November 23, 2009

Bottoms Up

I thought it would be a good time to check in regarding the cloth diapering.

It's still going really great. I've been cloth diapering Ivy for 11 months now and finally I've really lost the desire to shop for more diapers. Maybe this is unusual, as I know there are many cloth diapering pros out there that have been doing it for years and are still addicted to adding to their stash, but for me I'm good with what we have for now.

clothdiapercowgirl


So, I thought I'd share my current favorites. Please note, I've bought all my cloth diapers myself and have never been paid to mention any of these products.

In the beginning, I really loved Bum Genius one-size diapers but after a few months I really stopped enjoying the velcro closures and how the diaper washes up. The organic Bum Genius with snaps are okay, but I think my favorite right now are the Fuzzi Bunz with snaps (Ivy is 24 lbs and in size M). They've really maintained their softness and I like how they've washed up, and how they fit her with the snaps. (I bought mine on sale at diapers.com and you can save $10 off your first order of $49, including free shipping with my code: ABWdiapers )

I used to really love the GroBaby diapers, too, but the same thing has happened with the velcro closure- definitely not a big fan with how these have washed up. The soaker inserts have gotten kind of stiff and aren't my favorite anymore.

I do find that it's convenient to use those soakers with the essential saltes baby or esbaby diapers I have. (I found that the esbaby all-in-2 inserts leaked HORRIBLY but I love the outside diaper cover, so I use the GroBaby insert with the esbaby all-in-2 cover and they don't leak.) That is one thing I like a LOT about GroBaby- I don't think they've EVER leaked.

So, as we've gone along with our cloth diapering journey, I have found what works for us and adapted to that. I always cloth diaper at night and if I'm using a Bum Genius I like to add the newborn insert for extra protection.

If I were to start over again, I'd probably get the Fuzzi Bunz with snaps (only drawback is that they are not one-size) and then some GroBaby with extra inserts and use those inserts with some cute diaper covers from esbaby. (You have to have some cute ones in your stash and they have the most beautiful ones I've seen.)
I'm not good with knowing the number of diapers you'll need, but if you're starting out with a newborn I'd say at least 15 diapers and then several covers with inserts.

I do have the unbleached Indian prefolds that I don't like to use and so I really don't ever use unless I'm really behind on the laundry. They have to be used with a cover and I still use a Thirsties or Whisper Wrap cover with those. They are mostly an inexpensive back-up to my back-ups.

As far as washing goes, I am still using Maggie's Soap Nuts. I've found that to be the best for washing and not having a smell. I usually get them on Amazon.com.

Here's my other posts on cloth diapers that you might find helpful if you're just starting out:

Totally Bummed
Theme From The Bottom

And as much as I say I'm good with my stash, I'd love to hear what your favorites are if you cloth diaper, too! Because, well, after adding in all these links I'm itching to buy some more now.


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By Stephanie Precourt, Adventures In Babywearing - 7:50 AM
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49 comments:

  1. I've been cloth-diapering my 6mo son for about 4 months, and it's okay, I guess. I primarily use the bumGenius 3.0s, and we have a couple of GroBaby diapers, too. I would be much happier with cloth diapering if I could figure out how to avoid leaks. We've had leaking problems with the BG and the GroBaby. It's not an absorbancy problem - they've been stripped a couple of times are are still leaking. I guess I just need to play around and adjust the settings different ways to find something that works.
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  2. We started cloth diapering when Charlotte was a newborn and even though we started with 18 diapers (Fuzzi Bunz), we ended up adding an extra 12 diapers to the mix in size small. Now we can do diaper laundry every two days instead of constantly. It's awesome. So that's what I recommend with a newborn: more diapers than you ever thought you'd need.
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  3. These are such great resources, I can't wait to use them. :)
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  4. After almost 7 years of cloth diapering, I have found a diaper I am absolutely in love with -- Good Mamas. They are way pricey, so I get one at a time, but SO absorbent and super soft. One of my friends gave me 16 of hers to get me started with them, she is done having babes for now and so I am borrowing them. I love them.
    But, I also still have my stash of prefolds that I fall back on a lot.
    I also LOVE my wool soakers, so I love any diaper that lets me use those :)
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  5. Our cloth diapering experience has been really similar. Liked bumgenius a lot, but they just didn't hold up over time and lots of washings, which is such a shame considering they are a one-size diaper.

    We really like fuzzi bunz...they hold up really well with the snaps. And I've found that my babies can wear the size medium all the way from around 6 months until they potty train around age 2. So that's almost as good as a one size diaper.

    Right now in addition to fuzzi bunz we're using some old bumkins AIOs...they're on their third round now, and I think this is probably the last child I'll be able to use them on, but they've been a great investment!
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  6. Love the info! I'm still really liking my bumgenius ones and haven't had leaking problems at all. I love the few fuzzi bunz I got as well. I do have the one size fuzzi bunz though and you can get some here: http://www.fuzzibunzstore.com/One-Size-FuzziBunz-Pocket-Diaper-With-Hip-Snaps--Bonus-Elast-p-200.html Though maybe I shouldn't be tempting you to buy more :)lol! I have enough to wash diapers twice a week (stash is about 20) and that is pretty perfect for us, though if I end up getting a girl someday I'm sure it will be hard to avoid buying some pretty pink ones somewhere!
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  7. Thanks so much for sharing - I kind of want to cloth diaper, but not with a newborn. I think it's such a neat thing, but it seems so expensive to get started (though I know disposable diapers are more expensive in the long run), and I know I would be too overwhelmed with a newborn & 2-year-old both in diapers to start now...but maybe when my son is potty-trained & my little girl is 6 mos or so, I'll look into it. Thanks for sharing your insight, though!!!
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  8. IT Jeni: I always have leaking issues with pockets and AIOs, but rarely with prefolds or fitted cotton diapers and quality covers.
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  9. Sounds like things are going well for you! That's awesome :) We cloth diaper on and off now, and I'm trying to train Bria. So far, pretty slow. Oh well! And as for newborns, you need a lot more than 15 diapers! That might take you through one day, with how much they poop and pee in the beginning :) And who wants to wash every day!
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  10. I've had problems with the bumGenius one size diapers too, but only with the velcro closures. Cottom Babies guarantee them against defect, so I've actually returned three and received 3 new diapers. The velcro was coming loose from the diaper, but they've never leaked.
    Thanks for sharing your other adventure.
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  11. What inserts do you use with the Fuzzi Buns- the ones they come with or something else?
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  12. Thanks for sharing this info...it's making consider doing this for our next baby.

    :-)
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  13. Aiden is 5 months and we have been cloth diapering from the start. My diapers consist of Pockets, Fitteds, Velor Bamboo prefolds , Wool covers, fleece covers, I like having a variety keeps it interesting. Hard to pick a favorite but BG 3.0's are right up there, and I like the prefolds when we are home.
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  14. We have 18 bum genius organics one size with snaps and I love them...I wash every other day to every third day and am so surprised as to how well they wash and dry. I have yet to have any leaks or extra smell in them, we also use a flushable liner for the poos now that my lil guy is eating solids.
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  15. I've been following your blog for a while, but am finally coming out of the woodwork to comment.

    I've been cloth diapering my son since he was born. Primarily prefolds with Thirsties covers, and a handful of fitteds and bumGenius for outings and overnights. I love the BGs at night -- we stuff them with a microfiber kitchen towel folded in thirds (my little guy is a super-heavy wetter at night!). I've been wanting to get more fitteds or all-in-ones, and might give FuzziBunz a try...anything to make it easier for my husband to change diapers sounds great to me!
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  16. I started with Chinese prefolds and covers because I was choosing based on price, and was happy with them for the first two kids I CD'ed. But with Elliott, I've been branching out. I feel the same way as you about my bG's, sort of meh, and I have a couple of GroBaby with extra inserts for when we're out. I did get some Good Mama's, and I LOVELOVELOVE them with wool covers that I've been making out of wool sweaters (and yes, I'll share the pattern if you want!).

    I've been wanting to try some ES, but I need to take a break from spending money on fluff.
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  17. We've been cloth diapering for almost 2 years now (2 boys) wow. lol

    The BG's are at the bottom of the pile for me.

    My 2 favorites would have to be Happy Heiny's - they perfectly fit both my skinny mini little guy and my "line backer" lol :) and no leaks. My 2nd fav. I bought off craiglist and whenever #3 comes along I'm going to have to buy a ton more - baby soft wrap AI2's...LOVE these things! wow. So incredible.

    I love the "old style" Pocket Change as well.

    We use prefolds w/ a doubler and a cover at night on both boys and they hold up great - never a leak.

    So fun reading everyone's fave's -- what works for one doesn't always work for another!
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  18. we started cloth diapering max when he was 11 months old and it has now been 8 months. we use bumGenius 3.0 one size diapers and i love them, but haven't tried anything else. we never have any leaks which is awesome! i am getting annoyed though because lately, the velcro is getting stuck to all the other diapers in the wash! other than that though, i have had no problems with the BG diapers.

    we are going to use kissaluvs size 0 with prowraps cover on our newborn girl (due in jan) until she fits into the BG.

    we have 18 diapers for max which is PLENTY. i wash every 2-3 days.
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  19. when my daughter was first born ... i tended to use the fuzzi bunz or prefolds with a plastic cover. but that was probably b/c i was being cheap.
    then i found a local woman who also sells online at www.chunkymonkeydiapers.com

    i LOVE her diapers. we ended up with a huge stash of her pocket diapers and even my husband (and daycare!) used them willingly!

    unfortunately ... i bought all cutesy and pink and purple. and now i'm expecting a boy.

    maybe that's actually fortunate. because now i get to go and shop again. :)
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  20. I just have to laugh because I did a search last night for your last update on CD'ing and here today you did an update. I CD'd from 1 month to about 5 and stopped when I had to go up a size. I guess life got complicated and I got lazy.

    Corinne just turned 1 and has a rash in the diaper area we can't get ride of. After talking to her Ped we decided it was some sort of allergy and went back to CD'ing, sure enough the rash is gone.

    I'm all over as far as my stash. I've got 2 goodmama's, 5 Fuzzibunz, some WAHM and a couple Kissaluv's. But, the cool thing is I went into a local shop here the other day just shopping around and the co-owner got to talking with me and is letting me 'test' out the new Flip system by bumGenuis, which is their CD system that they've also released an on the go/travel disposible pocket for cover. She wants to see how it does and also it if will work in other covers. So I'm trialing it... and got a huge discount on the whole flip package, which is pretty cool.... especially with thanksgiving travel coming up.

    Thanks for the update!
    Michelle
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  21. I am a fan of the BumGenius One-Size, both the pocket diapers and the organic cotton. If I do this again, I will buy more of the organic cotton, especially. I also like my Thirsties Fab Fitted diapers, mostly for the colours. Colourful diapers make me smile. :)
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  22. I am using the Fuzzi Bunz as well and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them... I love that I can adjust the legs for her little chubby thighs and still get a good fit in the waist. I couldn't imagine ever going back to disposable diapers!
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  23. Ivy has the most stylish diapers...Cutest bum ever!
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  24. Thankfully we've graduated out of the diapering stage. But ohmygoodness that picture of Ivy with her bum all dressed in vintage cowfolk? Adorable!
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  25. We have been cloth diapering with Audrey since birth but I actually don't wash my cloth diapers. We have a cloth diapering service that comes to pick up the dirty ones and drops off new ones. And we buy our own diaper covers. I don't have the time to wash since I work full time, but I still like being a little green and having Audrey's tush in cloth.
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  26. That has got to be one of the cutest diapers ever!
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  27. I agree with you regarding the Bum Genius. It seems like they hold up as well as the Fuzzi Bunz. I haven't added to my stash in awhile in hopes that Troy would potty train.

    It's not happening anytime soon. I think he really likes his diapers. :)
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  28. No babies to cloth diaper yet but I am soaking up all the information I can.

    That has got to be one of the cutest covers/diapers I've seen.
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  29. I should get some, I really should... I've never done it before though so I have to admit it seems a little intimidating...
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  30. She has got such a cute bum ;)
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  31. Thank you so much for posting this- perfect timing for me!! My daughter is 13 months and I FINALLY convinced my hubby to give cloth diapers a trial. We just got a flip (bum genius) today and if all goes well we will be get a good stash going:)
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  32. I wanted to do this so badly with Evan, but the boyfriend was way too freaked out. Thought there would be poo everywhere. Thought our clothes would be covered in poo. I lost the battle and we use disposables, but I love seeing little cloth diapers on babies- they make me happy.
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  33. We have been cloth diapering our little girl since she was 6 weeks old and is now 9 months old. We use Fuzzi Bunz and LOVE them...I have tried a couple others and there is NO comparison!!!
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  34. I guess there really is such a thing as stash nirvana. I do look at the new diapers and think about trying them, but our BumGenius, Fuzzibunz and some fitteds, prefolds, flats work just fine for us.

    I did fine with a dozen pockets and a dozen prefolds/flats for a long time. But now that I have probably 30 pockets, diapering is even easier as far as laundry is concerned.

    I work outside the home and my husband uses pockets so that's why I have so many.
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  36. it's hard to really know what to recommend to other people-- what works for one person does not work for another. bumgenius are a great way to start because they are so similar to disposables and make sense to everyone, but i agree about the way they hold up over time. fuzzi bunz fare better but you have to buy more sizes. it's all so confusing. i used to be obsessed with figuring out what would work for us but i'm not anymore. people talk about stash nirvana but i think it's more like stash zen: you just stop thinking about it so hard and do what works. i kind of miss the rush of trying a new cute diaper though!
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  37. I have Fuzzi Bunz Perfect Size and Bum Genius One-Size and 1 Gro Baby. I've also used gdiapers with disposable inserts and with cloth at night. I am going to start using them again with cloth.

    I haven't had any problems with the Bum Genius One Size as far as function, but the velcro looks a bot shabby. I like the velcro on the Gro Baby, but the Gro Baby seems very small. My baby is only 8 months old and it doesn't seem like it will fit much longer.

    I used the Bum Genius and the Fuzzi Bunz Mediums on my first child from the time he was 7 months old through 2 years old with FB and over 2 years for BG. I bought a few large FB to get me through potty training.

    I like the snaps on the Fuzzi Bunz better than velcro because the look is cleaner and I think snaps are more durable. If I had to start over, I'd get one-size diapers with snaps.
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  38. Ok so I decided to try to cloth diaper and went to the diapers.com you mentioned and tried to order 4 funzi's and the code you put said you had to order diapers ... um are cloth diapers not considered diapers (grin)?
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  39. We've been in cloth for a little over a year and have used Fuzzi Bunz for most of that (with the exception of one GroBaby). I love the snaps vs. velcro! Now I'm building a stash for the new baby and have gotten some BG 3.0 OS and GroBaby. Did you know that FB has a OS now that snaps? And that you can get your GroBaby diapers converted to snap closures now, too?
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  40. I saw in your post that you like the Fuzzi Bunz, I have to agree I like them as well, I noticed that you said that they don't have a one size and I wanted to let you know that they do have a one size that I LOVE because it is adjusted on the elastic around the legs and on the back, making for a very trim diaper! Here is a link: http://www.healthybabyclothdiapers.com/catalog/item/7182054/7365749.htm
    I also started out with bumgenius, I think that a lot of people do. But, like you, I learned quickly how much I disliked the velcro in the wash. My other Favorites right now are the GAD AIO(http://www.healthybabyclothdiapers.com/catalog/item/7182189/7398175.htm) and for night time I am a fan of the Dulce Wrapper(http://www.healthybabyclothdiapers.com/catalog/item/7182054/7379421.htm) it is a bit bulky but so absorbent since it is made with 12 layers of hemp and it is a one size diaper as well.

    I really am a fan of one size but occationally I like the sized-mostly for trips out and about since they tend to be a bit trimmer! Those are my favorites!
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  41. Okay, I am so glad you posted about this, because yesterday I googled your site to try and find your last CD post! LOL, and then I was talking to a friend, and linked to your site- you probably saw all the activity and were inspired to update- thank you:) Seriously trying to figure out what to buy for this little boy coming. I was sold on Grobaby from your last post, and NOW you have me all confused. Now I think I will get a few of Grobaby, a few of the AIO fuzzibuns, and a few AIO BG 3.0.
    I'm so glad I have friends that have gone before more, because the CD world has so many choices!
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  42. This was a great post! I was just talking with a friend about cloth diapering. I've been blog reading and googling like crazy finding info. I'm very seriously considering cloth diapering on my new little one :)

    Thanks for the info!
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  43. I am about the same as you with the Bum Genius. I love them but the velcro is starting to wear. I will say that with cloth diapering a 7 week old prefolds and thirsties duo covers work really well. I'm changing her a lot during the day and the hold in the breastmilk poo really well. My favorite overnight are the Bum Genius though. She can go all night and still feel dry and just get up to nurse which is really nice.

    I really want to try the fuzzi bunz though. Especially after what you have said.
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  44. I have been cloth diapering for years, and there are times I really, really want to get a new diaper or two. Especially when I find a new pattern I like. :)

    There are so many cute ones out there, but Ms. Dimples may be our last baby, and I already have a good stash. Then again, a girl can never have too many outfits. *wink*
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  45. I'm *this close* to switching over to cloth diapering, but...I'm overwhelmed and unsure. The whole thing is a bit bewildering to me, I must admit.

    I think I'm just about ready to go for it though...

    stephanie@metropolitanmama.net
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  46. I'm at almost a year of cloth diapering. I have slowly been replacing the velcro tabs on my bum genius diapers and I still like the way they perform the best. I also have a few with snaps that are wonderful (my favorite I think!) I have a fuzzi bunz (one size) I like it, but the snaps are hard to get on a wiggly baby. I also have gro baby with velcro tabs, which don't stick too well, I like the diapers, I just might go with snaps next time. I have a few I have made myself experimenting and a few WAHM diapers from etsy. I really like having a variety, because I can't say I love just one diaper....but if I had to pick I'd say the bum genius organic with snaps.
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  47. We've been cloth-diapering since Elizabeth hit 8lbs. She's always been on the high end of using diapers. Her record was 30 diapers in 19 hours. I recommend starting with a two day supply. At the worst you can supplement with disposables if you run out :)

    We are in the minority on the velcro vs snaps debate.
    We're part-time EC'ers, and although we have a fitted bamboo diaper with snaps that I just love the feel of (so soft!), the lack of velcro is a deal breaker. We looked around a lot before buying our latest set of diapers but stayed with what worked.

    Velcro allows you to remove diapers with a single motion and one hand. And getting them back on again is easier too. My husband won't even use clothes with more than three snaps, so adding diapers with snaps is a non-starter there too. Our velcro eventually wore out in the wash, but Bummis sent us new ones and actually Elizabeth outgrew them by the time the velcro wore out. I'm still going to replace the velcro though.

    Someone mentioned that they were having problems with leaking. We've really found that the fit of the diapers varies tremendously with the weight of the baby. Once Elizabeth got big enough for the diapers (we bought "small" rather than newborn diapers and then had a very small baby...), our polar bummis never leaked but the super whisper wraps very occasionally did. And then when she got older, the polar bummis stopped fitting as well and the super whisper wraps were much more reliable. We only ever had a few leaks ever though in 7 months of cloth diapering. Disposables on the other hand? Yikes. And that's all I'm going to say about that before bad memories come back...

    Now that we are EC'ing though, we pretty rarely have poopy diapers at all, so probably our opinion about leaks is less representative since we don't have much experience with needing containment after baby starts to move around...
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  48. We've used prefolds, Snappis and covers since our baby was born--first PUL and, just recently, wool and fleece. I'm not crazy about prefolds, but I do know their benefits--nothing contains poo like a well-folded prefold, and they clean and dry easier and quicker than anything else. Right now I'm in the process of making some pocket fitteds into which we can put the prefolds; not something I'd ever recommend starting with, but it's an easy, cheap way for someone with a smidgeon of sewing skill to switch to fitteds and preserve the good qualities of prefolds. And I'm loving the fleece! Wool is definitely nicer but harder to care for; fleece covers breathe better than PUL (not as well as wool) and they're tough and easy to clean. We do part-time elimination communication, so we're not looking for ultimate leak protection during the day (it isn't necessary), but when we are it's, optimally, a Motherease bamboo fitted with a wool cover and wool longies. That's the Cadillac of diapers! Soft, breathable, and nothing is getting through it. I'm also making some pocket AIOs with fleece on the outside and cotton on the inside, and we can stuff with prefolds.
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  49. Did you strip your esbaby QDAI2 like the gro baby? I ask bc my es leaked like mad until I realized that I had to prep it, and now they are my hands down favorite diapers, though I've been using the QDAIO & the OS fitteds.
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