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A while ago, when I was looking for a night time diapering solution, I was asking people what brand their most absorbent fitted was; I heard
EllaBella Bottoms a lot.
I sat back patiently and waited for her to stock her store, then realized she was stocking in
a congo and not her own store (she stocks
here too). Oopsie. Once I figured out where I should be looking, I couldn’t coordinate her stocking dates with my wallet stocking dates. i.e. I was broke. Finally I was all set to buy a custom slot and I almost missed out! EBBs are very popular. I looked a few minutes before the stocking at 8 P.M. then forgot until after 10 and I barely snagged the last one!
Turnaround was pretty quick for a custom. I paid for the slot ($10 deposit that went towards the final price) on 3/28 (late at night) and she contacted me the next morning to get started. I received the invoice for the balance when the diaper was complete on 4/8 and I got the fluffy goodness in my mailbox 4/15.
I didn’t give Mandy a whole lot to go on. I chose the outer cotton knit fabric, and told her to pick the inside for me. I also asked her to include a booster/doubler.
Her listing stated that the price of the diaper was $18 and shipping was $3.50. She normally charges $3.00 for a doubler. My total cost including shipping was $23.50. My invoice said she didn’t charge me for the doubler because she wasn’t totally happy with her stitching, but by my math, she just gave me a $1.00 discount. No matter.
She included a sample packet of Lil’ Outlaws pail pardner. I didn’t realize it was in the bag until I went to throw it away, I just noticed that the diaper was smelly (not bad smelly). I always wash my diapers before the first wear, and I know that some people store their supplies near other things, so it really didn’t matter to me.
I do suggest that WAHMs be cautious with the use of scent because some people are much more sensitive than I am. I always forget to ask sellers if they are smoke free but I need to start doing that before I get a yucky surprise in my mailbox!
Before anyone thinks I’m picking on Mandy, back to the fluff!
So cute!
I love this fabric. Mandy told me it was quite stretchy, and I’d heard other people say that as well. I’m sure that makes it more difficult to sew perfectly straight. I tried zigzagging some old stretchy burp cloths to use as wipes and it was not pretty folks! Again, not trying to pick on Mandy but I like to be very thorough in my reviews! 🙂
It has the cut/shape and fold down rise with snaps that are pretty standard for a one size fitted it seems.
It of course has the cotton knit outer, and has a hidden layer of bamboo fleece and a polyester minky inner.
The two snap-in soakers have layers of bamboo and cotton terry, topped with the polyester minky. The booster is bamboo fleece topped with the minky.
Just the two.
Finally, just the EBB with the utilitarian.
Just a single soaker from each.
The first time I put the EllaBella Bottoms diaper on my son, I tried to fold the soakers and doubler over; I’m used to doing this since my son can be quite a heavy soaker.
It was way too bulky like this and I didn’t feel like I could get a good fit without leg gap. As it turns out, it was totally unnecessary. The next time, I didn’t fold anything (except the rise) and he had it on with the
flip cover for about 2 1/2 hours with no leaks, and the outside of the diaper was hardly damp (and in the wet zone only at that!) I am definitely going to try this dipe at night!
Here are some photos of it in action. I wish I could remember what diaper he had on before this that left all those red marks. Yikes!
The red marks on his leg here are from razor sharp baby fingernails combined with his love of grabbing mounds of flesh (his favorite pastime while nursing!)
If you’re looking for a super absorbent fitted,
EllaBella Bottoms should definitely be on your short list!
Edit August 2010: This diaper is adorable and very absorbent, but it’s not in our regular rotation right now simply because I prefer pockets to fitteds. It has held up quite well, though the doubler shrunk oddly/unevenly and has curled up.
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. 
