CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Cloth diapers review Part One

I have decided to do my cloth diaper reviews in three parts: All-in-ones (this includes pocket diapers), separate diapers and covers, and then soakers/longies.

Basically, I've tried a bunch of different diapers, and I'd like to share what I thought of all of them just in case anyone wants to know how they worked for me. Who knows, it could help someone decide what kind of diapers to use. I know reading other people's diaper reviews helped me make some of my decisions.

So here we go. These are the all-in-one or pocket-style diapers I have tried.

My very first cloth diaper was a Diaper Garden all-in-one that I won on the Mama Notes blog.



This was probably the one main thing that made me consider switching to cloth. I had no idea they had evolved from rags and pins and rubber pants to something so cool.
Unfortunately, this diaper doesn't fit Jordan very well. It is way too tight on his little thighs, so we don't use it. I did try it out a few times, though, and other than leaving deep marks on his thighs, it seemed to work well. It has a snap-in style liner that I have only seen on one other kind of diaper.

The second diaper I received came from the Bunny Bumz etsy shop. It's got an adorable dinosaur print on it and a nice fluffy lining.



She was kind enough to sell it to me at cost, too. I like this diaper, but I ordered it a tad too big (It gaps at the waist) so I save it for nighttime use when I can really stuff it and put a wool or fleece soaker over it. I should add, this diaper came with a Zorb fabric liner which is AWESOME. It is very absorbent!

The next diaper I tried came from the BabyGreen diaper shop on etsy. She sent me this diaper at no cost to help me get going on cloth diapering. I thought that was extremely generous.
The light green diaper she sent is extremely soft on the inside, fits well and I have absolutely no complaints about it. In fact, it's always in my wash load (which means it's not one of the diapers I leave in the drawer until I HAVE to use it!)



The next mom-made diaper I tried was one from an etsy shop called Beeber's Butts.



She allowed me to purchase two of her bamboo doublers at buy-one-get-one-free with my purchase of a diaper. I was immediately impressed with this diaper, and after using and washing them for several weeks, I continue to be impressed. They fit well, look cute, wash well and dry quickly. I also love the soakers. They are the thinnest I've found but still work well for naps/running errands, etc. when I want a little extra absorbency without a lot of added bulk. In fact, I was so impressed with her diaper (and I LOVE that it's Michigan made), I purchased a couple more, plus some more soakers and a PUL diaper pail liner.

Beeber's Butts are velcro-closure diapers and they are the only ones I have that stay nicely attached to the laundry tabs and have shown NO signs of wear. These are by far my favorite WAHM diaper and I would highly recommend them. Plus, they're not that expensive in comparison to other diapers, especially now because she's running a sale this month. Check out her shop!

I was given an adorable flame-printed diaper to try out from an etsy shop called DJL Designs. The diaper is really cute and it's definitely easy because the liner is sewn right into it, but for that reason, it takes FOREVER to dry after a wash! That's the only downfall of the diaper as far as I can see.



DJL is working on a new design that has a rear velcro closure and reusable cloth inserts, and also just got a new snap press, so make sure to visit the shop to see what's new. I know I will!

I couldn't help myself when I stopped by the Three Monkeys Cloth Diapers etsy shop and saw this little monkey printed diaper. I had to have it, so I bought it!



This is an adorable, soft, cuddly diaper, but like the flame one, it has a sewn-in liner and takes ages to dry. That's my only complaint about this one, too. You can find all sorts of really cute prints at Three Monkeys, so check it out. The shop carries swim diapers too!

I had heard good things about Bum Genius diapers, and I found a store about an hour away that carried them, so I drove down to get one. I purchased a Bum Genius 3.0 diaper in a bright green color (The color shown below is grasshopper. I think I got one called "Ribbit." At least, that's what the girl in the store called it.



I like the Bum Genius diaper but it's not my absolute favorite. I think the Velcro is already looking raggedy, and for some reason the PUL cover part takes longer to dry than the other ones I have. It's OK, though. The inserts, I think, are a little bulky, but it does the job. Because it was one of the pricier ones, I think I would probably opt to buy another brand.

FuzziBunz sent me a one-size diaper for free to try out. It came in a cute royal blue and I have no complaints whatsoever about this diaper. It wears well, it's soft, it looks good, it washes well. It seems to hold a decent amount of wetness, too. Good all-around diaper!



I purchased a three-pack of Smartipants after hearing good things about this brand, and boy am I glad I did! This diaper was the most economical of the "big brands" and I am so impressed with it. I love the design, the look, the fit, the inserts, and I ADORE the way the pocket is open at both ends. You're not supposed to even have to pull out the insert before you throw it in the wash, but I do anyway. I really like these diapers and would recommend them to anyone!



So, after all my trial-and-error of all-in-one and pocket-style diapers, the clear winners in my world are Smartipants and Beeber's Butts. And see, these aren't even the diapers I got for free or a discount, so you can rest assured I'm not being bribed to write good things!

I would, however, like to heartily thank all the diaper companies and hard-working moms who sent me free or discounted diapers to try out in my quest to find what works for me. They were all so encouraging and helpful as I made my transition to cloth diapering. Please stop by and browse their etsy shops and see what they have going on! Just because something didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't for you!

Stay tuned for my reviews of separate diapers and covers, and wool and fleece soakers/longies in the next few days!

1 comments:

Melinda said...

I have to say that I hate how the Bum Genius tabs end up. I was so excited when I bought a dozen new ones, but 1/2 of then soon had icky tabs. They were our night time diapers for a pretty good while. I was amazed at first at how the inside of the diaper was dry but the insert was soaked.