2009, has seen the release of many new cloth diaper designs. But how many of them broke into the top 10 best sellers?
Topping my favorite stores of 2009 is Banana Peels Diapers, owned by Heather Lent. Besides the great layout and super color scheme (which I am nerdy enough to care about), Heather carries an amazing amount of inventory. Every time I do a post with product recommendations Banana Peels is where I look first.
Heather began cloth diapering 4.5 years ago with her daughter Liana. Since then she has had a son cloth diapered from the get-go and is currently pregnant with #3. She revealed to me that she started her newborn stash before she was even pregnant…*gasp* I would never do that! ;) Anyone else wonder where the name Banana Peels came from? Banana is Liana’s nickname and she wanted a store name that was “different and original, so Banana Peels seemed to fit the bill.”
I asked Heather if she would send me a list of her top 10 sellers of 2009. Sure I could tell you my favorites, but you’ve heard them a million times already! It’s not a surprise though to see most of these on the list…and of course my favorites are there :) (I’ve added some comments in parenthesis)
My #1 seller is the prefold, good ole basic workhorse prefold.
#2 the ever popular bumGenius 3.0, the gateway diaper, the diaper that starts off many mama’s addiction to cloth diapers – and dads too.
#3 bumGenius Organic AIO – I was so excited when this diaper was released. I had been on the hunt for a snap AIO with natural fibers for quite a while and this diaper fit the bill perfectly. Trim and great fitting, one size – can’t ask for more! (I completely agree with Heather. That’s why it’s my favorite.)
#4 Gro Baby – My son potty learned earlier this year and this was the last diaper I got to “test” on him. The Gro Baby is the absolute only diaper I allowed in my stash with a velcro/aplix closure. Love it, easy to use and organic.
#5 Rumparooz – (I love this diaper! The “poop scoop” makes this diaper the most innovating in the industry, in my opinion. I can’t wait to use the Lil’ Joey in the future.)
#6 Goodmama – My husband is not allowed to touch the goodmamas! He never seems to snap them right and no matter how many times I remind him – they need a cover! There have been many times a pair of “regular” pants have made their way over a coverless GM – hmmm wonder why the pants are wet sweetie?? (MINE TOO!)
#7 Fuzzi Bunz – tried and true favorite. I still have my original Fuzzi Bunz from 4.5 years ago.
#8 Sbish Magic Diaper – a nighttime diaper that truly lives up to it’s name! Absolutely perfect w/ sbish wool. (This is our nighttime diaper. Never a leak–even after 14 hours)
#9 SmartiPants Economical, no unstuffing, sturdy snaps.
#10 Flip – Last but not least, introduced late in the year. Sure to be at the top of the list next year. (My favorite right there next to the bum genius organic aio.)
Out of the top 10 sellers 4 of them were release in 2009! And sorta technically you could say 5 of them because Sbish Magic Diaper was released to retailers Jan.6th (Erin had them available on her site prior to this). That is awesome!
Congratulations to Gro Baby, Rumparooz G2, Sustainablebabyish, SmartiPants, and Flip (Cottonbabies)!
Autumn is a wife, mother, homeschool teacher, friend and most important a follower of Christ.
Kayleigh says
Stone Cottage Mama is right! The Snugglebottoms are great for newborns, and also a very inexpensive find for fitted diapers. I started using them when my son was newborn, mainly to help keep messy stuff from getting all over the place or running out of the diaper covers, but I loved them so much I got hooked (and you really can’t go wrong for the price) and kept using them. I think they’re made for Baby Bunz , so that must be why you don’t hear much about them or see them sold anywhere else. Anyway, thumbs up for Snugglebottoms, and the Baby Bunz people are nice and helpful too.
What I really like best about NOT using AIOs/Pockets is that with a two-part system I get more choice as to what outer covering to use, and I can opt to use more breathable types of diaper covers over my cloth diapers. Also, the Snugglebottoms aren’t bulky so my baby’s bum doesn’t end up being huge and hard to fit into clothing. My favorite covers to use over Snugglebottoms are the Cotton and Wool Nikkys, and sometimes Aristocrats soakers — also from Baby Bunz. I’m an all natural mama I guess, ’cause I just can’t stand putting plastic, poly, or any kind of synthetics next to my little guy’s skin. I hope my feedback has been helpful to anyone wondering about the Snugglebottoms.
Stone Cottage Mama says
Be sure to check out snugglebottoms on http://www.babybunz.com. No one ever mentions them and I wish I would have know about them with my daughter. They would have been perfect for the new born/infant stage!
Krystal says
I keep hearing from many moms that Bum Genius Organic AIO is so great, and I want to know if it’s the same as a Bum Genius AIO that is not organic. Just curious!
Autumn Beck says
They are very different. The organic aio has an external, quick dry soaker. Which means it is sewn at the front and back and “flops” around between.
Melissa Kreutz Gallardo says
I’m looking for a new wrap for our prefolds and since prefolds are the #1 seller, I was hoping you could provide some of the top selling wraps, too.
DS is 23 months old and we’ve been using prefolds and Thirsties wraps since he was a few months old. He’s in size mediums now, but I’m pretty sure I need to go to the next size up. He’s on the thin side.
Anyway, I’m not happy with the Thirsties over all. The aplix is wearing out, the elastic on the gussets is wearing out and I believe causing an angry rash on his groin and thighs. They’ve been great for containment, but not so great with wear and tear.
What other wraps are there?
I’ve been wondering if I’m doing something wrong. I’ve heard so many mamas have used their prefolds and wraps for several children. Mine haven’t even lasted one! Our prefolds are also getting thin & worn on the edges. I use Charlies Soap. I only have 6 wraps and a couple dozen prefolds, so we wash more often than others may. We air dry the wraps. We don’t cd at night (tried it a couple times and DS got bad rashes), but I may try one or two of the diapers after reading some of the comments & suggestions on here!
Autumn Beck says
Imse Vimse makes a great cover as does Motherease and Prorap. I have used Blueberry before and really liked the minky version.
Depending on the prefold brand they will last different times. I have heard of some wearing out in less than a year while others last years. I would suspect that the ones that last years are used in a large rotation and trifolded in a cover (not pinned or snappied which over time will cause tears).
Have you tried switching detergents temporarily to see if Charlies is causing the rash?
Heather says
I am currently expecting my second child and did not CD with my first, although I wish I did. I am very sold on the Flip and Econobum systems based on price and reviews that I’ve read. I have not seen a top 10 list but am glad to see the Flip there. I’m so glad that there are easy affordable options like the Flip and the Econobum that may change some parents views about CDing. I was super skeptical about it really being more affordable that disposables. I hate the idea of creating a land fill but some of the CDs out there are so expensive to get started.. I mean seriously $17 per diaper?
Kyla says
Thank you for making this list, even if I am a couple of months behind on reading it. I’m currently expecting my second child and have a 15 month old still in diapers. I ordered my first stash of diapers and they should be here tomorrow. I can’t wait to start diapering my DS in cloth when they get here! I was very happy to look at your list and see the two brands (plus prefolds, of course) that I put on my first order. Those were the Gro Baby diapers, which I was sold on by the ease and the fact that they’re organic. The other were the Smartipants because of the cost and ease of the insert coming out in the wash.
I really am enjoying your website. Keep up the good work!
Anonymous says
I ordered from greenmountaindiapers.com as well, as did some friends of ours. I am impressed by that site and the products they sell. Between the money we’re saving and the landfill space we’re not taking, I’m all about the cloth diapers!
kristin says
I love Banana Peels Diapers too.. that’s the first place I go when I’m looking to add to my stash!!! I also love the color scheme.. the website is just easy to look at and has a variety of GREAT stuff!! Love that store!
Amy says
Hehe, what’s funny is that I have 8 out of the 10 items on your list! I love trying new diapers and Banana Peels is a great store to shop from.
I too have already started my newborn stash for the next unconceived (and not being tried for) baby.
chris says
i love cloth diapers
Cory says
I love Gro Baby. That’s all I asked for this Christmas. I’ve tried many of the others on the list and Gro Baby is my fav. Convenient, affordable, organic, awesome touch tape. And I can use my covers on my sized fitteds. Great for day care too easy packing for on the go. Cute to boot. Okay, that’s my endorsement.
: )
Erin says
Rumparooz are my favourite!!
I have some BG 3.0s and OAIOs in my stash, too – but I always reach for the RaRs first. They are SO soft, and those inner gussets are genius! (Plus I LOVE the bright colours!)
heidi says
I have to say I am not surprised at the list but personally only like 1 diaper on the list! S’bish…I have tried 7 out of the 10 and only liked the s’bish…and prefolds. LOVE sposoeasys, I recommend them to anyone cloth diapering for the 1st time and they love them too…simply put they are easy! I use s’bish as my night time diaper and at home use bsrb’s(bagshot row bamboo) sposoeasys are my going out dipe, these 3 diapers ROCK!!
Andrea says
I had to laugh as Heather said she started her newborn stash before she got pregnant! I have been starting mine & am not yet pregnant, yet. :) It is also a good excuse for me to try out different cloth diapers for my new cloth diaper business – A Tall Giraffe. (http://atallgiraffe.blogspot.com) (The website is almost ready!)
I would definitely agree that BG is what gets a lot of people started on cloth diapering. It is what got me started & a lot of people that I know started too.
Elizabeth says
I was surprised to see Rumparooz listed here….I found them online and thought they would be awesome. The design looked amazing, so I saved and purchased 4 in October, three snap and one velcro. I have had leakage problems with them all, mainly in the front along the snaps and elastic legging. My boy is not a heavy wetter, and it frustrates me to pull out the stuffing from a diaper that has leaked only to find it’s not very wet at all. I am so disappointed. The coolababys and rainbow bbs I bought cheap off e-bay get used before these. I have only been CDing for 9 months and I’m no expert, but I have tried different fit options and gotten the same wicking. I can’t figure it out. The materials are much better quality than my other diapers, and there seems to be no defects anywhere. I have been careful not to wash inappropriately, and followed the manufacturing guidelines about avoiding baking soda. If anyone has any suggestions I’d love to hear them!
Mia says
Thank you for sharing this list! I am glad to see my favorite cloth diaper, Bum Genius Organic AIO, on the list! My other two favorites are Mother-ease and SposoEasy…. love them!
Ashley Brummer says
Great list! I completely agree with these, cannot wait to try a Lil’ Joey out myself!
Absolute fav is the BG Organic, love how trim it is – especially now that toddler pants seem to be getting smaller in the diaper area!
And, I have to say – we have the same problem with cover vs. no cover! And my husband has had many many lessons as well! (In addition to organization that seperated “Cover needed” diapers and “No cover needed” diapers)!
Ceri says
All my favorites are on this list! Awesome! :0)
Shannon says
Thanks for the round-up. I have to say one of our favorites and most popular are the Swaddlbees and Blueberry Diaper. Swaddlebees are organic and made in the US and Blueberry is the mother of all over night diapers. I will be checking out the Goodmama tonight.
Randi says
I love Banana Peels Diapers too! Heather has helped me so many times on my diapering questions and has made great diaper recommendations :-) I have used 8 of her top 10, haha. My favorites are BG Organic AIO, BG3.0 and Flip. My favorite fitted is the Mother Ease One Size and the Sandys, but Heather doesn’t carry those in her store. Maybe one day though! Your blog has inspired many diapering purchases I may otherwise not have made so, keep telling us about everything you try, haha! And I would HIGHLY recommend Banana Peels diapers for CD purchases…and wool!!
Dr Michael Beck says
Very confusing to husbands, this whole “cover” vs. “no cover” thing. There’s just too many accessories :)
Autumn Beck says
@ Dr. Michael Beck you’ve had many lessons. you should pay attention in class.
Britt says
Great list! Good old prefolds top it for good reason. After all the snazzy diapers I’ve bought over the last 2 years from fitteds, to pockets to AIOs, I must say most of the time lately I enjoy kicking “old school” with the prefolds. No surprise that the wonderful BG 3.0 tops the list of pocket diapers. I am surprised that my personal favourite AIO did NOT make the list: the fabulous Sposo-easy. I like it as much as the BG organic AIO.
Vicki D. says
Thanks for the great list, Autumn! I always look forward to your favorites list.
Vicky says
Ha Ha, I have to laugh as I am currently diapering 2 boys (9 mos and 27 mos soon to be potty trained I hope) and I have also already started my newborn stash for my 3rd baby (that is not conceived yet :). Addicted for sure. Oh well, it gives me the chance to look at new products for my own business (Ottawa Cloth Diapers (www.ottawaclothdiapers.com) – in Canada). I have all of the top 10 diapers above in my stash (and most in my store) and more! :)
LesLee says
I LOVE Banana Peels Diapers! That is my go to store as well. It sure is interesting to see the top 10 diapers as far as sales. Thanks for sharing!
Candace Robinson says
That’s a great list! I have a few favs on there as well, the BG 3.0 and the organic AIO, the Flip (I finally bought one and LOVE it!), and then the Rumperooz. I love the fit on mine.
I personally didn’t care for the Gro Baby because the aplix stuff isn’t sticky enough and would just come undone and the elastic was too tight on my guys chunky thighs (even though he was only a few months old at the time). We can’t all love the same things though!
Amber says
I have to agree with her on the BumGenius….those are the diapers that got me addicted to cloth diapering. I’m still new to cd’ing, so I’m glad you posted this list so I can find a few other brands that I might like.