Made in the USA

Planet Wise New Style Cloth Wipes & Wipe Pouch Review

by Maria on February 2, 2012

in Cloth Diapering,Cloth Wipes,Made in the USA,Review,Wet Bags & Pail Liners

We love Planet Wise products, including the wipes & wipe pouch. I’ve been using a wet/dry bag and the wipes pouch (with a travel size spray bottle of wipes solution) as my “diaper bag” for about 2 years. We’ve been talking about getting a second wet/dry bag and wipes pouch for a while since we have 2 in diapers and go opposite directions sometimes. When I took my baby to his 1 month checkup and hubby took the other kids to a play, we realized we really needed to get another set!

When I bought my original wipes pouch, it came as a set of the pouch & 10 wipes for $18.99, available in pink or blue. Now they are sold separately with the pouches in 12 prints for $10.99 each, and wipes in 8 color combos for $12.99 per 10 pack. This increases the price for a set to $23.98; a $4.99 increase. I was curious what the extra $5 got you aside from new colors/prints.

The new wipe pouch is slightly longer, and has a snap. It seems that this is to keep wet wipes away from the zipper to prevent leaking or wicking. This isn’t a useful feature for me since I don’t pre-moisten my wipes. I prefer not to since I don’t use my travel wipes that often and don’t want them to get musty (or have to figure out how many I need & moisten them before we go out every time, then wash everything when we get home.)

This is the third thing I’ve chosen in an owl print lately. It’s weird. It seems like owls are a “thing” now days, and while I’m not particularly into owls, the colors have been most appealing to me over other new/available prints. I’d choose the lime cocoa bean print in a hot second if it was available, but it’s not.

The pouches have the same PUL inner, though the new PUL is a bright color vs. brown. Wipes are exactly the same size after washing. They are the same, simple, single ply flannel. They feel pretty soft at first, but don’t stay that way.

I’d prefer to have the wipes in all one color or print, but they are only available in color combinations intended to match the pouch prints.

I think $1.29 is very expensive for a single layer, flannel wipe. However, the thin wipes mean you can fit a stack of 10 in the pouch easily. If you made your own wipes, it would be much more affordable since you can buy the pouches separately. $10.99 is pretty expensive for a little wet bag as well, but it’s more compact and waterproof than a plastic travel case, and my travel spray bottle fits inside perfectly too!

What do you use when you’re cloth diapering on the go?

FTC compliance: I purchased these items at normal retail prices. I was not asked to write, nor was I compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

{ 6 comments }

Thirsties NEW Duo AIO Cloth Diaper Review

by Maria on January 27, 2012

in All In One Diapers,Cloth Diapers,Made in the USA,Microfiber,Review,Snap Closure,Two Size/Staged Diapers,Velcro/Aplix Closure

The Duo AIO cloth diaper is a brand new, U.S.A. made item from Thirsties.

Like the duo wrap, duo diaper and duo fitted, the duo AIO comes in size 1 (6-18 lbs/0-9 months) and size 2 (18-40 lbs/9-36 months) so you can truly take your child from birth to potty training with 2 sizes.

You can choose snap or hook & loop closures, and each size has a snap down rise to get a custom fit with 3 sizes within each size.

The duo AIO has leg & waist elastic like the fitteds rather than the double gussets of the wraps & pockets.

It also has a tunnel soaker (3 layers of microfiber) like the duo fab fitted. It doesn’t have the hemp that makes me love the duo pocket, but the tunnel design allows you to add absorbency, as well as allowing for more thorough cleaning and faster drying. The inner of the diaper is soft, stay-dry microfleece.

Here you can see that the duo AIO is much more similar to the duo fab fitted…

Than the duo pocket (accidentally had the duo pocket on the small setting vs the AIO’s large in this photo):

The sizing is also more similar to the fitteds.

Here is the size 1/small setting measured folded and stretched:

Medium:

Large:

Here’s the Thirsties Duo AIO size 1/small setting on my 6 week old, 8.5ish lb son:

To compare, here he is the same day in a Duo Pocket (print), duo fab fitted (honeydew) and wrap (honeydew also.)

I have pictures of the fab fitted on my son at days old and 6 lbs 5 oz in my newborn cloth diaper post if you’re curious about fit on a smaller baby!

This diaper is designed to be both easy to use, and affordable. 8 solid colors (plus white) retail for just $15.75, and prints are $1 more. This is $3 less than the duo pocket diaper however, hemp inserts retail for $9.00/2 pack. So, if you need the extra absorbency of hemp all the time, in every diaper, you’re not really saving over the pocket since it includes the 2 piece insert.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these to someone new to cloth, who wants something affordable, that’s also super easy to use and wash!

FTC compliance: I purchased these items at normal retail prices. I was not asked to write, nor was I compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

{ 5 comments }

Thirsties Duo Pocket Cloth Diaper Review

by Maria on January 27, 2012

in Cloth Diapers,Made in the USA,Microfiber,Natural Fiber,Newborn Diapers,Pocket Diapers,Review,Snap Closure,Two Size/Staged Diapers,Velcro/Aplix Closure

In nearly 2 1/2 years of cloth diapering, I have purchased and reviewed lots of Thirsties products including a size 2 duo diaper I bought about 20 months ago. However, as I was getting ready to post my Thirsties Duo AIO review, I realized I’ve never really done a proper duo diaper review. My June 2010 review was really before I did my reviews the way I do now, and while I photographed and mentioned the size 1 in my newborn cloth diaper post, I didn’t go into a ton of detail, and I’ve never compared size 1 to size 2. Not even in my duo wrap review or my duo fitted review!

So the overview is that the duo sizing is size 1 for 6-18 lbs (0-9 months) and size 2 for 18-40 lbs (9-36 months.) This means that two sizes will fit newborn-potty vs needing newborn, one size, and potentially larger sizes once the o/s are outgrown. Both sizes of the duo diaper retail for $18.50 for solids and $19.50 for prints. There are 8 colors plus white, 5 prints, and the family tree print available exclusively at my affiliate, Kelly’s Closet. Thirsties products are made in the U.S.A., and the PUL is free of VOC’s, PVC, phthalates, lead, and latex.

Now the diapers are available in both snap and hook & loop closures.

Whether you choose size 1 or size 2, you still have 3 sizes to choose from via a snap down rise, as you often see on a one-size diaper. The overall fit is much like the duo wrap, and the duo diaper has the same double gussets.

The diaper has a microfleece, stay-dry inner, front and back pocket, and the insert agitates out without unstuffing. The insert is really two inserts that snap together; a 2-layer microfiber insert and a 5 layer hemp/cotton insert. I find that this combo is the 1-2 punch necessary for leak-free extended wear (car rides, naps etc.)

Here’s the smallest setting of the size 1 measured folded and stretched (you’ll find small/large size 2 measurements in my size 2 review):

Medium size 1 folded & stretched:

Large size 1 folded & stretched:

Now here is the size 1 vs the size 2 (in blue):

Here I have both the size 1 and the size 2 on their smallest settings:

Both on the large setting:

Finally, here is the largest setting of the size 1 compared to the smallest setting of the size 2:

Each comes with an insert sized to fit the diaper:

Here’s my 2 1/2 year old (ok, he’s “32 months” old if you want an exact #!) and about 29 pounds, in the largest setting of the size 2 (the small setting of the size 2 hit him around his belly button at a year old/17 lbs):

The small setting of the size 1 fit my little guy perfectly as soon as his cord stump fell off. It fit him with the stump too, but having diapers over it kept it from drying out. Here he is at 6 lb 5 oz and just a few days old:

Now at 6 weeks and about 8 1/2 lbs:

I generally avoid photographing old, well loved diapers because it’s kinda gross. However, I thought it was interesting to see how this diaper has held up. Keep in mind that I had a very tiny stash for more than a year, so this was washed a lot!

The inner and the exposed part of the elastic are pretty dingy, but most of the wear is in the velcro. Some choose snaps to avoid this, but I think it’s really held up pretty well for as old as the diaper is, and as much use as it’s received. My husband really prefers velcro, so that’s what I choose most of the time!

So there you have it! The Thirsties Duo Pocket diaper!

FTC compliance: I purchased these items at normal retail prices. I was not asked to write, nor was I compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

{ 1 comment }

Carousel Designs Crib Blanket Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 1/26)

by Maria on January 12, 2012

in Baby Products,Giveaway,Made in the USA,Review

In October, I posted about the Carousel Designs Custom Baby Bedding Designer.

We haven’t ordered anything yet, since our son isn’t sleeping in his room just yet, but we’ve picked out what we like!

The design I created uses the gray zoology fabric, but what we liked is a little different than their standard set. (I made the bumper white since I won’t be using a fluffy bumper!)

Carousel Designs sent me their gray zoology crib blanket, which retails for $54, but is on sale for $49.

There is is next to the fabric samples I ordered. As a side note, I love that they included a very large piece of the print (probably can’t tell how big it is in the photo), and they also included two gray samples, since their dye lot would be changing soon. The difference was hard to notice, but I thought it was a nice touch.

The crib blanket has minky on the reverse side.

Blankets measure about 34″ x 43″.

They are made in the U.S.A.!

Apparently I’m not very good at following directions, because even though I took a picture of the washing instructions, I proceeded to wash the blanket on warm & dry it in the dryer. After washing & drying, the two materials shrunk at different rates leaving the edges rolling and overall messy looking. Doesn’t affect function but I find it very annoying. If I had hand washed on cold and line dried, I probably wouldn’t have this problem, so it’s really my own fault. Though even if I’d washed it correctly initially, it would be a matter of time before I tossed it in without thinking! The blanket is super soft, adorable, and perfect for cuddling up, or to put down when baby is playing on the floor/for tummy time.

~~Giveaway: One reader will receive his or her choice of Carousel Designs crib blanket (ARV $54) Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.~~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, nor associated with Facebook. By entering, you release Facebook from any responsibility and understand that the information entered on this form will not be disclosed to Facebook.

FTC compliance: Although I received an item for review purposes, I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

{ 12 comments }

There’s a picture of my real model next to my previous model. You have probably seen my reviews of newborn diapers that I did without a baby while I was expecting my son (and I think maybe even a few before!) If you’re ever looking for one, don’t forget about my review archive.

Anyhoo, I “reviewed” the diapers by photographing them, pointing out the features and details, measuring them etc. However, since my first son (boy that’s hard to get used to!) was 4 months old before we switched to cloth, I had never actually used newborn cloth. Newborn cloth diapering can be a little expensive, since they aren’t used that long, but they are more cost effective if you use them on more than one baby, and they also seem to hold a lot of their value, since they are typically used for a short time and are in good shape afterwards.

Some people choose to use flats or prefolds and/or buy used diapers to save money. Other people use diaper rentals or cloth diaper services, and still others choose to use disposable diapers until their baby fits in one-size diapers. I built my stash gradually; I won a few in giveaways, and snagged great deals on others. I wanted to try as many as I could…so I could write about them!

For me, I was more interested in ease of use, knowing that if they were easy, hubby would change a few diapers without grumbling about zillions of snaps and not knowing if a diaper was backwards! While I won’t get to use the same diapers for my 3 kids, I bought my newborn stash knowing that I’d be passing it along to my BFF who is expecting twins in May, and wants to try cloth this time. Whether she decides cloth isn’t for her, or she uses the diapers until her babies grow out of them, I know I will be able to re-sell them for quite a bit!

So now that I’ve used newborn cloth diapers for 4 weeks (as of my writing; it will be 5 weeks by the time I publish this!) I wanted to share my thoughts with you. Of course every baby is different in size, shape, birth weight, growth rate, wetting habits etc. so these are just my opinions. If you click the hyperlinked name of each diaper, it will take you to my photo review for that diaper, with measurements and details. If you want to view one without leaving this post, just right click and choose open in new tab/window.

All of these pictures were taken when my son was less than a week old, and about 6 lbs and 5 oz, unless I’ve said otherwise.

Babykicks Purple Edge Prefold and Bummis Newborn Super Whisper Wrap

I’m not a huge fan of prefolds and covers, but they are very absorbent! Trifolded, this prefold was quite bulky, and I was usually not able to reuse the cover if the prefold wasn’t snappi’ed (since it would get poopy.)

Blueberry Mini One Size

This is a pricey diaper, though I got a screaming deal on mine as a second with no insert. I love that it’s a mini one size, so it will last longer than one that’s newborn only. It’s cute, has a stay dry inner, has a pocket that’s wide enough to change up the insert/add absorbency, and has a simple snap configuration. I wouldn’t complain if someone dropped more of these in my lap. It wasn’t quite low enough to fit under the cord without rubbing.

Bumgenius XS/newborn AIO

I initially bought just 1 Bumgenius newborn AIO, but ended up with a few more when I found some great deals around black Friday. They are eeny teeny, ickle cute, make your ovaries throb miniature versions of big Bumgenius diapers. They have easy aplix, which I found gave me a far better fit than snaps in general. They were so easy to change in the middle of the night, and they are simple to wash and dry too. They fit fantastically, but I wasn’t able to use them until my son’s cord stump came off. We tried just putting the diaper over like some have said they did, but it was preventing it from drying out, even using stay dry diapers & changing constantly.

My initial newborn stash was just enough for me to wash every day and bust my hump to get them dry & ready to use again. So, my one and only splurge was a dozen of these, ordered when my son was 6 days old. Great, right? Unfortunately, no. After about the first week, my son was soaking diapers in no time, and any diaper I couldn’t add absorbency to was unreliable, these included. Newborns are poop machines, so you change them a lot. But who wants to wake their baby (and themselves) to change a diaper every 45 minutes? In general, I assumed that newborn diapers would be absorbent enough for the output of the babies they fit, but I guess I have a heavy wetter! Some of the dozen I ordered had the 4.0 style aplix/laundry tabs and some had the old style. The others I bought all had the new style, so I wasn’t expecting that.

Bummis Tots Bots Tini Fit

This one fits well, and it has a pocket to add additional absorbency (and a doubler was included.)

Fuzzibunz XS (with Velcro)

I thought I’d really like these since I like the medium perfect size. I was able to get a good fit with the velcro, but this velcro is abyssmal. Hands down it has to be #1 or #2 in the worst velcro of all time contest. My son soaks the insert in about 45 minutes, and the pocket is too narrow to add a lot of other inserts. If I had a bunch of narrow hemp doublers, they might work better.

Fuzzibunz XS

The snap closure Fuzzibunz are what I have most of after the Bumgenius. I got them on sale at a great price. They have the same absorbency problems the velcro FB has, but it also doesn’t fit my baby’s chicken legs. Even at 3 weeks old and about 7.5 lbs (above) there is enough leg gap for pee to run straight out the leg hole if he is on his side nursing. The gap is more remarkable in person than it appears in the photo.

Geffen Baby Prefold and XS Thirsties Cover

There’s no link for the Geffen Baby Products yet as I haven’t written a review post yet! Geffen Baby is a newer company so their website is still undergoing some changes, and their products are being tested, tweaked and refined. I’ve been working with them, and have been playing with their products since November. They are made of 100% organic materials, and are made in the U.S.A.

The orange edge hemp jersey prefold fits perfectly in a cover without having to fold down the front. He pooped while I was trying to snappi, so I snapped the picture quick, then changed it, LOL.

Geffen Baby Quick Absorber in Thirsties XS Cover

The quick absorber is their least absorbent of their 3 hemp/organic cotton inserts. All of the inserts fit wonderfully in newborn covers, one-size covers/diapers and basically everything except super narrow pockets like Fuzzibunz XS.

Geffen Baby High Absorber in a Bummis Newborn Super Whisper Wrap

The high absorber is the next most absorbent (probably overkill for most infants!) and is just about the same size and shape as a Thirsties insert. The inserts are so trim that they make the cover look funny (it’s so empty!) yet, they’re ridiculously absorbent.

Geffen Baby Super Absorber in size 1 Thirsties Duo Wrap (smallest setting)

The super absorber is my absolute favorite of the inserts. It’s crazy absorbent, but super duper thin. It’s far more absorbent than even multiple microfiber inserts, but it fits in diapers without making them huge and creating leg gaps. They are fairly wide, so they are more likely to keep a cover clean so you can reuse it.

GroVia Newborn AIO

I ended up with 4 (I think?) GroVia newborn AIOs. They were a Black Friday bargain purchase, and I couldn’t resist the new colors, cloud and surf. These were one of very few diapers that fit under the cord (or close anyway, had to be careful) which made them a favorite at first. They are also easy to close with just 1 snap on each side, and no confusion with additional rows of snaps with a snap down for the cord. They fit well with no leg gap.

I don’t love the cotton inners, and I had some issues with the flap soaker. I prefer not to have an additional soaker to fiddle with, and I had to fold it down so it didn’t stick out the front of the diaper. At least once, I had the diaper rub & irritate his cord stump. This wouldn’t be a problem with a slightly bigger baby. In the end, after that first week or so, these weren’t absorbent enough for him.

Happy Heiny’s Mini One Size

The pink diaper! Not that I have anything against pink on boys, LOL. It just looked paler online! This was another super bargain, purchased without an insert. Love the fit, love the pocket, the mini one size sizing, love that it has velcro closures. Like the big version, I don’t love the closures themselves. They make the front of the diaper a bit stiff, and the laundry tabs don’t work (have to twist and attach them to each other instead.) With a hemp insert, I’d use this one for longer wear. Fits well & will fit for a while!

Happy Heinys XS

Love this one too. Trimmer than the mini o/s, but the pocket is still big enough to put a decent insert in it. Love the print too! Same velcro issues.

Kissaluvs Newborn AIO

This one is OK. Despite the cord snap down, it wasn’t quite low enough. They seem a little fluffy/bulky, and as always, they aren’t absorbent enough. Hubby and I both find diapers with the snap down a bit confusing. In the pic, it’s snapped closed on the lower row, but it sure doesn’t look right.

Kissaluvs size 0 fitted

I keep forgetting about this little guy. I don’t generally like fitteds & covers as much as pockets, but they are great for newborns. They are the perfect, tiny size and actually fit under the cord. I don’t have any covers that fit under the cord though, and going coverless isn’t an option for us. My son will pee while I’m trying to close a fitted or prefold, and soak through the front right then and there!

Rumparooz Lil Joey

These are so cute and tiny, and they were the very first diaper we put on him an hour or so after he was born! They fit really teeny babies, but as commenters on my review said, they leak. I’m not entirely sure where the leaking or wicking is coming from, all I know is if he’s wearing one, he’s gonna end up wet!

Smartipants Lil Smarti

This one was forgettable…literally. It fell beside the couch (dirty) and I didn’t notice or miss it for days!! Even so, it’s a fine diaper. Easy to use and fit well as long as I was careful about getting it snug around the legs.

Swaddlebees Newborn Simplex

This was disappointing. I liked that it fit well, but overall it seemed like it should cost half (or less) what it does ($16.95.) Both the outer and inner remind me of a Kushies diaper, and I didn’t like having to try to make sure the soaker wasn’t sticking out the back. Closing the snaps with the snap down was weird too because of how they are arranged above and below the snap down. Glad I didn’t pay full price.

Thirsties Duo Fab Fitted Size 1

These are nice, but my son soaks them quickly. Soft, fit well, etc. In general, I prefer diapers that are stay dry.

Thirsties Duo Prefold Size 1 and Thirsties XS cover

I thought the prefolds were a bit bulky when I trifolded and folded the front down.

Thirsties XS Fitted and Thirsties Duo Wrap Size 1

I think these and the duo fitteds are cute, squishy, soft, easy to use etc. I just still prefer a stay dry/pocket diaper, and my son soaks these too quickly.

Tiny Tush Mini One Size

I thought I was going to really like these since I like the one size TT, but I don’t. They are a mini one size, so it’s nice that they will fit a while. However, I didn’t like their fit and bulk. It also has a tiny washcloth sized microfiber “towel” as the insert. It’s one more step to fold it, and definitely not absorbent enough.

Thirsties Duo Diaper Size 1

I like the size 1 duo diaper a lot. It’s not as trim as a newborn diaper, but it’s far trimmer than a one size diaper, and fit my 6 lb 5 oz son with no leg gaps. Velcro is easy, double gussets are great, and the insert is absorbent, woo-hoo! If I had a bunch of money, I’d love more of these to use until he’s big enough to fit in one size diapers without leg gaps and tons of bulk.

Applecheeks Size 1 (review is on A Nation of Moms)

The Applecheeks size 1 was a little bulky when I folded down the microfiber insert, but it fit even my tiny guy well (again, more bulk than a newb dipe, but less than a os) and is absorbent. It’s one that I “save” to put on him at night now that he occasionally sleeps 3 hour stretches.

Now, here are some one-size diapers on my son at 3 weeks old and about 7.5 lbs (guess on weight.)

Babykicks OS Fitted

The Babykicks fitted fit well. I did have to use the Joeybunz hemp insert to have enough absorbency, so that made it a bit bulky.

Babykicks 3G OS

The 3G fit pretty well without doing the newborn snap thing (see the video in the review.) Babykicks says you can use the newborn snap method with no insert, and that the absorbent inner should be enough. That’s definitely not true for my guy, so the insert added some bulk.

Bumgenius 4.0

Bumgenius doesn’t claim to fit a 7.5 lb baby, but we’re almost there! Just a little leg gap (hard to see in photo.)

Katydid/Oh Katy OS Diaper

The Katydid (now Oh Katy) diaper gets quite small. It fit OK but was a bit bulky and I felt like I was making the waist too tight to get the legs tight enough.

Little Beetle OS Fitted & Cover

So sad that Little Beetle is now out of business, but the fitted & cover both fit. A little bulky, but that’s to be expected!

Softbums OS

Same story (good fit/kinda bulky) with the Softbums. This is another one I’ve reserved for night time. Really not that bulky when you consider that I’ve totally doubled the insert over.

Lil Helper Charcoal Bamboo OS Diaper (with small insert only)

The Lil Helper is still a tiny bit big on his little legs.

Fuzzibunz XS Leg Gap

Just to compare, the Fuzzibunz XS has pretty much the same leg gap as the gapping OS diapers at 3 weeks & 7.5 lbs.

At 1 month, 8 pounds and 22.25 inches, the one-size diapers fit him better, with much less leg gap. My older son was about 8 lbs and 20.5″ at birth (much chubbier!) and I think he could have worn o/s much sooner!

1/21 addition: Rumparooz

I wanted to try the Rumparooz on sooner, since it’s one of the smaller one-size diapers, but I forgot! I was avoiding using my older son’s old, worn out looking diapers in photos, but this one is pretty new looking since it was replaced under warranty! Above my son is 6 weeks old and a skinny 8 1/2ish pounds. It fit snugly around the legs without any of the difficulty & readjusting of a lot of the other o/s diapers, and was smaller and less bulky.

And for the record, I didn’t have any meconium staining!

If you’ve used newborn cloth diapers, did your experiences differ from mine? What were your favorites? Did your feelings change while your baby was still a newborn? Did you have trouble with newborn diaper absorbency?

FTC compliance: Some of the pictured diapers may have been received at no cost for review purposes. Check the original reviews for disclosures for each diaper. I was not compensated in any way for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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