The Real Deal With Cloth Diapers in Hong Kong?

Just back from my trip to the US and bought 6 Grovia hybrid shells with 12 soaker pads and 10 Fuzzibunz one size pocket diapers based on recommendations from friends. (BTW- fuzzibunz US has a promo going on when you buy 6 diapers in US you get 2 free. They actually sent me 3 free diapers :D )

Really hope I can stick with cloth diapering now :P Have heard alot of people give up early on...

Now all i need is a baby! 3 more months to go :D
 
I love our cloth diapers and find them MUCH easier than disposable. They almost never leak. Where as disposable, in my experience, almost always leak.

I've been using the same Bumgenius one size pocket diapers for almost 4 years now. Started with the first and passed down to the second. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
 
I checked into Bumgenius and found out that to buy them in HK they're $26 USD/diaper! Heard from my friend in the States that she paid $17 USD/diaper--still not very affordable for me. That's waaaay too rich for my blood! Yes, they are "the best" (at least my friends claim that) but at this point, I'm not going to fork over that much per diaper--my husband would have a huge problem with that too. I have friends in the States who use the old-fashioned, fold-em-yourself diapers and did find with those but I'm simply not ambitious enough to deal with that and my husband who changes many more diapers than I do would not be okay with it. So, gotta find that "happy medium." Never had any real problem with leaky disposable diapers in our house--but we also use a brand name.
 
There's an online shop based in Macau, www.doubibou.com -- they sell BumGenius diapers and other pocket diapers too. When I ordered lots, they delivered it to my office address on HK island with a courier. But they can also send via regular mail too.

They also sell microfiber inserts -- the way to get rid of the persistent wee smell is to soak the diapers and the inserts in baking soda for some hours (I do it overnight). Then, wash them with detergent and vinegar (to bring up the pH balance after soaking with baking soda). It works wonder.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions!
 
swiflet412 said:
There's an online shop based in Macau, www.doubibou.com -- they sell BumGenius diapers and other pocket diapers too. When I ordered lots, they delivered it to my office address on HK island with a courier. But they can also send via regular mail too.

They also sell microfiber inserts -- the way to get rid of the persistent wee smell is to soak the diapers and the inserts in baking soda for some hours (I do it overnight). Then, wash them with detergent and vinegar (to bring up the pH balance after soaking with baking soda). It works wonder.

Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions!
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Yes. This is the website I'm referring to where Bumgenius diapers are $26 USD/diaper. I still haven't 100% decided if I'm going to do cloth diapers or not. They seem like a lot of work--soaking in two different liquids? Washing, drying--extra stuff to stick inside of them? Uh.... None of us in my house have that sort of time. :(
 
hi swiflet412, how much vinegar do you add per load (and how many diapers per load)? Just curious. I bought a whole bunch of cloth diapers and have not started using them yet.
 
if mine get stinky, i just put a bit (a bit = a good shake!) of baking soda directly into the drum of the washing machine - that works well & much easier than soaking. but i find that if i wash every second day & do an extra rinse cycle, they're fine - especially if you can dry them outside (not always possible in hk, i know!). According to the trouble shooting guide for the nappies i use, a build up of detergent can cause the smells, so if you only use a teeny tiny amount of detergent & do the extra rinse you should be fine.
 
Just an update - still using Charlie Banana cloth diapers for my 10 week old and so far so good! The biggest thing is hanging them in the sunlight to dry - makes a big difference. Even indirect sunlight is pretty effective on the stains.

I bought my second box of 6 CB diapers + 12 pads from threesixty but accidently got the medium size instead of one size. I can't return them because I washed them before I realised my mistake. They look as if they would fit 6 months plus. If anyone would like to buy them, they are brand new, have never been used. I paid about $750 for them but would sell them for half that. PM me if interested!
 
Charlie Banana diapers in the summer time?

It's great to hear you really like the Charlie Banana diapers, I'm going to use them too for my second baby - but quick question, while the fleece cover feels so nice and soft, do you think it will make summer time really hot for the baby? I guess all cloth diapers are somewhat "thick", though breathable....just wanted to get your take on that, thanks so much!
 
Update: I've been using the fuzzibunz one size I bought for about a month now on our 2 month old baby. So far, I'm really happy with them! We do a pre-rinse and post-rinse cycle and they never have stains. I've started using Bummis liners now when I think the little one is going to poo and I like that better.

We have had problems with the snaps coming off, but I think I just got a bad batch. I filled in a form on the fuzzibunz site to get them replaced and was sent new ones to the US within 2 weeks. They now have a lifetime replacement policy for their snaps which is fantastic.

For the grovia diapers I bought, I haven't really used them yet as even on the smallest setting, they don't fit my petite baby so when the baby pees, it runs right out side.
 
I'm a 1st time mom, 2nd year in HK from the US, and am going to try cloth diapers as well because they're getting so popular in the States. I'm encouraged to see other moms in HK doing it, makes me feel less crazy, haha! I've ordered a bunch of different ones from the States via Amazon, hopefully will find the one(s) that works best for little one when he comes along in a month or so!

Currently have:

- Lil' Joey's (from Rumparooz) - one thing I already noticed when I washed them was they don't dry very quickly since it's an AIO and quite thick. It's meant for newborns & premies, very small & cute though
- Rumparooz Diapers
- Thirsties Duo Diapers - these seem to be my favorite so far just by looking at design and quality. But of course, haven't had a chance to try them yet!
- Thirsties Duo Wrap
- Bummis Tots Bots
- Bummis Bio-degradeable Liner
- BumGenius 2.0
- Happy Heinys - seems pretty poor quality unfortunately...

I stayed away from Grovia on recommendation from CD friends back home in the States. But now am keen to check out Charlie Banana's too, since it seems most readily available here in HK.

Will hopefully have some more insights on how all those different brands work out in a few months!
 
I've been using Charlie bananas for a couple months now and so far very pleased. No leaks other than the occasional blow out diaper. I use the sized and one sized and like them both. Also...haven't experienced any staining which is a plus!
 
Hi!

I heard about 20% of HK landfills are filled with diapers so that is enough reason for me to use cloth diapers:

I use Charlie Banana, bought from luluhongkong.com bought the set of 6 small diapers to start and they were just below 1000HKD I think. Haven't tried any other brands but happy with CB, plus they are really cute!

Good luck and hope you choose cloth!
 
I bought Charlie Banana Diapers at 360 in Kowloon back around Easter time. So far they've been good. Can't remember how much I paid for them. I bought two packs so that's 12 altogether. I'm going back to the States next month so will shop around more there as it's bound to be much cheaper than here with more selection. So happy to be doing cloth. But, now we just don't have enough diapers so a few times we've had to use disposables--need to have about 20+ in order to do it properly, I think. But, it's weird sometimes my daughter leaks right out the side of them...found the Charlie Banana ones don't fit too well around the legs sometimes. Oh, well...she's a fast learner and at at nearly 1.5-years-old I anticipate she'll potty train early...she just seems to be into picking up things very quickly. But, for the next baby...
 
Charlie bananas are about 790 per pack of 6 at 360. It's actually about the same price here as it is in the states cause the company is actually from HK. They have a showroom in Hung Hom I think and you can buy direct from them.
 
evgreen said:
Charlie bananas are about 790 per pack of 6 at 360. It's actually about the same price here as it is in the states cause the company is actually from HK. They have a showroom in Hung Hom I think and you can buy direct from them.
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Yeah, there are much cheaper options in the States simply because there is more competition and there isn't that mark-up. Cloth diapers are expensive but there are all kinds of brands to choose from. Unfortunately, not as easy to get the selection and quality here in HK.
 
I love my Charlie Bananas! Really a great nappy. I thought cloth diapering was going to be much more of a hassle than what it ended up being!
 
Update 2: LO is 9 months now and we use a mix of cloth and disposable. The disposables are convenient when there will be a poo and for going out, but we try to use cloth when staying at home for the day.

The liners are very helpful to catch poop! I've only tried Bummis, but like them alot.

Fuzzibunz are working well, after getting my bad batch replaced, and there are no stains or smells (although LO usually doesn't poo in them)! Still haven't used the Grovias yet. They don't seem as comfortable as the Fuzzibunz or like they will absorb as well, but I still want to give them a try soon!

One thing to keep in mind is how to deal with diaper rash when using cloth diapers. Grovia has a diaper stick that you can still use with theirs, but I think Fuzzibunz says not to use any type of rash cream. To be honest, I use the Grovia stick once in a awhile with the Fuzzibunz and haven't any problems yet, but it's very rarely.

Lastly, I change the cloth diapers quite often since they don't have any indicator (like some of the disposables) to let you know the diaper is wet. But, I"m sure that's healthier for the baby's bottom anyway :D
 
Fast forward to 2013!
Ive just bought a pack of 6 charlie banana one size nappies to try as we don't know if we can keep it up. I in the process of prepping the nappies now and just wondering....
Does anyone here use a supermarket or local brand of washing detergent for the nappies? I've actually just been washing them with Vigor33 Baby detergent and wondered if anyone else has found an (inexpensive) detergent brand easily found in wellcome or parkns hop?

We will try wet pailing first because my helper and I are horrified at the thought of throwing dirty dry pailed nappies into the machine.

I want to soak thr nappies in something sanitary like napisan, but it seems that it will ruin them?

Hence my issue with pockets... The shell shouldn't be soaked due to the fleece and waterproof outer, but it's actually the shell that gets poo on it, not the insert? Getting confused!
Really want to give this a proper go, but it all seems so fancy with special detergents, bioliners etc...seems the cost and hassle is above what I originally expected!

Any tips for a cloth nappy newbie especially in the upcoming humid months? We will wash every day or maximum 2 days, they won't go mouldy right?

Thanks in advance!
 
I'm a CB newbie myself -still struggling to get a good fit. It says on their website you can soak the diaper and insert in water. It also says no bleach or fabric conditioner, but doesn't mention sanitiser. I guess you could email them to check?
 
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