"Necessity is the mother of all invention." -Plato
As some of you may know, I have dived into the world of cloth diapering with great enthusiasm! My journey thus far has consisted of using pocket diapers, mainly BumGenius and KaWaii Baby. But, here lately I've found myself asking what do I really know about the vast options out there?
So I challenged myself to try and find out what neat options are out there. My first endeavor was a new material concept! And I have to say, I am CRAZY about this new material. It is considered a greener option even to cotton diapers and has alot of advantages! What is this new material option I've discovered you may ask? Well if you haven't already guessed from the blog title; it's BAMBOO!
Now this isnt exactly a "new" option, as it's been out there in the cloth diaper stratosphere for a while. However it is brand new to inexperienced me! So I decided to take the plunge and try one out! This blog is my review of my experience with it!
I tried the KaWaii Little Green Baby Newborn Diaper! I got mine from Jack Be Natural's fabulous website: www.jackbenatural.com
Here's a link to the diaper itself on jackbenatural:
http://www.jackbenatural.com/kawaii-little-green-baby-newborn-bamboo-diaper/
When I first received my KaWaii Little Green Diaper in the mail I was immediately impressed. I chose the Iris Blue Stripes print I was thinking to myself, "OK. Can a boy wear blue zebra stripes?" Normally I try and keep the diapers I order gender neutral as I plan to reuse my diapers (of course) with my next child but I just couldn't justify putting him in the Red/Pink Stripe print!
SO, first impression. The feeling of the interior lining was my first WOW factor. Totally different from cotton, fantastic feeling and SO, SO, SO soft! The interior of KaWaii's Little Green diapers are made of Grade A Organic Bamboo and let me tell you, it's FABULOUS!
The outer material (the shell) of the Little Green is made of Minky TPU fabric. "Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) is a composition specifically adapted to produce non-porous membranes exhibiting waterproof and water vapor transmissible. The result is a high performance, durable, excellent water-resistant, cut and tear resistant, ultra thin and more breathable." (cited from jackbenatural.com)
The diaper comes with two liners, also made of bamboo. It's actually made of 3 layers of Grade A Organic Bamboo! The difference in the Bamboo liners versus the traditional liners I already own is pretty big! While I love my reliable cotton liners and they have never failed me, the Bamboo liners are thinner and less bulky, but absolutely JUST as absorbent and reliable.
I put my little guy in the KaWaii Little Green Diaper to test it out after prewashing it 5 times before using it (my standard washing procedure for any new diaper)! He was in it for approximately 6 hours and slept for 3 of those hours.
Final verdict on absorbency is:
NO LEAKS and Chase felt nice and dry after 6 hours and one majorly SOAKED bamboo liner insert. Here's a few pictures of my sweet little guy in the Little Green Bamboo diaper just to give you an idea of the fit and aesthetics!
The fit is FABULOUS! I've been a fan of KaWaii thus far and I've been using the KaWaii Pure & Naturals for awhile in combination with my BumGenius 4.0's. The KaWaii Pure & Natural is also the same fit as the Little Green Bamboo. For my little guy who is just now 10 lbs at 14 weeks old, a good fit is really important! The Little Green and Pure & Natural fit smaller and are far less bulky than my BumGenius 4.0's and many of the other cloth diapers out there. The Little Green Bamboo is actually titled a "Newborn" diaper on jackbenatural's website because it fits from 6 lbs to 22 lbs. For my son who is smaller, I feel like the fit is great and will last him a little longer than a larger baby!
These diapers in general fit more compactly and with less of the infamous cloth diaper "bubble butt"! All in all, I am totally sold on Bamboo as a cloth diaper fabric alternative. And what's more, testing the KaWaii Little Green Baby diaper has opened my eyes to the world of Bamboo inserts and wipes. I've decided to purchase bamboo cloth inserts to use with my other KaWaii's and BumGenius', since they offer equal absorbency but will create a less bulky fit! I have to say I am VERY excited to start using Bamboo a little more aggressively.
In closing, here are five INCREDIBLE benefits to Bamboo Cloth Diapers:
1. Hypoallergenic- Bamboo's organic and naturally smooth fibers are non-irritating to the skin, which make it ideal for people with skin sensitivities and other allergies.
2. Thermal regulating- Ensures that you are warm in the winter and cold in the summer. It's excellent wicking properties make it ideal for summer days. My son is a hot natured little boy and the bamboo seemed to keep him at a good happy medium!
3. Absorbency- Bamboo absorbs 60% more than cotton! Upon inspection of a cross-section of it's fibers revealed various micro-holes, allowing for superior absorbency!
4. Breathable- Bamboo fiber is porous in quality, giving it great breathability and is extremely comfortable against baby's skin!
5. Anti-bacterial- Bamboo fabric contains a natural occurring anti-microbial agent that prevents bacteria from cultivating, which means, ODER FREE. Seriously, this true. My son wore the Little Green Bamboo for 6 hours. Normally when I go to change a diaper that he's been in for that long, I can smell the urine faintly. It's enough to let me know that the insert is soaked and its time for a change! When I went to change the Little Green Bamboo, I couldn't smell anything. The insert was soaked, but there was no smell! I was thrilled! Bamboo fabric definitely lives up to it's odorless reputation!
SO, now you know! Yes, they make cloth diapers out of bamboo! And it is AMAZING! So if you're just starting cloth diapering and trying to decide to what types of CD to build your stock with, I would HIGHLY recommend KaWaii's Little Green Baby Bamboo Diaper! The prints are all zebra, but in shades of Olive, Pink, Bright Blue and Baby Got Black. Very exotic and extremely cute! Give them a try! I give you 5 stars with this one KaWaii! :) :)
