our diaper stash: pockets & all-in-ones

I love stash posts... it's the cloth diaper addict in me. I've been wanting to do a diaper stash post for some time, to share what we have and a brief description of each diaper and how it works for us. With the addition of a new baby who happens to be a girl, our diaper stash has grown considerably and now is full of adorable prints and pinks and purples! Some of these I obviously have yet to try, but I am so excited and can't wait to cloth diaper this baby from birth. I bought River's first cloth diapers when he was four months old, and we weren't exclusively cloth diapering for a couple months, so this will be entirely new to me! I will have the joy of simply plopping the poopy diapers into the wash without rinsing them... because EBF poop is water soluble. ;)

River has been bare-butt potty trained for about two months. At home, he walks around stark naked, and is great at going pee and poop in his little froggy potty. It never gets old -- "Look, mama! See? River potty!" He is always so proud of himself. I figured since he has been doing so well using the potty at home when he's naked, I should tackle the rest of potty training -- get him used to wearing undies and going on the big potty when we are out and about. But we also need to tackle another thing, much bigger in my opinion, and that is moving him to his own bed. I don't want to do both at the same time, in the short remaining weeks before the baby arrives. I think it would end up being really stressful for both of us, and I'd rather just be a lazy mom and put a diaper on him at night and keep him naked during the day. I'm not ready to deal with morning after morning of wet sheets and the thought of sitting his little booty on a nasty public toilet grosses me out. Plus, he's barely two years old, so I think we're doing okay! With just a couple months left of summer weather, I know he won't be able to run around naked forever, and he doesn't like taking his diaper off to pee anyway, so I'm pretty sure we'll go back to diapering full-time. I'm okay with having two in diapers, and I think our stash is now big enough to do so!

So, with that long, entirely unnecessary introduction behind us, here's what you'll find in our diaper stash, as far as pockets and all-in-ones. I'll share about prefolds and covers in the next post. (Just to clarify, OS means one-size.)

Pocket Diapers:
2 BumGenius 4.0 OS
2 Rumparooz OS
1 Thirsties Duo Diaper, size 1
2 Happy Heinies OS
3 Fuzzibunz OS
1 Dinkledooz OS
7 GoGreen OS
1 Knickernappies

- I like our BumGenius pockets okay... enough to register for another one for the little girl. I might get a couple more if they had more colors or prints to choose from. That's not saying it isn't a great diaper, because plenty of people love BGs!

- I haven't tried our Rumparooz yet. We registered for them for the baby, but I can't wait to use them! My friend Elise is using them on her 2 month old with success. He's a small baby and they aren't too bulky on him, nor do they leak -- two great signs! Check out her blog to read more about her experience with the Rumparooz pocket diaper.

- The Thirsties is unused as well, but I love our Thirsties covers, so I'm hoping the pocket diaper I got serves us just as well! I like how there are two openings -- apparently, you don't have to remove the insert when it goes in the wash. I got the smaller of the two sizes which is supposed to last up to 18 lbs. River fit into the 2nd size at 4 months and 16 lbs, but he was barely 20 lbs when he turned a year old, so I really hope this diaper fits our little girl for an entire year!

- I had a used Happy Heinies for River that I loved, but I was only able to use it for a few months because it is one of the things our front-loader went to town on -- shortly after I bought it, the elastic gave out, and I'm pretty sure it was a machine issue and not a diaper issue. I can't wait to use these girly prints on the new baby.

- Fuzzibunz is one of the classics and are usually one of the first ones I pick out of the stash. They work well for River, so I'm hoping they work well for the baby. I am interested to see how they fit a newborn, because while it's easy to change the rise on the diaper, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a snug fit around her waist. Anyone have experience with a newborn in a Fuzzibunz?

- I love my Dinkledooz. You know that. I am waiting to order more for the teeny one! This is another that Elise is trying out, and in her experience, they aren't working as well for a newborn. That's fine though, since the baby will have tons of infant prefolds I want to put to good use before we start using our pocket diapers.

- I have more GoGreens than any other pocket. I like them, but I'm hoping to trade a couple for another type of pocket diaper, because I love variety in my stash! The ones I have are the older version and about as basic as you get, but they work pretty well, as long as they are stuffed properly. The inserts they came with are a little thin, so I have to double-stuff if I use those inserts (which really isn't all that uncommon with pocket diapers when diaper a toddler -- I've been double-stuffing most of River's pockets lately, unless I'm using a super thick insert).

- There is only one Knickernappies in our stash, because they didn't work out at all for River. I've heard this could be a boy problem -- since boys pee in the front and this diaper has side-snaps, which means the flaps are inside the diaper, blocking the top of the insert. River has always been a heavy wetter, so this makes sense. I bought one for the girl, hoping maybe they will work for her. (...because I like variety :)

All-In-Ones:
1 BumGenius 4.0 OS-AIO
2 Grovia OS-AIO
2 TotsBots Easy Fit OS-AIO


- I don't really like all-in-ones and I would not get another BumGenius AIO. I lucked out in getting this one barely used for just $7 and I'm glad I did... but the time it takes for it to dry isn't worth it to me. Sometimes even hanging on the line all day in the sun isn't enough to get it dry! I definitely wouldn't purchase this diaper new. Not that it's a bad diaper, I just prefer my pockets.

- The Grovia AIOs, however, are different -- instead of the absorbency being sewn in between the layers, it is sewn as a flap. It also comes with an extra insert that you can snap into the diaper. This makes for very fast drying time. This is a side-snapping diaper as well, but the difference between these and the Knickernappies is that the wings are actually stretchy, which I think will result in a better fit.

- The TotsBots is very similar, in that the absorbency isn't sewn in, but is still attached. And oh em gee, look at these prints. I think they are the cutest in existence right now in the world of cloth diapering. I think the pink flowery one is my favorite print in all of the baby's stash. It is too stinkin' cute.

There you have it! Next up: prefolds and covers.

sick of the birth wars

i am tired of hearing extremes from both sides. i hate hearing from my fellow natural-birthers that mothers who choose to get an epidural or have c-sections don't bond with their children as well as women who have natural births. what an entirely heartless thing to say. do i believe the natural birth process can help with the bonding process? absolutely. but i don't believe it is the only factor in that early bonding process. and i know there are amazing, 100% devoted and loving mothers out there who've had elective c-sections (gasp).

i am also heartbroken and weary of hearing stories of incompetent midwives making ignorant or selfish decisions that result in the death of a baby. "homebirth" means a lot of things when it comes to statistics. these aren't just the planned homebirths of low-risk women with well-trained midwives. these are unassisted homebirths, unplanned homebirths, homebirths of teenage girls too afraid to tell anyone they are pregnant, homebirths of women living in poverty who could not afford health care, and homebirths attended by midwives like those mentioned.

i also am tired of those homebirths being the only ones people in the medical field reference to, and hearing that women who choose homebirth care more about the birth experience than about their baby. i am sick of hearing the mothers blamed for the death of their babies, and sick of deaths of babies in hospitals being ignored. the truth is, not one side is perfect. a mother must trust HER instinct and birth where she feels safest. i am along the line of thinking that birth is inherently safe -- i know many people will disagree with me on this one -- and that often, it is the situation the mother finds herself in that makes the birth unsafe. not that issues don't arise naturally, but i do believe that 98% of the time, with a good, well-trained, understanding and attentive care provider, birth is safe.

i can say, being on the homebirth side of things, i became defensive very quickly, because i'd only ever known hospital birth. i may be wrong, but my line of thinking is that in a society where 99% of women choose to birth in a hospital, hospital births don't need defending (unless you've been personally attacked... then by all means ;). if you've ever assumed i've judged you for your birth choices, know that i have not. my anger lies not in the choices of women, but in our health care system, the lies surrounding natural childbirth, the stories i hear day after day, and how women who have been hurt or traumatized are left thinking that's all there is, and that they should just settle for that kind of experience or treatment. i am not ignorant enough to think that's all there is in hospitals -- but i do know it is quite common.

i've heard so many people say, "it's just birth. so what if you have a good experience." but i can't sit here and tell you "it's just birth." not after what i experienced. and i'm not sitting on my high horse saying my experience was better than yours. if you were satisfied and happy with your hospital birth, had a great obstetrician, felt taken care of, had an epidural or cesarean section and wouldn't ask for anything different, who am i to say my birth was better than yours? i am not here to change your mind -- what my goal has been, always, is to show women that birth doesn't have to be scary or traumatic, and that it can be different than what most americans believe it to be. the truth is, it's not "just birth." women are impacted in some way when they give birth. hello, you are birthing a life into this world. it is the one of the most life-altering things you can go through. and so what if a woman says she feels empowered and strong after giving birth naturally? who is anyone to sit there and mock her, or tell her she's being selfish?

my faith in god comes into play in how i view birth, as well -- which is not something everyone is going to relate to. if i am talking to a non-religious woman about how i trust god because my body was designed for birth and i believe birth to be an amazing gift and spiritual experience, she is going to think i am crazy and it is going to mean nothing to her.

do i believe homebirth to be the best for me? obviously -- otherwise, i wouldn't choose to have one. if i felt for any reason that i would need to birth in a hospital, i would. but believe it or not, i don't think it is the best for everyone. some women need to be in a hospital to feel safe. some women need an epidural to calm their fears. but what i do believe above anything, is that every woman needs to educate herself about her body and the process of birth and needs to find the best option for her, whether that is in a hospital, birth center, or at home. don't just trust everything you hear. research, research, research. ask questions. don't go with a midwife just because it feels good. and don't go with an OB just because that's what everyone else is doing.

there's no point in these birth wars. what it comes down to is that women need to decide for themselves what is best, and everyone else just needs to back off. if someone has a different opinion than you -- so what. respect it. there is no reason for hateful language, bigoted attitudes, and assumptions about someone you do not even know. understand that they have that opinion for a reason. homebirth moms need to stop trying to make hospital birthing moms feel guilty for their decisions, and obstetricians need to shut up about something they have never even experienced. everyone needs to step off their high horse and mind their own damn business.

phew! how's that for pregnancy hormones?

on an ending note, of course i will continue to talk about and advocate for homebirth. and god willing, i will continue to be able to have homebirths. it is my passion, and if i come across as in-your-face about it, i don't mean disrespect, and don't misinterpret my passion as judgement.