basic cloth diaper trial concept:
- pay a fee
- receive your assortment of diapers
- wash them, use them, etc for set period of time
- return what you don't want and get a substantial amount of your fee refunded or as store credit
I was surprised at the end of my trial that the diapers I expected to like least are what I loved the most and some I thought i'd love weren't really right for us.
Here's what I got in the mail for my trial (left-to-right and top-to-bottom except for the Snappi):
- BumGenius 4.0
- BumGenius Freetime
- Rumparooz G2
- FuzziBunz Elite
- Kawaii
- Bamboozle Stretch
- OsoCozy Prefolds
- OsoCozy Better Fit Prefolds
- Thisties Duo wrap
- Snappi fastener
Here are my quick reviews on each of the diapers keeping in mind that this is with a 14lb chubby-thighed girl so what works for her may not be what works for all:
- BumGenius 4.0: seems like this would fit for a long time in keeping with their One Size (OS)claim. Stuffing this was ok, not hard, not over easy. the inside was very soft although the laundry tabs for the Velcro were a little scratchy. we didn't use them long enough to say whether they would cause irritation. didn't leak for us. liked this diaper and would consider adding to our stash.
- BumGenius Freetime: not surprisingly, this also seems like it would be true to the OS claim. No stuffing required but the two overlapping flaps inside were a source of annoyance for me. I found it difficult to keep them aligned while closing the diaper over my busy body baby. This was the only All-In-One in my trial (sadly) and in my mind, AIOs big benefit is ease of use for sitters, etc. This did not seem like it would fit the bill for that need. I'd not buy these, as a matter of fact, I used it no more than twice before washing it and sticking it in the bag until the end of my trial.
- Rumparooz G2: This pocket has 2 elastic gussets on each side which really did keep in a mega-poo we experienced during the trial. Not a trace of a leak. It was like the Hoover Dam of diapers. I think the second row of elastic contributed to this being one of the harder ones to stuff since it gets narrow in the middle. Not impossible, just harder than some. It was extremely soft inside but more textured than some of the other diapers. While I suspect this helped trap that poo inside, I also found it didn't come clean as easily as other diapers. Definitely would like these in my stash.
- FuzziBunz Elite: I found this diaper hard to stuff. It was just a bit narrow. It's also a OS but unlike the other OS pockets I got which has snaps to adjust the sizing, these have an elastic in them that you somehow adjust. I didn't have to do it obviously but I like the convenience of the snaps. I will say this diaper is more pleasing to the eye without the funny looking snaps, though. Performance was good, it fit well and didn't leak. The inside was super soft and the stay dry really kept her feeling dry when the diaper was soaked. Didn't love or hate this diaper but not really on my consideration list.
- Kawaii: This was the easiest to stuff of the diapers I had. The pocket opening is large enough that most dads (going with the assumption that dad has larger hands) could easily stuff it. I'm not saying they would, only that they could. This diaper is also a OS and I have no doubt it will be true to that claim. jellybean is still easily in the small setting at 14lbs! I had a snap version and the snaps seemed secure but a little difficult to fully snap together. These are also the least expensive pocket in my trial. Definitely liked these.
- Bamboozle Stretch: I originally loved this diaper. aside from being gorgeous purple, it was also very soft. we used it during the day and overnight with success. bonus of the dark coloring is that it didn't show any stains even with runny breastfed baby poo. they were very absorbant, even after overnight use, i could tell it was pretty much soaked through but baby's bottom wasn't all wet and wrinkly. it is definitely not a stay-dry but was pretty good. I'd consider buying a couple of these down the line.
- OsoCozy Prefolds: I had no expectation of liking these because they just seemed too old-school, too much effort and everything. As it turned out, they are very very soft and fluffy after several (maybe 5 or 6) hot prewash/dry cycles and very absorbant. They do stain somewhat but, they are diapers. Staining aside, I found these washed and dried very thoroughly. I ended up picking these as the base of my stash.
- OsoCozy Better Fit Prefolds: similar in all senses to the larger ones just smaller. These are sized for tri-folding and putting in a cover. I found they worked well with the gDiaper covers I'd already been using. I liked these as much as the others but didn't have a need for them. I'd recommend them though.
- Thisties Duo wrap: I really liked this cover. It comes in 2 sizes and I actually found the size 1 seemed a bit snug even though my baby was only 14lb at the time. your mileage might vary. I didn't end up getting these but only because we were at that weird between size stage and I wanted a good fit.
- Snappi fastener: What a fun little device if you don't want to use safety pins. Pins scare me. I didn't want them near my little one. Snappis are cuter and easier (if not physically easier, easier in my mind and that counts a lot) so I use them. Basically they are rubbery T-shaped pieces with little teeth (similar to the teeth that fasten old-school ACE bandages together) to grap the diaper. They don't work well with all diapers, I've heard they aren't great on very tightly woven fabrics. They are great with the aforementioned OsoCozy Prefolds though.
