Monday, January 31, 2011

Q&A #8 -Do you you like sized diapers or one-size diapers, velcro or snaps?

The sized or one-size diaper debate:

Sized Diapers
Pros:  Sized diapers, as in you buy the exact size your baby needs (S,M,L,XL), are great when you want the perfect fit.  Like different brands of clothes, different brands of diapers fit babies differently.  I especially like sized diapers for newborns when cloth is especially bulky on a tiny baby.
Cons:  Babies outgrow diapers and need new diapers.  But, is this such a con?  Buying new diapers is fun!

One-Size Diapers:
Pros: One-size diapers are typically designed to fit babies 8lbs to 30lbs, i.e. newborn to toddler.  Definitely good for the budget, one-size diapers are available in every style from covers for prefolds to all-in-ones (AIOs).  These diapers have rows of snaps on the front of the diaper that are snapped up for little babies with more rows left unsnapped as your baby grows.
Cons: One-size diapers tend to be a bit bulkier on smaller babies.  I mentioned that different babies fit different diapers in different ways (like that repetition?) so the concept of a diaper fitting perfectly from the newborn stage to the potty-training years might be a bit misleading as the fit might not be right for your child's changing shape.

My opinion:  I like cloth diapers.  I like one-size diapers.  I like sized diapers.  We have a little bit of everything and they all get used!  Although, with two in diapers, I like the ease of grabbing one-size diapers for my purse so I know both kids are covered with fewer diapers in my purse.

The velcro or snaps debate:

Velcro:
Pros:  According to Taylor, velcro is easier.  You just "dhzjou dhzjou" the diaper and it is done.  I have to agree that it is easier to get the perfect tightness level with velcro which is important in order to prevent leaks around the legs.
Cons: Velcro is a beeotch to wash.  Although most velcro diapers have 'laundry tabs' to close the velcro before it goes in the wash, the tabs rarely stay closed.  Meaning you end up with a big bunch of tangled velcroed together diapers.  While it is a pain to unvelcro the tangle of clean diapers, velcro tabs can also come unsewed from the diapers and look ratty after a thousand repeated washings.

Snaps:
Pros:  Snap diapers are fantastic to wash.  No velcro to untangle and no 'laundry tabs' to worry about.  I also feel that snap diapers look better in the long run with no velcro sticking to the fleece inside of pockets and AIOs.  
Cons:  
To me, it's a pain to snap up a diaper on a wiggly baby.  I also tend to grab a velcro diaper when Liza is wearing jammies with a million snaps because really, who wants 4 more snaps to snap?  I'm not sure if this is a common issue but Liza's snap diapers tend to leak more often around her legs because I don't choose the appropriate snap to get it tight enough.

My opinion:  I am planning on sending all of our velcro diapers to have them converted to snaps.  Taylor isn't thrilled with this plan but snap diapers look better over the long run and are so much easier to wash. 

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Sized or one-size, velcro or snaps?
Which do you prefer?
Which do you own?
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Thank you in advance for your wonderful, thoughtful comments!

9 comments:

BrownFamily said...

I definitely prefer one size diapers just because one of the reasons we use cloth is to save money and with 2 girls in cloth we simply can't afford to buy sized diapers. I also think my hubby would get confused trying to figure out which diaper goes with which baby lol! We have all snap diapers but I haven't used velcro so not much opinion there :)

LOVE the cloth blogs btw!

Taylordearman said...

You forget the biggest drawback to snap diapers: at night or early morning when it's dark, when you don't want to turn on the lights and awaken the baby even more, it's REALLY hard to snap those damn snaps when you can't see anything!

Mandi @ Living the Good Life said...

Good point about the nighttime changing, Taylor!

Also, what I don't like about velcro as far as wear and tear is that whenever they inevitably come undone in the washer and begin forming the diaper snake, that velcro stick and picks at the other diapers making the outer fabrics all scratched.

I like having a mix of sized and one sized. With 2 in diapers, one sized is much more convenient. But I'm really partial to the fit of sized diapers b/c no matter the snapping down to size of the one-sizes, it's just not the same as the fit of a sized diaper.

Laura @ Our Messy Messy Life said...

Diaper snake. That's perfect, Mandi!

Velcro also makes it harder to do laundry one-handed. Rather than just reaching in the washer and throwing the wet diapers in the dryer, I need both hands available in order to situate the velcro to get the tabs right for the dryer.

I assume I'm not alone with only having one hand available to work.....

Laura @ Our Messy Messy Life said...

Brown Family - I'm glad are enjoying the cloth blogs! If we had started out with two in diapers, I feel sure I would have gone straight to one-size diapers. It certainly is more convenient with two babies.

Sarah and Phil said...

We've got a mix of everything--but I think we both love the one-size with velcro. It's just so easy to put them on with a good fit! Plus, without a dryer the "diaper snake" can actually be helpful--only one thing to hang up to dry instead of many.

I do love how trim the sized diapers are (we have gDiapers) but we seem to have more leaks with them.

Jude and Alisha said...

I'm a one-sized-snap-diaper-only kinda owner. It seems to be the best option for budgeting and long-term use. I will probably never have to buy another diaper again ever because no matter how big my kid gets or how many kids go through them, the one-size snapper will work.

Mandi @ Living the Good Life said...

even though, I'm not, this makes me feel "old", but I remember when one-size diapers came out and then really took off. lol. When I was buying diapers for Tripp, there wasn't any and shortly after he was born there were a couple but they were ridiculously expensive...$39 each!! Amazing how far cloth diapers have come in just 4 years.

Caro said...

Love the cloth diaper blog:)..
Snaps, snaps, snaps all the way here. I've tried both, and even though Taylor has a point about snapping in the middle of the night, it is worth it over the endless diaper chains... Oh, and velcro picking up stuff.. Like when hubby forgets to throw the liner in the toilet and just puts the diaper in the washer.. with the liner still in it.. until it finds the velcro and sticks to it;)..
I have a litle trick for night diapers using snaps: take a washable marker, and before going to bed get your diapers ready for night time changes. When they are ready, take the marker and color the snaps that need to be used:)..