As you may already know, I signed up for the flats challenge and I needed more flats. I’d never used a flour sack towel as a flat cloth diaper, and wondered how they compared to Birdseye flats (especially since they are often priced similarly.)
The Swaddlebees Capri is a cloth diaper cover that serves as a trim AI2 with the available inserts, or can cover a prefold, fitted etc. The covers are available in hook & loop or snaps (they have the same “offset” snaps as Blueberry) and come in 7 solids (including the “marina” I received) and 8 prints. 95% of Swaddlebees/Blueberry items are made in the U.S.A.
The Capri is a “two size” system, with size 1 fitting approximately 6-16 pounds and size 2 fitting 12-35 pounds. The size 1 retails for $16.95 and the size 2 retails for $19.95.
The cover is pretty trim with the Capri inserts which are sold separately for $12.95-$15.95 per 2 pack.
Whether you choose size 1 or size 2 (I received size 2), you have 3 rise setting options via a snap down rise. The cover is reusable with its wipeable PUL inner, and has true leg gussets. The Capri has front and rear flaps to keep your insert or prefold in place, and it is very sturdy and appears quite durable.
The Capri inserts are all natural birdseye cotton, but have microfleece on one side, so whether you prefer natural fabric, or stay dry fabric, you have both options in one insert.
The long style allows you to fold it to get the absorbency where you need it, and since it’s not all sewn into a single thickness, it’s also easier to get clean.
Keep in mind this is the size two cover, and my measurements aren’t exact!
Small setting measured folded and stretched:
Medium:
Large:
The size 2 fit my 13ish pound 4 1/2 month old:
As well as my 30ish pound almost 3-year old (with room to grow!)
The birdseye inserts absorbed very well, and I’ve used the cover over flats also. It will definitely be the first cover I grab during the flats challenge!
Shop Swaddlebees, “like” Swaddlebees on Facebook, follow Swaddlebees on Twitter and sign up for their newsletter. They have great deals on clearance, but items go fast, so being on the mailing list lets you know about stockings first!
Giveaway: One reader will win a Swaddlebees cover only (no inserts) in his/her choice of size, color & closure, limited to stock at hand. Entries go in the Rafflecopter form. U.S. and military addresses only.
FTC compliance: I received a product sample for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.
If you have a cloth diaper question, have it answered in a Mailbox Mondays post, and get other Moms’ opinions too!
Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject, or fill out my contact form for readers, which you will always be able to find on my Contact Page.
Elsie says::
Hi there!
I’ve got a question for you…. I’ve been cloth diapering for 3 years now. My son does not want to give up his diapers any time soon apparently and we have another one on the way, so I’ve got to figure this out! haha We’ve had a diaper sprayer for a long time and I LOVE it. We recently moved and my husband informed me that there is “no way” the diaper sprayer will connect to the the toilet in the new house. I now avoid using my cloth diapers if I think my son is going to poop in it because the poop seriously does not come off by just swishing in the toilet. I am LOST without my diaper sprayer. Is there another option out there? Something with an alternative connection or something that connects to a faucet? Right now I’m looking into flushable liners because I figure that’s better than just not using the diaper. Thanks!
Hi Elsie, congratulations on the baby! My son is almost 3 and I’ve never used a sprayer. I just scrape off what I can and the rest goes in the washer, but I know lots of Mamas love their sprayers!
If the issue is a rigid supply line, you can replace those with flexible supply lines (the Diaper Sprayer brand comes with it’s own, as does the Potty Pail’s sprayer.)
If you want to avoid the toilet’s plumbing entirely, the mini shower can connect to your sink and comes with it’s own hose so you can reach the toilet to spray diapers. Alternately, you can buy a sprayer like this one (designed for doggie baths) that connects to your shower head, then spray into a 5-gallon bucket (or potty pail bucket.)
There’s also a new product called a cloth diaper butler that is designed to allow you to soak the diaper in the toilet, then it holds the diaper while you spray it. Even without a sprayer, soaking in the toilet would help loosen solids, so they would be more easily removed once you swished & flushed. I would love to hear back from you once you find something that works!
How do you handle poopy diapers?
Pure & Simple Baby is a Mom-owned eco-baby boutique that sells cloth diapers and other “green,” non-toxic, organic and fair trade products for baby. Their offerings include toys, organic baby & toddler clothing, baby carriers and more. All orders over $49 receive free shipping.
They have quite a few swim diapers including some adorable prints, ruffle butt styles, and swimsuits with built in swim diapers.
I received a white iPlay Classics Ultimate swim diaper, which retails for $10.99.
The swim diaper has a snap opening on one side to make it easy for you to take off, but not easy for baby to take off!
I received the size small, which fits 10-18 lbs/6 months. Though Pure & Simple Baby is still replenishing their stock for summer purchases, iPlay swim diapers come in a huge range of sizes from preemie/4 lbs to 4T/38-46 lbs.
What makes iPlay swim diapers really unique is their sewn-in, absorbent layer and moisture wicking interior. The absorbent layer means you won’t get wet carrying baby on the way to the pool, but it’s not so absorbent that it will get soggy & droopy after being in the water.
The snug fit combined with the absorbent layer makes me confident to use this on my 13ish pound, 4 1/2 month old son, without worrying about breastfed baby poop escaping!
My favorite swim diaper Pure & Simple Baby sells is this imse vimse turquoise dots with frill. Too bad my daughter is too big for swim diapers!
Shop Pure and Simple Baby, follow the Pure & Simple Baby Blog, follow Pure and Simple Baby on Twitter and “like” Pure and Simple Baby on Facebook.
Giveaway: One lucky person will receive a white iPlay classic ultimate swim diaper in their choice of size. Entries go in the Rafflecopter form. Please click “view terms and conditions” at the bottom of the Rafflecopter form.
FTC compliance: I received a product sample for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.
In case you missed the announcement, May 21-27 is the 2nd annual flats challenge, hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.
I did not participate last year. It is the week of my son’s birthday, and I was also pregnant/sick/exhausted. The idea of mastering flats & hand-washing diapers for a week made me feel nauseated (more so than usual, hee-hee.) When Kim announced that she’d be hosting the challenge again this year, I immediately thought I’d support it, but wouldn’t participate. No way, no how! After all, it is again my son’s birthday week, and I have two super-soaker boys in diapers now! My little guy is 4.5 months old right now and still wants to be held/worn all the time. I am honestly struggling with meeting his needs, while also meeting my older son’s needs (mostly constant feeding, LOL!) and getting my daughter to and from school and activities, getting her homework done etc. I am completely overwhelmed with keeping up with junk cleanup, dishes, cleaning and the constant laundry. Washing diapers for 2 is a lot, even with a washing machine. The other day my husband remarked that the laundry room looked empty without diapers hanging, LOL.
I also don’t have enough flats to use, and I assume I’d need to use my tub to wash, which would be an extra hassle to deal with the kids and running up & down the stairs. I don’t know if I even have enough places to hang up that many flats! Excuse after excuse, I know! It sounds crazy, but the idea of using & hand washing flats for a week ramped my anxiety up 10 notches and made me feel physically ill.
Then I started thinking about what it would be like if this was my reality and it made me want to try! I took a deep breath, hit the submit button on the sign up form, and ordered some flour sack towels to use as flats. Eek!
Since then, I found out that we are allowed to use a diaper sprayer this year (it wasn’t allowed last year) and we’re not limited to the # of covers we use (the limit was 5 last year.) I only have a couple of wipeable covers, since I sent what I wasn’t regularly using to my friend. I was concerned about keeping covers clean, and I was also concerned about my older son freaking out that he couldn’t have the diaper he wanted!
I’m going to try to limit the # I use, especially since I don’t need more to hand wash! I have a utility sink in my laundry room that also has a sink sprayer. So I figure I will just be washing flats constantly, all day every day that week. However many I can fit in the sink at a time.
You’re also allowed a night time diaper of your choice, but you’re encouraged to make flats work for you. So, I ordered two hemp babies flats to use inside a pocket diaper at night. Hopefully that will be enough absorbency!
I’ll be writing more about my thought process as I imagined doing this out of necessity, and I’ll also be posting about the hemp babies flats and flour sack towels
I’ll be tweeting with the hash tag #flatschallenge, and I’ll be blogging daily about my experience! Want to join me? Read about the challenge and sign up!
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Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. Read More »
