Swaddlebees Newborn Simplex Cloth Diaper Review

Jan 17,2012 / By Maria / 4 Comments

I snagged a Swaddlebees Simplex Newborn AIO during their Black Friday turkey hunt (hunt for turkeys and get a special deal or coupon each day.)

The diapers retail for $16.95 each, which I think is on the higher side for a newborn diaper.

The diaper has two snaps on each wing, and the closure is a wee bit awkward when you’re closing it tightly with the cord snap down snapped.

The soaker is half sewn in, and the rest actually tucks into the pocket (I suppose this would be considered a “tongue” soaker.) This is my least favorite type of AIO, personally. True that it gets a bit cleaner and dries faster than a sewn in soaker, but if you still have to do the work of stuffing, why not do a pocket diaper & have the freedom to change the soaker out entirely and/or treat it separately?

Here I’ve measured it folded and stretched:

Now, I know my “real” diaper “model” is here, but just for consistency in my reviews, here’s my previous “model” in preemie and newborn disposables, compared to the simplex:

Here’s my little guy at less than a week old and about 6 lb 5 oz (you may have already seen these photos in my post about my one-month update on newborn cloth.)

I did not care for this diaper. The birdseye inner/soaker and the outer both reminded me a lot of the Kushies diapers. I did like that it came down pretty low to stay under the umbilical cord stump, but it was hard to make sure the soaker didn’t stick out the back. If the diapers were half the price, I’d feel differently (of course this is totally my opinion!! You may love these!)

FTC compliance: I purchased this diaper at a discount available to anyone. I was not asked to write, nor was I compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Newborn Cloth Diapers – My Opinions After a Month

Jan 11,2012 / By Maria / 99 Comments

Post and linked posts may contain affiliate links. 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.

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Bumgenius Freetime All-in-One One-Size Cloth Diaper Review

Nov 28,2011 / By Maria / 19 Comments

I was on pins & needles when Bumgenius announced their new products/colors. Although AIO diapers aren’t my favorite, I had to pre-order a Bumgenius Freetime one-size AIO cloth diaper. I had to. I’m sure you understand. 😉 I chose the new color, mirror.

Since the Bumgenius Sized AIO diaper was discontinued (except the newborn AIO), the only Bumgenius AIO option was the elemental organic AIO. So, no option for those of us who prefer a stay-dry inner and/or hook & loop closures (I also prefer the encased leg elastic of the 4.0s and the old sized AIOs.)

I like hook & loop diapers, but the 4.0 H&L is the first that has held up well for me. I don’t have anything against snap diapers, but my husband really prefers the Velcro, and will dig through the pile to find one. I know he’ll never complain about me buying another diaper as long as it’s Velcro, tee-hee!! The Freetime has the same hook & loop that the 4.0 diapers have. (It also has the easily replaceable elastic the 4.0 has.)

In fact, while we’re comparing, let’s go ahead and see how they look compared to the 4.0 pocket diapers.

The Freetime and the 4.0 pocket diaper shells are very much the same as far as shape, size, cut, fit and so forth. (Stretchy tabs, available in snap or hook & loop closures, one size via snap down rise, leg elastic etc.) You can see a few subtle differences as far as the PUL at the front & back of the diapers.

Obviously, the big difference is that while the Bumgenius 4.0 is a pocket diaper, the Freetime is an AIO. One of the things I dislike most about an AIO is how difficult it can be to get the soakers clean. I tend to turn my sized AIO inside out to wash it! The Freetime has two microfiber flap soakers topped with microfleece; one sewn at the front & one at the back (they look a lot like the stay-dry flip inserts.)

The soakers have lines to help guide you in folding them. You can fold them all sorts of ways to get the maximum absorbency where you really need it. There’s also an extra layer of microfiber terry sewn into the shell. The shell inner and the soakers are topped with microfleece to keep your baby’s bottom dry.

These are the same size as the Bumgenius 4.0s, so if you like their fit, you will probably like the fit of the Freetime.

Here is the small measured folded & stretched (not an exact science of course!!)

Medium:

Large:

My son is right around 28 pounds, and the medium Freetime fit him the same way the 4.0 medium fits him.

You’ve probably noticed (or you will now!) that my “modeling” photos aren’t perfect. Often the diaper is closed slightly crooked, is a little bunchy etc. etc. It’s not because I’m lazy or don’t want to make the diaper look nice. In actuality, it’s because I am changing a 2 1/2 year old who is usually moving while I do it! This is just how the diapers go on, and I want to test them as I’m likely to use them vs. trying to hold him down for 2 minutes to make the diaper look perfect, because that’s just not realistic for us!

I’ve never been disappointed by a Cottonbabies product, and I’m not disappointed with this one. Still, I wouldn’t buy another one. I, personally, find a pre-stuffed pocket diaper just as easy (if not easier) than an AIO like this, and stuffing the diapers takes about the same amount of time as making sure the soakers are folded properly. At $19.95 each, the Freetime costs $2 more than the 4.0 pocket diaper, and I love that you can easily treat/bleach the pocket inserts separately and/or replace them if needed. You can also toss the inserts in the dryer & hang the shells to dry. With an AIO, you have to either machine dry the whole thing & risk a bit of pre-mature wear & tear on the shells, or wait a bit longer for the whole thing to air dry.

FTC compliance: I purchased the pictured items at normal retail prices. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

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Lil Helper Diapers – Awesome, Dad Run Company with a Mission

Nov 15,2011 / By Maria / 14 Comments

How many aerospace engineers does it take to design a cloth diaper? Uhh…well…two! Mohammed Gandhi (yes, that’s his real name, I asked so you didn’t have to, hee-hee.) and Nader Abu El Samid were college buddies, who both have a bachelors and a masters in Aerospace Engineering and have full-time jobs in the industry. When Mohammed & his wife Sophia went out looking for cloth diapers for their daughter, Zara, they were shocked by their cost and lack of functionality. It took two years for the company to take shape after Mohammed ensnared his equally geeky friend in his plans.

Lil Helpers has a Baby Do Good program where they donate one brand new PUL cloth diaper to a family in need for every 3 diapers they sell. Their Do Good Page answers all the FAQs about the program, and they hold themselves accountable for the donations on the Lil Helper blog.

Their website has an awesome page comparing cloth vs. disposable diapers, and being aware of their geeky tendencies, I’m not surprised that the cost comparison even includes water & electricity cost! 😉

I’m not saying much about their diapers today because I haven’t tried them…yet. I will be reviewing all 3 types of their cloth diapers and inserts (they also have wipes and wet bags.) Oh yeah, there will be an awesome giveaway too! They call their diapers “all-in-ones” since they do not need a separate cover, but they are what I consider an “all-in-two” since they consist of a reusable, waterproof “shell” and interchangable inserts.

The Lil Helper (affiliate link) owners live and work in Canada, so as they say, don’t worry that they’ve outsourced to India if you call and hear an accent! Lil Helpers has put a lot of thought & research into balancing value and workmanship. They originally wanted to make the diapers in Canada (and their first few hundred diapers were made in Toronto) but the cost of production was just too high. Generally, materials come from overseas anyway…even if fabric is made in Canada, the yarn would still be coming from Asia. That said, they really would prefer to make the diapers in Canada, but just couldn’t do it while still maintaining affordable prices, and continuing their Baby Do Good sell 3/donate one mission.

While the diapers are made in China now, I wanted to share what Mohammed had to say about it. I love that Lil Helper is up front, honest and transparent.

“I went to China and stayed there for a month to find a workshop that will let me view its facilities to ascertain that my products are being made in a healthy environment. After vetting 6 workshops, we finally arrived to the workshop that is currently fulfilling our orders. That was last October; it took us a year for them to get the materials, workmanship and quality up to a high standard where we would be comfortable to put our name against it. Every step of the way we also sampled the products on my daughter and a bunch of other CD babes, incorporating their suggestions into our design.

At the end of the day, we believe that there is a right way of doing business with China and then there is the fast and easy way. The right way is to go vet several workshops and be comfortable with the way your products are being made- knowing well that my own daughter would be using the diaper along with every parents’ most prized possession. The fast and easy way is to look up a company in China on the net that can make your product for the least amount of money in the fastest time without caring how and where its made. Frankly, we wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if that option was exercised.

I will be traveling to India in December and will try and find even better ways to get products made in India under more supervision.”

My absolute favorite thing about this company is the humor. Take some time to look around the Lil Helper website, and I promise you will find something to make you chuckle on every page. From their why buy from us page (“Do not be fooled by our movie star looks and redundant education- we are just like you.”) to their cloth diaper descriptions (“Your baby has had a bad case of the “disposable rash” and these are your options: #1: You let precious move around in her birthday suit and risk the defilement of the Persian rug that grandma left you in her will. #2: You cover your baby’s tush in a lil helper. Lil helper cloth diapers come closest to replicating the convenience of disposables without the overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame and financial recklessness. Thank you for choosing the second option. You got us worried for a moment.”) to their mission (check out the list of what Lil Helper was not established to do.) and FAQs, there is humor everywhere.

You can buy Lil Helpers diapers from Diaper-eez in Toronto or directly from Lil Helper. Be sure to “like” Lil Helper on Facebook, follow Lil Helper on Twitter and check out the Lil Helper blog.

So, what do you think of this company? Are you excited for the review/giveaway? Take a look around their site and tell me what made you laugh the most. I promise, there are hidden gems everywhere. Read every page. 🙂

FTC compliance: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

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Bumgenius XS / Newborn AIO Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 10/14) US/CAN

Oct 7,2011 / By Maria / 18 Comments

My newborn cloth diaper stash just wouldn’t be complete without a Bumgenius newborn diaper!

Bumgenius 4.0s are designed to fit babies from 7-35 pounds, though I have heard some people say they don’t fit well until 8-10 lbs (depending on baby’s shape.) I will find out soon enough, since we started cloth diapering my son when he was over 14 lbs and needed the medium setting of Bumgenius 3.0s. (He is about 26 lbs, 28 months old and still in mediums!) Anyhoo, the XS/Newborn AIO is designed to bridge the gap there, and fit babies from 6-12 lbs. At just $12.95 each, I think they are very reasonably priced.

They have velcro closures, which I still think are the easiest! I know many people prefer snaps because of their longevity vs. velcro, but I figure most people won’t use newborn diapers long enough to notice. I definitely think velcro will make it easy for middle of the night changes, and trying to change diapers as quickly as possible. That’s assuming your babies scream bloody murder when they are put down, let alone diapered, like mine did. 😉 Since they are so small, they have just one laundry tab in the middle, and the other closure tab goes on the overlap of the first one.

They look just like the one size diapers as far as the leg elastic and the stay dry inner. However, the soaker is sewn in. The now discontinued Bumgenius sized AIOs in small, medium and large had an additional pocket to add absorbency. This also allowed you to turn the diaper inside out to get the insert cleaner. The XS doesn’t have this pocket. I don’t love AIOs as much as I do pockets and I wish Bumgenius would release an XS pocket diaper, or a mini one size pocket diaper. Hint, hint, hint… 😉

Here is the XS measured folded and stretched:

They are definitely a bit smaller than the one size diapers, but not really any narrower/trimmer through the crotch. It seems a bit larger than some of the other newborn diapers I have. I’m guessing I will either have to fold it down under the umbilical cord, or gently place it over. Of course, that also means it will fit longer!

Here’s my “model” in a newborn disposable and a size 1 disposable:

In the Bumgenius XS/Newborn AIO:

See my update after using this on a baby.

Giveaway: One reader will receive a Bumgenius XS/Newborn AIO cloth diaper in their choice of color (subject to availability.) Diaper will be purchased by me from my choice of reputable online cloth diaper retailer.

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Category : All In One Diapers

Swaddlebees Newborn Simplex Cloth Diaper Review

Newborn Cloth Diapers – My Opinions After a Month

Bumgenius Freetime All-in-One One-Size Cloth Diaper Review

Lil Helper Diapers – Awesome, Dad Run Company with a Mission

Bumgenius XS / Newborn AIO Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 10/14) US/CAN

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