Autumn Beck is a 30 year old SAHM to 3 gorgeous children. She has been married for 10 years to a chiropractor and entrepreneur extraordinaire. Autumn began cloth diapering in 2005. Over this time she has made mistakes and learned the secrets and strategies to successful cloth diapering. When asked what her interests and hobbies are; homebirth, breastfeeding, and shopping top her list…shopping for cloth diapers that is! 
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My Top 4 Pocket Cloth Diapers
By Autumn Beck | May 2, 2008
I have been excited to write about my favorite pocket cloth diapers but had to wait for the arrival of a particular brand I wanted to try. A pocket diaper does not require a cover (there are a few pocket fitted cloth diapers that do). Pocket cloth diapers are sewn on 3 sides with the fourth left open for you to stuff. They are an excellent addition to any stash. There are many positives to using pocket diapers and even better only a couple of negatives.
Positives:
Babysitter, grandparent and daddy friendly!
Dry Quickly
Easy to adjust the absorbency by how much you add to the pocket.
Make a great swim diaper.
Use as a cover over fitted diapers.
Simple pattern to make yourself!
Many one-size options available. Add that with the ability to adjust the absorbency and you have a great multi-children diaper!
Negatives:
More prone to wicking where the inner material meets the outer PUL.
“Foreign material” can get inside the pocket and wedge itself up in the tab areas during the wash.
I have tried many pocket diapers and have narrowed down my favorites to 4 outstanding brands/styles. I am going to list them in backwards order leading up to my all time, hands down, slam dunk favorite pocket cloth diaper.
#4) Happy Heiny / Fuzzi Bunz: These two brands are known across the board to anyone who cloth diapers. They are widely distributed to many retailers. Fuzzi Bunz is the more popular of the two. Fuzzi Bunz is a sized diaper that snaps. They offer a rainbow of color choices with a soft microfleece inner. Fuzzi Bunz recently released a new tab design making it much more asthetically pleasing (that’s important too 
). Happy Heiny’s make this list because of my success with them with my son. Happy Heinys have a velcro closure, come in sizes or one-size, have a microfleece inner and are available in prints and a rainbow of colors as well. Happy Heinys work better on a baby with chunky thighs. If your baby has skinny thighs you will have some leaks. I recommend sticking with the solid PUL Happy Heinys, as the prints have a history of leaking.
#3) Green Acre Designs (GADs): Green Acre Design pocket diapers are a fabulous fitting diaper! Not only are they trim but they are available in stylish color combinations. Whereas, Happy Heinys and Fuzzi Bunz have a white microfleece inner, GADs are available in your choice of a wide variety of colored microfleece or suedecloth. Green Acre Designs are side snapping sized diapers. I just purchased a limited edition GAD that has bamboo velour inner. I can’t wait to try it out. Green Acre Designs offer two size options that give this diaper a greater appeal to many moms: Medium Long- rise stretches to 18″ an extra inch over the medium and Husky Medium- same waist as the large but thigh and rise measurements of the medium. There is a GAD for every baby and for every occasion. From the furry GADimals to the Windpro fleece Nighttimes to embroidered PUL you’ll find one that works for your baby!
Side snapping pocket diapers similar to Green Acre Designs but without the “perks”: Knickernappies and Swaddlebees.
#2) One Sized Pockets. There is a limited number of ways that you can make a one-sized pocket diaper. So I have made the size factor part of my top 4 list. Tiny Tush One Size, Bum Genius One Size 3.0, Baby Kangas One Size and Blueberry One Size are all one sized pocket diapers that offer slightly different options. Tiny Tush and Blueberry offer snap or aplix closure. Bum Genius is an aplix closure and Baby Kanga is a front snap diaper. Baby Kangas stand out in this group with their highly unique pocket. It is located on the outside of the diaper and has a zipper access. Fantastic for not having to reach inside a poopy diaper! A one size diaper is going to have a higher price tag but the life time of the diaper is much longer than a sized diaper. On a newborn a one sized diaper will be bulkier than a newborn sized diaper but I never found bulk to be a problem with little ones. They aren’t moving much anyways and onesies or gowns fit nicely over the rotund bubble butt.
I failed to list one very important diaper with the one sized pockets and that’s because it is my #1 FAVORITE pocket diaper! Without further ado…
#1) Rumparooz One Size Pocket Diaper: I just received my first 3 Rumparooz diapers yesterday and I could not be happier. Julie is a genius. She designed a diaper with true double gussets. The inner gussets create a pocket termed the “poop scoop” that contains in all the messy contents. I could not wash these fast enough. Once they were ready to go I put one on my 25lbs 16 month old and the fit was perfect. I love the stretchy tabs and complimentary shiny fabric at the tab area. It adds a little spunk to a stash. I am actually excited for Paisley to have a poopie in one so I can test out the barriers. The double gussests and stretchy tabs are what make Rumparooz my #1 pocket diaper. I know a mom whose child has a gastro-intestinal disorder and Rumparooz are the only diaper she can use and not have leaks. Rumparooz are available in front snap or aplix closure, solid or print PUL or minkee. They come with a microfiber insert but you will need to add more than that to the pocket if you plan to be away from home. I like to add a prefold to pockets for night (in addition to the microfiber).
All pocket diapers require an insert for absorbency. Some examples of inserts include: Loopy Do, Berry Plush, Green Acre Designs, Happy Heinys, Cotton Babies, and Thirsties. Infant prefolds and microfiber towels (located in the automotive section of stores) can also be used. The most absorbent of the natural fiber inserts include hemp or bamboo. When using hemp with another insert place the hemp on bottom. It absorbs a lot but is slow to do so, therefore, a steady trickle is better than a fast stream. And don’t forget that prefolds and hemp require many washings before they reach full absorbency potential.
For more info on how to use pockets and other types of cloth diapers, check out my “Ultimate Guide to Cloth Diapers”.
Topics: cloth diapers, pockets |
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:31 am
Thanks for the reviews, Autumn! We’re a pocket family… using mostly Happy Heiney’s and BG OS. But, after your rave review, I just ordered a Rumparooz OS (the cute Suzi print) with some RME money I had. Can’t wait to try it out!!
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:14 am
Awesome! I am loving them so much. During the writing of this post I bought myself a bamboo GAD. Just when I think I have all I need I sell myself on something new, lol!
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:58 am
Oh! Pockets are my favorites! I bought one of the Rumpsters OH! (Original Hemp)s and am liking it. It is a “faux pocket.” It has flaps that lay down over the stuffer/doubler so you can choose to put the hemp or the microfiber against the baby’s skin. It makes dumping in the pail easy - no pee on the hands. Also, dries quicker than my others. AND has those huge poo grooves along the side - AKA double gussets (the way double gussets should be). Thinking about adding a few at a time to my stash.
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
I started out using prefolds ocassionally with my first one. Now with my second baby I’ve been using only AIOs, but then ventured recently to add some Tiny Tush OS pockets…and I am now loving the pockets…how quick they dry, and able to easily add a doubler of one type or another to make it through the night. I’m so glad you reminded me that I can use these with fitteds as the cover! I really am loving the pocket, and may just add a few more. Thanks for the review!
May 11th, 2008 at 2:56 am
This article has been included in the latest edition of Mom’s Blogging Carnival.
May 11th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Thanks for participating in this week’s Carnival of Family Life, hosted at Write from Karen! Be sure to stop by on Monday, May 12, 2008, and peruse the other wonderful articles included in this week’s edition!