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 sent me an awesome package of their products to try.
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. 😉
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.
All 3 diapers have snap closures with a hip snap to avoid wing droop. (shown L to R – O, B, CB)
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)
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)
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.
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!):
Medium (charcoal bamboo):
Large (original):
I had to unsnap the insert in order to stretch the shell on this one.
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:
Charcoal bamboo:
Original:
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!
I also received three ridiculously soft bamboo wipes (a 5 pack is $10.) Above is what they looked like/measured when brand new.
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 also has 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.