Kookabums/Kookabear Kids

Wow.  So even after months of saying nothing about this brand of diaper, I am still getting [annonymous] comments and feedback about the inner workings of this company.

Let me preface this review by stating that I love supporting stay-at-home mom/mom based businesses.  I really would love to give a good review in this case, but just keep reading and you'll see why I cannot in this case.  I don't want to lead others astray, and then cause them to hate their cloth purchase.  For future reference, if you have a high quality cloth diaper and great customer service, I'll be happy to review your diaper for you.  This is the ONLY diaper that I have been this dissatisfied with.

A little history:
I found a link on diaperswappers.com to the Kookabear Kids website.  Diaperswapper members had the opportunity to purchase diapers for $10 each.  A great deal.  Melinda (the owner) was most likely flooded with orders, as this price is well below her retail price.  I ordered three.  There was no note on the site about estimated delivery date.  I assumed incorrectly that she had built up stock and would simply ship items out.  Wrong!  Not that this was a terrible crime or anything, as I've waited for other SAHM diapers too, but I knew ahead of time that I would be waiting.  My invoice receipt said that my diapers would ship in 4 weeks.  Sheesh! FOUR WEEKS?!!?!

Please note, any communication between Melinda and myself (where she emailed me) went to my spam box for some reason.  She finally contacted me after 5 or 6 weeks through a friend that also ordered a $10 diaper.  So I searched my inbox and found an email that she'd sent, one week earlier stating that she was out of one of the fabrics I ordered.  MY FAVORITE ONE.  Bummer.

I got over it, picked a different pattern and kept waiting.  Older blog posts show my frustration with waiting.  She mailed them to my old address.  I sent her emails, and checked with her, and was assured she'd send them to Savannah, but low and behold, she shipped them to Evans.  Thankfully I am good friends with my former neighbor.  He intercepted the package, and I met up with him to get it.  (I just had to wait until I made a trip to the Augusta area to get it.)

So I meet up with Brad, all excited to get my new diapers after all this time.  I rip open the package in the car, and, ***what a letdown*** they look horrible!  The stitching was crooked, the leg gussets/elastic looked like she slopped them together, and the snaps didn't coordinate that well with the fabric.  On top of that, the argyle print was cut out the wrong direction.  There were blue pen markings on the PUL on the inside.  (These were AI2's with snap in liners).  The liners were snapped into the covers crooked.  Overall, they were terribly constructed.  I complained to Melinda, and tried them out.  LEAKED almost EVERY TIME.  These diapers were no good.

She emailed back saying that she was having problems with the materials used on the soaker pads, and that she was going to start using some new more natural product (bamboo I think).  She said she was changing her diaper from an AI2 to and AIO and that she'd refund my $ or send me new diapers.  I chose the new diapers like a doofus.  After being surprised by the workmanship, I confronted her, and this is what she said,

"Honestly, I didn't realize that they were so shoddily made and I am somewhat suprised myself because I have had such good feedback too... ;( I have been going through so much personal stuff lately that I have to admit I have been a little distracted. That is why I practically quit selling things until I listed some tester items yesterday.

I can happily refund through paypal.

I can also simply remake your order and see if it is better for you. You are more than welcome to keep the ones you have as compensation for all the crap you have been through with me.

I finally got a serger so I am serging my inserts now and I am hoping that will really help. I am also going to quit using microfiber and exclusively use the bamboo hemp combination because it is easier to work with and I find customers really like the natural fibers for baby.....

Just let me know what you would like to do.... I have to say I am very sorry.... "

I felt bad for complaining, but had her remake them, as $40 was too pay to not expect something, so I gave her another shot...it was my "compassionate" way of helping her since she was obviously going through something.

Fast forward a few weeks:
I get my new AIO's.  They are much better than before.  One of the four was backwards (how it closed) than the other three.  I thought that was weird.  The stitching isn't perfect, but it was improved and acceptable.  She added tags, which was a nice touch.  They looked really cute off of Jonas.  However, my son is chunky, and they were made smaller.  So they were too tight to really let him wear.  I put them on him a few times, but they leak.  Not sure if it was product malfunction this time or that they don't fit him well (30 lbs at the time), but in either case, I was tired of dealing with it, and didn't want to sound like a mooch.  Melinda also offered a freebie for blog reader, that I was going to do when I reviewed the diaper.  So needless to say, due to the dislike of the diapers, I decided to NOT host the giveaway (not to mention her customer service diminished after she sent the 2nd batch) because I was worried the prize would never show up.  I tried emailing her about the sizing of those 2nd diapers because I just wanted her to know that she should upsize them a little now that they were AIO's, but I've never seen any more contact from her. 

I was told that I would get some extra inserts with my second order because of all the cr@p she put me through.  I got the worst looking scraps of fabric.  They were all different, they were different shapes, some were serged on the top, some were really long pieces.  All were crooked and stupid.  What a waste of time. 

So I can't recommend Kookabear Kids/Kookabum diapers to you at this time.  Others are having issues with her too, and from what I can tell, she's avoiding those who have issues with her.  It is sad because the prints and the idea of her store, to have modern diapers was very good, it was just poorly executed.  :( 

Stick with some other brand for cloth diapering your baby....

(I thought I had better pics with the diapers but this is all I could find...you can barely see his punk diaper.  Oh well, he hates it too.)

Cutiepoops Diaper Review

CUTIEPOOPS CLOTH DIAPERS!

 

http://cutiepoops.com/

It's been a while since I reviewed a diaper...and I am so ashamed!  :)  I love cloth diapering so much and would love to impart the knowledge I have gained to you all faithful blog readers and followers.

I recently learned about a SAHM who makes diapers under the brand name "Cutiepoops".  I heard such rave reviews, I just HAD to try them.  She offers adorable patterns and I heard such great things about her style of diaper.  Unfortunately, when I started itching to try it out, she was closed for new orders!  She got flooded with new orders all at once, and was so back-ordered she closed her shop for a while to catch up.  What a great problem to have.  One day I happened to catch on facebook that she was going to try and add an in-stock diaper on her site as often as she could.  That's when I got excited.  I waited and was the first one to get that instock diaper when it was listed.  Maybe not the print I would have picked first from her long list of adorable fabrics, but none the less it is cute! :)  I paid $16.95 for it, and it I will say is well worth it.  Thankfully, she's all caught up (Whoo hooo!) and open for orders.  She is also stocking the "In Stock" section of her store so that you can get your hands on Cutiepoops faster! 

I give this diaper ***** out of ***** stars! :)

PROS:

1.  Adorable prints!

2.  Long soaker that you just fold over and stuff, holds a ton, but dries fast because it is long and thin instead of short and thick.  Great for those who want things to dry quickly.

3.  Diaper design - front isn't cluttered with snaps, she has an innovative snap/elastic mechanism in the leg gussets for changing the size (I have a one size diaper).  It is really cool, and was very unexpected!  Not that hard to change the size, and looks waaaaaay better than a million snaps on the outside!

4.  Good quality materials!  PUL is great, velcro is high quality, elastic is good.  We've used it about six times at least with only minimal wicking.

Overall I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this diaper!

If I had anything really negative to say it would be that it tends to be a tad bulkier than some other brands, but it really isn't bad.  Nothing like a minky Kawaii or Envibum in the thick/bulky department...just not as trim as say a FuzziBunz or a BumGenius.

We have experienced wicking a bit with this diaper, but my son is a super-soaker, and it was when I should have more frequently changed him.  That being said, she recently came out with a new style diaper with pul on the front to alleviate the possibility of wicking.  I will be buying some of those style very soon!

These are great diapers and I would recommend them to anyone!  They are fun, hope you enjoyed this review, and also the pictures of my little cutie in his Cutiepoops cloth diaper!  You can click the title of this post to be directed to the cutiepoops.com website!  :)  Show them some love and "like" them on Facebook!

More Diaper Chatter...

Flips by Cottonbabies...

Got a Stay Dry Day Pack - included two covers (I got Ribbit, I love green!) and six stay dry inserts.

I have had only one leak with these covers!!!  And it was when Jonas had loose stool and it was with the disposable inserts!  I love these diapers.  They are super reliable, and if not too messy of a diaper (just wet) you can just change out the insert and reuse the cover (I rarely do this even when I can though, I like a completely fresh diaper, but it isn't necessary and saves room in diaperbags!).  They are the trimmest of all of my cloth.  They dry super fast.  They are super absorbant!  :D  I FLIP for Flips!  I will be buying more of them later.  Stock of them is out at most online stores because of the recent Cottonbabies promotion.

Even though I completely love Flips, I hate the disposable inserts.  They don't work for me.  I got a pack free with my order, but they will be sold or traded soon.  I hate them.  Don't waste your money!  The gDiaper disposables are much better, and could be used in the Flips.

Just so you know how versatile these soft, comfy cloth diapers are, you can even use them over a prefold or flat or fitted!  But they will probably be the most trim (important for under clothes) with their own wonderful inserts!  Make sure you put the insert the right side up as microfiber (the bottom side) is irritating to babies bums!  This is why you can't use an insert out of your pocket diapers in the Flip unless you figure out some sort of "sock" or liner.

Hope this info was helpful to you!  I'll add pictures as soon as I can!

I heart Flips!!  They are the best, especially for a beginner cd user!  AND they are sooo fast to prep for wear, way faster for me than pocket diapers.

Until Later!
Meredith

Kookabums/Kookabear Kids

Great style, but so far, poor customer service.  I ordered as part of a $10 sale they had, a few weeks back.  After paying, I got an email saying they would be shipped in four weeks.  FOUR WEEKS!  That should be on the website somewhere, dont you think?  Just a tiny little asterick that says, *Diapers will ship in four weeks from time of payment received.  There wasn't one!  Goodness!  But the diapers are adorable, the prints are great, and very non-traditional...do they work?  I don't know.  Will I ever know?  I sure hope so!!

Jonas's bum will look super adorable in them (and he might go w/out clothes in them this summer!).  But they still haven't shipped, and I just got an email saying they are out of one of the prints I ordered.  I ordered almost 4 weeks ago!  Wowsa! So I had to pick another print.  Did I mention, she already sent me delivery confirmation?  And they haven't shipped?  I got a DC email form USPS on April 8th.  Weird!  So, not sure if I'll be able to recommend them to you or not!  A friend got hers and isn't that impressed, so we'll see.  All this waiting will hopefully pay off better than I'm expecting!  Until later (when hopefully I get my $40 worth of diapers finally!), when I actually review the diaper, be leary of this site!  So far I DO NOT recommend them!   Maybe they'll get it together soon, she is a SAHM with four kids.  I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised...as always, I'll let you know!

Comfy Rumps Review

So, I got a **FREE** sample diaper from Comfy Rumps, a new line of diapers on the market. I gave initial thoughts in a previous post, but now it has been used and washed three times.

After trying it, I would give this diaper ** out of ***** stars.

This is a comparison of the Comfy rumps beside Happy Heiny's (left), Comfy Rump (center), and a Kawaii (right). You can see they are comparable, the Kawaii is definitely more roomy. This might be a perk if you have a smaller baby.



Opened up:



Pros:
Pretty Trim diaper

Snaps are good quality

Elastic is tight

Inserts are the best part of these diapers - one insert absorbed 8 oz of water in a test that I did. The diaper comes with two microfiber ones, much like the Kawaii but with a little less quality stitching. Overall the inserts are great!

Price - super affordable option for cloth diapering!

Added absorbency - you can stuff until you get as much as you need, comes with 2 inserts, but could fit more (but adds bulk).

Jonas has to wear it all the way opened up (even though it is a one size and is supposed to last until potty training). Jonas is 11 months here and right at 30 pounds, over the 100th percentile. Your baby will most likely fit differently. I personally get the best fit (out of our stash choices) from the Kawaii opened all the way up.



Cons:
PUL is thin. When Jonas had a BM, you could see the brown through the cover. Yuck! I prefer a little thicker pul, as I have NEVER been able to see the contents of a diaper through a pocket before. That being said, 2 out of the 3 times he wore it, he did not leak. The third time, he wore it for 3 hours and it leaked MAJORLY! But I should have changed him sooner.

Lack of color choices - They might add other colors/patterns later, but for now it is pink, blue, or white. Pretty baby basic.

One row of snaps - I prefer 2, but for the price it is decent. Good quality snaps.

Biggest Con - inner material. While at first I thought it was soft, after washing it, it was pretty catchy like microfiber. Not soft at all. In fact the last time he wore this diaper he was really red on his bum (not typical with cloth) and I am not convinced it wasn't from this inner material. I prefer the softness of the Kawaii's and some others I have.



Overall, a good fit for my chunky monkey!



We will continue to use this free one, but for my money, I'd rather buy Kawaii or a more expensive diaper, as I don't see the PUL lasting long on these diapers. I think other brands will hold up over time.

I love the look of a baby in cloth, and while for me this was only an average diaper (comparable to Coolababy), you might think differently. I urge you to try diapers out for yourself until you find the perfect fit/absorbacny/price for your baby.

My Current Cloth Diaper Stash Review

So this is Jonas and his cute bum in cloth diapers. :) Isn't he precious? We are loving the switch to cloth! I so far have tried these brands. I will review them individually so you can see my thoughts.

1. Coolababy (* - one star, only because they LOOK good, not because of function) - these are the first "lot" of cloth diapers I bought. I got them in supposedly "EUC" (Excellent Used Condition) off of FSOT (For Sale or Trade) on www.diaperswappers.com. Unfortunately now that I have tried the ropes of cloth, I think these have shot PUL (the stuff that makes the outer layer waterproof on most pocket/all in one diapers). I've had no other issues buying used, but this brand is known as the "ebay diaper" and is generally less expensive than the rest. I was able to get 24 of them for very cheap. In case you were not aware, cloth can be expensive ($20-30 per diaper). Only expensive initially though, as you don't have to keep replacing them like disposables (which we have been using on Sundays in the nursery). So I got a huge stash of these cheap, but they leak. I contacted the seller, and I tracked the post, so I know she read it, but she didn't get back to me. If I don't hear from her soon, I guess I'm stuck with the loss. I might try the dryer as some people say it can "reseal the pul". So we'll see. I'd rather just return them. :*( Stupid diapers! They were so frustrating in NC, as I was trying to "show them off" a bit, and they kept leaking...now who would want to bother with cloth if they're gonna leak all the time? (Forgot to mention, these are one size snaps diapers, great colors and I'm sure new w/good PUL it would be a decent diaper to get you started. Since mine still looked brand new, I think they hold up well as far as looks go, not sure if the previous owner did something to ruin them though.)

2. Mommy's Touch (***, didn't win me over for an AIO, but I need to try a pocket in this brand to be fair)- we only have one (bought used for about $10). It is an all in one style, which is kind of nice because there are no pockets to stuff. It has a sewed in insert and a snap on doubler that we always leave on. Had no leaks with this one except overnight, so it will not be our overnight diaper. It is a one sized diaper, meaning it is supposed to last from birth (or shortly thereafter) until potty training. On my big guy it is on the biggest setting and a getting snug. I'm worried it won't fit long, but Jonas is about to walk so maybe he'll slim on down! :)

3. Happy Heiny (****)- This is a one size pocket diaper (aqua). It was my first favorite. I loved the contoured insert as opposed to the straight ones that come with other diaper brands. It fits him perfectly on the largest setting, with barely any room to grow. While this diaper is velcro and I expect it will not last like a snap diaper would, I love the ease of fastening the aplix instead of snapping. I get a better fit. So I am not anti-aplix/velcro. It is nice. I just hope it holds up for Jonas and beyond, as that would be the most cost effective way to cloth diaper (reuse w/other babies too). Had a few leaks but mainly from not changing him often enough. No stains, easy to care for. I give it four stars! :)

4. Tweedlebee/Tweedlebum - (***) Not sure of which of these two brands these adorable diapers are. I bought them because of the embroidery...lol. One has a pirate ship and the other a tractor. The inserts that came with these were cute too. They were a prefold type diaper w/flannel serged as a backing (one side flannel print, the other white prefold). Unfortunately, Jonas always soaks through the prefold, so I will be looking into another option for stuffing these bad boys. He is a super soaker, you may not have the same issues. These were the first diapers I bought that were a size (Larges). They fit nicely but will not expand. I don't particularly like how it snaps, as it seems "backwards" to me.

5. Blueberry (****) - I think this diaper is adorable. It loses a star because of how bad it "pills" on the inside layer w/washing. Doesn't look that pretty on the inside. The outside however is adorable (brown w/blue polka dots). The lady I purchased this from didn't send Blueberry brand inserts with it, so I have no idea how they truly hold up. I personally like the diaper overall, but it fits Jonas on the largest setting (it is a one size) pretty snugly. Works for now, and will for Jonas' little bro or sis one day.

6. Kawaii (****) The only diapers I have purchased new (got 12 on ebay for less than $100, shipping included). I have some minky, 2 overnight, and one regular velcro one. She seems to make several different styles. Minky with snaps, minky with square velcro (these have the laundry tabs), overnight/heavy duty (no pun intended?) w/snaps--our current overnight dipe, and regular with round velcro. Two complaints: one came with a broken snap, so I have to deal w/returning it. The other complaint is the square velcro, while I like the look better and the laundry tab, it seems a bit short. I can barely get a good "stick" on my chunky man, while the round tab velcro works wonderfully (but has no laundry tabs). So, these would have gotten five stars, but the velcro issue makes them only get four! I totally recommend these diapers, each comes with two super great inserts (though they are all different sizes...lol, guess they all vary by who makes them for April?) and are super inexpensive! I'll be posting pics of Jonas' animal print bum soon enough! :)

7. FuzziBunz - we haven't used these yet. I ordered them from FSOT when I didn't realize about the Coolababy's PUL and thought it was because they were too small. So a mama on diaperswappers sold me these XL ones (usually special order). I am kind of disappointed in the shape they are in (they are well loved apparently). I am not a fan of the snaps on them (ugly) so if FB still look like this, I wouldn't purchase any more of them. By the way, they are gigantic. I hope we don't need to use them. I think they'd fit a five year old. :( Duh Meredith! I asked the lady about it because the weight on the FB website said 40 lbs plus, and Jonas is only 30, but she insisted that if the one size were tight that this was the next size...wrong, should have gotten larges! Live and learn! ;) They are there if we need them though! All gigantic six of them!

8. I have a freebie diaper coming from a new company, I'll review it for you after I get it. :)

I really plan on getting a few BumGenius, Flips, gDiapers, and a few others as I can. Then I'll let you know my favs. ;) I am slowly building a stash! It is very cute! Pray I can either get a refund for those coolababy diapers or that I can get them to work! :) More to come on this topic later for sure! Gotta go!

Meredith