Mabu Baby Eco Diapering System Review and Giveaway

**Note: Since everything in this review is white, it was very difficult to photograph**

Newborn:  Fits 4-11 pounds

Mini: Fits 6-13 pounds

Midi:  Fits 9-20 pounds (up to 25 pounds for skinny children)

Maxi:  Fits 15-40 pounds (start at 25 pounds for skinny children)

When I heard that Wal-Mart was going to be carrying a new brand of cloth diapers called Mabu Baby Eco-Diapering System, to say this thrilled me would be an understatement!  Wal-Mart is a national chain that is available to millions of people and by bringing a cloth diaper to these stores; we can make cloth diapers readily available to everyone!

Price Per Diaper:   ★★★★☆  A starter kit from Wal-Mart retails for $29.94 and includes two shells, two pad holders, two reusable pads, 2 disposable pads, and 5 liners.  So to break it down, you are getting two diapers for this price or one diaper is approximately $15.  This is an average price per diaper.  You can then purchase additional reusable pads, Newborns and Minis in packs of four for $9.94 and Midis and Maxis in packs of two for $9.94.  If you are able to reuse the shells and just put a new insert in at changing time, this really drops the price per diaper!  Also, you can purchase packages of disposable pads for $10.94 and liners for $1.94.

Leaks:  ★★★☆☆  This diaper did well during the day time hours.  But I found it hard to get enough absorbency in this diaper for night time.  I tried putting two reusable inserts in (which was incredibly bulky) and we still had leaks.  I tried putting a disposable and reusable in, and she leaked.  I could not find a solution using only Mabu Baby products.  I was able to put one hemp doubler in with the two Mabu reusable inserts and get through the night, but this made for a huge bulk on Miss A’s tush.  Maybe in the future Mabu Baby will make a thicker night time insert.  We also had the Velcro diaper issues…Miss A could easily get this diaper off leading to a very messy crib.  So we were unable to use this diaper at night and nap other than just a few times.

Fit:  ★★★★☆  Since this is a sized diaper, there are no rise snaps or other sizing features.  This makes the diaper quite simple to use (similar to a disposable) however that does not mean the perfect fit for every child.  Miss A is about 30 pounds, well within the original size (15-40 pounds) and above the revised size for skinny children (greater than 25 pounds).  I have had troubles getting this diaper to fit Miss A simply because she has such a tiny waist.  The addition of crossover tabs would be my #1 suggestion to Mabu Baby.  This would be a simple solution to a problem that surely more parents than just myself have.  Due to the ill-fitting waist, we did have some leakage from the top of the diaper especially during naps/night time.  Otherwise, the fit was nice.  It is a little bulky/poofy overall, but the fit is nice.

Snaps at the front of the diaper holding the diaper pad holder in place.

Snaps at the back holding the diaper pad holder in place.

Ease of Use:  ★★★★☆  This is difficult to judge.  In some ways, this diaper is incredibly simple to use but in other ways, I feel that they could have made this diaper easier.  The diaper is simple in that you simply put the insert in and then Velcro on baby.  Done.  However, I feel that the diaper pad holder is unnecessary and confusing for parents who might be using this as their first ever cloth diaper.  Personally I would recommend to parents buying these diapers to simply take the holder out and just use the shell.  The diaper pad holder is secured in place by 3 snaps at the front and two in the back.  I feel that simply putting the inserts into the outer shell without the diaper pad holder is A. easier B. simpler C. faster and D. would probably contain messes better than the complex diaper pad holder.  Also, placing the reusable or the disposable inserts into the holder can be a bit tricky.  The reusable microfiber pad is a perfect fit, so you must get it in there just right not to curl and bulk.  The disposable insert however is a tad long and can take some fiddling to get it in there without bunching.  I think if the disposable insert was a ½ inch shorter, it would be easier. 

Washing:  ★★★★☆  Washing this diaper is quite simple.  Unlike pocket diapers, you do not have to unstuff or do anything to this diaper.  If you do not want to take the insert out of the diaper prior to tossing it in the washer, you do not have to.  With the open design of this diaper, the insert will agitate out in the wash.  If you are using disposable inserts, again you can simply turn the diaper over and let the insert fall out with gravity and not touch a messy insert.  The shell is a recycled polyester that washes up perfectly.  However, the microfiber washable pads do stain easily.  I believe some sun would take this out though.

Overall Performance:  ★★★☆☆  Like I said in the beginning, I love that cloth diapers are becoming more readily available to everyone and a supercenter like Wal-Mart is a perfect venue to open up a whole new arena of customers to cloth diapers.  I also love that this is an AI2 hybrid diaper.  Especially for parents new to cloth diapering and/or parents that travel a lot and/or parents that just aren’t ready for 100% cloth diapering, this is the perfect in between solution for them so that they can have the benefits of cloth while having the convenience of disposable when they want/need it.  However, I feel that the design of the diaper is more confusing than it needs to be.  The diaper pad holder is unnecessary and may be very confusing for parents.  I believe that a simple cover would be easier.  Also, you cannot reuse the shell if your baby poops.  Due to the design of the diaper pad holder, it is almost impossible not to get poop on the holder and/or the shell when your child poops, and the interior of the shell is not wipeable.  The interior of the shell is polyester and rayon from bamboo which is nice and soft on baby’s bum but if you get poop or pee on it, you will not be able to reuse this shell until it is washed.

I want to love this diaper.  I really do!  I love the idea and the availability, but as for the design, it was not a hit for me.  I love the microfiber inserts since they fold and unfold for washing and drying.  This will cut down tremendously on ammonia buildup.  Although unknowing parents need a huge warning to NOT put the microfiber side next to their child, the placement of the tag makes this pretty obvious.  I do like the disposable inserts, they are very similar to a post- partum peri-pad which is a little weird for me, but they are very absorbent and would be perfect for newbie cloth diapering parents or traveling parents.

I do also love the environmental aspects of this diaper and do want to mention them.  First of all, this diaper is made from thinner fabrics than many cloth diapers and is designed to dry faster in order to save dryer time and electricity.  This can add up hugely for both the environment and your wallet.  Also, Mabu Baby products are made from recycled materials whenever possible.  For instance, the polyester is made from recycled plastic bottles.  Amazing.

This is a great place to start for many parents interested in cloth diapering.  It is readily available at many Wal-Marts across the country and is an easy way for parents to take a step toward reusable products.

At this point, this diaper is only available in white.  Maybe someday in the future we will see some colors and prints!

You can see the list of participating Wal-Mart retailers here.  If your local Wal-Mart is not on the list of retailers, you can fill out a product request form here so that your Wal-Mart will know to stock this item!

Total Stars:  22/30

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