Pocket Diapers |
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Cloth diapering has come a long way since the days when your own mother used them! It used to be that cloth diapers were synonymous with leaks, difficult pins, stinky soaking pails, and dunking soiled cloth in toilets. All of that has changed, and surprisingly, cloth diapers are about as easy to use as disposables, while saving you lots of money!
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No matter your perspective or your values, pocket diapers make a lot of sense...
- Budget friendly– Using a pocket cloth diapering system reduces your diaper costs by about 75% as compared to disposables...
- Environment friendly– Did you know that for each child that is in disposable diapers for 3 years they generate 2 tons of waste that would fill your child ' s room above your head...
- Comfort– Disposable and old-fashioned cloth diapers leave your child wet after they urinate , but with pocket cloth diapers, baby stays dry and comfortable. This also means fewer diaper changes...
- Rash prevention– Since baby stays dry, rashes are far less likely and quicker to heal. This was the original reason for the design of Fuzzi Bunz , the first pocket cloth diaper ...
- Clean up– No soaking required. Just knock off any excess solid waste into a toilet and throw the diaper in a dry diaper bag, which washes with your diapers. No toilet swishing required - nothing messy to touch!
Nurtured Family recommends pocket cloth diapers
above all others, especially if you are just getting started.
Why are pocket diapers so innovative, effective and comfortable? Pocket diapers offer parents a leak free, rash free and disposal free way of diapering. They are easy to clean, care for and use unlike traditional cloth diapers of the past. The outer layer is a soft waterproof fabric that acts as a moisture barrier, keeping all wetness and messes where they belong. Buttery soft material is next to baby's skin, wicking moisture away from baby and into an absorbent removable "insert" inside of the pocketed diaper. This means baby stays dry. The pocket holds the insert of your choice, where it is easily placed and removed. The pocket exists to provide optimal cleaning, resulting in a super sanitary system that is in turn quick to dry, saving on energy costs. Like disposables, pocket diapers are trim fitting and virtually leak proof, but with all the positives of cloth diapering to go with them! What more could we ask for?
Still have questions about pocket diapers?
Email us your question.
Care Information
Pocket cloth diapers must be washed after each use. Use a diaper pail to store dirty pocket diapers, inserts and cloth wipes until wash day. A hanging diaper pail is a great way to store your diapers. On wash day, simply toss it in the washing machine after you have emptied the contents! Everyone asks, what about the solid waste? Not a problem. No dunking or soaking - it comes right off with no problem and cleans up beautifully without staining. When removing a dirty pocket diaper from your baby, simply shake or knock any solid waste from the diaper into the toilet. Rinsing any residual waste from the pocket diaper is not necessary. Pull the insert from the pocket diaper before tossing in your pail. Pocket diapers, inserts and cloth wipes will be washed together. It is not recommended that you let your dirty pocket diapers and inserts sit too long before washing, as odors may set in. We recommend having at least 12 pocket diapers and 15 - 18 diaper inserts on hand for full time use. You will need to do laundry about every two days with this quantity.
On wash day, run the dirty pocket diapers, inserts and cloth wipes in a cold wash with no detergent. This washes all solid waste away. Then wash your diapers in HOT water with a moderate amount of detergent (1/4 - 1/2 of the recommended dose). Overdosing on detergent produces build up, which can cause odor build-up and leaking problems, not to mention being an irritant to your child's skin. We recommend Allens Naturally detergent. It is economical, it washes clean with no residue to block the pores in the fleece and it will get your diapers clean! Other detergents and cleaners that work well are 7th Generation, Ecover, Life-Kind, Cheer Free, and Oxiclean. Many find that other detergents produce build up, especially baby detergents such as Dreft.
While pocket diapers are certainly easy to care for, there are ways to mess them up! First, do not wash natural fibers (such as cotton prefolds, hemp inserts, or cotton cloth wipes) in the same load with your fleece lined pocket diapers. The lint released from the cotton causes the diaper fleece to pill, resulting in a coarse feel. Though they will still be effective, they will not feel as buttery soft. Microterry inserts, such as Fuzzi Bunz, Nurtured Family Contours, Microterry Soakers or Swaddlebees Microterry inserts will not cause pilling. Secondly, do not use diaper creams with pocket diapers, as they may stain or produce leaking. When diaper creams are necessary, Stay Dry Liners may be used between your baby and the pocket diaper, though these should be washed in a separate load from your pocket diapers. The other “No No’s” are: No bleach, no fabric softener, no pure soap products, no excessive dryer heat and no detergent overuse. Stick to the basics, and you'll be fine: Pre-wash with no detergent, Hot wash with ½ the recommended amount of detergent, Rinse (or Double Rinse), then Dry on low heat. If you experience any problems with build up from using non-recommended detergents or other things you may want to read our Special Cleaning Situations section.
In summary, some do’s and don’ts:
- Do wash your pocket diapers after each use.
- Do not use fabric softener or use pure soap products on your pocket diapers.
- Do not use bleach or expose to high heat for prolonged periods of time.
- Do not overuse detergent - only a little is needed to get the job done.
- Do contact us if you have any problems.
How many do I need?
| 6 to 9 |
Part time use |
| 12 to 15 |
Approximately two days of use between washings |
| 18 |
Approximately three days of use between washings or 2 days for a newborn |
| 24 or more |
Enough for siblings to share |
Note that the more you buy, the more you save with most of our pocket diapers. Volume discounts are
automatically applied to the shopping cart.
Inserts
The quantity of inserts you need will depend upon your child and what kind of wetter they are. A good rule of thumb is to have at least one extra insert for every 6 diapers (this is so you can double up the inserts for overnight use). Inserts are made from two types of materials. Microterry is fluffy and soft like a plush bath towel, and hemp, as used in Joey Bunz, is unbleached and naturally anti-microbial. Please see our insert comparison page for a complete description of the inserts we offer and how well they work. We recommend Nurtured Family Contours. They are the most absorbent inserts we carry, and are fluffy, soft, and quick to dry. Though they contain 4 layers of microterry, they are sewn as if two 2-layer inserts were merged at only the top and bottom. This means that in the washing machine, they flap open to be cleaned more thoroughly than other inserts. Their unique construction also means that they dry faster than other inserts, as they flap open in the dryer. Another benefit is that they do not causing pilling on the fleece of pocket diapers. We recommend one insert to each daytime diaper and 2 inserts to each nighttime diaper to prevent leaking.
What about wipes?
As you begin to use cloth diapers you will also find that cloth wipes make a lot of sense. You can wash them with your diapers and stop wasting money on disposable wipes. We recommend using cloth wipes in conjunction with a wipe solution made from Baby Bits, or this homemade wipes solution: Wet Wipes Recipe:
3 cups water
2 Tbsp baby shampoo
1 air-tight container with a tight-fitting lid, sized to hold your cloth wipes
Pour the water and baby shampoo into a large bottle
(ie. an empty, clean bottle, such as a ketchup bottle, works great). Shake well. Place cloth wipes into the
air-tight container and squirt with the wet wipes solution as needed. Close tightly.
Cost and Environmental Benefits
The cost and environmental savings of using pocket diapers instead of disposable diapers is enormous, as shown below. This chart is based on the price of Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers. Keep in mind that this chart does not take into account re-using the same set of Fuzzi Bunz diapers on another child, which means more savings! Fuzzi Bunz vs. Disposables*
| Fuzzi Bunz |
36 |
$610 |
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| Fuzzi Bunz with reusable wipes |
36 |
$632 |
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| Disposable diapers |
8760 |
$2500 |
$1890 |
4300 lbs
~450 cubic feet |
| Disposable diapers and wipes |
8760 |
$2800 |
$2168 |
4300+ lbs
~450+ cubic feet |
*This cost comparison is based on a child being in diapers on average
3 years (12 ea of 3 Fuzzi Bunz sizes). Disposable diaper price was
calculated by averaging both store and name brand diapers in the medium
size range. This was also based on an average of 8 diaper changes per day.
Who created pocket diapers and why?
The first pocket diaper, Fuzzi Bunz, was born out of Tereson Dupuy's need for a better diaper for her sensitive skinned, rash prone, baby boy. After an exhaustive search, and a disappointing trial period using the "best" cloth and disposable diapering products, Tereson decided to develop a diaper for her baby that satisfied them both. It had to keep her baby's skin dry, it had to be leak proof, and it had to be easy to care for, clean and use. After making Fuzzi Bunz diapers for her own son, and seeing how well they worked, she began making them for her internet friends who also cloth diapered their babies. Her friends were astounded with what they received. Fuzzi Bunz have rapidly become one of the most popular diapers today. Now there are many great brands of pocket cloth diapers, including Swaddlebees, Mommy's Touch and Happy Heiny's. Information Center home.
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