Review: Fitted Diaper from Diapers by Chris

When I came across Diapers by Chris, I was excited to see how comfy Chris’s diapers look and the cute prints she has available. She has quite a few diaper prints and designs that I haven’t seen before. After checking out her Facebook page and Web site, an “Avengers” fitted diaper caught my eye. One of my son’s middle names is Thor, so I asked Chris if she could make him a “Thor” diaper. She said she would look for fabric, and she found some!

Click on the photos to enlarge

 

Chris began sewing cloth diapers after her daughter was born. Like many of us, she was concerned about the negative impact disposables have on our environment.

All of her diapers are sewed with fabrics like natural bamboo, hemp, cotton, and fleece. Although she can make perfect-size or newborn-size diapers, many of her premade diapers are one-size, fitting approximately 12-35 lbs. Chris also offers several styles: fitteds, hybrid fitted, all-in-one, and all-in-two.

The Thor diaper is a fleece one-size fitted diaper with layers of fleece on the outside and inside. Also included were two soakers: large and small. Chris sent a handwritten note with the diaper. In it, she explained some laundering instructions as well as information about the diaper specifically. She also thanked me for my purchase. I thought this was a very nice, personal touch.

The diaper is about 6″ wide at the narrowest part. The size is very customizable, since there are three rows of snap adjustment for the rise and ten snaps at the waist/hip.

 To give you an idea on size, the back of this fitted diaper measures 15″ from wing to wing, fully stretched. The front measures about 10 1/2″ from wing to wing.

A BumGenius pocket diaper measures 15 1/2″ from wing to wing (fully stretched) at the back. The front measures just over 11″ from wing to wing.

A TotsBots Bamboozle fitted diaper measures 16″ at the back with the wings full stretched and 9 3/4″ at the front.

(Note: Measurements are approximate. I’m not an expert measurement taker person.)

The small soaker is 12″ long and 3 3/4″ wide. It’s made with bamboo fleece and topped with bamboo velour. The large soaker is about 14 1/4″ long and 4 3/4″ wide. The large soaker is also made with bamboo fleece but topped with crushed panne. Both soakers are very soft, but the bamboo velour feels silkier than the panne.

My experiences with the diaper:

My son wears this diaper on the lowest rise setting. He’s 4 months and 17 lbs. in the photo below. He still has a lot of room to grow in this diaper. I’ve been able to get a good, snug fit around the legs with this diaper.

I was skeptical at first of how well fleece would work, since it’s the first fleece diaper in our stash. I thought the fleece would get soaked quickly, and I’d have to change him for sure after a couple hours in the diaper.

Yeah, I was really wrong about that! I now absolutely love fleece as a diaper fabric! After about 3 hours in the diaper without a cover, the outer fleece wasn’t even feeling damp. I took my son to the change table anyway. When I opened up his diaper, the soakers were wet, but the fleece diaper was still completely dry. The larger soaker wasn’t completely soaked yet, either, and could’ve held more pee. I tossed the soakers in our diaper pail, and stuck a doubler inside…snapped the diaper back up, and good to go for another 3 hours! After that (we were approaching 6 hours total with the diaper at this point), the fleece was starting to feel just a little tiny bit damp.

The next time I tried this diaper on my son, the plan was to use it without the soakers, so I could have a genuine idea of how long it would be before this diaper would start to feel really wet. Unfortunately, my son thwarted my plans by pooping in it several minutes after putting the diaper on him. No matter. Now I can attest that the diaper holds poo in!

I tried this diaper again on my son without the soakers, but I did put a diaper cover over top. The front of this diaper started to feel wet after an hour, but the back still felt dry. It feels like the diaper has more layers of fleece in the back, due to the “Thor” print, so that is probably why.

Fast forward a few times. I’ve used this diaper with the soakers and without a cover on my son every couple of days for the last two weeks. The soakers take longer to dry than the diaper, but that’s to be expected, since they’re made with bamboo.

This diaper and the soakers are holding up, they appear to be well-constructed. They are soft and definitely do the job.

Want a Diaper by Chris of your own? You could win one! Chris will be sponsoring a prize for the Hoppin’ Halloween Giveaway Hop Oct. 25-31 right here on My Life: A Work in Progress. Stay tuned for the giveaway in just a few short weeks! Can’t wait? Buy your own! =) Check out Diapers by Chris on Facebook and her store!

Note: I purchased the item reviewed above. I was not compensated for this review. The opinions are my own.

 

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The Best Cloth Diapers for Diapering at Night

Now, I have to admit that I haven’t tried wool covers yet, and I know many people swear by them. But the solution I have found, works great for us. I was so excited when Diaper Junction started stocking Tots Bots Bamboozle diapers again! Kiwi Pie fitted diapers and Bamboozle fitted diapers are the best cloth diapers for overnight use! My son has worn these diapers for 8-12 hours straight overnight, and he’s never had a leak. Paired with GroVia Magic Stick, my son has never had a diaper rash from prolonged time in these diapers either.

Bamboozle fitted diapers are made with a bamboo/rayon fabric mix for exceptional absorbency. Additionally, bamboo is one of the most eco-friendly choices of fabric out there, and it’s known to be antimicrobial. Bamboo is also known for its moisture-wicking properties. Kiwi Pie has both bamboo/lyrca (spandex) diapers and micro modal/pima cotton diapers. Micro modal is a very absorbent fabric made from beech trees.

The Kiwi Pie fitted diaper is a one-size diaper. The two snaps about midway on the diaper are used to adjust it from a small to a large size. The diaper also comes with a small and large insert. These two inserts are made to be snapped together for additional absorbency. The inserts just lie in the diaper, so they can be moved up or down depending on where your child needs the most absorbency. This diaper is made in the U.S. Read my comprehensive review for the Kiwi Pie diaper here.

The Bamboozle is a two-size diaper. Size one is for babies 5-18 lbs., and size two fits about 9-35 lbs. This diaper is very soft and stretchy, even after repeated washing. It comes with one snap-in insert. It has a hidden microfiber core for even more absorbency and moisture-wicking ability.  Although they only come with a hook and loop fastening (no snaps!), the fastening is very strong. This diaper would not be easy for a child to unfasten by him or herself. The Bamboozle fitted diaper is made in Scotland by Tots Bots, and distributed by Bummis in the U.S. Keep an eye out for my full review- it’s coming soon!

Click on the images below to enlarge:

I have other fitted diapers, and some of them are as absorbent as the Kiwi Pie and the Bamboozle. What makes these two stand out to me is how quickly they both dry for a super-absorbent, fitted diaper. If I leave them hanging outside in full sun, they’re dry in a few hours. I have to put my other fitted diapers in full sun all day long, morning through evening, in order for them to line dry.

Kiwi Pie fitted diapers are at the high end of the diaper price range. The micro modal blend retails for $27.95 from Diaper Junction, but it is well worth it to have at least a couple of these in your stash. The Bamboozle fitted diaper is $19.95. Considering its absorbency and quality, this is a great price!

Since these fitted diapers are not waterproof, I always use a diaper cover over them (usually a Flip cover).


Note: I was given store credit to mention Diaper Junction in this post. This post contains affiliate links. The opinions expressed are my own.

 

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Review: Kiwi Pie One Size Fitted Diaper

As I mentioned in one of my recent posts, the Kiwi Pie One Size Fitted Diaper is my favorite diaper for night-time. We only had one until today when I picked up a second one (in Toadstool print) from Diaper Junction that my mother in law had bought us. Look how cute!

So I thought it was time to review the Kiwi Pie.

(BTW, talking about Kiwi Pie is making me think about my Avocado Pie the other day…)

We’ve used a Kiwi Pie One Size Fitted Diaper every other night for a few weeks now. It’s in the Ooga Booga print -a popular print for cloth diapers, I’ve noticed.

The two rows of snaps on this diaper allow it to be adjusted from a small to large setting, making this a one-size-fits-most diaper. It’s designed to fit approximately 8 to 35 pounds. There’s elastic around the legs and across the back. My son is quite large for his age, but his legs aren’t super chunky. This diaper does not leave marks on his legs.

This diaper is extremely soft! The outside is made out of 100% cotton, and the inside is 75% bamboo and 25% spandex, so it has a nice little bit of stretch to it.

It comes with two inserts, that can be snapped together and laid inside the diaper to double the diaper’s absorbency. Bamboo is a fantastic fabric for cloth diapers. It’s 60% more absorbent than cotton, and can hold up to three times its weight in water. It’s also naturally antibacterial and a more sustainable crop to grow than cotton. Since it’s bamboo, it needs to be prepped before the first use by washing and drying it three to five times. This helps the diaper reach its full potential for absorbency.

Since it’s not a waterproof diaper, it has to be used with a diaper cover. Recently, I’ve started putting a fleece-covered microfiber insert in the diaper as well (see my tutorial here). The diaper’s absorbency was fine without it, but the microfiber just wicked moisture away from his skin a little better than the bamboo alone. The insert I add makes the diaper a little bulky, but that’s normal for nighttime cloth diapering. Mr. Stinky Pants has never had a leak in this diaper, and he’s worn this diaper for up to five hours overnight (without the additional insert). When he’s a little older, and peeing in greater concentration, I may have to adjust what inserts I’m using for more absorbency.

I have other bamboo diapers, but the Kiwi Pie is my favorite because it dries much quicker than the others.

And possibly the best thing about the Kiwi Pie One Size Fitted Diaper…

It’s made in the good ol’ USA!

Shop Diaper Junction to save $5 off your first $50 order – Use coupon AFL550 – Some restrictions apply.

Note: The opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review. This post contains affiliate links.

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