Cloth diaper cover question

[Katiebug_1976]

I need some advice from those of you that use cloth diapers. I have decided to use unbleached indian prefolds, but am still trying to decide on which cover to use. I really like the looks of Thirsties duo cover and Bummis super whisper cover. Does anyone have any opinions on either of these, or any other cover that worked really well?

 

Thanks so much,

[Tidbits of Learning]

I loved bumkins!!! And if you are using prefolds, snappis are wonderful. No pins!!. I also used prefolds folded in my gdiapers.

Edited October 24, 2009 by OpenMinded

[Carrie12345]

Both are great, but Thirsties have a wider size range, which I've been really grateful for!

[Marsha]

I think they are pretty equal.

Bummis is a little thicker material than Thirsties.

I equate them both the same though.

I buy and use both.

[Caitilin]

I use wool covers which I found to be far more effective than the PUL ones we had been using. I have been using wool for about a year, and though I was nervous about the difficulty of caring for it, it's actually super easy. If I were to recommend a wool cover to you, it would be the Swaddlebees Merino (which can be machine washed!). It's easy to fit over any dipe, including PFs, and comes in velcro or snap options and 3-4 pleasant colors. :) Good luck on the CDing journey!:D

[MariannNOVA]

I need some advice from those of you that use cloth diapers. I have decided to use unbleached indian prefolds, but am still trying to decide on which cover to use. I really like the looks of Thirsties duo cover and Bummis super whisper cover. Does anyone have any opinions on either of these, or any other cover that worked really well?

 

Thanks so much,

 

I think they are pretty equal.

Bummis is a little thicker material than Thirsties.

I equate them both the same though.

I buy and use both.

 

Well, it seems like a lifetime ago, but I used cloth -- I used the Bummis whisper cover and the Thirsties and loved them. WOW -- THAT was SUCH a long time ago! The twins will be nine tomorrow!

[8circles]

I've used the Bummis but not the other you mentioned. Honestly, in my experience all the major brands can work well if they fit the body shape well. Do you know anyone who uses cloth who can lend you some covers to try?

[Earth Yarn]

I use wool covers which I found to be far more effective than the PUL ones we had been using. I have been using wool for about a year, and though I was nervous about the difficulty of caring for it, it's actually super easy. If I were to recommend a wool cover to you, it would be the Swaddlebees Merino (which can be machine washed!). It's easy to fit over any dipe, including PFs, and comes in velcro or snap options and 3-4 pleasant colors. :) Good luck on the CDing journey!:D

 

We LOVE wool here. We like stacinators though for commercial wool covers and out of the house use.

[Emmy]

Jumping in with a cloth diapering question - I've only used fuzzi bunz in the past - with prefolds and covers do you care for them similarly to fuzzi bunz? The key to my question of course is - do I have rinse them in the toilet? Cause I'm not into that..... I haven't purchased diapers for my twins-on-the-way yet so just looking at options.

[8circles]

Jumping in with a cloth diapering question - I've only used fuzzi bunz in the past - with prefolds and covers do you care for them similarly to fuzzi bunz? The key to my question of course is - do I have rinse them in the toilet? Cause I'm not into that..... I haven't purchased diapers for my twins-on-the-way yet so just looking at options.

 

I've done both prefolds/covers & fuzzibunz - I cared for them the same way.

[SonshineLearner]

Another Bummis Super wisp cover lover:-) And.... wool wraps/covers, too!! And.... I likes my one from Fuzzy Bunz and now I see that they have "one sized". If you get these, they have an insert for toddlers and infants....

http://store.naturalbabies.com/store/WsDefault.asp?One=3426

 

Carrie

[Earth Angel_79]

We just use prefolds, snappis and dappis (pull on nylon cover). I've tried other covers, but they are too bulky for my liking. Dappis squish down to nothing..well as nothing as you can get with cloth. My dappis are after 1 yr of use just starting to be a little leaky. But they are insanely cheap, so no biggie. We also use wool at night and there is nothing like it --- just wonderful, wonderful stuff.

[jojomojo]

Bummis Super Whisper Wraps were my favorite PUL wrap. For newborns, we used Proraps with the umbilical notch.

 

But my absolute favorite diaper cover was wool! If you knit, you could even get a pattern and join a co-op for a better price on wool. Wool can be very bulky under clothes too, so I always just used longies in the winter, and shorts/wraps in the summer (or just went coverless). Of course, I think its the cutest option too :D (here are a couple of pics of my dd in her wool longies & matching hat)

[Caitilin]

I bought a diaper sprayer, and I think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. :) It' basically like your sink sprayer, but attaches to the clean water supply for your toilet in about 5 minutes. It's easy to use, unobtrusive, and VERY effective. I highly recommend it. Also, DH and DDs can and do use it effectively--always a plus! :D Also, Biokleen's Bac Out is really good stuff, especially when babies graduate to solids! ;)

Edited October 24, 2009 by Caitilin
link done wrong

[LittleIzumi]

Wool here! Thirsties are huge on my skinny girls and they could all undo Velcro quickly--but drawstring waists, not so much ;). And I don't dunk anything in the toilet. Most poop will actually fall off into the toilet once it's solid. You can also use flushable liners that drop off with all the contents into the toilet.

[jojomojo]

Jumping in with a cloth diapering question - I've only used fuzzi bunz in the past - with prefolds and covers do you care for them similarly to fuzzi bunz? The key to my question of course is - do I have rinse them in the toilet? Cause I'm not into that..... I haven't purchased diapers for my twins-on-the-way yet so just looking at options.

 

There's more rinsing involved with prefolds (unless the baby is exclusively breastfed...that doesn't need rinsing). The fleece of the fuzzi bunz "releases" a little better. But we never rinsed in the toilet. We attached a "mini shower" (handheld bidet) to the back of the toilet. When it was time to rinse (we kept a bucket w/lid if we couldn't get to it right away, rinsed at the end of the day), we would put our "spray bucket" on the rim of the toilet. It was just a big 5 gallon bucket with a hole (drilled with a hole saw). We kept it on its lid to catch any drips when we were done spraying everything down. At the end of the week, we'd put the 3 "pails" in the tub with a little bleach. It was a pretty easy and "clean" way to get it all done. I have to admit the spray bucket grossed me out a bit (it was rinsed clean, but I'm sure was not germ free) - that could be easily remedied with a handy spray bottle of bleach water, give it a spritz before rinsing it and putting it away.

 

Thought I'd add...the reason we came up with the spray bucket is the hand held sprayer created a little bit of splash.....I couldn't deal with that lol

Edited October 24, 2009 by jojomojo

[keptwoman]

I really liked the Bummis pull on covers. Very trim too which is nice.

I mostly used Fuzzi Bunz as DD got older but if I needed a trim option it was always a traditional flat nappy with a bummis.

When J was a baby I used wool which was fabulous but hard to get for M. I see it's much easier now.

[Shelly in the Country]

I love Thirsties covers. My only complaint with them is that the gussets get stained after awhile, but that is purely cosmetic. I've also been really happy with Motherease Airflow covers (They use snaps instead of Velcro). They are very waterproof and nigh indestructable. Mine have lasted through 4 kids. The Motherease Velcro covers are not so good though. The velcro wore out after diapering 2 kids with them. I don't like Bummis Whisper Wraps because they always got stinky for some reason. If price were no object, I really love Aristocrat wool covers. Since price is an object I only use them for overnight.

[myfatherslily]

Another vote for Mother-ease Airflow covers! I used these for my DS and they were AWESOME for us! He wore them both during the day and at night. They really did NOT leak! I bought all of mine secondhand from diaperswappers.com. I've also used Gerber cheapo covers, Bummis Whisper Wraps, Thirsties, Stacinator So Simple, and Pro-Raps. The Airflows win, hands down.

[RanchGirl]

I used Bummis more than Thirsties but I think they are both great. The Bummis snaps hold up longer than velcro but you don't get the perfect fit as easily as the velcro.

 

I also loved wool, especially for nighttime, nary a leak and surprisingly easy to care for.

 

Awww, so wish I had a little one to cloth diaper right now, they were so fun!

[Mothersweets]

You've gotten really good suggestions here! I've used everything that has been mentioned here and I think it all boils down to personal preference.

 

Have you ever been to http://www.diaperswappers.com ? You can buy secondhand diapers and covers for much less than new. Yeah, it might sound weird but it isn't, really!! Try buying one of each of what you're interested in off of diaperswappers, see if it works for you, then buy new ones of the type you really like.

 

Our favorites ended up being fitteds with a knitted wool cover or an interlock cover. Those things rock!!

 

One pul cover that I haven't seen anyone mention is the Imse Vimse pul covers. They are really soft and supple and never left red marks on baby's legs. http://www.imsevimse.us/p-107-soft-cover.aspx

 

Have fun shopping!!

[Matryoshka]

Okay, it's been a long time and I'm not up on the latest and greatest, but I still see much I recognize.

 

My all-time favorite covers for daytime were the Bummi whisper wraps. Actually also liked the Gerber with velcro - those still around? I think I also used those Proraps with umbilical cut-out for newborn. I used prefolds for newborn time, then switched to fitted.

 

For nighttime, wool - either Aristocrats or Bumpys - really liked the latter.

 

I used Bumkins AIOs for going out - easier not to have to deal with the separate pieces.

 

I had three in diapers for a while!

[Amber in AUS]

We LOVE Bummis covers. I found i only needed the small and medium which fitted from about 6 weeks until my DS and little DD toilet trained. They held up well to loads of washes, they contained all the pooplosions, they had funky designs and were just easy to use. I recommend them to all my clients wanting a prefold & cover combination :)

[lovetobehome]

Thirsties wick less than Bummis, so they keep clothes drier.

I also loved Motherease covers, they are the very best, superior to Thirsties and Bummis IMO---NO wicking.

But, I , too, usually use wool covers. I love Wild Child Woolies because they are 2 layers of wool. You only have to wash every few weeks! All the others need to be washed every day.

[stripe]

We LOVE Bummis covers. I found i only needed the small and medium which fitted from about 6 weeks until my DS and little DD toilet trained.

Same for me. I used the smalls for less than 6 months, and the mediums for quite a while. I bought the large and they were HUGE so I resold them, and I soon saw the lady who bought them reselling them. ;) ha.

 

Note the two kinds of Bummis. I forget the names. But there is one that's lighter and has mesh. I would only recommend these if you are, say, toilet training, and you'd only need to contain a minor accident, because if a very wet diaper sits in it for very long, it leaks out. If you use that sort with a small diaper (esp the kind that is kind of hourglass shaped), it's quite nice for those in the partially toilet trained mode because it is slim and will hold one pee for a short time. I like them as I never used pins or any other sort of clip.

 

Whatever you do, close the velcro ("applix") when you wash them, esp in the washing machine. It will make them last longer.

 

And do check out diaper swappers. You can easily buy only new things there.

[MeaganS]

I use Thirsites and think that they are great. The duo is especially nice. My daughter is skinny and we use indian unbleached prefolds too, and they fit her just fine. I've only once had a blowout with the Thirsties cover, and it would have been a lot worse in a disposable.

[Katiebug_1976]

Thank you all for all the great advice! You have given me a lot to think abount. I do have one more question, though. I like the fact that the Thirsties have gussets where the Bummis super whisper covers do not. What are your thoughts on the Bummis super brite covers (the ones similar to Thirsties w/ gussets)? Do the gussets make a better cover that the Bummis super whisper covers?

[Carrie12345]

Thank you all for all the great advice! You have given me a lot to think abount. I do have one more question, though. I like the fact that the Thirsties have gussets where the Bummis super whisper covers do not. What are your thoughts on the Bummis super brite covers (the ones similar to Thirsties w/ gussets)? Do the gussets make a better cover that the Bummis super whisper covers?

 

I did not like the super brites when ds was an infant. I don't remember what specifically bothered me about them, just that I refused to use them. Now we have one in our rotation, and I like it just fine. Maybe it's just because his shape changed (?).

[Care]

Two things that may have already been addressed...

 

1) FuzziBunz are cared for just like prefolds and covers. Knocking solid poops into the toilet is pretty essential with CDs, though a breastmilk-only baby's poop will dissolve in the washer, so there's no need to worry about knocking poops off.

 

2) We used Bummis covers, and they work, but I don't care for the sizing. We used both the velcor and the snaps, and while the velcro is better for the sizes, it's a pain in the washer, and my son learned how to pull the cover off rather quickly. The snaps, while easier to keep on the baby, are no good if your baby is long and lean. They're designed with chubby waists adn thighs in mind, so we had major leak issues.

 

3) What we have found, and love, are fleece diaper covers. They're just like wool, except you can throw them in the wash with the rest of your diaper laundry. I make my own from store-bought fleece, using the pattern at http://katrinassqs.blogspot.com/2007/10/free-soaker-pattern.html It takes maybe 5 minutes per plain cover. Enchanted Dandelions has cute Halloween covers up, and takes customs for not only diapers and wipes, but covers as well. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5153692