Saturday, June 18, 2011

The Great Fluffy Review: Maude Baby Cloth Diapers

We're still a very fluffy family around here, so I was excited when Motherofasale.com offered to have the JabberWalky review their new diapers, Maude Baby.  It was even more exciting that it arrived just in time for his second birthday.

They're designed to fit tiny tots from 6 to 36 pounds as a onesize pocket diaper.  The lining is a friendly fleece with an outer of colorful PUL.  Instead of cumbersome and complicated snaps on the front of the diaper to adjust the rise, Maude Baby diapers use adjustable leg elastic to take up the rise, much like Rocky Mountain diapers do.  I am somewhat partial to this sort of design, because I like the elegant lines, and you know, changing diapers should be elegant.  It came with two microfiber inserts so I had the option of doubling, which is good, because Mr. Toddlerpants likes a double stuff for naps, and I've taken to doublestuffing most of his diapers just in case he has a bout of what we like to call "firehose."


JabberWalky immediately wanted to try on his new fluff.  He then wanted to climb around the living room, play the piano, and run around a lot so I couldn't get very many good pictures.  He's worn the diaper many other times since then, but my camera has never been at the ready while he was in the mood to hold still.
There are quite a few snaps in the front to ensure a good tight fit for your child, though I wish that it adjusted wider, as JabberWalky is a thin little monkey who weighed just under 30 lbs when he first started wearing the diaper, and it was already at it's widest settings without male snaps being against his tender hip flesh.  I am not sure how long he'll be able to comfortably wear this diaper, and I wonder how chunkier children of similar weight would fare.

I really want to like this diaper.
The first time he wore it, he promptly decided it was a good poop diaper, and I had to agree. It held all the "yucky-poopoo" without any up-the-back or sneaking out the leghole action, which is something one has to look out for.  The legs and waist fit nice and snugly.
It has remained a great poop diaper, even hen he had bout of diarrhea.

That said, I have had so many wet leaks with this diaper, it boggles my mind.
It seems to soak through where the snaps are with ridiculous quickness, or sometimes along the legs, and sometimes at the waist line.  If the point of failure was always the same, I would know how to remedy it, but it's not.
I know the inserts are working great, as I've tried them in other diapers just in case.
I figured it was human error and kept modifying how I stuffed the diaper, sometimes single, sometimes double. I take care with washing it, but I keep running into trouble with it.
Could it be that the insert seems a touch longer than the pocket itself and it usually feels a touch bunched in the front to keep it from sticking out the back?  I don't think that's the problem as I've bunched and folded other diapers before.
Could it be repelling? Nope, the inserts are invariably soaked, and they work just peachy when I put them in other diapers.
Could the kidlet just have a predisposition to oversoaking this diaper?  It's a possibility.
Could the PUL from which this one was cut just have been a little wonky?  It's possible.  I once had a Smartipants that would leak straight through, but another that held up nicely.  I can't say with certainty where the problem lies, and that bugs me.
I cloth diaper virtually exclusively. There was a trip once when we packed for 3 days and ended up spending 3 weeks when I had to buy diapers until the nearby public washer could be serviced and operational again.  Those diapers got a little more use when JabberWalky had sever gastroenteritis.  But otherwise he's a strictly cloth baby. I've been experimenting with different brands for years and the kind of trouble I'm having with this diaper has me very frustrated. I'm not used to being or feeling bested by a diaper, so I've been determined to make it work and work well. I'm not there yet, but rest assured, if I solve my issues with it, I'll let you know.

Would I recommend them?  Based on other reviews, I'd perhaps recommend trying a different color if you feel inclined, as bad PUL tends to happen by the batch.  It's cute, and sonling finds it comfortable. As a matter of fact, he seems quite smitten by it, but until I sort out my problems with it, I wouldn't yet recommend it.

They can be purchased online at MaudeBaby.com.  MaudeBaby diapers are $17.99 if purchased individually, but the price per each drops off as one buys in larger quantities.
I noticed on their webpage a "Flexi Tub" bath tub that looks quite interesting as well, and I've long been a fan of Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent, which is also sold on the MaudeBaby site.

If you have any experiences you'd care to add, feel free to mention it in the comments, I'd love to read what other people have to say.

Disclaimer:
I received a diaper for free in exchange for writing a review about my experiences therewith. I have not otherwise been compensated for this review.  Your experiences may vary from ours, and I hope that they do.

6 comments:

violetsouffle said...

Thank you so much for a good honest review. I no longer have a child in diapers, but when I am buying them as gifts for friends and my own eventual babies, I absolutely appreciate honest reviews. Also I would still probably consider this diaper, but in another color since the cause of your leaks seems difficult to pin down.

Billie Jo said...

Thanks for giving an honest review! I bought 4 from the Mother of a Deal offer. No reviews, so I figured it was worth the risk for the cost. I wanted to like them too. I agree with you on all counts.

Likes:
1) Liner wicks well and keeps skin dry to the touch (unless oversoaked)
2) comes with extra elastic
3) very adjustable - did you know there is an adjustable elastic in the back waist?
4) Washes well and does stay soft. I really like the liner - much like a felt.
5) Inserts work pretty well, but are long.
Dislikes:
1) Runs small - I think the problem is in the leg openings. No matter how I adjust it, they are always too tight , and the waist is still to big.
2) Leaks at the waist. I think I experience a wicking issue, since the diaper gaps at the waist, even if I make the elastic in the back shorter, to where it sticks out from my LO's belly.
3) the website promotes them as a hybrid and states they have a front pocket to secure sposie inserts. There is none. Has anyone else received a Maude with a front pocket? Only pocket mine have is the back opening.
4) Terrible customer service. I have attempted to contact them for fitting advise and to ask about the missing pocket and have gotten no response.
5) Website states they have a trimmer fit, but I don't see it. They are bulkier in my opinion, especially when you fold down the extra long insert and add the doubler.

Just my 2 cents. I won't buy more of these. I do not recommend them as they are sold now. Maybe with some tweaks they'd be better.

Danielle said...

Yes, this was a great review--very honest and one that I agree with completely. We bought 2 of these from Motherofasale.com and really wanted to like them. But sadly they are an utter disappointment.

In my 2 1/2 years of cloth diapering with various brands, Maude diapers are the only ones that leak each and every time we use them. I've tried doubling the inserts that came with them and I've even tried using an insert from one of my Fuzzi Bunz---still a leak every time that wicks out and around the leg bands and into the front of the diaper and then into the clothing. And it's not like I leave the diaper on long before this happens--it happens quickly! Mine don't leak at the waste, and I don't have gaping in the legs, so my guess is that it has something to do with the felt-like lining being prone to wicking side to side rather than in towards the liner.

In my opinion these diapers are completely worthless and anyone who does not want to be disappointed by cloth diapering should not waste their money here. Also, like the previous commenter my Maude diapers also did not come with a second pocket like the website states.

They are also NOT any trimmer than other cloth diapers. In fact, I find the material from which they are constructed to be rigid and thick, making the diapers not pliable around the baby's body and thus more bulky. They also don't fit well. There are no cross over snaps on the front so it is difficult to get a small waste setting... yet the leg elastic is extremely short so the largest setting is still very small/ low for a toddler.

I can only feel fortunate that I only wasted money on two. And if there was an easy way to return these I think I would---but I fear it's not worth the wasted effort. And I wouldn't even dare pawn these off on some other poor parents out there in the resale market--that's how bad they are.

Yes, maybe with some tweaks they could be a good diaper. But for the $17.99 there are so many proven brands out there with long track records.

Danielle said...

This is a correction on my previous comment. In all fairness to Maude, I was incorrect in saying the waste was difficult to adjust small. There is in fact adjustable elastic in the back waste. I didn't notice this... is it advertised anywhere? Anyway, just trying to be up front and honest, but I am still not a fan b/c of the constant leaking.

Karen said...

I tried these diapers on my daughter and had very bad leaks as well. I think the problem is the outer covering. It doesn't seem to be coated on the inside with that plasticky polyurethane layer. It just looks like two layers of thin cloth sewn together. The insert and the the fleece inner lining are great but the outside layer is just horrible. I bought 8 of these and I'm so disappointed!!

Rhonda said...

Karen, I agree with you! It seems to be the whole outer layer. Very annoying. I actually really like the look and fit of these on my 4 month old right now. If only they actually could hold the wetness in!