Which cloth diapers should I buy?

I am often asked this question by family and friends who are planning to start cloth diapering their babies.  My answer to this question has somewhat changed over the last year.  My answer used to be “Bum Genius, get all Bum Genius diapers!”  While I still love my Bum Genius diapers, I have come to realize that I like some variety in my diaper stash, and I like different diapers for different reasons.  

I work part time and my step-mother and mother-in-law watch my son on the days that I am working.  For any mom who send their child to daycare or to a family member I recommend getting something easy to use.  For the days when I send him off to their houses I usually pack my Bum Genius diapers with velcro.  I pack both pockets and the all-in-one organic diapers.  The velcro all-in-one diapers are as easy to put on as a disposable diaper.

For myself, I have realized that I like different diapers on different occasions.  When my son has a bad diaper rash I try to use one of my organic cotton diapers with a wool diaper cover because this is the most breathable option.  The diaper rash takes longer to clear up when he is in a diaper with a PUL (plastic) outer layer.  The wool diaper covers are also my go-to choice for night time because I never have any leaking problems.  For daytime, however, wool covers are bulky and hard to fit under his clothing.

I personally love the snap closure diapers because they do not stick together in the wash and you don’t have to worry about picking fuzz out of the velcro or replacing velcro, but they are harder to get on a squirmy baby.  If I could start over with my stash I would probably do about 1/2 snaps and 1/2 velcro.

It is also important to discover what works best for you.  Would you rather have a diaper that is all-in-one, so no stuffing is needed, but it takes longer to dry?  Would you rather have a pocket diaper that requires stuffing but dries faster and requires the insert to be pulled out before washing?  Would you rather have a diaper with an insert that snaps in (like Gro Baby)?  Would you rather have a diaper with an insert that can just lay in the diaper?  These are all questions you probably won’t know the answer to until you try some out.  For this reason I recommend getting one of each kind of diaper that you like to give a try to see what you think would work best for you.  Personally, I have come to like the inserts that either snap-in or can just be laid in the diaper for the reason that I can throw the insert in the dryer (if I need diapers in a hurry, otherwise I hang dry everything) separately from the diaper (which I hang dry).  This is similar to a pocket diaper, but no stuffing is required, so it is quick and easy to get the diapers ready!

Here is what my stash consists of:

The diapers that I have in my stash now are: 10 Bum Genius All-in-one Organic diapers (one with snaps) , 6 Bum Genius One-Size pocket Diapers (one converted to snaps), 2 Gro Baby Diapers with velcro, 1 Fuzzi Bunz One Size Pocket Diaper (snaps), 2 home made one size snap on organic cotton diapers, 4-5 home made one-size snap diapers with a snap-in soaker, 1 Cushy Toosh (etsy WAHM) snap pocket diaper, 1 Cushy Toosh over night diaper with gussets and velcro, and 2 wool covers (one pull on Medium size and one one-size WAHM made snap on).

What have you found that works best for your cloth diapering needs?  What would you do differently if you could start over again?

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