So, if you’re at all like me, you see these super cheap cloth diapers on Amazon and you wonder, “Are they any good?” Plus, they make some awesome prints! I was gifted a few different brands, so I’ll give you the scoop on the ones that I tried.
First, I think a lot of the brands are the exact same. It appears that they are just rebranded by each company. So, don’t fret over Art of Life diapers or Alva diapers- they are the same. Buy whichever you think are cutest. I tried three brands. Art of Life, Alva Baby (with two different labels), and EcoAble. You’ll also see these, these, and these, which all look exactly the same. Now, the AoL and Alva diapers were the exact same since they were both pocket diapers. The EcoAble were a little different since they are All In One style. We’ll revisit those EcoAble diapers in a different post and focus on the cheapie pockets today.
The Art of Life and Alva diapers are identical. The tags are different, but the actual diaper is the exact same. Same dimensions. Same materials. Same efficacy. The Art of Life tagged diapers actually came from a company named “Lil Bit”, or at least that is what the inserts said. I’m telling you, they are all the same. I actually couldn’t find the AOL tagged diapers to link, but I swear they are out there.
How do they compare to a standard cloth diaper? I’m comparing them to a BumGenius pocket diaper because that seems very run of the mill basic to me. You can see from the pictures that the cheapies are much larger. They also don’t have any interior PUL foldover. The inside fabric is similar, but the cheapies are much rougher feeling. The outer fabric on the cheapies is much thicker. It is a TPU rather than a PUL. So it isn’t as thin. It isn’t breathable at all. And it doesn’t feel as soft.
But do they work? Well, yes and no. I tried both the microfiber inserts and the fancy charcoal inserts. I saw zero difference between those two. They both seemed to work the same. The inserts are actually so similar to my BumGenius inserts, that I now can’t tell which is which on my microfiber inserts.
The problem I have with them is that they are using the exact same size insert as the BumGenius pocket diaper. You can see that they are much bigger than the BumGenius pocket diaper. This means that the insert doesn’t cover all the way across. The inserts get bunched and move around a bit more because they don’t fit the space. I have had many leak issues, specifically through the stitch lines around the legs. Same inserts in the BumGenius diapers and they don’t leak.
So, I switched it up a bit. I tried out my Green Mountain Diaper prefolds instead of the microfiber or charcoal inserts. Because I could pad fold them wider, they worked like a charm. Zero leak issues using prefolds instead of the inserts they came with.
So, yes they work, but you need to modify the system a little bit. These also snap a bit different from the BumGenius. Instead of two parallel snaps, they use two snaps side by side on the top row and then a hip snap on the bottom row. I don’t see a difference with the snaps in how they function. They are just a bit different. But other diaper companies use this triangle snap system, so that isn’t weird or new. Just different from the diaper I’m using to compare.
So, is it worth it? It depends on your situation. If I had gotten these when I first started cloth diapering, I would have deemed the experiment a failure because of leaks. You really do have to work a bit harder to get these not to leak. And that means buying prefolds, so they aren’t as cheap as they seem. However, if you’ve got prefolds and are wanting some “easy” diapers for the sitter or grandma or whatever, these are excellent diapers for that use. They don’t make good overnight diapers. These aren’t so bad that I am looking to off load mine. But I am glad I have more than just these in my stash. They do make some really cute prints. These are my out and about daytime diapers and I now stuff them with Green Mountain Diapers prefolds. On the lowest setting, the small prefold fits well. On the largest setting, you’d need a large prefold.
These started fitting Daisy when she got around 10 lbs. They were a little big on her then, but they did work. I’d say 12 lbs. and up is probably the more reasonable size.
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Haute Pocket One Size Pocket diapers are one of my all time favorite diaper! I have 6 of the old “breathable” version and 3 of the new “traditional” version. I’ve been using these diapers for quite some time 
The details. Haute Pocket claims their diaper will fit most babies from birth to potty training, specifying a fit from 8 lbs. to 35 lbs. My newborns are not 8 lbs, so that bit is out for me! However, they really do fit an 8 lb. infant! If your baby is on the rounder side, they would probably fit a 7 lb. baby! And they really do fit all the way up to 35 lbs. I have a 35 lb. 3 year old that can still fit in these diapers. They may fit a child weighing more than 35 lbs., if they child is on the tall and skinny end of things. My 3 year old has thunder thighs, and these fit her.
The 15ish lb. Emery modeling a new version Haute Pocket for you.
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!
So, 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 on my 2 year old, Aidan. Aidan is about 25 lbs.
Smartipants on my 3 month old, Emery. Emery is somewhere around 15 lbs.
At 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.