I have good news, and better news! The Swaddlebees Simplex and Blueberry Basix are fabulous! In case you haven’t noticed, there is a trend happening in the cloth diaper world where manufacturers are slimming down or eliminating their Sized products in favor of their popular One Size offerings. One Size diapers are great for many but there are still others who prefer a Sized option for the trimness, the better fit (in some cases), and the simplicity. Not only are the Swaddlebees Simplex and Blueberry Basix sized diapers, but they are even more special than that. If a Pocket, a Tongue Style AIO, and a Sleeve Diaper had a threesome the Fraternal twins would be the Simplex and the Basix. Both diapers have a sewn in soaker at one end which agitates out in the wash and it has a pocket opening at both ends. The Simplex soaker and lining are birdseye cotton and the Basix has a microfiber soaker and microfleece lining. Both are side snapping diapers.
Ease of Use ✩✩✩✩ Sized, self unstuffing- the only thing that would make this diaper easier is if it put itself on! It is side snapping, which to some people means it is a little harder to put on. I always say it is just an adjustment to what you are used to. It will become easier. Since it is sized there are only 3 snaps to choose from on each waist, so that makes it easier. After the diaper is soiled it goes in the pail, not unstuffing. After it is washed and dried the insert will be hanging out, but attached. So simple!
Bang for the Buck ✩✩✩ So here is where I say that I LOVE this diaper, but if you are wanting an entire stash in every size it is going to get pricier than many other systems. I would still rather own a few of these for my diaper bag, for the babysitter, for Dad, than buying a pocket sized diaper or even a true AIO. It has some great features and it dries quickly!
Performance ✩✩✩✩ Both diapers aren’t super absorbent, but they are good enough for a few hours in the day and an average nap. Here is the exciting part- since it is a sleeve you can add another insert but you won’t have to retrieve it! It will agitate out also. THAT is cool. This means the diaper is trim for the times you don’t need extra stuffing but even when you do you don’t have the extra step of removing it. WIN.
Fit ✩✩✩✩ I chose the Medium for my son Everett based on his weight (19 lbs) but maybe I should have measured his waist! He is on the last snap on each side! I’m actually really bummed because that means he will be growing out of it any day (or he will crawl and fit back into it soon, I hope). The funny thing is that it fits my 27 pound toddler as a trainer for naps or nights (we love side snapping diapers for this and both the Basix and Simplex work great for this and are trim!) So the lesson for all of us is, if a company offers waist and rise measurements, double check! The rise for Everett is great though so I’m really banking on his crawling back into them soon!
Overall: This is one of those diapers that has crept into my heart and onto my tops list. I don’t even think I had a diaper in this category on my tops list so it has filled a gap. The Simplex fills a need for a natural fiber lined pocket but it is definitely more than that! I’ll be recommending these to everyone I know.
I was sent a Simplex and Basix for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% my own and genuine.