All-In-One Cloth Diaper Comparison

As a cloth-mom looking to maximize savings on my cloth diaper purchases, it's really important that I know what I'm getting into before making a diaper purchase.  Clearly, every mom and every baby is different, so what works for others might not work for me, but I want to make sure I've done my research on other mom's experiences before I make a decision to buy.

So that's what we're talking about today - How to make a decision to buy a particular cloth diaper.  I am looking into All-In-One's (check out my guide to cloth diapers here) and how to decide which brand is right for you.  I wanted to look at three different major cloth diaper brands to see how they measured up against each other - I chose bumGenius, Thirsties, and Blueberry.

What to Consider

Reviews:  What do other moms say about these diapers?  Sometimes online reviews will give you more information than anything else when considering which diapers to buy.  I try to balance both the good and the bad, getting as equal an opinion as I can.

• bumGenius: On Diaper Junction, one reviewer said that the elemental AIO was "SO much more beautiful in person than I ever could have imagined. The elementals are super absorbent and I'm able to add more absorbency as needed for naps/night time which is awesome too!"  On Kelly's Closet, a different review gave a slightly less positive opinion, saying that "this diaper is ok. No leaks, but getting it on is tough because the layers don't lay flat on the smaller settings. It also takes ForEVER to dry."
• Thirsties: I found a great review on Diaper Junction for this one: "We have both Thirsties AIO size 1s and Thirsties one-size AIOs in our diaper stash. The benefit of the redesign is that these dry so much faster than the sized type that had the tunnel design - no need to turn inside out to fully dry anymore. The downside is that they don't fit our baby quite as well as the size 1s. It will pay off in the long run, though, with not having to buy extra sizing as she grows. Haven't been able to use these at night without leaking around thighs."
• Blueberry: The first review I read on this diaper at Diaper Junction said that "this diaper seems nicely made, but it is bulky and already small on my 12 lb baby. I am on the second to last snaps on the top and medium rise. There is no way this will last to 30+ pounds."  On Kelly's Closet, on review said "I like how the soaker folds out for faster drying, and how you can add additional absorbency under the soaker for heavy wetters. However, these are on the pricey side, especially since the natural fabric they use is just cotton, and not something more absorbent like bamboo or hemp, which would justify the price a bit more"

Cost: AIO's tend to be at the top of the price range for most cloth diapers - Some brands dip below $20 per diaper, others above $30.  Let's see how these do:

• bumGenius: $24.95 per diaper on CottonBabies.Com
• Thirsties: $16.50 per diaper on ThirstiesBaby.Com
• Blueberry:  $28.95 per diaper on KellysCloset.Com

Sizing and Closures:  Cloth diapering "basics" tell the informed mom that you can get a diaper in "one size" or diapers that are sized to a smaller weight range, and diapers that come with two forms of closures - Snaps and Velcro (aplix / hook and loop).  Many moms have a preference here, so this is really dependent on what you prefer.

• bumGenius: The elemental AIO is a one-size option that comes in a 3x3 snap down design and adjusts the sizing to small, medium and large sizes (approximately 8-35 lbs.)  Snap Closures.
• Thirsties: These come in two sizes - Size 1 is advertised to fit babies weighing 6-18lbs (6-8kg) and Size 2 18-40lbs (8-28kg).  You can select either Snaps or Velcro closures.
• Blueberry:  This diaper is advertised to fit babies weighing 10-35lbs, with a waist range of 9-21" (23-53 cm), thigh range of 4-12.5" (10-32 cm), and rise of 13.5-18.5" (34-47 cm). Snap Closures.

Fabric: Some moms don't have a preference, others do.  I prefer natural fibers if I get them, but not every brand has the same options to pick from.

• bumGenius: Six layers of organic cotton for absorbency inside the diaper (next to baby) with an outer waterproof synthetic layer.
  
• Thirsties: Internal trim-fitting soaker with three layers of absorbent microfiber terry, a stay-dry microfleece liner, and an outer waterproof synthetic layer.
  
• Blueberry:  This diaper has a synthetic waterproof outer layer and 10 layers of 100% cotton birdseye fabric in the wet zone.  

 How do you make your choice?

This is the hard part - which one will end up being best for you?  Blueberry's option is just too pricey for me, so it's out.  Thirsties sounds like a great option that matches cost with decent reviews... but it lacks organic materials like bumGenius. 

The middle ground then, in my opinion, is the elemental AIO from bumGenius - organic cotton, reasonable pricing, and it has the closure/fit options that I prefer.  But another mom might go a completely different way - That's the benefit of cloth diapers.  You're able to try different things out and narrow-in on what works best for you and your baby.

Which would you pick?