It's been since March that we have been cloth diapering full time. I wrote a review of the diapers after about a week and a half of cd-ing. I thought maybe I should do an update on how we are liking using the Flips. Here is a link to the original review.
After doing much research on diapers, I decided to try the Flip system by Cotton Babies. We liked them from the beginning so we (and by we, I mean me) didn't try any other brand.
At this point we have 24 Organic Inserts (OI) and 10 covers (in baby blue, blue, light green, green, and yellow--2 of each color). We tried the stay-dry inserts (SD), but Logan developed a rash from the microsuede of the SD, so we switched. I wish we had just done the cotton in the first place, but hindsight is 20/20.
I've been very happy. I like the covers. We usually rotate 2 throughout the day. I find this is easier to have one diaper loaded and ready to go when it is time to change. Then I can put the soiled insert in the pail and wipe out the cover. I let the cover air out until the next change. This helps the cover not get a smell. If by some chance (and this is seldom at this point) poo did get on the cover, I would rinse it out and put it in the pail. I also like that the cover is growing with him. We are still able to keep him on the medium rise. We have only let out the waist snaps by 1 snap. These should fit him until he potty trains. The covers also dry very quickly. I never put them in the dryer. I either hang them on the banister or over the side of the basket outside in the summer.
As for the OI themselves. I think these are great. They are very absorbent. We use them over night without a problem until recently. (He has been drinking over 8 oz of milk as his bedtime bottle and I think that if he sleeps more than 11 hours, the OI gets just a tad too full and he leaks a little in the front. I will be trying to add a hemp insert this week to try to remedy this. This has only happened 2 or 3 times in the past week...so very new) I like that I control the width of the OI when I fold them. I don't make the length any shorter. They fit back to front just perfectly. I tri-fold them so they are just a little skinnier than the crotch of the covers. I don't have much problems with them sliding around or bunching. There is slight bunching in the crotch, but I figure that is because his legs come together there, so physics...
The inserts are easy to load. I just lie them into the cover. I tuck the front of the insert under the cover flap and lie the back of the insert over the back flap. The back flap really is useless, IMO. My daycare uses the diapers and have had no complaints from them. I know that many daycares won't use any cd's except for AIO or Pockets that are already stuffed for them. So, this is a bonus.
We have a sprayer and I don't use it every time anymore. Usually I can get his poo to "plop" right off into the toilet. However, I do love the sprayer. I does come in handy when trying to get off those stubborn cling-ons. And speaking of poo--I have yet to have a blow-out in the flips that leaked from the flips. I have yet to have had to change his clothes due to a diaper leaking during the day.
I haven't had issues washing the diapers either. I use Country Save for our laundry detergent. We have an HE front loader. It has no bells or whistles. I don't turn up the hot water. I use about 1 tablespoon of detergent. I do a cold/cold on the pre-wash setting. I then add the detergent and run a hot/cold heavy load cycle with an extra rinse added. I have had no smell issues and so far no build up or absorbency issues. During the school year, I can't always line dry. But over the summer I have been able to install a retractable line and I put them out in the sun.
So far, so good. I even brought them with me on my trip to New England. They got washed in my brother's front loader, and in the traditional washers of my mom and my bff. I was glad that I brought the diapers with me. Those few days in the airport and my day trip to NYC were so annoying to have him in the disposables. I really loathe the smell of sposies now.
I am really happy with the flip system. I think for the money it has been a very good investment. I could have gone cheaper with pre-folds, but this is easier--no folding for Hubby or for daycare. We will soon recoup our investment sometime in the next 2 or 3 months. Not bad. Here is my cost breakdown.
I know there are many kinds of cloth diapers out there and maybe I should have tried others, but we are happy with these. My friends have all been surprised that I was doing cloth and at how easy it looked. My mom thinks it is great. I am sure my neighbor thinks I am totally crunchy, but whatever. I am very happy with my decision. I think when (and if) we have #2, we will use pre-folds in the beginning before switching to the flips. If I had some extra money, I would love to try the gro-via. But alas, I am on a budget. Maybe one day. So for now, we stick with what works--the flips.
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