Fuzzi Bunz Cloth Diapers: The Cadillac of Diapering
Fuzzi Bunz, as they are cloth diapers, don’t fill up and sit in land fills for very long times, there are no nasty chemicals against baby’s skin (that are in disposables in order to make the wet material “gel” up and not leak), and cloth diapers are much cheaper in the long run. Much more information is available on why cloth diapering is better than using disposables, check out http://www.motherease.com/info.html for a more thorough explanation of the benefits of cloth.
The cloth diapers of today are far from the pinned rectangles of fabric of yesteryear. Fuzzi Bunz are a waterproof layer on the outside that can be purchased in many different colors or white, and have a fleece liner on the inside, creating a pocket in between the two materials. Fuzzi Bunz are thus a “pocket style” diaper, meaning an insert is placed inside the diaper. Inserts range greatly in absorbency and material type (cotton, hemp, microfiber, etc.), and can be customized to fit the need for absorbency (all night long vs. daytime, heavy wetting kid vs. a light wetter, etc.). The user can be creative and use whatever they have on hand to “stuff” it with, or can purchase trim fitting, highly absorbent inserts made especially for pocket style diapers such as Fuzzi Bunz. The fleece is what is against the child’s body, and it is great at wicking away moisture from the skin into the insert where it stays. Fuzzi Bunz have durable snaps so there is no Velcro closures to wear out or snag on other items in the wash or dryer. The elastic around the legs and part of the waist is non-irritating as it is below the surface of the fleece and the sewing design around the legs of Fuzzi Bunz is different from, and prevent leaks a lot more than, other pocket style diapers such as Happy Heinys. They come in different sizes, but each size has several snaps, making the fit highly adjustable during use of that one size.
We have been ultimately happy with Fuzzi Bunz. They prevent leaks as good as the most expensive disposables, and better than any other cloth diapers we’ve tried. The fleece sheds solid material easily, and rarely stains, and when there is discoloration, it can be easily gotten rid of by placing in sunlight (known as “sunning” in the diapering world). Velcro on other diapers we used made a mess of things in the wash, even when we closed the laundering tabs that are supposed to prevent that. The child wearing Fuzzi Bunz stays drier with the inner fleece and has less diaper rashes as a result. Fuzzi Bunz are faster and easier to put on than other systems where a diaper and a cover have to be put on in separate steps. In fact, when a Fuzzi Bunz has an insert in it already, parents, grandparents and babysitters find them just as easy to put on as disposables. Fuzzi Bunz dry extremely fast since the insert is washed and dried outside of the diaper. Wonderoos pocket diapers are similar, but the crotch is a lot wider, and the one size fits all format can be confusing at first and for other caregivers as you have to fold them down and snap in different ways depending on the size of the kid.
When investing in a top of the line cloth diapering system, remember how much you would realistically be paying for disposable diapers – that you would use and never see again (and would be sitting in a land fill, not breaking down, not biodegrading, at all). Fuzzi Bunz on the other hand are used for up to 3 years or more for the same child, and possibly for subsequent children, and they can always be resold at close to what you paid for them, especially if you follow the manufacturer’s care instructions. One can buy brand new and previously used Fuzzi Bunz many places online, including eBay, and some in-person stores, but be careful when buying second hand because you will often pay almost as much or the same as if you had gotten them new! This is because of their high demand for Fuzzi Bunz and their durability which creates a very high resale value, so once you figure in your cost of shipping (don’t forget that!) it often comes to the same price per diaper as brand new. Many sites that sell them brand new offer free shipping and many times inserts come with them as well, the same is not often true for second hand products. Also when you are buying second hand, you might not know what “edition” of diaper you are getting – as with most products, Fuzzi Bunz have undergone revisions over time and the newer ones have a softer fleece and a narrower crotch. My favorite places for learning about Fuzzi Bunz is www.fuzzibunz.com which is the site for Mother of Eden, the original creator of Fuzzi Bunz. There you will find more detailed information, a video about the “Fuzzi Bunz Stay Dry Diapering System” how Fuzzi Bunz first came about, sizing guidelines and why cloth diapers are good to use in the first place, and where you may find them in a store near you. A site where you can buy brand new ones is www.mothereve.com where you an also find other products such as slings, feminine products, etc. (Click on “Shop Now”) on their home page to buy). As always, Google-ing “Fuzzi Bunz” will bring up a lot of results.
