I can hardly believe that Baby Brother is now 6 months old!  Which means we’ve been cloth diapering for approximately four months.

Reader Connie wants an update:

It’s been three months! How is it going with the cloth diapers? We are putting together the registry and are trying to figure out our options, and could really use any advice you have! Thanks!

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Flip Diaper Covers

I have lots to share about our experience, and have decided to break it down into bite-sized portions.  Today, I want to tell you about my favorite diaper cover: Flip Diaper Covers.

Flips are made by Cotton Babies–the same makers of BumGenius–and are basically identical to a BumGenius pocket diaper, but without the pocket.  It’s just a PUL cover, to be filled with your insert of choice.  No pocket.

Here’s what I love about our Flip Diaper Covers:

1. Multiple Uses

Flips can be used multiple times before needing to be washed, especially if the diaper was merely wet (and not dirty).  Simply remove the wet insert, give the cover a wipe, and re-use with a clean insert.  LOVE this feature.

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2. Better Fit / Fewer Leaks

With our BumGenius 4.0 pocket diapers, there is always a tiny border of the pocket material (microfiber) visible around Baby Brother’s legs.  (See picture above.)

A very wet diaper will seep through that fabric right into his clothes.  As Baby Brother has neared the six month mark, this is happening more and more with our BG diapers–sometimes multiple times overnight, and a few times during the day as well.

Because the Flip has no material attached to the inside, the cover has the ability to contain inserts more fully.  The cover “seals” better against baby’s body.  This means fewer leaks!

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3. Dries Faster

I line dry all of our diapers, and the Flips dry faster than the BumGenius 4.0 pocket diapers. This is pretty self-explanatory: the pocket diapers have two layers, and water can get trapped inside the pocket.  The Flips are just one layer, so they dry much quicker.  (Notice the light blue Flip at the front left of the drying rack pictured above.  All the rest are BG 4.0 pockets.)

4. No Microfiber

I really hate to admit this, after purchasing about 20 BumGenius 4.0 pocket diapers, but I do not like microfiber.  At all.  This is the part I really wish I’d researched more before jumping into cloth diapering.

For starters, microfiber is synthetic.  It’s drying to the skin, which can lead to rashes.  It is susceptible to compression leaks.  It holds onto bad odors.

After four months of exclusive cloth diapering, I much prefer a cotton prefold inside a Flip cover, as opposed to the BG pocket diapers with their microfiber lining and inserts.

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When using the BG pocket diapers, I often lay a thin layer of cotton flannel between Baby Brother’s skin and the microfiber pocket lining, especially when he has a rash.

If I Had to Do It All Over Again

When we first started cloth diapering, I assumed the pocket diapers would be easier and better than a simple diaper cover.  A lot of folks I knew were using BG pocket diapers, and highly recommended them.

Don’t get me wrong–they’re still our cloth diaper of choice when we’re out and about, or when someone else will be caring for Baby Brother (which actually hasn’t happened much yet). Pocket diapers are much easier, especially for someone who’s not used to cloth diapers.

But when we’re at home, which is most of the time, I prefer our Flip covers with a cotton prefold.  If I had to do it all over again, I’d definitely buy more Flip covers and fewer pocket diapers.

And actually, if I really had to do it all over again, I’d take a much closer look at wool diaper covers. Which brings me to my next Cloth Diaper Update…stay tuned!  Here it is: Overnight Leak Protection with Cloth Diapers.

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