Welcome to my next installment in my Introduction to Cloth Diaper Series. This week I am tackling Sleeve Cloth Diapers. Never heard the term before?

A “Sleeve” cloth diaper is basically a pocket diaper but with an opening at the front and back of the diaper. In the best situation this means the insert should agitate out during the wash cycle.

According to my definition of a pocket diaper in my last installment a “sleeve” diaper is a pocket, however I felt it deserved its own segment (the tongue style will also get a stand alone post)

The most popular sleeve diaper is probably the Smartipants, which I reviewed here. Another example would be the Thirsties Duo Diaper, which I have also reviewed. Both are seen in my video demonstration.

What is wonderful about sleeve cloth diapers is that you get all of the benefits of a pocket (inserts are removed and get cleaner than an AIO, dry times typically fast, inexpensive, customizable absorbency) but without the drawback of having to remove the insert before washing.  Like a pocket, you will still have to stuff it with the insert again before use.

The average pocket diaper is 17.95, a Smartipants will run you 14.95 and a Thirsties Duo Diaper is 18.50. Other sleeve diapers will remain in that range, whereas an AIO can cost closer to 20-25 depending on the brand.

Sleeve diapers make great diaper bag diapers because while out you can skip un-stuffing the pocket before placing it in your wet bag, or worse, after it has been in your wet bag for a few hours and it has “ripened” up a bit.

Sleeve diapers are perfect if you don’t mind the laundry side of cloth diapers (stuffing) but prefer not to touch the dirty inserts.  They are usually trim, are economical, and come in a few brands and varieties to suit most consumers’ tastes.  It’s like an All-in-One and Pocket had a hybrid baby, not to be confused with hybrid diapers-that is another installment!

Smartipants are only sold through their website (they stopped selling in retail outlets a few months ago as best I can tell).  You can find Thirsties Duo Diaper at my affiliate Kelly’s Closet and many other cloth diaper stores!

Any questions on sleeve diapers, or other cloth diaper inquiries, leave a comment.  Also, if you have a topic you want to be covered in the series let me know!

One of the benefits of researching all of the cloth diapers made in the US and Canada was that I came across brands I was not familiar with.  Let’s face it: there are tons of diaper brands out there, big and small, and I don’t know them all!

Bella Bottoms, a brand of diapers made in Austin, TX, only recently added the Incredibellas One Size pockets diaper to their lineup.  This diaper has snap closures, a fold over and snap down rise adjustment, and pocket openings in the front and back so no unstuffing!

Ease of Use ✰✰✰✰ The Incredibellas sizing adjustment was very intuitive for me.  As shown in the video, the rise folds over on the top of the diaper, and snaps down.  Then  snaps facing the correct direction are exposed that you can use.  There are two settings of the fold over/ snap down rise, and the third setting is completely unfolded.  For every day use it is very easy to put on and take off.  There are a total of 4 snaps to affix, two on each tab.  When you are ready to take the diaper off you don’t even need to remove the insert because it agitates out in the wash.  You can stuff from the front or back of the diaper as well, the front opening is very wide and good for Daddy hands.

Bang for the Buck ✰✰✰✰✰ This diaper is a great deal!  The diaper sells for 15.00 on Bella Bottom’s website, but is currently on sale for 12.00!  This includes an insert and doubler.  This diaper has features often found on pricier diapers, such as an insert that agitates out.  The coordinating snap colors is another feature I loved on this diaper.

Performance ✰✰✰✰✰ I was very impressed by the Incredibellas.  It is obviously a WAHM made diaper when you look at it, judging my the styling and stitching.  That doesn’t mean it doesn’t perform well (or look good!).  There were no leaking issues of any kind, though apparently I was using the doubler and not the soaker.  I am unsure if I misplaced the soaker it came with or what!  I just noticed this today!  The doubler is 100% cotton and bi-folds, and the soaker is 100% cotton and trifolds.  Apparently the doubler is all I need so I bet the soaker is even better!

Fit ✰✰✰✰ The first time I used the diaper I felt there was an issue with fit around my son’s waist, as if the snaps were too far apaprt for me to get a tight enough fit.  The second time I used it there was no issue at all.  I never had a problem with that afterwards.  Most diapers have a learning curve to get a good fit and application on the baby, and even an experienced diaper tester can have trouble.  With snaps there is always that chance of having an odd fit when you are in between snaps.  These are a tinier bit farther apaprt than most so that may have been my issue. I have been reaching for this diaper a lot though, because it is really trim!  It gives my son a little less of a fluffy booty!  As for the rise adjustments, I can tell it gets very small, but with no newborn to test it on (yet!) I can’t speak to the fit.

Overall- I am very impressed with this diaper.  I had never heard of it before, but I hope after my review that you give it some consideration.  It is very well made (the label tag started fraying but the label was not made by the same folks making the diaper… so don’t fault it for that!) and you really can’t beat the price on these!