Better late than never! We went through enough basic pocket diapers this year to make them into their own update category. This is the last batch in the 2012 cloth Diapers Updates posts. Below is a list of all the new pocket diapers we tried out on the kids, minus the most recent ones. Things I considered for updates include function, wear & tear, and aesthetics.
- Buns Up Baby
Original Buns Up Baby review – I am a fan of this affordable Canadian brand. It is a very basic pocket diaper with a minky outer. The Buns Up Baby Diaper has held up great. The suede cloth lining hasn’t stained at all and the PUL is in good shape. The insert is on the thin side, but I have plenty of extra flats and prefolds to add for nap time. I actually used this diaper as an overnight diaper for a while for my daughter since it is wide in the crotch and can be overstuffed easily. I give two thumbs up to Buns Up!
- Tiny Tush Elite 1.1
Original Tiny Tush Elite 1.1 Review – My husband and I are on opposite sides when it comes to the more recent versions of Tiny Tush. They have held up great and are high quality. The 2.0 version is even 100% made in the USA! I like the wide crotch for easy stuffing. My husband Kinn doesn’t like the back end opening though. The opening is about an inch or two so from the outer edge, so if the poop flew up the baby’s back (never out of the diaper though!), there is a good chance you will have to get poop on your fingers while rooting around for the inserts. If we had a diaper sprayer, I suppose we could find a way to avoid this, but we live in a rental and the toilet is positioned oddly in the bathroom. I don’t want to spend $50 on a sprayer to find out we can’t hook it up. Especially since we have gone three years without one just fine. I personally don’t mind the placement of the insert opening. Also, I have two tiny Tush Elite originals in our stash and the 1.1 is a major improvement!
- SunBaby
Original SunBaby Cloth diaper Review – I purchased 12 SunBaby pocket diapers back in august of 2011 and used them on my toddler and newborn. I don’t have a lot of experience with the super cheap cloth diapers and have never tried an Alva, so I don’t have any cheapies to compare SunBaby. While the sewing is low quality, these diapers are completely functional. They did not fall apart after eight months of use. they are super small though and the one size label is almost laughable. I liked them as newborn diapers, since they were the perfect size, but packed them away once my daughter was around four months old. Once my my son reached 26+ pounds, these were nearly impossible to snap. However, for just $5 a piece they are a great deal, so I would actually recommend them for a newborn stash.
- Imagine
Original Imagine Pocket Diaper Review – Imagine cloth diapers are a brand exclusive to Nicki’s Diapers. They are super inexpensive and are often on sale. I have heard good things about the diaper covers, but I only have the pocket diaper. Honestly, while we still use this diaper a few times a week, it is not one of my favorites. The size between rise levels is too big of a gap which makes for a poor fit. Also, there are no hip snaps and it suffers some wing droop. Since this diaper runs really big, I need to keep it on the tightest waist snaps, which makes it fit oddly while on a higher rise setting. The back opening for the insert gaps a little weird too. However, for the price, I really cannot complain. The PUL and snaps are in good shape still.
- Oh Katy
Original Oh Katy pocket Diaper Review – Despite the front opening for the inserts, I actually still like Oh Katy diapers. The only thing I find annoying is my own screw ups when I configure my inserts to have the absorbancy in a certain area and I add the inserts backwards since I am used to diapers that stuff from the back. The structure is all in great shape, and they fit well. Even the inserts are pretty good. I am honestly surprised these diapers are not more popular. I guess other people must have some issues with them, but I have no ideas.
- Wahmies
Original Wahmies Deluxe Review – I really wanted to like Wahmies since they are made in the USA, but to be honest, the quality is not great. The diaper shifts while in use and looks slightly awkward on both of my kids. I don’t care about that part. The disappointing thing about these diapers is how badly the colors and prints on the PUL fade and how quickly the thread started unraveling. I really felt like the Wahmies diaper only made it about 10 washes before it looked like it had been through four kids. I don’t use this diaper in our stash anymore, but I do like the bamboo terry inserts. I would buy the inserts, but not the diapers again.
- Lotus Bumz
Original Lotus Bumz Cloth Diaper Review – Lotus Bumz are pretty affordable when they go on sale, but they recently went way up in price. I have the old style, so I do not know about the improvements they made to the new line. I hope they fixed the quality control. The Lotus Bumz diaper worked just fine, and then one day the snaps became almost impossible. Both my husband and I have to use every ounce of our strength to get the diaper snapped. It is ALL of the snaps that went bad, not just a few. I can only assume they all became slightly deformed in the washer or dryer from the heat. However, that really does not make much sense since our hottest water setting isn’t that hot, and I only dry the diapers on the extra low setting for wool. I still use this diaper, but I really hate the warped snaps.
- Jiggs of Maine
Original Jiggs of Maine Review – Jiggs of Maine is a lower priced pocket diaper with very basic features. I like the wide crotch for adding lots of absorbency and the suede cloth doesn’t stain at all. The inserts are thin, so I add a prefold inside. This diaper holds up fine and would continue working well as a stash base.
- Tender Tushies
Original Tender Tushies Cloth diaper Review – Tender Tushies is another pocket diaper that is so basic, it really cannot go wrong. The snaps, fleece, and PUL are all in good shape, and it looks the same as it did when I got it a few months ago. I love the low price point on Tender Tushies and would recommend these to anyone looking to build a cheap starter stash.
I know the cloth diaper updates each year are a little monotonous, but I feel it is important to let people know how long certain brands hold up (or not). Often, when we receive a diaper for review, there is some pressure to publish the review prematurely, or we simply do not have the time to be as thorough as we like for blog posts. Most of the time, my first impressions of a diaper end up being accurate for the duration of the diaper’s life. Every now and then though, defects or issues crop up. I know I would like to see more updates on product reviews online once people have used something for a long time, so I like to hold myself to that standard with all the cloth diapers I promote. I can only hope these updates help out another parent trying to find the right diapers for his or her family!
Happy cloth diapering folks!
Thanks for the overview. I am new to cloth diapering and it is nice to read about what others thought about certain brands so I can have more of an idea of what I want to purchase.
Thanks for the update. I’m researching brands and want to make a good investment, so it’s nice to know how they actually hold up after lots of use.
Thanks for your review of Sun Babies. I considered buying those but went with Kawaii instead. I might try sun babies for my next newborn though. Thanks!
Honestly,i would stick with Kawaii. They may be slightly more money, but will fit longer.