***WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS AN IMAGE OF REAL BABY POOP*****
Ask other parents what they disliked most about having a newborn and besides the sleepness nights, the next answer is usually “the blow-outs.”
Ask a cloth diapering mother and she will leave the blow-outs off that list and just say “sleepness nights.”
Are cloth diapers really Poop-Splosion free?Yep. Pretty much. As long as they fit correctly and the baby isn’t suffering a bout of diarrhea you will save your adorable outfits from that yellow/orange/green poop!
Cloth Diapers, unlike disposables, have elastic at the back, the legs, and sometimes even the front of the diaper. (some disposables have “elastic” but it still fits loosely) This means the diaper actually fits the baby very well and will contain the poop from leaking up the back or out of the legs!!!
I often hear the excuse from parents not wanting to use cloth diapers that they don’t want to deal with the poop.
I hate to tell them that in fact, they may be dealing with more poop in the newborn phase with disposables than a cloth diapering parent would. My babies have never had an Expoda-Poo (thanks Lisa from Weehuggers!).
Want proof?
This was a Ve-poop-ius of epic proportions! And truthfully, that diaper is 2 years old and the elastic is loose.
The proof is in the pudding. Err… maybe that is a bad analogy considering that photo. I may never eat pudding again now.
So next time your pregnant friend says she is afraid of those up the back poopy disasters, direct her to this photo and tell her that cloth diapers will save all of those pricey baby clothes! Heck, they will even coordinate with them! You can’t beat that!
Welcome to my next installment in my Introduction to Cloth Diaper Series. This week I am tacklingSleeve 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!
I am the sort of person who needs to “talk it out” (my to my husband’s dismay) so I am going to write up my plans for the newborn cloth diaper reviews. If there is something you want to see added that I am missing please let me know. As of now I plan on comparing newborn diapers on the following:
Weight they begin fitting well
Weight they no longer fit
Leaks, if any
Bang for the Buck
Performance
Really, the only thing I have added is the time frame that they fit. But, it will be nice to be able to compare these brands on those points for anyone considering them.
L to R in a circle: Baby Beehinds NB Cover, Sbish Wool, Sbish flat, KL0, Nifty Nappy Ooga Booga, Thirsties Duo, Smartipants NB, FB XS, BG XS. Lil Joey, Tiny Fit
To recap, I have the following newborn cloth diapers to review:
bumGenius! AIO Deluxe in XS.
Fuzzibunz XS
Tiny Fit by Tots Bots
Smartipants Newborn
Nifty Nappy newborn fitted
Sustainable Babyish XS Flats
Sustainable Babyish Wool Soaker
Baby Beehinds Newborn Cover
Lil’ Joeys
KL0
Gro Via newborn
Thirsties Duo Size 1
What I haven’t made up my mind on is how I will film reviews. I do not believe I will film a review for each individual diaper. I may group them into categories and show the different brands in one video. Or do them all together. What do you think?
I also plan to pit a few one size diapers head to head to see which fit a newborn first and best. The biggest request has been for Softbums, so this will be done. And I will choose from the others I have as well. Most likely you will see bumGenius! 4.0, bumGenius! Elementals, Gro Via, etc. If you have a particular One Size you really want tested, let me know in the comments and I will see what I can do.
***UPDATE
Rather than reply to all of the comments I will update here. I will try my best to address the issue of meconium, cord stump, washing/drying, etc. that were asked about. Also, I have set a lot of my one size diapers to the newborn setting. Here is a list so far:
Bottombumpers OS
Doopsy
Rocky Mountain OS
Softbums
Gro Via AIO
Gro Via AI2
bumGenius! 4.0
bumGenius! Elemental
Smartipants Smart Fit Cover
Smartipants OS
Fuzzibunz OS
Charlie Banana OS
Little Beetle velour fitted
and a Rumparooz and Sprout Change V2.0 is getting added soon.
I think that is all but there might be more.
While it will be difficult my plan is to either photograph or film the fit of these diapers on a newborn as well. Thanks for all of your input. I hope when all is said and done this will be a very beneficial experiment for new parents looking for newborn cloth diapers!
To go along with my video review, Smartipants is sponsoring a giveaway for their new Smart Fit One Size Cover!
“Smart Fit” One-size Diaper Cover
The most adjustable diaper cover in the world! Truly fits 7 – 40 lbs. This diaper cover fits over all cloth diapers from prefolds to fitteds. Just one size cover from birth to potty training. Unlike other one-size covers, the “Smart Fit” cover adjusts in 2 ways allowing this cover to fit a wider range of sizes and shapes than any other diaper cover available. Easy adjustments with sturdy snaps in front and back of the cover and easy Velcro style closures at the waist. Simply set to your child’s current size to allow for quick diaper changes. The inside is easy to wipe clean between launderings making changes on the go easier than ever.
All of our diapers are proudly made in the USA!
Features:
Exclusive waist snap adjustments at the back of the cover
Rise adjustment snaps on the front of the cover
Wipe clean interior
Easy to use Velcro style closures
Smartipants is giving one lucky DDL reader a Smart Fit One Size Cover!
Mandatory Entry:
(1 entry) Visit Smartipants.com and tell me which product, other than the Smart Fit, you would like to try or already love! Leave it as a comment.
For extra entries do any or all of the following. Leave a comment for each you do.
(1 entry) Follow @KimRosas on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please tweet, “Enter to win the highly adjustable new one size Smart Fit cover @thesmartipants and @KimRosas. http://id6r6.th8.us (10/18)” 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. 1 entry per day.
(1 entry) Follow theSmartipants on Twitter. Leave a comment.
(1 entry) Subscribe to my blog via email through feedburner. Leave a comment.
(1 entry) Follow me through Google Friend Connect or via a reader. Leave a comment.
(1 entry) Grab my button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment.
(2 entries) Blog about this giveaway and link to it. Post a link in the comment.
(2 entries) Get Creative: Post about this giveaway on a messageboard or forum. Leave a comment with a link.
(1 Entry) Click “Share this” and share this giveaway on your Facebook page. Leave a comment.
(1 Entry) “Like” Smarti Pantson Facebook. Leave a comment.
(1 Entry) Go to Dirty Diaper Laundry on Facebook and start a discussion or reply to a discussion. Tell me what you did. Just leave your comment
Giveaway ends on Oct 18. 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 *
Maybe you remember waiting for the BIG Announcement Smartipants had planned on their facebook page a while back. I, among others, waited to find out what was up their sleeve. I am a big fan of their One Size Sleeve Diaper (you can view my video review here) and recommend it often. It has lasted me a long time, looks brand new, fits great, and is the trimmest pocket diaper I own. So, I knew only good things could come. A One Size Cover, Newborn AIO, and Wet Bags were announced. Not earth shattering, but nice items to add to their lineup! This review is for the Smart Fit Cover. A new type of OS Cover that uses a snap down rise and snapping adjustments in the waist.
Ease of Use ✩✩✩ Despite it looking a little complicated due to the large amount of snaps on the front of the diaper, there is nothing hard about this cover. You may have some trial and error when trying to find the perfect snap on the front. Same goes for finding if you need to use the waist snaps or not. Then, the cover is transformed into a wrapping cover with velcro closure, easy as pie.
Bang for the Buck ✩✩✩✩ I am going to go ahead and say that I expected this diaper cover to cost a little less (by a 1.00 or so), considering the very nice price point of their Sleeve Diaper. Still, at 13.95 it isn’t that pricey. Plus, it is made in the US and has super high quality snaps that are different than any other diapers I have seen.
Performance ✩✩✩✩✩ At the size my son is at currently, this diaper cover has been a rock star for us. If I want a PUL cover at night this is what I choose now. Because it is “bigger” it can fit over the bulkiest, fluffiest booty no problem. It fits great over even my biggest combo: Mother-Ease Sandy’s fitted and an extra booster. HUGE!
Fit ✩✩✩✩ So I am torn about this category. There are a ton of rise adjustments. I’m not sure that many are really needed. These snaps give the diaper a finer tuning than a 3 step rise, but I have never had a problem with a 3 step or 4 step. 5 steps? Is this too many options? Because I haven’t tried from beginning to potty learning, I’m not sure how it works on either end. When the diaper is snapped to the tightest waist setting, with the tabs crossed, and on the smallest rise setting, the width of the crotch and the thigh holes still look too large for a newborn or smaller infant. The weight limit says 8-35 pounds. I think it will fit later than 8 and longer than 35.
Overall- Like I said, I am unsure if all of the snaps are needed. It looks like there is an extra 2 inches when you unsnap the waist snaps, but you still have tons of room even without them unsnapped. Maybe if there was less fabric around the waist this would be more helpful. These are good for when the baby gets bigger and older, and especially to fit over those bulky fitteds! I will try the diaper again on an 8 pounder to see how that goes and let you know!
All of us are lucky. We are raising our children in a time where we have choices. Upmteen million bazillion choices. We can find wonderful products that not only make child rearing easier, but that are for the most part, good for baby and planet.
Of course one of these products is the modern cloth diaper. I had tons of choices while pregnant. I looked at them all and made decisions that were compatible with my family and lifestyle. I chose bumGenius, Thirsties, chinese prefolds, Blueberry, G Diapers, and some WAHM diapers. These were brands I researched and that already had a loyal following.
Now my son is 1.5 years old and I have seen the cloth diaper industry grow immensely in that time. In fact, I have seen new brands hit the scene, some of which have EXPLODED! The innovations within the last 2 years are astounding. I don’t even know if it is possible to keep up the pace that was set.
Once upon a time there was a little brand that popped up on Twitter. This brand started chatting on the Monday night chats and caught my eye because it looked like an awesome and unique diaper. The genius of it was that instead of a pocket, there was a sleeve. This allowed the insert to agitate out. Genius! The diaper hadn’t been released yet. That diaper was Smartipants. Now Smartipants is a popular diaper brand with lots of fans and has even been seen on TV.
I fondly remember tweeting with Kim from Rockin’ Green when she was Kim from GADbaby.com who had a yet to be released new cloth diaper detergent. Now, Rockin’ Green is sold in over 200 stores and can be found in 5 countries!!! I even remember when Kim was announcing that she picked up her first retailer! Rockin’ Green has quickly become a phenomenon with cloth diaper parents. The Facebook page is hoppin’ with people posting photos and videos, and there is even a fan video! It is like the Cult of Rockin’ Green. A large part of her success (besides the great product) is the genius of her logos/ website/ and marketing. The fact that “Rockin’ a Soak” became a cloth diaper term overnight is a testament to the genius behind the brand. (And FYI, you should really join their Facebook page because I hear she is planning some cool things for her anniversary.)
And then there are the many online and brick and mortar stores that have opened or expanded. It seems like yesterday Growin’ Green Bums was set to open their online store. Now Marissa has lots of local and online clients. In fact, she is going to open up her own retail store in Northwest Florida. She has turned her passion into a growing business.
Last but not least is Jillian’s Drawers. This online and brick and mortar store was already well known. But they moved from what can only be described as a closet, to a gigantic store in the heart of downtown Ithaca. I feel so lucky to live so (relatively) close to this amazing store that is doing so much for their local community. Brick and Mortar stores are such resources for their communities. If there were more, I can only imagine there would be more cloth diapering parents. The ability to touch and feel a cloth diaper is more powerful than videos or text could ever be.
I am so proud of these companies and women who are making their own dreams come true, and providing solutions for our everyday lives. I have such admiration for people who have an idea for a product or business and get it done. By the time my children are out of diapers cloth diapers are going to be even bigger and better!
I can’t believe I did my first video cloth diaper review in April 2009. Now that I have reviewed over 50 cloth diapers I have established a rating system that is used for every review. When I first started, however, things were all over the place. I wrote a lot or a little, and had no rhyme or reason to what I included, much like the videos themselves.
It has been a long time coming that I should go back and revise older reviews to include a new category: Durability. Certain reviews will be edited, when I can, to include this new category. Only diapers that I feel I have given a good run will be updated. If for some reason I did not continue to use the diaper long after the review, I simply won’t update it. For now, you can see the Durability update on 3 of my first video reviews.
Kelly’s Closet and Smartipants have teamed up to bring you an exclusive and adorable new color. The new Cocoa Bean Smartipants can only be purchased from Kelly’s Closet.
I personally rank Smartipants as one of my favorite diapers. In fact, I reviewed it many months back. If you want to see that video review, you can watch it here.
I have been recommending Smartipants to those who ask me for an economical one size diaper. What I love:
Insert agitates out, no dirty insert pulling and poop on hands!
Easy to put on, one row of snaps.
TRIM!
Easy rise adjustment.
Price point- 14.95!!!
Made in the USA
“We are honored that the founders of Smartipants asked us to
exclusively carry one of their coolest and cutest colors yet, Cocoa
Bean,” says Kelly Wels, the founder of KellysCloset.com. “I know
our customers are already excited about this new color because it is
trendy and adorable too! We also know this color may encourage
more moms to give cloth diaper diapering a try, after all, what mom
doesn’t want her baby to wear this adorable diaper?”
In celebration of this new collaboration, Kelly’s Closet wants to give one of you a Smartipants in Cocoa Bean! Giveaway closed!
To Enter:
Mandatory First Entry:Go to KellysCloset.com and let me know what item they sell is your favorite, other than Smartipants. This one will be tough because they sell more brands of cloth diapers than anyone I know of! Leave a comment!
Extra Entries. You must leave a separate comment for each one you do.
Follow @KimRosas and tweet this giveaway. Please tweet, “Win a yummy cocoa bean Smartipants from @diapershops and @KimRosas. http://x9aq6.th8.us #clothdiapers. Ends Feb 8” 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.
I was really excited to try Smartipants diapers for a number of reasons. First, they have a very attractive price point at 14.95 a diaper. Second, they have a “smart sleeve” which is basically a pocket open at both ends. This allows the insert to agitate out during the wash. Third, it is a one size pocket diaper with snaps. I have yet to find a negative thing to say about this diaper. I have yet to have any leaks, the insert has always washed out for me, and the fit has been great on my son. The fact that it is 3.00 less than the most popular one size pocket diaper is even better! The diapers are also made in the US! Visit their website for more details and to order your own Smartipants!
***Smartipants suggests squishing the insert in of possible if you are not comfortable with the microfiber showing***
Update!
I am updating my older reviews to include the Durability rating. At the time of this review I had not begun using this system, but still feel it is important to update it.
Durability ✰✰✰✰✰ - I am actually surprised at how long ago I reviewed this diaper. Why? Because my Smartipants still looks brand new. I still suggest these diapers to people looking for an economical and easy to use cloth diaper. The PUL has not leaked, the lining is still looking brand new, and there is no sign of wear around the snaps. The insert is still abosprbent and still agitates out at each wash. It looks the same as the day I got it, and I use this diaper very regularly in my stash. Definitely standing the test of time.
Today my mailbox was stuffed! I got two diapers: a GAD (Green Acre Designs) in meadow lime with an organic bamboo velour inner and a hemp insert, and a Sweet Pea One Size diaper with 2 microfiber inserts. These were sent for me to review. They are currently being prepped and will get the Fletcher treatment soon enough. I am excited to try the GAD most of all. This company has a great reputation, not to mention the diaper is way too cute. It is side snapping, which is something I have wanted to try for a while. Sweet Pea is a Canadian company, with a few retailers carrying their diapers in the states. I have also read a great review about their diaper. It is a snapping one size. I love my snaps! Besides these two, I have a Smartipants, ES Baby, and Kissaluvs Marvel review either filmed, or set to be tested. I am extremely excited about all of the amazing reviews coming up. I hope everyone is finding them informative.
If there is a diaper you are dying to see on video, let me know. I will try and get it to review. And, if you are a company that would like me to try your diaper and film a review, contact me at dirtydiaperlaundry@gmail.com.
(affiliate link)
