I initially chose to diaper Sweet William in cloth diapers because:
a. I hate the idea of disposable diaper waste.
b. We have a washer and dryer in our apartment.
c. New York is not experiencing a water shortage.
Sweet William wore a FuzziBunz cloth diaper on his first birthday.
Unfortunately, after several months of diaper happiness, our high efficiency washer either left detergent residue on our Fuzzi Bunz diapers or it failed to completely rinse out the urine. Or was it the super absorbent liner that just refused to let go? No matter how many times I washed, rinsed, and stripped the diapers, no matter which baby-friendly soap I used (I drew the line at chlorine bleach — it’s not allowed in my house), a terrible ammonia smell blasted from the diaper within a few hours of it getting wet. I couldn’t leave a diaper on William overnight, and I couldn’t leave one in the pail for more than 12 hours without my eyes stinging.
We switched to g-diapers, which are an eco-friendly compromise between cloth and disposable. The absorbent liners are totally compostable and the outer diaper can be worn a few times (if we’re lucky) before it’s soiled and needs to go through the wash.
But … they leak if we don’t change them frequently. We have to use Seventh Generation’s overnight diapers for William to have any chance of waking up with dry pajamas. Fergus has been in Seventh Generation diapers from the start. He has regular blowouts, so I’m pretty sure the g-diapers would be an even bigger mess.
Fergus' perfect baby legs stick out of a Seventh Generation disposable diaper.
I started to get a little grumpy about Seventh Generation when Lorax ads appeared on the diapers. Then I found out that the diapers’ tan color, which I naively connected to their not having been chlorine-bleached, is actually achieved by dying them with another company’s proprietary pigments. Seventh Generation doesn’t know what these pigments are. Ugh.
Next, I’m going to try The Honest Company’s diapers. The small print says the diapers are are chlorine-free, made of plant-based materials, free of synthetic chemicals, and allegedly more absorbent than other eco-friendly disposables. Our trial kit arrived today, so I’ll report back after Fergus has used a few. I might also look around for a better cloth diaper. Let us know if you have any advice, and wish us luck!
I'm a writer and the mother of William and Fergus. Before dedicating my work to children's environmental health, I earned an MA in Cultural Reporting and Criticism from New York University and was a photography editor at The New Yorker. My family is preparing to move to New Orleans, where my husband, an architect, is building us a non-toxic home.
here are my favorite cloth diapers http://www.nickisdiapers.com/best-bottom.html
Wisconsin made! and cleaning them is so easy!
I think the problem with the Fuzzibunz is that “stay dry” high tech fabric is synthetic. All natural fibers (e.g. cotton) are best for cloth diapers because you can wash them more thoroughly.