First Impressions: Smartipants One Size Pocket Diapers

One of my friends tried cloth diapering for a little while and decided it wasn't for her.  When she found out that I was going to give it a whirl, she asked if I would like her stash.  OF COURSE I accepted.  I was so excited.  Included in her gift were 12 Smartipants One Size Pocket Diapers.

At first glance, I thought these diapers were going to be great.  There are two rows of snaps for the sizing so there are three size settings on this diaper (pictured to the side and below).  The diaper is supposed to fit from 7lbs to 35 lbs.  Even though it is supposed to fit at 7lbs, I didn't think this diaper would have a good fit until at least 10lbs to 12lbs.  The leg gussets don't really get tight on the smallest setting so I feel that if they are used on a baby that small, leaks may occur.  I must say though that this dipe is a very economical option being priced at only $14.95 a diaper including the insert.

This diaper has a snap closure which I really liked at first.  I thought to myself that it might last longer than Aplix or Velcro.  Also, on one side you can overlap the snaps which I thought would be great for any custom fit I needed to attain (pictured above).  One thing about these dipes that I found though was that even though they were used and had been washed multiple times, the snaps were super hard to unsnap.  This really concerned me.  I kept thinking about how I would punch my baby or my belly every diaper change to get the things undone, and that was a VERY unpleasant thought.  I also started to think more about how the dipes only have one row of snaps for closure.  This concerned me as well just in case the overlapping feature wasn't quite enough to get that perfect fit.

This diaper features a unique pocket style.  It has openings on both the front and the back of the dipe (pictured on the side, you can tell this by the green stitching on the ends of the insert).  This is to keep mommies and daddies from having to take out the insert after each change before putting the dipe in the pail.  Instead, you can just leave the insert in, and it will agitate out in the wash.  At first I thought this might be cool, but I am not sure how that will work with our front loader.  Also, for me personally, I am not sure how much it is really going to bother me to pull the insert each time.  I would probably do it anyway for fear of a failed try at agitating out.  The other thing I noticed about this is that on the smaller setting, the insert sticks out on both sides, and it can be difficult to get it to lay flat inside the pocket.

Like all pocket diapers, a great feature is the shortened drying time of the diaper.  The inserts can be dried in the dryer, and the cover can be hung to dry.  The hang dry really doesn't take that long which is a plus.

I want to remind everyone again that these reviews are just my first impressions.  I have not had the baby yet so I cannot give a review for actual use of the dipes yet.  Even though my thoughts on these dipes tend to be more negative, I really really want to like them.  There are a lot of great features so if these hold up once the little one comes, you all will be the first to know.  You never know, my mind might be completely changed!!