Hemp Babies Flats/Flat Cloth Diapers Review
I’m feeling OK about the Birdseye flats and flour sack towels I bought for the flats challenge, but I was worried about how to make flats work at night.
Swaddlebees Capri Cloth Diaper Cover & Inserts Review
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.
Softbums Omni Cloth Diaper Review
I posted my Softbums Echo review way back in July 2010! I just washed the wipe they sent along with that diaper; we’re still using it. Although an all-in-two isn’t my favorite (I prefer pockets) the Softbums Echo was one of very few diapers that worked for us when my 3 month old was a newborn. It gets sooo tiny that it fit him well (not true about most o/s diapers) and the insert was actually absorbent enough for him (not true for most newborn diapers!) It was a dream come true for our tiny super soaker!
Now, Softbums makes the Omni as well. It’s everything you love about the Echo, but it also has a pocket opening, so you have the option of using it as an AI2 or a pocket diaper. I received a solo pack with a super dry touch pod (retails for $24.95) plus a dry touch mini pod. The mini pods retail for $2.95 and can be used in the smaller size settings, or as a doubler.
The super dry touch pod (“dry touch” because it is topped with soft, stay dry fabric) is 3 layers of microfiber (6 when you fold it over), so you’re unlikely to need the mini pod too! A smaller, 4 layer dry touch pod retails for $4.95, and additional super dry touch pods sell for $5.95. You can also purchase organic bamboo pods for $9.25 and organic bamboo mini pods for $3.95. Whichever “pods” (soakers) you use, this can be an affordable all-in-two system.
You can choose hook & loop closures or snaps. The snaps are easy to use, so they are Daddy friendly, even when said Daddy prefers Velcro.
The size adjusts via a toggle on each leg’s elastic. On the one hand, this is a little intimidating, but it also allows you to get exactly the fit you need. I held the diaper up to a diaper that fit each boy and adjusted. The opening is in the front, and was large enough for me to do additional tweaking as I put it on each child. This type of adjustment means it won’t be as easy for babies of different sizes to share diapers, but that’s not an issue for me. Each of my boys has their own diapers, so I don’t have to fool with size adjustments at every diaper change. (I have all of my “diaper bag” diapers snapped down to small, so if my older son needs one, we just unsnap it!)
The diaper fits thighs from 4-14″ and there is a formula to figure out where to set the elastic, though I haven’t tried it!
The size adjustment means that I really can’t measure every size for you like I usually do. Instead, I adjusted the diaper as large as I could, while still leaving the elastic with some stretch…
Then measured the diaper folded & stretched. (This is about as inexact as you can get!)
Here it is next to a Bumgenius 4.0 on the large setting:
Here’s that setting on my 2 year, 10 month old, 29ish pound son (the legs could be a bit tighter on him):
Next, I set the diaper really small. Sorry, there’s no “really small” setting, LOL. I just tried to make it tiny, but not crazy tiny!
Then I measured it folded and stretched:
I adjusted it similar to a small one-size diaper, then put it on my 3 month old son, who is around 11 or so pounds (that’s a guess; he was 10 lbs at 2 months.) Once I put it on him, I just fished the toggles out & adjusted it further.
That’s with the super dry touch pod in the pocket, so it’s a little bit bulky, but what do you expect with 6 layers of absorbency in such a small diaper? I know the mini pod isn’t absorbent enough for my son, but it would be nice & trim on a small baby that isn’t such a heavy wetter. The regular (non-super) dry touch pods are 4 layers of microfiber topped with microfleece, so they would be another good choice!
The Softbums Omni is versatile and quite cost effective when used as an AI2. They are also made in the U.S.A.!
Shop Softbums or find a retailer, “like” Softbums on Facebook, follow Softbums on Twitter and follow the Softbums blog.
Giveaway: One winner will receive a Softbums Omni solo pack with super dry touch pod in his/her choice of color & closure, subject to availability (ARV $24.95.)
FTC compliance: I received product samples for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.