Bum Genius cloth diapers

[prechrswife]

I'll be the first to admit that I know nothing about cloth diapers, but I saw this site listed by a Facebook friend and thought you might want to take a look:

http://www.diaperswappers.com/

[finn's mom]

Just wanted to bump this up...thanks for that link, by the way!

[shepgirl]

I always used cloth diapers and didn't have the diaper service that goes with that. I've heard many moms complain that disposables give their babies rashes versus cloth. Also disposables seem to make it harder to toilet train the baby cause they don't feel the wet so it doesn't bother them.
I would still go with the cloth, hemp preferably from what I've heard about the softness and lack of rashes.
I know how easy and simple disposables must be and it saves time on laundry but I think the laundry is cheaper than the disposables.
Guess it all depends on what a mom needs most or wants.

[Nomilynn]

My BF's sister swears by them. She also decided to sew extra inserts, so wet diapers don't necessarily need to have the outer cover changed every time. She just went and bought the same type of material from the fabric store. She has said that they have held up very well, even with having to soak them. She doesn't use bleach though.. she uses a solution with Borax and I think vinegar, but I'm not too sure.

[Cookiebaker]

Hi Kari, I cloth diapered for about 15 months (with a couple month break in the middle). I have 2 bum genius in our stash, but they are not really my favorite. The tabs are pretty flimsy and tend to curl up and catch on the baby's clothes. I have heard that they sell (or maybe under warranty give) a replacement tabs that you can sew on yourself. I'm sketchy on the details on that because I haven't done it for my two diapers, but definitely look into that before purchasing.

That said, I LOVE pocket diapers, and for me that was the only way to go (I tried a few of everything before I settled on that). And my favorite brand is Happy Heinys. Lydia still fits in a size Medium, I paid about $15/diaper, and the tabs are wide and no problems.

I really love cloth diapers, and am so thankful that we chose to do it. The key to our success I believe is that I never felt under pressure to do it. If I got stressed and overwhelmed, I would take time off and go back to 'sposies until I was ready to undertake it again. Another key is routine! The routine that worked for us was to throw the diapers in at night, chuck them in the dryer first thing in the morning, and then dump them in the diaper basket when they were dry. If I had time and energy, I would pre-stuff them, and if not then I would stuff as I went.

Sorry this is a novel, but definitely if you have any questions let me know and i will try to answer! Best of luck and happy diaper shopping!

[finn's mom]

Awesome! I just have a hard time with paying $18 a diaper, it just seems crazy. Unless you can get by with 10 diapers for years. I just don't know, I'll have to check it out, for sure...

[sirrahbed]

I am happy to read about this interest in cloth diapering. If any of you sew, you can make the pocket diapers yourself - and customize them with the features you like best. I eventually made one that looks most like the Happy Heiny brand with those features (big square tabs, velcro all the way across the front, fleece lining, wide pockets) I made the pocket diapers for my granddaughters and am sure we saved lots of money so far - plus they are so cute!! Each one took me about an hour to complete. Let me paste in a few of my favorite sources:
http://www.geocities.com/rew4birth/Diapers.html
http://www.diapersewing.com/hbpocketinstructions.htm
http://www.thenappynetwork.org.nz/pocket.php
http://www.thediaperhyena.com/reap.htm
http://www.sewbaby.com/shopbaby/index.php
http://verybaby.com/cloth-diaper-fabric
http://www.celticclothswholesale.com/
http://www.diapercuts.com/
http://www.acutabovefabrics.com/stor...lt.asp?Cat=PUL

If I remember correctly, I am thinking that the diapers cost me about $6-8 each for materials. This was several years ago. I think I made about 20 of them in two sizes. You can sew your own pocket liners, too. I purchased most everything online at one or more of these sites. I sometimes found cute fabric at Ebay, too. Hope some of you get inspired to stitch your own or get someone to do it for you (mom, grandma, etc) There are also some work-at-home moms (WAHM's) who can sew these for you.

PS: I am retired from home sewing diapers