Cloth Diaper Updates – Babyland, Coolababy, Sweet Doll Baby, Rainbow BB

I have written several reviews now on various non-name brand one size pocket cloth diapers.  A few readers have asked for updates on how they’re holding up.  Armed with pictures I’m now ready!!!

The reviews I have done before are on Babyland, Coolababy, Sweet Doll Baby, Rainbow BB and Fuzzi Bunz.  You can click on any of these to see the original reviews.   I have had the Coolababy and Rainbow BB for almost a year now, and the Fuzzi Bunz just under that.  The newest in my stash (still several months old) are the Babyland and Sweet Doll Baby.  To be truly honest, I think the Rainbow BB diapers are the only ones I wouldn’t purchase again.  Almost all of my 12 diapers have needed replacement elastic in the back or legs (click here for tutorial).  Although the rest of the diaper has held up well, and they are all still in my rotation, I didn’t like having to pull them out of rotation to repair them!  All the other diapers have held up very well and I really don’t have any complaints. 

Outer Fabric PUL (polyurethane laminate)

These are shots of the diapers new (left) November 2009 shortly after I purchased the Babyland and Sweet Doll Baby diapers.  The second shot is the same diapers April 2010.  As you can see, the only real wear is on some of the faded tags.  I have not experienced any de-lamination (when the plastic waterproof laminate separates from the fabric).  One or two of the diapers have stains on the front where baby dropped food on them.  My bad!  That is totally avoidable!  Except for the elastic issues with Rainbow BB I have been quite happy with all of these.

I bought a set of Babyland diapers that had prints on the PUL.  The fabric, rather than being standard polyester material, is more of a flannel.  I love the feel and look of these.  Unfortunately, the fabric has pills all over it now and I dare not do anything about that for fear of damaging the PUL.  They also wick (pull moisture out to the surrounding fabrics) easier, so I don’t use these for nap time or overnight because baby will wind up soaked.  I still love the look, and I use them often during the day.  They are just not as versatile as the rest of the stash!!

Inside Fleece

These are the fall pictures (left) and spring pictures (right) of  Rainbow BB, Sweet Doll Baby, and Babyland.  As you can see, no matter the brand, the fleece pills just a bit.  I find they are still soft and work effectively.  This is just the natural wear of the fleece lining.  The bonus to fleece?  It is extremely difficult to stain.  I still have NO diapers with stains.  Two hints on keeping them stain free:  rinse as soon as you can (I’ve let them go a day before with no problems), and I use a flushable (I don’t flush them!) liner to catch the solids.  The liner doesn’t always catch everything, but it sure does help clean up.  I feel a lot better about throwing away a small liner than a whole disposable diaper.

 

Yes, even the name brand Fuzzi Bunz diaper’s fleece shows some wear, so I think the look of the other diapers is very acceptable. 

Fit and Adjustability

The first shot is my guy at 11 months in a Rainbow BB.  Aside from occasional wing droop (the part below the tabs hanging out) They fit very well.  Even when he was younger they fit well.  I don’t however feel that the Rainbow BB will fit a newborn, even though they advertise the adjustable rise in their Ebay listing.  The next two shots are of my now-18-month-old guy in a Babyland.  As you can see, there is still plenty of room for growth, and he is average to stocky build.  I do believe the Babyland would fit a large newborn with the adjustable rise and the overlap tabs that the Rainbow BB doesn’t offer.  The Sweet Doll Baby has these as well.

Those stinky inserts….

Okay.  Yes, the microfiber inserts, because of their extreme ability to absorb, can get stinky!!  I have found a good working solution to this problem.  Typically I wash the outer diaper and all the inserts together with my Crunchy Clean diaper soap on Warm/Cold (and often a cup of white vinegar).  I usually throw in a bath towel or something to help keep the load balanced and turn on the “second rinse” feature.  Every third or fourth load I separate the outers from inserts.  I wash the inserts all alone in HOT and include bleach and vinegar, with a cold double rinse.  If you can, stop the wash while the bleach is in the water and let them soak for a while before continuing the cycle.  I line dry as often as I can, but since the baby doesn’t seem to appreciate frozen diapers, I can’t line dry in the winter.  I tumble dry at the lowest heat setting.  Hanging your diapers out side in the sun as often as possible is a much better alternative and a natural stain and stink remover!

All in all I’m happy with my stash.  I am still using the diapers I purchased and I feel they have a lot of life left in them.  If we have any more babies, I feel confident they will still be useful again!  Actually I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to my cloth diapers.  I take a lot of pictures!

I hope this update has helped.  Feel free to link to this or any of my other reviews, or to ask questions!!