Designs by Cace Pocket Diaper Tester Review

Feb 10,2011 / By Maria / 1 Comment

I reviewed a Designs by Cace all-in-one diaper last year, during my “year of fluff” event. One thing I had mentioned was that a “heavy wetter” style diaper would be a nice option. Sara at Designs by Cace decided to test a brand new pocket diaper pattern, to make absorbency customizable for heavier wetters.

Keep in mind that this is a tester diaper, and changes and improvements will be made based on tester feedback!

The diaper looks very much like the AIO, with aplix closures and laundry tabs.

Except of course, it has a pocket opening rather than a sewn in soaker.

The medium is estimated to fit 10-22 pounds. My son is about 21 pounds and he’s definitely getting close to outgrowing the diaper, but he still has some room.

It took me a while to get my feedback to Sara. I generally get a diaper, wash it once, then use and wash it at least 3-4 times before providing feedback. Well… The first three times I put the diaper on my son, he pooped in it almost immediately! I joke about him and pretty new white diapers, since he always seems to do that. Never three times though! Maybe the super soft inner relaxed him, I don’t know, ha ha!

In any case, I was finally able to give it some really good use, and it has been washed 7+ times. Sara included a microfiber towel to use in the pocket; she is planning on making inserts for the diapers, but wanted to focus on the diapers for now. The last time I used the diaper, the towel was pretty soaked, and I had a little bit of wicking at one of the legs. I think this could be corrected by using an insert in the pocket, and I’m going to try stuffing it with one of my spare inserts next! I’m looking forward to seeing photos of round two testers or the final product!

DBC sells her AIOs from $9 (smalls) to $15 (large prints) and I’d expect the pockets to be fairly similarly priced. Designs by Cace diapers are a great value and are work-at-home-mom made!

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

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Tiny Tush Elite Pocket Diaper Review & Giveaway (CLOSED 2/10)

Feb 3,2011 / By Maria / 13 Comments

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I received a Tiny Tush Elite one-size pocket diaper to review.

The diaper is one-size via 4 snap down rise settings, and is estimated to fit 7-35 pounds.

The Elite Pocket Diaper is available in both snap and aplix closures; I chose aplix.

It has a rear, reverse envelope pocket opening, and included a full size and a small microfiber insert/doubler.

Extra-small folded and stretched:

Small:

Medium:

Large:

My son is around 21 pounds, and I put him in the medium setting. It seems to fit him a tiny bit larger than some other diapers, but still fit well and did not leak. He has quite a bit of room to grow in it.

The Tiny Tush Elite pocket diaper retails for $17.95.

Giveaway: Tiny Tush is offering one reader an Elite Pocket Diaper in his/her choice of color and closure.

Here’s how to enter: All entries go in the form below. I welcome your comments (leaving a comment is a great way to remind yourself that you entered) but comments do not count as entries.

Mandatory entries include your name, email address and what item you’d love to have from ~~Tiny Tush~~.

~~There are three opportunities for bonus entries. 1. Receive a bonus entry if you “like”~~ ~~Tiny Tush on Facebook. 2. Receive a bonus entry if you follow~~ ~~Tiny Tush on Twitter. 3. Finally, receive a bonus entry if you sign up for the~~ ~~Tiny Tush mailing list~~.

I will accept entries until Thursday, February 10th, 2011 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern. I will select a winner using random.org’s true random number generator and notify him/her by email. Winner has 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is chosen. View my giveaway rules page for complete details. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S.

# of entries received as of giveaway close: 374

https://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dEVYeldEY3hyZVN5QnBJVldZNWlnQlE6MQ

FTC compliance: I received the pictured item at no cost in order to review. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Thirsties Size 1 Duo Wrap & Duo Hemp Prefold Review and Giveaway (CLOSED 1/20)

Jan 13,2011 / By Maria / 17 Comments

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I had a gift certificate to an online store that sells cloth diapers. I don’t really need any more diapers, so in true cloth diaper addict form, I figured I’d buy some eeny teeny diapers for the newborn I don’t have (and no, I’m not pregnant either!) One of them was the Thirsties Duo Wrap in honeydew (MSRP $12.75) and duo hemp prefold (MSRP $7.00)

We’re still using the size 2 Thirsties Duo Diaper I reviewed last year, and I was curious about how the size 1 compared. I’m not really a prefold & cover mama (sometimes I think either you are or you aren’t!) but I think they would really come in handy for diapering a newborn. I know my kids could go through 15+ diapers per day as a newborn, and it would be way too expensive to buy a newborn stash of pocket diapers (my favorite), especially when you’re not entirely sure how long you’ll be using them.

The prefold is super soft, and it is sewn such that each portion is only two layers thick, for more thorough washing and faster drying.

I measured the prefold before prepping:

and after prepping (washing and drying 3 times to remove natural oils and fluff up the fibers):

It shrunk quite a bit in length, and ended up nearly square.

The wraps are available in snap or aplix closures, but I chose the aplix. Our duo diaper is also aplix, and after more than 7 months in our regular rotation, the aplix laundry tabs show no signs of wear and we have no issues at all.

The wrap has the same Thirsties double leg gussets as the duo diaper, but instead of a lining and pocket, it just has a wipe-able inner.

The wraps are a “duo” 2-stage system, where each size has three rise snap size adjustments. Typically, people have to buy newborn size diapers when “one size” diapers don’t fit their newborn. Then they buy one-size diapers, often followed by large/toddler size diapers when the child outgrows the one size. With the Thirsties Duo system, the size 1 fits 6-18 pounds, and the size 2 fits 18-40 pounds, making only two sizes necessary.

Note: In the pictures below, I have the prefold tucked under the PUL flap. This was incorrect and my mistake since I’m used to other diaper covers that have this flap to hold the insert on place. Thirsties actually puts this flap there to protect the snaps and stitching from touching the wet prefold or insert (it doesn’t have the additional layer over that area like the Flip does.) Tucking it in can lead to compression leaks, so don’t do what I did!

Here’s the size 1 on the small setting, folded and stretched (as always, my measurements are to give you an idea of how diapers compare, it’s not an exact science!)

Medium:

Large:

Here’s the duo wrap size 1 compared to the duo diaper size 2 (both on the small setting):

Here is the duo diaper size 2 (small setting) and the duo wrap size 1 large setting) on my 21ish lb son, both taken the same day:

Since I don’t have a newborn tester, I had to call in my usual newborn diaper model.

To compare, here he is in a newborn disposable:

The wrap is recommended for use over trifolded prefolds or trim fitteds. For bulkier systems, Thirsties suggests their diaper covers. I tried the wrap over a Kissaluvs Size 0 Fitted and it fit just fine.

thirsties duo wrap over kissaluvs fitted

Don’t laugh at me, I don’t have much experience with prefolds, but I wanted to try to snappi the prefold in addition to trifolding it.

thirsties dup hemp prefold ize 1 snappied

Here’s my model in the size 1 wrap with trifolded prefold, on the small setting:

I love Thirsties products and I think the stay dry duo insert would make this an even more fantastic system! My only complaint is that I have a heck of a time typing “duo.” I type “dup” nearly every time, LOL! See fit on my newborn.

Giveaway: Thirsties is offering one lucky reader a Duo Wrap and Prefold in his/her choice of size, color and closure!

Here’s how to enter: All entries go in the form below. I love your comments, but comments don’t count as entries! Mandatory entries include name, email address and your favorite ~~Thirsties~~ ~~product, or one you’d love to try. You can receive a bonus entry if you “like”~~ ~~Thirsties on Facebook~~.

I will accept entries until Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern. I will select a winner using random.org’s true random number generator and notify him/her by email. Winner has 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is chosen. View my giveaway rules page for complete details. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S.

# of entries received as of January 20th at giveaway close: 220

https://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dDIwdVZUY2FQRENvSGxhdUItOVBHUGc6MQ

FTC compliance: While Thirsties is sending a product to the giveaway winner, I was not given products or other compensation for this post and all opinions are my own.

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Bumkins Dr. Seuss AIO Cloth Diaper Bundle Review

Jan 6,2011 / By Maria / 9 Comments

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I was lucky and won a Bumkins Dr. Seuss Cloth Diaper Bundle in size large from Knocked up and Nursing!

The bundle came with three AIO Diapers, which retail for $17.95 each (list price $24.95.)

Three absorbency inserts (retail $9.95 for a pack of three)…

and a wet bag (retail $9.95, list price $10.95).

My first impression of the diapers were that they reminded me of Kushies diapers, and that they were huge! Here is one (bottom) compared to some other diapers I had in the laundry room:

They are very wide, and also had a fairly high rise. Keep in mind that my measurements aren’t an exact science. I noticed that I didn’t have it folded exactly in half in the second picture here:

The elastic isn’t very tight, so it didn’t get too much bigger when stretched:

The laundry tab is just a single flap against the right closure tab. I assume you are to overlap the other tab for laundering.

As I said, I received the size large, which is estimated to fit 22-32 pounds, according to their size chart. My son was 20 pounds 6 weeks ago at his 18-month checkup, so he’s definitely close to the low end of the weight range. They also have small (6-12 lbs), medium (12-22 lbs), x-large (32-42 lbs) and youth (42+ lbs). They have some really cute prints, but the youth size comes in white only.

Like the Kushies, the diaper is pretty simple. The outer feels like windbreaker material (lead safe, PVC, phthlate and vinyl free) and it has 6 layers of cotton flannel (sewn in an “airflow panel” for faster drying) and simple leg elastic. The rear elastic is closer to the sides of the diaper. There isn’t any along the middle of the back.

Since the instructions said the diapers would shrink, I decided to wash and dry one three times to give it a fair shake. While I was doing that, I took a look at the wet bag.

It measures 13″ x 11″, has a drawstring toggle closure, and has simple construction.

It’s not enormous, but it held three of these big diapers just fine!

So after three washes (drying in the dryer between washes, to make it a little faster)…

It looked exactly the same! The blue diaper had been prepped, the other had not. I went ahead and tried it on my little guy anyway.

It was way too big! With that leg gap, I didn’t dare leave it on him, so I took it off. While I’d certainly use Bumkins (in a smaller size) if that were my only option other than disposables, I’m a little shocked by the price. They do come in cute prints, but they cost as much as Bumgenius pocket diapers, even as much as the Bumgenius Organic AIO if you go based on list price! I can think of at least a half-dozen diapers that have more bells and whistles, for the same cost or less. I was truly surprised when I looked at their site and saw the price, I thought for sure they would be around $10 each.

I don’t want to sound ungrateful, I am very thankful to Knocked up and Nursing for the giveaway, especially getting it to me so quickly, even though she had just had a baby! That said, I think I will be donating these to The Cloth Diaper Foundation, so another family with a bigger baby can pad their stash!

FTC compliance: The pictured items were won from a blog giveaway. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Flip Hook & Loop Closure Diaper Cover and Organic Insert – Photo Review and Giveaway (CLOSED 11/27)

Nov 20,2010 / By Maria / 5 Comments

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In April, I reviewed a Flip cover with stay-dry insert. I’m less a’skeered of snaps now than I was then, but I was still happy to learn that Flip Diapers was coming out with a hook and loop (a.k.a. Velcro or Aplix) closure diaper cover! Right now, they are only available for purchase separately for $13.95, but Cottonbabies plans to sell them packaged with inserts, and in day packs in the future. Lucky for one of you, I also bought an organic insert ($7.95 retail) to send along to the winner too!

The other Flip I bought came with a cardboard “wrapper” so I hadn’t planned on taking photos of the hook & loop Flip, since I didn’t want to give away an opened item! I was a little surprised to find that both the diaper cover and the insert came without tags, wrappings or packaging, so I’ve done a little photo review. The winner will receive the butternut color cover and organic insert pictured in this review however, we do not have pets (unless you count the kids) and the items were only on my laundry room counter, which is very clean, and my hands were clean as well!

Some of us were wondering whether the hook & loop would be the “old” Bumgenius 3.0 style, or the “new” Bumgenius 4.0 style. Fortunately, it is the new style!

The “new” style laundry tab velcro is actually grippy, instead of just the fuzzy fabric of the 3.0s. If you haven’t had the pleasure of trying the 4.0s, the laundry tabs will touch baby’s skin, but they are very soft, and haven’t caused my son any irritation.

The hook & loop cover has the same, easily wipeable PUL inner as the snap closure Flip. My snap flip has the same white fabric, but only over the closure snaps, not the rise snaps. I assume it’s to keep the PUL from leaking where it was punctured to attach them.

Here it is on the small setting, folded and stretched:

Medium setting folded and stretched:

Large setting folded and stretched:

The organic inserts are made from 100% Oeko-Tex® certified organic cotton. Cottonbabies sells them for $7.95 each; $6.65 each if you buy 3 or more. Buying a cover with an organic insert adds just $6 to the cost of the cover alone.

I was surprised by how soft this is! Granted, it is new and hadn’t been washed but wow, it is baby blanket soft! Since this hasn’t been washed/dried/prepped, you can definitely expect it to shrink a bit. You simply fold the insert along the long or short side to fit inside the insert.

Here it is measured along the short side:

flip diaper organic insert width unprepped

Measured along the long side:

flip diaper organic insert length unprepped

In the cover on the small setting:

flip organic insert in diaper small setting

In the cover on the large setting:

flip organic insert in diaper large setting

As you can see, the hook & loop and flip covers are very much the same. Of course, mine was purchased 7 months ago, so small changes wouldn’t surprise me anyway! One difference is that the Hook & Loop cover stinks! I noticed a very strong, plastic-y/chemical smell that gave me a headache, as soon as I opened the mailer it came in. I have never noticed this with any other diapers I’ve purchased. My guess is that others begin with the same smell, but they’ve sat in warehouses and been shipped back and forth enough to air out before I get them! Hopefully it will do the same before I ship it to the winner!

Here’s a side by side of the small organic insert (remember, it hasn’t been washed/dried so it will shrink!) compared to the small stay dry insert, and the same for the large.

Hooray for hook and loop! Now when it Cottonbabies going to come out with newborn versions of their pocket diapers and flip covers? Hmm?

Giveaway: One winner will receive the Butternut (sorry, boring, but I wanted it to be gender neutral!) Hook & Loop Closure Flip Cover (ARV $13.95) and Organic Insert (ARV $7.95) pictured. Combined value $21.90 if my brain is working.

Here’s how to enter: All entries go in the form below. Mandatory entries include Your name and email address. I always email winners, and I do try to look for them before giving up on them! However, if you want to be sure it’s you when I announce the winner, please use a middle or last initial, or nickname, so you’ll know it’s you. I do announce names just as you enter them! I’m offering a single bonus entry for following this blog. You may choose GFC, RSS feed or email. If you prefer, you can elect to “like” ~~me on facebook~~ or ~~follow me on twitter~~ ~~instead. Whatever will bring you back! 🙂~~

I will accept entries until Saturday, November 27th, 2010 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern. I will select a winner using random.org’s true random number generator and notify him/her by email. Winner has 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is chosen. View my ~~giveaway rules~~ ~~page for complete details. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S.~~

I’d love for you to leave a comment (also a great way to just remind yourself that you entered) but comments don’t count as giveaway entries. I will update the post daily with the # of entries received!