Cloth Diapering

I received these products at no cost to facilitate my review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are completely my own.

When people express interest in cloth diapering and start doing their research, they often are surprised at how many different options there are when it comes to styles and inserts. Prefolds, AIO’s, AI2’s, snaps, hook & loop, microfiber, bamboo, cotton, fleece, hemp, etc. It seems like it goes on and on. It can certainly be overwhelming if you let it! I mean, we all want what’s best for our baby. How in the world do we know where to even begin and what to choose?!

When I started getting really serious about cloth diapering, I decided to break it down and learn about 2-3 different things each day over the course of around 2 weeks. I found it to be so much easier that way. No information overload! I was really interested in the natural fibers as I learned that they are typically more absorbent and are safe to use against the skin. However, once I started building my stash I very quickly accumulated mostly microfiber inserts. I feel that I wound up with more microfiber because, frankly, they’re cheaper. I became a little off-put by the natural inserts because they’re a good bit pricier. But friends, let me just tell you. Having some natural insert options in your stash is WONDERFUL!

I have a little cloth diaper confession to make. I have been cloth diapering my child since she was 1 month old. I’ve been a member of numerous Facebook support/chat groups regarding cloth diapering, and I’ve done a lot of research on using cloth during the daytime and nighttime. However, I’ve never cloth diapered my child at night. Why? Because I’ve been too scared to do it. I was scared because I felt that typically people have the most issues with leakage at night. I had such a good fit and good daytime routine with my diapers that I didn’t want anything to steal my thunder. I didn’t want to become frustrated with any aspect with cloth because I love it so much. That’s why I never did it at night. I was scared of losing my fire for cloth because of the chance of leaks. Phew, I’m glad I got that off of my chest! Perhaps there are some other cloth diapering parents that are in the same boat as me. If that’s the case, I urge you to go ahead and try it!

I’m also pumped to share how I took that leap and am jumping for joy on the nighttime side…with no leaks!

I received a very special package from Buttons Diapers. I must note that I’ve always loved their packaging. It makes me think of that line in the song, “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music. You know, “brown paper packages tied up with string…these are a few of my favorite things!” 😉

I received a hemp/cotton nighttime doubler and a microfiber nighttime doubler, both in size small. I also received a one size diaper cover in peony. It’s a gorgeous color, and I have always loved the fit of Buttons diapers. You can read more about my love for Buttons here.

Now, before I get started with the review of the inserts and the diaper, let me share with you a few differences that I personally have found between microfiber and hemp in general:

The Buttons brand nighttime doubler inserts are designed to snap into your diaper with a daytime insert snapped on top like so:

Check out this awesome video from Amy over at Buttons Diapers! She explains the microfiber doublers in great detail!

Since this was our first time ever using cloth at night, I was definitely nervous! I trust Buttons cloth diapers more than most other diapers in my stash during the day time. If I was going to use cloth at night, I felt peace knowing we were using one of the best brands! We started with the microfiber doubler and a microfiber daytime insert on top. The microfiber doubler has 6 absorbent layers and the daytime insert has 4 layers. Each time we put on the diaper, I found the fit to be pretty bulky. This was expected, though. Most night time diapers require more inserts/fabric, so that butt is going to be extra fluffy! I found the fit to still be great around the legs, which I was so happy to see. My concern came with the elastic at the very top of the back of the diaper. Because the inserts were pretty bulky, they created a tiny gap between the elastic and my daughter’s skin. My first thought was that this was going to leak, but I decided to continue to put my trust into Buttons and really put these inserts to the test!

My baby typically sleeps throughout the entire night. I was nervous that she’d wake up feeling wet, but she slept beautifully and we woke up with ABSOLUTELY NO LEAKS! I got pretty excited, but I wanted to be sure I didn’t just get really lucky on our first try. We then tried out the hemp/cotton doubler. I was expecting the hemp/cotton insert to be a little more trim than the microfiber insert, but it seemed to be roughly the same thickness. I am guessing that this is because it is a hemp/cotton blend and not solely hemp. The hemp insert is made with 5 layers of natural fabric to ensure maximum absorbency. My daughter slept beautifully again, and with no leaks!

I have found that we get a better fit with the doublers when we let out completely all of the rise settings. She normally wears it on a medium rise setting. I don’t feel that this is supposed to work this way, but it worked fine for us, so we’ll continue to do it that way. I’m just excited that we’ve found a nighttime solution that has worked for us! I even feel a little spoiled that we’ve had no leak issues at all. Thanks, Buttons! 😀

As far as preferring one over the other, I feel that the jury is still out. There’s things about the microfiber inserts that I love, and there’s things about the hemp inserts that I love. I don’t love how long the hemp inserts take to dry. I choose to air dry my inserts, and they take a good day and a half to dry when hanging indoors. The microfiber inserts take far less time. The hemp/cotton inserts also require more initial prepping. Natural fibers require 6-8 washes before becoming fully absorbent, while microfiber only takes 3-4 initial wash cycles.  While I feel that both were very absorbent and got the job done, I do feel more confident that the hemp inserts absorb more liquid. I think both inserts are necessary to any stash, but I definitely recommend the hemp/cotton doublers!

You can purchase Buttons Diapers and inserts by visiting their website here.

The nighttime doublers are available to purchase in a single or double pack. Microfiber nighttime inserts start out at just $5 and the hemp/cotton nighttime inserts start at $9.75! They also have a beautiful collection of covers. Prints are $12.50 and solid colors are $11.

Can we talk about how cute this newly released “Jack Frost” print is?! This would be a perfect holiday gift for your little one! 😉

 Microfiber vs. Hemp Cloth Diaper Inserts – A Buttons Cloth Diaper Review