best bottom diapers

Best Bottom Heavy Wetter AIO Diaper Review

June 27, 2017 by Anne Marie 3 Comments

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The introduction of Best Bottom Diapers’ Heavy Wetter All-in-One is big news this spring for fans of what has been limited so far to a simple All-in-Two system. The new Heavy Wetter AIO looks a lot like a regular Best Bottom diaper on the outside but is distinctly different when opened up.

Nicki’s Diapers sent a complimentary All-in-One for Katie and me to review with our children, ages 5 months, 19 months and 2. With a name like “Heavy Wetter All-in-One,” we were expecting a lot in terms of absorbency. What we didn’t foresee was the trim profile of this highly absorbent diaper!

The Best Bottom Heavy Wetter AIO has a waterproof outer and is lined with two layers of bamboo viscose. There’s a detachable 6-layer bamboo insert with a fleece topper. That gives you 8 absorbent layers plus a stay dry effect. The insert measures 4.25 x 13.5 inches.

Size range is 10 to 40 pounds and you can adjust the rise 4 different ways.

The snaps inside of the shell serve different functions. The two which are side-by-side at the very back secure the insert to the shell. You can fasten the other end of the to the front snap, if you like. And then there’s a “hidden snap” sewn onto the white bamboo inner, which you can use with existing Best Bottom inserts.

The Best Bottom Heavy Wetter AIO Diaper has a lot of other attractive features:

Doublet gussets at the legs
Waterproof PUL strips at front and back of diaper to guard against leaks
Waterproof PUL at the leg openings to guard against leaks
Made in the USA
Available in all currently sold Best Bottom prints/colors (11 right now)

Here is the new AIO next to an original Best Bottom diaper, to give you an idea of the size difference. The AIO is slightly bigger overall and has longer wings.

Fit: The Heavy Wetter size range is 10 to 40 pounds. As mentioned above, it’s a bit larger than the original shells; in size it’s closer to the new Bigger Best Bottom shells. Notwithstanding its larger size and great absorbency, however, it gets high marks on trimness from both Katie and me. We both like the longer wings, too! There’s room to grow for both of our toddlers, but it does get small enough for 5-month-old Mary Kate, too.

Mary Kate is 5 months and almost 14 pounds. You can easily see from the way it fits on her now that it should easily work on a younger/smaller baby because of the crossover snaps and the fact that the rise is not snapped up to its very smallest setting.

Roderick is 19 months old.

Ingrid is 2.5 years old. She can wear it either completely unsnapped, or snapped up just once. I prefer the latter, because it looks trimmer and there’s no extra fabric sagging down, but it does make the diaper sit much lower on her.

Performance: We were both really happy with the absorbency of this diaper. Both of our toddlers wore it through a nap, and Katie tested it successfully overnight on 19-month-old Roderick with 1 extra insert (she used the hidden snap inside to attach the 2nd insert). Baby Mary Kate gets 5+ hours out of this diaper as is (no extra inserts). And since this is a diaper your baby will likely be wearing for longer periods of time, the “stay dry” fleece topper on the insert is a great feature.

Care: Because of its design, this AIO can be washed and dried with everything attached (if you like). The insert stayed fastened in the wash every time. I really like this feature because it saves me from having to hunt for inserts and match them up with their respective diapers on laundry day. Another plus? Let’s say the insert needs a deep cleaning or stripping. Because it can be detached and cleaned separately, that saves unnecessary wash wear on the shell. Dry time for both Kate and me was average/fair after washing in an HE machine.

Prior to first use, wash your Best Bottom Heavy Wetter AIO with detergent at least 3 times.

There was only one drawbacks that Katie and I noted for this diaper. The $29 price tag might be hard for some to absorb, especially if they needed to buy a few. However, if you need just 1 or 2 reliable diapers for a heavy wetter (day or night), then this price is comparable to other super-absorbent AIO’s and fitteds on the market. Additionally, if you think about the cost of one original Best Bottoms shell ($18.95), plus a pair of inserts, you may actually save a few dollars with the Heavy Wetter AIO. Plus, your baby will get to wear it longer since the size range is extended. Whatever you decide, it’s nice to have several options now with the Best Bottom system (AIO, AI2 or just covers).

Where to Buy: You can find the new Best Bottom Heavy Wetter AIO with free shipping over $10 at Nicki’s.

I’d love to know your thoughts on the new Best Bottom AIO diaper! If you have questions, please post those, too.

“Bigger” Best Bottom Diaper Review & Giveaway

May 22, 2017 by Anne Marie 52 Comments

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There are more and more options these days for bigger babies and toddlers in cloth. Best Bottom just introduced the Bigger cover, and I purchased one for Katie and me from Nicki’s Diapers to try on our toddlers. This larger size shell offers a roomier fit with 1.5 more inches in the waist and 1 more inch of rise height.

Besides the extended sizing, it’s the same design as the original Best Bottom diaper, is compatible with all the Best Bottom inserts, and is made in the USA. The new Bigger Best Bottom diapers were designed with 10 to 45+ pound babies in mind.

Size large inserts are the biggest ones you can buy right now; I wonder if Best Bottom will eventually add Extra Large, with this new Bigger cover in mind. Our large insert works ok right now, but when I stretch the cover over Ingrid and fasten it on, the insert pulls back a bit, leaving some empty space up front. For a tummy sleeper like Ingrid, I like to add more absorbency up there when using this Bigger cover.

Katie loves the way the Bigger Best Bottom fits on 18-month-old (27 pounds) Roderick. “Just how I’ve always dreamed a cover would fit!” She used it with a stay-dry large, just like I did for Ingrid, and added a microfiber doubler for nap time. Because of the longer wings, Katie said, “I can get a much better fit around the waist with this cover than I did my my original Best Bottom. Along with the improved fit, I love how trim it is on Roderick.”

She had no leaks with Roderick and is happy that there is room for him to grow both in the waist and the rise.Here’s Ingrid, 2.5 years old and 28 pounds. She wears the rise fully opened up and there’s still plenty of room to grow in the waist.

I agree with Katie completely about the fit on toddlers, and like that it’s more trim and has longer wings. Here’s Ingrid with the original on the left and the Bigger on the right, for visual comparison.

Where to Buy: You can find Bigger Best Bottom covers at Nicki’s Diapers and other US retailers like Diaper Junction and Kelly’s Closet. In Canada, I highly recommend Cozy Bums. This style is available in about 9 prints/colors right now, but going forward, all new Best Bottom releases will be made in both one-size and Bigger.

Giveaway: Winner chooses a Bigger Best Bottom or the original one-size, and from in-stock colors at Nicki’s. Open to US and Canadian residents. Good luck!

Best Bottom AI2 Diaper System

August 13, 2012 by Anne Marie 23 Comments

Note: This review was updated in 2016
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When Nicki (the owner of Nicki’s Diapers) created Best Bottom Diapers, she strived to combine all the best features of different diapers into one great system.

Best Bottoms are an All-in-Two system which fit from birth to 35+ pounds. They consist of reusable waterproof shells and coordinating inserts that snap inside.

With 3 snap settings on the rise, you get 4 different sizes with Best Bottoms, which I would describe as newborn, small, medium and large.

I’ve been using Best Bottom covers for years. Here are the reasons this system might appeal to you:

It’s simple. If cloth diapering seems complicated to you, then give Best Bottom a try. There’s nothing to fold. Nothing to pin. Nothing to stuff.
It’s economical. Because the inside of a Best Bottom cover is wipeable PUL, you can re-use shells several times before laundering, so you don’t have to buy such a large stash. To save even more money, you can buy just the shells (like I do) and use with cheaper diapers like flats and prefolds. Each Best Bottoms cover is $16.95 each (limited editions are $19.95).
It’s durable. Our Best Bottom diapers have lasted for a really long time and continue to perform well. The PUL is very thick and sturdy and the elastics have remained good and snug. Update: Still using our Best Bottoms in 2016; beyond typical wear and tear and some loosening of elastics, they are still quite usable. We’ve also added lots of new prints and colors. 🙂
It’s cute: Best Bottom Diapers has a HUGE selection of colors and prints, and they are constantly adding more to make things fun.

The backbone of the system is a waterproof PUL diaper cover made of two sturdy layers of fabric. There is a second (inner) gusset around each leg opening and front and back snaps which hold the inserts in place.

Here’s a quick diagram which shows how the Best Bottom system works. There is a snap at the front and back for you to fasten the inserts onto. However, you can use the covers with many other types of diapers and inserts as well.

Best Bottom Inserts

There are four sizes of inserts available – S, M, L, XL – in three different fabrics – Microfiber, Hemp/Organic Cotton and Bamboo. They start at just $3.95 each, and several of the inserts are available in a stay-dry version with a fleece top layer. Overnight inserts are also available in each fabric.

Ingrid is wearing the medium size right now. As you can see when the inserts are lined up side by side, they are pretty much identical in terms of shape. They also have two snaps on the back side, which you use to attach to the Best Bottoms shell (you can fasten one snap or both).

Here are the inserts snapped inside the Best Bottom cover. These are the mediums again and the cover is on the largest setting (completely open). You might wonder if the large inserts stick out of the front, because they are pretty long at 13.75 inches. They don’t. When you stretch the cover up to fit on your baby, it just covers the large insert.

In the picture you can see how the hemp insert shrinks a little unevenly around the edges.

A quick rundown of the inserts, and their pros/cons:

Stay Dry is 4 layers of microfiber with a white microfleece topper. The fleece is soft and cuddly and is the easiest of the 3 types to keep stain-free. This is insert is thicker than the other 2 types. Microfiber is great for babies who flood their diaper very quickly because it sucks up moisture so fast. However, microfiber can hold onto odor more readily than bamboo or hemp; you can generally avoid this with a thorough wash routine. These inserts start at $3.95 each.
Bamboo is 6 layers of rayon from bamboo viscose fiber. It’s super silky and my favorite of all the inserts because of how nice it feels and the fact that it’s also very absorbent. It’s also very trim, comparable to the hemp insert. I washed mine 2 times before first use. These inserts start at $5.95 each.
Hemp/Cotton is a blend of 5 layers of hemp and organic cotton. This fabric is not as soft as the fleece or bamboo but it seems to be the most absorbent of all 3. It’s also very trim, about the same as the bamboo insert. If you have a baby that wets super fast (floods the diaper all at once), hemp may not be the best option as it absorbs very slowly. I washed mine 4 times on hot with detergent before first use. These inserts start at $5.95 each.

All 3 types of inserts should hold an average wetter 2 or 3 hours.

The overnight inserts are thicker. Microfiber has 6 layers and hemp has 8. Plus, there is another set of snaps on the top so you can attach a second insert if you like.

Speaking of attaching inserts, one combo that works really well is to put a Best Bottom stay dry insert on top of the hemp insert. You get the benefits of both that way.

The medium inserts are a very versatile/universal size and may save you from having to buy all 3 sizes as your baby grows.

Best Bottom inserts are limited in that you can’t fold them like you would a prefold or flat to get more absorbency up front or in the back. However, the contoured shape the inserts does help to give you more coverage inside the shell, both at the front and back.

Here are the measurements of the inserts, and the stitching color at the edge. You will notice some fraying at the edges over time, but that’s normal, and they are serged very well for durability.

Small	11.00″	Birth – 14 lbs.	Green

Medium	12.75″	11 – 22 lbs.	White

Large	13.75″	16 – 35 lbs.	Blue

XLarge	15.25″	26 – 45 lbs.	Yellow

If you are still unsure which insert you’ll like best, buy 1 of each and see what you think.

Here are some other diapers we’ve used with Best Bottom covers:

The Best Bottom system can work on a toddler because of the extra set of snaps on the rise. Erik is a slender 3-year-old and I can still squeeze one on him, though the rise is pretty low. You might not be able to make it work on a chunky toddler, though. I use a toddler prefold in the cover on its largest setting.

Any other drawbacks? You may or may not like the thick PUL material. Yes, it’s sturdy and durable and great for leak protection and overnight, but it’s not as soft, pliable or lightweight as other covers.

Best Bottoms are also available with velcro closure, but after trying it for a while, I much prefer the snaps. The hook and loop is SUPER strong, so much that I get frustrated pulling it apart from the waistband and the laundry tabs. One time I pulled so hard to get it unstuck that I actually pulled a corner of the velcro tab loose.

The fit is really trim and I like how the cover “dips” just a bit in the center. There’s a little bit of front elastic in the waistband; just enough to “give” a little when your baby is sitting or bending over.

They are so cute from any angle!

We were able to use Best Bottom covers on newborn Ingrid. The rise is pretty high and covered her belly button, but we didn’t have any leaks thanks to the snug double leg gussets. You can read more of my newborn diaper reviews here.

You can find the entire line of Best Bottom diapers at Nicki’s Diapers. You get free shipping when purchasing just the covers.

Have you tried the Best Bottom system yet? If so, what do you use for the inserts?