I began drooling over the Ecobubs Wool Pocket long before it was available in the US. In fact, I featured it in a post about cloth diapers around the world over a year ago. When it hit the states and I was asked to review it I said yes of course. Their striped diaper is stunning to look at. So classic. The diaper itself has an exterior of New Zealand wool that is washable, and has a hidden layer of PUL. It is side snapping and a sized diaper that comes with 1 super absorbent microfiber insert.

Ease of Use ✩✩✩✩ I would say that the hardest thing about using the EcoBubs would simply be stuffing it. The insert included with the diaper is a bit large and the pocket opening is in the front so the opening is more narrow. With the insert being so fluffy, at least for now, you have to really take time to make sure it is laying flat. When it comes to actually placing it onto your baby it isn’t hard but side snaps do take some getting used to. Since there is some fluff with the wool I felt the snaps weren’t snapping as tight, as if there was less to grab onto when the snap was pressed, making the snap not have as much to hold onto (look at your snaps next time and how the male/female parts work together and this will make sense). Once you know they do this you are aware and are careful when snapping it closed.
Bang for the Buck ✩✩✩ This diaper is stunning, beautiful, classy, elegant… I mean, for a cloth diaper. And they really play it up with their product photographs. The diaper is pricey at 33.00. What you get is a wool pocket. Not wool in the traditional cloth diaper sense where you are lanolizing it, but you get the look of wool and the added benefit of the breath-ability. It does come with 1 insert. And you are paying a higher price for it being an imported item, except the inserts, which are made in the US. Having just one is nice because it sure is pretty to look at and takes some fantastic photos.
Performance ✩✩✩✩✩ I loved this diaper for overnight. It has 1 mil PUL (read more about PUL) so it is more breathable than some diapers. Then it has wool over it. I used my microfiber inserts for daytime and theirs for nights with success on both counts. I don’t traditionally like pockets at night but we did ok with this one so far.
Fit ✩✩✩✩ I reviewed the Medium, which fits babies 11-27 pounds. The rise was shorter than I am used to for a Medium but it certainly worked. The size settings on the waist looked to go right along with how a Medium should fit as well. Ev has some growing room in it and may never need the Large size before potty learning. Most babies wear Mediums the longest. Their small fits 7-16 lbs and Large is 24 pounds +. The diaper is soft and never left any red marks. It looks very comfortable.
Overall: I should address the washing here. This is Wool, but not “Wool.” You wash it with your regular diapers. The whole thing. Like any pocket you need to remove the insert first but you still wash it with everything else. I tried my best to air dry it but my sitter put it in the dryer twice while I was out and it survived. After the first wash and air dry there were already some fuzzies, as with any knit material like that it will happen. I don’t know that I am sold on it as having more breath-ability than a normal pocket with 1 mil PUL. If you believe that it makes a difference then you will be happy with the diaper as a more breathable night time solution. I’ve never had a problem with my current diapers so maybe this is why it wasn’t noticeable.  The insert, even though it has a lot of layers, dries quickly due to the snapping, circular design. For me, the beauty of this diaper is in just that- the appearance. I am IN LOVE with their stripes and color combinations so I am willing to overlook the price of just one. Would I have a whole stash? No. But 1-2 are quite nice.
Where to Buy EcoBubsDiapers.com

The next video in my Introduction to Cloth Diaper Series is all about pocket diapers! If you are brand new to cloth diapering the terminology is certainly confusing.

A pocket diaper is any cloth diaper that has a pocket opening. I focused on PUL shells (what is PUL?) with a lining and opening, but they are not limited to just that. There are fleece, wool, and even fitted (non waterproof) varieties as well. Still, the PUL shell with a stay dry lining is the most popular, like bumGenius! 4.0 and Fuzzibunz.

The pocket diaper can have an opening at the back (most common), front, or even in the middle.

Openings can be “hidden,” meaning there is a flap over the opening (ex. bumGenius! 4.0/3.0), completely open at the back (ex. Happy Heiny’s), or the envelope style where they tuck in (ex. Tiny Tush Elite), or they can simply have a slit opening.

Linings include:

Stay Dry- Microfleece or suedecloth. (comprehensive post on stay dry linings here)

Non Stay Dry- Cotton velour, bamboo velour, hemp/cotton, bamboo looped terry, cotton looped terry, bamboo fleece.

Pockets are popular because they are customizable and dry quicker than All-in-Ones but remain convenient.  They are also less expensive than most All-in-Ones.

Most pocket diapers come with microfiber inserts, the same material used commonly for towels to clean cars or mop pads.  It is cheap and absorbent.  You can also find pockets that come with hemp, cotton, bamboo, zorb, and more.

As shown in the video, there are many styles of pockets.  Middle closing with velcro or snaps, side snapping, one size, sized, and even dual size (another video).

The biggest drawback of pockets comes when it is time to wash (unstuffing the diaper to allow the insert to be throughly washed) and restuffing it when the diaper is clean and dry.  A typical load of pockets (15 diapers) will take 5-10 minutes to stuff.  Expect to wash every 1.5-3 days.  I have a continuous motion video of washing and stuffing diapers to give you an idea.

In its most basic form, a pocket is still just a shell with an opening for you to stuff an absorbent insert.  But wow are there a lot of options!

*the video without sound has been replaced with a video withaudio.  I apologize for the confusion*

The Katydid One Size was a diaper that to me, at first, didn’t look like it would set itself apart.  I had seen a lot of people proclaim them to be great, and had been requested to review the diaper many times.  Franklin Goose (DDL Affiliate) approached me to see if I would like to review a cloth diaper for them and since they sold Katydid I was happy to oblige!

Ease of Use ✰✰✰✰ The Katydid was a total of 6 or 4 snaps to affix when you put it on your baby.  If you watch the video you will see what I mean.  For babies slightly larger than an infant but smaller than by son (22 pounds) you will need to do 6.  There are snaps to control the wing droopage, one on each tab.   But there are only2 so on certain sizes you won’t need them.  For me I only need to do 4 snaps, 2 on each tab.  Stuffing the diaper requires going in from the front.  Sometimes front stuffed pockets have a smaller opening and can be a little harder to do but this one has lots of room.

Bang for the Buck ✰✰✰✰ The Katydid is 17.95 and should fit babies 8-35 pounds.   This is the same as a BG3.0 and 4.0.  The diaper comes with a one size microfiber insert and a newborn insert.  It has great reviews too!

Performance ✰✰✰✰ I haven’t had a single leak from this diaper.  I use the one size microfiber insert unless at night I add the newborn insert for doubling.  I have only tried it once for night but it did well and we had no leaks.

Fit ✰✰✰✰ I love the way these diapers fit on my son’s fairly skinny thighs. He is very in between rise settings.  The medium was too small but the large is just a little too high, but it still fits well enough without being an issue.  There is a big difference between medium and large so an extra rise snap in between seems entirely possible for me.

Overall This is a great everyday diaper.  It is easy to put on him and has performed well.  There is nothing particularly exciting about it, but nothing negative either.  I would love more color choices and that extra rise snap.  As for the front stuffing pocket, it doesn’t bother me.  I use a cloth wipe to remove the insert so my hands never get wet.  For some people they don’t like it.

Where to Buy: Franklin Goose