Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

Flip Diaper Cover Review & Giveaway

by 36 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Flip adjustable diaper covers are made by Cotton Babies. They are lightweight and feature soft stretchy wings with double snaps. There are three rise settings to adjust as your baby grows, and a front and back flap that can be used to hold inserts in place. Flips are part of a hybrid or AI2 system that includes organic cotton and stay-dry insert options (plus a disposable insert I haven’t tried yet), but most families use them as diaper covers with prefolds and flats.

Basic features:

  • Made of 100% PUL with exposed laminate inner
  • Front and back flaps inside
  • Three size settings via the snap-down rise (8 to 35 pounds)
  • Stretchy wings with knitted waist tabs
  • Made in the USA
  • Retail price is $14.95 for solid colors (and $16.95 for prints)
  • Includes 12 month warranty

I first used Flip covers with baby Samuel (8 years ago), and they’ve stayed in our rotation since then. 

The first newborn I cloth diapered was Erik, but at just 7 pounds and change, he was pretty skinny. Out of curiosity, I tried Flips on him but they gaped open at the leg openings, allowing #2 to escape (photo below). This is not uncommon at all with one-size diapers. The rise was also very high, so I set them aside for later.

The plus side to Flip’s generous sizing is that it can easily last until potty training, and gives excellent coverage over even the bulkiest fitteds and prefolds.
Here’s my newborn, Camille, at 10 pounds. They just now started fitting snugly around her legs.

Here’s the fit on an older infant. Susanna was about 12 months in these pictures.

Here’s 2-year-old Mary Kate:

In the past, we had some issues with the elastic in our Flip covers loosening after just a few months. Cotton Babies replaced them promptly, thanks to the great bumGenius warranty. Since that time, we haven’t experienced any more problems with elastic. It might have had something to do with the fact that our older covers were made in Egypt, rather than the USA.

As a Cotton Babies product, Flips fall under the same warranty which covers snaps, lining, hook & loop closures, elastic and waterproofing for 1 year from date of purchase. The warranty is for the original buyer and you need a proof of purchase to claim. Leaking, odor and normal wear and tear are not covered.

Where to Buy Flip Diapers

Shop for Flip diaper covers with FREE shipping at Cotton Babies.
Always check their seconds sale for occasional Flip deals starting at $7.95!

OTHER RETAILERS
Diaper Junction (free shipping)
Dearest Diapers
Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique (free shipping)
Kelly’s Closet
Nicki’s Diapers (free shipping)
The Green Nursery

Giveaway: One lucky reader will receive an Albert Flip diaper cover and a package of 6 OsoCozy premium cotton prefolds (15 to 30 pounds). This giveaway is open to USA residents only. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TotsBots EasyFit Star All-in-One Review & Giveaway

by 37 Comments

What makes the TotsBots EasyFit Star such a highly-rated all-in-one diaper? Today’s review and giveaway, sponsored by Green Team Distribution, will answer that question AND give you the chance to win an EasyFit diaper for your little one!

Green Team sent a TotsBots for Roderick (2.5 years), Evangeline (4 months) and Mary Kate (18 months) to try out.

The TotsBots EasyFit Star is made with a soft, stretchy PUL outer material, an absorbent bamboo core and a stay-dry tummy panel. All TotsBots diapers are made in Scotland and are Oekotex certified to be chemical free.

It’s adjustable from 8 to 35 pounds and fastens with hook and loop. There are 3 different size settings via the snap-down rise:

The EasyFit has been updated over the years and it’s latest manifestation is trimmer, more absorbent, and cut slightly bigger overall. Retail price is $26.95. Here are the basic features of this all-in-one diaper. Underneath the insert is a wide pocket opening.

The tongue-style insert measures about 22 inches from where it’s sewn in at the back to the opposite edge. It’s made to be folded over and tucked inside the pocket opening, although you can also keep it on the outside, if you prefer. However, leaving the insert out makes it much trickier to spray and/or dunk and swish, so my personal recommendation is to keep it stuffed in the pocket.

Performance: First of all, the hook and look on TotsBots diapers is top quality, and one of my favorites. The closure on our TotsBots fitteds, used for several years, still looks good and functions well. Hook and look makes diaper changes so fast, and getting a good fit easy, so it’s perfect for busy mothers and for caregivers that may not be as familiar with cloth.

Katie and I both like the large pocket opening in this all-in-one that allows you to tuck in additional absorbency. The EasyFit Star held Katie’s 4-month-old not only through a nap, but overnight as well – as is! Her toddler, Roderick (2.5 years) and Mary Kate (18 months) both needed a booster added for overnight.

The diaper’s leg elastics are softly rolled inside the waterproof PUL fabric – no seams on the outside – so there’s no risk of wicking through the tiny little holes left by sewing. That, plus the “buffer zone” between the legs and the inner core, have resulted in zero leg leaks for our little ones.

Care: I mentioned TotsBots’ durable hook and loop closure above, and this applies in the wash as well. The laundry tabs are very durable and always stay fastened. You might seem some staining on the bamboo core, so I would recommend a good stain stick and/or sun for that.

The fold-over insert design helps to shorten dry time somewhat compared to other bamboo all-in-ones we’ve tested. And NO, you do not have to pull the soiled insert out of the pocket when washing; it will agitate out on its own.

Fit: Katie and I both rated the EasyFit Star a “fairly trim” diaper, which is great news, since it doesn’t end up being terribly bulky even if you stick an additional insert inside.  The rolled elastics don’t just help keep leaks at bay; they are also snug yet gentle around all sizes of baby thighs. 🙂 The cut across the crotch is wide; you can choose to have it fit your baby that way, or tuck the leg openings deeper into the thighs for a trimmer look.

Here’s the EasyFit Star on our little ones!

Mary Kate (18 months and about 21 pounds):

Roderick (2.5 years and 31 pounds) and his little siter, Evangeline (4 months and 18 pounds):

Value: As far as the $26.95 price tag goes, Katie commented “It’s a little on the expensive side for me but it’s not an unreasonable price,” and I would concur. It’s made out of really high-quality materials, is manufactured in Scotland, comes in a lot of cool designer prints, and is a consistent award-winner (most recently the Mother & Baby Gold Award for 2015 and an Ethical Consumer Magazine “Best Buy”). With an extra insert inside, you could have a night-worthy diaper on your hands, and many families will happily pay over $20 for that.

Where to Buy TotsBots

Does your favorite cloth diaper shop carry TotsBots diapers?
If not, be sure to request them! You can find TotsBots right now at these retailers, and many more:

Fluff & Familia
Sterling & Me Shop
My Blossom Bottom
The Baby Store Alaska
The Crunchy Bean
South Coast Baby
Ecorganic Boutique (Puerto Rico)

Giveaway:  Winner gets a TotsBots EasyFit Star diaper in choice of color/print from Green Team Distribution. This promotion is open to both US and Canadian residents. Good luck!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bambino Mio Miosolo AIO Review & Giveaway

by 38 Comments

Last spring I reviewed Bambino Mio covers and muslin flat diapers; today’s review highlights the Miosolo All-in-One. UK-based Bambino Mio has been around for over 20 years and has garnered many awards. Distribution in the US and Canada was great news for cloth diapering families!

You can find Bambino Mio diapers and accessories at Kelly’s Closet, Nicki’s Diapers, Amazon. and even Walmart.com (which is where we picked up the Bumble print to try for our girls).

Here’s a quick rundown of the Miosolo’s features:

  • Waterproof PUL outer, 100% polyester lining and an 85% polyester, 15% nylon quilted soaker pad (5×14 inches)
  • Pull tab on the soaker makes removing it from the pocket easier
  • Pouch at one end of the soaker holds additional absorbency in place
  • Quick dry time
  • Retail price of $21.99The velcro?

Stuff the soaker pad into the pocket and the Miosolo is ready for your baby to wear:

The Miosolo AIO is designed to fit from 8 pounds and up. It has three rise settings (small, medium and large):

Fit: The hook and loop closure makes the Miosolo a quick and easy diaper to get on, and getting a snug but comfortable at the waist is a cinch.

Ingrid is just under 3 years old in these pictures. She’s small for her age and is wearing the MioSolo at the largest (rise unsnapped) setting. It fits great on her and is super trim.

Here’s Mary Kate at 11 months of age (below). The MioSolo is bigger overall than other one-size diapers I have; she’s wearing it on the smallest rise setting and the tabs are touching at the waist. For a smaller baby, you can fasten the waistband more tightly using the little square tab of hook and loop pictured below (top right).

What if the leg openings just aren’t snug enough on a smaller/thinner infant? On Mary Kate, I tried this little hack. If you find that the legs are still too loose after fastening the waistband as tight as you like, pinch the waistband with your fingers at your baby’s hips (both left and right – pink arrows below), and pull up a little. This will snug up the leg gussets somewhat. Because there are no hip snaps on this diaper, this adjustment may only last for so long on an active baby.

Performance: The Miosolo hasn’t leaked once during my testing on both Ingrid and Mary Kate. I’m impressed because most All-in-One diapers with a single microfiber soaker inside give us a couple of hours max, and even that’s pushing it. I was able to use this diaper through long naps, as is. Because my girls are tummy sleepers, I thought that a wider waterproof strip on the inside waistband would be needed, but I was wrong. It functions fine as designed.

I even tried it overnight, with an extra bamboo insert from my collection. Mary Kate was able to wear it all night, and she is what I would call an average wetter. At 11 months, she’s still nursing twice in the night, so I am happy about the results!

I love the pull-tab on the insert, because one thing that really makes me cringe is having to grabbed a pee-soaked insert from the pocket of a diaper. The laundry tabs are strong and have stayed put in the wash after months of laundering. The velcro wing tabs are starting to curl back slightly but are as strong as ever.

Another plus is the super soft and smooth inner lining, which feels much better to me than microsuede or low-quality fleece.

There are two minor drawbacks to the Miosolo, the first being that you have to stuff the insert, like you would a pocket diaper. One of the things I love most about the All-in-One style is the fact that you just wrap it around your baby and go. The Miosolo’s 100% microfiber insert cannot be put against a baby’s skin, so there is that extra step of having to stuff the diaper before using. Thankfully, the pocket is roomy and easy to stuff.

Secondly, it’s 100% synthetic, so if you prefer natural fibers and want to go with a more economical option, I highly recommend the Bambino Mio covers and flats.

Giveaway: One lucky reader will win a Miosolo diaper in the Sky Ride print, plus a pack of Bambino Mio cotton wipes. Open to US and Canadian residents. Good luck!

Nicki’s Bamboo All-in-One Diaper Review & Giveaway

by 25 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

The Nicki’s Bamboo All-in-One diaper was on my wish list for a really long time. When Mary Kate left the newborn stage behind (*sniff*), I went ahead and got one for her and one for my nephew, Roderick. After testing all summer long, I’m ready to share our experiences with the Nicki’s Bamboo AIO. There’s also a giveaway for you to enter!

The bamboo AIO is an original design made exclusively for Nicki’s, and it definitely has some unique features.

  • Waterproof PUL outer and a coordinating bamboo terry lining
  • Rolled leg elastics
  • Includes a 4-layer 70% bamboo, 30% cotton blend insert which snaps out for easy cleaning and quicker drying
  • Retail price is $15.95 for colors and $16.95 for prints
  • All Nicki’s brand diapers are guaranteed against workmanship or material defects for 60 days from date of purchase.
  • Every Nicki’s diaper you buy qualifies for the Buy 1 Give 1 charity program

Depending on which print or color you buy, many of the Nicki’s bamboo AIO diapers have an inner lining and insert that are dyed to match. My blue houndstooth print has a pale blue interior.

The insert snaps into the back of the diaper, and can be folded under to fit smaller babies.

The insert measures 12×5.

You can buy extra Nicki’s Ultimate Bamboo Inserts for $4.95 if you’d like to boost the absorbency of this diaper. The boosters have a stay dry fleece layer on top.

How does the bamboo AIO compare to other Nicki’s brand diapers? First, it’s smaller overall than the Nicki’s pocket diaper. The wings are also shorter than the Nicki’s pocket and the Nicki’s covers. It’s much trimmer through the crotch, though.

It’s bulkier in terms of thickness, compared to the Nicki’s pocket, which you can see illustrated below.

Katie actually has two Nicki’s bamboo AIO diapers, and found there was a slight difference between them. One insert was a little longer and thicker. We noticed this same size inconsistency when reviewing the Nicki’s Ultimate AIO as well.

The rolled elastic around the leg openings is a feature you’ll notice right off about this AIO, because few diapers have it. I actually like this feature, and find that the gussets are extra gentle because of it. It only takes me about 1 extra minute to “roll” or pop the elastics inward after the diaper is fastened on. (It’s important not to miss this step because it’s crucial for a snug fit, and to prevent wetness from sneaking out.)

I wish the wings were a little longer on this diaper, like our Nicki’s pockets, but I still think it’s a good looking diaper and fits Mary Kate really well.

Roderick can wear this diaper with the rise snapped down once, or completely opened up when an extra insert is added. He’s 21 months and 28 pounds.

Both children have chubby legs and the soft rolled elastics fit very comfortably.

Performance: Mary Kate, at eight months, gets a good 4 to 6 hours in this diaper. Twenty-one-month-old Roderick can wear it through a nap, and overnight with an extra insert. Katie compared her Nicki’s bamboo AIO to the Imagine bamboo AIO, and feels like the Nicki’s has an edge.

Care: We prepped our diapers at least three times before first use, since there are cotton components. It does take 1.5 to 2 dryer cycles to get the insert fully dry. Also, the bamboo tends to get stiff if you air dry only; Katie fluffs hers up in the dryer for a few minutes after it comes off the line.

The insert always stays snapped to the diaper while washing and drying, which I love.

Value: The Nicki’s bamboo AIO is a very good value, starting at $15.95. It matches or exceeds many other AIO diapers in its class in terms of absorbency and comes in a huge variety of prints and colors. It also ships free at Nicki’s!

Mary Kate and her big sister, Catherine:

Giveaway: One winner gets to choose from any in stock Nicki’s bamboo AIO diaper! Enter using the form below. This promotion is open to US and Canadian residents. Good luck!

Primm n Proper Baby Cloth Diapers Review & Giveaway

by 56 Comments

Primm n Proper Baby cloth diapers are handcrafted in Greenaces, Washington by the talented Meaghan Primm. Her online shop features a distinct array of fitted and All-in-Two diapers in so many prints and colors that every cloth diapering family is sure to find something that calls to them.

Meaghan offered to send Mary Kate some of her diapers to try out. We choose her popular one-size bamboo fitted in “Cherry Toss” (retail $39.99) and a convenient AI2 in “Delilah Floral” (retail $31.99). I nearly spent an hour browsing her shop, trying to settle on the fabrics. They are THAT hard to choose from.

What makes Primm n Proper stand out from other WAHM businesses? On average, each diaper is comprised of materials from five other small businesses. When you purchase Primm n Proper, you’re supporting more than just one cottage industry. 

Besides being supportive of the local community, Meaghan puts comfort high on the priority list, using breathable fabrics like organic cotton, bamboo velour and hemp.

And now here’s a look at the two diapers we received.

One-Size Bamboo Fitted (11 to 35 lbs)

  • Cotton lycra knit outer
  • Hidden layer of heavy organic cotton/bamboo fleece
  • Inner lining of heavy organic cotton/bamboo velour
  • Snap-in “snake style” soaker is two layers of bamboo fleece topped with bamboo velour
  • Includes a small bamboo fleece booster with a poly fleece topper, which is ideal for placement in the wet zone

To get a good fit on smaller babies, you fold the waistband under, which reveals another row of snaps. For smaller babies, it’s also easy to fold the long soaker under to shorten it.

Although the Primm n Proper bamboo fitted is super absorbent, it does need a waterproof cover on top if your baby will be wearing for an extended period of time. But you can easily go coverless around the house for a good hour or two.

Mary Kate is 6 months old and about 15 pounds. She can wear the diaper either way, although I prefer the rise folded down because it’s easier to fit a cover on top. (We found that roomy covers like Imagine and Flip worked well with this diaper).

The leg and waist elastics are very gentle and soft, and I love the plush bamboo velour lining inside that goes against Mary Kate’s skin.

This is such a soft and cozy diaper, and it fits very comfortably around Mary Kate’s waist and legs.

One-Size AI2 (10 to 35 lbs)

  • Waterproof PUL outer layer
  • White microfleece inner lining
  • Snap-in “snake style” soaker is two layers of bamboo fleece topped with bamboo velour
  • Includes a small bamboo fleece booster with a poly fleece topper, which is ideal for placement in the wet zone

Like the fitted diaper, Meaghan’s AI2 can be folded down at the front for smaller babies to reveal another set of snaps.

When the waistband is folded under to fit a smaller baby like Mary Kate, the white fleece lining is exposed (below left). I wondered if this might cause moisture to wick out onto her clothes when she was on her tummy (crawling, naps, etc.), and it did. The simplest way around this was to simply not fold the waistband down, and just let Mary Kate wear it as is (on the large setting). The rise is high, but it works.

I do like the fleece lining of the AI2 because it’s soft and lessens the feeling of wetness, if your baby is sensitive to that. The flip side is that it’s not a “wipe clean” type of material like plain PUL.

Meaghan’s AI2 diaper is a more trim option than the fitted with a cover. The soaker and the extra booster together are so absorbent, that we can usually swap it out when wet and replace with another snap-in insert. That way, the shell is not just single-use-only. (If the shell does get soiled in any way, I do go ahead and wash it, though.)

Meaghan sent an extra snap-in insert for this very purpose, and also provided samples of her Petite (small) and Stud (large) boosters. These contoured boosters are very trim and provided enough additional absorbency to possible get a heavy wetter through the night (Mary Kate did!).

Everything we received from Primm n Proper baby was beautifully and evenly sewn out of high-quality, durable materials. One thing that really stands out to me is the way Meaghan offers a variety of choices to her customers, not just with the diaper styles and fabric choices, but with extra absorbency options.