Video: Description of Various Pocket Diapers

I took out some of my son's diapers to show you some of the variety in the world of OS pocket diapers.  :)

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Review: Bummis Easy Fit

Bummis EasyFit by Tots Bots - $23.95 

Materials:  The outer material is PUL, The attached absorbent layer is 1 layer rayon from bamboo fibers and microfiber on the outside and 1 layer of microfiber on the underside.  Surrounding the built in soaker of the diaper is soft brushed polyester to prevent wicking or leaking.  Aplix closure and snap one size settings.

Fit:  8 - 30 lbs.  (However, there is a Tini Fit diaper for babies 5-12 lbs. that is $18.95.)

How it works:  Bummis Easy Fit is a unique AIO Tongue Pocket diaper.  HUH?!  ;)  I believe I can best explain this with a picture:  

  As you can see the front portion of the soaker is sewn into the diaper itself with the rayon fibers from bamboo on top and the microfiber underneath.  The back portion of the soaker agitates out in the wash and stick out the back of the diaper and is to be stuffed back in before it's next use.  This is to help with faster drying time.  Having the pocket area in the back also allows you to stuff the diaper with more inserts or doubler for added absorption, although this diaper does not come with any extra inserts or doublers.  The soaker/insert/tongue (whatever you want to call it) can be folded varying ways to create more or less absorption where needed.  The diaper closes with aplix at the waist, and has snap up/down one size rise setting.

Thoughts from Amanda:

Aesthetics -  The Bummis EasyFit diaper comes in the colors you see at the top of the page plus white.  The colors are bold and beautiful, and I have not run into any bleeding problems with the ones I have.  With that said, there are not any particularly "girly" colors.  I would say their color line leads towards neutral to boyish.  I have the Blueberry and Orange which are gorgeous and I will be using them on my daughter but they don't scream girl.  There are also not any prints.  I found this surprising since EasyFit by Tots Bots is actually a brand brought over from Europe in which they have prints with polka dots and stars.  So, overall, cute vibrant colors but I hope for more choices in the future.  A nit picky thing for me is that I hate the Tots Bots tag in the front center of the diaper.  I don't know why...it just bugs me.  lol

Also with a thin tongue liner this diaper is very trim in the diaper bag.

Functionality -  I guess lets start with the outside and work our way in.  This diaper does have a low rise, so I agree with the up to 30 lbs. on the fit.  My son is on the second rise setting at 24 lbs., but often times the snaps will pop open when I'm putting the diaper on him.  However, on the largest setting they are too wide in the thighs on my son.  Once I get the EasyFit on him it's fine, but it does become annoying having the snaps pop open at times.  The aplix closure is very very very durable.  This is some of the strongest velcro I've encountered.  It does not come unstuck from the laundry tabs in the wash.  However, I do find the folding over of the tabs for the laundry to be a pain as you literally have to fold the velcro in half on one side.  It just makes it a little more awkward.  But, it holds up well.

On the inside of the diaper it is important to keep in mind that the rayon fibers from bamboo (man that's a mouthful) is up against baby's skin.  Which is fine, but the EasyFit will NOT leave your baby with a stay dry feeling.  If that dry feeling is important to you or your baby this is NOT the diaper for you.  If your baby doesn't mind the wetness, you like to use fleece liners, or you are potty training with a smaller child then this diaper will be fine for you.  I find this diaper to be very absorbent even on my heavy wetter, and I was very skeptical.  I disgree with Bummis that you can get up to 6 layers of absorbency by folding the tongue more.  You can only fold the tongue so far before you're practically turning the diaper inside out.  But, the 4 layers I'm getting now seem to be working for us during the daytime.  (I have yet to try this diaper at night.)  They do claim that the polyester lining around the soaker will stop compression leakage.  I am skeptical about that as polyester isn't waterproof, but maybe I'll be brave one night and give it a try.

I do like that the tongue insert agitates out on it's own, because once your baby poops in this diaper with a soft mushy poo you will understand.  The back flap that covers the pocket opening is very...generous, we shall say.  That's another way of saying it's freakin' HUGE!  That's great for stuffing the diaper, especially if you have large hands, but I find that it actually catches poop under the flap if your child is having one of those soft poo days.  Talk about nasty.  And it makes it a lot harder to spray off of the diaper when you are trying to lift up a poopy pocket flap to spray the inside of the diaper some.  Yuck!  If you're only dealing with nice shake off poops then this won't matter to you, but when teething we still encounter the soft mushy poops and this has been something I don't enjoy contending with.

But, the EasyFit is easy to stuff and it's great that it agitates out for you.  The drying time on this diaper is LONG.  I hang dry until damp with this one and then toss it on the dryer on medium for 10-15 minutes, because I would be waiting two days to use it again if I let it line dry the whole way.  

Durability -  The EasyFit diaper has held up well to many washings.  And it does become it's most absorbent around 10 washes or so.  Be prepared to change more frequently if you are using it before those 6-10 washes.  

My only qualm with the durability of this diaper is that the inner soaker/tongue is a magnet for other aplix diapers.  Every single diaper I have has found it's way to the EasyFits.  And it makes me nervous to pull the aplix off of the rayon fibers from bamboo.  So far my EasyFits still look great, but this is something that makes me nervous for a year down the road.

I really have mixed feelings about this diaper.  The colors are cute and bold, the idea is fantastic, the absorption is wonderful, and it's easy to use and stuff.  But, I wish there were more colors or patterns, that the soft poops didn't get caught under the pocket flap at times, and that it wasn't a magnet for other aplix diapers.  I'm not sure the EasyFit diapers are worth their price point, but it's fun to have a couple of them floating around in my stash and I will be holding on to them for those times when I'm fairly certain I won't be dealing with a poopy diaper.

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: Haute Pockets

Diaper:  Haute Pockets  -  $17.95 (Nicki's Diapers - $12.95)

Type:  One-Size, Pocket

Materials:  PUL outer layer, snaps or Aplix, microfiber inner fabric, 1 regular microfiber insert and 1 snap-on microfiber doubler

Fit:  8 - 35 lbs.

How it works:  Haute Pockets are a OS diaper which allows you to adjust the rise of the diaper to accommodate a growing child.  They can come in either snaps or Aplix tabs.  I have Aplix.

Thoughts from Amanda:

Aesthetics -  A decent quality diaper.  I would say it's comparable to the bumGenius in appearance.  The Aplix (velcro) tabs on this diaper are a little longer which I find makes it easier to undo the velcro.  The snaps are white which contrasts with non-white diapers, but that doesn't bother me.  It comes in a decent variety of colors.  There are no patterns available though.  The only issue I've had with the appearance of the diaper is the logo tag tends to have thread pulls giving the tag a sloppy appearance.  This does not affect the way the diaper performs though.  I give this a 4 because of the limited color choices and the fraying tag.

Functionality - This diaper works well for me.  It has a nice high rise which I love.  I know this will grow with my son for a long time.  The inserts are wider at the back to help absorb more from newborn or watery bowel movements.  And I LOVE that the doubler snaps on to the regular insert.  That makes stuffing this diaper so easy.  This feature also keeps the doubler from bunching.  The Aplix tabs work nicely when putting the diaper on or taking it off.  They do cause a problem in the washer though (probably the dryer too, but I hang dry my diapers).  Unfortunately the laundry tabs on the inside of the diaper are too small and sewn too close to the tab itself.  The tabs stick to the laundry tabs fine, but in the washer/dryer they come undone and create a diaper chain in your wash, sticking to anything and everything they can.  This hasn't caused a problem for me with the quality of any of the inserts or other diapers it comes in contact with.  It's more of a pain then anything.  I have tried attaching the tabs to themselves by turning them backwards, but they still come undone.

Durability - I have 5 Haute Pockets.  So far the Aplix is holding up really well.  And even though it is attaching to other diapers, inserts, and fleece liners, I haven't had a problem with the tabs becoming bogged down with fuzz.  Also I believe that hang drying them helps the velcro to last longer.  Out of my 5 diapers the elastic came away from the diaper itself in one of them on one leg.  I'm so sad.  It just happened on Friday!  :(  I'm a little disappointed that this happened so quickly, but things happen.  I have contacted both the company and the store I bought them from to see if they can get this resolved for me.  Haute Pockets have a warranty of 6 months and they will replace diapers that have defects based on their discretion.  I will update my review to let you know how well they handle this situation.  So, stay tuned....


Thoughts from Natalie: 

Aesthetics - Looks like many of the Bum Genius style pocket diapers out there. It also has a similar look to wonderoos . From what I understand they don't sell prints and come in all the common colors out there that PUL comes in. The diaper looks just fine, cute and fluffy.. I give it four pins simply because I like prints.  

Functionality - I really like this diaper, it is very soft and fluffy. The aplix is as strong as 50 oxen. After washing the diaper I had a hard time pulling the tabs off the laundry tabs. The diaper is trim and fit very well around Ella's legs. She is almost 9 months old, 21 pounds and has chunky legs. So the diaper really wrapped around her legs perfectly. 

Durability - After a few washes, the diaper looks like I just took it out of the package! The aplix is strong and not curling and the PUL fabric is not looking broken down yet. The insert cleans and dries perfectly. I really like how the inserts snap together so after getting totally soaked at night, it did not bunch or move around. 

I have tried the Haute for naps, play time and night time and NO leaks!

Trials of a Dum Dum: Overnight Part 2

Well, we tried our indian prefolds in the diapers overnight (and during the day).  Remember, my son is 8 months old, about 21 lbs..  We've only used it at night twice because we only have one and I do laundry every other day.  So here is a run down of our last 2 nights:

Night 1:  bumGenius 3.0 on highest rise setting.  The pocket was so full with the premium indian prefold and the microfiber insert that it was really difficult to even get it on my son.  I find that the BGs seem to have a lower rise compared to some other pocket diapers.  But, after some work I got it on.  My son had the biggest bum I'd ever seen.

We made it through the night without any leaks on the highest rise setting (which is what he is on normally anyway)!  Woo!!!  The prefold did a great job of absorbing all of the way down.  Microfiber always seems to just absorb in one spot.  He woke up as dry as could be.

Lesson learned:  The bumGenius is a good way to go because the PUL layer overlaps on the top locking in moisture.  You'll see why that is important in a second.

Night 2:  This time we tried the same setup, premium indian prefold topped with microfiber insert.  We attempted a different diaper this time though and used a Haute Pocket.  Normally my son is on the medium rise setting in this diaper during the day so I used the same setting for the night.  MAJOR LEAKAGE!  He was soaked down to his feet in the a.m.  (Yeah, my son doesn't wake up when he pees in his bed.)

I have a couple of theories:
1)  The Haute Pocket does not have the protective PUL at the top of the diaper like the BG and that's where his diaper was wet in the morning.  So, I believe compression caused the diaper to leak out of the top (my son is a tummy sleeper of his own accord).  This got his pajama pants wet and then caused the pants to wick the moisture all of the way down to his toes.

I will attempt this diaper again as it was much easier to get it on him being a slightly larger diaper compared to the BG.  Next time I will open the snaps to the largest setting to see if that gives the top a more snug fit so as to trap any moisture.

I know that this can work since it happened once so I just have to figure out what diaper it is going to work best in.  Also, I guess it will depend on how much he pees each night.

The trials continue...

Daytime:  The regular indian prefold alone did help my son to last to the 2 hour mark each time it was used.  Woo!

Trials of a Dum Dum: Overnight

I thought I'd do some posts for all of the newbies like me out there.  Or shall I say Dum Dums?  Yep, I'm the first to admit that I am one of those people.  Although CDing off and on since Gabriel was born there is still much I have to learn.  Isn't that the case with anything you take on though?  Such as being a mom?  And look how many of us are jumping on that band wagon?  :)  For good reason!  So, no fear....  Right?

Not much about cloth diapering scares me.  But, there is that one itty bitty part of our day called nighttime.  Yep.  Nighttime.  Sure, all day long you're moseying along.  Maybe you have a leak to deal with, but nothing like you will experience in the middle of the night or the next morning.  Finding the right nighttime diaper is like looking for a needle in a haystack from some.  Others get lucky on the first go 'round.

I have a super soaker.  My son can soak through 2 microfiber inserts in 30 min. - 1 hour during the day.  We tried 2 microfibers at night, and we tried adding the wrong kind of hemp doubler at night.  I use all pockets, and I stuffed it with a Hemp Night Stay Dry Doubler from Green Mountain Diapers.  The problem was they had fleece on top...good for a fitted diaper, but not for a pocket.  As the fleece and the inner of the pocket diaper work against each other somewhat slowing absorption.  I even tried lying that on top of the pocket and yet, still didn't work.

So, I got in touch with Stephanie at Abby's Lane and explained my nighttime situation.  I told her that my son was 20ish lbs., 8 months old, and what I had already tried.  She informed me that many people have kids who outgrow the absorbency of microfiber by 6 months old.  (Some even 2-4 months old.  So, if you're having daytime leaking problems regularly this could be why.)  I told her that on his bumGenius 3.0s he was on the large setting, and a medium on his Haute Pockets.  I also told her that after buying a large number of diapers I was on a tighter budget and wanted to be economic about my purchases.  I LOVE that she completely respected that.  Thanks, Stephanie!

She suggested getting some indian cotton twill prefolds.  One in regular size for the daytime and one in premium (topped with a microfiber insert) for the nighttime.  These apparently have a lot more absorbency than the microfiber inserts or towels.  They showed up today and I can't wait to try them out.  They're going through a few wash and dry cycles as we speak so they're prepped for tomorrow!  :)  I will definitely keep all of you posted on the nighttime trials.  (And the daytime...we'll see if he can go longer than 1 hour in a CD.)

My goal (and Stephanie whole heartedly agrees) is to try everything I can to make my normal pocket diapers work for him at night.  To only buy a different diaper if nothing else works.  Fingers crossed that this will do the trick.  If not it's on to the next step.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!  I'll update you soon on our progress.  Maybe we'll find that elusive needle in the proverbial haystack.