Lollidoo is a brand I have had a relationship with for nearly two years.  I first learned about their super awesome diapers made from recycled plastic bottles before going to a conference in Las Vegas.  While there I was able to meet Alison and Melissa, the women behind the brand.  They both made me cry with their dedication to a sustainable world, their commitment to keeping production in the US, and their passion for cloth diapers.  It has been a pleasure reviewing their improved One Size Recycled Outtie.  While it may seem strange using a fleece pocket (or cover) is a great way to get air flowing and it is easier to care for then the even pricier wool covers.

Ease of Use ✩✩✩ After using the previous version of this cloth diaper I am really happy with the improvements on the sizing mechanics. Granted, I was using a prototype for my first review. Having the fleece handles on the button make it easy to find. The elastic is thin and not numbered which makes it a bit harder than similar button style elastic sizing one size cloth diapers. I also reviewed the snaps version the first time, and this time I have a velcro diaper. I am liking how I can get a perfect fit around my son’s waist.

Bang for the Buck ✩✩✩ I LOVE Lollidoo as a company and for what they stand for. I can honestly say there are few people in the cloth diaper world that I have met who care more about their impact on the environment and their contribution to US jobs than Alison and Melissa. Unfortunately, those innovations (fleece from recycled plastic bottles, yo!)  will add to the cost of the diaper.  A diaper with inserts runs 28-32 depending on the model and the type of inserts you choose.

Performance ✩✩✩✩ Fleece is surprisingly water resistant. It seems odd that fleece is a layer next to the baby’s skin, meant to be peed through (and thus not “waterproof” but it is also on the outside layer preventing leaks. That outer fleece is much thicker. The diaper worked well for us as long as we had the size correct. Leaks occurred while we were getting the right fit, once that happened it worked great, even for nights. It should be noted that fleece can have Compression Leaks (leaks where the baby is sitting or laying when the insert is saturated) and this isn’t an issue with PUL outer diapers.

Fit ✩✩✩✩✩ This new version fits amazing on Ev, I LOVED how it fit his big thighs and that the fleece was soft on them as well. He is really outgrowing a lot of diapers these days and I have a lot of room left on the rise and legs with this one.

Overall: There are a lot of reasons to love Lollidoo, and their commitment to quality products/environment/fair labor and wages is my number one. I also love the new sizing and the cuteness of these fluffy diapers. The major drawbacks of their fleece pockets come after heavy use. It is important to air dry those diapers because even just drying once in a dryer will start the fleece to pilling. I also had a black diaper to review. This one attracted lint which was noticable and that might annoy others. Function wise there is little to complain about, however.

Where to Buy: Banana Peels Cloth Diapers or Lolliplace.com

PUL, or Polyurethane Laminate, is the waterproof layer of material often used in cloth diapers.  Pockets, All-in-Ones, All-in-Twos and Diaper Covers most often use this on the outer layer of the diaper as a more breathable alternative to the old Rubber and Plastic pants of the previous generation of cloth diapers.

Example of laminate inside and polyester outside (at top) of this Flip Cover

So what exactly is PUL? When you look at many diaper covers you can see that there is a “wipeable” side which is inside, and a cloth like outside, which is usually polyester or cotton.  The laminate side has been fused to the cotton or polyester side using heat or a chemical process.  Usually this process is permanent and the two layers stay together for the long haul.  However, certain chemicals and other mistreatment of this material can cause the laminate to separate from the fabric outer, in which case the diaper will begin to have leaks through those areas.  It will bubble up and appear like a peeling sunburn.

Cotton or Polyester? Pretty much any diaper you have seen uses polyester as the soft fabric side.  While cotton offers many options for cute prints, these wick more.  The bigger brands can afford to commission large quantities of proprietary prints in polyester PUL.  The reason you don’t see many prints is for that reason, they are expensive and require large orders.  Not to mention they need to be designed.  Remember, the fabric has to look good rightside up and upside down.  A lot of diaper makers who really want to have fun prints choose to use a regular cotton knit sewn over a hidden layer of PUL.  Some are successful in this (GEN-Y Covers have NEVER leaked or wicked for me) but other diapers end up with horrible wicking (moisture from the inside of the diaper migrating to the cotton, usually around the legs.)

1 Mil or 2 Mil? PUL has either a 1 mil or 2 mil thick layer of the laminate backing.  It is up for debate whether or not 1 or 2 mil is better.  1 mil certainly feels thinner, but 2 mil has an extra layer of protection.  It could be argued that 1 mil will potentially wear down quicker over time.  You could also argue that 1 mil would be more breathable since there is less waterproof laminate for air to come through.  I have not seen conclusive evidence of either.  Unless you are making your own diapers and buying PUL, most consumers don’t even realize there are different types of PUL being used.  If you are buying your own PUL, 1 mil is easier to find and less expensive.

Examples? Bummis covers are made with 2 mil PUL.  bumGenius! products use 1 mil, for a comparison.  The Bummis covers definitely feel thicker.  Understandably, some people do not wish to use 2 mil because it is harder to work with and sew.

Some of the larger brands commission their own PUL with distinctive brand specific colors (think Bum Genius) and patterns, (think Mother-Ease).  bumGenius! have stated that they do not use a chemical solvent process, and they also believe their PUL is made in an environmentally friendly way.

Many other brands and WAHM’s have been using a brand of PUL called Fabrite which I recently learned is considered the best for diaper making.  Unfortunately this brand stopped production.  Unbeknownst to consumers, diaper makers are scrambling to find a comparable alternative, of which there aren’t many.  Fabrite used a solvent process described as”The PU film and knit are coated with a solvent based adhesive that slightly liquefies the surface of the PU film and knit, then pressure is used to fuse the fabric together.”  source: Wazoodle

After speaking to others I have learned not everyone thought Fabrite was the best.  Many used to use it and later went with a heat solvent PUL.  Nifty Nappy prefers the heat solvent PUL also.

There is another term floating around regarding PUL and this is TPU.  TPU stands for Thermoplastic Polyurethane.  This is where it gets hairy.  According to Rumparooz, who uses TPU, they regard it in another category altogether.  Taken from Rumparooz’s Website:

In 2008 Kanga Care started using a biodegradable TPU waterproof material. Biodegradable TPU is solvent-free. Biodegradable TPU is a polyester fabric that has been laminated with a thermoplastic polyurethane using a heat bonding process. This process is low in toxicity and is better for the natural environment. Both the TPU laminate and the polyester fabric the laminate is applied to are biodegradable.  When composted they will biodegrade in 4-5 years.

However, the fabric distrubutors Wazoodle, who issued a highly informative breakdown of the different PUL’s, say:

TPU is the technical name for polyurethane film used to make all PUL, new and old.  A few vendors heard TPU for the first time and thought it would help them make their items sound different — just marketing tricks!

So if TPU is better for the environment why aren’t more diaper manufacturer’s using it?

It could just be that they are, and the TPU is just a fancy name for the heat solvent version of PUL that many manufacturers use.  It is all very confusing for someone who does not make diapers!

Bottom line?

It is near impossible to know exactly which PUL a diaper is using unless you ask.  Some makers are very forthcoming, others believe their proprietary PUL recipe should be kept secret.  I found both sides when looking into this post.  You will also see that some diapers source PUL from China, but other brands are still careful to use PUL made in the US.  I still believe PUL has made the cloth diapering revolution possible. I love my Pockets and couldn’t live without them.  Cloth diapers are better than disposables any day, no matter how the PUL was made, but it isn’t something you should keep your head in the sand about either.

What is I don’t want to use PUL but want to use cloth diapers? If you are concerned that PUL production is bad for the environment there are certainly other options.  Wool and fleece work just as well at keeping leaks at bay.  While it isn’t practical to expect every cloth diaper user to use these materials, if you really want organic and conscientiously produced diapers wool and fleece might be what you need.

For responsibly made wool I would recommend: Sustainable Babyish, Better for Babies (Little Beetle), and the WAHM’s out there who upcycle wool into soakers or hand knit them (Hyena Cart and Etsy will yield results).

If you prefer fleece (easier to care for overall and less expensive) I suggest Lollidoo, who use recycled plastic bottles to make their fleece!  Also, there are WAHM’s who upcycle fleece to make soakers as well.

Special thanks to the cooperative diaper companies I contacted: bumGenius!, Bummis, and Nifty Nappy, who were very helpful in answering my questions.

Images: Flip- clothdiapers.blogspot.com, PUL- www.zjgxdiaper.com

Lately I have had this nagging thought in my head: One day we are going to run out of cute cloth diaper names.  The good news is that this will be due to the growth of cloth diapers as an industry and the many brands that are out there and those that have yet to be made and named.  The bad news is we will not have enough cute names to go around.

The pioneers of cloth diapers had it easy.  Every synonym for “rear end” was available.

The first modern pocket diaper chose the name “Fuzzibunz”

Then the next pocket diapers came along.  bumGenius!, Happy Heineys, Rumparooz, and Smartipants.

Don’t get me wrong, not all cloth diapers reference the booty.  Some are just cute.  Kissaluvs, Lollidoo, BabyKicks, Kiwi Pie.

Then there are the just plain weird, like Krap Katchers.

I suppose there will always be room for cute names, but only so many ways you can say “butt” in a funny and adorable way.

So what do you think?  Am I underestimating the creativity of future entrepreneurs?  Or are we doomed?  And, I want to hear your favorite cloth diaper name!  Leave it in the comments!

To coincide with the video review, Lollidoo is going to sponsor a giveaway!

One lucky DDL reader will win a Lollidoo Eco Pocket One Size Diaper!

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Lollidoo.com.  There are a lot of resources and information there, let me know something you learned about their company in the comments.

For extra entries do any or all of the following.  Leave a comment for each you do.

Follow @KimRosas on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please tweet, “@KimRosas and @Lollidoo are giving away a One Size Eco Pocket.  Ends March 15 http://3z9he.th8.us”  Leave a comment with a link to your status.

You can tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Leave a comment with your status for each tweet.

Follow @Lollidoo on Twitter.  Leave a comment.

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Giveaway ends on March 15. Winner will be chosen using random.org. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.

***Open to US and Canada***

I was not compensated for this post however the diaper sent for review was kept.

I first learned about Lollidoo almost a year ago.  Their diaper intrigued me and I wanted very much to review it for this site.  We spoke about a review on email, but it just so happened I would be going to ABC Kids Expo so I got to talk to them in person about their diapers.  Melissa and Alison told me about their company and brought me to tears with their commitment to creating a diaper that was made from recycled materials and could be recycled when it had no life left in it.  Even more impressive was the fact that they hired mostly single mothers, and were paying them a livable and comfortable wage. I was so impressed with the whole company and had a great time chatting them up!

It took a while to get this diaper reviewed, I was originally sent a prototype which in the end differed a bit from the final version, so I was sent that to review as well for the video.

Ease of Use ✰✰✰ The day to day putting on of this diaper isn’t too terribly complicated or difficult.  There are 4 snaps to affix for each change.  However, since fleece is bulky, it can be hard to do the snaps sometimes, especially if you have larger fingers or hands.  Stuffing the diaper is easy because the pocket opening is large, but there were times I had issues getting the insert(s) to lay flat without bunching in the front.  This was more of an insert issue…  you can use whichever insert you want.  Sizing was a little difficult at first because I had to figure out what I was doing.  Once I understood the knot and slot system the only challenge was digging through the cottons to find the elastic whenever I needed to adjust.

Bang for the Buck ✰✰✰ This is a very unique diaper, not because it is a fleece pocket, because there are others, but because of the materials used to make it and the fair wages paid to their US employees.  The price point is between 30-40 dollars without an insert at most places.  Buying a Lollidoo means you are not only preventing disposable diapers from making their way to the landfill, but also giving plastic bottles a grand and noble new purpose: catching poop.  I also know from talking with Alison and Melissa how important their employees are to them.  They make sure they earn a fair wage so they can support their families, many employees are single mothers.  And quality is very important too.

Performance ✰✰✰✰ I am going to be honest and say I had a few leaks.  It took me 3 adjustments with the elastic to get a fit that worked on my son.  One leak happened overnight, which always stinks!  I should have made sure I had the elastic adjusted correctly with no leaks before I attempted the night test.  Once I found his fit we didn’t have leaking issues anymore, including at night and naps.  Fleece is a great substitute for wool if you don’t want to lanolize or handwash.

Fit ✰✰✰ My time testing the diaper was good once I worked the kinks out.  First be aware that fleece is not trim.  While I was able to fit the diaper under certain pants, he looked pretty funny in them.  It is a good night diaper, so bulk wouldn’t matter then.  And, you could go pants free around the house to show off the cute diaper.  Waist wise, there were lots of snaps to choose from.  The rise does not go as high as I would like.  The fit that worked best for us happened to be the last slot available, meaning there are no more rise adjustments left.  I’m not sure if he will need it or not since the way diapers fit babies changes even on the same setting, but I’m sure other babies would need a higher rise.

Overall- My favorite thing about the diaper is how it is made, and the standards of the company behind it.  It is a diaper that works, and many people swear this is the only diaper they will ever use.  I prefer a trimmer fit so it automatically gets put in the “overnight” category in my house.  This is a great diaper for babies who might have allergies to suedecloth or who need a breathable diaper due to rashes.  I would also suggest never drying this diaper in the dryer, as it can get fuzzy and it won’t look as pretty.