When it comes to cloth diapering, one of the first things we
ask ourselves is, “Which diapers do I buy?” Unfortunately there is no right
answer to this question. Every cloth diapering mom and dad out there has their
own personal preference, but it’s better to start out with a rough idea of what
you’re getting yourself into before making any big purchases.
If you type
“cloth diaper” into any search engine you’ll be sure to find thousands of links
to diapers like BumGenius, Fuzzibuns, and Grovia. These big name brands are
available all over now, especially now that cloth diapers are slowly returning
to mainstream society. But the problem is that these manufactured diapers tend
to come high in price. Their solids are slightly cheaper than their patterned
diapers, but their design choices are limited. I will give them this, though;
my son is a heavy night-time wetter and the big guys in the cloth diaper world
know how to make a nearly leak-proof diaper.
Another way
to go when buying cloth is to do some online searching and find the “internet cheapies”. Brands like Alva
Baby, Kawaii, and Sunbaby, usually shipping from China, can take a long time to
get to you (ours took over a month to arrive after the first package was lost). But the idea of buying $6
diapers when you are trying to build up your stash can be enticing. So what’s
wrong with buying these affordable diapers? Leaking has been a HUGE issue with
these in our household. Leaking around the snaps seems to be our biggest problem,
but as they say, “You get what you pay for.”
There is,
however, a third option. Not many moms and dads new to cloth diapering realize
that they can find quality diapers with fun, unique designs that are handmade through the Etsy Cloth Diaper
Team. Most parents who cloth diaper don’t find out about us until they decide
they want something new and different to add to their stash. Others never
manage to find us at all. When we are finally discovered, our one-of-a-kind
designs are the first to catch our customer’s eyes. From glow in the dark
puppies (by BananaBottoms) to Double Bubble diapers (by BackyardBabes), you can
find just about anything when looking through our team member’s shops. Many of
us will even create custom diapers for our customers. Since all of our items
are handmade, those of us who do custom designs can change any diaper, down to
the color of thread we use. We offer more than diapers too!
So what do
we have going for us besides our good looks? This team is made up of many WAHMs
that dedicate themselves to making quality
diapers (and cloth diaper related products) just for their customers and
the extra effort shows in their work. Some
reviews claim the diapers they have bought from our team members “match or
exceed” their name brand diapers. Just take a peek at some of these reviews for
yourself:
(Review for Hippy Chic Diapers)
(Review for Rebel Diapers)
(Review for Nommy's Nappies)
In the end,
all that matters is finding the right diaper for your little one. No one diaper
brand is the right one for every
family. My advice to the moms and dads just starting out would be to buy
different brands. We bought some Alva Baby and Kawaii at first, but we also got
our hands on some BumGenius and Charlie Banana diapers too, which was what kept
us from swearing off cloth when the cheaper brands failed to keep our son dry.
Not to say that the big names are best either; a friend of mine went out and
spent a lot of money on one brand just to find that her son just kept getting
rashes even when changing everything else but the diaper itself. It all comes
down to your child. So I recommend buying plenty of different diapers to start
your stash and discover what works best for your little one. And when the time
comes that you want to find new styles, fits, and designs the Etsy Cloth Diaper
Team will be here!