Diaperkit.com: Review and Giveaway CLOSED

Here's the thing, guys.  Diapers are expensive.  Disposable diapers are the worst, and though even the most expensive cloth diapers save lots of money over disposables, they are some times just way too much for our wallets to handle when it comes to that one time investment.  I've grown my stash gradually for that reason, just buying 1-3 diapers with each paycheck--less now that I have somewhere around 30 diapers.  But I have to say that sometimes I just don't feel like spending $18 on a diaper even though I'm absolutely in love with all the cute brands that are out there.

Well, Amber at Diaperkit.com must have felt the same way because she did something about it. She offers pre-cut and ready to go kits for making fitteds, covers, AIOs (All In Ones), and more for about $5-$9 each.  You get the same exact quality as other modern cloth diapers but you spend half as much.  AND you get the satisfaction of sewing the diaper yourself and getting those bragging rights!

Straight from the mouth of Amber herself:

DiaperKit.com is a WAHM (work at home mom) owned business. I have five children, three of whom are old enough to be in homeschool.

"I decided to start DiaperKit because I love cloth diapers and love to sew them. I have used cloth on all of our children and twice we have had two in diapers at the same time. I've tried many different patterns and fabrics. Through my sewing experiences I came to realize that I hate cutting out patterns. There is so much tedious work that often leads to a sore back and neck before you can even sit down to sew. Why not have someone else do all of the boring part and I could just sew! So, after much discussion and a lot of preliminary work, I designed my own pattern and moved forward with what has become DiaperKit.com."

"YOU can sew fabulous modern cloth diapers  and we've got everything to get you started!

Forget about paying $16 (or more) each for modern, easy to use cloth diapers. Sew your own cloth diaper stash!

Get started sewing & saving money right away with our pattern and pre-shrunk, pre-cut, ready to sew cloth diaper kit package. For the cost of ONE pre-sewn modern all-in-one diaper you can get our cloth diaper pattern for fitteds and all-in-ones and a ready to sew kit! We've got great tutorials and all of our patterns and kits come with fully illustrated instructions as well as scraps to practice sewing with. DiaperKit is easy on the budget, easy on the earth, and easy on you!"

So, Amber was kind enough to send me one of her Deluxe Flannel AIO kits in the mail to review and giveaway.  Since I'm a huge fan of one-size diapers I asked her if she had any one-size kits.  She does not, but she told me that many people just buy the largest kit and adjust it themselves to make it a one-size diaper.  It sounded good to me, so she sent me a size 4, and I turned it into a one size, AI2 (All In Two) diaper.  Check out THIS POST if you're interested in that process and product.


I was so pleased with her kit, that after making a one-size AI2 diaper from her Size 4 AIO package, I really wanted to try a diaper in my daughter's current size.  Her kits just seemed so easy but I'd made mine more difficult by adding changes (which I loved, btw!).  If I was really going to review her diaper, I felt I needed to sew it her way as well as mine.  So I ordered another kit--a beautiful royal blue, size 2 Deluxe Flannel AIO kit.  I was able to sew it in about 45 minutes.  Check out THIS POST if you're interested in seeing that process and product."

 After using both of her diapers for a couple of weeks, I've decided to rate the Diaperkit AIO on a series of levels: 

Instructions: The instructions were clear cut and easy to follow.  They included illustrations and even alternate instructions for if you want to turn your AIO diaper into an AI2.  

Ease of Sewing:   I found it very easy to sew and I feel that this is a project that beginners could easily handle.  If you've never used a sewing machine before, I recommend practicing on something simpler like making a pillow or cloth baby wipes just to get the hang of using a machine. 

Ease of use: This diaper is very easy to use.  There is no pre-stuffing because it's an AIO, and even if you use it as an AI2, all you need to do is snap the insert in before using it.  It is so easy to use, in fact, that when I left my daughter in the nursery during church a week or so ago, I found that one of the attendants who is not familiar with modern cloth diapers was able to easily put this diaper on her (though she did put it on loosely but I find that most babysitters have put all of my daughter's cloth diapers on her loosely).

Absorbency: I was skeptical about how absorbent flannel alone would be.  I'm used to more fancy absorbent layers like microfiber, sherpa, and hemp.  When I decided to review this diaper I was worried that it wouldn't work and I would have to say negative things about it.  But I put it through all the paces and it was surprisingly absorbent!  Even more surprising was that, without a "stay dry" layer such as microsuede or microfleece, my daughter's skin was still relatively dry to the touch when I changed her.  Yes, the diaper felt wet to the touch when wet (unlike some popular pocket diapers) but it didn't seem to affect her any differently.  


Night diapering: My daughter wore this diaper a couple of times at night.  My daughter is not normally a heavy wetter at night so it was fine most of the time. However, on one particular night when she woke up to nurse many times, she leaked through the diaper.  I talked to Amber about this and she says that that most of her children needed more than just this diaper at night so she uses one of her fitteds with an doubler and a cover.  The next night, I just added some trim hemp inserts I already had and there was no leakage. 

Day diapering: It worked great.  No problems whatsoever during the day.

Poop bombs:   The first time I put the diaper on my little bunny, she christened it by pooping a big, messy, breast milk poop all over it and none of her liquid mess came spilling out onto her legs, sleeper or anywhere. I was very pleased. 

Closures:  The closures are touch tape with laundry tabs and very adjustable.  However, if you dislike touch tape, you can feel free to change that by adding your own snaps!  That's the great thing about this diaper is that you can customize it to your needs and preferences.  

Laundry:   The only thing I needed to get used to about this diaper is the drying time.  It's my first AIO diaper and I didn't realize that those types of diapers take longer to dry than my pocket diapers. So, rather than line drying it with my pockets, I stick it in the dryer with my inserts which works just fine.  As far as washing goes, the diaper gets more absorbent with each wash and the flannel gets slightly more stiff and I haven't noticed any stains, even after her poop bomb.


Price: Amazing! You'll spend from $7-$9 on one of these beautiful diapers.

Fit: Very good.  It's trim and the elastic is soft and gentle so it doesn't pinch her at all around her legs or her back. 

 Materials: One layer of waterproof PUL, and six layers of soft, white, flannel.

Colors: It comes in 18 different colors.  Also, there seem to be limited addition prints available from time to time and she has hand-painted diaper kits available.  

What I would change:  The first time I tried sewing this diaper, I felt that I needed a little more information.  First, I wanted to know what length of elastic should be used in each leg.  So I emailed Amber and she guided me to a page on her website that has this information.  Problem solved!  The second thing I felt could change to improve my experience was having a piece of hooked touch tape to practice with.  I asked her for one in my second diaperkit and she graciously sent it.  I since discovered that she sells extra squares of the hooks for only $.12 each.  I could have just added it to my order. 

Overall Rating: I feel that how this diaper works is partially Amber's responsibility in her choice of materials and her design, but also partially the responsibility of the seamstress.  My first diaperkit had a couple of obvious mistakes--one being that I sewed the elastic wrong in one of the legs and the inner flannel shows no matter what I do.  However, despite the flaws that I created in my diaper, it still works great.  So, even if you kind of both up your first try at a diaper kit, it will probably still give you great results.  My second diaper is close to perfect and has the same performance as my first, flawed attempt.  I rate this diaper a 9 out of 10 and I would highly recommend it to anyone who asks.  It's wonderful and when it's not in the wash, it's the first diaper I go to in my stash. 

Since I love these diapers so much I'm sure you will too! And besides, it's very empowering to be able to sew your own diapers!  If you're interested, you can go on over to Diaperkit.com and buy one of these adorable diaperkits, you can enter to win one here. 

Today is my birthday which is the perfect day for a giveaway!!!  Because my birthday is on the 14th, I will give you 14 days to enter to win.  If you want to win a Deluxe, Flannel, AIO diaper kit in the size and color of your choice, please enter this contest by Wednesday, February 28th at midnight.  

(For each entry, please leave your email address so
I have a way to get in touch with you)

MANDATORY ENTRY: 

Go to Diaperkit.com and tell me what kind of diaper you would like to buy including the size and color.  

EXTRA ENTRIES:

*1 entry: Tell me how you feel about sewing your own diapers and why.

* 3 entries: Blog about my giveaway and leave a link to your post in your comments letting me know you did so.


* 1 entry: add my button to your blog and leave a link to your blog in a comment letting me know you did so.

*2 entries: Follow my blog and leave two separate comments letting me know you did so. 


* 1 entry: subscribe to my blog via feedburner and leave a comment letting me know you did so.


* 1 entry: Go over to Amber's blog and then leave me a comment here letting me know one thing you learned from her sewing and knitting wisdom. 


* 15 entries: Order something from Diaperkit.com. Comment for each entry separately making sure to include your order number.  




Good luck and I can't wait to hear from you and share this wonderful gift with one of you!!!