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Thank you to everyone who entered! Congratulations to Kim! I’ve emailed you!
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I’ve had my Smartipants diaper for about 8 months.
Initially, I didn’t think it was anything to really write home about.
However, the more I used it, the more it became a favorite. It has been used nearly daily for the 8 months I’ve had it.
I just took these pictures last week, so this is what it looks like after 8 months of wear & tear!
The Smartipants diaper has a “smart sleeve” that the insert slides into. Much like a pocket diaper, it has a waterproof outer and soft fabric against baby’s skin.
Each diaper comes with a smart sleeve microfiber insert.
Here are the two things that really make Smartipants stand out to me. First, the insert agitates out in the wash. It really does! With my other pocket diapers, I use the wipe to yank the insert out before I throw it in the pail, so I don’t have to touch it later. The smart sleeve insert comes out by itself, so just throw wet ones in your pail as is!
Second, each diaper and smart sleeve insert costs only $14.95! They’re also available in 3-packs, 12-packs and 24-packs with discounted prices. 24 diapers cost $279.95 or about $11.66 per diaper! That’s enough to cloth diaper full time, washing every other day, with a few to spare.
More important than price (to me) is the fact that they do not leak, and our Smartipants has held up wonderfully! 8 months of mostly daily use and zero problems.
Smartipants have snap closures, with just two snaps on each wing, which is easier for me to do than three! They are also one-size by way of a snap down rise. All photos of my son in this post are on the medium setting where he is about 18 or so pounds.
Small setting, folded:
Small setting stretched:
Medium setting folded:
Medium setting stretched:
Large setting folded:
Large setting stretched:
Smartipants recently introduced new products, including newborn diapers, smart-fit covers, smart tote wet bags and smart pail hanging wet bags!
They also introduced their first limited edition diaper color, chocolate. A new color will be available for a limited time each month, and the color will be chosen by Smartipants users!
So, I bet you want your own. Smartipants is giving one of my lovely readers their own Smartipants diaper with smart sleeve insert, in his/her choice of color!
Here’s how to enter:
Mandatory Entry: Visit Smartipants and tell me what product you think they should add to their line!
Bonus Entry: “Like” Smartipants on Facebook. Let them know I sent you! Leave me a comment on this blog post, letting me know you’re a “liker” in order to get your entry.
That’s it. Single comment entry, or double your chances by liking Smartipants on Facebook, and keeping up with all their latest news! Please make sure you leave your email address in your comment if it is not visible in your profile.
I’ll accept entries until Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern. I’ll draw a winner using random.org’s true random number generator and notify him/her by email. S/he will have 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and another winner is chosen.
This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only. Review my general giveaway rules for complete details.
Although Smartipants has agreed to provide a free diaper to one reader, I was not compensated in any way for this post, and all opinions are my own.
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I’ve said before how I wish I were wealthy, so I could send each of my readers a package with one of each of my favorite diapers. Unfortunately for all of you (and me too), I’m not. I have however, gotten lots of great stuff because of this blog, and I just earned my first little bit of money. None of that would be possible without you.
So, I decided to pay it forward and offer one blog reader a “mini stash” of three of my favorite diapers. Here’s the deal: This is just three of the diapers I like a lot. I have other favorites too. I don’t want my other diapers to be sad that these three were getting special attention!
You’ll notice they are all snap closure diapers. That may seem strange since you probably know that I prefer aplix/Velcro for ease of use and adjustability. Unfortunately, I don’t have a single Velcro diaper that hasn’t given me some kind of trouble, usually from the aplix itself. It either immediately won’t stick to the laundry tabs, sticks too much and is difficult to remove, or is good initially but poops out over time. Also, my son has discovered the Velcro, so now as soon as I close a diaper, I hear “rrriiiipppppp.” Hee hee.
Here’s how it’s going to work: Follow the “rules” at the bottom of the post as usual to get your entries. I’ve taken photos of my own diapers for this post, but the winner will choose their own. I buy them and have them shipped to you. The winner will give me a first and second color choice for each item!
As of now, I’m planning to buy from Diaper Junction, but I reserve the right to change my place of purchase based on availability, price, or my whim. 🙂 Diaper Junction is one of a few online stores I like to buy from; they’re usually the second place I look, if my first choice is out of stock or doesn’t sell the item I’m looking for. They have a good selection and are usually well stocked. You have to spend $75 to get free shipping, but their shipping rates are very reasonable. You don’t have to pay $5 or $10 flat rate shipping charges for one item.
The winner will get one Kissaluvs Marvels AIO, one Flip Diaper with stay dry insert, and one Smartipants diaper (insert included).
My Kissaluvs diaper was one I was blessed to receive as a review diaper. Click that link to read my full review. I haven’t quite been using my diaper for two months, but it quickly became a favorite.
It’s an all in one diaper, but the insert is only sewn at one end. When I wash it, it turns completely inside out for thorough washing and faster drying. I haven’t had any stink issues, but the design would make it easy to remove the insert if you had to, and use it as a pocket diaper, or replace the insert.
The Marvels AIO is one size by way of a snap down rise (my favorite) has the microfleece inner I prefer and has an easy snap setup. It fits wonderfully and doesn’t leak. It’s one of a few that I would grab if we were going out or if my son was getting ready to nap. It’s a little pricier than some others, but definitely not the most expensive.
I bought my Flip when the Bumgenius spend $10 get a free AIO coupon was out. Again, you can click that link to read my full review.
The flip is a hybrid or an all-in-two, depending on who you talk to. You can get stay dry, organic, or disposable inserts for it. Pairing the flip with inserts (changing the cover only when soiled, wiping between uses) or prefolds can be a very affordable way to get started in cloth.
Again, it has a snap down rise to make it one size, and an easy snap closure. I only have the one insert, so after I’ve used it, I use the cover with my fitteds. It’s trimmer than a true cover would be, but it still works fine. It fits great, doesn’t leak and again, it’s one I reach for if my son may be in it for a while.
I’ve been using my Smartipants diaper for over six months now. Initially, I wasn’t that impressed. It’s not that I didn’t like it, I just thought that it wasn’t that great. It didn’t seem like anything special, and it was only $3 cheaper than the Bumgenius 3.0, but didn’t include a doubler.
The Smartipants is the perfect example of why I give things a good use, trying not to make a judgment based on initial impressions. I also think it’s smart to try different things, rather than put all your “eggs” in one basket. You never really know what you will like, or how your feelings will change over time!
The common theme here of course is that it’s one size via a snap down rise, has a simple snap layout, fits well and seems to be leak proof. In fact, I keep this diaper upstairs, and if it’s clean, it’s the first one I put on my son in the morning.
I just took this photo, so this is what it looks like after 6 months of nearly daily use! What’s unique about this diaper is that the insert goes under more of a patch of fabric than a pocket. It has openings at the front and back, and the insert agitates out in the wash. With my other pocket diapers, I pull the inserts out before I put them in my wet bag, so I can just dump it in the washer on wash day (don’t want to touch them again, ick!) This one, I can put directly in the wet bag.
So, there you have it. A few of the diapers I reach for first, just don’t tell the others they’re my “favorites!”
Here’s how to enter to win one of each, in your choice of color (subject to availability, I reserve the right to make substitutions):
Do any or all of the below. Leave a comment for each entry. Be sure to leave your email address in at least one of your comments, if it isn’t visible in your profile. This giveaway may seem swayed toward my followers since I’m offering some extra entries for using my button, adding me to your blogroll etc. That’s because it is. I want everyone to enter (hence the easy peasy entry as always) but hey, I want to encourage people to keep coming back and give my loyal readers a good chance to win!
1. Leave me a comment. Anything you’d like to say. What’s your favorite diaper? What’s the first cloth diaper you used? Have your likes changed over time? What would you like to see me review or give away? Do you like how I run my giveaways? Any other entry options you’d like to see? Are there too many? You don’t have to answer all that, just some ideas of what to talk to me about!
2. Follow my blog. Your choice of Google friend connect, RSS feed or email.
5. Tweet about this giveaway and include a link. One tweet per day please. I go back and forth on whether to allow tweeting more often, but I don’t want people to associate my “name” with annoying giveaway tweets, nor do I want to make it too confusing! You may use this tweet if you like: kissaluvs, flip and smartipants #clothdiaper #giveaway from @chgdiapers. Build your stash! Ends 7/8 http://bit.ly/aC6UYz
6. Blog about this giveaway and link back here.
7. Grab my button and tell me where to find it. (Put it in a highly visible area somewhere on the main page of your blog for this entry. Sidebar etc. If it’s on a harder to find page, you qualify for the blog roll entry only.)
8. List me on your blog roll, leave me a link to it.
I will accept entries until Thursday, July 8th, 2010 at 9 P.M., Eastern. I’ll select a winner with random.org’s true random number generator and notify the winner by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is chosen.
Please note that this giveaway is not approved by, endorsed by or affiliated with the above diaper companies, or any diaper retailer.
Quick reminders to please send me a message if you’d like to be listed on my blogroll or if you have a link that should be included on my link page, or if you know of an affiliate program you think I may like to add to the bottom of that link page. Also if you have any questions or have suggestions for reviews or giveaways!
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All In One Diapers All In Two Diapers Cloth Diapers One Size Diapers Pocket Diapers Retailers Review
Once the diapermoon is over…
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While reading one of my old blog entries, I realized that I feel quite differently about some diapers now, compared to how I felt when they were brand new fluff mail. Some things I didn’t like at first, I grew to love and vice versa.
Therefore, I’m going to do a quick summary (linking to the original blog post also) of some of the diapers I’ve been using for up to 6 months. I’ve also taken some photos of things I find noteworthy.
I warn that this post will be very long and somewhat rambling at times. 🙂
Since some people do refer back to the archives, I’m going to also figure out the best way to link this post to the original post, perhaps by just linking to this post to avoid a big glob of copied & pasted text at the end. Here goes!
Bumgenius 3.0 One Size Pocket Diapers.
The first 3 diapers I bought were Bumgenius 3.0s. I’ve had those since October, so just about 6 months. They’ve gotten some major wear and tear. Not only have I had them the longest, but when I first started out, I only had 3 BG, then 6, and I literally washed them twice a day to keep the sposies I needed to use, to a minimum.
The most common complaint I read (I think I read hundreds of reviews when deciding what to initially purchase) was that over time, the velcro curls, doesn’t stick and forms diaper chains in the wash. Some people have even done a snap conversion.
Well, I happened upon this Bumgenius Refresher Kit at cottonbabies. The refresher kits include three new pieces of elastic (back elastic, two legs) new tab closures and new laundry tabs. Each kit also includes instructions for sewing your diaper refresh kits into your bumGenius cloth diapers. Each kit is only $1.00! It seems well worth it to me.
That said, I don’t need any. The light blue diaper was one of the first 3 I bought and the one I reach for the most. It is the “worst” as far as tabs curling, and you can see it’s not really bad at all.
The velcro actually sticks to the laundry tabs, stays firmly attached, but isn’t too difficult to remove from the diaper or laundry tabs.
Everything’s a little “pilly” but it’s not really anything I wouldn’t expect. I’m trying to spare you from seeing too much of the inners. As you can see, most of my diapers are a bit stained because we’re just now seeing the sun (and I don’t have a clothes line!)
There are some snags and fuzzies on the front of the diaper also, from getting snagged by various diapers.
There are no functional problems at all. They may need a little refresher in a few more months, but who cares. I remember being so shocked at the price of $17.95 per diaper when I first started looking at cloth. Now I know, that’s cheap!! They’re one size, waterproof, come with not only an insert, but a doubler too, have a stay dry inner, and are actually one of the least expensive diapers I’ve bought!
They also have the “poop scoop” in back and a nice, wide pocket for stuffing. I’ve heard some people say they don’t like that, but I do. You have to fold the “poop scoop” over after stuffing to cover the opening.
I also adore that they have the PUL “stopper” on the front. You don’t have to be too particular about getting the insert just so, since that will keep it from wicking onto clothing.
Speaking of stuffing, it takes me seconds to stuff them now. I had a learning curve though. I don’t really think it’s something someone can teach you, you just have to get the hang of it.
As long as the diaper is on the right rise setting, stuffed properly, fastened properly etc, I don’t have any leaks or blowouts. These are my go-to diaper when we leave the house because I know I won’t be left “all wet.”
Happy Heiny’s Monkey Print and Peace Bears
I sheepishly admit that the prints are what made me desperately want these! I initially thought they’d be great for newborns since they had a “newborn” setting in addition to small, medium and large. They claim to fit 7.5 to 35 lbs. Many one size diapers have similar size ranges, but almost everyone tells me that they don’t really fit until about 10 pounds.
My son was born at about 8 pounds and was a bit over 14 pounds when we started cloth diapering at about 4 1/2 months. He has worn the “medium” setting on all of his other one size diapers since then, but we are still on the “newborn” setting on these!! We started out on medium and went to small, then finally newborn, in search of a secure fit.
Granted, he’s teeny at 16 1/2 lbs at 10 1/2 months, but I just can’t see how a 7.5 pound baby could wear these. I think the sizing is more like Small/Medium, Medium/Large, Large/Extra large and Toddler.
The aplix closure tabs do overlap, but I’m always left with the end flapping in the breeze for some reason. I’ve never tried a snap version.
When I tried to use the “small” setting, we had constant leg gap and he would pee right out the leg hole, leaving the insert bone dry. Even since we sized down, I have to be really careful about how I put them on or we get leaks.
Since there’s no stopper like the bumgenius has, I have to be careful not to stuff the insert too far into the diaper, but then it sometimes wants to hang out the back. The inserts also do not have the snaps for sizing like the BG have. They also want to bunch up inside and that also causes leak issues for us.
I have to use the foldover method for securing the tabs during laundering, they don’t stick to the laundry tabs for me.
They have a little bit of pilling here and there, but overall seem to be “aging” fine.
I will definitely hang on to them since they may fit better if he chubs back up, or might fit another baby (if we have one!) Solid colors cost $1 more than the bumgenius, but there is an additional surcharge for prints.
Fuzzibunz One Size Pocket Diapers
A very, very long time ago, long before I even had a baby on the way, I researched cloth diapers. I ended up liking FuzziBunz the best, but I was turned off by the cost of having to buy different sizes. My daughter was such a peanut that she was only about 24 pounds by the time she was fully potty trained. For her, we would have needed some newborns, smalls and some trainers. That would have been all. Oh, if only I could have all the money back (or even some of it!) that we spent on disposables for her. What a fluff stash it would buy!
In the beginning of my cloth diapering, I wanted only one-size diapers, so I bought this. Initially, I thought this was OK. Nice and trim. Then I realized that the way I had the waist & elastic setting wasn’t quite right. I found the elastic confusing and off putting, and the nice trim fit wasn’t as trim once the fabric was puffy from adjusted elastic.
I found the triangular snap configuration confusing and annoying and my husband hated it.
Since it’s one of the last I reach for, it doesn’t surprise me that it’s in pretty good shape! The cost was $1 more than the Bumgenius.
I bought this really just because it was a one size pocket diaper, was on clearance, and the price was right.
No surprise that I didn’t love it. I don’t hate it either. Just as I said in my initial post, the laundry tabs are pretty useless and the weird shaped insert is hard to deal with.
It’s held up pretty well, but it’s also definitely not the first I reach for.
Again, I got suckered into a diaper because of the cute print! I had heard good things about Blueberry, but that their velcro was awful. Since I couldn’t find any of the prints I liked with snaps, I got the velcro, thinking that people were just anti-velcro.
Boy was I wrong!! This was the blog post that made me realize how wrong wrong wrong initial impressions can be! I hated the insert because I couldn’t figure out how to fold and snap it. Now I love it! It’s one size without adding much bulk, has microfiber and hemp both, is very trim, and is a loop, so it dries quickly. Definitely one of my most favorite inserts now.
I also thought the velcro was good. Bwaaahhhahahhahah!! Excuse me while I slap my knee and wipe a tear from my eye.
You be the judge:
It’s as though Blueberry velcro defies all rules of logic. It is im-freakin-possible to get off the dang diddly laundry tabs! Seriously, I work up a sweat trying to get them off, and this one is ripped almost completely off.
Put them in the washing machine though and it’s like the velcro thinks the laundry tab has cooties. The velcro sticks to everything BUT the laundry tabs. This means all my other stuff gets snagged, and the Blueberry velcro gets a bunch of gross fuzzy stuff stuck in it.
The inside is quite pilly, and seems to have stained more than others.
In general, it just looks much older than diapers that have been used much, much more often.
What kills me most is how much I paid for this diaper. It was $33! I’m totally ashamed! I could have practically bought two Bumgenius.
I did contact the company once the tab finally ripped off (after only TWO MONTHS!) While they were polite and cordial, they merely said:
“Unfortunately Velcro is a beast. I prefer snaps myself, just due to the no maintenance aspect. We have tried many different varieties/brands of Velcro and have tested many different scenarios. Either we can have soft velcro that looses it stick or one like that is too stiff and will scratch the baby. We are always looking for way to build a better mouse trap.”
That just really bugs me. Oh well, expensive lesson learned!
This is a huge change from the last one because I love this diaper! If it is clean and we are going out, it is the first diaper I choose to put on my son for the trip. Every. Time. Even without the doubler, it does not leak. The snaps are easy peasy and it fits wonderfully.
The inside is silky soft, but you have to tumble it dry for at let a few minutes, or it is stiff.
I’ve been using it regularly for 4 months and it still looks spanking new to me.
While it was still awfully expensive at $28, I don’t really feel bad about it since I love it so much.
The only thing I don’t like about it is that the bamboo inner is not “stay dry” like microfleece and suedecloth. However, this is a plus for many people that prefer natural materials on baby’s bottom.
I was once again suckered in by a cute print (notice a theme here?) but the print wasn’t actually as cute as it looked online (in my opinion).
I have a difficult time getting the velcro off of the laundry tabs and the front of the diaper seems very stiff and digs into my son’s tummy (look at the picture of him wearing it in the original post and you’ll see what I mean.)
It’s gotten a bit pilly but no major issues.
The inner gussets are awesome and I love the 4th snap down, which is a true newborn size as I see it (as long as you don’t have teeny tiny babies.) I would of course prefer to have some newborn diapers with the umbilical cord snap down if I ever get to cloth diaper a newborn. The Rumparooz Lil’ Joeys are one of a few that simply make my ovaries throb. Hee hee.
This one I’ve only had for three months. I do realize I had the snaps all wonky in the photo in the original post. They aren’t done correctly and I’m sorry.
Now I actually like this one a lot better than the velcro version. It rocks for all the same reasons (inner gussets, newborn size) but the snaps are super easy. There are just two snaps (one right above the other, so no backtracking to try to get it snapped correctly) on each wing and they’re very easy, just like the Blueberry Snap diapers. I much prefer this snap configuration over ones with a single row, but 3 snaps to snap on each wing.
I initially thought the velcro would loosen up over time and that it was easier than snaps. Actually, I can probably snap this diaper before I get the velcro off the laundry tabs on the other one.
Also, no snags on the diaper. Looks new.
The inside is a little bit pilly, but that seems to be par for the course.
Rumparooz in solid colors are $23.50, $5.55 more than Bumgenius 3.0. Add another $2.00 to that for a print.
I was initially interested in this because it was a one size diaper, was inexpensive, and the insert was supposed to agitate out in the wash, no pulling it out.
I contacted the company asking for permission to use their images in a silly “Dear Santa” wish list post. I contacted quite a few companies, and they were the only one that didn’t respond.
I wasn’t overly impressed with the diaper. Seemed pretty basic. I found it more difficult to stuff with the patch instead of pocket, but the inserts do indeed agitate out in the wash. It was $3 less than a bumgenius, but didn’t have extras like the “poop scoop,” the PUL stopper and it didn’t come with a doubler. I’m not sure how you could even put a doubler in if you bought one. I’m able to use my bumgenius as a travel or night diaper just by adding extra stuffing. If you had all smartipants, you’d have to buy something else for those purposes.
It has a single row of snaps and only two snaps on the wing, making it a little easier than those with three.
It does still look pretty new though. It’s one of two “daytime diapers” I keep in my son’s bedroom (we change almost all of his diapers downstairs), so it is used every other day for his first change of the day.
I’ve had this one for less than two months, but it’s usefulness (or lack thereof) was clear after 1 use, and very clear after 3 weeks. The photos I added to the original post showing the wear & fading were taken after three weeks.
With the first use I found that it leaked from the legs so much, it may as well be a fitted. I had hoped that at the very least, it would have some resale value, since Goodmamas are so popular, but definitely not looking the way it does.
This was one of the more expensive diapers I’ve bought at $28. I tend to skip over it, or use it with a cover (defeating the purpose of it being an AIO). The term AIO is deceiving as well, which I address in my original post.
I would really like to try a Goodmama fitted to see if they are better than the AIOs, but I just don’t have the heart to spend the time and effort (and money!) tracking one down.
The inners and soakers still look fine.
The outer? Not so much.
In conclusion, (your mileage may vary and all that rot), sometimes the initial impression is spot on, and sometimes it’s way off. You can’t necessarily rely on reviews. This would all be much easier (in my opinion) if there was a brick and mortar store I could drive to and see and feel all this fluff! (AHEM Abby’s Lane, who is close enough for a day trip if they’d open up a B&M store!!)
I think that about covers it, I’ll try to do this again in a few months. Unfortunately this just gives my hubby more opportunities to say “I told you so.” From the beginning, he told me to just buy more BumGenius 3.0s since I liked them. I was afraid I would miss something really good, I was afraid to put all my eggs in one basket, and what the heck would I be blogging about?? 😀
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>Smartipants is the only company that did not respond to my request to use their images in my “wish list” post.
Still, I was intrigued by the claim that the insert would agitate out in the wash, and it was also the least expensive one size diaper I’ve seen so far.
It’s also the first one I’ve seen that doesn’t come with a doubler.
It has only a single row of snaps, and the insert agitates out because it has more of a “patch” than a pocket. Annoying to stuff for sure.
It was fine, but nothing to write home about. Even the ability to wash without removing the insert doesn’t entice me. If they were all you had, you could just change them & wash them. No tabs to fold over & no insert to pull out. For me, I don’t care. I usually grab the insert with the wipe, then lay it inside the diaper & fold it up. I have to use hand sanitizer after changing a diaper anyway, so who cares.
They’re also only about $3 cheaper than the Bumgenius, but appear to be much cheaper. Don’t forget that they don’t come with a doubler either.
I am realizing how economical the BG 3.0s really are, I just wish they came in more colors and some prints too!
Edit August 2010: This has been in our regular rotation for 8 months and is a favorite. It has held up well, is easy to use and doesn’t leak. It looked basic initially but looks can be deceiving!
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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. 
