Fuzzi Bunz Review

Last week, we got our shipment of Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers. We started thinking about using cloth diapers before they were born. A friend of mine used them on her first two babies, and let me see one she still had. They looked much easier than the old, flat, pin-on kind I wore as a baby which is what I first thought of when my husband mentioned cloth diapering. Our primary reason for even looking at cloth diapering was cost... and then secondary was all the waste of diposable diapers, although admittedly, my husband was more concerned about that than I. We decided to place an order of 6 "one-size" Fuzzi Bunz and try them before we bought the "mother-load and spent a small fortune on something we didn't know would work for us. We put the amount we thought we'd spend for a large order aside - so we'd have it when the time came. These one-size diapers are supposed to fit babies from Newborn to 40 pounds. They tell you on the website that if a trim diaper is important to you, then buy the "sized" ones (x-small, small, med, large, x-large) although most babies are supposed to be able to get by with just the small and med. sizes until they are potty trained. But, that seemed like double the expense. I tried the Fuzzibunz on the girls when they were small, and there was just too much diaper to fit in their clothes. So, I waited. A day shy of 9 months of age, we "ran" out of disposable diapers that had been given to us as gifts. So, we were now buying diapers ourselves, and shelling out almost $17 for a box of 96, which would last us around 9 days, was a lot. So, I pulled out the 6 cloth ones and tried again. This time, they fit much better, and I was satisfied with the results. We talked it over, and I placed the large "starter" order - 18 diapers with 2 inserts each, 2 diaper pail liners, 18 cloth wipes, a travel "wet-bag," an 80 load sample of detergent, a bottle of wipe spray and a bottle of tea tree oil to apply to the pail liner to help combat odors. It was a small fortune...(each diaper is about $18) In 3 days of placing the order, the box arrived.

The first 6 I ordered, I got plain white ones. This time, I thought, let's make this fun and got a rainbow of colors. They have bright colors, but I wasn't willing to have that much fun! :) Here's what they look like...

All of those snaps look confusing, but they really aren't. Here it is opened up. The lining is a very soft material, which I imagine feels very nice to bare skin.

Here's the absorbant insert... it just slips in the pocket. Two inserts came with each diaper - a shorter one to use now, and a longer one to use as the baby grows and needs more absorbancy. This is one of the larger ones. Also, as you can see, the inside of the pink fabric, is lined with a waterproofing material - which makes it unnecessary to use "plastic pants" over these.

And here's what makes these one-size. There are six places
on each diaper that can be adjusted to fit the baby correctly. There is a guide on the website, but it's really trial and error. The elastic is buttoned to the proper place and tucked under the lining. It's really quite ingenious.

Here are the girls modeling these diapers... Hannah's in the pink one, and Mary's in the purple flowered...

My thoughts after using these full time for a week now:

Cons - they are a little more bulky under clothes, but I can live with that

---they are not as absorbant as disposies, therefore need more frequent changes

---they can be a little messy (most of the time solid waste is solid enough to fall off into the toilet, but "softer" solids require a little bit of "playing around in poop." I think when we leave the house, we'll still use disposables, so we're not hauling around soiled diapers

---when you open them up to change the diaper, the odor control is not quite like the disposables. I like Luvs, which smell like baby powder, and that isn't there with the cloth ones.

Pros - they will save us a bundle of money!!!!! If we use 6 diapers a day for each baby until they are 2 1/2 and potty trained (being optimistic here), the estimated expense we would spend on diapers would be $1,200. We are still putting disposables on a night and when we go out of the house, but we stay home most of the time so the amount needed will be minimal. Sure, we'll need to use more electricity, water, and detergent, but it's still going to be cheaper.

---I can just squeak 2 days out of the 24 diapers I have, so I run the load in the evening, and put them on the drying rack to dry overnight, and they are ready to be stuffed in the morning. Pretty easy. Sure, a little more time consuming, but easy enough.

---the diaper pail liner is so worth the money and makes this endeavor a lot easier. The liners I have are made from the same material as the diapers... with a water proof layer on the inside. They are meant for a 13 gal. trash can... which I got at my local Walmart. I choose a plastic one that has a foot pedal to open the lid in case my hands are a little "yucky." There is a flannel "tag" sewn in the seam of the liner, to apply a few drops of essential oil, which helps control odors. It's not perfect, but better than nothing. I don't notice a smell until I open the lid and it quicky goes away. Also, the liner has elastic at the top, so it stays on the can. Then, when it's full, I take the liner and all downstairs to the wash. Invert the whole thing to where the liner is inside out and the diapers are now consequently in the washer too and press start. Easy, peasy. I've noticed the girls appear to have less rashy skin in their diaper areas. Probably because we're forced to change them more often, but could be the material too. That's a plus - will save in diaper rash cream and discomfort. (you're not supposed to use regular diaper rash cream with these diapers - it will affect the absorbancy. If needed, there is a salve that can be purchaced that is ok.)

For all of the not so nice things about going cloth, I keep reminding myself how much money we're saving. When our wipe supply runs out, I'll use the cloth ones. I can throw these in the wash with the dipaers, so it won't be any extra laundry. If you are considering going cloth, give it a try. You might like it. We are using Fuzzi Bunz one-size diapers (http://www.fuzzibunz.com/) , and ordered them from http://www.fuzzibunzstore.com/. The customer service is phenomenal and they offer free shipping on orders over $75 and a 10% store credit on purchases to be used later. Pretty cool!