I’ve missed prints from Fuzzibunz, haven’t you?  Well the great news is that Fuzzbunz is releasing two new prints, one in a “girl” style with bright, fun colors and fruits called “Strawberry Delight” and one “boy” style with ocean style blues and whales called “Whimsical Whale.”

I excitedly opened the secret package delivered on the same day as the Great Cloth Diaper Change to see the two new prints from Fuzzibunz (and resisted all temptation to use them during the Change!)  My first impression was “Cute, but a little busy.”  Yes the prints have a lot going on- lots of shapes, patterns, and color (for Strawberry Delight).

It took a few days of looking to begin appreciating them.   It wasn’t love at first sight by any means!  Initially I preferred the Whimsical Whale to Strawberry Delight.  Strawberry Delight was just a bit too colorful- then I started reminiscing about my days in the 90′s and the spectacular neons and bold colors that we wore.  The more I stared the more I started actually liking the bright colors and dominant pink/yellow hues with the powder blue lines. And of course I’m not oblivious to the current trend of colorblocking and BOLD neons!

I still like the Whimsical Whales and think it is pretty darn adorable for a little boy but now I’m starting to prefer Strawberry Delight!  If only I had a little girl to model it for me! (My little boy will have to do and he ROCKED that diaper while playing with his toy monster trucks.)  We are breaking down walls here people! 

FuzziBunz® Strawberry Delight:  FuzziBunz’s latest “flavor” cloth diaper is Strawberry Delight, a whimsical and magical cloth diaper print that is sure to please any baby girl and the mom who loves her too.

Swirling pink strawberries surrounded by luscious oranges makes this latest cloth diaper design good enough to eat. Your baby will enjoy wearing this cloth diaper on a fun spring or summer day at the park or pool. It also can be used as a reusable swim cloth diaper pant too, making this diaper as versatile as it is sweet!

Available in FuzziBunz Elite One-Size Cloth Diaper and Perfect Sizes X-Small, small, medium and large.

Limited edition. While supplies last.

FuzziBunz® Whimsical Whale:

Ahoy, Matey! FuzziBunz’s latest cloth diaper print design will bring a delightful squeal to any baby boy and his doting mom too. Girls will love this whale of a design too!

 Whimsical whales adorn this blue and aqua green reusable cloth diaper that can be worn daily or for a day at the beach as a reusable swim diaper. Your child will have a whale of a time romping around in this adorable-yet-modern cloth diaper print.

Available in FuzziBunz Elite One-Size Cloth Diaper and Perfect Sizes X-small, small, medium and large.

Limited edition. While supplies last.

You’ll be seeing these new prints at all of your favorite Fuzzibunz retailers including Kelly’s Closet, a preferred affiliate partner of DDL.

Thank you Fuzzibunz for this early sneak peek!

*note that DDL does warn anyone using regular pocket diapers as swim diapers in pools because chlorine can break down the PUL and elastic and cause damage to your diapers.

I love the cloth diaper community.  In general, we are a caring group of women (and even men) who are doing good things just by offering reusable diapering options.  If you ask anyone who makes or sells cloth diapers for help they don’t hesitate.

But many brands go above and beyond just making and selling cloth diapers.  Many use their diapers to do good things and raise money for chosen charities, or even provide cloth diapers to those in need.  I’d like to list those brands here.  If you are looking to buy cloth diapers and support a good cause, this is a great place to discover new brands to try while feeling good about your purchase.

There are many other companies helping to make the world a better place but these are the ones that immediately came to mind.  If you know of a diaper company doing great things please let me know in the comments.

*please note that my posting does not necessarily mean that I agree with, or support all of the charitable organizations listed.  I do support the brands’ right to support charities of their choosing.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change is only 2 weeks and 1 day away and that makes me think about what I will be changing my son out of, and into, for the event!  If you aren’t already aware of what the event is, watch this video I made:

Of course I want both diapers to be absolutely fabulous because we will be in a large crowd of people!

At first I had planned on using my Medium Tie Dye Ragababe Easy AIO and maybe one of my Artist Series bumGenius! 4.0′s, but then Charlie Banana released this limited edition print:

And I fell in love! Ok, so I said “Goodbye Disposables” a long time ago (technically I never really started using them) but the message behind it is crystal clear.  Plus, I am in love with the font and coloring, I think they hit the nail on the head with that combination.  I wish I could convey to you how much I am swooning over this diaper.  I can’t wait to see photos of babies wearing these soon.

Unfortunately these went on sale on Zulily.com and then sold out super fast.  I went to the park, came home to order a Medium, and those were sold out along with the One Size.  They will be available on Charliebanana.com and select retailers on April 10 and will run 25.  Assuming Zulily ships in time, and the other retailers, those ordering these should have them in time.

Fuzzibunz also announced that they are offering a print in honor of Earth Day as well.  These will be 21.95 and are hitting stores very soon.

One reason cloth diapers have come such a long way since birdseye flats and plastic pants is: Stay Dry Lining.  When Fuzzibunz came along with their Microfleece lining, a magical fabric that allowed moisture to go through it and be absorbed into an insert, but that also wicked moisture away from the baby’s bum letting them stay dry, this was a huge break-through! Tereson Dupuy invented the modern cloth diaper with this innovative idea.  I wanted to test these diapers to see if they really felt dry.

As a parent I do get concerned about my children staying in wet diapers.  The downside of cloth diapers is that it is harder to know when they have wet.  There is no “pinch” test for cloth, although it is still effective to a small degree if you really know what you are looking for.  At least if you are using as “stay dry” cloth diaper you can feel good knowing your baby is comfortable, or can you?

Stay Dry lining materials include Microfleece and Suedecloth.  Fuzzibunz is the brand you think of as a cloth diaper that uses microfleece, and bumGenius! is the most popular example of a diaper using suedecloth.

There are many benefits to using a diaper with a stay dry lining, however there are also many pitfalls. It is important when choosing a cloth diaper to understand both and know what challenges you may be facing in the future.

First, what are Microfleece and Suedecloth?

Both materials are synthetic and 100% polyester.  There is a very handy website with descriptions of common diaper materials on Zany-Zebra that I consult often.

In everyday life you see microfleece all the time, just in bulkier forms like Old Navy fleece jackets and scarves.  Suedecloth is also a fabric with many everyday applications, but because it is usually in thicker forms you may not connect the dots.  Suedecloth has a smooth lining and doesn’t pill up.  Microfleece will pill over time.  (depending on the brand, some are better than others)  Piling means the fabric will develop tiny balls after multiple washes, like your favorite sweater.  Suedecloth will stay very smooth over dozens of washes, or more.

With my experiment I wanted to see if, after a baby urinates, the lining really does feel dry to the touch.  And, if one stay dry material did a better job than another.  I also wanted to see if the type of insert or type of diaper made a difference.

I tried testing a few varieties.

• Microfleece All-in-One with a Microfiber Soaker (AMP Stay Dry AIO)
• Microfleece Pocket with Microfiber insert (Happy Heiny’s OS)
• Microfleece topped lay in Microfiber soaker (Softbums Echo)
• Suedecloth All-in-One with Bamboo insert (Ragababe AIO)
• Suedecloth Pocket with Microfiber insert (bumGenius! 4.0)

I also, for kicks, tested a few other types of materials:

Cotton (Gro Via AIO), Bamboo Fleece (Babykicks 3g)  and Bamboo Terry (Yo-Yoo), to see how wet those felt to the touch.

Based on my tests, which are in no way truly scientific, but as good as I could do, I came up with a few conclusions:

• Suedecloth feels drier faster than Microfleece.
• Pockets, due to that space between the insert and the lining, feel drier than sewn in All-in-Ones.  Suedecloth pockets feel drier than Microfleece.
• Pockets also evenly distribute the moisture more to the soaker leaving less chance of feeling wetness in the spot where the urine is left.

That all sounds great, right?  Baby pees and still feels dry.  What’s not to love?

Synthetic liners do have some serious drawbacks.

The biggest: Repelling. Certain laundry detergents and other laundry additives “bond” with that material causing what is commonly referred to as “repelling.”  The soap scum, diaper creams, or fabric softener residue prevents urine from going through the layer of material.  In the worst cases no urine makes it through and it is like the baby is peeing on a plastic sheet.

Even with no repelling, there is still a delay between urinating on the layer of material, and it soaking through it.  I will be doing another video of this, but for now just know that when your baby pees it takes a few seconds for the urine to go through.  It helps when there is compression from their bodies, this will speed up the process.  But, imagine they are laying on their backs and sleeping.  The urine will possibly roll down the diaper before being absorbed.  If they pee very forcefully and a lot is expelled at one time, there might not be enough time for the pee to go through the layer of stay dry material before it finds an escape route.  THIS is why I do not like stay dry diapers for overnight.  There is a higher likelihood that it will leak.  But, then again, I want my baby to be comfortable while in a diaper for 10 hours, so I want the stay dry diapers to work!

A potential drawback of stay dry diapers is that they DO stay dry.  There are parents who would rather their baby’s feel the wetness in order to expedite potty learning.  The common saying is that babies in cloth diapers potty train faster.  I don’t really buy that, but, if a baby does feel the moisture and isn’t a fan, they may be more likely to want to learn to potty versus staying in a wet diaper.

And the last reason stay dry diapers may not be the option for you: they are synthetic.  Any cloth diaper with a PUL outer has synthetic materials, but these don’t always touch the baby.  There are parents who want only organic materials against the skin, and that rules out stay dry liners like Microfleece and Suedecloth.  There are diapers with Bamboo fleece, but testing showed me that they are soft but do not stay dry like the synthetic fleece.  In rare cases, babies actually are allergic or sensitive to the synthetic liners and develop rashes.

Lastly, there is the matter of the Poop.  I have gone into (probably too much) detail about the different forms of poop and how this relates to cloth diapering.  Suedecloth and Microfleece each have selling points.  Suedecloth is easier to spray off, but microfleece holds those runny breastfeeding poops in better.

I can’t tell you what to choose.  It truly is a matter of personal preference and what will work best for your baby’s needs.  But at least you now know that both materials are comfortable to the baby even after they have a wet diaper in case you can’t change them right away.

What is important to you in a diaper?  Stay dry, organic, easy to spray, etc?

This post is part of my Intro to Cloth Diapers Series! Each week I will be adding a new video detailing an aspect of cloth diapers that a “newbie” would have questions about.  This week the video is dedicated to Elastic One Size Diapers.

There are 3 major types that you will see:

• Button Hole (ex. Fuzzibunz OS, Charlie Banana OS, Lollidoo OS, and Sprout Change)
• Snap (ex. Rocky Mountain OS)
• Sliding (or “drawstring” ex. Softbums, Green Line, TK Cuddlers, Evolution Diapers)

Pros of Elastic Sizing:

• More size possibilities than Snap Down Rise sizing
• Cleaner looking due to lack of unsnapped settings
• Good for babies with skinny thighs

Cons:

• More sizing possibilities also mean a higher learning curve and more chances for mistakes/leaks.
• Harder to adjust size.
• More potential for leg leaks due to bunching.
• Can be easy to over tighten and cause red marks.
• Not ideal if you have 2 children.  More time consuming to switch between sizes if needed.

Any questions?  Leave them in the comments!

I am concluding my newborn cloth diaper reviews today with this video of many of the one size diapers I used on my baby Everett.  Some of the diapers shown in the video aren’t in the chart, but the most requested diapers made it to the chart.  If anyone has any questions please ask in the comments and I will answer.  I like to remind everyone that every baby is different. My first son didn’t fit his BG 3.0 until over 10 pounds, but this guy fit at 9.5 pounds.

I have reviewed each of these diapers in more detail, though at the time I had not used them on an newborn.  To see each diaper’s individual review you can click the links.

Softbums Echo and Softbums Omni

bumGenius! 4.0

bumGenius! Elemental

Fuzzibunz OS

Kissaluvs Marvel OS Cover

Little Beetle Little to Big

Babykicks 3g

Rocky Mountain OS

Sweet Pea OS Cover

Sprout Change V 2.0

Happy Heinys Improved OS (no video yet)

One again, this chart is a guide, not a definite size chart.  EVERY BABY IS DIFFERENT and what fit my son well might not fit your baby, or vice versa.

Recently there was a humongous uproar over a very small segment about Cloth Diapers vs Disposables which aired on CBS’s Eye on Parenting segment.  The reporter, Natali Morris, and her “expert” pediatrician went over the diapering options.  It was clear that disposable diapers were the winner for these two, with nary a mention of the modern cloth diapers available.  There was more talk of pins and prefolds with a brief “but there are diapers with velcro and snaps available” line at the end.  Frankly this whole thing seems poorly researched and a little rushed.  You can view this report here: CBS Eye on Parenting

Well….. cloth diaper users are actually pretty techy (there are only a million cloth diaper blogs, myself included) and we picked up on this report very quickly.  I actually get ALL the cloth diaper news delivered to my email with an alert.  If you write about cloth, I know it!  Unfortunately, the response was overwhelmingly venomous.  Yes, some commenters on the story simply informed the reporter that there are modern diapers and that the report was a little one sided, but the majority of comments were personal attacks on the reporter and the pediatrician in the feature.  There are 370 comments and counting on the original report.

I was very disappointed in this.  I have always known the cloth diaper community to be supportive and kind.  This was an ugly side that I wasn’t proud of.  You always catch more flies with honey!

Regardless, Natali did hear our cry and decided to challenge herself.  She made the decision to try modern cloth diapers for 30 days, on her own terms. Her husband and nanny would not have to use them if they didn’t want, but she would.

Immediately the enterprising cloth diaper makers got on the horn and sent packages of diapers for Natali to try.  She received Softbums, Rumparooz, Fuzzibunz, Rockin Green, and so on.  If nothing else Natali was able to accrue an impressive stash in a matter of days for nothing.  Talk about the money savings involved with cloth diapers!  She was so gung-ho she actually has to start over because she didn’t have everything she needed.

Natali gave it an honest to goodness try with us as her audience, there for the good and bad.  I was watching from the sidelines and rooting her on.  If she failed, we failed.  Cloth would receive another bad write up.  If she converted, we won!  There would be good press for modern cloth diapers from a major news outlet!

Natali traveled with cloth. Her husband even got involved.  I think by far my favorite part of this experiment was seeing the honest and genuine reaction to cloth diapers her husband gave on his webcast show “Daddy on Board.”  In his cloth diaper episode he talks about noticing that cloth didn’t shrivel up his little guy’s balls (what a guy thing to notice, but a valid point and great reason to use cloth, no chemicals!).  He also explained the toggle on a Softbums like a man.  But the best segment came when he talked about his wife watching diaper tutorials.  She told him that she thought a piece of the diaper was missing.  She was confused.  Where was the white strip she saw in the video?!  Well….. that white strip was simply a cloth wipe placed over the baby’s privates.  I loled.  Only an honest to god cloth diaper virgin would get in a tizzy over this.  It was so true and honest and real.  As cloth a cloth veteran this is something I would have never thought of.

Finally, the anticipated follow-up of the 30 Day Challenge aired, which you can view here. Tereson Dupuy, inventor of the modern cloth diaper (Fuzzibunz, the first pocket diaper) flew to NYC to help.  Together, Natali and Tereson discussed MODERN options.  If you want an idea of what went on to get this production together, Tereson posted a note on her Facebook page here.

She showed a Bummis cover with a prefold (this part was confusing because the explanation made it sound like a prefold WAS a cover, but then they briefly showed the inside and then explained a bit better), next came the gorgeous Artist Series bumGenius! Elemental as an example of an All in One, then a G Diaper for the hybrid option, then a Fuzzibunz Pocket diaper.  They also touch on laundering (they showed Rockin’ Green as a diaper detergent) and disposable of the solid waste.

The good news is that Natali is a convert!  She loves cloth diapers now.

I am extremely happy with how things went. Cloth diapers received great publicity.  A few options were presented and explained briefly in a simple way.  Natali is right, researching cloth diapers when you have never seen one or known anyone who uses them, is extremely overwhelming.  I was drowning information 2.5 years ago when I started my journey too.  Every site says something different, especially when it comes to washing.  There is just no easy solution.

Thanks Natali for ignoring the negative and focusing on the message of cloth diapers and their benefits.   I wish you continued success and look forward to your reviews of the cloth diapers you have tried so far on Mommy Beta.

To see all of her posts from the 30 Day Challenge:

http://mommybeta.squarespace.com/blogs/2010/11/5/cloth-diapering-challenge-i-accept.html

http://mommybeta.squarespace.com/blogs/2010/11/11/cloth-diaper-challenge-do-over.html

http://mommybeta.squarespace.com/blogs/2010/11/15/cloth-diaper-challenge-hits-the-road.html

http://mommybeta.squarespace.com/blogs/2010/11/23/cloth-diaper-challenge-update.html

Update at the end of the post

I am the sort of person who needs to “talk it out” (my to my husband’s dismay) so I am going to write up my plans for the newborn cloth diaper reviews.  If there is something you want to see added that I am missing please let me know.  As of now I plan on comparing newborn diapers on the following:

• Weight they begin fitting well
• Weight they no longer fit
• Leaks, if any
• Bang for the Buck
• Performance

Really, the only thing I have added is the time frame that they fit.  But, it will be nice to be able to compare these brands on those points for anyone considering them.

L to R in a circle: Baby Beehinds NB Cover, Sbish Wool, Sbish flat, KL0, Nifty Nappy Ooga Booga, Thirsties Duo, Smartipants NB, FB XS, BG XS. Lil Joey, Tiny Fit

To recap, I have the following newborn cloth diapers to review:

• bumGenius! AIO Deluxe in XS.
• Fuzzibunz XS
• Tiny Fit by Tots Bots
• Smartipants Newborn
• Nifty Nappy newborn fitted
• Sustainable Babyish XS Flats
• Sustainable Babyish Wool Soaker
• Baby Beehinds Newborn Cover
• Lil’ Joeys
• KL0
• Gro Via newborn
• Thirsties Duo Size 1

What I haven’t made up my mind on is how I will film reviews.  I do not believe I will film a review for each individual diaper.  I may group them into categories and show the different brands in one video.  Or do them all together.  What do you think?

I also plan to pit a few one size diapers head to head to see which fit a newborn first and best.  The biggest request has been for Softbums, so this will be done.  And I will choose from the others I have as well.  Most likely you will see bumGenius! 4.0, bumGenius! Elementals, Gro Via, etc.  If you  have a particular One Size you really want tested, let me know in the comments and I will see what I can do.

***UPDATE

Rather than reply to all of the comments I will update here.  I will try my best to address the issue of meconium, cord stump, washing/drying, etc. that were asked about.  Also, I have set a lot of my one size diapers to the newborn setting.  Here is a list so far:

• Bottombumpers OS
• Doopsy
• Rocky Mountain OS
• Softbums
• Gro Via AIO
• Gro Via AI2
• bumGenius! 4.0
• bumGenius! Elemental
• Smartipants Smart Fit Cover
• Smartipants OS
• Fuzzibunz OS
• Charlie Banana OS
• Little Beetle velour fitted
• and a Rumparooz and Sprout Change V2.0 is getting added soon.

I think that is all but there might be more.

While it will be difficult my plan is to either photograph or film the fit of these diapers on a newborn as well.  Thanks for all of your input.  I hope when all is said and done this will be a very beneficial experiment for new parents looking for newborn cloth diapers!

BottomBumpers AIO

BottomBumpers AIO

Rumparooz One Size

All diapers together

Mothering Magazine Article

Rockin' Green Sample

Letter to Ellen and DVD of videos

Shake Weight for Babies and Wiggly Giggler

All together

I added a few other odds and ends, including some photographs of babies wearing the embroidered “Ellen” diapers and washing instructions from Kelly’s Closet.  In case you are wondering, the Rumparooz, Fuzzibunz, and Bottombumpers diapers were sent free of charge for the package. I paid out of pocket for the Zany Zebra (Which I wasn’t even supposed to get but there was a mixup so I felt obligated to pay, long story, and why I have 2 cupcake diapers for Ellen’s niece, Eva) and the embroidery on the covers which were used for the video shoot.  The covers themselves were donated by Kelly’s Closet (5 of them).  Kim from Rockin’ Green gave me the sample but she had no idea it would end up in the package.  I bought the Wiggly Gigglers (in case you are wondering, I made a Shake Weight for Babies video to send to Ellen for laughs)

As suggested by the title, this is my last effort for Operation Fluffy.  I have put a lot of time, effort, and money into the operation.  If this doesn’t work, nothing will.  This package is literally being handed to Ellen Degeneres by someone in her staff.  Let’s just say I have a friend, who has a friend, who has a friend that works at the show.  ’Nuff said.

I want to thank everyone who has been involved in Operation Fluffy. It has been a fun ride!  A special thanks to the generous companies who sent in items for the video and the package! And a thank you to Jillian’s Drawers who allowed me to invade their community room to film the video (which is being edited still, it will be in the package.) A VERY special thank you to the moms and dads who brought their babies to be filmed in the video!  I can’t wait to share it with you all.  If these adorable diapers don’t convince her how cool cloth is, nothing will.

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana (July 6, 2010) – Tereson Dupuy knows about solving problems.  When the inventor of the modern cloth diaper and founder of FuzziBunz^® cloth diapers heard about a program pleading for supplies to help clean up the oil spill along the Gulf shore, the Louisiana native realized she could help.  Today, Dupuy and the company are officially announcing a nationwide drive to put the ultra-absorbent materials used in her cloth diapers and other baby materials to a different use for animal rescue and clean up.

After watching the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico devastate her family’s favorite beaches, precious wildlife and threaten the way of life for her hometown of New Orleans, Dupuy wanted to help.  “The rescue workers are in need of absorbent materials and we are in the business of manufacturing one of the most absorbent materials around, so it’s a no-brainer,” she says. “I’m so glad we can do our part to help in this attack on nature right in our backyard.”

Dupuy and FuzziBunz^® are putting out a nationwide call for old cloth diaper inserts (the absorbent material stuffed inside pocket-diapers like FuzziBunz^®), pre-fold diapers, baby blankets, burp cloths, microfiber towels or other absorbent fabrics and the company’s warehouse is serving as a central drop-off point for these items.  These specific items will be used to care for, clean and transport wildlife. The effort is called “Cloth for the Coast” and has a dedicated website:www.CommunityfortheCoast.org.

Donations of gently used cloth diapers are also being accepted.  While diapers with Velcro, snaps, or elastic cannot be used for cleaning, there is a dire need in the low income communities where the families have been most affected by the spill.  Dupuy is currently seeking assistance from Catholic Charities and United Way to identify families in need of donated diapers and is willing to work with these families on transitioning to cloth.  By switching to donated reusable diapers, such as FuzziBunz^®, these families will save thousands of dollars that would normally be spent on disposables.

“Since the oil spill, people who don’t normally ‘think green’ are giving the environment more thought. I’m glad that I am so close and do something to help make this happen,” says Dupuy.  “And I have been overwhelmed by the response from the cloth diapering community so far.  I knew they would pull together and do what they could during this environmental tragedy.  Now they can recycle diapers for people in need as well.”

Diapers and blankets gathered at the FuzziBunz^® warehouse will be organized by local volunteers and distributed to wildlife organizations in bulk.  Families around the country wishing to help can donate items by sending directly to FuzziBunz^® at:

FuzziBunz Diapers
Attn: CFC
315 Weeks St
New Iberia, LA 70560

Those looking to donate money to rescue animals or volunteer time can also visitwww.CommunityfortheCoast.org, a website also funded by the company that serves as an easy-to-use information resource.

To learn more about FuzziBunz^® and the company’s history of charitable donations, please visitwww.FuzziBunz.com and the parent company, www.MotherofEden.com.

About FuzziBunz^®

The patented FuzziBunz^® pocket diapers are a convenient and sustainable diapering solution for today’s busy parents.  The reusable diapers ensure no leaks, no rash and no waste. FuzziBunz^®diapers include three layers: 1) a waterproof outer barrier to keep wetness contained, 2) a soft microfleece inner layer that touches a baby’s skin and pulls away moisture, and 3) a unique, pocket-style opening that enables a parent to customize the absorbency using super absorbent micro-terrycloth pads.

Stay-at-home-mom, Tereson Dupuy, invented FuzziBunz^® in January 1999 in response to her infant son’s chronic diaper rash and her overall dissatisfaction with all available diapers.  Tereson stitched the first FuzziBunz^® in her home and a short time later, the FuzziBunz^® diapering movement was born. For more information about FuzziBunz^® cloth diapers and accessories and to find a list of retailers, please visit www.fuzzibunz.com.