Reviews | Baby Cheapskate

Review: Broody Chick Diapers

May 13, 2010 By Angie Wynne

Thanks to BC reader Rebecca for this review of new Broody Chick diapers.

Broody Chick diapers are a new “100% natural” disposable diaper. The company is based in Canada, and they don’t yet have a distributor in the United States, although the company Better Baby Bums now has a US location and you can order the diaper from them. Each package is $15.99.
They come in four different sizes:

Newborn: 3 – 6 kg (6 – 15 lbs) / 36 ct
Infant: 4 – 9 kg (9-20 lbs)/ 32 ct
Toddler: 7 – 16 kg (15-35 lbs) / 28 ct
Junior: 12 – 25 kg (26-55 lbs) / 24 ct

Advertised features:

Chlorine Free
Breathable
Hypo-allergenic
Fragrance-free
Ultra thin construction
Natural super absorbers
G.E.-free
Exceptional comfort and fit
Innovative 3-layer design helps your baby stay drier, longer.

A note on “compostable”: I e-mailed the company asking if these could be composted at home, and I was told, “You can compost in a home facility if you are able to maintain the right temperature, aeration and moisture levels. It can be difficult to do this that’s why we recommend a commercial municipal facility, and if you do compost then remove the side tabs from the diapers first as they take longer to break down.” So composting may not be realistic for most individuals, and not all commercial or municipal composting facilities will accept these diapers. Tiny Tots Diaper Service in Campbell, California has a composting diaper service that uses these diapers. I threw mine into the trash

L to R: Broody Chick (as they come folded in the box), Broody Chick, Huggies Snug n Dry

L to R: Broody Chick, Huggies Snug & Dry

First Impressions
These diapers came in a card box box, instead of a plastic bag, and the inner lining in the box is compostable plastic. My first impression upon removing the diapers from the package was, “Wow, these look old-fashioned!” The solid white diaper with a thick, rectangular absorbent panel along the entire length reminded me of the diapers my younger brother wore. The diapers were soft and smooth to the touch but still papery feeling. They were softer than the Huggies Snug & Dry I had on hand to compare with, but were not soft like Pampers.

In Use
These diapers performed very well, better than I was expecting. We used them for an entire week, day and night, and tried to put them to the test with long wear times on errands and such, and did not once have a leak. I don’t know how well they would do with liquidy exclusively breastfed baby poops, though, as my baby is a toddler. They did get puffy and squishy when wet, which definitely isn’t my preference, but overall I was impressed with the performance, especially considering that these diapers don’t contain the petroleum-based super absorbent gels that are in most diapers, but use bio-based super absorbers.

My baby is about 22lbs and we had purchased the “Toddler Sized” diapers, and they had less room to grow in the waist than I was expecting based on the weight guidelines; I think this is because there isn’t much stretch in the waist. The rise was quite a bit longer than the size 3 Huggies I was comparing it to, but there wasn’t more room in the waist than the size 3s. My baby is short and round and these fit her fine, but I think they would be a great fit on tall and thin kids.

Overall
These diapers worked well and had pretty good eco-credentials, but they are pricey, even compared to other “green” diapers. I definitely couldn’t afford to use these full time on a regular basis. However, I think that they will appeal to very eco-conscious parents who usually use cloth diapers, but want a diaper they can use overnight or on an occasional basis that is eco-friendly and free of the petroleum based gels. Maybe if they are popular enough, the price will come down and more composting facilities will accept them.

Broody Chick also makes compostable wipes (which I didn’t try), and is working on compostable/disposable bibs. I assume the compost guidelines above would apply to those as well. They also have a line of natural bath and body care products.

You can see a list of all the Baby Cheapskate diaper reviews here.

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Filed Under: Reviews

Diaper Review: Diapers.com Premium

March 18, 2010 By Angie Wynne

In this diaper review, BC reader Rebecca tries out the new Diapers.com brand diapers:

Diapers.com Premium diapers are only available in large boxes directly from Diapers.com. Each box costs $42.99 plus shipping, although there is an instant $.50 “e-coupon” available, and customers new to Diapers.com will be able to easily find referral codes to get $10 off an order of $49 or more. Plus, orders over $49 also get free shipping. This limit could be easily met by adding wipes or diaper cream to your order. There is a coupon code, premium5, for $5 off a case of these diapers. I’m not sure if this code can be used with a referral code, as I received it in a flier packed in the case of diapers itself.

Sizes and number of diapers per case:

1-2 12-18 lbs 252 diapers
3 16-28 lbs 200 diapers
4 22-37 lbs 176 diapers
5 27+ lbs 156 diapers

Advertised features: Contoured stretch side panels and a stretch waistband, hypoallergenic liner contains organic botanicals, vitamin E and aloe and is gentle to baby’s skin, excellent leakage protection.

First Impressions
This diaper is soft! I was expecting a diaper that would be the quality of the better store brands, but this diaper was softer than the store brands that I have tried in the past. It was softer than Huggies, even Huggies Supreme, and is probably as soft as Pamper Baby Dry. The stretch side panels remind me of the stretchy sides on Pampers, and I was very happy to see this feature on a diaper without fragrances, since I cannot use perfumed diapers. The tabs themselves are quite a bit wider than those on Pampers. The diaper did seem thin and I was worried about how absorbent it really was.

In Use
I loved the fit of these diapers! They were soft and comfortable and I could get a great fit without leaving any red marks on my daughter’s skin. The elastic in the legs seemed effective yet gentle. These ran bigger than the size 3 Huggies I had to compare them to, I believe they may even run slightly bigger than Pampers. During the day, the diapers performed fine. We had a few leaks while we were dealing with a bout of the stomach flu, but it was bad enough that even the name brands couldn’t handle it.

However, I was very disappointed by the overnight performance. The first night we tried it, the diaper leaked right through the outer covering onto my daughter’s pajamas. In the past, we’ve only had this happen with the very cheapest store brands, we haven’t had to use special overnight diapers. These diapers seemed less absorbent than average to me. I was enough upset about this that I called Diapers.com to complain and got a partial refund.

Left: Diapers.com Premium. Right, Huggies Little Movers

In Summary
This is a nice soft diaper that works well for daily use, but it is not “premium quality” as advertised and I don’t believe that it is worth the price. One can find store brands that are much less expensive and that perform just as well or better, and if you use coupons and shop sales you can even get truly premium brands for a better price. IF the absorbency were increased and the price were lowered I’d consider buying them again. I will say that the Diapers.com customer service was top-notch.

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Filed Under: Reviews

Diaper Review: “Old” Cruisers vs. “New”

February 11, 2010 By Angie Wynne

This comparison of the old Pampers Cruisers and the New Pampers Cruisers is from Steph, who blogs about her problem solvin’ approach to parenting and life at Problem Solvin Mom.

The diaper on the left is a Swaddler, the diaper on the right is the new Cruiser design that we upsized to this past month. Previously the inner designs of the diapers were quite similar. Click to see larger image.

Have you heard rumblings about the new Pampers cruisers design? I had no idea what was going on until I opened up a value box one day and was surprised by the new design. These diapers are being phased in across the country and will be fully available by March of this year. Between now and then there is no way to tell which design is in a particular package. In my opinion, this is definitely a “buyer beware” situation – if the new review below doesn’t sound like something you would like, definitely don’t stock up.

The new diaper design has a different inner absorptive material and no separate honeycomb layer. The inner layer used to cover ~90% of the old design, but is reduced to 60% in the new design. P&G claims the new material is 20% more absorbent than the old Baby Dry brand material (the mid grade diaper brand) – given the reduction in coverage it makes sense that the overall absorbency has been reduced. In addition, there is a difference between absorbency and dryness to the touch – the old style cruisers kept my baby’s skin dry (even overnight!) and that was the most important feature to me as a customer.

There has been a spike in customer complaints, a rise in 1 star ratings on the Pampers site, and a Facebook fan page created calling for P&G to bring back the old style design. In my experience, we went from no leaks to 2-3 leaks a day and a big red diaper rash. I’ve since switched brands and we been leak free for several weeks now. My baby’s bottom is much happier as well. I still miss the old cruisers design, and would likely go back if only I could. Have you tried the new cruisers design? If so, what did you think? Any suggestions for alternate brands, now that we are in the market?

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Filed Under: Reviews

Guest Post: Comparing Econobum, Flip and GroBaby Diapers

January 23, 2010 By Angie Wynne

Big thanks to Amy of The Budget Mommy for this guest post comparing Flip, Econobum, Grobaby diapers. This post, and the review of gDiapers and Flip diapers by reader Weslie that I posted recently were inspired by a discussion on Baby Cheapskate’s Facebook Fan Page. About 7000 of us have a lot of great discussions there. I hope you’ll join us.

Flip, Econubum, and GroBaby Diapers all fall in to the same category of cloth diapers. All three consist of an outer shell which you lay inserts in to, and when the insert is soiled, you simply toss it in to the wash and lay a new one inside the same shell. You can reuse the same shell multiple times, or until it gets dirty as well. This cuts down on time it takes to change the diaper and since there’s no stuffing involved, and it also cuts down on the mess you have to touch as well! Here’s a brief description of each:

Econobum Diaper
Advertised as a budget-friendly way to cloth diaper, they say you can buy all you’ll need to full time cloth diaper for under $100. These shells and inserts are white only, and cost $9.99. They close with snaps, not velcro, and they are one size, meaning they will grow with your baby. There is nothing to secure the insert inside the shell, so you’ll simply lay the insert on the shell and then snap it on to your baby. These diapers work well, and I have found them to be decently absorbent. This is a no frills option for inexpensive cloth diapering. The snaps do seem slightly cheap to me, so I don’t know how many children they would hold up through. However, at such a low price, it wouldn’t be tragic if they didn’t last!

Flip Diaper
Flip diapers are the pricier version of the Econobum. These come with three different color options and two insert options (organic cotton or stay-dry.)They cost $16.95 for a set. They close with snaps as well and are one size. The quality of the material is noticeably better than the Econobum, and the snaps are higher quality as well. There are also flaps on the ends to hold the inserts in, so the inserts stay put more effectively than in the Econobum. You also have the option to buy disposable inserts for those times when you can’t deal with diaper laundry! These diapers absorb very well. I have the organic cotton inserts and I have been very impressed with how much they hold. My daughter wore the same insert for almost 5 hours (I know..I am a terrible mom!) and it didn’t leak at all! I like how trim these diapers are in between the legs, and I like the color options. My only complaint is the snaps. They are hard to manage with a squirming 9 month old, and they are also difficult to adjust correctly. However, I do think these are still great diapers, and I would recommend them.

Grobaby Diapers
These are the very high end option for this style of diaper. They are made of organic cotton, and come in several colors and patterns. The inserts snap in to the inside of the shell instead of simply laying on them, so they are clearly not going anywhere. Most of them have Velcro tabs instead of snaps, though they do have a snap tab option available for $2 more. They are also one size. You can buy the shell and the inserts separately or together, and together they cost $24.95. These also have a disposable insert option. These diapers are really wonderful! They absorb well, are extremely trim between the legs, and are made of high quality material. And for those of you who care, these diapers are adorable! The velcro tabs are wide and grip extremely well. Of all three, these are my favorite in terms of ease of use.

Summary
If you’re building a long term stash out of this style of diaper, I would recommend getting a good mix of Flip and Grobaby diapers. If you’re looking for a low cost, no frills option, go with Econobum. Even if they don’t hold up quite as long, you’ll be saving tons over disposables and it’s a great way to get comfortable with using cloth. Don’t forget that registering for diapers would be a great way to get you started and cut your costs!

Readers: Have you tried any of these options? What did you think?

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Filed Under: Deals & Sales, Reviews

Reader Review: Flip vs. gDiapers

January 17, 2010 By Angie Wynne

This review/comparison of gDiapers and Flip Diapers is from BC reader Weslie. Thanks, Weslie!

Flip, from CottonBabies (maker of bumGenius cloth diapers) comes with a one-size waterproof diaper cover and reusable microfiber/suede insert ($16.95)

gDiapers consist of a cotton cover (small, med or large; $16.99) and a disposable, biodegradable liner which snaps in. The liners are sold separately, and cost about .35 to .45 each.

The review:
I have been cloth diapering my 23 month old daughter since she was about 6 months old and love it! So when I found out I was expecting my son last year, I was really excited to get to start cloth diapers from the beginning! Since cloth diapering a newborn is a bit different than an infant, I purchase several different brands and style of diapers to try on him. In addition to my cloth diapers I was also given a set of gDiapers with the flushable inserts to try.

We first tried the gDaipers around 10 days old. The size small fit him great, but his stump was still attached and they were pressing down on it, so we waited until it fell off a few days later. The gDiapers fit well and we never had a leak, but they seemed like extra work compared to my pocket cloth diapers. I also wasn’t a fan of the velcro in the back, it was hard to get a good fit sometimes. They held in EBF poo great, but I almost always had to change the liner because the poo would get on it. We continued to use the gDiapers when all of his cloth diapers were in the wash and stopped using them when he outgrew the small size at about 2 months. (14 lbs 1 oz 24 1/4 in)

Pros: very absorbent, no leaks, good fit Cons: extra steps, had to change the liner every time after poop diapers, velrco in the back

I then decided to purchase the new Flip diaper, I was excited to try it since it was a one size diaper and would work for both of my kids! I really liked the cover itself, it was waterproof and super thin so it was very trim!

You just adjusted the rise snaps on the front and folded the insert down to the appropriate size and placed in inside the cover.

It was very trim for a one size diaper on my son and fit very similarly to another BumGenius diaper (their one size organic cotton all in one diaper). It also was very absorbent and we never had any leaks. Like the gDiaper, 9 times out of 10 EBF poo would get on the cover but I think that it’s pretty common with hybrid diapers and hard to avoid.

One thing that I really liked about the Flip was that I could also use the cover with some of my other diapers. Since the entire cover is waterproof it works great as a cover over prefolds and fitted diapers, I couldn’t do this with the gDiaper cover.

And the biggest benefit of the Flip was that I could also use it on my 22 month old daughter!

It was super trim on her and also very absorbent! The only thing that I didn’t like about it on her was that it tended to bunch between her legs since she is so active. We never had any leaks with the bunching, I would just notice it when I went to take the diaper off of her. I also wish that there was some way to attach the insert inside of the diaper, limiting it’s movement might eliminate the bunching.

Pros: One Size Fits All, very absorbent, great fit and very trim Cons: insert would bunch with an active toddler

Overall I would definitely recommend the Flip over the gDiaper. The Flip will give you MUCH more bang for your buck since it is a one size diaper. It had a much better overall fit and was faster to assemble after washing. Plus the cover is more versatile.

Readers: Have you tried Flip or gDiapers? What did you think?

This post may contain affiliate links. See BC's disclosure policy for more info.

Filed Under: Deals & Sales, Reviews

Diaper Review: Weis Bear Essentials

January 9, 2010 By Angie Wynne

Thanks to BC reader Jennifer for this review of Weis Bear Essentials diapers. blogs at www.frugalmomjenn.com.

After trying all of the national brands of diapers over the past two years and settling on my favorite, Huggies, it has become increasingly difficult to buy them at the best possible price. I have three in diapers right now and the expense of buying diapers, even with coupons, has become out of control for a very frugal family. So I set aside any misconceptions and decided to try a store brand. Weis had sent me a coupon in the mail good for a free pack of their Jumbo size Bear Essentials diapers so it seemed like the perfect time. Normally the Jumbo size is $8.69, but on the date of my visit they were on sale for $6.99. I chose size 2 for my 3-month-old who weighs 12 pounds.

Weis Bear Essentials are available in the following sizes:

Size 1 (56 in a Jumbo)
Size 2 (48 in a Jumbo)
Size 3 (40 in a Jumbo, 60 in a Mega Pack, 104 in Club Box)
Size 4 (34 in a Jumbo, 52 in a Mega Pack, 92 in a Club Box)
Size 5 (30 in a Jumbo, 80 in a Club Box)
Size 6 (26 in a Jumbo)

First Impressions

The diapers are decorated with bears, frogs, ducks and rabbits. They were wider than the Pampers Swaddlers and Huggies Little Snugglers that I have used over the past few weeks. The outside of the diaper felt “papery,” but the inside felt just as soft as the two national brands. The Bear Essentials packaging claims that their diapers’ “stretchable tabs are strong and flexible for a great fit,” but they were only slightly stretchable compared to both the Pampers and Huggies. The Bear Essentials have leg gathers that are similar to the Huggies. They fit well on my 12 pound 3-month-old.

In Use

These diapers have been great during both day and evening use. After two weeks we have not had any leaks. The longest amount of time they have been on is overnight when the baby sleeps for a stretch of 5 hours. They fit the baby nicely and are only a bit wider around the thighs than the other two brands.

Summary

I would definitely purchase these diapers again, but would only do so when able to “stock up” at the $6.99 price. I am normally able to do well by getting Huggies on sale so I would lean toward buying them and accruing Enjoy the Ride points rather than paying for Bear Essentials at their normal price of $8.99.

This post may contain affiliate links. See BC's disclosure policy for more info.

Filed Under: Reviews

Diaper Review: Earth’s Best Tendercare Chlorine-Free

November 21, 2009 By Angie Wynne

Today’s review of Earth’s Best Tendercare Chlorine Free diapers is from BC Reader Lindsey:

These retail for $11.99 per Jumbo Pack, but were on sale for $8.99 at our local store, so I figured I’d try a more eco-friendly diaper.

Size: Number per pack, weight limits

N: 40, Up to 10 lbs.
1: 44, 8-14 lbs.
2: 40, 12-18 lbs.
3: 35, 16-28 lbs.
4: 30, 22-37 lbs.
5: 25, 27+ lbs.
6: 22, 35+ lbs.

Advertised features: Non-Chlorine bleached materials, natural absorbent material such as corn and wheat, super absorbency, comfy stretchy refastenable tabs, latex-free, dye-free, perfume-free, moisture barrier cuff, breathable sides.

First Impressions
When I took the diapers out from the package, I was disappointed that they felt pretty papery. The outside cover not really soft. I was surprised to find that there was back elastic, which is a plus for me. It is easy to tell front from back. The tabs and elastic elsewhere in the diaper seemed adequate at first glance.

In Use
I expected these diapers to fail, and I was pleasantly surpised when they didn’t. I found them to be very absorbent, and we had no problems with leaks of any kind. They even worked well overnight!

There was some urine smell with these diapers, more so than any other brand we’ve tried. I was disappointed at how un-cute they were, but they worked very well. They did bulk up quite a bit and look saggy when soaked, but I think that most diapers do. After looking around online, I found a few other reviews of eco-friendly diapers, and the Earth’s Best ones scored well from what I found. The biggest drawback about these to me was their papery feel, but they didn’t seem to bother my daughter.

In Summary
I don’t intend to make a switch and make these my normal diaper, mostly because of their price. At 11.99 for a jumbo, they’re considerably more than most other brands. If they were on sale and cheaper than others, I would consider it. I think that if you were more eco-minded than I am, they may be a great choice, though. We have no real complaints about them other than the normal price.

You’ll find a coupon for $1.50 off a pack of these diapers at the Earth’s Best website.