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Question from Chandra:
Hello. I was wondering how many layers of bamboo fleece you would recommend using to make inserts? I have bumGenius 4.0s.

Answer:
Hi Chandra,

The number of layers of bamboo fleece you need will depend on a few things such as, fabric weight/thickness, whether your baby is a heavy wetter, and the bamboo content in the fabric. The standard bamboo fleece fabric is approximately 16 ounces per yard and is 70% bamboo, 30% cotton (usually organic cotton). If you’re planning to make an insert that can be trifolded before use, and you have a light wetter, then you might be able to use only two layers (the insert would then be 6 layers when trifolded). If you have a heavier wetter, then you can make a rectangular doubler, 2-3 layers thick, and wrap the insert around that doubler, or you can attach the end(s) of the doubler to the insert by either adding snaps or by sewing.

During the day, I usually use a two-layer insert that can be trifolded, but I change my son’s diapers frequently (i.e. after each pee). When going out I usually use 7-8 layers in case I can’t change him after only one pee.

Most bamboo fleece AIO’s that I’ve bought in the past have 7-8 layers of bamboo fleece. One had 7 layers of bamboo fleece and 1 layer of bamboo velour. So, for a pocket diaper you might need at least 7-8 layers.

Keep in mind that the less layers you use to make an insert, the easier it will be to wash and dry the insert. So, it might be a good idea to use a two-layer insert and just add a 2-3 layer doubler. At night, you might want to use two of the two-layer inserts and see how that works. My daughter was a heavy wetter when she was a few months old, and we used 11-12 layers of bamboo fleece at night, but we used bamboo fleece fitteds with wool covers which are more absorbent than pocket diapers with 11-12 layers of fabric.

In addition, before using the bamboo fleece inserts to go out or at night, make sure they’ve been washed a few times. Some people say that it takes at least 6-8 washes for bamboo fleece to reach its maximum absorbency.  If you’re making the inserts for yourself and not for sale, then I would recommend washing the fabric on hot at least a couple of times.  I usually wash mine 3 times before cutting.

I hope this helps!

Wool interlock backed cloth pads. These are made with bamboo fleece and organic bamboo velour. Two of the pads have a layer of cotton interlock print.

Here are a few economical choices:

Flat diapers (“flats”)
Cotton flats are the most affordable diapers.  They’re big, rectangular or square pieces of fabric which are easy to clean and dry very quickly.  Flat diapers do require a cover, but most PUL covers can be re-used a few times before washing. 

You can use special folds for flats which require pins or a Snappi, or you can just pad-fold them and place them inside a snug-fitting cover.

To save even more money, you can make flat diapers out of old receiving blankets or t-shirts.  A lot of people like to use receiving blankets as flats because of the cute prints.

Flat diapers prices range from $1.25 to $3 USD per diaper, depending on the brand and whether they’re bought in Canada or the US. Flats are usually more expensive in Canada.

Prefolds
Another economical diaper, the prefold, is quite popular not only because of its cost, but also because of the simplicity and ease of washing.  The diaper is like a flat, but usually smaller and has more layers of fabric in the middle of the diaper than on the sides.  The most commonly used prefolds are made of cotton – bleached or unbleached Indian or Chinese – most likely because they are the least expensive and are the easiest to find.

Prefolds were some of the first diapers we bought and it wasn’t for financial reasons.  I just loved how easy it was to clean and use these diapers.  Most of the time, I would tri-fold these and place them in a snug-fitting velcro (hook & loop) cover.  Whenever I felt more adventurous, I would try various folds with pins or a Snappi.

Good quality prefolds cost anywhere from $1.50 to $4.50 USD per prefold, depending on the brand, whether it’s organic or not, and the whether they’re bought in Canada or the US. Prefolds in the US are generally less expensive.

Inexpensive Chinese pocket diapers
Quite recently, there has been an explosion in popularity of inexpensive Chinese-made pocket diapers.  The prices range from $4.99 to $11.99 USD, depending on the brand and whether the company is Canadian or American.

Some brands that you might want to look at if interested in this option:

• Giggle Life (Canadian)
• Done with Disposables (Canadian)
• Kawaii Baby
• Alvababy
• Sunbaby
• Assunta

Cloth Wipes
Using cloth wipes instead of disposable wipes can also save you quite a bit of money.  When I started cloth diapering, I used some cheap baby washcloths and flannel cloth wipes.  I later started to make my own and ended up having a ton of wipes everywhere!

Since you know I don’t like to write huge reviews, let me get right to the point and tell you about the pros and cons :)

Pros:

• Less expensive than other “eco-friendly” disposable diapers
• Very absorbent for a newborn who’s a heavy wetter
• Chlorine free (oxygen bleaching used instead)
• Supposedly they’re suitable for babies with eczema and other skin conditions.  The diapers have definitely not caused or made my son’s eczema.
• 70-80% biodegradable materials
• 100% natural absorber (high percentage of starch used in the absorbent core)
• No perfumes or lotions used
• No major smell when diaper wet. This has always bugged me about regular disposable diapers.
• Awarded the prestigious Nordic SWAN eco award

Cons:

• Run a bit big on my baby. The Midi size (11-22 lbs) still seem a little too big on my 14-lb baby.  It’s not a big deal, but I would’ve probably bought a smaller size if I had known that.
• Not 100% biodegradable
• Not the softest outer material, but the inside is similar to that of other disposable diapers.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this diaper.  I would love it if it was 100% biodegradable, but 70-80% is quite good when you compare it with the biodegradability of regular disposable diapers.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10

3. gDiapers

When I first heard about gDiapers, I was very excited.  A diaper could be used as a disposable and a cloth diaper?  I simply had to have this diaper!

The diaper consists of a washable cotton little gPant (i.e. a cotton cover), a snap-in nylon liner and a plastic free gRefill or washable gCloth.  Besides the washable inserts that gDiapers makes, there are lots of WAHMs (Work at Home Moms) who make them as well in different shapes and sizes, and using different fabrics.

Unfortunately, my love with gDiapers was short lived.  I found that the inside snaps left marks on my baby’s skin.  I never used these for night-time since I didn’t think they’d be comfortable enough for that.  I wouldn’t want to wear something like that at night, so why would I put it on my baby?  I know a lot of parents out there do love these diapers for daytime AND night-time.   I suspect I’m just more picky than the average parent.  I think I’ve been spoiled by comfortable, soft and fluffy cloth diapers :-)

4. Seventh Generation

A lot of you have probably seen this light brown diaper.  In the past year or so, the popularity of Seventh Generation diapers has exploded.  I’ve seen it worn on a lot of babies, including celebrity babies.

The diaper is chlorine, fragrance and latex free.  It is NOT plastic free and it is NOT compostable.  I couldn’t believe that some people online say it’s “biodegradable”.  It’s not.  And please do NOT flush this diaper down the toilet.  I actually read somewhere that the diaper is flushable hahahaha.

What I did NOT like about this diaper:

• More SAP than Nature Babycare diapers
• Plastic instead of corn-based material
• VERY wide tabs which left marks on my baby’s legs
• Smaller than other disposable diapers in that size range.  My 30 lbs daughter is not going to be able to fit into size 4 for much longer, and the size 4 diaper is supposed to fit up to 37 lbs.

NOTE: The brown colour of this diaper is not naturally occurring.  The colour comes from the addition of pigments.

5. PC GREEN Disposable Diaper

Just like Seventh Generation (SG) diapers, the PC GREEN diapers are chlorine and fragrance free.  I found this diaper in a supermarket store, the same one that sells SG diapers.

What I liked about this diaper:

• VERY stretchy tabs.  None of the other eco-friendly diapers are like that.
• The diaper is quite a bit cheaper than other “green” diapers.  One PC GREEN diaper costs almost half as much as a Seventh Generation diaper.

What I did NOT like about this diaper:

• SAP
• Still has some plastic in it however, according to the manufacturer some of the plastic components were replaced with “revolutionary plant-based polymers.”

I must admit I like these diapers a lot more than SG diapers because of the stretchiness and better fit.

CONCLUSION:

None of the diapers I discussed in the two posts are perfect.  They still create huge amounts of waste whether compostable or not.  Also, none of the disposables seem comfortable enough.  I agree they’re a little thinner than my Northern Baby AIO (All-in-one) or AI2 (All-in-two) diapers, but they’re much less comfortable and not very healthy for my toddler.

NOTE: I recently found a great post about “green” disposable diapers.  I’ve never seen a mom do so much research on the subject as the author of the post you can find here.  After reading it, I was glad we haven’t been using disposables on a daily basis.

We recently moved and had no washer for 5 weeks.  During that time, I hand washed the diapers 3 times, my mom washed some in her washer a couple of times, and I went to the laundromat once.  The visit to the laundromat did not end well since my daughter ended up having a rash.  I suspect it was detergent or fabric softener residue in the washer from previous users.  So, whenever I need to re-wash the diapers, my daughter wears disposables (which isn’t very frequently).  Because I worry about what’s in disposables, I usually go with the “eco-friendly” ones.  Over the next couple of posts, I will write about the following disposable diapers:

• Nature Babycare
• Moltex OKO
• gDiapers
• Seventh Generation
• PC GREEN

1. Nature Babycare

This Swedish award-winning diaper is said to be more breathable because of a corn-based biodegradable outer film.  The Nature Babycare diaper and packaging are chlorine free and are potentially compostable (however you need specific conditions for that to occur).  The diaper does contain some SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), but less than other disposables because of a unique, patented channel construction.

I chose this diaper because it has corn-based materials rather than plastic.  I’m also cautious about SAP, so the less of it, the better.  I do wish the diaper was a little softer on the outside and that the tabs could stick to anywhere on the diaper, but these are not major issues.

We only had one leak with this diaper and I think it might have been because the diaper has been getting a bit small.

2. Moltex OKO

Another compostable diaper made with corn-based material.  This one is made in Germany.  I only used one Moltex diaper which I received in a free trial pack.  The first thing I noticed was how much softer the diaper was as compared to the Nature Babycare diaper.  The diaper also seemed a little bigger, but it fit my daughter very well leaving no gaps.  She wore this sample diaper overnight and we had no leaks even though the diaper was quite heavy in the morning.

The one thing that I don’t like about this disposable is that it seems to have more SAP than Northern Babycare.

In part 2 of “Eco-Friendly Disposable Diapers”: My experience with gDiapers, Seventh Generation and PC GREEN diapers.