Cloth Diaper Review at 6 Months

We have been cloth diapering full time for about 6 months now. This has been a pretty good amount of time to find out what I like and don't like, which fit best, and what systems work best for us. Overall, I'm liking it a lot better than using disposables. These are my main reasons why:

1. So much better for the environment! (No guilt required after every diaper change)
2. Cheaper in the long run! (Although we have no broken even yet, mainly because I keep buying more, it will be cheaper once we have our set of diapers. Especially since we can use the same diapers on future kids)
3. As many changes in the day as you want! (You almost want to change diapers because they are all so cute, and you don't have to worry about money down the drain with each change as you know you will just wash them and wear them again)
4. Resale! (You can resale your diapers and make money back. We have already sold a few that didn't work out for us. You really really can't resale your used disposables)

Diaper Systems and Brands We Use

Diaper Covers with Inserts: This is what we use the most. We even use a lot of our pockets as covers and simply place the inserts on top of the pocket. This system we find to the easiest, and fastest to use, and also the quickest clean up after use as well. 

We are currently using quite a few brands of covers. Some brands I only have one of them, shamefully because I really liked the pattern. Others I have a bunch of because we really like how they perform. 

Brands We Use:

• Bumgenius: These are quite popular, and you can now even buy them at Babies R Us. We have 6 of the pocket type of diaper, called 4.0, although looks like there is now a 5.0. However, we have stopped using them as pockets and simply lay inserts on top of the diaper and use it as a cover. I find they fit our baby the best of any diaper, and are nice and trim. We have both snaps and velcro, but I find you get a better fit with the velcro as you can place it anywhere. Until she figures out how to undo the velcro!
• Thirsties: We have several of their covers, called Duo Wrap, in both small and large (she has out grown the small now, they are put away for the next kid). I really like these covers as they have double gussets to stop spills, and they fit well. Ours are all velcro which I like for a customized fit. Not to mention their patterns are adorable, and all made in the USA.
• Sweet Pea: These diapers covers are pretty big, so they are not going to fit your newborn, maybe not even until 6 months. They are designed with a lot of snaps to do up, but because of this you get a great fit. They also have some super cute patterns and are quite affordable. 
• Kanga Care/Rumparooz: We only have one of these covers, mostly because I couldn't resist the cute pattern (seen in the photo above). I like the feel of this diaper cover, but it isn't the best fit on our baby. It does have double gussets for holding in the mess, and the material is nice and thick compared to some. 
• Blueberry: We also only have one of these covers. I find they perform similarly to the Sweet Pea, in fact, I forget they were different brands. They are quite big, have double gussets, but have less snaps to do up. I find these are quite expensive for something so similar to others for a lot less. 
• Best Bottom: We have one of their covers as well, and they fit small. Too small now for our baby. However, if you also buy their inserts (they have nice hemp ones) they snap in place which keeps them from shifting around. I thought their cover as OK, but I do like the look of their trainers, which also snap in. And the systems are interchangeable with each other. I'm planning on looking into it when the time comes.

Pocket Diapers with Inserts: The pocket ones we still use are ones that agitate out themselves in the wash. Which means less touching of the dirty diaper before throwing it in the laundry pail.

The brands we still use as pockets are:

• Apple Cheeks: These are Canadian made and agitate out in the wash. They have nice wide pockets for stuffing, and nice soft elastics around baby's legs and waist. Lots of cute patterns too. Only down side is they come in two sizes only, without adjustment, so for awhile our baby didn't fit into either size one or two. She now fits the size two nicely, and I wish I had more.
• Thirsties Pockets: These also agitate out in the wash, however, so far they aren't my favourite. I find they don't hold much and are hard to stuff the pocket.
• Giggle Life: We have had these from the beginning. I actually ended up selling a bunch and only kept a couple. I only tend to use these when I have nothing else left, or  at night we have been trying to stuff them as they are quite large. They work, but aren't a great fit. However, they are cheap so if you have a limited budget these aren't a bad option. Same with Sun Baby diapers (all of which are too small for our baby now), they are a cheap pocket diaper that does the job. I actually found Sun Baby pretty good, except the fact they fit quite small. We will use them for the next baby.

 Nighttime Solutions: We are still trying to work out a good nighttime diaper combo, as she often wakes up wet. One brand we are trying out is Sloomb, they are all organic and make an overnight solution in the form of a fitted diaper. Once the fitted diaper is on, you still need to add a waterproof cover over top. They suggest a wool cover, however I have not yet adventured into using wool, so for now I just use one of my covers. It seem to be working so far but it is just huge! Baby can barely move when she has it on, so we will see how well it works out.

Favourite Inserts: My favourite insert material is hemp as it is the most absorbent. And my favourite brand is Geffen Baby. We use their Quick Absorbers, which contain the highest percentage of hemp in any cloth diaper brand and are super soft. All made in the USA.

I always double my inserts or else I will have wet clothes to change as well. I tend to pair one of the Geffen Baby Quick Absorbers or a Thirsties Hemp insert with an AMP or a Thirsties Fab Doubler. The two inserts together seem to do the trick for us. 

We also use:

• AMP Hemp Inserts: They are good if doubled with something, but not overly absorbent on their own. Canadian Made!
• Thirsties Hemp Inserts: I'm a big fan of Thirsties products, all made in the USA. These hemp inserts seem on par with the Geffen Baby inserts. The small are a little smaller than the Geffen (which is pretty small) and the big are really big. Something inbetween would be perfect, but they perform very well. 
• Thirsties Fab Doubler: These are super soft and come in great colours. They are great as an extra boost when baby will be wearing a diaper for awhile and you need it to last, as they also wick the moisture away from her skin.