Cloth Diapers in Review

I have to admit that I was lost the first time I started researching on cloth diapering when I was still preggars. There seem to be so many out there, but the problem at that time was that we could not find any in Bangkok. (They are springing up quite a bit of late in the stores, though)

So off to Google I went, stumbling upon a site selling the various types of cloth diapering. And get this: the site called Mummy Knows Best, is actually based out of Singapore! I could not have hit a better bulls-eye! There, right in front of my eyes, is this site based in a country I come from, and even better, she herself is a mother turned entrepreneur! I guess if there’s anyone who could understand my predicament at that time, that person would be her.

I was at best clueless on cloth diapering and, the different systems available about this crazy nappy thingie did nothing but confused me further. It was hard to gauge which one is the best, and it was even harder to make a decision based on just pictures without that physical contact with the product. I was certainly a complete idiot on this matter.

When I contacted the owner though, she was certainly kind enough to engage me and answer all my stoopid questions. She was friendly, she was helpful and most of all, patient enough to explain it all to me. All done via email! The correspondences were done over several weeks, probably even months before I made the final decision to purchase them from her. I like the fact that she was not pushy and actually took her time to explain each and every system of diapers I enquired. She was, above all, quite prompt in ALL her responses too! That to me scored big brownie points when communicating with an online business owner. She will also have your purchases delivered right to your doorstep. And by that, as long as I pay for the delivery charges, she’ll have all my purchases delivered to me in Bangkok. That is honestly what I will call service. A much welcome one, indeed. (I was half wishing that she’d offer me a free-trial, but considering that I had no baby then, a free trial was pretty much useless!)

This is an essentially a long overdue review of not only of cloth diapers, but a reliable online store as well. I was certainly very satisfied with the service she provided and guided me along on my very first attempt at understanding the various "systems" of cloth diapering.

Thereafter, I relied a lot on my gut instict and finally decided to purchase a 3-brand combo buy as I did not know which was a better diaper system that will work best for me.

Now that I have tried all of them , here is my honest, unbiased opinion as a part-time diaperer of what I thought of each of them:

Rumparooz

The design is the cutest of the lot. Actually, the only reason I bought Rumparooz is because of the designs alone. I also like the adjustable buttons that comes with it.

Rumparooz is essentially a Pocket Cloth diaper which comes with a cover (like an envelope) and inserts (to be put into the “envelope”). Each set of diapers comes with a cover and 2 inserts. However, while the system sounds good in theory, I realise I still don’t get why the cloth inserts have to be inserted in. Simply because, if Spud’s wet, then I still have to wash everything as it will seep through the first layer. If she crapped, I still have to replace the outer cover, even though I can still re-use the inserts if it is not dirty (but it usually is, because some of those crap seeped through). Hence, to me that just did not make much sense.

Thumbs up for designs though!

[Note: Joycelyn did explain to me via email how the system works, but I guess at that time, it was hard to visualise as I was an absolute diaper idiot!]

Happy Heinys

This has similar system to Rumparooz. I don’t quite remember why I chose this, but I think I was propelled by the designs as well. Especially when they come in a silly but cool cow prints.

I mean, imagine having a cow print diaper on your baby’s bum! That has got to be damn happening, I tell you!

I like the fact that they come in both snap buttons and velcro, but I did think that the inserts feel a little sloppy as compared to the Rumparooz.

Just like Rumparooz, I found the insert system to be quite a royal pain in the ass.

Gro

This is by far, my personal favourite. While the designs are not as funky as that of Rumparooz and/or Happy Heiny, it wins hands down in terms of practicality.

I like the fact that I can detach the cloth liner with the snap buttons and just replace the insides without changing the outer cover to many a time. It is idiot-proof and easy to use for an idiot like me. To top it all, the inserts are made of organic cotton while the above two are not.

Gro is a hybrid as they come with a biodegradable disposable inserts which can be compost – good for when you are travelling or even overnight. It certainly is better for the environment too!

I am, by now a convert to the Gro system. In fact, I’m thinking of purchasing more of these Gros to add on to our collection. I'm hoping they would have more designs by now.

All the reusable cloth diapers come in a one size fits all. It might cost quite a bit at the start, but I think they certainly are worth investing in. Here is the link of the online shop where I purchased the diapers: http://mummyknowsbestshop.com/for-baby/cloth-diapers

And that, my friends, are my 2-baht worth of opinion in the world of cloth diapering.

Happy cloth diapering!