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Changing Diapers, Changing Minds — by Guest Mom Amy of Progressive Pioneer

May 1, 2009



We started out using cloth diapers with our baby Sam from the very beginning, so I have little to compare them to. However, it seems to me that cloth diapers have come a long way and are far more user friendly than the white squares and pins of the past. Most have velcro and stretchy legs, and many even have pockets so you can adjust the absorbency by adding extra layers. I often get questions from curious moms, who want to know, “But… how exactly does it work?”

Jillian’s Drawers has a wonderful solution for those unsure of how to get started. You can try out all the most popular brands for $10 and just return the ones that don’t work for you. They call it their “Changing Diapers, Changing Minds” program.

We use and love the Bum Genius one-size-fits-all diapers. They have ingenious snaps that let you adjust the size from newborn to toddler.

Other diapers I’ve heard good things about are Fuzzi Bunz and Bummis
. Go ahead and try them out for yourself!

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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Starr May 1, 2009 at 12:10 pm

I'm on baby number three & I've used cloth diapers on all my kids. Motherease is the brand I've used for kids 2 & 3 and they are great.

The Changing Diapers, Changing Minds program sounds awesome. Thanks for informing other moms.

In the U.K. there's a company called "The Nappy Nanny" that stocks several different brands of cloth diapers. You can call & speak with someone about your personal focus & needs (most eco-friendly/air vs. tumble drying), etc. Although I haven't used the service, other cloth diapering moms have recommended it. Many city councils in England also give rebates for parents who choose to buy cloth diapers.

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2 Cafe Johnsonia May 1, 2009 at 12:30 pm

Thank you for this post!

I’ve been considering switching to cloth diapers for about 6 months. A lot of people think I’m crazy.

I really think they are better. This is the month to make the change!

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3 Yolande May 1, 2009 at 12:35 pm

Where can I find the colourful cloth diaper you pictured?

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4 sammyw May 1, 2009 at 1:09 pm

this is a great idea! i’m gonna do this for sure one baby #1 comes along! thx so much!

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5 Chocolate on my Cranium May 1, 2009 at 1:22 pm

We’ve used cloth diapers for six of our seven children. We started with Motherease all-size-fits-all diapers and when they finally wore out (after 4 kids!) we bought more of those and the Bum Genius. Love them both!

Not only are cloth diapers so much better for the environment and your kids they’ve saved us a bundle too. We estimate we saved over $7,000 using cloth diapers with our kids. We didn’t know we’d end up with so many kids but just saving $1000 after the first child in cloth diapers was a huge benefit. I recommend them to everyone.

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6 Steph May 1, 2009 at 2:02 pm

We LOVE LOVE LOVE our Bumgenius. Baby #3 is the first I’ve cloth diapered from the beginning and at 6 weeks we’ve had zero “blowouts” so far. They were a regular occurance for my two older boys who wore disposables. Not bad, eh?

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7 Lauren May 1, 2009 at 2:49 pm

We’re trying a diaper service for our second…I’m pretty excited.

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8 MonkeySeeMonkeyDo May 1, 2009 at 3:51 pm

I love my cloth diapers.

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9 Amy May 1, 2009 at 5:40 pm

Yolande, the diaper pictured is a Bummis cover. They have lots of cute patterns.
So fun to hear so many positive reactions; hooray for cloth diapers!

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10 MB May 1, 2009 at 6:02 pm

Yay! I’m so glad someone posted about diapers! I use gDiapers and we quite like them. We don’t have easy access to a washing machine (we live in an apartment) so, the flush and use is more useful.

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11 Katie May 1, 2009 at 8:59 pm

We are using Bumgenius and LOVE them! Everybody looks at me crazy when I tell them that we use cloth, but I completely believe its the misconception out there. They think I am still using diaper cloths and pins. Dirty diapers take a little more time and effort, but its way worth saving over a $1000 per kid! I love them and wouldn’t go back! Now if we could only show other moms how easy it really is… :)

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12 Anonymous May 1, 2009 at 9:06 pm

I love the Bum Genius as well. I also use Goodmama and Indian cotton prefolds with Thirsties covers.

I get weird looks when I tell someone I cloth diaper. I agree it’s because they have no idea how far the diapers have come! I love cloth diapering!

FYI, Youtube has many helpful cloth diapering videos. Sometimes I point folks there so they can see just how easy it is.

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13 Be Like the Squirrel, Girl May 2, 2009 at 1:29 am

I really wish SLC had a diaper boutique, or a place where women could go to get tips and pointers, and try some out, instead of having to send away for them! Any idea if such a thing exists here?

I have been wanting to switch – a friend even sent me a bumgenius to try, so I really have no excuse! I’m doing laundry all the time anyway, why not do a load of diapers while I’m at it! I cringe every time I drop $15 on a package of diapers, not to mention the impact on the landfill.

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14 The Bee Hive May 2, 2009 at 11:10 am

We use Bumgenius as well. I love love love their organic cotton AIO’s! I just read an article on how cloth is getting more popular. I love it!

That cover is adorable, I wish Bummgenius had more prints! :-)

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15 Amy May 2, 2009 at 1:12 pm

I’m a big fan of the Bummis. Love their designs and they hold up great. Cloth diapering is much easier than most people think. Plus the cloths are convenient to have on hand for cleaning – so soft and absorbent.

Another plus – earlier potty training!

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16 merathon May 2, 2009 at 3:30 pm

we’re on baby #3 and i’ve considered doing cloth diapers each time but still haven’t. maybe this is just the extra push i need. i’m just a little overwhelmed with all the choices, so this plan sounds like it would be great for me. also, how many bumGenius diapers would i need to buy if i only wanted to wash them every other day? how many liners? (my baby is 9 months old now.)

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17 kamille May 2, 2009 at 5:55 pm

i love cloth diapers! we just switched my 1 year old over to them a month ago and i have been so pleased. we use the bumgenius onesize pocket diapers and hope to use them on our next baby too. i have not experienced any leaks or blowouts which were regular with disposable diapers!

merathon: we have 12 bumgenius diapers for my 1 year old and i wash them about every other day. he only goes through 3-4 a day (i thought i would have to change him really often to keep him dry, but the diapers work so well that he is never wet even when the insert is soaked). i would say 8-12 for a 9 month old would be just fine. good luck if you switch, you won’t regret it!

i also highly recommend the bumgenius diaper sprayer to anyone using cloth diapers…it makes cleaning the poo so easy!

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18 Nutmeg May 2, 2009 at 10:41 pm

I gave up using my bumgenius diapers about a month ago because the velcro is totally useless now. The diapers come undone in about five minutes. I followed the washing instructions. I used them from when my daughter was two months to eight months. Any advice?

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19 Our Blog Spot May 3, 2009 at 9:40 pm

Ok, I have to leave a comment.

When I first read this post, I rolled my eyes, “silly people… silly cloth diapers…”

WELL… I went to the website just to take a look (because, honestly, the bummis cover was SO CUTE!!), and I was dumb-struck. I really had no idea what was out there.

All weekend I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and looking up this-and-that. I just ordered 24 BumGenius all-in-one diapers for my (almost) two year old and new born.

Thanks for this post! Never thought (EVER!!!) I woud “make the switch”. I’m really excited.

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20 Jessica May 4, 2009 at 8:06 am

I also use the BGs one-size. Love them. I’m on baby number two and the diaps are still in great shape. I did buy a few new ones, because, hey, who can’t resist the pink diapers for their little girl? (My first is a boy). Would recommend them to everyone! And now, Target is carrying them online. Although I still prefer to buy them straight from Cotton Babies.

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21 BlondieLox May 4, 2009 at 9:15 am

excellent! & yes even changing a diaper can lead to a happier more inspired day, with the cutesy patterns they have & that big 'ol cloth diaper butt (with some sweet leg warmers) & that wonderful gaze you get (for a second) when you get that baby still! – coming from a (some of the time, then most of the time) cloth diapering family of 4 in saint louis, missouri!

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22 kate May 4, 2009 at 3:14 pm

i love my bumgenius diapers! we have used them for about a year now. i have had one repaired free of charge by cotton babies and otherwise have had no problems.

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23 Kate May 5, 2009 at 1:48 pm

Just adding another vote for cloth! I have been using cloth on our daughter for 21 months and have been loving it. We’ll be cloth diapering our 2nd child come August.
For “newbies” who want to learn the ropes — there’s a lot of choices, etc. – I suggest checking out diaperswappers.com. It’s a message board website with lots of parents eagerly waiting to answer your questions, and everyone is so nice.

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24 Reiki Mami May 6, 2009 at 2:05 pm

Hey- just wanna tell the SLC mommy- YES there is at least one place to go- Earth Goods General Store in Sugarhouse (1300 S 900 E). They sell organic cotton fitted diapers by Firefly ($20), and they are dy-no-mite!! They also sell wool covers by Firefly ($40), I hear they are super durable. I’m personally using Imse Vimse Bumpy wool covers, which I found on BabyBecause.com at a good price.

There are a few Utah WAHM who make and/or sell cloth diapers. I know of “Little Rabbits”, who sells at the Quilted Bear in Provo, Babybummies.com has a showroom by appt in American Fork, MyDiaperPiper.com and LittleForNow.com are also WAHM Utah mom-owned businesses who I believe offer local pickup, but I think they are in Utah county.

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25 Frugal Zealot May 6, 2009 at 5:38 pm

We use Fuzzi Bunz and we love them. They have been the best investment we have made for our baby’s buns. THey save money and help save the landfills. Plus, they are great for sensitive skin and help your little one potty train earlier.

All in all, it is a win, win situation.

I also love being able to express my creative side by using colorful diapers on my kiddo. No more drab
Pampers here.

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26 tara May 7, 2009 at 2:03 pm

thanks for this post – i’ve been on the cloth diaper fence (anticipating my first’s arrival … any day now …) but this program seems a great way to start!

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27 brisnicki June 25, 2009 at 2:08 pm

I love the idea of the The Changing Diapers, Changing Minds program. Wish we had that here in Australia when I discovered cloth.

I LOVE my cloth nappies – disposables are so wasteful and I hear a distinct 'cha-ching' in my head every time I use one (we use for sleeps and when outside house). Feel like I am throwing money in the bin.

I started with a big investment in prefolds (which are basically a step up from flat terry cloth nappies) only to later fully understand the wonderful world of cloth.

If I could go back, I would have gone with BumGenius. I hear so many good things about them – saw a demo on them at a recent expo and was very impressed.

I mainly use homemade pocket nappies now – making nappies have become a bit of a hobby/obsession and I love seeing my daughter in my creations.

Expecting my second baby now and am excited about being able to reuse these nappies with him.

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28 Anonymous December 30, 2009 at 12:43 pm

Hi. where can a NYC mommy go and buy cloth diapers? Mother ease brand, possibly?

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29 Matriarchivist April 23, 2010 at 10:46 am

Hi, Mother-ease happens to be based in my town in Canada. You can buy their products at http://www.mother-ease.com/cloth-diapers/Home. I use a cloth diapering service, so I haven’t used their all-in-ones, but we only use Mother-ease diaper covers (they’re the best). And moms in my area swear by them.

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