Tag: one size cloth diaper review

Posted in Off The Bum, With The Kids

BumGenius Flip Review

Posted on by Lindsey Jane

I’ve been cloth diapering a long time. So I have seen how diapers evolve. New brands starts. Old brands fade out. Old brands come out with new stuff. The Flip certainly isn’t new, but it took me a while to try it. I’m just going to be up front. The All In Two* concept was a total fail with me. I tried it when those first came out and they just were not my thing. So the Flip always seemed to be a combination of an all in two concept with a prefold and cover concept.

* All In Twos are diapers that have an outer cover but the insert is meant to be changed as needed, reusing the cover. This is usually done by having an insert that snaps or Velcros into place. It differs from the pocket because the Insert sits directly against the baby’s skin and there is no “stuffing” involved.

I was never very interested in the Flip, despite really liking BumGenius diapers and really liking prefolds and covers. But then some Flip diapers found there way into my hands and I figured it was time for me to try them.

Naturally, I’m comparing the Flip to my favorite diaper cover, The Rumparooz cover. That seemed logical to me. Now, I probably should have grabbed a brighter color to take photos of, because this particular color (this is the color Sweet) clearly doesn’t photograph well. I am reviewing both the aplix version and the snap version, but only took pictures of the snap because I hate aplix, though I did try it.

So, the Flip is essentially a diaper cover with a large front flap and back flap for you to place an insert into. You just tuck the insert under the front and back flaps. There are a variety of inserts. I tried the stay-dry insert and the organic daytime insert. I did not try the disposable insert. (I’m just not into half cloth and half disposable diapers. Those aren’t a need for me.)

I did not like either insert. They both leaked, even with a very small baby. Neither were absorbent enough, even after extensive prep. And I gave these things a several month trial. This is not a review based on one use. I tried them with my Green Mountain Diaper prefolds, and those worked a lot better.

The Flip covers are really wide. You can see them here with a BumGenius pocket diaper (the blue patterned diaper) and the BumGenius Freetime (in the color Kiss). The Flip is wider than both. I think they use the same pattern, but the Flip isn’t getting sewn the same way, so you’re gaining a half inch in the width of the diaper. I have very fat, short babies, but the Flip was far too wide in the crotch.

This shows the width of the Flip on the bottom with a Rumparooz One Size diaper cover on top. It is much wider. So, on a small baby, that meant I had to tuck the legs in a bit or the diaper would be from her knees to her belly button.

One thing I dislike about BumGenius diapers across the board is the lack of the double gusset. It was especially problematic on a diaper cover to not have that second gusset to hold in #2.

Also, the Flip only has elastic in the back. (Well, that applies to all BumGenius diapers.) So, there were definitely leaks from having a little too much room in the waist.

They also didn’t work like you think they would. For a small, EBF baby, every time she pooped, it got on the cover. I find this true every single time I pad fold a prefold. It just isn’t my preferred method, I like the prefold wrapped around them so I have double protection from leaks.

Now, in a Flip, you can ignore the front and back flaps and just use it like a regular cover, which is what I ended up doing most of the time. However, the flaps can’t be wiped off like a regular cover, so I found that I only liked using it once or twice before I felt like it was dirty. With other diaper covers, I can usually get 3-4 uses out of them before they just feel dirty. (You wipe them out with a wet wipe after use and let it dry while you use another one.) So, instead of going through 2 diaper covers in a day, I was going through 5 (at least).

Also, I still hate Velcro. I gave the aplix (Velcro is the brand name. Aplix is the generic name. Like saying “facial tissue” or “Kleenex”.) a try. And while they weren’t evil in the wash and kept stuck to their tabs as they should, I still hate the way they wear. Even though BumGenius rounds the edges of their aplix, they are still really stiff and uncomfortable against the baby’s skin. And they will still get snagged on their clothes or yours if they have half a chance. And the aplix starts looking worn out really fast. Snaps look new for a long time. Aplix look ragged very quickly.

Now, the price is where Flip users are usually really happy. Right now, they are running $12.95 to $14.95 a cover. I’m not even going to discuss the inserts, because I think the Green Mountain Diaper prefolds are much better regardless (and they are cheaper). But the covers are a little less expensive that my favorite cover. (Rumparooz are $14-$16 a cover depending on print.) However, I require twice as many Flip covers because they get dirty so much easier and quicker! I can totally get by with 6 covers and 24 prefolds with the Rumparooz covers. However, with the Flips, I would need 10 covers and 24 inserts to be washing at the same frequency. (Every other day.)

So, not a fan of the BumGenius Flip covers. They aren’t terrible. They work for the most part. Are they the first diaper I reach for? No. Are they what I would recommend? No. Are they the cheapest option? No.

* I used small Green Mountain Prefold diapers with the Flip snapped down small. When it is unfolded all the way, a medium Green Mountain prefold is what I found to fit.

** This post contains affiliate links. I do earn a small amount of money when your use my affiliate links to purchase items using these links. **

Posted in Off The Bum

Gro Baby Diapers

Posted on by Lindsey Jane

You’re confused, right? What on earth is The Pastor’s wife doing with an All-in-Two diaper? She’s a One Size Pocket girl! Well, yes, I am a One Size Pocket girl, but these Gro Baby One Size All-In-Two diapers were generously donated to The Parsonage (Thank you, Melissa!). So, I have tried them out (meaning I’ve used them over 100 times each) and are letting you know what I think.

A side by side comparison of a Gro Baby One Size AI2 (left) with a Haute Pocket One Size Pocket diaper. Both on larger setting.

A side by side comparision of a Gro Baby One Size AI2 Diaper with a Haute Pocket One Size Pocket Diaper. Both on small setting.

So, here is how these diapers work. The outer shell has a mesh (think basketball shorts) interior and two snaps. The inserts snap onto the outer shell and you can set a doubler on top of that. I was given 2 shells, 4 inserts, and 2 doublers. The theory is that when your little one wets the insert, you simply remove it and insert another, reusing the outer shell. That absolutely works out for older babies and toddlers. It does not work so well for little ones. When they are little (the babies, that is) they poop every time they eat. This means that they soil the shell and you can’t just pop in a new insert. Eventually, they get to where they only poop 5 times a day, which still doesn’t work out well for an all-in-two system. Then somewhere around 3 or 4 months old, they begin pooping only once a day (or once every three days). Then this system works pretty well.

Interior of Gro Baby One Size AI2 Diaper. To the right of the diaper is the doubler for it.

Interior of Gro Baby One Size AI2 Diaper with no insert. The inserts attach using the snaps on the shell. You can also see the mesh inside of the shell.

So, here you see the aplix tab. Gro Baby has very gentle aplix tabs and the entire upper part of the diaper is the “loop” portion of the aplix. It is very gentle. It does not gather fuzz or lint and is not too very grabby in the wash. The laundry tabs don’t always stay closed, but they usually end up hooked to themselves and not snagging my other diapers, so I won’t complain too much about that. The aplix is easily opened by a toddler, though. It does not take much effort to open it. It actually feels more like a disposable diaper tab. I have many, many problems with the weakness of these tabs.
These diapers are pretty small. They are very short, but kind of wide. They are similar in fit to a Rocky Mountain One Size or Tweedle Bugs One size, but a bit smaller. These fit Emery (17 lbs. and round) well. They seem the barely fit Aidan (26 lbs. and average to thin). They don’t fit Imogene at all. Realistically, I’d say the range on these is 6 lbs. to 30 lbs. Kind of crummy, since an all-in-two works best for older babies and toddlers. The weak aplix makes it impossible to keep on a child if using them on the larger setting. The tabs just let go when they are under any strain at all!

They are absorbent and work as a night diaper with the doubler, provided your child is a back sleeper. They leak with side sleepers and larger tummy sleepers.  I do have the “old” version (I think new ones are coming soon), so I’m not sure if they will make the shells bigger with the new version. I love that the snaps aren’t white. It just looks cool. It makes them look nicer.

Do I recommend Gro Baby One Size Diapers? Hmmm. Yes, I had to think about it! On one hand, they look nice and work well for 4 months through 2  years. On the other hand, they don’t fit an older toddler and cannot be used as intended before 3 and a half to 4 months old. (Though they do “work” in the sense that they fit and don’t leak. You cannot reuse the shell when a little baby explodes poo all over it. So, you’d have to buy enough to change the shell every time. So, it doesn’t “work” for using one shell for every 2-3 inserts.) They are easy to get on and off, so an ECer may like them a lot for that.  So, I guess I sort of recommend them. Just so long as you are aware of their limitations and the deviations from the all-in-two plan. Don’t cry to me when you buy 8 shells & 24 inserts for a newborn, only to find the shells only get you through half a day. And don’t cry when you love them, but your 3 year old is still not wanting to potty train but just does not fit in your beloved Gro Baby diapers anymore. They are pretty neat diapers, but could use a lot of work! (Manufacturer of Gro Baby, if you’re reading this, make them bigger! Make the inserts a bit longer! Make the aplix stronger, or better yet, switch to snaps entirely!)

**Update**

After using them for about 150 washes, the elastic is getting much less springy. The back elastic on all my Gro Baby diapers is completely shot and the leg elastics are all making their way toward that end. So, less than 6 months of good elastic use. This could be due to squeezing my average size two and a half year old in them (which should be fine). I think I could have gotten another month or two out of the elastic if only the baby was using them. Which, the baby is the only one using them now, since the 29 lb. 2 year old no longer fits in them.

Posted in Off The Bum

Happy Heiny One Size Pocket

Posted on by Lindsey Jane

I bought one Happy Heiny when I first convinced The Pastor that we should cloth diaper the little ones. I purchased the aplix version under the impression that The Pastor was certainly not capable of snapping a diaper. I thought, “I’ll have to use aplix (velcro for those that aren’t in the know about such things) because snaps are too difficult for The Pastor and he’ll get so frustrated he will forbid me to cloth diaper our children!” So, there were a couple problems with that thought. The first was that anyone would forbid ME to do anything! Ha! Such a silly thought! The second was that aplix is somehow easier. It isn’t. In fact, my experience has been that aplix makes my life more difficult. Yes, grandma’s and babysitters can much more easily figure out an aplix cloth diaper. But really, once you’ve put on a snap diaper once or twice, it is simple. Really. It isn’t rocket science- just diapers. And if you can figure out how to work those blasted adjustable waist kid pants, then pocket diapers will be a breeze for you!

What a rant! Okay, I guess I should start my actual review. The Happy Heiny diaper we own has been labeled since the beginning as “Imogene’s diaper.” She still wears it at night. Why? Well, the fit of this diaper is very, very specific. Yes, it is a one size diaper, but it is not for the round child. Imogene was 2 when we started cloth diapering, so she was out of her round stage. She fit in this diaper so well. Aidan was a terrible fit, still is to some extent. Emery is a terrible fit.

The interior fabric of a Happy Heiny is fleece. Yes, it pills with repeated use. No, the laundry tabs do not work. This diaper is the cause of many, many snags on my other diapers (usually my bumGenius diapers- they must be enemies). The large aplix tabs warp in the dryer. They still work, they just don’t look nice. When you put it on, you can kind of straighten them back out a bit, but they are forever warped. The aplix does accumulate fuzz and things, but it continues to work. And a note, they are not joking that the lime green color is lime! It glows!

These diapers have an odd fit. They are much longer in the rise than other diapers. That makes them a good fit for toddlers and longer babies. They are fairly narrow width wise. So, if your child is a rolly little thing, this diaper is not going to fit him right. If, on the other hand, you are diapering tall or slender children, this diaper will fit lovely. It would fit an 8 lb. baby, but not extremely well. Realistically, you could expect it to fit closer to 10 lbs. It will fit all the way up to 40 lbs. (maybe even 45 lbs. if you toddler doesn’t have thunder thighs like mine does!)

I like the shape of the Happy Heiny insert. It is an 8 or an hourglass, whichever way you choose to look at it. The insert alone is a great product! It would make you Blueberrys and Econappis work so much better!

I don’t have leaking issues with this diaper at all. I do have the many, many fit issues. And of course, I have the laundry frustration of it grabbing onto everything else in the wash!

Do I recommend Happy Heiny One Size Pocket diapers? Well, only if your child is a difficult fit and it slender. For kids that are lean, tall, skinny, etc. this diaper may be just what you need. I would recommend you go for the snap version over the aplix version, though I’ve never tried the snap version. Aplix does offer more help in the way of difficult fits, but you will have to deal with the headaches that come with aplix. I won’t be buying more, they just don’t work well enough for all the kids. (And the point of me having one size diapers is that all diapers fit all kids needing diapers.)

Looking for a similar fit to a Happy Heiny? Try WAHMies One Size Pocket diapers. They are just as tall, only slightly wider- fitting a broader range. Plus the WAHMies have an extra set of snap that make them easily fit a newborn! Want fleece interior similar to a Happy Heiney, but don’t like the fit? Try Tweedle Bugs. (Blueberry Deluxe diapers also have the same fleece, but I don’t really recommend Blueberry diapers.)

**Update**

This diaper still fits Imogene. She is now night time potty training, so it may get passed down to Aidan. (It fits him a little better now that he isn’t so round.) After 15+ months of daily use, the leg elastic has decided to wear out. This is a quicker wear than bumGenius (3.0 or organic AIOs), Blueberry, and Econappis. However, it is much longer than Haute Pockets! 450+ uses before elastic fails is completely acceptable to me! Elastic will not last forever, but this seems to be a decent amount of use out of the elastic.

Posted in Off The Bum

BumGenius 3.0 One Size Pocket

Posted on by Lindsey Jane

Like my grumpy little bumGenius model? He is just so lovable, even grumpy.  I can’t say the same for bumGenius.

I am not a bumGenius fan. There. I said it. I’m glad we got that out of the way first. While I am not a fan, the 3.0 one size pocket has some nice parts. One nice part that no other diaper I have tried has is a little extra PUL protection around the top inside front of the diaper. bumGenius puts a little strip of PUL around the top of the inside of the front. Why is that cool? Well, one size diapers tend to flip out a bit at the top on the smaller sizes. Those adorable little chubby bellies tend to roll the front of the diaper down. (I know you know what I’m talking about. My maternity jeans did it ALL THE TIME!) That little extra strip of PUL keeps urine from wicking out the top via the interior fabric. (Not common, but happens a lot at night when they wet their diapers a lot.) Another plus is that suedecloth (which is the interior fabric of a bG 3.0 unless you get your hands on some of the limited edition fleece versions) does not stain. It also wicks away wetness pretty well. I also cannot say I’ve got any serious leaking problems. I love their inserts, I’ve got several extras that I use for added protection when needed. That is where my likes end.

Wow! I dislike my bumGenius diapers so much I don’t take pictures of them! Yikes. Well, now for what I do not like about bumGenius 3.0 one size pocket diapers. Suedecloth is quite possibly my least favorite interior fabric for a diaper. It tends to make all my little ones have small red bumps on their bums. (Smartipants and Rocky Mountains also do this, since they are suedecloth inside, too.) And suedecloth is not the softest stuff around. (Kind of reminds me of a softish polyester felt.) I also loathe velcro, or aplix if you’d rather use the cloth diaper term. BumGenius has particularly terrible aplix. It really grabs everything in the world and gets weak very fast. I have to weekly attempt to remove the strings and lint build up in the aplix. The laundry tabs are also a joke. They don’t hold at all. (Blueberrys are the only aplix diaper I have that holds to the laundry tabs.) So, really the bumGenius 3.0 just has all the things I happen to dislike in a diaper. If they had a snap version, I might like that. (Especially if it was a snap & fleece version- oh wait! That would be a Haute Pocket!!) The aplix issue makes this diaper’s life max out around a year and a half.

Realistically, this diaper fits around 8 lbs. You may be able to make it work on a 7 lb. baby since it is velcro. And it does max out between 35 and 40 lbs. (38 lb. Imo can wear these in a pinch, but they are tight and uncomfortable on her.) The shape of these is the same as a Haute Pocket or Smartipants.

Would I recommend the bumGenius 3.0 One Size Pocket Diaper? Not really. If you like aplix and suedecloth, then go for it. If you like the idea of bumGenius but would like a cheaper option, Smartipants would be a better choice. If you are like me and find the fit of a bG okay, but wants snaps and fleece, then you’d be happier with Haute Pocket Traditional One Size Pocket diapers. There are better diapers out there. These just fall short all over the place for me. Yes, they work. But why settle?

Here is my sad little bumGenius 3.0 one size pocket diaper after a little over a year of use.

A close up of my aplix tab on my bumGenius 3.0. You can see how yucky it looks and how it curls up, not holding where it is stuck.

And a close up of the loop strip. It is fraying. Sad little diaper needs to be put out of its misery.

Posted in Off The Bum

Blueberry Deluxe Diaper Review

Posted on by Lindsey Jane

I have several Blueberry Deluxe One Size Pocket diapers. I like them. I don’t love them. You can see my Swaddlebees Econappi Review, since the Econappi and the Blueberry Deluxe are essentially the same diaper. The difference is in the interior and insert materials. The Blueberry Deluxe has a fleece interior and a microfiber/hemp insert. Over time, the interior fabric does pill quite a bit, but it is still very soft.

I have both aplix and snap Blueberry Deluxe diapers. (Thanks to Melissa!) I prefer the snaps. Big surprise, right? The aplix on the Blueberry is very, very strong. It hold up quite well, but I still have my usual aplix issues. On a brand new Blueberry, the aplix is so strong, it takes quite a bit of effort to get it unattached.

I have tried this diaper as an all in two, as the maker of Blueberry and Swaddlebees says you can. It didn’t work out for me. The interior fabric always got wet. I wouldn’t recommend buying these if you are wanting an all in two.

These diapers are on the larger end of one size diapers. Realistically, they fit from about 10 lbs. (if you’ve got a longer, leaner built child- you’re probably not going to get a good fit until 12 lbs.) and max out around 40lbs. Imogene wears them on the largest settings and she is 38 lbs. They have the smallest range of any of our one size diapers.

I have leak issues with these all the time. They are not good night diapers except on the smallest size. The insert gets all bunched up and moved around when the older ones are running around. You cannot put this on a kid and then go play on the playground. The running and climbing always leads to leaks. They work fine when they kids are still, like in their car seat, or just not overly playful. The insert seems just a little too narrow for the diaper.

These diapers are also kind of a pain when you’ve got multiple kids wearing one diaper stash (which is why I use one size diapers to begin with). The inserts snap together, so you have to determine what size you’re using when you put the diaper together. I assemble all my diapers out of the wash. So, with the Blueberry and Econappi, I must decide ahead of time which child will wear the diaper and then set the diaper accordingly. I also have to set those diapers aside for whichever size they are set to. That kind of annoys me. With other diapers, I can stuff them all and leave them all unsnapped, snapping them as I need them snapped. With these, I can’t exactly do that.

The velcro version of this diaper rubs poor Emery’s tummy. He is a rather round boy and the diaper top rolls in a bit on him. The rough Velcro tabs then rub his little tummy. I can readjust the tabs and unroll the top when I notice, but it rolls back as he moves and rubs again.

(Shown above with Econappi.) So, do I recommend the Blueberry Deluxe One Size Pocket diaper? Well, it really isn’t worth the money. If you’ve got money you just want to spend to have that little Blueberry tag on your child’s bum, then go ahead and buy some if you want. Just make sure you buy something else to use at night. Do they work? Yeah, they work for the most part. But you can pay half the price for a diaper that will work twice as well and fit much longer! I know I won’t buy anymore of these. In fact, I wouldn’t have more than one if several more were not given to me. These would work better if you bought different inserts for them. (Something wide, like a Happy Heiney Insert or Haute Pocket Insert would be perfect!)

Looking for a similar style at a more affordable price? Try Tweedle Bugs.

Posted in Off The Bum

WAHMies Diaper Review

Posted on by Lindsey Jane

Wahmies one size pocket diapers are pretty good. I have used both the hook version and the snap version. These diapers have the greatest range of any of the one one size diapers I’ve tried.

The hook version of this diaper (the brown and blue one) really intrigued me. I was hoping for it to be toddler proof. However, Aidan can still get out of it. To the diaper’s benefit, though, he never could get the hooks open. He just figured out how to suck in his belly and wriggle out of the thing! The hooks are not difficult to use. Once you play with it a bit, you figure the system out. They do take a little longer to get on and off. I suppose if I only had these hooks, I’d be quite speedy with it by now. Also, you can’t exactly expect grandma to change their diaper in or out of this one. The snap version is much more user friendly, but the size range isn’t quite the same.

The interior of this diaper is velour. Not the cotton velour of swaddlebees, but a synthetic velour like the blue “velour” blankets my grandmother used to have on her beds. (I loved those blankets. So much so that my Granny bought me several when I went off to college. I still have them.) After about 150 washes, my velour started balding in a few places. So, just like the blankets, these will bald and thin a bit over time. After closer to 200 washes, the interiors are more bald than not bald. When it balds, there is not much you can do with the diaper. They still “work” but the interior fabric is then thin and sheer, providing no wicking of moisture away from the child’s bum. Not cool at all. You can use any rectangular insert in these. I use Nicki’s Diapers inserts. (bumGenius, Fuzzibunz, Smartipants, Tweedle Bugs, etc. would also work.) The interior does wick the moisture away quite well. (While it is intact.) Natural velour tends to hold the moisture more, but this synthetic stuff will keep the moisture away.

Wahmies also have elastic in the front. It keeps them much snugger, without cutting off circulation. They fit any shape or size without too much extra fuss. I never have the interior rolling out the top problem with these. (Can be a problem with one size diapers when using them snapped down.)

Also, the hook version has a tendency to leak from the front , where the loops are sewn down. They seem to wick through the stitches on the front. This only happens when they get REALLY wet. For this reason, I typically avoid using these on long car rides or overnight.

Like I said, Wahmies one size pocket diapers have a very big range. This is probably THE ONLY one size diaper I’ve used that really will fit newborn through potty training. This diaper has an extra set of snaps that other diapers don’t have. These easily fit at 6 lbs. These still easily fit at 38 lbs. The hook version has more range in this area, but even the snaps would easily fit a 6 lb. baby and still fit a 38 lb. toddler. However, if your child is more rolly or super thin, the hooks would definitely give you a much better fit! These really do fit birth to potty training as claimed! That is a super plus.

Would I recommend Wahmies? Oh absolutely! These are very good diapers! Great quality! Super fit! If you are needing a easy diaper that a care provider can also use, you may want to avoid the hook version. But if you are willing to work past the learning curve, the hooks are the way to go with this one! The snaps are fine, but the hooks really add a lot to this diaper.  And a perfect fit on 3 kids is hard to do! I wouldn’t say these are great quality diapers. While they will probably last through at least one child, that isn’t my life. I need diapers to last and last. This diaper definitely doesn’t wear as well as some other cloth diapers. 

As a side note, my diapers look so fluffy here because I was putting them on the older two for bed. They each had two inserts in them. I tend to overstuff at bedtime! (Better safe than sorry!) They are not normally so fluffy when stuffed normally. Also, note that the hook version is not typically a good choice as a night diaper, due to wicking at the front loops. However, the older two don’t often pee much at night, so I can safely use them on them. (I still stuff them like crazy, just in case.) If you have a very heavy wetter or a very heavy night wetter, the hook version would not be a good choice for you- you’d be much better off with the snaps!

**UPDATE! After about 300 washes, the PUL on my hook WAHMies peeled. That sucked. It means the diaper is now used on a teddy bear instead of the kids. Bummer.

Posted in Off The Bum

Rocky Mountain Diaper Review

Posted on by Lindsey Jane

Rocky Mountain One Size PocketI had sincerely hoped to like these when I first purchased it. On the website, the colors really make you think the diaper is soft. For the price, you assume you will get a high quality product. But for $18, I got a cheap looking diaper with no insert.

The outer PUL on this diaper is thin. If you purchase one of the lighter colors, you can see the insert through the diaper. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the interior is colored suedecloth. The diaper color combinations are nice and sound so cute. (The diaper above is lemon lime!) But the quality isn’t the best.

This is a one size pocket diaper with an internal leg elastic adjustment. Some people really like these adjustments because you can set it and not worry about it again until your child moves up in the size. Well, when you have more than one in diapers, this feature is obnoxious. I must either set the leg elastic adjustments every time I use this diaper, or must set it aside for only one of the three kids. Since the elastic adjustment takes quiet some time, and I am the only person in our house capable of such a feat, I set it aside for the small one.

I had a horrible leaking experience with this diaper. I had an insert and a double in the diaper and the baby (3 months old) pooped. I’m sure moms who have had exclusively breastfed babies know how this poop looked. (For those that don’t, it was runny, yellow, and quite explosive!) The poop leaked out of this diaper! (I convey shock, because in my experience, you have far less blow outs with cloth diapers than the paper kind. You also rarely- if ever- have a poop leak!) It did not shoot out the back or down the legs. It leaked out of the seams! That’s right, the poop just oozed out of the seams of this doubled diaper on a 3 month old!

Now for the specifics on this diaper. As a one size diaper, this diaper claims to fit birth to potty training. This is one of the smallest one size diapers I have seen. Realistically, it would fit from about 6 lbs. to about 30. At 17 lbs, Emery now wears the elastic on the largest setting. And you should note, that I never really got it to work well on Emery until he was about 10 lbs. On the really small setting, there was so much excess around, I ended up with the occasional leak. BumGenius, Nicki’s Diapers, Fuzzi Bunz, and Happy Heiney inserts fit this diaper.

So when it is all said and done, do I recommend this diaper? No, I don’t. For the money you can get a much better diaper. Heck, for less money you can get a better diaper. But if you want a small one size diaper and just can’t resist the cutesy names for the color combinations (Lemon berry anyone?!), you will be able to USE the diaper. I just don’t find it worth the money. (If you find some on the super cheap- less than $12 a diaper – then by all means, go forth and work the deal. I doubt they’ll be your favorite diaper, but they’ll do.) I don’t recommend them as a night time diaper. The diaper is so small that once you double it up (or triple it up depending on the kid) it is not going to fit so well. I also don’t like to use them on trips because of their tendency to leak through the seams.

Posted in Off The Bum

SmartiPants Review

Posted on by Lindsey Jane

Smartipants Label I bought 4 of these diapers because I just HAD to try them out. They are cheaper than most cloth diapers ($39.95 for 3). They boast that you can leave the insert in once it is dirty! I wasn’t quite sure how that claim would work out, I mean, if you have ever forgotten to unstuff a pocket diaper, you know how well that turns out. But for the price, I figured I would give them a shot!

interior of SmartipantsSo, here are all the diaper details! Smartipants are made in the USA, with decent quality materials and workmanship, in my opinion. Smartipants claims to fit from newborn to toddler years; 7 pounds to 35 pounds. Well, my newborns are smaller than 7 lbs, so that wouldn’t exactly be true for my children. Realistically, they would fit a 7 lb. infant, provided that infant was not very long and skinny. They do fit my 35 lb. 3 year old, though they wouldn’t fit her too much longer. (Luckily, they won’t need to.) I doubt you’d get them on a toddler much over 35 lbs, unless that toddler was tall and skinny. The interior of smartipants is suedecloth, with a PUL exterior. Unlike many pocket diapers, you don’t actually see the inside of the PUL because of the “smart sleeve” design. Unlike most pocket diapers with an opening between the PUL and the interior layer, Smartipants has the PUL layer completely covered and has another rectangle of suedecloth sewn on top, creating a “sleeve” for inserts.

smartipants toddler bumsmartipants toddler frontSmartipants on my 2 year old, Aidan. Aidan is about 25 lbs.

smartipants infant bumsmartipants infant frontSmartipants on my 3 month old, Emery. Emery is somewhere around 15 lbs.

single smartipantsAt first, I had leaking issues with my Smartipants. I contacted the company and they quickly responded to my inquiry. I have to use two inserts in my Smartipants. No leaking now with doubled inserts.

I am pretty happy with Smartipants. Once you double (or triple for nighttime) up the inserts, they work well. And the inserts do indeed come out of the sleeve on their own in the wash. (This is a super big plus when you take these diapers out on the town and return home with a wetbag full of dirty diapers. No need to touch cold, wet insert- just put them fully stuffed and dirty into the diaper pail! Nice, right?) Smartipants work with Smartipants inserts, Nicki’s diapers inserts, bumGenius inserts, Fuzzi Bunz inserts, and any other rectangular insert you happen to have. I have not tried it, but I’m sure you could get a prefold in there as well.

Who would I recommend these diapers to? Well, I think any bumGenius lover that wants to move to snaps would like these diapers. I think anyone wanting a cheap, but functional one size pocket diaper would be happy with these diapers. I think anyone that likes the fit of a Haute Pocket would like these. If you like the idea of a pocket, but can’t stand the thought of touching and pulling out dirty inserts (or have a sitter or husband who refuses to pull our dirty inserts), you’ll like these diapers! Just make sure you buy extra inserts, since most likely a single stuffing won’t be sufficient.