Review: FuzziBunz One Size

Diaper:  FuzziBunz One Size - $18.95 (Without extra elastic $17.95)

Materials:  Outer layer PUL, inner layer Fleece, Snaps for closure, buttons inside of the legs for the one size adjustment (I will explain more later on that), one regular sized microfiber insert and one microfiber doubler.

Fit:  7 - 30 + lbs.

How it works:  FuzziBunz One Size Diapers are a pocket diaper in which you place inserts to adjust the level of absorbency.  The rise on this diaper is not adjusted from the outside like most OS diapers.  This diaper's rise is adjusted with the elastic inside of the leg casing of the diaper and secured at each end with buttons.  The elastic is marked with a numbering system to help you adjust the room in the thighs to fit your child better than a diaper that adjusts with snaps on the outside.

Thoughts from Amanda:

Aesthetics -  Very vibrant diapers.  The colors are bright and cheery.  There are 12 colors available for these diapers.  I own yellow and orange and they are like neon...so keep that in mind when looking at the brighter colors.  They do not have prints though if that's what you're looking for.  

Functionality - First off I didn't find that the fleece inner wicked moisture away very well.  My son was damp to the touch each time I used this diaper.  I also find the fleece to be very thin and of poor quality.  The microfiber inserts that it came with also don't seem to absorb very well.  I often found myself replacing them with inserts from other diapers before making the switch to prefolds as inserts in all of my diapers.  (Which I highly recommend if you have a heavy wetter.)  

Regarding fit...I found the waist of this diaper to be even a little loose on my (at the time) 7 1/2 month old.  Now at 9 months I am just moving off of the smallest waist setting.  There is no way that this would fit comfortably on a newborn in my opinion.  This diaper seems to run a little big. I also find the thigh snaps to be placed a little too close to the leg opening.  I have a hard time getting a comfy with those snaps around my sons legs.  There are only 4 snaps to choose from around the thighs and even though the waist has two snaps on each side the thigh snaps seem to pull down on the wings of the diaper creating wing droop anyway.  Annoying!  

As far as adjusting the rise of the diaper.  FuzziBunz provides a handy dandy chart on their website to aid you in figuring out the proper setting for your child.  FuzziBunz utilizes a system in which the elastic inside of the leg casings has button holes and at the front and back of each leg opening there is a button.  You can pull on the elastic to adjust the rise of the diaper by making the leg area smaller or larger.  There are 6 or 7 setting on each end of the leg elastic.  The excess elastic then tucks into a "hideaway hole" in the diaper.  So, for example...my 21 lb., 9 month old son, is on the 3rd hole on the leg elastic.  This can become complicated and can take a while to figure out if your child doesn't fit into the 50% for everything.  (And really...how many of them do?!)  With buttons and snaps this diaper just becomes complicated to figure out at the beginning.

Now once I got everything set right, it worked, but it's still not a favorite of mine.  The elastic comes out of the "hideaway holes" in the wash and the elastic curls (which is the nature of elastic that isn't sewn down on the ends).  The buttons don't stay tucked away so the press up against my sons skin.  (He's not uncomfortable but it still bothers me.)  All in all I am just not overly impressed with this diaper.

If I get a chance sometime I'll make a video of this diaper as I think a visual will help you to better understand how this diaper works.

Durability -  The inner fleece of this diaper seems to get thinner and thinner with each washing.  I'm not sure why, as my other fleece lined diapers don't have this problem.  Otherwise this diaper is of good quality.  I like that mine came with extra elastic for the legs incase mine break.  But, I think if mine broke I would cry over it and would probably discontinue use anyway.

*** I know people who swear by this diaper.  They love everything about it.  Which just goes to show...it pays to try different brands which is why a starter pack is such a good idea when starting out.  

Cloth Diapering and BEYOND..............

I recently had lunch with a friend who is newly pregnant and she started to ask me questions about cloth diapering. Once we went round and round about the diapers, I realized there was so much more to tell her. There is more to cloth diapering then just the diapers and a good subject to bring up and start with is cloth wipes because you will use wipes quite often as well. There are many cloth wipes out there to purchase, but I got about a ga-zillion of those mini baby wash cloths at my baby showers so I use those. They are just the right texture to wipe and still be soft on the skin. I have heard and read of many "solutions" to make for the wipes, but take this from me.... not necessary and in fact can seriously irritate the babe's skin. I use warm tap water or a little baby oil if necessary and my LO who has slightly sensitive skin has never had a diaper rash or redness (well, there was one time I fed her papaya) down there. The wipes just get thrown in the wash with the diapers.

I hope this helps you on your journey to cloth diapering!

-Natalie

Trials of a Dum Dum: Overnight Part 3

So, I had a long sit down talk with my husband.  We talked about money.  I hate talks about money.  You know...the kind where he tells me I spend too much and then I feel guilty.  Yeah.  Those talks about money.  Actually he didn't say I spend too much.  What he said was that figuring out night time diapering was going to cost us an arm and a leg possibly.  That I just bought a bunch of diapers for daytime, and Christmas is coming up which is a lot of money going out at once.

We discussed that the Huggies Overnites are working every single night.  No leaks.  So, for now we are going to stick with those.  I feel a tad guilty about it as I'm supposed to be promoting CDing to y'all.  With that said, I was also tiring of washing sheets and mattress pads every morning and trying to get them done before his morning nap.  Between doing that, doing the household laundry, and cloth diaper laundry...I was going a little bonkers I think.

I'm not necessarily giving up.  I'm just taking a break for a while.  He only uses one Huggies Overnite a night so it's not breaking the bank to use them.  Maybe if I can get my hands on a reasonably priced TIAN I might give it another go in the future.  But, for now...we're leaving CDing for the daytime.

Don't hate me!

Review: Preston's Pants

Diaper:  Preston's Pants - Pricing varys on the diaper you get.  She offers diapers anywhere from $20.95 - $37.00.  Pricing depends on the style, fabrics, and if you get embroidery. 

Type:  She has several styles. Some are fitteds in Small, Medium, Medium Long, Skinny Large, and Large.  Others are OS.  She also carries Wool Covers.

Materials:  Her diapers vary in materials.  You will want to check out her website for details on what kind of diaper works for you.  I got a PUL outer layer OS pocket diaper, the inner was a printed micro-fleece, and it came with 2 inserts (1 microfiber and 1 hemp).  The elastic in her diapers is Lastin so it is a latex free elastic in the leg casing.

Fit:  7 - 35 + lbs.

How it works:  Preston's Pants are a WHAM snap on fitted or OS pocket diapers.  She has many fabrics and styles.  You just have to check out her website to familiarize yourself with all of the options.  :)

Thoughts from Amanda:

Aesthetics -  Really there is so much variety here that you can't go wrong.  You would be hard pressed to not find a diaper that at Preston's Pockets if you're looking for a wide range of colors, patterns, fabrics, and so on.  The snaps on my diaper (Trains!) were in a contrasting color from the outer PUL.  On my diaper the PUL is a deep blue and the snaps are brown.  The inner liner is a micro-fleece with a train print on it.  I LOVE IT!!!  I know...some of you are thinking...what's the point of having a print inside of the diaper.  You can't see it!  Well to those of you thinking that...I say it is the undergarment mentality.  No one may see my bra, but I know it makes me feel good because it's pretty.  :)  Usually my son is wearing pants over his diapers, but that doesn't mean I don't like to know there is a cutie patootie print there!  

Functionality - These diapers work well with the inserts that are included with them.  The microfiber/hemp combo absorbs well and my son was able to go 2 1/2 hours with this diaper on.  Keep in mind he is a SUPER SOAKER!!!  lol  2 1/2 hours is great for him.  Be sure to prep the hemp though, and to wash it separately from your other diapers to make sure any natural oils are washed out and don't get on your other dipes.  The snaps are in good placement so I can get a nice and secure fit on my son, and the rise on the diaper is of a good height as well.  The micro-fleece inside is of good quality and extremely soft against baby's skin.  It does a fair job of wicking away moisture, but not as great as suedecloth.  (I find that to be the case most times though.)  The Lastin in the leg casings is a nice touch if your child has a latex allergy; however, I find the width to be very thin and I worry that it could be uncomfortable on my sons thighs.  He doesn't have red marks though and doesn't complain so maybe it's just me.  :)  I see the leg Lastin as a potential issue down the road though if his thighs get larger.

Durability -  Great quality.  This diaper has held up well to washing and a turn in the dryer to seal the PUL around the snaps.  We are really enjoying this diaper.  I hope you'll take a chance to check out Preston's Pants.