Review: Bagshot Row Bamboo Ultimate Fit (BSRB)

Bagshot Row Bamboo UF Diapers (BSRB) - $20.00 ($4.00 to add snaps at the waist)

Materials:  The outer material is usually a cotton knit print of some kind and insides/soakers of organic cotton and bamboo.

Fit: 8 - 35 lbs. (If I recall correctly.)

How it works:  Bagshot Row Bamboo UF (Ultimate Fit) diapers are a fitted diaper that has a snap in organic cotton/bamboo soaker.  When folded in half this soaker provides 12 layers of absorbency.  These diapers are not waterproof and will require a cover when used under clothing as they will become wet to the touch.  To close the diaper you will either need to use a Snappi or diaper pins.  A snap closure can also be added at the waist for an additional $4.00.  The rise is adjusted by folding down the front center of the diaper as needed prior to fastening.

Thoughts from Amanda:

Aesthetics -  Bagshot Row Bamboo diapers are definitely fun.  They come in many varieties of cute print fabrics in both boyish and girly prints.  There's definitely something for everyone here.  I did find after owning three of these, that being WAHM (Work At Home Mom) diapers meant that, the size of each diaper and the width of the crotch was variable from diaper to diaper.  This was an issue for me, but is also to be slightly expected when buying a WAHM diaper.  

I also thought it was a bummer that for this diaper to be waterproof the cute diaper fabric needs to be covered by a...cover.  lol  That is a shame when they're so darling, but at times a necessary evil.

Functionality -  Bagshot Row Bamboo (BSRB) diapers do take a bit of practice, patience (at times), and a cooperative baby.  This diaper works like most other diapers in it's shape. The rear of the diaper has wings and this part goes under the baby.  You would pull the center front of the diaper up to the baby's waist and then if the diaper is too large you would fold down the top front of the diaper away from the baby adjusting the rise.  Holding the center front in place you would then grab the wings of the diapers pulling them across (and overlapping if necessary) tightly then securing the wings in place with either a Snappi or diaper pins.  To make this process a little easier you can have snaps added at the waist.  

BSRBs are an absorbent diaper.  With a potential 12 layers of organic cotton/bamboo in the soaker (depending on how you fold it), how could it not be?  Unfortunately, my son was a forceful peer, thus not allowing the diaper to absorb properly and to get wet on the outside very quickly.  This wasn't a problem around the house so much but made for annoyingly frequent changes when out and about.  These were definitely a stay at home diaper for us.  Because the BSRBs do not have a waterproof lining anywhere in them the outer diaper will get wet and will need a cover if you plan on putting clothes of any kind on top of it.  This also became frustrating for me as I enjoy more of a one step process when diapering my son.

The fit also gave me some issues.  While the rise was always high enough when we used them (6 mo. - 10 mo.) I don't see it making it to 35 lbs. on a baby.  Also because BSRBs are handmade I did find that some of the crotches were too narrow and that the soaker barely fit in them.  If any shifting occured this could lead to a potential leakage situation.  However, the mommy behind Bagshot Row Bamboo is wonderful to work with and incredibly helpful if a situation like this should arise.  

For me I couldn't make it past the 10 month mark with these diapers.  My son became so squirmy that it was taking more time and energy to Snappi this diaper on than it was worth to me.  And to have it get soaking wet in an hour (remember...I have a super soaker though) or less just made me frustrated.

Durability -  As with any diaper, but especially handmade specialty diapers, it is essential to follow the directions for care given by the WAHM.  BSRBs are to be hung to dry.  The soakers may be placed in the dryer with other inserts/soakers.  When the cute diaper shell is almost dry (damp) you can throw it in the washer for a quick 10 min. on medium heat to complete the drying and fluff it up.  

If you skip this last step of a few minutes in the dryer your diaper will have a stiff crunchy feeling to it, and not something I would want to wear if you catch my drift.  Drying the entire diaper in the dryer each time will leave your cute diaper very faded looking and can often wreak havoc on the stitching.  So, these diapers are a bit "drama queen"ish if you catch my drift.

But, they are cute to look at.  

Shop Review - Giggle Britches

Physical Location:  Troy, Illinois
Phone Number:  618-795-8301

Website:  http://www.giggle-britches.com

Store Basics:

Giggle Britches was started by LeAnn Kitchen because she 
noticed a need for a "cloth diapering and natural parenting
store in the St. Louis Metro-East area."

She has a great Cloth 101 section that gives a quick rundown 
of how she does her cloth diaper laundry and what you would 
need to get started which can be handy when you are looking 
at a shop and just getting started in the cloth diapering world.  

What Giggle Britches carries:  Prefolds, Fitteds, Covers, 
Pockets, AIOs, AI2s, Package Deals, Inserts/Liners, and 
Accessories (i.e. wipes, Snappies, Charlie's Soap, wetbags, 
and pail liners).  

Selection:  The selection is small but 
seems to be growing with more and 
more quality products over time.  
They do carry some of the major tried 
and true brands such as bumGenius, Thirsties, Happy Heinys, 
Fuzzi Bunz, Haute Pockets, Tiny Tush, etc. so it's definitely 
worth checking here and comparing prices with other stores 
before buying.I only give this category a three because 
compared to larger stores this store is small in comparison.  
But, I think you'll see in the next few categories that LeAnn 
is in a leagueof her own in customer service.

Level of Service:  LeAnn is friendly 
and helpful.  She's great about 
keeping in touch with her customers 
and has a great fan page for her store 
on Facebook which you should join to hear about the latest
sales, discontinued products, or new items that will be added 
to the store.  

I also want to say that she has the FASTEST delivery of a store 
I've ever experienced.  My order was at my house within a 3 
days of purchase.  I was majorly impressed and it is one of the 
many reasons I check her store often when hunting for diapers.  
After all...when you're addicted don't you want to get your fix 
fast?  I know I do!  

Package Deals:  Giggle Britches has 
some of the best small diaper packages 
I've seen.  If you know what you're 
looking for in a diaper this is a great 
place to buy a package to try different versions of one type.  
For example...if you know you're a pocket diaper person then 
you could try her One Size Pocket Sampler.  She has them for 
several different categories including nighttime diapering so 
check those out for sure.

My favorite feature:  Some of the 
diapers come with a 15 day Risk Free 
Trial.  This gives you an opportunity to 
buy 1 diaper (only 1), try it for 15 days, 
and return it for a full refund.  All you are out is the cost of 
return shipping!!!  (Don't forget to wash and dry it before you 
return it!)  I don't know about you, but that sounds like a great 
deal to me.  

Definitely check Giggle Britches out and see what they have to 
offer.  Quick shipping, packages, and Risk Free Trials?  I think 
you'll be impressed too!

Review: Kissaluvs Contours (Unbleached)

Diaper:  Kissaluvs Contour (Unbleached)  -  $6.95 for one diaper or you can buy them in packages which brings down the price.

Type:  Contour (I bought a Medium/Large)

Materials:  Cotton Fleece

Fit:  Newborn/Small 5 - 20 lbs.; Medium/Large - 15-30 lbs. (My son is 20.6 lbs. and 28 in. long)

How it works:  A contour diaper is a cross between a prefold and a fitted diaper.  This diaper will need to be secured with a diaper pin or a Snappi for a truly good fit, and will need to be used under a cover or wrap.  The Kissaluv Contour comes in two sizes, small or medium/large, that will be friendlier for a younger baby vs. an older baby or toddler.  The Kissaluv Contour contains a sewn in doubler in the center which claims to cut down on the drying time in the dryer, and adds 4-5 layers through "wet zone."  The diaper is placed on the baby much like you would put a prefold one on, only the work of the "folding" is done for you here by have a "contoured" shape.  Hence the name.  Once fastened with a pin or Snappi a cover is placed over it.  Kissaluv says that it can be used without a fastener if closed tightly enough with a good fitting cover or wrap.

Thoughts from Amanda:

Aesthetics -  The unbleached contour is not out to win any beauty contests.  It is a cream color by nature and has some purple serging around the outer edge of the diaper.  It is very fuzzy in feel which gives it a warm cuddly feel and is very soft to the touch.  The doubler itself looks slightly uncomfortable and stops in an awkward spot in the front of the diaper (more on that later).  This diaper is out to serve a purpose and probably saves you on money because it's not all cute prints that will be hidden under a cover anyway.

Functionality - Pain in the rear for me.  I found the diaper was incredibly bulky.  Not trim at all.  If I put the diaper high enough in the front it was showing some major plumbers crack in the back.  If I put it higher in the back then the rise in the front was too low.  It did have a lot of room in the waist which would have been great for my cutie pie, but the rise got in the way of that positive.  I also had to work hard to get some real stretch going on at first.  I was left with gapping holes in the leg area each time I tried to put the diaper on as I couldn't get the diaper to stretch quite enough to make a tight fit around his thighs.  Now I was using a Snappi, so it may have worked better with a pin possibly.  The Kissaluvs website does state that the diaper can be used with a Snappi, but with too much use it could pull at the fibers of the diaper.  They also say that you should be able to get a good fit without any fasteners of any kind and to just pull it tight and place a cover over it to secure.  I can tell you that there was no way this was going to happen for my squirmy guy.  Now he's crawling so I wouldn't recommend going without a fastener if you have a baby on the move.

This brings me to my biggest pet peeve of this diaper.  Yes, there is a bigger pet peeve than the rise and bulk.  The sewn in doubler sounded like a great idea as I am often doubling my sons diapers.  (He's a big wetter.)  I'm sure this doubler would be great for a girl, but due to the fact that boys wet more in the front I found that this doubler didn't rise high enough in the front of the diaper.  Now, I understand why they did this.  If they put the doubler all of the way to the top this diaper couldn't be considered a medium/large because you then wouldn't be able to fold the front end down at all to make it "medium."  However, this spells nightmare for a little boy.  The top of his diaper was soaked through in less than an hour and he had leaks every time I tried these within 30-45 min.  Not what I'm looking for in a diaper at all!  Now for a little girl who pees lower in a diaper this would not be a problem.  Also, as a crawler and a tummy sleeper my sons pee goes even more to the front, further spelling disaster for this contour dipe.  The cover contained the mess but my son was drenched inside of the cover.  Good thing I checked him often.  

Kissaluvs also claims that the diaper will dry faster due to the way the doubler is sewn in down the center.  This is not true either.  In the dryer the doubler folds over on itself leaving the area down the center seam to stay wet even after two turns in the dryer.  I ended up line drying them the rest of the way overnight.

The only reason I am giving this diaper a two is that it may work better for a girl than a boy and it is very soft.  But, it still seems like more trouble than it's worth.

Durability - I can't say too much about this as I got so fed up with my son being drenched I didn't use them very long.  I can say that my lint trap was packed through all of the preps and started slowing down after that, but a lot of fuzz came off of these diapers in both the washer and dryer. If I were you I would wash and dry these separately the first 3 preps from your other diapers.  But, if I were you, I'd skip these contours all together.  I'm giving these a 3 because I imagine the more you use them the more they will "shed" and knowing that the Snappi can cause pulls in the diaper is also a downside.


Thoughts from Natalie: 

After reading Amanda's review and many others I have chosen to not purchase or try these diapers.