Category : All In Two Diapers

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Newborn Cloth Diapers – My Opinions After a Month

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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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Lil Helper Cloth Diapers Review & Giveaway for $110 Package (CLOSED 12/20) U.S./Canada

Lil Helper 1

If you missed my post about Lil Helper Diapers last month, I hope you’ll check it out. I already liked this company a lot before I had even touched one of their diapers!

Take a look at this video they made (it’s short!) and watch it all the way to to end (read the credits too!) You can really see their style and humor come through, just like you can on their website!

Lil Helper 2 package Lil Helper 3 diapers

Lil Helper sent me an awesome package of their products to try.

Lil Helper 4 bamboo

The Bamboo Cloth Diaper in green.

Lil Helper 6 original

and the Original Cloth Diaper in gray stars print.

Lil Helper 7 inserts

As I’ll show you below, all 3 diapers are the same size, shape and concept, they simply have different materials in the shell and soakers/inserts. Lil Helper also sent me an extra of each cloth insert type.

I made a short video to show the diapers a bit better than I can with photos. Yes, I’m aware my videos are terrible and my prego brain makes me forget what I was going to say halfway through my sentences. 😉

Lil Helper 20 diapers side Lil Helper 21 diapers front

As I said earlier, the 3 diapers are very much the same, they differ only in materials used. I have Charcoal Bamboo (CB) pictured in blue, bamboo (B) pictured in green and original (O) pictured in gray/stars.

Lil Helper 22 diapers snaps

All 3 diapers have snap closures with a hip snap to avoid wing droop. (shown L to R – O, B, CB)

Lil Helper 23 diapers fronts

Every diaper comes with a large and small snap in insert. The Original diaper comes with organic cotton inserts. The Charcoal Bamboo diaper comes with charcoal bamboo inserts, and the bamboo diaper comes with organic bamboo inserts. (shown top to bottom – O, CB, B)

Lil Helper 24 diapers inners

The Bamboo diaper has a silky soft bamboo inner. This is amazing fabric. I want bedsheets, undergarments, shirts etc. made out of this! So far, it has stayed just as soft and silky after several washes, which is not the case for other bamboo products I have. The charcoal bamboo has an organic charcoal bamboo inner, and the original diaper has microfleece. The shell has a snap in the front and back to hold the insert. (shown L to R – B, CB, O)

Lil Helper 25 diapers back Lil Helper 26 leg elastic

Lil Helper 27 front panels

They all have rear elastic, leg elastic, snap closures (with overlap), and a snap down rise to fit 7-35 lbs. (Bamboo in green, charcoal bamboo in blue & original in gray star print.) The charcoal bamboo (blue) diaper has a bamboo PUL outer that is so soft, I love it! The outer of the bamboo (green) diaper seems much nicer than standard PUL. It has a softness to it, and isn’t as “shiny” as some PUL. The original diaper and bamboo diapers come in 8 colors and 3 prints. The charcoal bamboo diapers come in 4 colors. The diaper colors are bold, yet soft. I love them. The diapers with inserts retail for $20 for the original, $23 for the bamboo and $26 for the charcoal bamboo.

Lil Helper 28 inserts Lil Helper 29 small insert alone

Each diaper you purchase comes with a set of small and large inserts. The inserts snap together, then snap into the shell. When using the diaper on the small setting, you can use the small insert alone to make it a bit trimmer for a smaller baby that doesn’t need as much absorbency. Because the large insert has snaps on top to accept the small insert, it’s recommended that you not use the large insert without the small on top. I swear I read that on their site, and now I can’t find it. I suppose it wouldn’t be any more irritating than an exposed hip snap other diapers have, eh? (shown L to R) Original, Bamboo, Charcoal Bamboo, small insert pictured in diaper is bamboo.)

All inserts are interchangable, so you can use any of the 3 insert types in any of the 3 shells. Purchased separately, the original cotton inserts sell for $8, the organic bamboo inserts sell for $9, and the charcoal bamboo inserts sell for $10. Lil Helper calls their diapering system “all in one” since it doesn’t need a separate cover, but I consider it an “all-in-two” (AI2) since it consists of an outer diaper shell and a snap in insert. If the shell isn’t soiled, you can reuse it with a fresh insert.

Since the diaper shells are the same aside from materials used, I’ve measured each size just once, to avoid redundancy (and boring you to tears!) I pictured the small in bamboo (green), the medium in charcoal bamboo (blue) and the large in original (gray/stars.)

Small (bamboo) measured folded & stretched (as always, my measurements aren’t an exact science!):

Lil Helper 30 small bamboo folded Lil Helper 31 small bamboo stretched

Lil Helper 32 small bamboo front Lil Helper 33 small bamboo side

Lil Helper 34 small bamboo back

Medium (charcoal bamboo):

Lil Helper 35 medium charcoal bamboo folded Lil Helper 36 medium charcoal bamboo stretched

Lil Helper 37 medium charcoal bamboo front Lil Helper 38 medium charcoal bamboo side

Lil Helper 39 medium charcoal bamboo rear

Large (original):

Lil Helper 40 large original folded Lil Helper 42 large original stretched

Lil Helper 41 had to unsnap to stretch

I had to unsnap the insert in order to stretch the shell on this one.

Lil Helper 43 large original front Lil Helper 44 large original side

Lil Helper 45 large original back

My son is 2 1/2 and about 28 pounds. I put him in the medium setting in all 3 diapers. He is an extremely reluctant diaper model these days. My husband already told him we’re replacing him with a “new diaper model.” (LOL.) Therefore, these diapers are definitely not on him all nice & smooth & pretty. I have to slap a clean diaper on him as quickly as possible, then try to get him to stay still long enough to take pictures! (Especially hard using a new diaper for the first time, when you have to figure out which snaps to use!) They may look a little bunchy in my photos, but that’s just the nature of diapering a Speedy Gonzales, not a reflection of diaper quality. They performed wonderfully nonetheless!

Bamboo:

Lil Helper 46 bamboo medium Lil Helper 47 bamboo medium on 2.5 yr old

Lil Helper 48 bamboo med side Lil Helper 49 bamboo med back

Charcoal bamboo:

Lil Helper 50 charcoal bamboo Lil Helper 52 charc bamboo side

Lil Helper 53 charc bamb back

Original:

Lil Helper 54 orig Lil Helper 55 orig

Lil Helper 56 orig side Lil Helper 57 orig back

I had to unsnap the front of the insert from the shell on the original, in order to pull the rise up (next time I’ll know to leave the back unsnapped, putting most of the absorbency in the front.) The original insert shrank a good bit, so it restricted the expansion of the diaper. That really isn’t a big deal considering that many AI2 systems have just 1 snap anyway.

I loved the bamboo & charcoal bamboo shells & inserts, and I don’t dislike the original shell. However, I really don’t like the original inserts. They were very flat & trim when brand new, but after washing them they were bunchy and fluffy. I had a hard time keeping them contained in the diaper enough to put it on! I will just use the original shell with one of the bamboo inserts!

Lil Helper 8 wipes Lil Helper 9 wipes

Lil Helper 10 wipes pre prep Lil Helper 11 wipes pre prep 2

I also received three ridiculously soft bamboo wipes (a 5 pack is $10.) Above is what they looked like/measured when brand new.

Lil Helper 14 wipes after prep

Lil Helper 12 wipes after prep meas Lil Helper 13 wipes after prep meas 2

Of course, they did shrink a little bit and got a bit pilly (above is how they looked after washing) but they are still way softer than any other wipes I have, even after many washings.

Lil Helper 15 wet bags Lil Helper 16 wet bags

Lil Helper also has wet bags.

Lil Helper 17 zip wet bag Lil Helper 18 drawstring wet bag

Lil Helper 19 filled wet bags

The drawstring wet bag retails for $6, the zipper wet bag retails for $8. Both easily hold 3 diapers and are available in 8 colors.

Overall, I’m very impressed with Lil Helper. They are a great company with great products, a great mission and a fun website and attitude. The diapers and inserts are made with premium materials, but since the shells can be reused with fresh inserts, the overall cost is much lower than similar diapers. See this diaper on my newborn.

Be sure to “like” Lil Helper on Facebook, follow Lil Helper on Twitter and check out the Lil Helper blog.

Giveaway: One winner will receive three Lil Helper Diapers in his/her choice of colors. One Original Cloth (ARV $20), One Bamboo Cloth (ARV $23) and One Charcoal Bamboo Cloth (ARV $26.) Plus 3 additional liners-one of each style (Original ARV $8, Bamboo $9, Charcoal Bamboo $10) and a drawstring wet bag (ARV $6) and zippered wet bag (ARV $8.) The combined retail value of this prize is $110! Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.

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Diapering Today DVD Review & Giveaway w/ Sprout Change Cloth Diaper (11/24) US/Canada

diapering today dvd 1 front

Catherine Bolden is the owner of The Willow Store and creator of Willow Pads reusable feminine products, Willow Sprouts accessories, Everyday Willow natural living & natural laundry products and of course, the Sprout Change cloth diapering system!

sprout change cloth diaper

In March, I posted my Sprout Change Cloth Diaper Review. If you missed that, I strongly suggest you check it out! My review includes detailed photos of the one-size AI2 insert/reusable and reversible shell system, detailing how the size adjusts, how the reversible shell works, and I also have measurements of each size! The winner of this giveaway not only receives their own copy of the DVD set I’m reviewing today, but also a Sprout Change shell & insert!

diapering today dvd 2 literature diapering today dvd 3 inside

Catherine’s latest project is the Diapering Today DVD set. The set is a comprehensive “how-to” with everything you want to know about cloth diapering, from the “why” to the “how.” Some people are fortunate enough to have cloth diaper stores near by that offer cloth 101 classes, or have cloth diaper groups near them. Some of us don’t! I know when I wanted to start cloth diapering, I spent a ton of time trying to gather the information from all over the place online, and make sense of it all.

The Willow Store is selling the Diapering Today DVD set for $17.95, and 1% of the profits will be donated to providing cloth and education to low-income families. When you buy the DVD bundled with an Organic Super Saver Starter Kit (1 shell & 3 organic inserts), it costs you just $11.20 more than buying the starter kit alone. I think that would make an awesome gift for an expectant Mama, but I do wish they had an option to purchase the DVD by itself perhaps with a coupon for $10 off your first Willow Store order to offset the cost.

diapering today dvd 4 both discs diapering today dvd 5 insert
diapering today dvd 6 back

The set consists of two DVDs. I watched this on my laptop, so I don’t have an exact running time, but the DVDs are each about an hour long. The really nice thing is that they are broken up into bite sized chapters. You can watch it all, a little at a time, or only watch what interests you. Pertinent information is repeated (such as in types of cloth diapers, and the terminology section) so you won’t miss anything if you don’t watch the whole thing. That said, it was not monotonous and didn’t seem repetitive!

Throughout the DVD, you will hear genuiune, unscripted responses from actual cloth diapering parents on various subjects. This is broken up by photo and video demonstrations, information from Catherine herself, and awesome cloth diaper facts from the RDIA’s Heather McNamara.

I watched the trailer (below) before receiving the DVD for review, and I saw some familiar faces!! Do you see anyone you know?

I saw Calley of The Eco Chic, and I saw Baby Makin’ Machine’s daughter, Lil’ J! By the time I finished watching both DVDs, I felt like I knew every Mom in the film. I’m not sure if some of them genuinely looked familiar, or if it was just because I’d heard them chat about cloth diapers for 2 hours, LOL!

So here’s what you’ll find on the DVDs and approximately how long each section is:

Disc 1:

  • Intro (2 min)
  • Why Cloth (15 min)
  • How to Use (3 min)
  • Types (13 min)
  • Getting Started (10 min)
  • Washing (10 min)
  • Cloth on a Budget (4 min)
  • Community (4 min)
    Disc 2:

  • Tips & Tricks (15 min)
  • Accessories (5 min)
  • Resources (3 min)
  • Potty Training (10 min)
  • Evolution of Diapers (18 min)
  • Terms (13 min)
  • Credits (1.5 min)
  • Trailer (2 min)

I’m not going to go into great detail as far as what you’ll find in each chapter; I think you can gather that from their titles! This isn’t a big budget, Hollywood produced film with fancy effects and actors with scripts. It feels to me like what you’d find out if you went to a few cloth 101 type classes, a few meetings at a cloth diaper group, and chatted with a lot of moms who used cloth diapers.

There are a lot of things that I love about the DVDs. First, it’s not an ad for Sprout Change. I believe the Sprout Change diaper was pictured as one all-in-two option, and was also pictured on a baby. The DVD gave very unbiased information on all types and brands of cloth diapers. I love that all of the types of diapers were demonstrated on a baby doll, so a potential cloth diaper user could see how easy it really is.

Although I felt the DVD series was quite long (about 2 hours total) it is absolutely not necessary to watch the whole thing. If someone already knows they want to cloth diaper, but they don’t know what to buy and are afraid of washing, they can just watch the types, terms and washing sections.

I also love that it gives a lot of information, without getting so detailed that your head would spin. For example, they showed an “all-in-one” style diaper, but didn’t go on to say that they can have a sewn in soaker, a flap soaker, a snap in soaker, a tongue soaker etc. etc. Just tell ’em what they need to know!

I felt like this DVD covered everything I’d want to tell a friend who was interested in cloth, and it was done in a very similar way. All of the parents were genuine, loved cloth diapers, but at no point were “holier than thou” about diapers. Several stated that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, that you could do part cloth/part disposables, build your stash slowly, or just buy or borrow a couple to see what you think!

The DVD also seemed to advocate the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, sweetie!) method of washing. They recommended the simple wash routine that I found works for us (and so many others) and did mention that you don’t want a detergent with fabric softeners, whiteners, brighteners etc. However, they didn’t whip out the “detergent police” badges and say that you had to stick to a certain list of pricey detergents. Basically, choose the detergent with the simplest ingredients.

They also didn’t try to make cloth all sunshine & roses. They addressed the fact that sometimes people do have smell issues with cloth, that such a problem isn’t normal, but that the resolution is usually quite simple!

I also loved that they addressed the “what about the poop” issues in the same way I do. I swear I touch less poop (and do less poopy laundry!) now, since what’s supposed to stay in the diaper, stays in the diaper! With disposables, I was changing entire outfits (including socks, and sometimes my own clothing!!) instead of just a diaper.

I am going to lend my DVD to a friend who wants to cloth diaper the twins she’s expecting. Until now I’ve totally overwhelmed her with huge chunks of information. This will be awesome for her to sit down with her hubby and watch a little at a time!

Follow The Willow Store on Twitter, “like” The Willow Store on Facebook, and subscribe to the Reusable Future Youtube Channel.

Giveaway: One winner will receive a Diapering Today DVD Set (ARV $17.95) and a Sprout Change Cloth Diaper Cover & Insert (ARV $21.70.) The combined retail value of this prize is $39.65. Entries go in the Rafflecopter form.

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

lil helper cloth diapers

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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AMP Sized Duo Cloth Diaper Giveaway (CLOSED 10/11) US/Canada

Amp Diaper

I posted my AMP One-Size Duo Diaper review a year ago, and it’s still in my regular rotation. It fits well, and the super-absorbent insert means it’s one I grab for first thing in the morning, when I know the diaper has to make it to drop my daughter off at school and back!

Just like the one-size duo diaper I have (which fits 7-38 lb via a snap down rise), the sized duo diaper is Canadian made, can be used as a pocket or all-in-two, has a super soft fleece inner, is available with a bamboo or hemp insert and a comes in a ridiculously huge array of colors. It’s available in small (6-18 lb) and large (15-35 lb.)

Amp Diaper Amp Diaper

Giveaway: AMP Diapers is offering one winner a sized duo diaper in his/her choice of size (small 6-18 lb or large 15-35 lb) and color! ARV $18.95.

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