On Cloth Diapers

For a while now, I have been thinking of using cloth diapers because I am thinking in the long run, this may be better for baby's skin. I know it is ambitious and I really do not know if we can sustain this given that cloth diapering really requires more diaper changes, more laundry and more stench. The initial investment one must make to jump into the cloth diaper bandwagon is also not cheap so this really makes me wonder if we should take the leap or not. My husband and I discussed this already and we have made the decision to give this a shot after computing how long it will take for us to break even.

Since I am not supposed to shop until September (only two weeks more of waiting!!!), I just read about the different brands and looked at the different features and designs.

I am looking into pocket style diapers so that I can add more inserts when more absorbency is needed, e.g. during the night.

Kawaii Cloth Diapers

Kawaii Cloth Diapers are available via Baby Chic Boutique. It's great that this brand offers diapers for heavy wetters called Kawaii Goodnight Heavy Wetters that can be used at night. This is priced at 450 PHP each. Each comes with two microfiber inserts. Inner lining is microfleece which I hear is better than microfiber in trying to wick away moisture without drying baby's tush. Moreover, they also offer Bamboo Charcoal inserts. I have read that bamboo is better than microfiber as microfiber tends to absorb moisture from the baby's skin causing the skin to dry and rash. Microfiber can also be difficult to clean compared to bamboo. I am also liking the Kawai Bamboo Charcoal Diaper which has as inner lining bamboo charcoal aside from the two inserts that come with this also made of bamboo charcoal. This costs 450 PHP a piece. This diaper has received wonderful reviews so I might get some of these for our baby.

Bum Genius

Bum Genius is a US diaper and it is priced like a US diaper. This is also available at Baby Chic Boutique. They also have pocket diapers and they call these Bum Genius 4.0. These cost 1450 PHP a piece. This is a bit too pricey for me. Also, this review says it's prone to leak and can smell of ammonia more easily than the other diapers.

Grovia

This diaper while also on the pricey side received a good review. This is also available via Baby Chic Boutique at 895 PHP without inserts. A two insert pack is sold at 950 PHP. It seems pretty absorbent though with four layers of microfiber and a microfleece top layer.

Wholesale Washable Diapers

I found they have BambooBumz, a diaper made also of bamboo charcoal and priced only at 300 PHP a piece including inserts. This is a Philippine-based business and the reviews seem to be good. I think I will be ordering from them too. They also sell charcoal bamboo inserts for 100 PHP. This is not made of bamboo entirely though as the inner layers are microfiber. Outer layer is charcoal bamboo though. They are currently updating their website and the designs are limited but hopefully, in the future, they will be posting more.

Next9

I read this blog that compares Alva, Bambino and Next9 and for the author, Next9 is the clear winner. I was also looking at Next9 before but they only have microfleece and no bamboo. They retail for 1000PHP per three pieces. Inserts are sold in packs of 3 at 300PHP.

Bamboo Dappy

Before I started to read more about other cloth diaper brands, this was my first choice. It is more expensive than the other local brands but this uses bamboo. My husband is just a bit worried about washing this as the care instructions says we need to wash it with hot water. Hot water is not easy to come by in the Philippines. Our household does not have a multi-source water heater and even if we did, we will definitely not have it directed to our washing machine. This simply is not the norm in the Philippines. If you buy using their Buy 5 + 1 promo, you end up paying almost 500 PHP per piece.

While people argue that disposables are ridden with chemicals that are harmful to the baby, it makes me wonder if these so-called safe cloth diapers are free of lead paint and other toxic chemicals. How safe are the inserts and how safe are the fabric and fabric paints used?

And the paranoia begins...

I really am becoming a mom.