About 6-1/2 years ago, some girls on my April 2004 baby group on BabyCenter talked me into trying out FuzziBunz with my son, Rowan. I’d been using disposable diapers, and cloth was really, really foreign to me. I really didn’t understand it very well, but I really liked the girls who were suggesting it, and wanted to give it a shot, so while my husband was deployed, I bought 8 Fuzzi Bunz. They were bulky, pushed my son’s legs apart a lot, I didn’t quite “get” them or understand what I was doing, and I despised them. I sold them for about half the price not too long afterwards.
I’ve been cloth-diapering my daughter, Aurora, for 17 months now, but was really growing to hate the diapers I had. So when I was offered to review the new FuzziBunz One Size diapers, I was rather torn. I really wanted to try out new diapers since I was so sick and tired of the ones I had and all my problems with them, and I’d had such a poor opinion of FuzziBunz in the past. Just like with the Rockin’ Green detergent, I wasn’t sure it was fair to agree to review something I was pretty sure I was going to hate.
Boy, was I wrong.
I said yes, and I’m so glad I did. When I pulled the diapers out of the box, I was so happy with the elastic around the top and back that I knew would help with the fit over my daughter’s big bubble butt without leaving a gap. I’d been getting irrationally angry at the hook-and-loop tape (Velcro) on my current diapers, so dealing with the snaps on the FuzziBunz was also a great relief. When I examined the adjustable elastic around both leg openings, and also picked up the extras that come with every diaper, I was yet again pretty impressed.
Already, I was thinking these would fit my daughter better, with her chunky thighs, big belly and bubble butt. I could really adjust each opening exactly how I needed it to be for her little body shape. Plus, the inside was insanely soft.
When I started using them, I quickly noticed that they were easier to get on, faster to get on (stuffing one pocket is way easier than snapping in a liner, laying in an insert and fighting with velcro that often doesn’t stick), and even better, they weren’t overly bulky like I was afraid of. They really weren’t very bulky at all. They also didn’t leak — something I’d just accepted with my old diapers — even when we were out for a little while or she totally emptied her bladder after a nap or other longer period of time when I couldn’t get her to a potty.
I actually started doing diaper laundry more often, just to get the two I’d been sent in circulation more frequently, and also to see how they stood up after some wear (the answer is they stand up great). I found myself hating my old diapers even more and finally used a gift card from my work I’d been holding onto to buy 6 more FuzziBunz One Size… with the intention of using the eight I’ll have and slowly selling off my old diapers in order to buy a few more FuzziBunz, until that’s all I’ve got. I’m a complete and total convert.
Honestly, if that’s not a rave review, I don’t know what is. I’m so insanely glad I decided to give FuzziBunz another shot. I was so sick of cloth diapering that I didn’t even want to do it anymore, and now I’m incredibly excited to be able to buy diapers that aren’t falling apart and leaking on a regular basis.
So THANK YOU SO MUCH, FuzziBunz, for allowing me to try out these diapers! I’m so ecstatic to have them and not hate cloth-diapering anymore.
A special thank you to my friend
Anna Wessel of Reflections Photography for taking
the adorable picture of my daughter in her FuzziBunz.
Tags: cloth diapers, diapers, fuzzibunz, fuzzibunz review, gdiapers, one size diapers
Within 2 days of our FuzziBunz arriving, my husband (who’s the biggest cheapskate on the planet) turned to me and said “We have to switch over to using these completely – go buy as many as you can.” And since then, we’ve spent the last 9 months growing our stash one or two at a time. We now have 16, and are still buying more since our nearly-3-yr-old is still in diapers and the newborn is arriving next month. Thankfully, since they’re One Size, we only have to buy one diaper for every age, and that’s a huge cost savings.
I used to use Thirsties covers with prefolds, and I really did love them – UNTIL the stupid velcro gave out after only 8 or 9 months. NO matter what I did, I couldn’t keep the velcro looking nice, and I’m not the kind of person who will pull out a sewing machine and fix it. My son had far too easy a time ripping himself out of the velcro diapers, too. At 3, it takes him several minutes to get himself out of the FuzziBunz, and sometimes can’t get the job done. Thank you, snaps!
I really wish I could justify pocket dipes, but at two dollars a load for laundry, I really think I’m going to have to stick with prefolds and covers. The good news is, Thirsties now come with snaps, so that’s the majority of my stash so far.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Bravo for you for even doing cloth without your own washer! I don’t think I would have even tried.
I tried Fuzzibuns about the same time you did and didn’t last long – seemed like they leaked a lot, and for various reasons it just wasn’t working. Now I’m thinking about switching to cloth with my 18 mo and going cloth from the start with #4, and was thinking of the velcro kind with the snap ins, but now I’m thinking FBs might be the way to go. I think I still have some extra inserts, but alas, I got rid of the diapers long ago.
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
No. Dude. No. I’ve been avoiding saying it, but the diapers I was using that I now can’t stand are gDiapers. I used cloth at home and the disposable insert while out. I am so, so tired of them, and sure, they’ll send new velcro and tabs for the snap in liners and you can buy new liners, but damn it, I’m like Gina and I don’t have time or the desire to fix it myself like that. FuzziBunz at least has a warranty for a year and THEY’LL fix things like snaps and send you inserts WITH the diapers AND extra elastic — standard.
I’d go for these, seriously. Like Gina said, since they’re one-size they’ll work for both your 18 month old (my daughter’s 20 months) and they’ll work on a newborn too.
I’ve been listening to you rave about gDiapers for almost two years now, Christie, so I’m curious to know what changed. Was it just the fit, and the velcro, or is there more to it than that?
Twitter: RanaAurora
says:
Not two years, Aurora’s not even two!
But honestly, the liners are all dying, the velcro all needs work or replaced, and when the velcro comes loose or falls off, the tabs that the liner snaps into fall off too, so THOSE have to be replaced as well.
So, to make them all fully functional again, I’d need to: Request all new velcro (and they want to know each diaper that needs it… I have about 30 in circulation! I don’t freaking know, just send some!), put in new tabs with the velcro, figure out when I could POSSIBLY have time to sew and fix 30 diapers, and buy all new liners too. So pretty much, only the cloth pant itself and the cloth inserts haven’t died, but everything that makes them work has been dying way too fast, they take way too much work to fix, and they also leak a lot because I need all new liners.
I didn’t get cloth to have to repair and buy new pieces for all the time, you know? I just got really, really sick of it. Velcro + diapers = horrid idea. Also got super-tired of having to assemble them each time, AND the little tabs with Aurora’s current size sit right on her hip bone and were irritating her.
I mean, granted, they’d send the replacement tabs and velcro for free — that’s always good. I don’t wish them any ill and I also didn’t want to trash-talk them because I DID love the diapers… they just really don’t last. Even with the $500 or so I spent, probably, I STILL saved TONS of money over what I would have spent on disposables. That’s not even debatable. But now it’s like having to buy a new stash AGAIN because they’re just not working anymore, and the resale value is crap too.
This comes at a funny time for me, the fuzzi bunz user who just switched to prefold and imse vimse covers. I do like my fb’s. They rarely leak. My husband and other kids arent intimidated. They are fully adjustable for my buddha baby. They look cute. BUT the microfiber inserts smell to high heaven. I have done a variety of things to combat or cure this. To no avail. I’ve used a couple different detergents and even boiled them, put vinegar, put baking soda. The smell and the hassle to get rid of them smell is enough to turn me right off. It took a couple of months to show up and it’s been an issue since. Sigh. I haven’t given up but oy. What a pain.
Joni, I was having problems with my microfiber inserts after a few months, too. I’d do baking soda soaks and use Bac-Out in the loads and could get them smelling nice for one change, then the smells would come back.
I’ve found that if I soak the microfiber in a bucket of hot soapy water overnight (I use a 1/2 scoop of Charlie’s Soap), then drain and wash normally, I get no stink. Even a soak in the washer wasn’t enough – it needs to be that hot bucket soak. This one step has truly saved my microfiber relationship!
I’ve been cloth diapering since 4 weeks with dd and i started with G’s. I liked them only because I didnt know any better and had recieved them (with cloth inserts and flushies) as a shower gift. when she grew out of the smalls i tried to sell them, and ended up selling them for much less then i thought i could get for them (no resale value sucks!) Then, since i was broke, I started using prefolds and snappies and Kushies covers. They worked brilliantly, never leaked and the velcro held up like a champ. They were fine until dd learned how to roll over from her back to her front, then every diaper change was like going into battle! so i bought 12 used Bum Genious. if it werent for the velcro i would certainly adore these. I just dont have enough to get me as long as i need to get between washes (I too have to wash them $3 at a time.) So I was going to buy more but because they are so pricy to begin with, I had to research and then I found Sunbabydiapers.com. They are very similar to FB pockets. they are one size, have thigh snaps and snap closures. the inserts are super soft microfiber, I dont like touching it but it holds lots and the soft fleecy inside wicks really well. they dont leak and they come in MANY different colors and patters. Best part? they are $4.50 a diaper if you buy the 24 pack with 24 inserts! Yup, $108 for 24 shipped! I split a 12 pack with some friends so we could each have 3 to try and everyone ordered their stash within 2 weeks.
I’m expecting a babe in August so have been stockpiling on diapers… a diaper or so a week. We’re up to 6 diapers now… half of them FuzziBuns. Even though this is my 3rd child, I’ve never cloth diapered before and am really excited to be trying them out. I was advised though not to get the FuzziBuns OneSize for newborns because they ARE so bulky. You started using them on a 17 month old. I got the Perfect Size small for my newborn. If those go well, I foresee myself buying the OneSize when this babe grows out of the small One Size and we’ll see how that goes.
oops… meant “when this babe grows out of small *PERFECT SIZE* and we’ll see how that goes.”
For your reader above who had stink issues with FBs, I had the same problem and spent hours searching the internet for the answer to my problems.
Here’s what I learned: I had two problems. I was using too much detergent (even though I was following FB’s instructions and using 1/2 the amount recommended by detergent box) and, b/c of my HE washer, too little water. The excess detergent was staying in my dipes and causing the ammonia build-up. I finally hit on a routine that worked and have been stink-free for about 6 months now. Here it is:
1. delicate cycle, no detergent, cool or warm water, NO SPIN (lasts about 20 minutes)– this is the cycle that uses the most water on my machine. It rinses a lot of the pee out and b/c I don’t let it spin, my diapers end up heavy with water. This tricks the machine into using more water than usual for the next cycle. (You could always let it spin if you want and then pour in fresh water to saturate your dipes for the next round.)
2. normal or heavy duty cycle, about a teaspoon of country save powder detergent, hot water, cold rinse, spin (40-80 minutes)–whether or not I choose heavy duty or normal has to do with how dirty the dipes seem. I usually switch back and forth every other load.
3. pour 3 pitchers of water into machine to soak my dipes and get them good and heavy again to trick machine. Then, another hot wash, NO DETERGENT or any other products. Again, depending on how dirty the load seems, I choose between normal, heavy duty or sometimes sanitary (extra hot) wash. (40-120 minutes) This last cycle eliminates any detergent residue from the second cycle.
And then I hang-dry.
It seems like a lot of extra work and water but my bills haven’t gone up–probably b/c I was doing plenty of washes before trying to get rid of the stink issue and I don’t use the dryer at all.
Thank you for the idea of the delicate cycle….I have a front loader too and have a horrible time with the smell. I have started doing a normal cold/cold, followed by a heavy warm or hot/cold, and the 3rd wash taking out the covers and only washing the inserts. That seemed to help too. But maybe the delicate cycle will alleviate a step for me here!
We started out with g’s too.. I HATE HATE HATE them now!! we started with them since day one and we used the smalls for a while and we had to stop using cloth because of the liners. Shipping was crazy expensive for one package and the closest place that sells anything gdiapers is over an hour away! We havent’ tried FB but I think we might pick up one or two now.. However we will never ever be going back to g’s! They just suck..
Hmm…I have a FB one-size that I tried on my son when he was about seven-ish weeks old, and I HATED it. It leaked both times. I currently have it on craigslist, but haven’t gotten any bites. Maybe I’ll give it another go this weekend…
My first overnight cloth diaper (not a FB) experience was a nightmare. My daughter woke up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder and I didn’t know why. I thought it was gas, so I pushed her legs in to try to help her go. Screamed even louder. I patted her butt trying to calm her. Even louder screams. Finally I changed her diaper and was met with a horrendous diaper rash. The next morning I went and googled what I’d done wrong. I also ended up adding FB for overnights. (I was told they were amazing for overnights). I was scared the first night I put her in them overnight. No screaming in the middle of the night. No leaks. Just a happy daughter in the morning with a big ol’ cloth diaper booty. Both my husband and I agree– Fuzzibunz is our favorite diaper!
I am about to sell my six Fuzzibunz. Unfortunately, my 18 month old has developed a sensitivity to fleece. I love my FB, but I am not going to take the risk that my new baby boy due in May will also be sensitive. It is not worth the cherry red bum and crying!
I’ve got 5 bum geniuses so far im going to start picking up one diaper everytime DH gets paid. Im just going to test out different ones. They’ll be pocket os. I really want a fb! They seem nice..
I\’ve got 5 bum geniuses so far im going to start picking up one diaper everytime DH gets paid. Im just going to test out different ones. They\’ll be pocket os. I really want a fb! They seem nice..
I\\\’ve got 5 bum geniuses so far im going to start picking up one diaper everytime DH gets paid. Im just going to test out different ones. They\\\’ll be pocket os. I really want a fb! They seem nice..