I first noticed the brand spankin' new cloth diaper vendor Giggle Life Baby Products early this year on Kijiji, while trawling for deals on new dipes & covers to round out my stash. Although the diapers looked nice and the prices were super-affordable, I wasn't able to find any third-party reviews on the company or products, so I decided to abandon ship at that point.
Thankfully, I came across Giggle Life again several months later via a blog review/giveaway. I entered and was lucky enough to win two of their diapers! Fast forward over 5 months and I can honestly say that these are among the first diapers I reach for in our now large (and continuously growing) stash. I love them, and so does our li'l monkey!
Then I got to thinking - this was my opportunity to "pay it forward" with my own review to help spread the word on these awesome diapers! I contacted the company to see if they would like to team up and sponsor a giveaway as well, and they were game! :D
So first things first - a little background.
Giggle Life was founded in November 2010. The (soon-to-be) founder had numerous family and friends who were having children at the time, some of whom wanted to use cloth diapers (since they are better for the environment and babies' health) but were reluctant because of the initial investment. As such, the founder started up the company out of a desire to provide a high-quality cloth diapering option that is also affordable, thus encouraging more and more families to go this route.
The company is able to offer their diapers at a much lower cost than most of their competitors as they use an online direct selling approach which minimizes overhead.
I asked my Giggle Life contact where the diapers are made, as there is currently no indication of this on their website. He provided the following information:
After doing some research and contacting multiple factories, we selected the highest quality manufacture. The diapers are made in China with care and high quality materials. The workers have a safe work environment and are paid a fair wage. We understand there are quality concerns with products from China, which is why we sourced multiple manufactures during our trial phase and committed to the best and a replicable manufacture. We stand by our products and offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We accept returns of all unused diapers and replace any defective items no questions asked but the offer rarely ever gets taken up as almost all our parents love our diapers for their kids.
I appreciated this thorough response, and it made me feel even more confident that Giggle Life is an reputable, conscientious and ethical brand, which is definitely important to me!
Alright, let's get to the diapers themselves, shall we?
Giggle Life currently offers two types of diapers: ultra soft and bamboo. Both are pocket, one size diapers which fit from 8 to 33 lbs.
The ultra soft is the more "standard" pocket diaper, with a soft & durable TPU-laminated outer and a microfleece inner. It comes with two large microfibre inserts and is available in several solid colours.
This is a great "workhorse" diaper - it is durable, performs well and is the more affordable of the two options. Learn more about the ultra soft diaper here.
The bamboo is their premium diaper, and the one I will be reviewing here in detail. It is priced just slightly higher than the ultra soft, however it is made from more luxurious, high-end materials and has some features which make it an even more attractive diapering option.
As I'm sure you've been able to guess, this diaper is made of....bamboo! (Funny that. :) Well, most of the diaper, anyway. The outer cover is a super-soft "minky" fabric and the inner layer is 100% natural bamboo. Two large bamboo inserts are included as well. Bamboo is a wonderful choice for a diaper as it is both super-absorbent AND breathable, which helps keep baby's bum cool and dry.
The bamboo diaper is available in six solid colours.
Let's take a closer look at the diaper's features. (Side note - you'll notice two different diaper colours in my photos as I ran out of time during one session and had to use the other colour in a subsequent one. So no, I didn't have an accident with beet juice in case you were wondering. :)
First of all, the ridiculously soft minky exterior. Don't you just want to reach out and snuggle into it??
The diaper's inner is mainly bamboo, but also includes a strip of smooth fabric over the tummy snaps to prevent them from poking uncomfortably into your baby. The pocket opening is nice and wide, allowing for easy stuffing.
Small setting:
Medium setting:
Large setting:
The bamboo inserts are just slightly shorter than standard microfibre inserts. (Bamboo's on top here.)
They are only about half the thickness, however, which results in a much trimmer diaper with a comparable amount of absorbency!
Our daughter S is almost 13 months old and about 17 1/2 lbs, so she wears the diaper on the medium setting. Here is a "mostly front" view. (She's a squirmy worm so it's pretty much futile trying to get her to lie still on her back!)
Side view - no wing droop!
Back view:
Leg and waist shots - nice and snug!
And finally an "action" shot of our li'l cutie - 'cause I couldn't resist! :)
And now the exciting part (for me anyway, hehe) - assessing the diaper using my new cloth diaper evaluation system! This is the first review in which I'll be trying out the system, so I'd love to hear feedback. Love it? Hate it? Any improvement suggestions? Lay it on me! :)
Appearance/Style:
+ Attractive design; looks good on baby
+ The diaper is quite trim, even with two bamboo inserts
+ No wing droop or sagging (extra hip snap on each side helpful here)
- Limited style availability - just six solid colours and no prints. It would be nice to see some more choices here.
Score: 3.5/5
Update (June 2012) - Giggle Life now offers some ridicu-cute print options as well, in both their Ultra Soft and Bamboo! Sweeeeet!
Performance:
+ In the 6 months I've been using this diaper, there hasn't been a single leak or accident
+ Bamboo inserts appear to absorb as much (if not more) liquid than the microfibre variety which are much bulkier
+ We've successfully used the diaper (with both inserts) for night diapering
+ Snaps are very tight, which means they won't come apart while the diaper is on
Score: 5/5
(Note: our daughter isn't a heavy night wetter, and we haven't tested this diaper in an EBF poop scenario. That said, the diaper has performed perfectly in all situations we HAVE been able to test, so I had no choice but to assign a top score here!)
Update (June 2012) - Only a single leak so far, and it was our fault - diaper was totally saturated! Otherwise our bamboo diapers continue to perform WONDERFULLY!
Comfort & Health:
+ Minky and bamboo fabrics are super-soft
+ Diaper does not leave any marks on baby's skin
+ Diaper achieves a snug tummy and leg fit without pinching
+ Bamboo materials are breathable, allowing ample air flow to baby's skin
+ Diaper does not appear to cause/exacerbate diaper rash
- Would be nice if the waist material was a little stretchy for ultimate comfort
Score: 4.5/5
Ease of Use:
+ Diaper is quick and easy to stuff via wide opening and even pocket
+ Diaper is easy to launder; no special instructions
+ Pocket diaper = single piece to put on baby
- Although the tightness of the snaps + extra hip snaps ensure things stay snug, getting everything attached in the first place can be challenging with a squirmy baby
- Inserts are not designed to come out in the wash on their own
Score: 4/5
Quality & Durability:
+ Diaper is made from high-end materials (bamboo and minky)
+ Diaper appears to be very well-made. No loose seams, flawed stitching, etc. are evident.
+ After 6 months of regular use, the diaper and inserts still look and feel almost BRAND NEW. The only change is in the bamboo inner; the material isn't *quite* as soft as it was on day 1. I'm amazed by the condition of the bamboo inserts in particular as they have remained in perfect condition. You definitely couldn't say the same thing about microfibre inserts after 6 months of use!
Score: 5/5
Update (June 2012) - After a year of usage, our bamboo diaper and inserts are still in wonderful condition!
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Total "Diaper Awesomeness" Score: 22/25 (Great diaper. Highly recommended.)
Overall Comments: Best aspects of this diaper are the performance (no leaks / viable for night diapering), quality/durability and comfort. Most notable drawbacks are the limited colour selection and possible difficulty (with a squirmy baby) getting the 6 tight waist snaps secured.
Estimated Stash Cost: $373.99
Calculation details: 24 bamboo diapers (bought in bulk) cost 198.99. Diapers fit from 8-33 lbs so the OS premium is $175.00 for a total estimated "stash cost" of $373.99. I have no reason to believe the diaper will not fit the 8-33 lb range as advertised, so no additional premium added here!
Update (June 2012) - The price has been raised slightly. 24 bamboo diapers (bought in bulk) + 48 inserts now cost $249.99. Still a great deal for such high-quality, well-performing diapers!
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Buy It:
Visit Giggle Life Baby Products to purchase your own stash of bamboo diapers! Individual diapers sell for $19.99 CAD, however you save a HUGE amount by ordering in bulk (10, 24 or 38) so this is definitely the way to go if you think these diapers are right for you. If you prefer the ultra soft, you can also buy these individually or in bulk at a large discount. Giggle Life offers various other baby products as well, including footwear, carriers and night lights. Free ground shipping is available to Canada and continental USA via UPS and Canada Post.
Bonus: For every 12 diapers ordered, receive a free pair of our cute newborn socks (valued at $7.99) by entering the promotional code "MTMBL" in to the order comments during the checkout!
Win It:
Giggle Life has generously offered to give away a one size bamboo pocket diaper + two bamboo inserts to one lucky Manager to Mom reader! Winner chooses colour from among available options.
To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Comments do not count as entries, however feel free to add a comment to remind yourself that you entered!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rafflecopter won't let me save my feedback in the extra info session, so I'm putting it here.
ReplyDeleteI like how detailed your breakdown is! One suggestion to maybe assign an overall letter grade at the end like A for 90-100%, B for 80-90%, etc.