Mommy found... for #1, bamboo has won!

I have been really anxious to meet my baby.  Since we're hanging out in rural Canada, we've nearly run out of things to do.  We've completed every puzzle in the house.  We've played the "hockey" Canadian version of Monopoly.  We've tried out the freezing cold beach.  We've attempted to find local tourist attractions... most of which are closed for the winter season.  (The dairy queen even had the windows boarded up with a sign saying it'd see us in the Spring!)

So, I decided to get creative...  Now, I'm not sure if this was out of pure boredom, curiosity, or impatience -- but I decided that I wanted to figure out which cloth wipes I liked best.  Since I didn't have a baby to try them out on... I tried them myself.  Usually cloth diapering comes before family cloth!! I feel like a huge hippy!

Here's what I determined:

Swaddlebees (discontinued old-style 1-ply bamboo terry) - These were by far the winner.  Not what I was expecting!  To look at these, they pretty much look like a boring white Gerber thin baby wash cloth.  To be truthful, in order to tell them apart, I have to double check and see if they are stretchy.  These stretch one direction, and don't in the other.  Now why are these the best?!  They were by far the softest!  Some of the others might have been softest to feel with a dry hand, but for down-low, these are just so warm and cushy.  They also absorbed the pee more than the other kinds and made me feel cleaner when it was all said and done.  And, bamboo is supposed to be naturally anti-bacterial, which is a plus.  I'm not sure if all bamboo terry is the same - there are some work-at-home-mom wipes that look similar which have some cute colorful embroidery on the edge I'm dying to try out.

Thirsties Fab - These came in second for me.  This wipe is a 2-ply - one side is a textured cotton velour and the other is a microfleece.  I preferred the feel of the microfleece side... the velour side rubbed like a wet cat.  One of the nicest things about these wipes is how nicely they wash and dry.  They come out looking brand new each time.  The colors are kinda cool too.  **Update - now that I have a baby, the cotton velour side is the best for breastfed poop.  It's the first thing I reach for when baby's done #2!

Play All Day Organic Cotton Velour/Terry - I picked these up after attending a Cloth Diapering 101.  These were the wipes the hostess ranted and raved about.  I had been impressed by all the 2-ply, 2 materials wipes.  It seemed to me they'd be the best since they'd be multi-functional.  Let me tell you, I'm not sure what she was thinking.  These things curl up after washing.  Granted, I haven't tried to hang them dry.  It is cold and wet these days...  But to be honest, these curl so much, they are so annoying to store and/or to try to use, that I don't even have an opinion on the material itself!!!

Gerber Washcloths -  So I realize these aren't really made to be wipes - but I had read a lot of moms use them because they are cheap and get the job done.  I had gotten a ton of these from the baby shower that my co-workers threw for me.  The only thing I have to say about these are: Rough. Not made for tushies!