Monkey Foot Designs- Wetbag Review

I am excited to share this new product review with all of you. Last week, I was searching the Internet for a wetbag to use with cloth diapers. I wanted a wetbag that is stylish and well made, and I stumbled upon Monkey Foot Designs. What a great find. They sell a great variety of handmade items including wetbags, belts, custom toddler pants, burp cloths, bibs and more. The fabrics that Kris, the owner, uses are great and this is what sold me on her wetbags.

My wetbag arrived yesterday, and I was instantly pleased. I have to admit that when Kris asked which pattern I wanted the bag in, I couldn’t decide which one I liked best so I told her my top three favorites and she sent me the Large (14”x14”) Sky Wallflower wetbag. The bag is extremely well made and has a zipper closure and a strap to hang it on a hook or door knob. The zipper worked flawlessly, and the inside of the bag is made from ProCare. ProCare is a fabric that is machine washable and dryable and is known for its high duty barrier protection. The bag is the perfect size for day outings and holds 4-5 cloth diapers. This bag would also be perfect for keeping down stairs for those quick diaper changes away from the changing table.

So, you're probably thinking that if you don't use cloth diapers, you don't need a wetbag. Well, you can use them for an assortment of other things such as wet bathing suits, soiled children’s clothes/burp cloths and your toiletries.

Thinking About Going Cloth?

Are you like me and thinking about switching to cloth diapers? This is something that I have been considering doing for some time now. With the birth of my second child, I started thinking about all those disposable diapers again. Plus until recently I had two children in disposable diapers, Allie is now potty trained and I have now decided to switch to cloth diapers. This has been a big decision for me, I wanted to make sure that they would work and fit our lifestyle, fit our budget, and be better for the environment (this was kind of a given). To get the answers to my questions I started doing some research on the Internet and this is what I found.

Cloth diapering is a whole world out there to be explored, there are so many different choices to choose, from cotton pre-folds to the super convenient pocket diapers. I am not going to go into all the different cloth diaper choices, the following are some of the sights that I used to help educate myself about the different cloth diapers available; Papoose (which is also a retail store in Norwich, CT), The Maine Cloth Diaper Company (which has a retail store in Maine), bumGenius, and Kelly's Closet. The current issue of Mothering Magazine has two great articles on cloth diapers- Dumping Disposable Diapers and The ABC's of Going Cloth, plus they have a bunch of archived articles on their website.

After collecting all my research on cloth diapers, I decided that I wanted to actually put my hands on some and I lucked out because Papoose in Norwich, CT carries and extensive line of cloth diapers. When I went to Papoose, Holly one of the co-owners was extremely helpful. She spent lots of time with me answering all my questions. If you live in the Norwich area or even near it, this is a great resource. They even offer Cloth Diapering 101 classes. After I had a chance to get all my questions answered I decided that I wanted to try the bumGenius diapers and I bought 3 to try. I really wanted to try them out before investing in a whole set. So I have been using them for 4 days, as much as I possibly can and in as many different situations as possible. So far, I have only had only one leak and it was at night and I didn't have the “doubler” in. Since using the “doublers” at night I haven't had any more leaks.

Getting Started:
18 diapers (I may need to get more, but I am going to start with 18 and judge it from there)

18 doublers (which are included with the bumGenius diapers)
Diaper Sprayer
Flushable Diaper Liners (for when you need to use diaper cream, you don't want the cream directly on the diaper, because it will decrease their absorbency)
Charlie Soap (or an additive free soap of your choice)
Wet Bag (one for the diaper pail and one for on the go to put those used diapers in)

So, for less than $400.00 I will be on my way. In 6 months my new cloth diapers will have payed for themselves and if Jack goes until he is at least 2 ½ before being potty trained we will save around $1200 and tons of waste in our landfills. Did you know that by the time your child is potty trained you will have used enough disposable diapers to more than fill your house with dirty diapers.

To Cloth Diaper or Not?

Like most of the moms who are reading this, I am always looking for ways to save some money and I am also looking for ways to be a "greener" family. This brings me to my question for anyone who is reading this. Has anyone tried cloth diapering or better yet does anyone use cloth diapers?

I am considering switching Jack to cloth diapers, the ones that I am leaning toward are bumGenius I really like the fact that these diapers grow as your baby grows and boy oh boy does Jack grow quickly.

What I am wondering from all you out there is, have you tried bumGenius or any other cloth diaper and how have you liked them?