The Best Flat Cloth Diapers Plus a Little Challenge

Stacy, a contributor for KellyWels.com, recently wrote a great article reviewing several brands of flat cloth diapers. With her permission I am re-posting it with a couple of additions.

My first addition is Meg-a-Roos extended tab prefolds.  If these were widely available they would, hands down, be the leader in sales.  Top of the line quality, super absorbent, easy to use and apply and gorgeous!

I am trying my best to embrace simplicity.  Meg-a-Roos makes that attainable.  I have the bamboo velour extended tab prefolds and therefore am not able to use a snappi.  However, using a pin with these is doable!! Pins scare me, so if I can do it anyone can.  The extended tabs allow for easy pinning.

Meg-a-Roos aren’t a flat cloth diaper, obviously, but they are flat so I get to add them here ;)

My other addition is in regards to Sustainablebabyish flats.  As Stacy mentions, these too aren’t flat cloth diapers.  They are more a prefold.  When you think of a flat you think of a thin sheet of fabric.  Sbish flats are thick and squishy and lovely…oh so lovely.  I really really really (really) wish Erin would add an extended tab on these then I’d switch my whole stash over.

So which do I like better, Sbish flats or Meg-a-Roos extended tab prefolds?  Heck, that’s like asking which child I prefer.  Well, not completely the same but close.  If I had to choose I’d say Meg-a-Roos because they are easier to put on.  Camden has a thick midsection (and thighs) so stretching the medium Sbish flats–with no tab :(–around him is difficult.  I can trifold them but then they are about an inch too long for that yet. Overall, I like Meg-a-Roos.

Here is Stacy’s review of Osocozy, Swaddlebees, flour sack from Target, GMD, Orange Diaper Co. and Sustainablebabyish.  (back in 2008, I tried out Target flats)

Last time I wrote about how much I love flats and all the different ways I use them. This time I’m going to write about the brands of flats I’ve tried. The measurements given will be in “I’ve run these through hot water washes and hot dries to see if I can shrink them” measurements, rather than new. These are the brands I’m comparing. Left to right, they are:

• OsoCozy unbleached
• Swaddlebees print
• Flour sack towel from Target
• GMD “Cloth-eez” large
• Orange Diaper Company Infant
• Orange Diaper Company Toddler
• Sustainablebabyish (not pictured here)

So let’s look at them in this order.

OsoCozy Birdseye Cotton Flats. My measurements: 24×23 unstretched
I bought these for $22.95 a dozen on Kelly’s Closet
These flats are the bulk of my flats stash. I have 3 dozen of them, and they are stuffed in all of my pocket diapers and I use these folded in my GroVia shells. They’re sturdy, absorbent, and they can take a beating. They’re smaller than some flats, so they don’t work as well for larger babies if you want to fold them in an origami fold or kite fold, but are pretty ideal for pad-folding to stuff pockets or lay in covers.
*As a side note, I also have the Cloth-eez small birdseye cotton flats from Green Mountain Diapers, and I can’t tell the difference between these two brands at ALL- I had to give up and not review the smaller size of the Cloth-eez because I couldn’t pick them out from the others.

Swaddlebees Flat Diapers. My measurements: 28×28 unstretched
These were $15.95 for a pack of 6 on Kelly’s Closet- 4 prints, 2 solids
I was actually surprised when I measured these diapers. I had assumed they were the same size as the OsoCozy brand, but apparently they’re quite a bit bigger! Huge kudos to Swaddlebees, too, because these are almost an exact square, which I really appreciate! And ummm… have you seen the prints? Giraffes, elephants, polka dots… Oh my! If you like prints, then these diapers don’t disappoint. The cost is higher than the OsoCozy, but let’s face it- the prints make it worth it. And if prints aren’t your thing, the extra size may be what pulls you in this direction for bigger babies.

Flour Sack Towel from Target. My measurements: 28×27 unstretched
These are $3.99 plus tax, I believe, for a package of 4.
Really? You can buy flat diapers at Target? Apparently so! These are softer than the birdseye cotton, but you sort of lose absorbency with the thinner fabric. I don’t find these to be as absorbent as the birdseye- quite a bit fluffier, though! The size is bigger than OsoCozy, so they’re better for folding ON a baby, but not as good for stuffing pockets- the thirds are pretty big. I had to try these so I could say I’ve tried all the options, but I do prefer the birdseye fabric over these. These are great in a pinch or for very frugal diapering, though!

GMD (Green Mountain Diapers) Cloth-eez Flats. My measurements: 34×31 unstretched
These are $25 per dozen or $12.50 per 6-pack plus shipping.
These are the biggest flats! I think they could double as a small tablecloth. When I first opened the package, I had to laugh. But they’re GREAT if you want to use them in a fold- origami or kite, etc- on a toddler or larger baby. The fabric is almost identical to the OsoCozy and Swaddlebees birdseye cotton- they feel the same as far as thickness and softness go. The absorbency is the same as well, except you have more fabric to absorb liquid because of the size.

Orange Diaper Company Organic Bamboo Terry Squares. Infant: 23×23 Toddler: 28×28
These are $10.95 each for Infant and $12.95 each for Toddler
I had been eying these flats for a while, but they are a bit hard to come by. Blissfully, Jennifer at Orange Diaper is completely awesome and sent me some to try out! She even let me pick my thread color- of which there are 11 colors to choose from. Here’s a picture of the diapers when they came- packaged all prettily with a card included- it felt like my birthday.
These diapers are SUPER soft and squishy. Bamboo terry, while not being thicker than the birdseye fabric, has a cushy feeling to it- you want to wrap yourself in it. Hmmm… maybe she’ll make me a blanket… But anyway, these diapers are a perfect square with rounded corners, which is unlike the other diapers. It makes a NICE-looking front to your flats when you pin/Snappi them in front. And the absorbency is typical of bamboo- which is more absorbent than cotton. These are the flats I “save” for when I want to use a diaper I love. If you have a chance to try these (they’re stocking on Hyenacart on the 15th!) definitely do! They’re so worth it… I may be slightly in love with them.

Now, a shout-out to sustainablebabyish. Medium: 14×15 Large 15×18
These are $10 for XS-M and $12.95 for Large
These diapers aren’t true flats- they’re more in the style of prefolds- but they are called flats on the sloomb website, so I’m including them. I can do that, because it’s my review. These diapers are made of bamboo terry and have the colored stitching at the edges. They’re soft, they’re cushy, and they’re absorbent. Not only that, but they’re easier to fold on a baby than traditional cotton flats OR prefolds- the edges roll in better, so that when I use the angel wing on my babies, the sides make a really nice poo fence that contains well. These flats are also hard to get your hands on, but they can be ordered now and will ship when available. Squishy softness in an absorbent flat/prefold- whatever you want to call it. I call it “awesome”.

So those are the brands I have and use. I wanted to try Little Lions, but they aren’t selling them right now. I also didn’t do any hemp flats for this review- namely because I don’t use them the same way I use my other flats. What I use mostly are my cotton birdseye flats- and those are a staple in a flats stash- and the limited bamboo terry I can get my mitts on. Whichever fabric or brand you choose, flats are awesome diapers. I’m a convert.

Written by kellywels.com blog contributor Stacy. Thanks, Stacy!

You may have heard about the flats challenge Kim of Dirty Diaper Laundry is hosting May 23-30.  To find out more click the button below.  I am sitting this one out because I am moving next week!!!  I don’t need another challenge right now but I look forward to reading all the stories!

Autumn Beck

Autumn is a wife, mother, homeschool teacher, friend and most important a follower of Christ.