So after a revalation on how many types of cloth diapers are out there and some thinking about what we would be willing to do and how far we (specificly hubby) would be willing to go we came to a decision.
We are going to start with hybrid diapers.
We decided that this was the way for us because at least till we get in the swing of things we didn’t want the use of strictly cloth to wear us out. We decided that a mixture of cloth and disposable inserts was still much better than strictly disposable. Here are the main reasons we decided to go with this option:
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Travel- We tend to travel quite a bit and while we know that won’t happen as often as it did before we don’t see it stopping. Neither of us really want to do a road trip with cloth at this point so having the option to switch to a disposable insert is a great plan.
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Daycare-We also know that she will be in daycare for 2-3 days a week and that it would be tough to find one that would work with full cloth (I know they are out there, but we have to keep in budget too.)
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Friends and Family– We don’t want to force those who love us to deal with them if they didn’t want to. If my in-laws are willing to watch her for the night, disposable inserts it is, no problem! Babysitter?, disposiables…you catch my drift?
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Newborn– Lastly the newborn phase, this is our first and I know that I’m going to be just a little overwhelmed š I want to have the option to use whatever I need to in that moment and not feel like I must use cloth strictly for those first few weeks.
So the next question is which hybrid system?
I’ve heard of a few different system Flip, Charlie Banana (Target,) gDiapers, Best Bottom, and Gro Via. There are lots to consider between these brands but some of the major things are availability, and fitted vs one size diapers, and perceived effectiveness.
Fitted diapers are more like disposable because there are multiple sizes and you have to keep buying new sizes as your baby grows. While this is more expensive in the beginning, if you are planning on having more than one child these will get used less (since your child will grow out of them) and therefore they will last from child to child (in theory.)
One Size diapers– The benefit of these is that they are adjustable, I’ve heard they are a little hard to fit newborns but after that they just grow with your baby as you adjust them. This is a great option for us since we are only thinking we will have one child (adopt another older one later) in diapers. If you wanted to use them from child to child you might have to replace them more often since they will be used more/longer. One size diapers also come with snap for velcro options which affect durability and adjustablity. Snaps are more durable, but less adjustable. Velcro is highly adjustable but wears out faster.
We decided to start with gDiapers (fitted) and Gro Via (one size) what I hope happens is we use mostly the newborn gdiapers (fitted) and then grow into the Grovia one sizes. This way we have options right from the beginning. If one style isn’t working we can try the other right away. The other reason we choose these 2 specific brands is that I liked their gussets systems, this is what I meant by perceived effectiveness, I just feel like having a gussets system will help prevent blowouts and leaks as much as possible.