I know it's been quite a while since you've heard from me regarding anything- but that's what happens when you return to work post-maternity.
After returning to work we quickly discovered that having only 8 shells was not quite enough- especially after coming home from a long day at work, getting the kids & us settled in for the evening... dirty diapers didn't always make it into the wash every night. So we decided to increase our stock. After much deliberation, we decided that $20+ per shell/insert set was a lot of money & while purchasing in the large sets brings the price per diaper down... it was still a lot of money to have to dish out for another set of Softbums. So we decided to expand our "selection" of brands.
Before I get into that, let me state as fact that we have no doubts about the hydration of our daughter and no concerns that she's getting enough to eat/drink while nursing. This is because she is a flood waiting to happen. She pees like a champ! That being said....
As the baby has gotten older (now 6.5 mo) we've discovered leaking problems with the Softbums. It is not that the inserts need to be stripped- in fact the inserts are totally soaked top to bottom, front to back when she is changed- but she definitely experiences "overflow" around the legs, at the sewn seam around the legs and through the outer material itself in the front. I also want to point out that as she has gotten older the same problem has occurred with her poo... and don't get me wrong, we don't leave her in a dirty diaper for hours on end- she's usually changed within a few minutes of completing her task, so it's not like she's had 4 hrs of 'build up" to contribute to the leaking. We're also finding it more difficult to change her with these since you have to get the insert adjusted & placed then pull the shell up & around, and doing this on a squirming 6 mo old who wants to be crawling & climbing on everything has been... trying. We're also having a little struggle with the snap closure diapers, but at least with those you're just fighting her to get it snapped closed, not having to fight with the insert in addition to closing the diaper. This just wasn't working for us.
I was so excited when I found Maude Baby & DucaDuca diapers (from all appearances these are the exact same diaper just with a different logo embroidered on the back) on BabySteals- these are a OS Snap Pocket style diaper. These diapers also include 2 sets of button elastic for the leg adjustment and 2 microfiber inserts. These diapers have a very trim look & are very soft. However- they leak like crazy. It's a guarantee that every time she wears one there is going to be an outfit/wardrobe change involved. The leak problem with these is similar to the Softbums- except that the entire shell also absorbs... so you can see the wet shell in a |)(| pattern along the front starting at the legs. I was fairly disappointed in these diapers.
Then our sitter scored a ton of used bumGenius and Fuzzibunz so she passed along the "girly" colors to us... while I really like the fit of both of these (bgs are OS & the fbs are "perfect fit") there are poo leaks with both of these- in the back for the Fuzzibunz and at the legs for the bumGenius. We also discovered that the bumGenius have a "flap" outside of the pocket that is designed to protect the insert from actually becoming soiled. However, when the poo is not only all over the inside of the diaper but also overlapping onto the "flap"- it makes for a very messy separation of diaper & insert.
We consulted with the sitter (since she's home with hers & our kids during the day, she has a better opportunity to research diapers, etc) and she recommended KaWaii Baby diapers. I'd heard of these before, but had not had an opportunity to get any. www.theluvyourbaby.com To my surprise, these were only $7.75!- I went ahead & purchased 6 of the "Goodnight Heavy Wetter" diapers, 1 each of the dots & zoo animal prints (because if you're going to spend $13 on shipping for orders over $12, you may as well get all you can to get your $ worth from shipping)... unfortunately the one I really wanted (cow print) was not in stock. These are a OS snap adjustment & closure pocket diaper. These also have an extra flap to protect the insert, but this flap is inside the pocket itself instead of outside covering the pocket like the bumGenius. The outer material of these does not feel like any of the other diapers we have. I received these on Monday (10/31) and got everything washed up yesterday (11/2). So we decided to go ahead & give them a go last night.
Pretty much every single morning our little princess awakes soaked- diaper, outfit, sheets & all.... NOT THIS MORNING! The sheets & her outfit were as dry as when I put her in them last night, the only thing that was soaked was the inside of the diaper!! We proceeded to change her and put her in another KaWaii. Then came the true test. Around 9:30-9:45 I was getting ready to change her (about 3.5 hrs- wanted to really test these out) when I heard her working the grunt machine... so decided to give her a bit to finish up before changing- heck, if we're going to test these, lets make it worth while. At 10:30 she was finished & it was changing time. As I picked her up I thought "she was totally messing with me" because I didn't smell anything. I began taking off her onsie/sleeper & noted that the outfit was still dry- impressive. I opened the diaper & all I can say is WOW!- she had pooed but it was all contained along with some very soaked inserts, but the outside of the diaper was clean & dry!! To say that I was thrilled would be an understatement, but I'm at a loss for the perfect descriptor for what a feel about these diapers at this time.
Obviously it's just day 1 with the KaWaii, but if they keep performing like this, I think we'll have found our perfect diaper- our new favorite!
