Friday, October 8, 2010

Her Majesty's Closet Fleece AIO Cloth Diaper Complete Review



SAP's Story

When I started out cloth diapering SAP I went with what I was told was the best name brand cloth diapers, I didn't want my mom or anyone else to see me fail at cloth diapering! I've come a LONG way since then, and helped many new parents and friends decide to cloth diaper! One of those people was my "twin"! When she got pregnant she decide to cloth diaper as well after my wonderful experience with it! But, she didn't go the way I did. She didn't buy all the name brand diapers....she got a lot of WAHM and Etsy diapers! Brands and names I had never heard of! I was very intrigued! These diapers were soooo original and looked cute and I was curious if they would hold up to the test!

I'm still waiting to hear back from my twin, but that experience made me reach out and speak to a wonderful new Etsy shop, Her Majesty's Closet! Melissa at Her Majesty's Closet not only makes amazing cloth diapers, but other diapering accessories adult products, like mama cloth and un-paper towels! Yes I had to ask her about those as well, I had never used those before!

Melissa was so wonderful, she worked with me to make the PERFECT cloth diaper for SAP! She got her measurements, weight, and fabric choices to make the diaper that not only fit her perfectly, but fit her personality perfectly as well! I chose a fleece AIO cloth diaper as I had no fleece diapers in my stash save for my DryBees I use for night time diapering, and I was very curious how well it would compare to not only my day diapers, but also my top, number one, night diaper!



I have to say, I was apprehensive. I liked that it was breathable, unlike other diapers, but worried about it feeling like it was leaking. We used it multiple times with no problem at all, even with the "messy business!" We tried it at daycare once to test it out since it had Velcro closures like all the other diapers we used at daycare, but have since decided not to. They don't quite understand the "breathable" part of some cloth diapers, and so thought that it was leaking, which I explained to them it wasn't leaking...hence why her pants were not wet! lol. So unfortunately it won't work out for daycare use, but that's fine, we can use it at home!

The other nice feature with it having a fleece outer instead of PUL is that it dries quicker! We hang dry all of our diapers, so our AIO take FOREVER to dry! Usually we can turn them inside out and it helps, but some AIO diapers don't have that pocket and so we cannot do that. However, this one dried just as fast as my other AIO air drying since it had the breathable fleece outer! That made me happy!

There were only a couple things I'd envision improvement on. I of course would love snaps over velcro! But that is just personal preference! Besides that, there is no overlap velcro tab for skinnier babies on my diaper, but if asked I'm sure she can easily provide one if you have a skinny baby :)

Another thing I noticed regarding the velcro is how the velcro tabs are sewn! They allow for alittle tab of fabric after the velcro.
Now, I am quite in-decisive as to if I like this or not. I like that it provides a nice soft edge so that the velcro won't rub on baby's belly when they roll around and bend forward, etc., and I like having something to grab to unfasten the diaper, makes changing diapers quicker! However, they also make it quite easy for SAP to grab and unfasten her diaper! ah-oh!! So usually I have clothes over this diaper lol. Then no streaking baby incident :) Haven't had many problems yet but I can only imagine! Would only be a concern for toddlers who are the curious types like mine.

This diaper is well made, it fits wonderfully and looks adorable. It also seems comfy for SAP to run around in, nice and soft fluff! Melissa did a great job!



Description

  • Type of Cloth Diaper:
    All In One

  • Sizes:
    Melissa can make you any size you need!

  • How Diaper Works/Features:

    This diaper is a all-in-one style cloth diaper. That means it is all one piece and does not require stuffing, un-stuffing, folding or anything! As Melissa does not have a snap press currently (though watch for that option in the future!) the cloth diapers she makes are Velcro closure, and are very easy to use! Because insert is sewn in it can increase drying time.
Style and Material

  • Material Feel: I love the feel of the fleece outer, it is very soft! The flannel inner and the leg closure areas also seem to be quite smooth and not at all irritating.

  • Materials Used: The outside of this diaper is fleece fabric, the inside of this diaper is flannel fabric. Melissa can make many variations of flannel and fleece AIO/pockets/pocket-AIO diapers.

  • Keep Baby Dry Layer: This diaper did not have a "Keep Baby Dry Layer". You can request a "Keep Baby Dry Layer" in suede cloth, fleece, or other fabric from Melissa, which is usually more easily done with pocket diapers.

  • Color/Aesthetics: Her Majesty's Closet diapers, and this diaper, are so unique! Every time I see a new diaper made by Melissa it is adorable, and has such personality! You can have everything from psychedelic peace/hippie designs to animal and character prints! I think aesthetics are a huge plus for Her Majesty's Closet, very cute, or modern, and you choose which you want!
Ease of Use

  • Closures: At this point in time the only closures available are Velcro closure. These are very easy to use and can be used simply by most people without much instruction. The diaper does come with laundry tabs, and I have found that the style laundry tab I recieved on my diaper kept my laundry tabs held in the wash (I don't use the dryer) about 70% of the time. The diaper did not come with overlap Velcro tabs, but this could be an option you could discuss with Melissa if you would like it done.

  • Similarity To Disposables: This diaper is a little of both ends, and I think the best of both sides! It is very simple to use, like most consider a disposable diaper, and can easily be used by most people without instruction. However, it is customizable, aesthetically pleasing, and unique, unlike any disposable I know of! It also is breathable with it's fleece outer, unlike, and better than, disposable diapers! The best of both worlds, what more can you ask?

  • How Size and Fit are Adjusted: You can order a diaper from Her Majesty's closet that is pre-made, or get a customized diaper to fit your child perfectly! These diapers are sized, so when the diaper gets too small for your child you will have to move up to the next sized diaper. Fit is adjusted every use by the Velcro tabs, to get a good snug fit on your baby, but leg closures and rise are not adjustable.

Fit

  • Trimness: This diaper is not the trimmest diaper, since fleece is not the thinnest fabric! Also, trimness is not adjustable since it is an AIO diaper and not a pocket diaper. It is not overly bulky though like other fleece diapers, and night time diapers, I have experienced. It will still fit in SAP's pants, it just gives her a nice round behind!

  • How Adjustable Diaper is for Absorbency: This diaper has done well for absorbency needs for SAP, which is saying something! I was not able to test it out at night yet, but if I did need to increase absorbency I could lay a hemp booster inside the diaper. There is no pocket opening to stuff extra inserts for added absorbency so you would have to lay them on top of the inner fabric (flannel in this case).
Performance and Functionality

  • Leaks: I have had no leaks with this diaper at all! You can kind of feel the wetness through the fleece when baby has wet the diaper, but I like this so I know when to change her. Some may confuse this with leaking, especially if you have a heavy wetter, but this is typical of fleece covers/outer. This may cause some concern with daycare. It should not, and has not in SAP's case, made her bedsheets or clothes wet, so is not leaking! Just feels damp!

  • Absorbency: Absorbency in this all-in-one diaper has been adequate enough for SAP to go through a few hours between diaper changes, and has worked for nap time as well without issue! I say pretty good!

  • Leg Gussets: Leg guessets are made of same materials as the diaper: flannel more to the inner side and fleece on the outer side. They are pretty smooth and have not caused any irritation at all for SAP even during really active play. They seem to be snug enough also to keep messes in, as SAP has tested quite well!

  • Nap/Bedtime Use: This diaper has worked fine for us at nap time and provides families a great breathable nap time diaper, which is good on hot days and for if baby has a rash, to help it heal. We have not tested this for bedtime but with the experiences we have had with this diaper I believe a hemp booster would be sufficient to help aid in absorption, and it would perform just as well as it did for nap time use.

  • If Fit Is True: With this diaper, you cannot get a more true fit! The wonderful thing about Her Majesty's Closet is she can customize your diaper for you! So no worry about fit of this cloth diaper!

  • Wear and Tear: I have had this diaper about a month now and it has not shown much wear at all! Velcro works perfectly, elastic at the leg closures stretches perfectly, the only sign that this isn't a brand new diaper is the minor lint on the outside fleece part of the diaper because I don't dry it in the dryer. Thinking I will every now and then though! Over all wear and tear is minimale, no lose threads or fraying, it is well sewn and working very well.

Quality/Cash Analysis
  • These diapers Melissa makes (for AIO or pocket) for $18 each, and that includes shipping!! That is a low price for a AIO or pocket diaper, and comparable to most diapers on the market. However, for the personalization fact and perfect fit, with excellent customer service, I definitely think the quality/cash analysis of these diapers is above even other brand name diapers of similar pricing for a similar product!

    No comments: