Prefolds and Favorite Covers

Okay, so I haven't given up on my good old prefolds. They are economical and effective and although Skinny fusses a bit about the bulk she soon gets distracted by playing.

However, what covers do I use?

Well, my all time favorite cover is my Sugar Peas wool cover. It is breathable so it prevents diaper rash (Bouncy had a BIG problem with that) and it is an adorable sage green color and it has wonderful snap closure and a nice high rise so the diaper stays in there. It has never never leaked.

I also like Nikki Wraps because they are also breathable and they are very very trim. Great for using over a prefold when space in the pants is an issue. However, the rise on them is not quite as high so you have to put them on 'just so.'

One last favorite is Motherease. Their covers never fail. They are thin, but waterproof, have a nice high rise and come in cute patterns as a bonus.

Washing Twice

I just read that some manufacturers of cloth diapers recommend washing diapers twice! I've heard of washing and then doing an extra rinse, but washing twice before drying? Has anyone heard of this? Is it necessary? Seems like it might be a waste of energy and water. I generally periodically strip my diapers with vinegar in the rinse cycle. Can someone shed a little light on this?

Finding the Perfect Diaper

Welcome to my Diaper Review Site!

Being concerned about the environment I have attempted to use cloth diapers part time for three years. I have two children. The three year old, Bouncy, has successfully potty trained (hallelujah) and the 16 month old, Skinny, is in full time diapers.

When Skinny is not in cloth she wears Seventh Generation disposables, which I love.

I am anticipating at least another year of diapers for Skinny and have yet to find the perfect cloth diaper. Currently we use many prefolds which worked great for Bouncy. However, Skinny protests the bulky bunch of fabric between her legs....no matter what folding technique I use.

I was first given some Kushies cloth diapers when Bouncy was little. They were HUGE and not very absorbant, but they worked fine when we were hanging around the house. I never managed to fit clothes over them...Bouncy was a chunk. I gave them up in favor of Chinese prefolds.

I used to have a some Bumkins AIO's, but Skinny finally outgrew them. They weren't my favorite anyway. They were effective for short periods during the day, but overnight they were not absorbant enough for her as she's a heavy wetter. They did not leak during the day, but her bottom was often very wet feeling (normal for most cloth) and they were not especially soft.

I have just purchased a few Happy Heiny pocket diapers. So far I like them. They are soft and absorbant. Skinny seems to like them as well. They keep her dryer then the prefolds since they wick moisture away to the insert. I have been changing her frequently though because we've just been around the house. I think if we go out I would like to have more liners. When I purchased them they only came with one liner and I'd love to have more as doublers. Currently I've been stuffing them with prefolds when necessary. It works, but it's bulky making it hard for even skinny to squeeze into her pants.

One problem with the Happy Heiny diaper so far. She leaked out of the side where some of the soft lining was peaking out. It seems difficult to get all of the lining properly tucked...or to keep it tucked.Perhaps this is just a user problem (ei, my fault), but I am going to keep an eye on it to see if it happens again.