Well, not for David, he won't be wearing them. He's even older than me and has been using the potty on his own for at least 30 years. My brother, David, and his wife Dawn, are expecting their first child NEXT MONTH! Holy wow, that was a quick gestation! Well, big brother has asked me, little sister and mother of two (both of whom have worn and still wear diapers) my advice, suggestions, tips, what have you, about baby crap collection and it's various forms.
Not to pat my self on the back or anything, but, I am somewhat of an expert on this. I've probably changed at least a zillion diapers, if not more, so, I think doing something a zillion times renders one quite proficient and knowledgeable. Good at calculus? No. Good at wiping butts? Yes. Very.
Big brother, David, has shown interest in cloth diapering. I applaud him, for we really don't need more nasty diapers in landfills. There are plenty. Did I mention the time I had to do an archaeological survey on the runoff end of a landfill? PINK SOIL people. PINK. (in case you haven't been outside for a while, soil is not supposed to be pink). The landfill itself? We were right up next to it. It may as well have been called a "diaperfill" 'cuz that's what you could easily make out. WRECK.
Anyhoo, I'm not going to get on a cloth high horse here, I've used and continue to use my fair share of 'sposies, so, trust me, NO judgement, but I do like to use an alternative whenever possible.
First off, let me just get the whole EC (Elimination Communication) thing off the table here. I didn't do it. I'm sure it's awesome. I've read a ton of testimonials about how fantastic it is to watch your four month old alert you to the fact that she's about to whizz and how you can put her on the potty and she'll go, but I just didn't do it. I know my limitations. I am too lazy. I'm pretty sure my brother is going to be too lazy as well to attempt this, so I'm not even going to suggest it to him. Okay, back to diapers.
I like a nice mix. I've tried a variety of cloth, disposable and the flushable g-diapers. Let's break this down into categories for easy discussion.
Disposable:
Disposable diapers are likely considered the easiest. On, off, make a diaper burrito and toss. They are nice for traveling, I'll admit. I have liked Pampers Swaddlers for newborns. They're just the softest. I found the "sensitive" ones to have a less "powdery" and chemically smell. Be not mistaken though, they're chock full of that chemically absorbing stuff and are bleached with dioxin, so I tried to use them sparingly.
Huggies - too stiff or something for my taste. Also, they have a little label on the packaging that says, "includes an ingredient to soften babies skin". Um, no thanks. I'll put my own skin softening lotions, or whatnot on my baby thanks. I'm pretty sure I don't want Huggie's mystery ingredient of softness that isn't readily identified rubbing all up on my kids' bits.
Luvs - MAJOR DIAPER RASH. I know they are economical, but whoa, Isla got HORRIBLE awful dermatitis from only wearing TWO Luvs diapers. It took well over a week for it to go away.
Seventh Generation
- I used these the most. Dioxin free, yes. (at least they claim it). They're pretty soft. Some people I know who have used them have complained about their somewhat less than stellar absorbency. Yeah, I never had any real issues with them, but they did okay for me. I never had major leaks or anything. Still my favorite disposable. Generic brands - honestly, I never bought Target or "non-premium" diapers. I am just that spoiled. I get it. I know. But I'm being honest, I never tried them, so I'm totally down with someone adding a review of another type. Honestly, if you order delivery through Amazon, it costs the same or less to buy premium diapers and have them delivered to your door in a case load than it does to go to WalMart and pick up a box every week or two. Just sayin'.
Flushable:
The only kind I ever used that could be flushed are gDiapers Flushable. I like them. I have sort of an on again, off again love with them, but for the most part, they have served me well. They are definitely not as easy as a "one piece" diaper, but it is wicked cool to put baby waste in the toilet and have there be no smell. Love that about these. There is a slight learning curve, getting used to the extra stuffing of the insert into the little g pant, but if you have a few on hand, you'll be fine. I give them two thumbs up.
Cloth:
I've enjoyed using cloth. I began thinking I'd use basic prefolds, pinned with snappis and covered with a diaper cover. Um. No. My son got immediate diaper rash. These were a no go for me. Thankfully I did not invest very much in them and sooo, I looked into the pocket diaper option. A bit more pricey, but when you consider savings next to disposables, it's a deal.
My favorites have been the Bum Genius one size pocket diapers
. Easy to use, no real leak issues, durable and come in pretty cute colors. Gives your baby a really big butt. Which is cute. :) I've also had some success with FuzziBunz, but I've only bought a few of them, and they tend to be a bit less absorbent than the Bum Genius. Another cloth diaper I've liked, but only have two of, as I purchased them on clearance at the local baby boutique, is the Swaddlebee EcoNappi One-Size. These are bit different as there is no removable insert in them, but instead a sewn in absorbent core. You just toss this whole thing in the wash. It DOES take extra drying time to get these perfectly dry, I've discovered. Negative. But they are really cute. The reason I like the Bum Genius is the fact that they are "One Size". As in, they are adjustable with snaps to accommodate your growing baby. You can buy one diaper to take you from infant to toddler and that's pretty awesome. Now, I do not make gigantic babies, so a child who reaches thirty pounds before he's two may need to find a larger size before he's ready to potty learn, but as my almost three year old is only about 33 lbs right now, this was not an issue for me.
Other than the diapers, there are a few more things to consider "gear wise". You'll need a good pail for your diapers. I chose a "dry pail" as the pocket diapers do not require you to have a big old pail of water to soak your diapers in. Seriously, a plastic trash can with a lid will do just fine. Make sure to get a Diaper Pail Liner (you'll probably want two, one for the wash, one for when your bag is washing and your kid is still making bodily waste) something like this. I only have one. I wish I had two. That's on my "to get" list... Also, get a diaper sprayer. The Diaper Sprayer for Cloth Diapers . I seriously just saw one while getting this link for $99 bucks. Um. NO. That's ridiculous. I'm pretty sure I only paid $19.95 for mine and after 2.5 years, it's practically mint.
Wipes:
Yeah, you're still going to need to wipe yonder child's behind. I liked using cloth wipes
, simply put in a standard wipe warmer, moistened with my own concoction of Dr. Bronner's 
in either peppermint, baby, or unscented, a drop of tea tree essential oil and some distilled water. Easy peasy. And you just toss your wipe into the diaper pail. I'd suggest having about 2 dozen of them. One last thing. You're going to need to wash these things. Most places recommend Charlie's Soap Powder. I've also used Country Save HE Laundry Detergent. I case of that stuff is a GOOD DEAL. Funnily, the less expensive the detergent, the better it seems to wash diapers. Just sayin'.
For more information, there are a TON of websites that talk dirty nappies. How to wash, when to strip them when they smell like an old alley frequented by people who urinate outside, how to mix up your own wipe solution and when and how to sell them when you are no longer in diaper land. I'd suggest www.diaperpin.com and www.greenmountaindiapers.com as good resources for this kind of info.
So, dear brother, Dave. I hope you found this useful. Read it. Look at reviews, and have fun cleaning your kids butt!
