I never thought I was cut out for cloth diapers but Tidy Tots’ cloth diapering system may have changed my mind. I tried these diapers on my 20-month-old son for two weeks and we didn’t have any leaks or rashes, and I never had to wash waste off the cloth. Miracle you say? Maybe. Maybe just great innovation from Tidy Tots.
First, the leak-proof covers come in very cute patterns for littles bums. We went with space pants (galaxy) and dinosaurs. The covers have flaps that fold over the diaper insert, which snaps in place so there’s no shifting or leaking. I was worried the elastic on the legs would rub but we didn’t have a problem. There are about 20 snaps on the front so you can get a very customized fit for your baby.
The game-changer
The coolest thing for someone like me who has avoided cloth diapering because I haven’t wanted to handle poop, was the “flushies” liner. Just wrap the liner, which looks like a dryer sheet, around the cloth insert and then pull it away along with any mess, and flush it down the toilet. No spray nozzles or attachments for the toilet. Just flush and you’re done! There is some velcro on the insert to hold it in place which works well, though I would have liked a bit more velcro at either end of the insert.
The diapers come with cloth inserts and “boosters” which are an additional thick pad to put inside the insert. I will say that without the booster, the diaper was pretty useless for my son. With the booster, we had no problem, but without, he peed right through the cloth.
The cloth itself is an organic hemp blend which was great. We haven’t had any odor problems and I’ve washed these several times. The company does recommend that you hang the diapers to dry which is a bit of a pain but if you buy enough inserts you should be fine.
Now that my son is older, cloth diapers are pretty easy to use. He’s pretty “regular” so I can anticipate if I need a flushie or not, and I know basically how much he’s peeing during the day. When he was an infant, I think cloth would have been tougher. But if you’re going to do it, I highly recommend this system. It is a true cost-savings if you recognize just how much you’d spend on disposables over the first 2-3 years before potty training.