All-In-Two (AI2) Diapers

All-In-Two Diaper System

The all-in-two (AI2) diaper is the next closest to a disposable diaper, and is also becoming more and more popular as time goes on. AI2 systems have really been developing over the last few years.  It will consist of a shell and replaceable insert.  Most times they can be used with cloth inserts or disposable ones. Some brands of AI2 diapers are Grovia, G-Diapers,and Best Bottoms. You typically need around 24 soakers but only 8-10 shells because you can use the shells over again if they do not become soiled during use. I have liked the Ai2 system and have several.  Here are some pictures of the diapers I mentioned above.

G-Diapers

Bumstoppers

Grovia

Best Bottom

When it comes to AI2 systems there really are several different kinds and the ones I mentioned above are a bit different from one another. Before I get into the differences of the ones above I will talk about the pros and cons of the AI2 system as a whole

Pros:

• One size AI2's make for an extremely economical system.
• Easy to use.
• Less expensive than an All-in-one or Pocket system
• Great for daddies.
• Very economical, because you can reuse the covers and change the soakers. This will bring your cost per diaper change way down.
• Great option for travel we using a disposable liner.
• Poopy clean-up is easy because the soakers snap out of the shells
• Most like a disposable

Cons:

• When the baby poops it often soils the cover.
• Inserts can shift when baby moves potentially causing a leak.
• When changing the diaper you need to touch the wet/dirty inserts to remove them (but using a cloth wipe is the best solution)
• Slightly more time consuming to change than removing a whole diaper, then replacing with a new one.
• Keeping the matching doublers with their coordinating diapers

Here are a few different Ai2 systems. They are not always as straight forward as a pocket diaper and not all of them look/work the same.

Grovia Diapers are some of the most well-known and popular Ai2 diapers. They consist of a cover that has a mesh lining and double layered inserts that have a plastic back to obtain the liquid. This is what makes them different than other Ai2, the plastic backing. They use a double snap so that the liner stays in place better and won’t move around during use. You can also get a disposable liner to use in the cover instead. This can come in handy when traveling or out running errands. The biggest thing I didn’t like about this diaper was the bulkiness and the time it takes to dry the thick inserts. It is not one that I grab for very often because of the bulk.
https://www.gro-via.com/

side of cover and back of insert

G-diapers are another well-known brand. It is a sized (s,m,l) style, while most Ai2 are a OS style. You can actually get these at Babies-R-US. They also come with a cloth or disposable liner. G-diapers come in three parts, the cover, the plastic cover, and the insert. The plastic cover snaps onto the cloth cover then you put a cloth inert. These also velcro on the back, which makes them a little different than the rest. These seem to be a diaper that people either love or hate. I personally was not a fan. They are a bit more complicated and the plastic cover would not always stay in place correctly. But as far as being able to reuse over and over, these are a good option. As long as the cover didn’t get wet or soiled then you could either just replace the insert or the whole plastic cover.
http://www.gdiapers.com/

Bumstoppers is a Work At Home Mom (wahm) brand that is becoming more popular as time goes on. These Ai2 diapers have a plastic/PUl outer shell and a bamboo/cotton velour/fleece inside. The liner is also made of a bamboo/cotton velour and snaps into the back inside of the diaper. The bamboo liner is super absorbent and can be taken out and replaced, just like the other Ai2. I love these diapers because they are so well made and soft. I have found that as far as an Ai2 system though you cannot replace the inserts. The whole liner and cloth inside of the diaper becomes moist, not just the liner. I suppose if it is just pee on the inside of the cover then you could still reuse a new liner, but that is not what I do. I use these as just a normal diaper where I put it all on and take it all off, not just replace the insert. They have worked great like that for me and hold in moisture well.
http://hyenacart.com/stores/Bumstoppers/

Best bottoms is another Ai2 that I came across a lot when researching. I personally have never used them but can tell you how they work. It is very similar to the Grovia. They have a waterproof cover and a double snap to hold in the insert. The inside of them is PUL and can just be wiped out between uses so that it lasts longer. These also come with different size inserts but a one size cover. The inserts come in s,m,l.
http://bestbottomdiapers.com/

Finally, I’ll go over some of the prices of the diapers I talked about to let you get a basic idea of costs. This is said to be one of the more economical diapering systems, next to prefolds and covers. It’s because you can buy just a handful of covers and many inserts. I will price them based on 8 covers and 24 inserts .

Grovia: Shell $16.95 each x 8 = $135.60
            Inserts (2pack) $17.95 x 12 = $215.40
Total: $351

G Diaper : Shell (2pack) $24.64 x 4 = $98.56
                 Inserts (6pack) $22.94 x 2 = $45.88
Total = $144.44 x3 = $433
This is just for one of the sizes, you have to get small, medium and larges with G-diapers.

Best Bottom: Shell $16.95 x 8 = $135.60
                        Insert $3.95 x 24 = $94.80 x 3(sml) = $284.40
Total = $420

Bumstopper: full diaper $33 x 24 = $792

So with these numbers the price to use an Ai2 system full time can run you between $350 and $450 depending on the brand. The most expensive is the Bumstoppers but that is not using them as the typical Ai2 system but as a regular full diaper. 

I typically like to leave you with some pictures of the diapers in action on the bum, but I do not have any at the moment :hides: I will have to come back and add some for you :))

Pocket Diapers

Easily the most popular and well known cloth diapering systems out there. Most of the big name companies that people are familiar with offer pocket style diapers, for example Bum Genius, Fuzzi Bunz, Rumparooz, and Sunbabys are some diaper brands. This is what I use the most of. I think that easily 90% of my diapers are pockets. You will need around 24 pocket diapers for a full time stash. Here are some pictures of the brands of diapers I named above.



BumGenius



FuziBunz

Rumparooz

Sunbaby

So what is a Pocket Diaper? This is a diaper with a cover built onto it. There is an opening, typically in the back, of the diaper where you add an insert for absorbency. When you are done with the diaper, both the insert and the diaper go into your diaper pail for washing. You do not reuse the shell part of these diapers. So the diaper is named for its “pocket” opening in the back that you put the inserts in and out of.  These diapers can also come sized or One size. I believe that you will find them as One Size diapers more often than Sized (s,m,l)

The inside of the pocket diaper

the PUL that is inside the pocket

 

The diaper and Insert

Finished, the insert is in.

Putting the insert inside the pocket

Like the diaper covers that I talked about previously, these pockets also have the PUL lining to make them waterproof. Then on top of, and attached to, the PUL cover is a fleece lining. Between the PUL and the fleece is where you put your inserts. Insets can come in many different types of materials, but the most common is microfiber. This is usually what a pocket diaper comes with when bought. I have personally always used the microfiber inserts that come with the pockets. I have just started to venture out and use a fleece/Zorb insert. I know that some people hate them and will use other materials like hemp, bamboo and zorb. Each material has its own pros and cons that I will discuss in another blog.

No onto some pros and cons of pocket style diapers

Pros:

-          You can control how much absorbency the diaper has by how much you stuff it

-          No wet tush. The fleece wicks the moisture away from the babies skin

-          You don’t have to worry about pinning, folding, or covering because it’s all together.

-          These diapers are easy to find because they are so popular

Cons:

-          The biggest con is the stuffing. Some people HATE the extra work it takes to stuff the diapers after laundry day.

-          They also take up more space when line drying.

-          Can be very bulky when double stuffed – typically at night

-          People have issues with the microfiber inserts at times. They can hold smells and residue.

For me, the stuffing is not an issue. I just lay all my diapers out on the floor after washing them and match up all the inserts with the liners. A great time to stuff diapers is at night when you are watching a favorite show or movie!

Before I leave you with some cute babies modeling pockets I wanted to make sure to touch on the price of Pocket diapers. I am going to pick the most expensive and the cheapest ones to compare for you. The others prices will fall in-between those, obviously.

The more expensive pocket diapers I have found are the Rumparooz diapers. They run $23.50 for a solid color and $25.50 for a print, each. They do offer bundle deals that can work out great too. For a 24 diaper bundle on the Rumparooz site will cost you $528.00. These diapers also have a great resale rate. You can buy them used from anywhere between $15-$20 each.

The cheaper pocket diapers are Sunbaby. These are made by a woman out of china and you can only get them in bulk if you buy them new online. That is their only downfall. She only sells them in packs of 12’s. So a bundle of 24 diapers will cost you. $120.00, that’s right, only $5 a diaper! I personally think these do feel a bit cheaper than an average pocket, but they still work great. I have several of them. If you want to buy them individually then you can get them from anywhere between $5-$9 each, or more if you really want a particular diaper they offer. You will spend more if you buy them individually, but it is the only way to get them if you don’t want to buy 12 or 24 packs.

All other types of pocket diaper prices will fall between the $120 and $528 range. I know that seems like a big gap. 24 Fuzzibunz = $454 and 24 Bumgenius = $406. Thos are average prices for diaper packages.

Now I'll leave you with a few pocket diaper models :) And ironically enough, they are all wearing the same kind of diaper - Sunbaby.

I love this picture because it shows how great a one size diaper is.
The same kind of diaper is on an infant and a toddler.

 

Here is Adelaide in a Rumparooz, to show a different brand fit.







Fitted

I have been meaning to do this post for a while because fitted diapers are very similar to the prefold/flats system. I have never really understood the fitted diapers though. To me they always came across as a glorified prefold diaper, but more expensive. They come in all these super cute prints, but require a cover so you don’t get to enjoy the prints. But the more research I do on fitted diapers, the more I am starting to understand them and why people use them.

I suppose I should start off by telling you what a fitted diaper is. These are diapers that are cut to fit like a disposable diaper, have a velcro or snap closure and require some form of a cover – PUL, wool or fleece. They are made of several layers of fabric that can include things like bamboo, hemp, cotton, terry, ect. They are a diaper within a diaper and are super absorbent because of that. They usually run in price from $15 to $30 and some even go for more! (but those people are crazy for paying so much money for something their child will poop in!). They also can come in One Size or sized (s,m,l) like other diapers.

Some pros of Fitted diapers:

-          easy closure, no need to be pinned or snappied

-           trimmer than most cloth diapers

-           Does not take up a lot of space when storing

-          No stuffing required

-          Super absorbent, most people use them for nighttime solutions

-          Come in any pattern imaginable – cute!

Some cons of fitted diapers:

-          require a cover of some kind

-          not as convenient as other diaper types, like AIO.

-          Can take a long time to dry

-          Has two pieces to put on a wiggly baby instead of just one

-          Not all covers will fit well on them because of different makes

-          More expensive

A mama, in a facebook group I am in, asked the question about fitted that I had always been wondering too. WHY?

“Talk to me about FITTEDS.... I just don't get them.... It never fails. 9 out of 10 super cute girly prints I find are fitteds... don't you have to use a cover "to be safe"? If so, why buy a cute print, if you're just going to cover it up... I just don't get it... I guess”

Here are some of the responses she got:

- “One word....bulletproof. With a cover or wool we never have leaks. No matter what kind of ai2 or pocket we have tried after a bit they wick. A fitted for us just holds way better......And for the record a prefold just won't cut it either”

- “Yes fitteds will hold most anything with a cover over. The cute prints are more for me when they are walking. At home we can go coverless in a cute fitted after they are walking. I really love bamboo terry so lots of my fitteds are plain ole terry cause I like the feel of it.”

- “I love fitteds. I just buy cute covers too”

After reading these it made me understand fitted diapers a bit more and even more curious to try them out.

Many of the work-at-home-moms (WAHM) who do diapers make fitted diapers because they are the easiest ones to make, just cut the fabrics and sew together. AI2 and hidden PUL diapers are more difficult to make and have more to them. Because of this you can find them all over the place. I have a hard time telling them apart from “regular” diapers because they look just a like. I have a mama friend who has a business called Bumstoppers and she is currently making me some diapers to try out. She makes fitted and Ai2 style diapers. Check out her facebook page  - Bumstoppers

Ill leave you with some pictures of cutie babies in some fitted diapers



Bumstopper NB Fitted w/out a cover



Another Bumstopper NB fitted (w/out a cover)



This one shows a fitted that is going under a cover. All color coordinated!





In the beginning there were Prefolds

Prefolds, probably what most people picture when thinking about cloth diapering. These can also be called Chinese or Indian pre-folds. They are thick cotton that has been folded and sewn so all you have to do is fold, pin and use them. You can either fold them and place them right into a cover or you can pin them on then place a cover over. This is the cheapest and most economical way to cloth diaper. Although it is an old fashion way to cd, it is still very popular and has had it's own modern updates. Typically 24 prefolds and 8 covers will be a good, low-budget, diapering system.

Pre-folds come in different sizes to fit your baby at different times. Some are even color coded to make them easier to identify. Probably some of the most popular prefolds are called Green Mountain. Here is an example of the sizing and coloring of Green Mountain prefolds.

Next is attaching the prefold onto the baby. This is where people think of the old metal diaper pins. These have got an update of their own. Snappies are made of rubber and attach to the diaper with plastic teeth.

Here is a snappi on a prefold

So you have the prefold on, now what? When at home, I know that a lot of people will just let their baby roam around in nothing but a prefold. But if you are out and about then you must use a cover over the prefold to contain the wetness and poop. No ugly plastic pants are to be used though! Covers come in the cutest colors and prints, just like other styles of diaper systems. Covers will have a cotton type outside and then a layer of PUL (polyurethane laminate) attached to the inside. This is what causes the waterproof barrier. A popular brand of cover is Thirsties. The covers have an inner gusset that helps hold in the moisture and will either velcro or snap on.

A nice thing about prefold and covers is that you can use one cover several times. Just change out the prefold and wipe out the PUL part of the cover. Here is a great diagram of how the system is used.

Now for costs. Like I said earlier, prefolds and covers are the cheapest way to cloth diaper. I will use the brands of prefolds and covers used earlier for price examples. I will also go off of the 24 prefolds and 8 cover system as well. The price will vary if you are using sized (s, m, l) covers or one size covers. I will price both. Also, you have to remember that you would need to buy the different size prefolds as your baby grows and each size is a different price.

24  Green Mountain prefolds

newborn - $48

small - $56

medium - $64

large - $70

xlarge - $78

Total = $316 for all the prefolds you would need from birth to potty training.

8 Thirsties OS covers (solid colors $12.75 & prints $13.75)

Solid - $102

Prints - $110

or

8 Thirsties Sized covers ( xs, s, m, l all included)

$92 for 8 of one size of a cover

Total = $368 for all the sizes.

From this it is obvious that the OS are definitely cheaper, but you can usually get a more exact fit with the sized covers. That is why some people prefer them other the one size style. It is just personal preference.

So if you do all the prefolds with One Size covers it will cost you appoximately $418 to $426. If you do all the prefolds with the different size covers it will cost you approximately $684. You have to keep in mind that this is just for the diapers themselves and not any of the "extras" that you might want to use, like snappies for example. The average cost of a pack of snappies will run you $7.55 for a triple pack.

I will leave you with a few pictures of prefolds and covers at work :)

This is a typical prefold

Even the prefolds can come in cute patterns

Thirsties cover over a prefold

side view of cover with gussets inside.

I will say that I personally do not use prefolds and covers but I know lots of people love them, especially for the newborn stage. You seem to be able to get a more exact fit when using prefolds since you adjust the size yourself with the snappies/pins. I have always been a little intimidated by them! That is slowly changing as time goes on though.

Traveling with Cloth

First off, so so sorry I am behind on keeping this updated! We have been doing much more traveling and such this summer than I expected and obviously the two little ones keep me decently occupied. I am going to try and stay on top of it much more .. try is the key work there, haha.

I recently went on a trip to Texas from Indiana with my 3 yr old and (then) 6 week old. I went back and forth on whether or not I wanted to use the cloth diapers while traveling on the plane. I had to carry them all with me anyway in my big weekend diaper bag. I decided to just do disposable, mostly because we had been having some major poops and didn't want to risk a blowout on the plane!! I was in Texas for a week and started using the cloth diapers the day after I got there. Thankfully my family is pretty supportive of the whole thing and is willing to participate with the cloth diapers while I am there. I took approximately 30 diapers with me. I know it seems like a lot but we are kind of in a transition faze. Adelaide is getting too small for some of her newborn size diapers but not quite big enough to fit into the One Size diapers yet so I had to take a bit of both types to use while I was there. I definitely didn't even come close to using them all. I have a wetbag that holds about 15 diapers, so that is the one I always take with me when traveling. It is also nice because it hangs on doorknob very well.
This is the bag that I have, but mine is brown - how appropriate

Thankfully my mom has the same kind of washer and dryer that I have, so the washing part was easy. I also made sure to take my own laundry detergent so that I didn't have to try to adjust my washing routine to whatever detergent my mom used. To dry them I just put them out on her trampoline! She didn't have a line so I had to improvise. It worked well. In the week I was there, I washed diapers twice.
It is amazing how much it changes peoples mind once they actually see the cloth diapering at work! My mom was probably one of my biggest skeptics going into this whole thing, mostly because she kept thinking of how cloth diapering was in the "good ole days" and how she did it. By the end of my trip she was telling me how good it was going and how much easier it was that she ever expected! I also go comments about how cute they are (of course) and how they don't smell! I had the wetbag just hanging in my room and you would have never known! It does a great job of holding in the smell and wetness. Also, poopy diapers hardly smell as well, something I never really paid attention to until someone mentioned it to me. Overall it was a great trip and I look forward to more traveling with cloth diapers adventures :)

On a completely different note:
I was at the mall yesterday looking for a diaper bag/purse and got to talking to the woman about cloth diapering. She was super interested after I showed them to her (and after her EEee and squeals about how cute they were). She asked me where she could go to look at them more. It crushed my heart to tell her that there isn't a good place locally to go see and buy cloth diapers :( You could only do it online. Even more incentive to get more information about the store Luke and I want to eventually open in the Indianapolis area soley dedicated to educating and selling cloth diapers!

All about … *gasp* … POOP!

All about … *gasp* … POOP!

I originally going to talk about the different kinds of diapers next, but the issue of washing the diapers was brought up so I will talk about that next.

The first thing people always ask when I tell them I am doing cloth diapering is “Ew, you are actually going to put POOP into your washing machine?!” Ok it doesn’t always come out quite like that, but you get the point. I’ll admit, it is a legitimate question. I will honestly tell you that it was the biggest thing  I had to overcome as well. I had all the misconceptions that most people have who do not cloth diaper. All I could picture was someone putting big clumps of poopy diapers into their washing machine and it bouncing around! Haha, what a sight that would be! But that picture is completely wrong. You put no more poop in your washing machine than you would from just normal baby clothes that get pooped on. Does that make sense?  When a baby wears a disposable diaper they have many many more blowouts (aka poop coming out the sides, top and/or back of the diaper) than babies who cloth diaper. Babies get poop on themselves; it’s a fact of life. So in some way, shape, or form you will be putting “poop” into your washing machine when you have a child.

I have taken pictures to make it easier to show the cleaning/washing process that (I) use. I put that (I) use because not everyone does it the same and there are different factors that come into play. Adelaide is exclusively breast fed (EBF) and not formula fed; that does make a difference. Also, once a baby starts solid food and their poo starts to become more solid as well you typically have to change/alter how you wash your diapers a bit because the poop is different then. A baby that is EBF has very watery/runny poops that are water soluble so they do not require any previous rinsing off, unless you so desire – but I do not. So this is a EBF poopy diaper. Gross I know lol.

This is my wetbag inside of a metal trashcan. This is where all the diapers are kept from the time they are taken off baby until it’s time to wash. They are essential to have! It is just a big plastic bag that typically has a draw sting closure. I also have miniature sized wetbags that I keep in my diaper bag that are cotton on the outside and plastic inside to hold the moisture and smell when I am out and about.

This is my washer and dryer. I have a Whirlpool Duet Sport He frontloader. See the big blue bag on top of the washer – that is the wetbag. The type of washer/dryer you have will also effect how you wash the diapers.

Diapers come in two different types of closures, snaps and velcro. If you use velcro then you have to make sure to put the sticky tabs down properly so that they do not stick to other diapers and mess them up. Obviously you do not have to do anything to the snap diapers.

Velcro diapers will all come with some form of “laundry” tab. This diaper has it in the middle of the back. See the square with the X on it? That is the laundry tap.

Take one velcro tab and put it down

Then take the other tap and put it ontop of the first. This will hold them in place so that they don’t stick to anything during washing.

Because I have an HE washer I have to do a pre-rinse cycle to get the diapers soaking wet. HE washers use less water in their wash cycle so when you stick something that is made to soak up liquid inside it there can be an issue. If you pre-rinse the diapers, and they get completely soaked, then when it comes time to use a wash cycle it will work better. My pre-rinse is 25 min long, with no detergent, on cold.

Once the diapers are all wet then you do a regular wash cycle. I chose to do a heavy duty, hot cycle for mine. It is 71 minutes, bringing my whole wash to just over 90 minutes. Also, I mentioned before that I use mostly all natural household cleaners, that is also true with my laundry detergent. You do not have to use a “special” detergent, although they are out there. Just an ALL or Tide free and clear will work perfectly. Typically just one scoop is enough.

I prefer to line dry my diapers for a couple reasons. 1 – It cuts back on using the electricity of my dryer aka more ecofriendly and cost effective. 2 – The sun is a natural bleacher. Plus I think its kind of fun (strange I know). Obviously you do not have to line dry your diapers; they will be just fine in the dryer. I have also been told that line drying can make your diapers last longer as well because they are not being subject to the high heats over and over.

My diapers are on the line as I type this J As soon as they are done I will try to do a before and after of a couple diapers that had slight yellowish staining from the poop. It never ceases to amaze me how white they all come out after sunning them.

When A is older and starts eating more baby food I will use a diaper sprayer that is attached to my toilet to pre-clean the diapers before they go into the diaper pail. That is where the poop goes that people think you put into the washer – the toilet! After you take the diaper off you will just dump or spray the excess waste into the toilet, flush and then store until ready to wash. That is one of the main differences with EBF poop and baby food poop washing, the extra step of rinsing the diaper off. I can touch on that again in a few months when little A starts eating baby food. But here is a picture of the diaper sprayer that I have. When that time comes I might even do a video demo to show how it works ;)

Hope this didn’t end up being too long, but I wanted it to be detailed so that you can see exactly how the process goes. If you have any other washing questions, just ask!