Seven Days of Diapers - Pocket Diapers

The next type of diaper that I’d like to review is pocket diapers. These diapers are very similar to disposables, so we’ve found them a great option for the times when someone else is watching Zachary. Once the pockets are stuffed with the liner(s), they go on just like a disposable. While I didn’t want my entire stash of diapers to be pocket diapers, I did want a few in the rotation. I ordered several different types of pocket diapers and received two other types free with my purchases, so I had a good variety of pocket diapers to work with. Zachary has sported the following brands on his adorable little bum: FuzziBunz Perfect Size, FuzziBunz Elite One Size, Happy Heineys, bumGenius, and OhKaty pocket diapers.

I would have to say that my favorite pocket diapers are bumGenius 4.0 One Size Stay-Dry Cloth Diapers.

These diapers are one size, with snaps on the front to adjust the rise. The diaper comes with two cloth inserts, the larger of which has snaps to adjust it to small and medium sizes. I often use both inserts for overnight with no leakage issues. One feature that I like on the bumGenius is that there is a flap over the pocket opening.

Most other pocket diapers, including FuzziBunz and Happy Heineys in my stash, have an opening along the back of the diaper and the fleece layer of the pocket diaper just sits across the back opening. While this does make stuffing the diaper easy, the elastic along the back can come into contact with your baby if the fleece does not sit across it properly. The pocket cover in the bumGenius diaper removes this guesswork. I’ve also found that our bumGenius diapers are the easiest pocket diapers to stuff. Because the inside of the pocket diapers is waterproof to prevent leaks, it can sometimes be difficult to slide liners/boosters into the diaper. Our bumGenius diapers are incredibly easy to stuff and I find the liners/boosters slide into this diaper easily. Aside from this pocket opening, the bumGenius diapers fit Zachary well without being too bulky and we have had zero leaks, both through daytime and nighttime use. (Note: for daytime diapering, I use one insert, but for nighttime, I use both inserts.)

Two other brands of pocket diapers in my stash are FuzziBunz Perfect Size Diapers and Happy Heineys One Size Diapers. I ordered FuzziBunz Perfect Size, rather than one size – Zach is size Medium right now.

This size will fit Zachary through 30 pounds. FuzziBunz Perfect Size diapers come with one liner since the diapers are fitted. (One size diapers usually come with two inserts of varying sizes since the diapers are made to fit babies from newborn through toddler sizes.) The diapers are fairly easy to stuff, fit Zachary well, and are not overly bulky. I also like that the FuzziBunz Perfect Size diapers don’t have snaps that must be closed to adjust the rise.

Happy Heineys are the one type of pocket diaper that I purchased in both hook-and-loop and snap closure.

Similar to the FuzziBunz, the Happy Heineys diapers are easy to stuff and not overly bulky. However, these diapers came with two inserts, so I can double-stuff them. My one issue with Happy Heineys diapers, and I admit that it is a small one, is that their inserts are not labeled. Most other brands of pocket diapers labels their inserts, so it’s easy to match up and stuff the diapers when they come out of the wash. Happy Heineys are one of the only inserts that are not labeled, so it’s easy enough to match the inserts with the correct diaper. But, it’s a small thing that I just don’t understand leaving off the insert…

With the three brands of diapers that I ordered, I received several free one-size pocket diapers. I received two FuzziBunz One Size Elite Pocket Diapers and an OhKaty Pocket Diaper. Both diapers came with two inserts. However, I am not a huge fan of either one.

The FuzziBunz Elite is probably the trimmest fitting diaper in my stash, but there is elastic along the back and legs, with instructions for measuring your baby and adjusting the elastic to fit these measures. (Yes, you heard right. Instructions. Fairly detailed instructions, to be honest…) Since Zach is not real big into sitting still so I can measure his waist and legs, I had to guess and we had a leak the first time he wore it. (Given, I did not follow the instructions, so the leak was probably my fault.) I adjusted the elastic and we have had several leak-free wearings.

While the diaper is very trim, it also seems very small. I’m honestly not sure how this diaper would fit a 30+ pound child.

The other free diaper I received was an OhKaty Pocket Diaper. I have to say that I’m not a fan of this brand of diaper.

While a one size diaper, Zach is already wearing it at the largest rise setting, so I’m not sure how this will fit him until he’s 35 pounds… My other issue is the location of the pocket opening. While every other pocket diaper I’ve ever seen has the pocket in the back, the OhKaty diaper has the pocket in the front. I’m putting this diaper on my son. You know, a boy, with boy parts, which tend to wet a diaper much closer to the front than the middle… While reaching into a pocket diaper to pull out a wet liner is not the highlight of my day, I don’t usually mind since Zach very rarely, if ever, wets a liner all the way from front to back, so I’m usually grabbing a dry liner. With the OhKaty diaper, I’m sticking my hand right into the wettest part of Zach’s diaper and grabbing for the wettest part of the liner. Obviously not engineered with a boy in mind… So, the OhKaty diaper is another diaper that I keep towards the back of my stash, in the event that I’ve run out of everything else…

As I mentioned at the beginning of today’s post, I wanted a few pocket diapers in my stash. I always stuff the diapers after they’re dry, before I put them with Zach’s changing table. So, these diapers are just as easy to use as a disposable – great for those times when someone else is watching Zach. I also like to use them at naptimes, since the pocket keeps the liner firmly in place. They have a soft fleece layer that touches your baby’s bottom, and even those brands that must be line-dried dry fairly quickly. (I wash diapers after Zach goes to bed, and by the time I wake up the next morning, all the pocket diapers are dry.) They’re also a great back-up for overnight if all our nighttime diapers are dirty. I wouldn’t want every diaper in my stash to be pocket diapers because I do feel it’s a bit of a waste that they can only be used once, and then they must be washed. I’ve noticed on days when most of my diaper load consists of pocket diapers, I have to wash the load on a larger setting. But overall, pocket diapers are a good addition to our diaper system.

Please join us tomorrow on All Things Ng for a discussion of All-in-Two and Hybrid diapers!