by Amanda Jean Clothier

Before my daughter was born, I considered using cloth diapers. After all, I like to think of myself as environmentally conscious. I recycle. I buy organic food. I’ve been known to scold a litterbug or two. But as soon as I became a mom, I went straight for the Pampers. I never even tried cloth diapers. Disposables are just easier.

There are good reasons to try cloth diapers. The main argument is the environmental impact of disposables. Aside from the ongoing debate about which is worse for the environment, washing all those cloth diapers or tossing the disposables, there’s no denying that disposables create a lot of garbage. Twenty billion disposable diapers end up in landfills each year.

And then there’s the savings. Advocates of cloth diapers say they’re much less expensive to use than disposables, even when you factor in the costs of running the washing machine and buying environmentally friendly, baby-safe detergent. And your savings increase if you use the diapers again on other children or resell them when you’re done.

So I got to wondering: How have cloth diapers changed since I was a baby? Are there parents who still use them? I’ve read online about these mystery moms, but I certainly don’t know any of them.

The wondering led to an experiment.

I decided to give cloth diapers a try. And while I was at it, I decided to compare several types of disposable diapers. I was interested in comparing five factors: cost, convenience, ease of use, smell/leakage and perceived comfort for my 7-month-old daughter, Emma.

The first thing I discovered during my research is that diaper services are a thing of the past. The companies that launder dirty diapers and drop off stacks of clean ones at your house have gone the way of the dinosaur. There might be one or two still lurking about Atlanta, but for most parents, diaper services are no longer a viable option.

The standard cloth diaper accessories – safety pins and rubber pants – are also relics. Now, cloth diapers are actually stylish. They come in many different colors and patterns. Two of the popular types are pocket insert diapers (waterproof cloth shells that use absorbent terrycloth inserts to absorb wetness) and all-in-ones (diapers with the absorbent pads built in to a waterproof outer layer.) The manufacturers advertise that new materials, such as microfibers, make cloth diapers less difficult to rinse than the old cotton kind.

Rhiannen Laurent, a mom from East Lake, says she registered for a couple of packs of All in Ones (Bummis brand) when she was expecting her baby. Her friends and family were surprised that she wanted to use them at all. "I’m the only person I know who’s tried them. Everyone is scared of them. Even my mom thought I was insane," she says. Laurent has incorporated AIOs (all-in-ones) into her daily routine, although she still uses disposables on her daughter for outings and overnights.

Other moms, like Lisa Czech of Decatur, say they have never even considered cloth diapers because disposables are so readily available. The environmental impact is a concern, however, and she says, "I would love it if they came out with something biodegradable." But for now, disposables win out for Czech: "I don’t think I would try something different unless something new came out on the market."

For my experiment, I tried Fuzzi Buns pocket insert diapers and Bumkins AIOs for one full day and night. I compared them with several types of disposable diapers: Pampers Swaddlers (which I’d been using), Huggies, Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand, and a generic brand purchased at Diaper Depot. Here are my results:

* (Prices may be cheaper at discount member stores.)
 

My Previous Experience

I primarily use Pampers. They feel substantial and it’s easy to tell when they are wet, using the "squish test." The squish test refers to the absorbent material inside diapers that turns to gel when wet. The only thing I don’t like about Pampers is the strong baby powder scent. It’s not a stretch to say I trust Pampers. (It sounds like a commercial, but it’s true.) I’ve also tried Kroger and Target brands but came back to Pampers because the gel in those house-brand diapers got onto my baby’s skin.
 

Huggies Step 3

These diapers are not much different than Pampers either, except for the lack of fragrance. I didn’t have any leakage problems, and I could utilize the squish test. I went into this experiment expecting not to like them, because I had talked to other people who liked Pampers better. But after trying Huggies, I found I liked them just as well if not more than Pampers Swaddlers.
 

Costco’s Kirkland Signature

The Kirkland Signature brand is supplied by Kimberly-Clark, the maker of Huggies, and the diapers aren’t much different than Pampers or Huggies. There seems to be less gel-like material in them, so it’s harder to apply the squish test to these diapers, but I could still tell when the baby needed to be changed. The smallest size that Costco stocks is Size 3 (for babies 16-28 lbs.), so you wouldn’t be able to use this brand for newborns. The Velcro tape doesn’t stick as well as it does in other brands, and I had to redo the tape a couple of times during diaper changes. But overall, I didn’t have any leakage problems. I like that they are unscented, and I would definitely buy them again.
 

Diaper Depot Generic Diapers

I had never heard of Diaper Depot before this experiment. There are a few stores in the Atlanta area that sell bulk quantities of generic diapers, including the Decatur location I checked out. The whole experience was a bit mysterious. The store is basically a room with a counter and lots of boxes. When I went there to pick up a case of diapers, a woman in the back was gone for at least 10 minutes before someone else appeared with my purchase. When I got home and opened the case, the diapers were hand packed. Not knowing where the diapers came from made me a little uncomfortable, so I called and asked about it. An employee told me the store buys from various manufacturers, including Kimberly-Clark, and the diapers come from the factory hand packed. Getting them shipped directly without the extra packaging within each case helps cut the cost.

The diaper sides stuck together when I tried to open them, but overall they were similar to the Kirkland Signature brand in style and thickness. However, the second diaper of the day was the messiest to date. This may have been a fluke, especially because the diaper seemed to fit well. I didn’t have any problems with leakage during the day or overnight, but I won’t be trying out any more Diaper Depot diapers because of the mess I encountered with that monster of a dirty diaper – even if it was a fluke.

Fuzzi Buns

The pocket insert diapers are bulkier than disposables. I like the soft and cozy feel of them, but my biggest complaint is that it’s difficult to tell when these diapers are wet (since there’s no gel, the squish test doesn’t work). I had a couple cases of phantom wetness, where I thought Emma was wet when she wasn’t. Then, other times, her clothes were damp, the outer cover of the diaper was dry, and the diaper layer closest to her skin, which is microfiber, was mostly dry. It was almost like the moisture was transferred to her clothes. I learned quickly that I had to be more vigilant about changing the diapers (checking them every hour or so) because they don’t hold as much moisture as disposables.

By midafternoon I was fed up with the Fuzzi Buns and decided to give up and try again the next day. The next day brought more of the same, so I returned to the Fuzzi Buns Web site to see if I was doing anything wrong – and it turns out that sometimes you need to use two inserts. I doubled up on the inserts at night, hating that I couldn’t trust these diapers to keep my daughter dry overnight. When I did change Emma’s diaper in the middle of the night, it turned out to be another case of phantom wetness. How frustrating! I gave up (again) and put a Pampers on her so I could get a decent night’s sleep. I wanted to like these diapers, but in the end I just couldn’t trust them to keep my baby dry.

Bumkins All-in-Ones

The first thing I noticed about these diapers is how big they are. Big and bulky. They come in plain white and some cute patterns (zebra stripes and a swirly pink retro design, among others.) The outside layer is made of polyester but feels like soft plastic. These diapers, like the Fuzzi Buns, require more changes than disposables, but I seemed to keep up with them better. No phantom wetness. And once I got the diapers on, they seemed less bulky. I had to do a diaper change at a friend’s house and was nervous about having to do a complete costume change. Emma was wet but I took off the slightly wet onesie underneath her clothes, without having to don a whole new outfit. I didn’t feel confident about getting through the night without a change, especially after my Fuzzi Buns experience. So when Emma woke up around 10 p.m., I changed her diaper (it was wet) and switched back to disposables for the rest of the night. I’d consider using Bumkins during the day at home but probably not out or overnight.

Conclusion

As my experiment draws to a close, here’s what I’ve learned: I’m impatient. After trying out cloth diapers, I bow to my grandmothers and great-grandmothers before me who managed to keep their babies clean and dry without the godsend that is the disposable diaper. Having said that, I also bow to you women out there today who choose to use cloth diapers. I see now that it can be done. It’s not gross or disgusting. It just requires a lot of patience, more than I have. And in all fairness, the Fuzzi Buns probably would have received a better review if I had tried them last, after I realized what was required. This is definitely a choice that only a parent actively committed to environmental consumerism would make.

As far as disposables go, I’m switching to Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand. Since we’re members of Costco, they’re the cheapest for us, and I didn’t have any bad experiences with them. They also reminded me how much I dislike the strong baby powder scent of Pampers. If on occasion I run out of the Costco brand, either Pampers or Huggies will suffice.

The bottom line

Regarding cost, here’s the math I used.

8 Pampers/day over 2.5 years = 7,300 diapers
7,300 diapers at $0.20/each (purchased at Target) = $1,460

Minimum number of Fuzzi Buns needed: 12
(purchased online as a package at a discount)
$167/12 small  + $167/12 medium + $167/12 large = $501

Minimum number of Fuzzi Buns I’d want for convenience: 18
$501 + $269.10 (for six additional diapers in small, medium and large) = $770.10

Minimum number of Bumkins needed for daily use: 12
12 Plain white Bumkins @ $16/each = $192
$192 x 3 (for sizes small, medium and large) = $576

Savings from using cloth diapers: $689.90 to $959. I can live with spending the extra money.

How do I continue to use disposables and consider myself environmentally conscious? I don’t think I can, at least not for the next few years. But I can’t help thinking… If moms like me switched to cloth diapers, wouldn’t the diaper companies be motivated to win us back? I wouldn’t be surprised if that motivation led to the best alternative yet: an affordable, biodegradable disposable diaper.