Clothes and Fluffy Butts

I, like you use cloth.  I have cloth diapered my son from 6 weeks to potty training and my daughter from birth.  I learned quickly that cloth diapers are bulkier than sposies.  Tis the nature of the beast and a small hurdle to work with when using cloth.

SoftBums are super trim when compared to many other brands out there and the Slide 2 Size system allows you a tailored fit to your baby so they will fit well even under most brands of Jeans.  Remember the Echo is just a bit trimmer than the Omni so if you have a snug outfit try the Echo with a regular pod or O-Pod for the trimmest fit.


All these pictures are pictures of my children and I KNOW they were wearing cloth in all of these pictures.

Cloth is called "fluff" for a reason, it is a little thicker.  Some people may think of this as a negative, but let me tell you...it give extra padding when babies are learning to walk!  I think it's cute and generally use the term "duck butts" for the babies in our house!  


I can only think of one piece of clothing that did NOT work over our SoftBums: Skinny Jeans for a 12 month old (who makes these things anyways)-I didn't buy them, they were a gift. 


I think the biggest hurdle is when baby is small.  Buying clothes that are an age range bigger than the age of your baby...

For example, depending on the size of your newborn you may be better off buying 0-3 month not newborn, or if your baby is 3 months buying 6 month clothing.  This worked for my kids, especially in regard to bottoms.  Obviously T-shirts buy to size but pants, a size bigger will allow you extra room in the tush for the duck butts.  Here is where we can run into problems though, the dreaded "sets" where you get a shirt and a pair of pants the same size...Buying a size a head will let them grow into them and generally one size to the next doesn't change too much so tucking in will help or rolling pant legs. 


I hated onesies even with sposies...just such a pain.  I know a lot of people love them and I understand why, but using them with cloth can cause some issues.  I always had wicking when I used onesies, the legs of the onesies would creep into the leg of my cloth and wick, even if baby was hardly wet.  Solution, cut the onesies off just above the legs and hem, or leave long so you can tuck the unfinished edge into pants.  I did find another trick, snap the snaps on the crotch of the onesie only in the middle then fold the legs over so the edge doesn't rest where diaper meets leg of baby.  Generally, this works best with babies who aren't mobile yet, because it won't stay tucked forever.  Onesies have their place-like this photo.  Note the snowcone Omni under the onesie.  NOTE THE HUGE THIGHS.  This is my son at 6 months.  His thighs were so big they didn't fit in a bumbo seat.  No joke! 

Newborns: I loved the sacks with the elastic on the bottom.  My daughter lived in these for a long time.  She had a comfort thing with her feet where she would interlock her toes and it would make her so mad if she couldn't do this (weird I know).  These work great for cloth, no restriction.  They also have these that have the zipper up the front too.  Wrap around t-shirts work great under the sack things if you feel like baby needs a layer under the sack.  


Sleep and plays: If they are the cotton ribbing (stretchy cotton) you will probably want to try a size bigger because they shrink like mad after washing.  The fleece ones seemed to fit my babies to size even over cloth.  Other than that, try to stick to bottoms that have some stretch to them and trial and error--try it all out.  I loved Rompers on my son, which are the short sleeve short leg one piece dealies.  I had some similar wicking issues as the onesies, but not as bad, especially when old enough to walk the legs wouldn't bunch up as bad as when crawling.

Girls: Skirts/Dresses or stretch leggings work wonders.  Depending on the brand generally fit to size.  We LOVE Carter's in this house.  Their clothes are practical, comfy, tagless, and fit great even over cloth.  Jeans are generally an exception to the rule needing to be just a touch bigger, but even they sometimes fit to size from Carter's.  Old Navy's jeans fit well over cloth and a lot of them (up to 2T) have snaps down the legs for changing diapers.  If it's cold don't forget about baby legs.  Search Pinterest for "DIY baby legs", there are some great ideas out there!  Try similar things like overalls where there is lots of baby butt room.


Boys: Anything with stretch.  For younger babies cotton pants/shorts and overalls, older boys basketball shorts generally fit to size (depending on brand) but things like khaki or jean shorts you may have to up a size to get the fit you want.  Don't forget the boy's baby legs too.  He can wear his diaper and baby legs and ***VIOLA instant outfit!  

Every baby is a different size and not all of this will hold true for anybody.  Just try different things and keep on searching.  You will find what works for you, and I promise there are plenty of cute clothes that will fit over your SoftBums!  

If you have an outfit that you LOVE and the fluffy butt is preventing you from using it...throw a sposie on and put a SoftBums cover over it to prevent blowouts (and to look cute) and sport the outfit!  


Don't forget the instant outfit: Diaper only!