. It didn't leak, and the stains from poop even came out. So, I liked this one...except I didn't like the red marks. Also...the snaps seemed unnecessary since I had it on the biggest snapp for both the legs and tummy. I thought I would like the whole snap idea, but it turned out to not make a difference at this stage in the game for us (since we're new to CDing and Parker is 11 months old).
Dream Eze Organic AIO...I was fine with this one, except the sizing didn't seem to be that great overall. I mean, for the money, I want something that fits great as soon as I put it on Parker (just like how I felt when I put on the bumGenius V3.0 AIO).
He's now wearing a Gro Baby Shell with Soaker an I'm not sure how this is going to hold up. We're having the same problem with the gapping in front if it's looser to fit around his tummy when he's sitting. He was wearing this for 2 hours before he fell asleep...and he'll likely be asleep for 2 hours, so I don't know if he'll leak or not. 
Also...we are using disposables at night, just because. I just felt safer doing this while I'm trying out all of these diapers. So, I've only been CDing during the day.
I don't know what to do. Also...there were tiny red bumps on Parker's bum at his last diaper change (I'm guessing it's the beginning of diaper rash, but Parker has never had diaper rash so I'm not sure.). I''m not sure what I'm doing wrong????? Does anyone have any insight? I still have yet to try the Indian prefolds (but, I don't have another cover other than a Thirsties cover and I don't like that fit so I won't use it again most likely). I still have to try the bumGenius one size pocket. I don't know. *sigh* I was just hoping this would be a hands down decision right from the get go. I'm disappointed and sad. Am I just doing something wrong? Or should I just go back to disposables?
Thanks, if you got through all of this.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: So discouraged re:CDing
Sorry you're having a hard time. When I started with CD's, I went right to PF's and just kind of jumped in with both feet so I don't know how I would have done with a trial and all kind of options!
I haven't head anything good about the PF's that come with the JD trial...GMD has great PF's and I was pretty happy with the Cotton Babies PF's too. If you're interested in PF's they do take a little longer to get used to. It takes practice and finding a fold that works for you. I'd say it took me at least three weeks to really get the hang of PF's (and that was using them exclusively) but after that I was hooked - I love them.
The only other diaper I've used on your list is the BG's 3.0. We have a bunch and I like them, but if you have a heavy wetter, 5 hours is too long if you only have 1 insert in there. If you're going to be out longer you could add another insert or doubler to help with absorbency. In general, all cloth diapers should be changed every 2-4 hours during the day.
I'm finding that the BG's give my DD diaper rash, it might just be the synthetic fibers so we'll probably be going back to PF's full time. I wanted to try the BG's because she was getting so wiggly during diaper changes, but she's getting better and I think I'd rather deal with trying to keep her still than diaper rash every few days.
Our DD is younger then your LO but we've been CDing since birth. I think what you're describing in terms of weird fits is pretty common, which is why it's a good idea to get a trial. Offhand I'd say that the length of time you're keeping your LO in cloth is too long. CDs really need to be changed every 2-3 hours IMO unless you've got doublers in there. We have used BG 3.0s overnight before but only with a hemp prefold in addition to the newborn doubler.
Also for the non-synthetic options in the bunch they will keep some wetness on your LOs bum so that may be the cause of the red bumps, especially when combined with leaving them on for a while. I really like the Thirsties covers and have generally found them to run big but to on DD they do seem a little bikini cut, i.e., low in the front. We've sized up and that's helped some because we can use the crossover velcro tabs to keep it tight.
And for the redness around the leg - well that happens to DD too but it's not hurt her so I don't worry about it. I figure it's the elastic. But we have nothing to compare to since we never used sposies. I know some diapers have very small thigh openings but I don't think any of the ones you've described are necessarily known for that. I'm sorry the trial isn't working out for you Mama
don't give up! cloth diapering does take a little getting used to.
5 hours is too long in a cloth diaper. i rarely get 5 hours in a disposable without leaks! nevermind that i would not want wetness against his skin that long. i change jack every 2-3 hours, earlier if he poops or fusses because he is wet.
as for fit, you really have to experiment a bit to find the right fit for your baby. i love prefolds because once you get the folding down, you can really customize how you fold to fit your baby. i discovered that jack's skinny legs work well with goodmamas, with prefolds and with thirsties covers. we do better with covers with gussets because he has such skinny legs. pockets never worked for me because i couldn't find one that fit his legs well.
jack is sensitive to microfleece, and got a mild rash like you described from it. we can only use the BG organic AIO. i have a few of the regular 3.0, but i use them as backups because if i don't change him pretty soon after he pees he will break out from those every time. something about the fleece and wetness just doesn't work for him.
it's some experimenting but once you find the right combo it really is nice!
1. prefolds ARE really bulky and are the hardest to learn how to fold correctly and tight enough so they work. they usually look weird to me, even though the fit is good. imo, thirsties are ample sized covers but even still sometimes i do a crap fold on the PF and it sticks out the leg holes. meh.
2. thirsties fitted: sounds like a rise issue.
3. I love the fit of the BG's, i used their pockets not AIO's and i like how you can adjust the rise to fit in the one size. 5 hours is WAY TOO LONG. cloth is not disposable, it does not contain chemicals that lock away wetness.
4. I've never used the rest. i'm not sure what to say about the red marks. IMO, babies usually have chunk there and if you don't get a snug fit on the legs they're going to leak. disposables don't put any marks because they don't typically contain things as well. I think that if he doesn't LOOK uncomfortable, it's probably OK to have a few red marks. if he's tugging on it or trying to mess with it, that's another story. Newbies seem to have CD problems with leakage because they're concerned about putting the diapers on too tight, and really, tight is a good thing.
we used prefolds and bumgenius pockets pretty much exclusively since DS was 2 months old. I know there are a lot of brands out there and it can get overwhelming. we have had diaper rash even with cloth so it's important to remember to change often and use a CD safe balm if you need to.
5 hours is way too long in any diaper except at night imo. DS would leak after 3 max.
Thirsties Fitteds typically aren't that absorbent and mostly I've seen them recommended for nbs and not bigger
BGs are great diapers imo. They are easiest and work very well.
There's a major learning curve with prefolds. I still don't get them perfect. We don't mess with them much. Mostly using these for our next as a nb. Not all prefolds are equal either. Green Mtn Diapers have a much better fit. They are shorter and wider and sound like they might be a better fit for your son if you're going the pf route.
You will have to find diapers that fit your son well, not all of them will. They vary so much. You just need to stick with what works for you. Sounds like he did well in the BG except for leaking from being in it too long.
Tales of the Wife
This is pretty much what I was going to say. Of the diapers you have listed, the only ones we like are the FBs. I like PFs, but they aren't the Jillian's ones, so I can't comment much on those. And it sounds like the FBs might just be too small.
The BG AIOs sound like they might be a good choice for you, but five hours is waaaaaaay too long to leave a baby in a CD.
I agree with PP...we change every 2-3 hours which is the same amount I used to change my first son in disposables as well. (unless of course he's sleeping).
If you liked the BG AIO, you'll probably like the BG 3.0 too. I find the BGs are easy to use. The BG organic OS AIO are our favs so far. I haven't tried many on your list.
It sounds like your other issues of leaking are mainly fit problems.
Once you figure out some diapers that work for you, I really think you'll like it. Since your LO is older, I would probably try more one size diapers. They are all very adjustables so it is easy to play with the fit which might be a benefit to you.
Don't give up!!
Big E (6) & Little E (2.5)
I use mostly the indian prefolds from Jillian's Drawers with Thirstie Duos and am just starting different pocket diapers.
I really love my prefolds, especially the bigger ones (regular & premium). They absorb so much! I do find that they are extremely bulky and my Thirstie Duo 1s aren't really fitting them as well as they did the newborn sizes. So I'm slowly buying Thirsties Duo 2s and I buy DD pants a size larger than normal.
The red marks I get from time to time on DD thighs don't seem to bother her. HTH!
I'm not a big fan of prefolds. We used them during the newborn stage which was fine, and I still use them all the time as an extra pad on my changing table, but I never did get the hang of folding them correctly. It sounds like you might need a larger size Thirsties cover.
I'd give the BG AIO another shot. The only time DD wears her BG (pockets) for more than 3 or 4 hours is at night when we have an extra hemp insert stuffed in it. With Bum Genius, most leaks are a result of the diaper not being put on (or fitted) correctly or because the insert is too saturated. If you can't change the diaper more frequently, you may need to add a second insert for longer outings (but this will make your diaper more bulky). We opt to change more frequently.
I don't mind FuzziBunz, but I like our BGs better. I haven't used any of the other diapers mentioned.