Winter at Green Bambino means the arrival of wool longies. We love wool diaper covers year-round for their absorbency, breathability and all-around yumminess.

But winter means we get to pull out the super-special wool: longies. Wool longies function as both a diaper cover and as pants – either for daytime, or more popularly for nighttime.

Green Bambino is stocked up on wool longies, with even more on the way. Come by soon to check out wool from:

Babee Greens (upcycled sweaters!)

Little Beetle

Eco-Posh

Sustainable Babyish

Warning: once you try wool, you’ll be addicted!

My cloth diaper advice to others – keep an open mind and don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.  Almost all the negative things I hear about cloth are said by people who haven’t even tried it.  I was really hesitant to try cloth diapers.   I just knew it was going to messy and gross.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  I actually found it less messy — at least with cloth diapers the mess actually stays inside the diaper and you aren’t changing clothes, blankets, sheets, or having to wash the carseat liner.

When we started with cloth diapers I wanted something easy.  I was against prefolds because they seemed too complicated.  I didn’t want to be doing origami; I just wanted to diaper my kid.  While prefold diapers may not be for everyone, I have to admit I was wrong again.  It wasn’t until we started thinking about potty training that I bought a few to try.  Most of our diapers had stay-dry linings and I thought feeling wet would help my daughter with potty training.  Prefolds are super cheap, soft, wash and dry really well, and don’t have to be complicated.  I love the Better Fit Prefolds that can simply be folded in thirds and laid in a cover – no origami required.

Wool was the other category of diapers that I just didn’t think was for us.  The washing instructions seemed so intimidating and I always thought wool was itchy.  As my daughter became older, we found ourselves changing sheets a few times a week after she’d sleep her twelve hour stretch.  Many people told me how great wool was for nighttime, but I wasn’t convinced.  After changing sheets one too many times, I decided to give it a try.  The result – LOVE!  Not only is wool breathable and SOFT, it’s actually pretty easy to care for (Eucalan No-Rinse Wool Wash is great).  My daughter is now potty trained and only wears a diaper to bed.  When she gets up I just turn the wool cover inside out and let it air dry until we are ready to put it back on.  The sheets are dry and the cover only has to be washed every couple of weeks.  What could be better?

There are many options in the cloth diaper world.  My advice is simply to keep an open mind.  What works best for one person may not be the thing for you and your family, but you’ll never know unless you give it a try.

A recent Facebook request has spawned a new blog series here at Green Bambino. We’re asking our owner and staff what their fave five diapers/systems are. We’ll each create two lists: one made up of the five diapers or diaper systems we’d include in the “perfect stash,” and a list of our five favorite diapers available at Green Bambino.

Morgan, Green Bambino’s owner, will kick things off!

Morgan’s fave five:

1. Bummis Easy Fit One Size All-in-One diaper: best velcro on the market, fast drying, trim fitting.
2. Flip covers and prefolds or flats: don’t underestimate the awesomeness of natural fibers and old school. The longer I diaper, the more I love flats.
3. Mother-ease Wizard Easy Stuff pocket diaper: Mother-ease diapers last FOREVER. I love pockets, but get tired of stuffing and unstuffing. This diaper solves both problems. Pair this with a birdseye flat for the perfect diaper.
4. Sandy’s organic cotton fitted diapers: easily the most absorbent diaper ever. The toddler size gets my preschool through the night.
5. Wool. Don’t wait to try wool. It’s magic, and once you start, you can’t get enough.

We’ll have more to come!