Cloth Diaper Brands: Best and Worst

allisontierney · May 2015

hey all,
I'll be a FTM, and I want to try cloth diapering.
I'm starting a registry and wanted to know if anyone has a favorite brand. Or any that I should steer clear of.
Any brand better for newborns, heavy duty, older babies, etc.

I've been reading reviews, but I want opinions from real moms/caretakers with experience.
I've heard good things about Charlie Banana and BumGenius.

Thanks!!

caseybeth1213 · May 2015

I'm lurking from the Dec 15 board, but I love my Charlie Bananas and BumGenius!! They are holding up great and have never had any stains on them. I was not a fan of Alva or Fuzzibunz. Alva is a cheaper brand and thats nice but the PUL does not hold up and my fuzzibunz leaked constantly.

allisontierney · May 2015

I've read about leaking problems with fuzibunz on other reviews too.

leftcoastmamamia · May 2015

We used bum genius and liked those a lot.

anneof2 · May 2015

I make my own. A lot cheaper and they are very easy to make. I never tried any brands.

agerstner · May 2015

My stash is 100% Bumgenius 4.0. LOVE THEM! Never leak, and look brand new still. I've been using them for 2yrs now.

I did however prefer to use Bummis
Prefolds for the newborn (approx up to 6mth) with covers because I could get a tighter fit on the little legs and they weren't so bulky

agerstner · May 2015

PS: While I very much liked my rumparooz, they did not last very long because they are super short in the crotch. I could barely use them past a year on my son. They might work great for tiny ones tho.

allisontierney · May 2015

Ideally I'd like to get some i can use from newborn through toddler...does that exist?
I know they say "one size" but is it truly one size fits all?

caseybeth1213 · May 2015

allisontierney said:
Ideally I'd like to get some i can use from newborn through toddler...does that exist?
I know they say "one size" but is it truly one size fits all?

I know they say one size fits all but I don't think they are a very good fit on a newborn just because they have such skinny legs. Maybe use disposables for the first few weeks or until they fit into the one size?

lulamagoo · May 2015

We use thirsties covers and bum genius covers with Oso cozy organic prefolds. we've never had a leak. The bum genius really did not fit my son well until around 3 months. The thirsties we had to wait until he was 8 pounds but then they fit great.
I did not love rumparooz covers. I really wanted to like them but they just didn't fit my skinny guy as well.

zoihoku · May 2015

FTM here and I really want to succeed with cloth diapering. I know several people that have tried cloth diapering but gave up after a week or two, and they have warned me against trying. From what I can gather though, they didn't do any research before they started, and they seemed so have the mindset of "I'll give it a shot" instead of "I'm going to make this work" so I think it's really wise to read reviews like you have done and ask mothers for their opinions as well. I've been reading a site called Dirty Diaper Laundry, and they have several reviews of many different cloth diaper brands. You can find those here if you are interested:
https://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/category/cloth-diapering/cloth-diaper-brands-cloth-diapering/

Now, I understand that everyone could have their very own opinion on the different diapers, but I really like that each of their reviews that they do include videos and a lot of detailed information about each diaper. They seem very fair and honest in their reviews.

You may also check into some companies that do trial periods. I've come across several that will send you a few different brands to try for a month. If you don't like them, you are only out about $20 or so on average, and it seems like a great way to familiarize yourself with different options without needing to invest a lot into one specific brand without knowing exactly how it will work for you, your babe, and your family.

agerstner · May 2015

Oh as for educating yourself before hand - Obbs and Lala have a great cloth diapering channel on YouTube! I think I watched them all. Tide plain (powder) works great on cloth and cleans better, so no need to spend money on cloth specific detergent. I did and wasted a lot of money!

As for OS diapers, I agree with the other two posters that they don't fit great until at least 8lb and then are a bit bulky still. I liked my prefolds until my BGs fit

HungryRunner76 · May 2015

About the newborn to toddler type stash:
When I did my research for my daughter, I found that many other moms discouraged it because of the fit and the fact that the "larger" diapers are huge on a newborn. Also, newborn cloth diapers have a fairly good resale value because of the lack of wear.

As for the best and worst brands, you're going to get a lot of different answers. What works for one mom and kids may not work for another.

I'd check the cloth diaper board too for some more input.

MadBloom · May 2015

I've found that you get what you pay for. Invest in some quality diapers since this is your first and they'll last for multiple babies.

I love applecheeks and Ella Bella Bums (the EBBs are handmade by a work at home mom and a bit pricey but Are holding up really well)

Laurakat81 · May 2015

I've only ever tried BumGenius. I have the 4.0s and a couple Freetimes. I love them. I'm planning on buying a few more once we know the sex of this baby but I won't even bother trying another brand since they have worked so well. DD was 8.5 lbs at birth and 21 inches. Now at 21 months old she is 24lbs and 32 inches now and they still fit great with a ton of room to grow! And I'd say out of the 21 diapers we have 19 of them are still in excellent condition and the other two are in pretty good shape so I see no issue with them lasting at least another year and hopefully longer.

Laurakat81 · May 2015

I wanted to add that yes the one size BumGenius diapers are HUGE on a newborn-6 months or so and I did often have to go up a size on onesies and sleepers but she mostly wore dresses. But it was never that big of a deal. She just looked like she had a big ol' booty!

Elysag · May 2015

BG didn't work for us until about 3 months. For newborn, we liked Kissaluvs fitteds with Thirsties covers best. Prefolds were also good but I never got the folds down. At almost 2, I like GMD workhorse diapers with Geffen hemp fleece doublers best for overnights with Thirsties covers. For days, we like BG Freetimes. I've found it's a lot of trial and error. Fuzzibunz were ok for us for the newborn size but not after that. For awhile we used BG 4.0 for overnight but then they started leaking. Start off with a trial because you do not know what will work for you.

2octobermama · May 2015

I have 100% Charlie Banana and love them. They are one size, but didn't really fit my daughter well until about 4 months. She's now almost 19 months and the diapers are still in great condition. If you have any friends that cloth diaper or a local store that sells them, I would definitely recommend checking those out first to get a better idea of what you like.

nano1 · May 2015

We have Charlie bananas and love them, we've used them from 2months to now 18months (we do use disposables when we're out of the house. My son actually decided this week that he doesn't want to wear disposables and has been tantruming if we opt for a disposable over his cloth diapers. They have held up well (we have a small stash compared to most 12 total) I don't know how but they are still stain free! they were well worth every penny!!!

And I was a dorkie ftm and watched YouTube videos on CD and it helped me a lot.

Pontot31 · May 2015

We started with a service that used prefolds and we could rent their covers or buy our own. We ended up buying Flips covers. And then we ditched the service and bought our own prefolds since we knew how to use those best. We never had any issues and the covers went fine from newborn to toddler. Although she was 10 lbs by a week old.

kclilkim · May 2015

Any one used grovia

Pontot31 · May 2015

kclilkim said:
Any one used grovia

We had 1 of their covers. It is was fine. Didn't stand out a ton but never had an issue.

kestes946 · May 2015

Check out Applecheeks!!

angiiieee · April 2019

Grovia has added so much since the beginning of this thread so I thought I would just leave this article here for any future mama's wanting to try out cloth diapers, how it works, and where to shop for them.

Cloth Diaper Brands: Best and Worst

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