Best fitted diapers?

[mischievium]

For my newborn stash, I kind of bought a smattering of different dipes to figure out what worked well and what my DH and I liked. So far, we think we are going to go with fitteds w/ covers. I've done a fair amount of looking around online to see what's available and what other people recommend and I've narrowed it down to Motherease Sandy's, Clovers, and Thirsties Fab Fitteds.

Ideally, I'm looking for a combination of trim fit, good absorbency, a built-in microfleece (or other fabric that wicks away wetness) liner, and good overall fit. My DH, who has done all of the diaper laundering so far, says he thinks snaps would be better because the couple of Fab Fitteds we have so far have velcro and get stuck on other dipes even though we use the laundry tabs. None of the fitteds I've found so far meet all the criteria. Here is the impression I have of each of the dipes based on what I've read/ seen:

Sandy's have snaps, are supposed to be really absorbent, but are said to be on the bulky side (only come in two sizes) and don't have a built-in liner, so I would have to buy separate liners.

Clovers have snaps, come in more sizes than the Sandy's, are supposed to fit really well (have adjustable elastic on the legs/ waist), but also would need a separate liner.

The Fab Fitteds are trim, supposed to fit well, absorbency is rumored to be good but not super absorbent, they DO have a microfleece liner, but only come with velcro.

I'm currently thinking of getting Sandy's to use overnight and either Clovers or Fab Fitteds for daytime.

Does anyone have any experience with the Sandy's, Clovers, or Fab Fitteds or have any other fitteds they would highly recommend?

[amandapanda9]

I'm not that familiar with any of the fitteds you mentioned...my fave fitted would be from BellaBottoms. Faith makes a one sized fitted with snaps that I adore. My favorite would be the bamboo ones....I noticed that my son was pretty dry in those even when the diaper was wet. And they are the softest dipes ever!

You can always buy a stay dry fleece liner to put inside any fitted diaper if that's an important criteria for a fitted for you.

[PoppyMama]

I'm going to second the bellabottoms. The OS are roomy though and pretty bulky until the baby gets bigger. I have all the varieties and like the terry and flannel for around the house with no cover. The pee feels less soppy when stopped by the flannel. For night I like the bamboo and for out I like the hemp. The hemp/bamboo is supper soft. So nice. She also makes a NB size now that goes to 15# (although her diapers run big so I would guess my 20# could still wear them). These are going to be my trainers too and I use them as pullups when I can't get a diaper on my wiggly, refusing to be diapered kid. When I got them they didn't have doublers but I think they are in most of them now.

[Ola_]

Don't forget that the Sandy's also come in a newborn size. You won't use them for as long as the smalls obviously, but they tend to have very good resale value (or check the MotherEase forum to buy used) or you can keep them for future kiddos.

[fruitfulmomma]

I am expecting our sixth child in Jan or Feb and after having cd'ed two pretty large newborns from birth in small diapers, I am buying a stash of newborn diapers this time. Small is doable but I think the nb's will be worth it for a better fit and less bulk.

Those Clovers do look really nice but don't appear to come in newborn.

I like Motherease one-size and plan to do those as baby gets older, but not sure how they compare to the Sandy's.

Anyway, as I require snaps (aplix wears out too fast imo and I agree about them sticking to everything) I think I have narrowed down my choice to the Workhorse Diapers here http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/diapers.htm which are a prefold converted to a fitted. The NB size is only $4.50 and I already know the prefold fabric works really well for newborns.

I never really felt that wetness was an issue with newborns as you are changing them so often anyway in those first few weeks, buy you can buy microfleece liners if the diaper you choose does not have that feature.

ETA: Here are liners http://www.happyheinystore.com/catalog.php?item=13 - $8.85 for a 6 pack.

[amandapanda9]

I forgot about the NB size she makes! I had some of those too and they were great for the newborn stage....way less bulky than the OS (although I don't find the OS bulky once baby gets a little bigger)....and you're right....they say up to 15lbs but they definitely fit my little one for quite a bit longer than that. Well worth the $. I don't really like the terry/flannel ones myself. That's what I first purchased years ago when I started CDing one of my children and then I emailed Faith and asked if she could make them out of bamboo velour (because I loved the fit of the diaper but not the materials) and that's when she came out with the bamboo version. She made me like 15 of them and then she loved them so much, she started offering them on her site. They are definitely my fave fitted and I've tried a ton of different dipes. I used her bamboo velour doublers inside the diaper for overnight and w/o a doubler during the day. As long as I stayed at home, I didn't even need a cover during the day because they are quite absorbent.

[LightForest]

I've heard such great things about Crickett's diapers. The fabric is hemp/cotton, they come in two sizes, and the price includes a liner. I'd be curious to know if anyone out there can compare Crickett's to the Clovers or Sandy's??

[mischievium]

Originally Posted by fruitfulmomma

Those Clovers do look really nice but don't appear to come in newborn.

They actually do make a newborn fitted. We're rapidly leaving the newborn stage for this baby, though, as he is almost 11lbs already .


I have to say, in general, I am hesitant about one size diapers, as I worry that they will be really bulky, especially when the baby is on the smaller end of the size range. I may buy a flip just to try it out and see, but my inclination is to use diapers that offer more sizes.

[cristeen]

We tried and liked the clovers, but we require side snaps. Im not crazy about the layin liner, its a bit thin, but it works. I also really like their buttonhole elastic. I will say though that i far prefer dream-eze over clover.

[LindsC]

For the newborn stage, we had Kissaluv's 0's,Thristies Fab Fitteds and Nanipoo fitteds. I loved all of them.

[mischievium]

Originally Posted by cristeen

We tried and liked the clovers, but we require side snaps. Im not crazy about the layin liner, its a bit thin, but it works. I also really like their buttonhole elastic. I will say though that i far prefer dream-eze over clover.

So you had the Clover side snapping fitteds? Can I ask what the advantage of side versus front snapping diapers is? What do you like about the dream-eze?

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by mischievium

So you had the Clover side snapping fitteds? Can I ask what the advantage of side versus front snapping diapers is? What do you like about the dream-eze?

Yup. That's what we had. Side snaps allow you to use different snap settings for the legs vs the tummy. For skinny minnies like my guy, it's crucial. Most front-snapping dipes don't work for us because when they're tight as can be on the tummy, the legs are still loose. And loose leg openings = poo leakage. There are exceptions to that rule of course - brands that pull the leg elastic nice and tight. Pipers Closet, Goodmamas, Sustainable Babyish, Bububebe are the ones that come to mind. But I have tried plenty of front snapping dipes that have gaping legs, so mostly I avoid them anymore, since i know my guy has skinny legs. Oh, and Aplix closures are pretty much = front-snapping dipes for these purposes. The only Aplix dipe I use is Happy Hempys (night-time dipe), and I have to be really careful to double check the leg openings. Usually I have to fasten the Aplix twice just to get it tight enough.

As for why I prefer the Dream-Eze - fit, ease of use and absorbency. They have a higher rise and fit longer than the Clovers. My guy outgrew the sm Clovers long before he outgrew the sm Dream-Eze (which actually would probably still fit him at 8 mos). The wing tabs on the DE are longer, allowing more growing room than the Clovers. The DE doublers are sewn in at one end, which means I don't have to dig through the laundry basket to find the right doubler to go with the right dipe - or that when DH grabs the dipe out of the basket he doesn't put it on without the doubler. And DE has 9 layers of absorbency, whereas Clover has somewhere between 4 and 6 (my Clovers are in storage, so I can't count, but it's 5 according to their website), so the DE can hold several pees, but the Clovers are pretty much a "one pee" dipe.