Cloth 101: Fitteds

When looking into diapers, many people want to know what is the absolute BEST diaper of a certain style. This post is to show you why you can't really select one "best" diaper... there are many designs for the same type of diaper! This post will show you a couple "fitted" diapers.

Before I continue, I would like to apologize that the only fitteds I have left anymore are pretty much the same style. I will show a few older photos I have from when Bobble was younger, and also mention a few other styles that I don't have anymore.

Fitted diapers are full diapers that still need some sort of waterproof cover (such as wool covers, PUL/TPU covers, fleece covers, etc.) to be complete. The benefit to fitted diapers is that the entire diaper is absorbent, not just a strip between your child's legs. If you find yourself in search of a night time solution that won't leave your child's bedding damp in the morning, these might be your solution! Imagine a diaper with just the strip between your child's legs being completely saturated. If they roll over or shift positions, that pressure on the insert will cause liquid to seep out. Odds are, that will go to their clothing and bedding. In a fitted, the entire diaper is absorbent. Not only is that less likely due to the fact the liquid can spread out (thus, less concentrated in one area!), but if there is pressure applied in one spot, it just seeps into other parts of the diaper. I really wish I had discovered fitteds sooner!

(There are also hybrid fitteds that have a layer of material sewn inside to help keep moisture inside the diaper. These are not completely waterproof, though they can be worn without a cover longer than those that do not have this feature. I am not covering any of these hybrid diapers in this post.)

TotsBots Stretch Bamboozle on left, Sustainablebabyish Overnight Bamboo Fitted on right

 

 Thirsties Fab Fitted (above left and right)

The two brands of fitted diapers I still have and use are TotsBots Bamboozle (left) and Sustainablebabyish (S'bish) Overnight Bamboo Fitted (OBF for short). I also use S'bish Happy Little Clouds (HLC), but I didn't have two to show open and closed, so that will be below.

TotsBots Bamboozle - This diaper is available in a size 1 and size 2. There are adjustable rise snaps, and the wonderfully durable TotsBots aplix closure. The booster snaps in, held by a pair of snaps in the front of the diaper. More absorbency can be added between the cover and the fitted, or a smallish booster could be placed under the snap-in inset inside the fitted. This diaper is possibly the trimmest fitted I've ever used, but holds a ridiculously huge amount of moisture. It's also very soft.

Sustainablebabyish OBF - These diapers also have snaps to hold the insert to the diaper, though the insert is much longer and can be folded to boost absorbency in different areas. There are cross-over snaps to help get a good fit, but these diapers are sized, so you won't find rise snaps. While the can hold a lot, the material is rather stiff around the edges where it is serged (like the legs), and that seems like it would be uncomfortable on baby. My little one ended up with the stiff material around the leg elastics sticking straight out, pushing into her thighs. That aside, I loved how these diapers worked. If trimness under clothing is a concern of yours, you might not like this diaper.

The above 4 pictures are all the Sbish HLC. The two two show with the front up, the bottom two show with the front folded down (for shorter babies)


S'bish HLC - This diaper is almost identical to the S'bish OBF. The differences are the outer diaper material and the sizing/adjusting. For the material, the insert that snaps in is the same as the HLC, while the outer material is a very stretchy and soft material (much like the Bamboozle). This eliminated the only complaint I had with the S'bish OBF. This diaper, like the OBF, is sized... but differently. The OBF has sizes XS through XL while the HLC have only two sizes. Size 1 fits from 7-15 lbs, and size 2 fits from 15-35lbs. To make these diapers adjust a bit to accommodate baby, the HLC has both cross-over snaps and the option to fold down the front of the diaper. Inside the diaper there are more snaps, allowing you to effectively shorten the rise of the diaper (See bottom two pictures of the HLC shown above.)

Thirsties Fab Fitted - This fitted is super soft and easily one of the most pleasant diapers I've ever touched. It has rise snaps (visible at the pictures shown at the top of the post) and a stay dry material that goes against baby. Not many fitteds that I've encountered have a stay dry material! These diapers have the option of a snap or aplix closure (please note that the aplix closure pictured in this post is their old aplix. Their new aplix is wider and more durable), and their snap closure diapers do have a cross-over snap. These are offered in size 1 (6-18lbs) and size 2 (18-40lbs). For added absorbency, you can easily slide a booster or doubler into the tunnel created by the way the diaper is sewn (see above picture). The only down side to this diaper is that the absorbent material is all microfiber. If you're not a fan of microfiber, you're not going to want this diaper.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

Cloth 101: Diaper Covers

When looking into diapers, many people want to know what is the absolute BEST diaper of a certain style. This post is to show you why you really can't select one "best" diaper... there are many designs for the same type of diaper! This post will show you the variation between just a few of the many different styles of diapers covers.

                             Rumparooz                                Flip                               Blueberry

Rumparooz (Far left)
Rumparooz (OS) have a very stretchy material, making them ideal for covering any sort of diaper (including even the bulkiest of fitteds). They have elastic at the top of the diaper in both front and back, creating a snug fit for any body type, and the double gussets around the legs keep in messes like a champ. The waist and hip snaps are directly above one another, and there are rise snaps to adjust for baby while they grow.

Flip (Center)
Flip (OS) covers are also stretchy. They only have elastic along the top back section of the diaper, but they do have a flap to put the flat/prefold/insert in to hold it down. Due to the lack of elastic in the front, sometimes the material stuffed into the diaper pushes the flap up a wee bit and can cause it to poke out over the top of the diaper. This can cause small leaks or wicking of moisture. This is easily avoided by not overstuffing or by making sure the snaps are creating a snug fit around baby's waist, though it might not allow for enough absorbency for nighttime use. Flips only have the single bit of elastic around the leg, hip and waist snaps immediately above one another, and rise snaps to adjust as baby grows. They don't always cover all parts of some brands of fitted diapers. These covers are ideal for padfolding/trifolding.

Trifolded prefold in a Flip cover

Blueberry (Far right)
Blueberry (OS) covers also provide a good amount of stretch in their material. They have elastic along the top back of their diaper (not in the front at the top), and double gussets. They have off-set waist and hip snaps (meaning they snap at a slight angle to allow for more room in the hip than in the waist), and rise snaps to adjust while baby grows. The diapers also will cover even the bulkiest of fitteds, making them ideal for nighttime use as well as daytime.

These all perform the same function of covering a diaper, but they are designed (and fit) differently. These are just THREE of the many different covers out there, too! Different diaper covers fit different body types in different ways, and they also cover different types of diapers in different ways, so it is best to think about what features mean the most to you before investing in a large quantity of any one brand. If possible, it's best to try out a variety of styles before settling on only one type of diaper.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post may contain affiliate links.

Thirsties Duo Wrap & Fab Fitted Review

Recently I had the opportunity to try out a Thirsties Duo Fab Fitted diaper (in orchid) and a Thirsties Duo Wrap Cover (in Scottish Rose). I picked the colours thinking of Squiggle, but I got size 2 so I could do a review now instead of later. Bobble doesn't care what colours are on his bum, and neither do I! He looked good in pink, anyway! To help you get an idea of size/fit versus weight, Bobble is 30 lbs.

I was really excited to try out the Thirsties Fab Fitted diaper, as I had heard fitted diapers work wonders for night time usage... especially for heavy wetters! Bobble is a heavy wetter, and we are starting to encounter absorbancy issues or him waking up and asking for a new diaper at 3am. Either way, not fun. I had used a Thirsties Duo Wrap Cover before (and loved it!), so this whole experience was only a little bit new to me.


I decided to delve right in to the testing of this diaper and prepped it as soon as humanly possible. I was first surprised by how similar the fitted was to the Thirsties Duo AIO. I fell in love with the Duo AIO after my first use of it, so seeing how this was essentially the same thing (minus the PUL), I knew I was going to love it! Now to just test the limits of the diaper on absorption!

The Fab Fitted does not have double gussets (and you all know my love of double gussets!), but the seam for the absorbent liner is about a centimeter in from the leg gusset, meaning the diaper isn't holding the moisture in the main part of the liner/insert all the way up to the leg opening. This was nice to see, as this creates a groove that clearly helps hold in both moisture and messes. The top part of the insert/liner is super, SUPER soft, and the bottom layers are microfiber.

The liner/insert part of the Fab Fitted is sewn along the length of the diaper, not on the ends. While some diapers have them sewn on the end (or 2 sewn on both ends) to help with drying time, this looks more like a "regular" cloth diaper as far as my husband is concerned. (Read: it has nothing to fold, so he doesn't have to think while putting it on Bobble!) What I love about the way it is sewn is that it is left open on both ends. Not only can you stuff the diaper with a doubler or insert if you need to, but you can flip the entire thing inside out to help it finish drying!

 

As far as poop messes go, this is easier to spray out (obviously I'm spoiled enough to have a diaper sprayer!) than the diapers that have the inserts/liners sewn on either end, because the ones sewn on either end seem to end up with poop stuck to the side of them and it's really hard to spray off an edge of thin material!

You also have the adjustable rise snaps to help customize the fit to your little one. Bobble, being the shorty that he is, almost always has his diapers snapped down one rise level.


I got both the cover and the fitted in aplix closures so I could use them for child care and ease of night time use. Aplix is my closure of choice for night time, though during the day it is too tempting and Bobble simply must undo them! If you think that's why snaps are superior to aplix... well, he undoes his snap diapers too. He started undoing both at around the same time! Just some food for thought!


The Duo Wrap completes the awesomeness of the combo with not only the adorable print and great fit, but double gussets! I love double gussets! Any mess that might happen to find its way out of the Fab Fitted (good luck, but I suppose it could happen!) will be halted by the gussets on the wrap!

The interior of the cover has a flap of material in the front a couple inches long, so if you liked tri-folding flats or prefolds, you could tuck it in in the front. I was very surprised with the fit of the cover over the fitted vs. the fitted alone. As you can see from my pictures, Bobble actually had the closure tabs overlapping on the fitted, so I figured the same would happen with the cover. It didn't, but that makes sense since there is more underneath the cover than the fitted. Both diapers fit great, and both diapers looked ridiculously cute on Bobble!

* Thirsties Inc. does not recommend to tuck prefolds or inserts into the flap on the Duo Wrap, as the wet diaper will cause wicking from the stitching on the Aplix

So, how did they stand up to the test(s)? They passed with flying colours! I got them dry just in time for a nap for Bobble (which I always use a night time diaper for since he likes to stomach sleep and side sleep, thus causing more leaks than normal), so they went on to test out! When he woke up, the only thing wet was the inside of the diaper! I was concerned about how fitteds would work with Bobble since he is so sensitive to moisture. Most of the time he breaks out if he is in a flat or prefold without a liner, and I didn't use a liner with this. He had no rash when I took this off. Yay! I figured it would not cause him to break out since it is so similar to the Duo AIOs and he doesn't break out with those, but I was still a bit nervous since it was a fitted. That was probably my biggest hesitation on trying fitteds was assuming my poor munchkin would be broken out with rashes all the time.

Double Gussets!!

The next test was a night time test... and one in which we did NOT change him during the night. I knew the diaper would be fully saturated by morning, but if he isn't crying to be changed (or simply asking), I'm not waking him! I work full-time, remember! I asked my husband how the diaper stood up to the test when I got home (since hubby is the one who does the morning changes on work days), and he said there were no leaks. He did say there were red marks around the legs from the cover, but since there weren't the other times we've used it, we figured that was because I made it too tight in anticipation of a night time pee-fest and trying to hold it all in. Oops. Perhaps I should have a bit more faith in the diapers next time, eh?
 

So, the next time we did a night test, I tried to be more mindful of the cover. Bobble didn't have any marks on his legs (though the fit was quite snug still), but he did leak. The following time I tried with a hemp insert too, but he leaked. I then tried with a fab doubler. He leaked. In all fairness, he only leaks on nights where he decides to drink more throughout the night. If you think I mean a couple sips, you're wrong! He leaks on the nights he drinks 30 ounces of liquid from the time he goes to bed (with milk) until the time he wakes up. Let's face it: no diaper is going to hold 30 ounces. It just isn't. On a normal night, however, of only one bottle, sometimes another half to whole bottle, he wakes up without having leaked. These diapers definitely can do the job!

These diapers really impressed me. I had no idea they would work so well together, let alone for helping solve our night time leakage issues with Bobble (*again, assuming he doesn't consume ridiculous amounts of liquid)! Now if only these diapers would help us get him to stop taking milk in the middle of the night too... that would solve the problem of the rest of the time when they DO leak! If you're potty training, you can use the Fab Fitted without a cover so you can feel the dampness of the diaper if they go. It's not going to just pour out instantly, but you do want to keep an eye on them if you don't use a cover!


Of course, if you have more than one fitted, you can just wipe the cover dry and use the same cover for the next change, too. I really need to get a hold of some more fitteds!

 As if the performance of these diapers wasn't enough,  Thirsties are made in the USA and use only the best USA-sourced components for their products. To learn more about how Thirsties operates, check out their About Us section of their web page!

The Thirsties Fab Fitted Diapers retail for $17.00, and the Duo Wrap Covers retail for $12.75-13.75 (depending on print/colour). If you're having night time issues or have a heavy wetter, definitely check these out! Be sure to check out all of Thirsties great products at http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/!

Follow Thirsties on FaceBook to keep up with new happenings and to enter giveaways, too!

Disclosure: The product mentioned above was provided to me by Thirsties Inc. for review. This did not influence my opinion of the product in any way. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.