FUZZI BUNZ!

DISCLAIMER: I was actually asked to write this post! So before anyone gets all up in arms about me espousing my hippie, granola beliefs with respect to diapering, I'm only trying to fulfill a request. No guilt, no judgment, no persuasion (although after reading this I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to jump on the cloth diapering band wagon!). Just a few thoughts and observations from my own experience. Alas...Lynne, here you go!

So Kurt and I decided to use cloth diapers before Maddie was even born. Our reasons were threefold: environmental, financial, and comfort (as one of my friends puts it, "would you want to wear paper underwear?"). We started with a diaper service. For $17 per week, they delivered fresh cloth diapers to our door and took away our dirty ones. No washing, no picking up, no hassle. They were always very prompt and very nice, but ultimately we didn't have a good experience. With traditional cloth diapers, you have to fold them and lay them inside a waterproof cover. Although we tried several covers, we could never find one that cinched up tight enough around Madelyn's little legs, so they were always leaking either onto her clothes or onto the diaper covers, which you have to be able to use over and over. I also got frustrated with folding the diapers because I could never get them folded and into the cover fast enough before she would pee all over. Plus, at $17 per week (or approximately $70 per month), the service really wasn't that much cheaper than buying disposable diapers.

I was seriously considering bagging the whole cloth diapering thing when my friend, Monica, referred me to Babyworks here in Portland. They are THE BEST! They have all kinds of different cloth diapering systems in there and are so patient in explaining how they all work. I will always be grateful to them because they introduced me to Fuzzi Bunz (visit www.fuzzibunz.com). Fuzzi Bunz are what they call a "pocket" diapering system, meaning that the absorbent part of the diaper is stuffed inside the outside, waterproof cover before you even use the diaper so it functions just like a regular disposable diaper in that there's no folding necessary and no reusing of the covers. The inside lining is fleece so it's super soft against baby's skin and it wicks away the moisture very quickly and effectively. Plus, there are graduated snaps around each leg and the waist so you get a custom fit. You use each diaper once, just like a disposable, and then put them in a dry sac to be washed every other day. No soaking, no swirling around in the toilet (although we have found it very helpful to have a sprayer attached to the side of our toilet to help remove some of the, ahem, chunky stuff before being washed in the washing machine). Initially, I was worried that washing the diapers all myself would be time consuming and messy, but it has not been a problem at all. It takes us about 15 minutes to spray the diapers with a stain and odor remover and then we just put them in the washer for a regular cycle and then the dryer for a regular cycle. That's it. Stuff the inserts inside the covers and we're good to go. SO EASY.

Plus, Fuzzi Bunz are the CUTEST diapers ever...almost as cute as the buns inside them!!


Anyway, we love our Fuzzi Bunz. Oh! And I forgot to mention that even though there's an upfront cost when you buy your own cloth diapers, you save nearly $2000 over the life of a diapered kid, and that's not even counting reusing them with subsequent children.

Whoa! Deep breath. For those of you who actually made it all the way up to this point, thanks for sticking with me. If anyone has any specific questions or thoughts, just post a comment! And I should also mention that Babyworks does most of their business in long distance orders, so if you can't find Fuzzi Bunz in a store near you, visit their website and place an order. They have a 30 day money back guarantee...use them, stain them, wash them...if you don't like them you can return them for a full refund. Awesome!