Bumkins Dr. Seuss AIO Cloth Diaper Bundle Review

I was lucky and won a Bumkins Dr. Seuss Cloth Diaper Bundle in size large from Knocked up and Nursing!
 
The bundle came with three AIO Diapers, which retail for $17.95 each (list price $24.95.)
 

Three absorbency inserts (retail $9.95 for a pack of three)...
 

and a wet bag (retail $9.95, list price $10.95).
 

My first impression of the diapers were that they reminded me of Kushies diapers, and that they were huge!  Here is one (bottom) compared to some other diapers I had in the laundry room:
 

They are very wide, and also had a fairly high rise.  Keep in mind that my measurements aren't an exact science.  I noticed that I didn't have it folded exactly in half in the second picture here:
 


The elastic isn't very tight, so it didn't get too much bigger when stretched:
 

 

The laundry tab is just a single flap against the right closure tab.  I assume you are to overlap the other tab for laundering.

As I said, I received the size large, which is estimated to fit 22-32 pounds, according to their size chart.  My son was 20 pounds 6 weeks ago at his 18-month checkup, so he's definitely close to the low end of the weight range.  They also have small (6-12 lbs), medium (12-22 lbs), x-large (32-42 lbs) and youth (42+ lbs).  They have some really cute prints, but the youth size comes in white only.

Like the Kushies, the diaper is pretty simple.  The outer feels like windbreaker material (lead safe, PVC, phthlate and vinyl free) and it has 6 layers of cotton flannel (sewn in an "airflow panel" for faster drying) and simple leg elastic.  The rear elastic is closer to the sides of the diaper.  There isn't any along the middle of the back.

Since the instructions said the diapers would shrink, I decided to wash and dry one three times to give it a fair shake.  While I was doing that, I took a look at the wet bag.

It measures 13" x 11", has a drawstring toggle closure, and has simple construction.

It's not enormous, but it held three of these big diapers just fine!



So after three washes (drying in the dryer between washes, to make it a little faster)...

It looked exactly the same!  The blue diaper had been prepped, the other had not.  I went ahead and tried it on my little guy anyway.

It was way too big!  With that leg gap, I didn't dare leave it on him, so I took it off.  While I'd certainly use Bumkins (in a smaller size) if that were my only option other than disposables, I'm a little shocked by the price.  They do come in cute prints, but they cost as much as Bumgenius pocket diapers, even as much as the Bumgenius Organic AIO if you go based on list price!  I can think of at least a half-dozen diapers that have more bells and whistles, for the same cost or less.  I was truly surprised when I looked at their site and saw the price, I thought for sure they would be around $10 each.
 
I don't want to sound ungrateful, I am very thankful to Knocked up and Nursing for the giveaway, especially getting it to me so quickly, even though she had just had a baby!  That said, I think I will be donating these to The Cloth Diaper Foundation, so another family with a bigger baby can pad their stash!
 
FTC compliance: The pictured items were won from a blog giveaway.  I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

Five months!!

I've been cloth diapering for five months now!  I'm loving it so much and I feel so dumb for hesitating before finally diving in!  That photo was one of the first 3 BumGenius 3.0 diapers I bought, "just to try."  Little did I know I would end up addicted!

I'm really excited about my current giveaway, and I'm reading all of your comments.  I'm already looking into reviewing some of the suggested products.

Next month marks what I'm calling my six month "clothiversary;" in honor of that milestone, I'm planning more giveaways!

Please stay tuned, and invite any friends who might be interested in following my blog or facebook page.

You guys, my readers, make it possible for me to do even more reviews and giveaways!  Thank you!

A new year and a little recap

I've been cloth diapering now for around 12 weeks.

I've done a lot of boring estimations and calculations.  The conclusion is that the diapers I've purchased have paid for themselves.  That includes all money I've spent as well as gifts and gift certificates.

Money isn't why I switched to cloth, but it sure doesn't hurt.  Also consider that with disposables, that money would be in the landfill.  With cloth, I could stop cloth diapering tomorrow and be able to make a decent amount of my money back by selling the diapers, or at the very least, pass them on to someone else.

I know that the devil's advocates will have something to say about the cost of washing the diapers.  The lil outlaws detergent I've been using doesn't cost any more than a decent "baby" detergent, and in fact costs considerably less when taking advantage of Jacklen's sales.  We have well water, therefore there is no cost for the water.  I have an HE washer, so there isn't much hot water used.  I hang diapers to dry and the inserts take no time to dry in the dryer.  I've noticed no change in my electric bill. Often, I'll go ahead and throw my son's clothes in with the diapers also, making it even more efficient.

The real reason I switched was for my son's health.  Since cloth diapering, his bottom is totally clear.  He gets a tiny bit of redness when he dirties his diaper, even when changed immediately.  A thin layer of Grandma El's and he's good as new by the next diaper change.

My son wore a disposable diaper for a few hours one day and literally had raised, red welts on his bottom.  I actually love cloth diapering, but even if it were tons of work and very expensive, I'd still do it!

Saving a good $3 per day doesn't hurt either!

Huuuuuuge giveaway!

This is the best diaper giveaway I've ever seen!  Diaper Junction is giving $300 worth of cloth diaper products.  The winner gets to choose!  That is enough $ to be able to CD full time!



Go enter!  Go go go!

Go with the flow

The best piece of advice I could give for getting started with cloth is to go with the flow. 

People who know me well know how unlike me that really is.  I wish I were easygoing, but I'm just not.  I have to have everything planned, figured out, all scenarios worked through in my head.  It's only been in recent years that I've accepted that I'm wound a little bit tightly and that's OK.

When I thought about starting cloth, I wanted to know exactly what brand to buy, how many,  and how often I would wash.  I wanted to wash, dry, stuff, fold and put away.  I wanted to have some upstairs and some downstairs.  A pail up and a pail down.  Everything neat and in order.  I wanted a stash in the diaper bag at all times.  Now, I just grab a couple as we're leaving, depending on how long we'll be gone, and go with it.  I needed to know exactly what my washing routine would be.  Now, I vary it based on whether they are wet or dirty, how many there are, whether they're stinky and so forth.

As I've been trying new things, my initial intent was to figure out what brand I wanted to stock up on.  I've managed to loosen up and take a different approach.  Instead, I am just trying new things and figuring out what I like best.  If there's something I really like, I will choose that brand if I have a few bucks to spend on diapers, or if there's a really good sale.  If it's not my favorite, it will be at the bottom of the pile, in essence a "laundry day" diaper.

While I was expecting my first child, I was worrying about the teenage years, college and weddings.  So when I was thinking about cloth diapering, I was worrying about solid foods and potty training.   I'm working on a post about solid foods and cloth diapers now, but again, right now I am just doing what works for us.

We're actually using our laundry room as a "diaper pail" right now, either throwing the diapers directly into the washer, or putting them in the utility sink if I am doing other laundry.  If we change one upstairs (usually just one or two a day up there) we just carry it down.  Definitely NOT what my little organized mind wants, but it's working for us!

I am really proud of myself for being able to stick with what works for us right now & not worrying too much about tomorrow.

Biokleen Bac Out

I had noticed that some of my diapers, specifically the BumGenius, had a stinky smell to them.  It seems that "microfiber stink" is fairly common, but the stink I was experiencing wasn't an ammonia or urine smell, it's more of a musty, wet towel smell.

Enter Biokleen Bac Out Stain & Odor eliminator.

I had read up on it online and found it at my local organic market.  It was $7.99 plus tax for a 32 oz concentrated bottle.  The same size bottle without the sprayer was $1.00 less.

Here is the info as listed on the container:

Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator

with Live Enzyme Cultures:

It seems everyone has a Bac-Out story. Bac-Out’s live enzyme-producing cultures attack pet, food and beverage stains, organic waste, and odors until they are gone, digesting them back to nature, safely and naturally. Bac-Out is safe to use around children and pets, even birds.

• Lime Peel Extract cleaning power

• Destroys the toughest odors so they are gone for good

• Excellent for mold and mildew

• Preferred by commercial carpet cleaners nationwide

It seemed a little spendy, but it is a concentrated bottle and it foams when you spray it.  I wish I could capture that in a photo, but I haven't been able to.  I figured if it saved my inserts from stink, it would be well worth it, being cheaper than new inserts!

I sprayed each diaper and insert quite liberally and used a good bit of the bottle. 

I didn't initially realize that I was supposed to soak the diapers after spraying, I washed them right away.  The spray smelled wonderful, a fresh, lime scent, and left the diapers simply smelling clean.

I even sprayed the washing machine itself, hoping it might help with some of the mustiness I've noticed.

I've got my shower curtain liner soaking now, and I hear it is great for pet odors.  I had used Odo Ban for pet odors in the past, but I'm not a big fan of the eucalyptus scent.

I have to wait & see if it does the trick on the diapers!

Edit August 2010: As of today, the only thing I've found that truly takes the ammonia smell out of my microfiber inserts is a dab of bleach.

Lil Outlaws Detergent

One of the moms from one of my cloth diaper groups owns lil' outlaws.  She makes/sells diaper safe laundry detergent, cloth wipe solution concentrate, cloth safe diaper cream and more.

She honored my special request and packed my order with smaller portions of five different scents of detergent!  I chose baby bee, butt naked, baby powder fresh, laundromat and midsummer's night. 

My order got here today and the package made my house deliciously smelly before I'd even opened it.  The scents all smell great, though they are very strong smelling in their bags.  They smell heavenly in the washer & after washing though (the smell makes my whole laundry room smell great).  I got the normal strength scent but she also offers heavy, extra heavy, light & extra light.  I've had a bit of a headache this evening from all the new smells, but from my experience with the last bag, the scent will mellow a bit after the bag has been open a while.  I actually suggest that if you "stock up" when you order, store the bags in a closet or drawer that needs some freshening, the bag will do duty as an air freshener until you're ready to use it!

I used the butt naked on diapers tonight, it is fruity & clean smelling.  I don't know what it reminds me of. 

She recommends 1/2-1T for a load in an HE washer, but I use less than half that amount for a smaller load of diapers.  I washed my hubby's coats in the midsummer's night & used more than I needed to make them smell extra good.  There is no soap or suds so there's no risk to your laundry or your washer by using more!  It smells just like the Yankee Candle scent.

The last detergent I bought (Giggles, smells just like Johnson's buddies body wash) is actually only maybe half finished and I've been using it for about 6 weeks. I just couldn't resist some new scents!  I also would like to switch over to using lil' outlaws on ALL of my laundry.  I want to see how it does, but I think it would be much better for our clothes, our skin, our washer and our septic system than the sudsy, chemical laden, gummy liquid kind!

**edit, it is doing awesome on all of our clothes & has even gotten rid of the weird, musty funk smell my 9 month old washer had!  My son's clothes don't have a residual sour milk smell like they did with Method baby either! 

The scent on clothing is very faint after washing/drying (we have soft water AND a water softener) but to me that is good, since you can enjoy the scent you like without worrying about smelling like you bathed in muffins, hee.  I did notice that some scents are stronger than others.

When I put a whole Tablespoon in with my hubby's coats though, the smell was noticeable & wonderful, though everything gets clean with much less.  If you want the smell to stick around more, choose heavy or extra heavy scent.  I would, but I don't know if my nose could take the initial smelliness!**

I'm already making my list of scents for my next order.  Lemon, Amazing Grace, Rice Flower & Shea and Winter Candy Apple.  This yummy detergent sure makes laundry more enjoyable!  Once I find a favorite scent, I plan to figure out what strength works best for that particular scent and stick with it.  However, the scents are so tempting, I probably will keep wanting to try them all!!

I still really want to try her wipes solution, rump rub and pail pardner.  I'm not sure what the pail pardner comes packaged in.  I guess you could put it in a baby powder shaker?  I could definitely see that turning into a giant mess with little ones around though!  I do think I'll wait until I find a favorite scent before I order that, although I will probably end up choosing baby powder for upstairs and lemon or midsummer's night for downstairs!

P.S. Jacklen also offers Gift Certificates!  If you are having buildup, repelling or stink issues, or if you have sensitivity issues and have tried other "green" or "homemade" products, to no avail, please give lil' outlaws a try!  You won't regret it!!

Edit August 2010: This stopped working for me for some reason, I don't know if the makeup of my water changed or what!

Black Friday Sale at Kelly's Closet!

Kelly's Closet has some excellent deals, starting today!

Can I tell you how much I wish I had some money to spend!  I want the Happy Heiny's Applix Peace Bears Diaper, maybe another Fuzzi Bunz one size (butter perhaps?) and I really want to try some other Blueberry diapers (one size deluxe, lemon lime applix and blue on chocolate snap).  The email says they are 20% off but I don't see the price drop right now.

I'd also love to try one of the sized Fuzzi Bunz (medium) diapers in the cute new prints (blue & brown dots, I love blue and brown, what can I say!)

Here some of the info!

• First 10 orders of the day receive a FuzziBunz One Size Cloth Diaper with inserts -a $18.9 5 retail value
• Orders 11-75 of the day receive a FREE mini-kit from Running Press (for example: Scrapbooking Kit, Serenity Kit,Bath Gourmet Kit,Passionate Pregnancy Kit {let us know if you are pregnant in the comments section}) $8.95 retail value
• Orders 76-88 Receive a FREE pair of BabyLegs Super Soft - $21.95 retail value
• Orders 89-100 Receive a FREE Gro Baby One Size Shell Set -$24.95 retail value
• At 6pm est the first 10 orders receive an Econobum One Size Diaper (cover & prefold!) $9.95 retail value

*Limit 1 free gift per household.

Save 10-35% off selected items.

Prices as marked. No coupon code necessary. Visit our Black Friday-Cyber Monday Specials page.

35% off:

• Gro Baby Original Production Shell Sets
• Thirsties Pocket All in One Diapers

20% off:

• Econobum Individual and Paks
• Flip Stay-Dry Individual and Paks
• Flip Disposable Inserts
• bumGenius detergent
• bumGenius Size All-in-Ones Diapers
• bumGenius bamboo fitted Diapers
• Kissaluvs One Size Marvel Fitted Diapers
• Kissaluvs Diaper Lotion Potion
• Kissaluvs Hybrid Contour Diapers
• Blueberry Minky One Size Diapers
• Blueberry Deluxe One Size Diapers
• Blueberry Daytime Trainers
• Bummis Swimmis

15% off:

• FuzziBunz-entire brand!
• Happy Heiny One Size Diapers (individually and in packages)
• Thirsties Fab Fitted Diapers

10% off:

(these items are only on sale Black Friday):

• Bummis Super Brite Covers
• Bummis Super Whisper Wrap in Prints
• Baby Beehinds One Size Fitted Diapers
• Baby Beehinds Wool Covers
• Thirsties Covers
• Thirsties NEW! Duo Diapers

Visit our sister sites FuzziBunzOnline.com and HappyHeinysOnline.com for 15% off storewide thru Dec.1st. Use discount code GOBBLE

EVERY order placed at www.KellysCloset.com on  Buzzzzz Day will be automatically entered to win 1 of 35 wonderful prizes.*

1 AppleCheeks Mini Test $42.75
2 Baby Beehinds Kit: 2-Hemp os fitteds,2-Bamboo os fitteds,1-Minky AIO,1-Wool Cover,1-PUL Cover, 1 Wetbag$165.50
3 BabyKicks Organic Pak: 2-Organic Fitted Diapers,1-Premium Washie,5-Regular Washies $50.00
41-Blueberry Bamboo Minky One Size Diaper in new print$32.97
5 Bummis Starter Kit: 1-Bummis Med Cover, 6-Prefolds,1-Medium Wetbag,1-Fleece Liners Pk, 1-Flushable Liners roll $58.25
61-Charlies Soap Laundry Powder Combo Kit $52.50
7-261-Gro Baby Intro Package $34.95 each
($699 total value)
27-29Knickernappies Starter Kit: 1-Pocket Diaper, 1-Loopy-Do Insert,1-Changing Pad $33.43 each
301-Knickernappies Diaper Sprayer $38.99
311-Moby Wrap $44.99
322 bags of Rockin'Green Cloth Diaper Detergent $29.98
331-Thirties Duo Diaper $18.50
341-Northern Essence Diaper Care Kit: 1-Diaper Rash Salve Stick,1-Body Butter Stick,1-2 oz.wipe solution $19.95
35 Moby Swaddle Blanket $29.95

Huge Diaper Giveaway!

The Eli Monster is giving an awesome diaper package away!

It includes:

• 3 diapers
• 3 inserts
• Medium wetbag
• 12 cloth wipes
• Sample of diaper pail dust

Click here for all the details and to enter.

This would be an awesome way to get your feet wet with cloth diapering, add to your stash, or just try something new!

His Tooshie is Cooshie

Yesterday I got the Cooshie Tooshie diapers I purchased.

These are my first WAHM made diapers.  They are very clearly individually vs factory made.  The thing I like best about WAHM made diapers (aside from supporting another Mom) is the adorable prints.

I love that the inside is black.  No stains!

The red rodeo diaper is a pocket style.  It was sent with a microfiber towel to fold & stuff.  Some WAHMs do not include an insert.  You can make one, buy one, or use a towel.

The pocket opening is in the front, which doesn't matter, but is different than I'm used to.

I washed them separately since they are brand new & so dark, then hung them to dry.

The Curious George diaper is an all in one, the first I've owned.  The soaker is firmly stitched in and didn't bunch while washing.  It definitely took a while to dry!

These are also both size mediums.  They're the first non one size diapers I've purchased.

They seemed similar to the medium BG setting in length but seemed narrow through the middle.

They were trim & adorable on!

He only wet these diapers.  They didn't fit quite as snugly around the thighs and we had a little wicking around the legs.  The price was excellent, they're adorable and I'm happy to support a WAHM. 

I definitely think if you were to do AIOs full time, you would need to double the stash since they take so long to dry.  I also think it would be much more difficult to keep them clean & stink free since you can't treat the soaker separately, and you do not want to damage the PUL.

I'm very happy to have these cute diapers!

Edit August 2010: I ended up selling these because I didn't love the fit on my son as much as others I have.

Free Sample of Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy & Prevention

Click here to request your sample of Grandma El's Diaper Rash Remedy & Prevention.

This stuff is miraculous, zinc free and cloth diaper safe!

Haute Mess (not really!)

The Haute diaper I really only chose because it was clearanced and the price was right.  I didn't really have high hopes for it, and that feeling was spot on.

I got the mint color which is nice.

The liner had a shape unlike any other I've seen.  I am used to them being rectangles with rounded ends.  This was the same shape as the diaper, with big wings (very hard to explain).  This made is very difficult to get in the diaper and incredibly difficult to get it in the diaper on the snapped down medium setting.  It was square peg/round hole, trying to put something big into something small and ended up bunched up.

Even with the liner all bunched up, it was still trimmer than the bumgenius.

Like all the other velcro diapers, it was very simple to use.  It seems to be a common theme here but the medium setting seemed larger than the medium setting of the BG.

Really, there was nothing special about the diaper.  I didn't have any major problems, but I did notice moisture on my son's legs at the leg openings when I changed him, and the laundry tabs seemed the most useless of all the diapers I've tried.

Overall, I would continue to use this diaper, but it would be in the bottom of my stash, to use when all other diapers were dirty.  It makes sense to me why these aren't being carried anymore.

Edit August 2010: I've heard quite a few people say that Haute Pockets are their favorite commercial pocket diaper, but they just don't work for me.  The oddly shaped insert means it's always bunched up and ends up leaking.  I keep meaning to try it with a different insert to see if that works better, but I haven't yet.  For now, this is in my "laundry day" diaper pile, since I finally have enough diapers to be picky about my favorites!

Fluff Mail!

I was very excited to get my package today (yesterday by the time I got around to finishing & publishing this).  The colors are lighter than I'd expected, which is the opposite of what I'd experienced with the bumgenius. 

The monkey print I chose for the Happy Heiny's diaper is adorable!!  It confuses me a bit though because it has 4 rows of snaps.  Most one size diapers have 3 rows.  All open for large, 1st to second for medium and third for small.  I'm guessing it must be an extra small setting?

The Blueberry Minky diaper is super soft and very cute.

My initial instinct is that the Bumgenius are nicer than all of these others. 

The BG pockets are kind of hidden, rather than just open at the top of the diaper, and it has additional waterproof material at the front and back to prevent wicking onto baby's clothing if the insert were near the front or back. 

The BG inserts also seem much larger, which makes me think they would be more absorbent & would be more likely to work with the single insert alone on the larger settings, rather than having to use the doublers.

Lastly, as much as I've heard people say the BG laundry tabs stop working over time, these other diapers' laundry tabs seem useless already.  I had a heck of a time getting them to stick when getting them ready to wash the first time.  After I've washed the BGs, I actually struggle to get the velcro OFF the laundry tabs!

I had a bit of a diaper chain when I got them out of the wash.  They are hanging to dry and I am starting the process of washing the blueberry diaper's insert multiple times.  It is made of hemp and it comes with natural oils on it that need to be washed off.  It has to be washed separately to avoid causing absorbency issues on other items, and it will not reach it's maximum absorbency until after 6-10 washes.

I will with hold judgment until I have seen them in action, but if I had to pick RIGHT NOW which diapers I would prefer more of based on just this initial assessment (and price aside) I would choose more BG 3.0s.

Oh Poop

Right now, poop on a cloth diaper ain't no thang.  Breastfed baby poo is water soluble, so you can just throw em in the washer.  As baby gets older, you can just flip it in the potty & be on your way.

That in between stage is much more hazy.  I have memories of peanut butter consistency poo in rainbows of colors.  I'll tell you, I am simply not interested in the ol dunk & swish method.

There are a couple brands of biodegradable/flushable/disposable diaper liners, some of which claim to be septic safe.  Reviews for one brand even claim they can be washed a few times if they are just wet.  In the end I'm not sure that solution is for me.

On the flip side, you can get a diaper sprayer that attches to your toilet & allows you to hose them in your toilet.  There are downsides to that too, and some people have come up with really clever solutions.  You can even find instructions for a homemade sprayer made with items you can find at your local home improvement store.

In the end, I think we will go with the bumgenius sprayer in our 1/2 bath, along with a large wet bag stored there as well.  They are expensive though, so I'm not sure if we will manage to get one before we start solids!

I've got the Magic Stick

So diaper rash with disposables is a vicious cycle.  At least for us.  The sposies cause it but we use them in order to slather diaper cream on him to clear it up.  I'm well aware that most diaper creams cause repelling and staining and generally ruin cloth diapers.

I'll tell you from experience that tissues do not work as an effective cloth diaper liner and that diaper creams do in fact stain cloth.

I tried cutting up an old flannel receiving blanket to use as liners and cloth wipes when using diaper cream (also so I easily knew which items to wash separately) but even that wasn't 100% effective.

I also read that the zinc in these creams was drying & probably not the best thing for me to be using.

What I needed was a cloth safe diaper cream.  While I got the low down I found several contenders.  A few had similarly chuckle inducing names, reminiscent of butt baste.  These were rump rub and magic stick.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought more lil kim than lil bums.

I decided on the breathable barrier Grandma El's and added it to the trusty wish list.  I'm writing out of order, so if you've read in order, you already know that I ordered it.

I did receive it, and while I will write my full review later, it rocks.

The Great Cloth Diaper Hunt

The Great Cloth Diaper Hunt is something I haven't gotten into, as I don't need one more addiction and project, ha ha, but some of the WAHMs are participating and it looks like great fun!

Chugging along

We've been using 6 bumgenius per day, which means we have to use 2-4 disposables per day.  Sometimes more.

I've got a good system & washing routine down and I'm loving them.  I do wish I had enough for at least a day and a half though.  I end up having to stay up late waiting for the washing machine so i can hang them to dry in order to be able to use them in the morning.

It's very apparent that the cloth is helping his rash, though he is always red after a night in sposies, even when slathered with diaper cream.

OMG how are we going to pay for a wedding!

I, the overplanner that I am, have a hard time living in the moment, and tend to freak myself out over stuff that may or may not happen in the very, very distant future.  e.g. Going from worrying about pregnancy and childbirth (while pregnant with my first child) to hyperventilating over potty training techniques, school choice, dating, drugs and *thud*.

So, after I made an amazon wishlist of the different diapers I'd like to try, I started obsessing over diaper pails, liners, wet bags, diaper liners and OMG-I'm going to have to clean solid foods poop off of these things-hysteria.  This would be followed shortly thereafter with an obsession over cloth wipes and then diaper sprayers, stay tuned.

Now, I needed to figure out how to get said diapers.  I sure as heck didn't want to pay for any more disposables, and even though 1 cloth diaper cost the same as two packs of sposies at a good price or 2.567 packs at a really good price, the cost was hard to swallow.

Due to some new and unexciting financial woes, we really didn't have the funds to pay for necessities, not even disposable diapers. 

My hubby decided that since he had time between work & class (for his Master's Degree, yes I'm proud of him), he'd donate plasma.  The first week, he made $60.  $25 for each donation, and $10 for doing it twice the first week.  He gave it to me and told me to order three more BG 3.0s!  Yay!!

He chose clementine, ribbit and moonlight (I think, I get the two blue colors confused).

The verdict

I was so psyched to try the diapers, they arrived so fast and were adorable.  I chose the grasshopper, butternut and twilight colors.  They are soft green, yellow & blue, though a little brighter than they had looked on my computer screen.

The instructions said I only had to wash them once, though some other materials become more absorbent with each wash.

I dried the inserts in the dryer, laid the diapers flat to dry and waited impatiently.

While I was waiting for them, I had figured out how long it would take for one diaper to pay for itself with full time use, for those 3 to pay for themselves with once daily use, and how long it would take to recoup the cost of a full stash with full time use.

Finally, they were dry, and within the first diaper change, I was hooked.  They were a cinch to put on and were adorable to boot.  Hubby called him a bubble butt but I thought the fluffy but was too stinkin'  cute (get it?  stinking?  'cause it's a diap...oh never mind).

It didn't take long to see how much less irritated his bottom was during the hours he was wearing cloth.  But, since we only had 3, we had to put him in disposables the rest of the day, and slather him with diaper cream.

Detergent Drama

Since I can't leave well enough alone, I kept researching and found more, conflicting information on the safety of the detergents we found locally.

I also found an awesome group of cloth diapering mamas on cafemom and asked a barrage of questions, including what their washing routines were, and what detergents they used.

The general consensus was that everyone loved a cafemommy made product called lil outlaws.  Cloth safe, none of the no-no ingredients and smelled great.  No one had any problems with buildup, smelly diapers or hiney irritation, even for those moms whose babies had sensitive skin.  The best part was that a bag was $15 postage paid, and would do 140 loads in my HE washer! (ed: I've actually only had to use 1/2 a TEASPOON to do my 6 dipes in our soft water).

I sent my poor hubby to return the detergent he'd purchased and impatiently waited for my detergent to arrive.

Long story short, I love it and was very glad to see a conclusion to the diaper detergent drama!