At last, the day is here! After many set backs, I can now post the Flip System Video Review.
The Flip Cloth Diapering system is an innovative “create your own adventure” sort of cloth diaper. The staple of the system is the cover, a waterproof, one size cover using the same snap down 3 step rise system as the Bum Genius. The inside of the cover is laminate PUL that can be wiped clean between uses. The closure uses snaps. To absorb the messes, Flip has given you three options. A stay dry, microfiber soaker which is one size. An organic cotton soaker that can be folded to fit different sizes. And, disposable inserts which are dye and fragrance free, to make traveling with cloth diapers a little easier!
Ease of Use ✰✰✰ With so many options, there are a lot of different things to learn when using the Flip. The Stay Dry insert is easy enough, and is even marked with a stitched line and wording letting you know where to fold for the size. The organic cotton insert has a grid pattern. While this seems helpful, and it can be, I prefer to just fold where I see fit. You can do that, but since the stitching makes a “crease” it stays folded better where the lines are. The disposable inserts are very skinny, and there is lots of excess room on the sides. Length wise, you can fold it to fit if you need to. But, if you aren’t careful, you could have leaking because there is room for error with these. I think practice will help you get the hang of how each insert should go, and if you need to fold one way, or another way. But if you get a leak or two in the beginning, don’t despair! Just rethink how you are using the insert!
Bang for the Buck ✰✰✰✰ A good economical choice with a lot of options. There aren’t many cloth diapers with the choice of a disposable insert. Even the 4.95 for a pack of disposable inserts goes a long way if you only need one per change. Because the Flip is just a cover, you also have the option of buying less expensive, or even pre-loved prefolds to use as inserts also. The cover can be purchased alone for 13.95, a great price for a stand alone cover. If you buy the kits, ranging in price, you save more money than buying separate inserts and covers. The disposable inserts can only be bought alone, they do not come with any kits.
Performance ✰✰✰✰ I personally found the stay dry and organic inserts to be sufficiently absorbent. The Organic insert washed up soft, and has stayed pretty soft (I use Ecover cloth diaper safe softener on occasion to keep things soft!). Overnight use went well for us, but my son isn’t a very heavy wetter. The stay dry insert is a little slim, and can move around some. It didn’t cause a leak, but if you have a bowel movement, there is a good chance that it will make it into the cover as well. Absorbency was good for us. I was impressed that the stay dry insert looked so simple, and worked well. It seems almost too easy! I used the disposable inserts for a flight I took recently. We had him in a Flip, packed a rolled up cover (which gets tiny! Super handy for the diaper bag!) and lots of inserts. I had enough to last me for more than a day, and it took up no more space than 3-4 cloth diapers. I used 2 inserts overnight before we left and had no leaking! And over the day I used 1 insert for each change. On one occasion I knew I couldn’t change him for a couple of hours, so I used 2, one folded in front for extra protection. This worked great for us, and held all of the pee, no problems. I was nervous, they look so thin, but they held up well.
Fit ✰✰✰✰ The sizing looks identical to the Bum Genius, and the method is the same. With snap closures you lose the ability to cross the tabs over, something to consider for small babies. If using the organic inserts, there is going to be some bulk. You get shelf booty in the back, like usual with trifolded prefolds in a cover. The stay dry insert is very trim, but the cover sized to a medium and a medium set insert will have some excess fabric. It will be smooshed down by pants or shorts though. The same holds true for the disposable insert. It is VERY trim, but there might be some extra fabric in the cover. The legs and waist will fit the same. The Flip is a good fit on my son’s legs and waist, same as the Bum Genius. You may find you have to adjust the cover differently if your baby is borderline sizes, depending on the insert you use.
Overall- In theory, I love the idea of the Flip. You have a variety of insert choices, and having a cover capable of using disposable inserts works great for traveling. Sometimes, too much choice can be a bad thing! It makes organizing your stash harder, and you may find you don’t reach for the “different” diaper, unless of course you have a whole stash of Flips! I think if you are new to cloth diapers the Flip has a lot of potential. It is pretty easy to use once you get things down. It is affordable, and the colors it comes in are attractive.
Some of the drawbacks- the inserts can move around, the cover feels very thin and unsnapping makes me nervous that I am stretching the PUL, and all of the Bum Genius colors aren’t available at this time.
Still, it was a fun diaper to use, and I see why the makers of Bum Genius came out with the Flip. It answers a lot of need in the market. And, the Flip makes a good cover for your own fitteds and prefolds too!
If you are ready to try them, you can visit my sponsor, Kelly’s Closet (my affiliate link), who was kind enough to send the Flip for me to review! At this time all purchases over 49.00 get a free package of Flip Disposable Inserts using the code FLIP at check out.
