Diaper Type: AIO/AI2
Closure Type: Snaps (front)
Sizing: One size
Rows of Snaps: 2
Insert Type: Snap-in
Outer Material: Bamboo PUL/TPU
Insert Material: Charcoal bamboo and microterry
Lining Material: Charcoal bamboo
Leg Elastic: Encased
Number of snaps on each wing: 3
Price: Diaper with insert: $26; Additional Insert: $10
Website: http://lilhelper.ca/

Pros:

• Outer fabric is very soft.
• Snap-in insert keeps the insert from shifting.
• The shell can be re-used unless soiled or soaked.
• No wing droop on my 23-lb baby.
• Great diaper colour.
• Charcoal bamboo is very soft.
• The fabric is stretchy.
• All snaps are hidden and diaper does not leave any red marks on my baby.

Cons:

• A little more bulky than the organic bamboo diaper.
• Price might be a little high for some.
• I wish the inserts were a tiny bit narrower.
• 3 snaps on each wing is a little much for me, but most people would be fine with that since a lot of brands have 3.

Overall rating: 8/10

Lil Helper Organic Bamboo Cloth Diaper

Diaper Type: AIO
Closure Type: Snaps (front)
Sizing: One size
Rows of Snaps: 2
Insert Type: Snap-in
Outer Material: PUL/TPU
Insert Material: Organic bamboo and microterry
Lining Material: Organic bamboo
Leg Elastic: Encased
Number of snaps on each wing: 3
Price: Diaper with insert: $23; Additional Insert: $9
Website: http://lilhelper.ca/

Pros: 

• Very trim diaper.
• Snap-in insert keeps the insert from shifting.
• No wing droop on my 23-lb baby.
• Cute print.
• Inner fabric is very soft.
• All snaps are hidden and diaper does not leave any red marks on my baby.

Cons:

• Not as absorbent as the charcoal bamboo diaper. Might need a doubler for heavy wetters.
• I wish the inserts were a tiny bit narrower.
• 3 snaps on each wing is a little much for me, but most people would be fine with that since a lot of brands have 3.
• I would love to see an insert made with bamboo/organic cotton only. So far, I haven’t had any problems with the microterry (that’s under the bamboo layer), but I’d prefer to have natural fibers only in this diaper (except for the outside layer of course).

Overall rating: 8/10

Would you like to win two Lil Helper diapers and a small wetbag from Lil Helper? Then enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is open to Canada and the US. 


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Someday Sarah Wool Dryer Balls

I’ve been using Sarah’s dryer balls for a few weeks now and I love them. I just keep them in the dryer at all times. They work great, but to see a significant decrease in cloth diaper drying time, you need a few wool dryer balls, so I decided to make four balls myself. They aren’t as nice as Sarah’s, but they work fine. By using the six dryer balls (most of mine are quite big), I was able to decrease cloth diaper drying time by 20 minutes!

If you’re interested in trying Sarah’s wool dryer balls, just write her a message on her Facebook fanpage wall or contact her through her Etsy store.

Pros:

• Cute print.
• Wide elastic at the back of the diaper.  The back elastic in GroBaby diapers is one of the things that I didn’t like, so I was glad to see the elastic has been changed.
• Can be re-used.
• Dries very quickly.
• Trim (although I didn’t use it with the GroVia soaker).
• Strong snaps.
• Strong velcro.  I love the loop fabric!

Cons:

• Big snaps. I always had to make sure the soaker was covering the area where the front snaps are located, so that my little one wouldn’t be uncomfortable when on his tummy.
• Polyester lining. I wish they also sold the same shells with a natural fabric lining. I know I wouldn’t be able to re-use the shell before washing, but it’s not a problem for me since I usually don’t re-use the shells much anyway.

My overall rating: 8/10

Pros:
1. The diaper is made of organic cotton.
2. No elastics which makes cleaning a lot easier.
3. One size
4. Low cost
5. Made in Germany.
6. Dries very quickly.
7. Contain EBF poo very well.

Cons:
1. Might be a little bulky on small babies.
2. Hard to find in Canada. I bought mine from Tiny Bird Organics which is in the US.
3. Takes a bit of time to put on a baby. Can be too much work if you change your child very frequently or practice infant potty training.
4. Can be a challenge to put on on a wiggly baby.
5. Requires an insert/doubler.

Overall rating: 7.5 out of 10

Since my son is still very sensitive to wetness, I continue using disposables at night.  Since I prefer to use plastic-free diapers, I have been using compostable diapers like Broody Chick and Nature Babycare.  Recently, I have discovered that GroVia has started selling their biodiapers in Canada via a Canadian site, www.grovia.ca, and have decided to try them.  The diaper looks almost identical to the Broody Chick diaper, so my review of the GroVia biodiaper will be similar.

Pros:
1. Chlorine free
2. More “breathable” than diapers with plastic components
3. Fragrance free
4. Plastic free
5. So far no leaks
6. No marketing on the diaper
7. Less SAP than in most other disposables
8. Oeko-Tex 100 Certified

Cons:
1. The tabs are not stretchy. Even though I did get used to this, I still hope they will change those tabs.
2. Contains SAP
3. Cost
4. It’s still a disposable, so it ends up in the landfill (I can’t compost it)

Overall rating: 8.5 out of 10

I have not been paid to write this review. The GroVia biodiapers were purchased by me.

El Bee Baby cloth diaper on my 14/15 lb son

Depending on how obsessed you are about cloth diapers, you might have or might have not heard about the Canadian-made El Bee Baby cloth diaper.  It’s one of those expensive diapers that a lot of people either can’t afford or they just don’t want to pay that much for.  I wanted to make similar diapers (undyed and with simpler binding though) for my newborn, so I thought seeing this diaper in real life might help me figure out how to do it without wasting a lot of time. I was lucky enough to get one on sale and I bought it without a doubler to keep the cost down.

When I first saw the diaper, I was impressed.  It looked like no other diaper I’ve ever seen.  It was cute, the workmanship was great and it looked like the diaper took forever to make.  The unique binding looked like so much work, I almost immediately stopped wanting to make a similar diaper myself.

Pros:

• Great workmanship
• Trim
• Great fit on my son
• I found it easier to get the diaper clean where the elastic is because of the binding.  As most people who have cloth diapered for a bit know, it’s not easy to clean poop off of the elastic area of the diaper.

Cons:

• The price of the diaper is high.  However, when you think about how much work went into making the diaper, you might understand why it’s so expensive.
• Might be too trim for heavy wetters.
• I haven’t used the doubler / lay-in soaker that came with it at all because it shrunk in such a way that it wouldn’t lay flat.  I decided to use soakers/doublers that made instead.   Also, the doubler looks quite thick because of the binding, but I doubt it’s very absorbent.

Overall rating: 9 out of 10
I would have given the diaper a higher rating if it wasn’t for the cost and the weird shrinking of the lay-in soaker.

I have not been paid to write this review. The diaper was purchased by me.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Since you know I don’t like to write huge reviews, let me get right to the point and tell you about the pros and cons :)

Pros:

• Less expensive than other “eco-friendly” disposable diapers
• Very absorbent for a newborn who’s a heavy wetter
• Chlorine free (oxygen bleaching used instead)
• Supposedly they’re suitable for babies with eczema and other skin conditions.  The diapers have definitely not caused or made my son’s eczema.
• 70-80% biodegradable materials
• 100% natural absorber (high percentage of starch used in the absorbent core)
• No perfumes or lotions used
• No major smell when diaper wet. This has always bugged me about regular disposable diapers.
• Awarded the prestigious Nordic SWAN eco award

Cons:

• Run a bit big on my baby. The Midi size (11-22 lbs) still seem a little too big on my 14-lb baby.  It’s not a big deal, but I would’ve probably bought a smaller size if I had known that.
• Not 100% biodegradable
• Not the softest outer material, but the inside is similar to that of other disposable diapers.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this diaper.  I would love it if it was 100% biodegradable, but 70-80% is quite good when you compare it with the biodegradability of regular disposable diapers.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10

Photo courtesy of Rainshine Designs

When I first looked at the diaper after opening the envelope, I thought it was very cute.  I then started looking at the stitching, fabric, etc. and was very impressed with the workmanship.  Megan, the creator of the Rain Shine Designs diapers, is a very talented and hardworking seamstress.  I rarely see such incredible top-stitching.

Pros:

• High quality
• Soft fabric
• Very absorbent
• Cute print

Cons:

• There really isn’t much I do not like about this diaper.  It’s one of those diapers I wish I had when I first started cloth diapering.  It would’ve made my life a lot easier back then :)  I do think the Large diaper is a bit big for my 32-lb daughter, but I’m sure this will make a lot of moms with big toddlers very happy since a lot of diapers out there fit up to only 35 lbs or so.
• I did find the diaper a little wide in the crotch, but I can sometimes get obsessed about trimness (although I do not like super narrow diapers either since that removes quite a bit of absorbency).

Photo courtesy of Rainshine Designs

I’ve tried this diaper during the day and at night and we’ve had no leaks or wicking whatsoever even though my custom diaper is made with natural fibers on the inside.  I do add a 3-layer bamboo fleece doubler to the diaper for night-time though.

Update (2010/06/24): I’ve stopped using the diaper at night completely since my daughter was getting some red marks on her legs from it.  Again, I’m very picky about things like that, so it might not be a problem for most people.

My overall rating: 8.5/10

I have not been paid to write this review. The Rainshine Designs diaper was purchased by me.

What I did like about the DreamEze AIO diaper:
1. Inside of the diaper is organic.
2. The soakers are attached at one end only for faster drying.
3. The front of the diaper is quite trim.
4. The diaper is quite absorbent after a few washes.
5. The side snaps are hidden, so they never caused any red marks.

What I did NOT like about the DreamEze AIO diaper:
1. The soakers are very wide for the diaper. I sometimes had trouble fitting them inside the diaper.
2. The tight leg elastics left red marks every single time we used the diaper.
3. I was always paranoid that too much of my daughter’s buttock would pop out because of how narrow the diaper was at the back.

I ended up putting the diaper up for sale and the leg elastics were the main reason for that.  The fabric is really bunched up in the leg area, and the waterproof fabric is not exactly the softest thing in the world, so there is no avoiding red marks.  I’m one of those people who hates seeing red marks on my baby, so this was a big no-no for me.

UPDATE: This diaper is an older version of the DreamEze AIO.  I recently found out that the newer version has better elastic.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

Over the past few months, I’ve tried diapers such as, Nature Babycare, gDiapers with gRefills, Moltex OKO, Seventh Generation and PC Green. With every brand of these “eco” diapers, I found something lacking. Then I discovered Broody Chick diapers, the first 100% compostable diaper on the market. So far this diaper is my favourite disposable diaper.

When I received the diapers in the mail, I was very surprised by the packaging.  The diapers are sold in a cardboard box which I have never seen before.  I’m used to seeing disposable diapers in plastic or compostable bags.  The other thing that surprised me was the expiry date.  It makes me think that there’s something more natural in those diapers.  Unfortunately, I do not know all the details of the components making up this diaper.

What I like about this diaper:
1. Chlorine free
2. More “breathable” than diapers with plastic components
3. Fragrance free
4. Diaper and packaging are fully compostable
5. Created by a Canadian mom
6. The diaper does not smell as bad as other disposable diapers when dirty. Whenever my daughter wore disposable diapers in the past and peed in them, I thought she pooped the smell was so bad. I suspect that those who use disposables all the time are used to that smell, but to me that smell is quite strong.
7. No leaks even overnight.
8. No marketing on the diaper itself.

What I don’t like about this diaper:
1. The tabs are not stretchy. Even though I did get used to this, I still hope they will change those tabs.
2. Contains SAP (Super Absorbent Polymers)
3. Cost – I can’t find the diaper locally, so I have to pay to get it shipped from British Columbia

Overall, I really like this diaper and I even ended up using it for night-time for a bit because my daughter was such a heavy wetter at night that the soaking wet cloth diapers affected her sleep. Since last night, I’m back to cloth though because she wets her diapers a lot less now at night than she used to.

If you’re interested in purchasing this product, please check them out at the Ecobotts store. In case you decide to purchase from Ecobotts, please check their Facebook fan page for coupon codes.

I have not been paid to write this review. The Broody Chick diapers were purchased by me.