Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

****ONE YEAR UPDATE AT THE END**** I did a huge amount of research before jumping into cloth diapering. So, let me share with you what I took away from the research I did, my own personal experience, and some tips specific to these diapers. My tips only relate to this style of diaper - I can give no insight for other types (such as prefolds or all-in-ones as I specifically researched for using this kind). 1. DO YOUR PREP WORK! The inserts become more absorbing after they get multiple washes – I don’t understand the “why” of this nor do I need to know – but it works! These microfiber inserts need to be washed about 6 (or more if you want) times to get the absorbency up so that they will work well in your diapers. If you buy other inserts (which I recommend, so that you can double up at bedtime or other times – also, there are inserts out there that work better than these, although I haven’t had any issues with these when prepped correctly). If you buy other inserts that have natural material (bamboo, hemp, organic cotton) make certain you wash those by themselves several times to remove any of the natural oils before washing them with your other inserts or diapers! Also, natural fibers need more washes (8+) to be prepped. I didn’t try boiling (no thanks!) like some suggest, so I can’t speak to that. I put my inserts on the “quick wash” feature in my washer (about 30 minutes per run) and run it over and over again! I only use detergent on the first load to get out any manufacturing products, after that it isn’t necessary. You do not need to dry them between washes, but I do dry about every 3-4 washes as it seems to help absorbency as well. But that’s a matter of choice. You really only need to wash the actual diaper shell once with a bit of detergent to get off any gunk from the processing, packaging…etc. 2. FLEECE IS YOUR FRIEND! A great tip I've learned and applied is to use fleece to make your cloth diapering life easier and more pleasant for your baby. Fleece is very inexpensive (get some at the discount bin at your fabric store, or Joanns almost always has it 50+% off and then get the scrap for extra discount - or use some lying around like I did!) but it is great at wicking away moisture! Fleece will let the moisture pass through and keep your baby feeling dry and comfy - plus its super soft! MAKE CERTAIN that the fleece you buy passes water through! Some fleece types are water resistant and this will cause problems as the urine can't pass through and into the diaper and inserts! Test your fleece and make sure water passes through. Use your inserts as a guide and cut as many pieces of fleece as you have diapers. I would actually cut a few extra and here is why... When baby poops, the poop stays on the fleece instead of going on the diaper, and the fleece does not have the gussets or all the material around it, and I find it easier to clean. Also, if, over the years, stains do set in...it's just a .02 cent piece of fleece, throw it away and make a new one! :) Also, my baby girl seems to poop right after I just put a new diaper on her. So, when the insert and diaper are still dry, it is easy to remove the fleece and put in a new piece to not have to do a full diaper change 15 minutes after putting on a new diaper! 3. AVOID THE STINKIES WITH A WET BAG Let's face it...a bunch of pee and poop sitting for a while is just not the kind of scent that is going to inspire a Yankee Candle! Thank goodness that research led me to PlanetWise wet bags. Holy cow I LOVE these things! Wet bags have a special interior liner that keeps moisture (and smells) in. The bag has a zipper top for easy access and, again, to keep smells in. My little girl's room NEVER smells bad, despite a bag full of dirty diapers! It's pretty amazing. When you unzip the top and put in a new dirty diaper...whew! It's amazing that, once that zipper is closed, you don't smell it at all! I have 24 cloth diapers and I use two large PlanetWise bags (these also have a fabric tie that snaps around my baby's changing table, which is very convenient) - when one is full (about 14 diapers & inserts & fleece liners) I put that one in the laundry room and put up the second one. If you have only two sets of these diapers, you won't need two large bags. I also keep one medium sized bag (does not have the handle strap) on our main floor for diaper changes, it also goes in my purse when out and about. I empty before going somewhere with it, or at night, into one of the bigger bags. I can have a dirty diaper in this in my purse and not smell a thing - LOVE THAT! Also, they go right into the wash along with your diapers (remove diapers first! Don't try to wash them in the bag...just a possibly unnecessary warning...) 4. HOW TO NEVER TOUCH POOP OR PEE Okay, this is a huge reason a lot of people fear doing cloth diapering - myself included (although I think my three big dogs have desensitized me to the pee/poop/vomit gross outs fairly well). When I first started, I would remove the insert and fleece liner from the diaper after each change and put them into the wet bag and then they were all ready to just dump into the washer. Seemed like a good idea. However, the inserts don't really shake out easily...or hardly ever at all... and I would try to (usually unsuccessfully) use the inside of the wet bag to grab out the liner. Usually I'd give up and just have to grab it with my finger...trying to not touch urine, which I inevitably did...most every time! Ew. So, here is what works for me and is sooooo much better! When I change her, I just fold that diaper right back in half and place it, as is, in the wet bag. Done...for the moment. I don't care if it is pee or poop...fold up and put in the wet bag all the same. The wet bag keeps things wet, so poop hasn't gotten hard or difficult to clean up (Plus it is on the fleece liner, so not too big a deal!). Or, if you are using disposable liners, throw those out and fold up the remainder into the wet bag (we have septic, so disposables go in the trash if I use them, which is rare so far). This makes changes SO quick and easy. Honestly, just as easy or easier than disposable diapers! For wash day I am fortunate enough to have a utility sink in my laundry room, so I just dump out the contents of all my Wet Bags into the large utility sink and throw the empty wet bags into the washer (which I leave open and ready to receive the pile of ick I am about to send its way…). (Don't have a sink in the laundry room? Maybe get a bucket or bin that you can use just for this purpose.) I keep a box of disposable gloves at the sink. I throw a pair of those on and then set to removing the inserts, liners and throwing them all in the washer. If there is poop that needs to be cleaned off, I do that last in the sink (which is then cleaned!!) and then throw those in the washer too. Then gloves go in the trash and I’ve never touched pee or poop! YEA! Also, once everything has already been prepped, you are good to wash the diapers and inserts all together! I do a pre-wash, a wash and an extra rinse and they always turn out perfectly. TIPS/REVIEW FOR THESE DIAPERS I have been very happy with these diapers! Full disclosure – these are the only cloth diapers I have tried! However, I had a hard time bringing myself to pay the $17-25 each for the major brands. I really wanted a one-size-fits all diaper, especially since the reason I’m cloth diapering is to save cost for this baby (#1) and future babies! These made it far more affordable and they really looked so comparable to the major brands. After reading the mostly positive reviews, I decided to try out 12 first. Was so happy with them, I bought 12 more!! The product seems very well made and high quality - I was very pleasantly surprised! When prepped correctly, I haven’t had any problems with the inserts absorbing just fine. I generally change the diaper every 3 hours and don’t really have problems with leaks. However, I did have a few leaks and was getting frustrating. After doing some research I found that I needed to just make some adjustments to make sure the legs were tight enough to not leak. Once I made those adjustments, I haven’t had an issue! Very happy with these diapers and very glad I chose them (and such a better price too)! On a side note, these diapers seem to really keep smells in far more than a disposable. With disposables, you can smell the interior smells easily, especially when baby is poopy. These diapers, even when she's just pooped, I can barely smell it, which is nice when in a public place where you can't change her right that moment. A small plus, but there you go... ;) When you put the diaper on, do a quick “openings” check to avoid leaks. I make sure that the fleece liner is fully tucked inside (so it doesn’t wick moisture right past the diaper and out onto the clothes - make sure it is fully contained in the diaper). I also make sure the legs are pulled out and not tucked inward, so that it lays flat all around the legs. Make sure the interior fabric isn’t facing out at all (around legs or back – front of tummy is less of an issue I’ve found). Make sure to tuck it in so that the exterior waterproof fabric is closing the interior fabric up. Hope that makes sense!! I find that some of the diapers fit a little bit differently than the others (about 3-4 of my diapers have to be fastened tighter than the others), so always do a quick few second check to make sure everything fits right to avoid a leak!! Also, if you choose to do an insert outside of the pocket just remember that microfiber should NOT ever go against babies skin – it will dry out their skin and can be painful after time. Make sure there is either a natural fiber insert or a fleece liner between a microfiber insert and baby’s skin. Oh, and the fleece liners are great in case you need to use diaper creams - which shouldn't touch your inserts or diapers! I would thoroughly rinse out the liners that have gotten diaper cream on them before putting them in the wash though...just in case! Whew…that was long, but hopefully it will be helpful for people!! I am really glad I’ve gone to cloth diapering, and hopefully you will be time! If you have questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer! Best of luck! UPDATE Okay, I have been using these for almost a year now and I am still as pleased with them as before. I just wash them with free & clear detergent - none of the expensive diaper detergents - and haven't had any issues. They have held up extremely well and seem as good as when we first started using them. So I would definitely still give them 5 stars! :)