Cloth Diaper and EC Babies
 
This is a guest review from Shelly - Mother of Islah Claire (9months old), from Calgary Alberta

Hello Fellow Parents!

I’ve had the chance to use the Monkey Doodlez Bamboo Doodlez cloth diapers, and they are, without doubt, the best performing diaper on my baby.

She is a long lean baby, and I was having trouble finding cloth diapers that fit her. We had been using Pre-folds with covers, and snappis to close them, and they were working well, until she started moving. We abandoned cloth and used disposables for a while, thinking we weren’t cut out for them.

I had a friend give me some cloth diapers to try, among them being the Monkey Doodlez Bamboo Doodlez. They are super absorbent, and don’t seem to have the solids adhere to them as much as my flannel Pre-folds did. I have had a couple of other brands leak, not mentioning any names, but I have never had a leaky Monkey Doodlez. I like the simplicity of use, my husband doesn’t seem to need any instructions on how to use them, nor has he complained, and they wash like a dream. My daughter motors around at the speed of light, so I’m guessing they are super comfortable. They don’t shift either, which had been a problem with my Pre-folds and covers, even before she started taking over the world. I can vouch for their longevity, as my daughter is the third baby in them, and they look and feel new, and so does the Velcro. My daughter is a serious mover and shaker, and the extra size of the Velcro tabs makes them a bit more secure as well, in comparison the other AIO’s I’ve tried.

My only problem with the Monkey Doodlez is I don’t have enough!
(Picture coming soon)

 
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How easy are they to use?
The Applecheeks Swim Diapers are relatively easy to use!  They do have snaps, so naturally scare my husband a little.  The snaps however, ensure a great fit on a number of different size babies!  All you need to do, is attach the bottom snap snugly around the leg, and then follow with the top snap to fit perfectly around the waist.  I personally think that they make a great baby shower gift - even for families that do not cloth diaper as they are sooo easy to use!!!
 
How do they fit?
The Applecheeks Size 1 Swim Diaper is designed to fit babies from 7lbs - 20lbs, and it was the ONLY swim diaper I found that fit my skinny legged little girl early on!  I finally found this diaper when my daughter was 6weeks old and about 8lbs.  She was still not fitting in any of the other swim diapers I had purchased, but she fit into the Applecheeks Swim Diaper right away no problem at all. (And she was not on the smallest snap setting!)  She is now 6 months old and 15lbs, and we are still using this diaper!  (And not on the largest snap setting) It is our favourite Swim Diaper by a long shot!
 
How well do they work?
The unique design of the material allows the water to move through this diaper and yet keep in all solids.  This also means that when you get out of the water, the water does not weigh down the diaper.  It dry's very fast, and keeps your child from feeling uncomfortable in a horrible wet diaper.
As we were just coming into Summer when my daughter was born, we have used this diaper a lot, and I have got to experience several bowel movements from her happening in the pool while using this diaper!!  And the great news is, that no nasties ever got out!!!
NB: Please note, that because the material allows water to travel through the fabric, pee will also travel through the fabric.  I usually just change my daughter into her swim diaper just before we get into the water, and have never had any issues with this!
 
How long will they last?
I have been using the Applecheeks Size 1 Swim Diaper now for about 5months, in chlorine and salt water pools, washing and drying regularly and it still looks great!  Rylee still has room to grow a little more in the Size 1, before she makes it into the Size 2! (Which we definitely will be buying!)  This diaper will last my daughter until she no longer fits it, and then will still be able to be used for the next baby in the family!
I will mention however, that I do wash this diaper with Rylee's clothes instead of with her other diapers.  I found that if I washed this diaper with any other diapers with aplix tabs, the aplix would attach to the Applecheeks swim diaper leaving minor pilling!  
 
Are they good value for money?
YES!!!  Spend the $20 and buy one or two for your kids!  They are a few dollars more than some of the other reusable swim diaper brands, but as the Applecheeks brand is adjustable the Size 1 fits approximately 7lbs - 20lbs and the Size 2 fits approximately 18lbs to 35+lbs, you will only need to buy a maximum of 2 diapers for your child before he or she is potty trained!  They come in 2 great colours, Bonfire (Red) and Corsica (Blue), and because they are soo cute and don't look like diapers, you don't even need to put a swim suit on top of them if you don't want to!
I know that I have already saved the purchase price, by not buying and using disposable swimmi's!  These are fabulous value for money!!!
 
Overall:
I was a little dubious to try these at first, but as it was the only one that would fit my daughter, I went ahead and purchased one....and I think it is absolutely incredible!!  It looks great and is definitely the best Summer purchase that I have made!!!  I would recommend to any family with little swimmers in diapers!! (Even the non-cloth diaper families!)
 
Also check out my Applecheeks Pocket Diaper review coming soon!

I was not compensated in any way for this review.  All opinions are my own.

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How easy are they to use?:  Monkey Doodlez Micro Doodlez are All In One Diapers that don't require any stuffing, snapping or pinning.  They are super super easy to use!  The velcro on these diapers is sticky, and it is very easy to put on to your baby (even a wriggly baby), just like a disposable.  They are even Daddy Friendly!  My husband always reaches for the colourful Monkey Doodlez if he has to change our daughter!  (And it was one of the only diapers he did not put on her back to front! :)
 
A bonus with these diapers is that the velcro folds back in on itself for washing purposes, so you do not need to search in a dirty diaper for a laundry tab.  The only negative is the velcro on one of my Monkey Doodlez diapers would normally come apart in the wash, creating a few diaper chains.  (This is only a problem if you have other delicate diapers that would pill from the contact with the velcro)
 
How do they fit?:  I used the size Small Monkey Doodlez Micro Doodlez on my daughter from a few days after birth (as soon as her umbilical cord had fallen off), until she was about 3 months old.  My daughter weighed 6lbs 12oz at birth, so I would say they fit her well from about 7lbs - 12lbs.  The velcro is able to cross over at the front of the diaper, making the leg openings able to get very small.  They fit around my daughter's skinny legs like a glove, not letting anything out!  The velcro also is able to do up further apart on the diaper for bigger babies, or babies with chunky legs.  The diaper is very trim fitting, and cuts a nice look!  I never had any "bubble butt" or issues fitting my daughter into regular sized clothing!  In fact, most people could not tell that she was not dressed in a disposable diaper!
The only other thing I would mention, is that the rise on these diapers is very low compared to other companies, and depending on your baby, the size small would not fit your baby until 18lbs as the Monkey Doodlez directions state.
 
How well do they work?:  The non-pill micro-fleece inners on these diapers is super, super soft and absorbant!!  I could often not tell if the diapers were wet, as the outer layer of microfleece would wick the moisure away soo quickly from my daughters bottom, that the diaper felt dry to touch!  My daughter is an average wetter, and we never had any leaks or blowouts with these diapers.  (And we did have some poops in these diapers, that would have been everywhere with some other brands!)
Doodlez Doublers can be purchased seperately, to add additional absorbancy if you have a very heavy wetter! (And they are also made in the same colours as the diapers.)
 
How long will they last?:  The sized Monkey Doodlez Micro Doodlez are hard wearing, heavy duty, well made (In Canada) diapers, that will easily last you through at least 3+ children, and then you could probably on-sell your Monkey Doodlez for a 1/4 to 1/2 of the original value, as they would still be in such great condition.  The velcro doesn't wear, the bright colours don't fade, and the non-pill fabric makes for an excellent diaper!  I have 4 Monkey Doodlez Micro Doodlez in size small, that were used almost every day for 3 months, and they still look brand new!
 
Are they good value for money?:  At approximately $22 each, they may seem a little expensive for a sized diaper, when you can get other one sized diapers for not a lot more, but in fact, when you take into account that you will be able to use these diapers for more than 1 child, (Usually the wear and tear on a onesize diaper would prevent this) and also the fact that you do not need to buy extra inserts, covers, snappis or pins to use these diapers, they actually come out to a very resonable price.
The Monkey Doodlez sized All In Ones are extremely good value for money, well placed in the marketplace against competitors products, and much much cheaper than disposables!
 
Overall:  I LOVE my Monkey Doodlez!!  In the first 3 months, these diapers were amongst my favourites, and the only ones my husband would use!!!  I LOVE that they come in lots of bright colours, and that the inside of the diapers is also coloured!  I never had any clothes ruined by leaks and blowouts, because we never had any!  They are unlikey to ever have any noticeable stains, as the insides are coloured.  My Monkey Doodlez are still in fabulous condition, and I will be buying more to go with these ones when the next baby comes!

Posted by Chantelle S.  I was not compensated for this review in anyway, and all opinions are my own!
20 October 2010

 
Hi there
Welcome to the Cloth Diaper and EC Babies Blog.  In the coming days, I will be sharing our adventures into the Cloth Diaper and EC World.  I will be sharing personal reviews of Cloth Diapers and other Baby Products I have tried, posting "How To" sections, and of course there will be plenty of giveaways!
If you have any questions or topics that you would like covered, please don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected]
I look forward to our exciting new journey together!!
Chantelle :)