I love to shop Etsy for my cloth diapers. Granted, while I still buy commercial diapers, I get the most thrill out of supporting WAHMs and owning customized diapers. For six months now I have been busy curbing my obsession with cloth diapers; only buying them when they are necessary rather than when they are just “oh so cute.” It just so happened that this past month my baby boy finally grew out of several of his prefolds and a couple of his fitted diapers. It was bittersweet to say the least. He is growing up, but I get to buy new diapers!
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This next round of shopping will be much different from what I did before he was born. At that time we didn’t know if he was going to be a boy or a girl (we kept it a secret right up to the very moment of delivery) so I spent my time always looking at “neutrally” colored and patterned diapers. Now that I know what he is the stakes have changed. That is why when I ventured onto Etsy.com one day and saw a blue chocolate swirl pattern I was immediately drawn in. I am extremely grateful that I was compelled to look at this diaper or else I wouldn’t have discovered the delight that is PoopsieDoodles!
PoopsieDoodles are all handmade by the designer and owner, Noelle, and come ready to wear (this was probably most exciting for me because I find it hard to remain patient when there is new fluff in the house). Keep in mind that although they do come pre-washed, as with all cloth diapers, it will take many more washes for the diaper to reach full absorbency. The idea behind Poopsiedoodles is to have something, as Noelle puts it, “to hold in the waterfalls” of her “super soaker of a son.” All I can say it she did it! Poopsiedoodles are extremely absorbent, not to mention oh so cute!
Before I get into my review of the PoopsieDoodle diaper let us take a minute to get to know Noelle and her cloth diapering story:
Tell us a little about yourself and your cloth diapering experience.
I am a blessed stay-at-home mother with 3 kids. I didn’t use cloth with my first two. In fact, I thought it sounded disgusting, and I had NO DESIRE at all. PLUS the moms I saw doing cloth seemed to all use prefolds, which even once I used cloth I wouldn’t have wanted to use. lol When I was pregnant with my 3rd, a friend was looking into cloth and started showing me the stuff she was buying. So, I looked into it and fell in love! What is it about cloth that makes you obsessed? I had to have them all! lol
What it was like when you began cloth diapering?
I had the intention to cloth from birth, but I was a bit overwhelmed at first–that and those crazy hormones you have. I ended up tossing the towel in till about 2 1/2 months (partly ’cause my lil’ guy had a sensitive bum and was getting rashes from sposies), when I decided to try it again, and I never looked back.
How did cloth diapers turn into a business for you?
I decided to try and make a few dipes for my lil’ man with some old Red Sox T-shirts. I thought it was tons of fun, and got a bit obsessed with fabrics, etc. Finally, I decided to try making an online store, and it all began from there.
What makes Poopsiedoodles’ products unique?
My son was a SUPER SOAKER! I personally never bought any WAHM diapers because I knew I couldn’t use them on him. He peed through EVERYTHING I put on him (even disposables lol) I had to use pockets and stuff them SO FULL! So, PoopsieDoodles are unique in that they WILL hold up to a heavy wetter! Now, mind you, while most mamas are obsessed with my dipes for overnight there was NO WAY I could have used it for that for my son. I could get 2-3 hours MAX from him in them (though fitteds he wore every am with fleece pants over them to “air out”).
Where do you gather the inspiration for the design of your diapers?
My sons peeing! lol No, really, I looked at the features I loved in diapers I had, tried a bunch of different patterns, etc., and finally had myself a fabulous tweaked pattern all my own!
What is the one piece of advice you would give to a parent new to cloth diapers?
I would say don’t give up. If it seems like its not working, keep trying, and never stop googling! lol Online people always had some of the best advice if I needed help.
Oh, and don’t forget you can totally sell your whole stash after your done using them! I swear I made back almost every penny I spent on diapers once we were done! That, coupled, with using cloth wipes, I probably broke even, and diapered/wiped my son for a bit over 2 years for FREE!
Where can we find you online?
I’m on hyena cart: www.poopsiedoodles.com as my main store. I’m also on Etsy at: www.etsy.com/shop/poopsiedoodles?ref=si_shop. And on Facebook, where I keep everyone updated on stockings, etc., so be sure to fan me: www.facebook.com/pages/PoopsieDoodles/324220700975!
I decided to try out an All-in-2 diaper (AI2), which is basically a complete diaper consisting of two components, an outer waterproof outer layer and absorbent cloth inner layer which is what is placed right up against the baby’s skin. The outer layer of PoopsieDoodles’ AI2 is made of waterproof PUL fabric and the inner layer is made of a soft micro chamois. The hidden snaps on PoopsieDoodles make them a fabulous One Size diaper, meaning they can grow with your baby, which means you will have less diapers to buy. According to Noelle, her One Size AI2s fit most babies between 8-40 lbs. My son is small for his age (weighing a little of 16 lbs. at 6 months of age), and I was able to “snap” these diapers to customize the perfect fit for him. The AI2 comes complete with 4 Bamboo fleece soakers, two of which consist of Heavy Bamboo fleece, topped with bamboo velour, while the other two are only Heavy bamboo fleece. The smaller soakers easily snap inside the larger ones making this AI2 great for heavy wetter. Now on to the specifics.
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ABSORBENCY: The two large soakers that come with this diaper are sewn together. The smaller soakers easily snap inside the larger ones making this AI2 great for heavy wetter. Being made from Bamboo makes them super absorbent (about 10x more than cotton alone) and all those easily customizable layers make it a great nighttime solution.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: I received my diaper without any delay and Noelle seems to sit on top of her inbox, as she was always available to answer any questions I had.
FIT: You can see from what I already mentioned that PoopsieDoodles allow for a customized fit. No matter whether you started off like me with a skinny kid in need of a long rise or are experiencing what I have now, a child with a Buddha belly you can use the snaps on the front of the diaper to adjust the fit to exactly what you need. The two good things about adjusting the size is that it uses the snap-down-the-front method to change the settings (which I think is so much easier than adjusting elastic) and the snaps are all hidden.
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OH SO CUTE FACTOR: Noelle must work very hard to keep the options plentiful and varied for her diapers. I love my “Blue Chocolate Swirl” and have a fondness in my heart for the “Iced Giraffe” and “Owl Garden.” I look forward to seeing what other fabric selections she uses.
PERFORMANCE: I could tell that the gussets on the AI2 were created with a great deal of care. My son wore his for a whole 6 hours overnight and not one drop of anything escaped! It speaks of absorbency and containment that Corban woke up wearing this diaper and did not fuss as I took my time getting his breakfast ready before I changed him. He wasn’t feeling a thing even thought he was soaked!
PRICE: You really can’t beat a homemade AI2 diaper with Bamboo inserts for $28.00. The fact that Corban can wear it as a nighttime diaper and it is not abusing his skin makes it worth it to me.
TRIMNESS: I was really concerned about the bulkiness of this diaper after all of the inserts were in place. I just knew that Corban was going to suffer from some Fluffy Butt Syndrome, but the PoopsieDoodles AI2 were surprisingly trim. It turns out that the Bamboo soakers are not only organic and absorbent but also make for a slim fit. While there was still some bulk in his britches, it was not overwhelming. I didn’t have to spend those few precious extra minutes trying to tuck and stuff things that should not be sticking out back inside like I do with some diapers.
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Clik here to view.Overall I would give PoopsieDoodles AI2 4 out of 5 diaper pins. Why only 4? No cloth diaper is going to be perfect, although this one comes near. There is an obvious element of attention to detail in the craftsmanship of the diaper. I have tried several handmade cloth diapers and I can certainly tell a difference. PoopsieDoodles are among the better made cloth diapers. The fact that the smaller soaker actually snaps into the larger one was the kind of element that sold me on the creativity of the design. How wonderful it was not to have to hold down kicking legs and adjust a liner at the same time! My husband likes the fact that with the AI2 he can simply detach the wet or soiled insert and replace it with a new one. As a fan of prefolds, he also also loves the idea of using the durable, not to mention cute, outer shell of the diaper as a cover. I enjoy the fact that the outer shell can be used multiple times; thus making PoopsieDoodles’ AI2 diaper earth-friendly. As you can see, PoopsieDoodles AI2 makes for both a mommy and daddy-friendly diaper!
You can interact with PoopsieDoodles on Facebook. Be sure to tell Noelle that Martine from Whey Beyond the Limit sent you. I look forward to sharing many other cloth diaper reviews with you. Photos of Corban in his PoopsieDoodles AI2 are soon to come!
Disclaimer: I purchased my own PoopsieDoodles diaper to review. I have not been influenced in what to say in any way, nor have I been compensated in any way. All thoughts and comments are that of my own.
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The post Making a Change: PoopsieDoodles Cloth Diaper {Review} appeared first on Whey Beyond the Naked Truth.