So the other day, I lost my mind. I got this email from a cloth diaper company, and although I’d poo-pooed the idea before (oh, man, what a pun), and I never respond to PR emails, this cloth diaper sounded so good I had to give it a shot. So I asked for a sample.
And then I kinda went off the deep end and bought a whole bunch of cloth diapers. (I have to have something to compare it to, right?)
The cloth diapers I got a free sample of are called Smartipants (these companies all have these ridiculously cute names). They’re in the style called “pocket diapers”—the plasticized cover and lining are sewn together and you slip an absorbent insert into a pocket in the lining. Smartipants use snaps for the outside closure—a row across the top to fit in the waist, and a few settings on the front to fit in the rise, to make the diaper very adjustable (it’s a “one-size” diaper—some other kinds you have to buy different sizes as your child grows).
Rebecca shows of her Smartipants
One thing that makes Smartipants unique is the design—with other pocket diapers, you have to pull the dirty insert out before washing (on a grossness scale of one to ten, that’s about a 4.5). With Smartipants, the insert is supposed to agitate out in the wash all by itself.
That’s pretty clever.
Especially since it does. Even when you stuff two inserts in there instead of one.
I’ve used the Smartipants diaper and insert three times this week, and it’s probably been one of my favorites of the styles we’ve tried. It did leak once—when I put her down for a nap in it, which turned into an extra-long nap. (Three hours is too long for just about any cloth diaper, but the next day I put two inserts in and her once-again-extra-long nap had no leaks—and no pulling dirty inserts out of the pockets.)
The snaps are super strong—and like many snaps, they’re a little hard to get off. The fit was good (Rebecca is light and short for her age, but somehow manages a serious pot belly and chubby thighs). They’re on the trim side as far as cloth diapers go (I haven’t found any cloth diapers that are as trim as disposables), and they’re the easiest to wash 😀 .
(Perhaps the best testament: I’ve already ordered a bunch more—you know, ones I have to pay for.)
If you’re ready to jump off the deep end, too—or if you’re already there 😉 —and in honor of my birthday (it’s tomorrow), I’m giving away a free sample of Smartipants for one lucky commenter! Comment on this post by noon MDT on Monday to be entered to win!
And lest you think this is an April Fool’s joke—seriously, I’ve been using cloth diapers exclusively since Sunday. I’ll tell you all about it next week, okay?
