Pocket Diaper Reviews

Augh! At long last I return to my product reviews! I've previously reviewed the prefolds, fitteds, and covers that I've tried and/or use. Now I'm excited to get down to the main staple and workhorse of most of the cloth families that I know: the pocket diaper. Remember, a pocket diaper is a feel-dry liner sewn to a waterproof outer layer with one end open, leaving a pocket that you stuff to customize your child's absorbency needs.

** You're going to see very clearly in this post, just in case I've never said this before, I'm just a real mom. I have no affiliations with any companies or products, and no loyalties except to the products that I've fallen in love with.

Tiny Tush Elite One-Size Pockets - 1.75 thumbs down

Let's just get this one out of the way, shall we? I'm not even linking to their site.

I started out loving these diapers: a one-size with snaps, which - for some reason completely unbeknownst to me - was hard to come by when I first switched to cloth diapers. They were well constructed, a perfect fit, and hard-working diapers. For about 8 months. Then I started having problems.

At first, I thought my son was overflowing these diapers, which I tried to correct by stuffing with more/different materials. But his clothes still ended up wet. I did some research and contacted the diaper company, and they advised me to strip the diapers. They started "working" again! For about 2 weeks. Repeat. Ad nauseum. And I was nauseated with hand-stripping diapers once a month just so we could keep using them. My kids' clothes (by this time my son was potty trained, and my daughter was in the diapers), would end up wet, but the stuffing of the pocket was basically bone dry, which indicated a problem with repelling.

So I contacted the diaper company again, who told me to strip them. I informed them that I already had, about 100 times in as many different ways. I told them that I was using a cloth-safe laundry detergent, no softeners, no rash creams or vaseline, and let us not forget the clincher: I WAS NOT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ANY OF MY OTHER BRANDS OF DIAPERS. Their "answer" was that they had never had any complaints before, and they didn't have anything else to offer me.

Now. Apart from the fact that these diapers failed within a year of correct use, I cannot support a company with such deplorable customer service. Any company, particularly one with proclaimed integrity, should have offered to replace the diapers. At the very least, they should have offered to let me send my dipes in so they could take a look at them for themselves. After too many emails and unreturned phone calls, I decided to abandon ship. I will NEVER buy from them again, and I recommend that you do not buy from them either. There are too many other companies out there who actually care about their customers for you to waste your time on Tiny Tush products.

However, they do still get .25 thumbs not down (but still not up), because I'm using the diapers (and selling a few, in anyone is interested) for cloth swim diapers.

On to better things...

Mommy's Touch Easy Clean One Size Pocket - 1.5 thumbs up!

The only reason these don't get 2 thumbs up is because I just don't reach for them that often. They're really great: well constructed, great fit, work really well. I've never had any problems with this diaper. There are tons of beautiful colors and prints to choose from. (Why am I not obsessed with this diaper?? I really can't figure it out.)

These are called "Easy Clean" because the pocket is open at the front and the back, which means you don't have to "unstuff" your diapers before putting them in the washing machine; the insert/stuffing will agitate out during your prewash cycle. Pretty cool, huh? (I still unstuff mine, because I'm just in the habit of it with my other diapers.)

The only thing I don't love-love-love about this diaper is that the wing/tab part is kind of wide. Not that big a deal. If you're in favor of snaps, these are a great choice! They also come in velcro/touchtape...but why?

Haute Pockets Traditional One Size Pocket - 1 thumb up

These diapers come in really pretty colors, and the company changes their color selection often, so there's always something new to choose from. The diapers are well constructed, and the fleece lining is some of the softest I've ever felt. There isn't a huge deficit with these diapers, but we just didn't love ours. (But hopefully Jenney does!)

My only real complaint with these diapers is that I feel they're cut smaller and trimmer than other one-size diapers, and as a result, my son grew out of this diaper (which was supposed to fit up to 35 lbs) long before he hit 30 pounds. If you've ever checked out our family blog, you know that my kids are anything but small and trim!

Hautes are also available with either snap or velcro closure.

BumGenius! One Size Pocket - 2 thumbs up

What can I say? Even people who don't cloth diaper have heard of bumGenius. These are some of the most well known modern cloth diapers. Superior construction and fit, gorgeous colors in soft and bright shades, and a super-soft, no-pill suedecloth lining.

A few cons: these are not sized quite as large as other one-size pockets, and the pocket itself is not overly generous. So you can't stuff it tons and tons. But the big thing is, the velcro issue! BumGenius uses some of the highest quality Aplix/touchtape velcro, but even that will eventually wear down and wear out.

Happy Heiny's One Size Pocket - 2 thumbs up

Happy Heiny's are, to me, just as well known as bumGenius diapers. Lots of colors and cute prints, and a very generous fit. Even my 41-pound son can still fit in one of these when it's stuffed with a toddler prefold and a hemp doubler. Pretty impressive!

A few cons: the fleece pills in just 2 or 3 washes. And, the velcro, once again! Velcro is made for convenience, not longevity. Happy Heiny's now offers their one-size diaper with snaps, but I don't have one. It appears to be a bit different in construction, based on the photos I've seen.

Happy Heiny's also makes sized diapers, but I haven't tried them.

FuzziBunz Perfect Size Pocket - 1 thumb up

FuzziBunz are another well-known name in the world of fluff. Maybe they were some of the modern cloth pioneers, maybe there's a cachet with having a FuzziBunz, maybe just because the name is so cute. But honestly, I don't see what all the hoopla is about these diapers.

Yes, they're well-made. They have lovely colors. They work great, and clean well. Easy on, easy off. Easy to take care of. But I think it's sort of like how I didn't see Jerry Maguire until about a year after everyone else did, and I had just heard for a year how it was the greatest movie ever, so when I finally saw it, my reaction was a very underwhelmed, "...Ehhh."

Also, though, now that they make a one-size FuzziBunz, why would you ever want to buy an entire set of pocket diapers in 3 (or 4) separate size groups, spending 3 or 4 times as much money in the long run?

DryBees Fleece Nighttime Pocket - 1.5 thumbs up

When we switched my son to cloth at 18 months, he was a nighttime super soaker, so I definitely had to give this diaper a try! Fleece breathes naturally and really is a wonderful overnight solution. These are sized diapers, and my son (who, as I said earlier, is 41 lbs), has been in the large size from month 19 to now one month before his 3rd birthday. They have a very generous pocket with ample room for super-stuffing. They fit great, and are our mainstay night diaper.

BUT...

DryBees uses perhaps the lowest quality of velcro available, except what you can buy in the scrapbooking section at WalMart. Actually, the incredibly poor quality of the velcro on these diapers has been a major contributing factor to the early destruction of the velcro and Aplix on our other diapers. Big. Fat. Boo. When I remember, I safety pin the tabs down before I wash them so they won't tear up the other diapers.

So there ya go! My pocket reviews! I also use and love some all-in-one pockets, but I'm going to include those with the all-in-one reviews.

AS ALWAYS WITH REVIEWS!!! If you use/love/hate any products that I haven't included here, if you use/love/hate products that I have reviewed but you disagree, please leave a comment with your experience so that we all can benefit from a balanced perspective! :o)

Diapering Styles

There are, in my opinion, four main diapering methods: prefolds with covers, fitteds with covers, pockets, and all-in-ones (AIOs). I do them all, so I feel like I have a good perspective on all of them. (Some people also use flats or contours, I don't but I'll do my best to explain what I know of them.)

Prefold Diapers

Now, when I say "prefold" I'm referring to the diaper service quality (DSQ) Chinese or Indian prefolds (CPF/IPF) that you can purchase online or from natural parenting stores. They come in lots of different sizes, dimensions, and thicknesses (newborn, infant, standard infant, regular, premium, toddler). The Gerber cloth diapers at WalMart and Babies R Us will work, but they're not nearly as absorbent, nor will they last as long. To the best of my knowledge, a flat diaper is just like a prefold, but I've never tried one because they don't look as absorbent. Maybe they're trimmer? And a contour diaper is a PF or flat that is shaped like a sposie, so it doesn't require folding but does (in most cases) require pinning. Prefolds are easy to use, easy to pack to take along with you, and CHEAP. The downside is that they're not terribly absorbant when used by themselves, so you'll end up changing diapers more frequently. Another benefit to prefolds, though, is that children can feel when they're wet, so if you use exclusively prefolds, your child may pottytrain younger! (Who wouldn't love that?)

Anyway, the actual folding is really not that difficult, although it takes a little practice. You absolutely don't have to use pins unless you just want to. I use a snappi instead; click here to see the full manufacturer's directions for the snappi. There are really only 3 ways that I use a prefold: the bikini twist, the diva fold, and the no fold method. I have illustrated instructions for each using my son's favorite teddy bear, his "Mama Bear," so named because I made it for him. (I know it's kind of janky looking, but it was my first time using a sewing pattern ever, so please make fun of it to yourself.)

Folding techniques

The bikini twist is great for smaller babies or mobile babies because it cuts down on the bulkiness between their legs. Start out with the prefold (PF) under baby's bottom with the edge in back lined up with baby's navel. Twist the bottom portion (going towards baby's feet) over once. Pull up over belly, fold down top edge if necessary (not pictured). Snappi or pin. Tuck in edges at thighs. All finished! Put a cover on.

The diva fold is great for more active babies, because you can actually do it with the baby on their back or tummy (ideal for when babies are wanting to crawl away, at least you don't have to keep flipping them over). Start with the PF under baby's bottom (or tummy) with the edge lined up with the navel. Pull bottom edge up, tuck top corners around baby's back. Pull bottom corners around and snappi or pin. Tuck edges in, push as far in as possible to give extra absorbency in the middle. All finished! Put a cover on.

The no fold is great, even if it is a slight misnomer. With this method, there's no pinning or snappi-ing involved, and you can also pre-stuff your diapers for daddy, parents, babysitters, etc. Start by folding the PF into thirds the tall way. Place into cover seam side down, tuck PF under the front flap of the cover as shown (not all covers have a front flap, but most of mine do for the express purpose of the no-fold method). Slide stuffed cover under baby's bottom, close and fasten just like a disposable (sposie).

Fitted Diapers

Next cheapest is the fitteds and covers method. Fitted diapers come sized (based on weight and/or baby's measurements), adjustable, and one-size adjustable (OS). They also come in a variety of materials. You can buy prefolds that have been sewn into fitteds, or you can sew them yourself. These are relatively cheap, and you have the same downside of needing to change more frequently. There are also bamboo and sherpa, which are quite absorbent, but don't provide a "stay-dry" feeling. Then, of course, there are fitteds that are lined with polyester fleece or suedecloth, both of which will draw moisture away from baby's skin, providing a stay-dry feeling.

For newborn diapers, I used mostly Kissaluvs size 0, which are pretty adjustable. Here's a pic - you can see in the first one how many snaps it has, the fold-down for the umbilical stump, the diaper snapped to the absolute smallest setting beside my hand for size comparison, and then snapped on the largest setting. She wore these from day one until she was about 3 months old.

I also use - and love - a work at home mom (WAHM) fitted diaper. The company name is MonkeyBuns diapers and I found her on eBay. I kind of took a chance, since I didn't know anything about them, but it really paid off! (For the record, she makes fitteds, covers, all-in-ones, and - I think - all-in-twos.) She offers the option of sewing a suedecloth or fleece lining. She also offers both velcro and snap closure; this fitted has snaps and a fleece lining.
All prefolds and fitteds require a cover of some kind. (I use primarily PFs and fitteds on my younger baby, although I have a few pockets and AIOs that I use for her long nap and overnights.) I use only PUL covers (poly-urethane laminate), but lots of moms use wool since it's a more natural fabric and ironically, it breathes better. Here is a pic of a simple, cheap Prorap cover.

Pockets

Next is pockets. One major advantage to using pockets is that you can pre-stuff them (I do it when I'm folding the clean diaper laundry), and then they're ready to go on just like a sposie during the diaper changes. The biggest disadvantage is that you have to stuff the darn things! Pockets come sized and in OS. I use exclusively OS pockets on my son at this time, since that was all we purchased when we made the switch to cloth when he was 18 months old. Regardless, a pocket diaper consists of a water"proof" outer layer, such as PUL or heavy duty fleece, a feel-dry inner layer of microfleece or suedecloth, and a pocket in between for stuffing with absorbent material. You can stuff a pocket with anything - soakers and inserts designed especially for that purpose, a prefold, even an old dishtowel if it's laundry day and you're in a crunch! Most specially made inserts are made of microfiber. You can pick up what's called a "bag of rags" in the automotive department of WalMart for about $5; it has a dozen microfiber towels/rags in varying sizes. I stuff most of my son's pockets with PFs since it was cheaper to buy pockets without inserts, but the picture below is with brand name inserts. Here you can see the empty pocket in the diaper, the inserts I use, the pocket stuffed, and the diaper ready to go on. This is a Happy Heinys one-size (OS) diaper; it's adjustable from 7 to 35 pounds, give or take based on a child's build.
Here's an empty Haute Pocket diaper so you can see how the adjustability works. Here it is laid out, then snapped down to the shortest rise setting, then all closed up. With the rise unsnapped, it fits my two year-old. With it all closed up, like in the last picture, it fits my four-month old. Pretty cool, huh?

All-in-Ones

Next are the All-in-One (AIO) diapers; these are sized diapers. Some companies make a one-size AIO, but I can't even imagine how that would work. It seems like it would be really bulky on a smaller baby! Anyway, an AIO is just what it sounds like - the absorbent material and waterproof layer all in one piece! The obvious advantage here is ease of use; these are handy to have to put in the diaper bag when you're headed out for a playdate, or to leave behind with grandparents or babysitters. The biggest con of an AIO is the drying time - they take forEVER to dry! There are actually a few subcategories here under the AIO umbrella; there are true AIOs, AI2s, and AIO pockets, also known as AIO hybrids.

A true AIO is just like my original description. Here is a DryBees AIOs.

An AI2 is an AIO that has an additional soaker sewn on the top layer of the diaper at one end, so it's like a flap. This gives you extra absorbency without additional drying time. I don't have any, though, so no pic.

An AIO pocket or hybrid is a diaper that can be used as is, it is a true AIO with a sewn in soaker, but it also has a pocket for additional stuffing and absorbency. Here is a Thirsties AIO Pocket, hopefully you can see the sewn in soaker inside the pocket.

What do you do about nighttime?
My kids are both long sleepers and heavy wetters. You can buy special diapers and inserts specifically for nighttime use. For my 2 y/o I use a DryBees fleece nighttime pocket diaper; the fleece breathes, which remarkably keeps him pretty dry. And the pocket is very generously sized, so we just stuff the diapers with more stuff. :o) I use a toddler-sized prefold, and occasionally toss in a microfiber insert along with it. Here is my son's big fluffy nighttime bottom.