Smartipants Review Blog -- WIN YOUR OWN!

Hopefully you have had a chance to check out: www.smartipants.com

Last week, I was very thankful to have received a Smartipants diaper to review. I honestly had never heard of Smartipants until a very good friend of mine (that also cloth diapers) filled me in on what they had to offer! I currently use pre-folds and the leading pocket diaper, so I was very curious of the advantages of adding the Smartipants diaper to my current system.

Smartipants is a One Size (adjustable rise) sleeve/pocket cloth diaper with 1-2 microfiber inserts (depending on which package you purchase). You can buy the Smartipants diapers individually or in a Smart Start pack of 3 (in a variety of colors). The website also offers a 10 pack of the Smartipants inserts separately.

Smartipants’ mission is to provide smart parents with smart diaper solutions. Smartipants are 100% green, environmentally friendly, economical, and made in the USA.
Sophia had the chance to wear the Smartipants diaper a few times and these are my thoughts!

A. Design

1. Pocket/Sleeve – Unlike the other pocket diapers, the Smartipants diaper has 2 openings. This is a nice advantage because you don’t have to pull out the insert before placing it into the diaper pail because the washer will agitate the insert out of the sleeve. Honestly, I don’t mind touching the wet inserts b/c I have to wash my hands anyways after changing a diaper. Since my review diaper only came with ONE insert, I didn’t get to test out and see if both inserts would agitate out in the washing machine. I actually found it harder to stuff the insert into the sleeve compared to the leading pocket diaper. It seemed to have a more snug fit (which could be a good thing too

2. Trimness – Yes, the Smartipants diaper is VERY trim with 1 insert, however, when you add a second insert, I can’t imagine that it would be trimmer than the leading pocket diaper. It is an advantage if you are only using 1 insert.

3. Snaps – Unlike most other pocket diapers, the Smartipants diaper uses a snap system versus velcro. When the diaper first arrived, I did not think that I would like the snaps, as velcro is so easy! However, I actually didn’t mind the snaps. There were "tight" but easy to use. I guess snaps will be a plus when Sophia is older and can figure out how to get out of a "velcro" diaper. Also, when wearing a dress, the snaps could be an advantage, as the diaper doesn’t "roll inward", which in the leading diaper, leads to the velcro rubbing against her skin.

4. Adjustable – As with most other pocket diapers, the Smartipants diaper will grow with your child. The weight recommendations for us are from 7 lbs to 35 lbs.


B. Absorbency. Smartipants has "Leak-Guard Technology to keep moisture contained and your baby dry." Their diapers are made with "breathable" fibers and are free from any chemicals or irritants. The Leak Guard Technology is the area inside the diaper between the leg casing elastic and the Smart Sleeve. The gusseted gap helps the inserts to absorb the "liquids" and prevents leaks.

1. Daytime review (2-4 hours) with 1 insert: Worked fine as I thought it would. She only had it on for 3 hours. No leaks.

2. Naptime reviews (2 hours tummy sleeper) with 1 insert: The first time I tried the Smartipants diaper for Sophia’s nap it did not leak during her nap. Tummy nap times usually produce wet clothes with prefolds/whisper wraps. However, the second time I tried it during her nap and her clothes were soaked all the way up her chest. I really feel that I need two inserts for a nap to provide adequate leakage protection.

3. Overnight review (12+ hours) with 1 insert: HORRIBLE!! After reading the reviews, I had a hard time believing that people’s kids would not leak after 12 hours with just 1 insert!!! After 11 hours, she woke up and was SOAKED (through 5 layers to be exact!). She was wet all the way up her back in her onesie, sleep sack, crib sheet, waterproof pad, and the mattress pad!! I wonder if a second insert would prevent leakage? The pee has to go somewhere! My only concern with the design at night is having 2 openings could be a bad thing as the pee traveled right up the back of the diaper!

Overall, I did feel that I needed two inserts for the diaper to give me comparable leak protection to my current pocket diaper. (Obviously, with a newborn and younger child, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, now that my 7 month old is eating solids and drinking a decent amount of additional water, she wets A LOT!) Plus, I use pre-folds during the day and rely on pocket diapers for overnight convenience and protection!

C. Cost

1. Starter Package (1 Smartipants diaper and 2 Smart Sleeve Inserts) = $14.95

2. 3-Pack (3 Smartipants diapers and 3 Smart Sleeve Inserts) = $39.95

3. Smart Sleeve Inserts (10 pack) = $19.95

Here are my thoughts on the cost – I know that all of the reviews I have read tout the Smartipants diaper as much cheaper than the leading pocket diaper. Here is my beef – I feel I needed two inserts to have equal protection to my current pocket diaper. If I purchase a pack of Smartipants diapers, which come in a pack of 3, they only come with 1 insert. I would then need to purchase a smart sleeve insert package, which comes in quantities of 10. Therefore, the total cost/diaper (with one sleeve left over not in use if using 2 at a time) is actually $15.32. If I just purchased all "starter" diapers (which come with 2 inserts), the total cost would only be $14.95 per diaper. In both ways, Smartipants diapers are still slightly cheaper than the leading pocket diaper, but not by much.

D. Laundry – Since I use both prefolds and pocket diapers, I only have to wash diapers Q 4-6 days. However, the times that I washed the Smartipants, they seemed to wash up nicely and dry relatively quickly.

1. ONE Question – I am very curious to know if the Smartipants diaper will begin to smell like the BG 3.0 without using any odor removal spray with each use? Since they are made of very similar material, I can’t imagine it would be any different? However, I would love to know if anyone uses both pocket diapers and has compared!!


Overall assessment: Once again, I am very grateful to have received the review diaper from Smartipants! (THANK YOU!) I think the Smartipants diaper is of excellent quality and design. The Leak Guard technology is fantastic in the leg gussets. The extra row of stitching is very beneficial. The cost makes this pocket diaper very economical. I think the Smartipants diaper would be an excellent addition to my current diapering system for day and possible naptime use (if I had 2 inserts). However, I am still not convinced that it is as good as my current pocket diaper for overnight (which to me is the most important thing in a pocket diaper)! Overall, I am pleased with the diaper.


WIN YOUR OWN SMARTI PANTS DIAPER!!!
Smarti Pants has graciously offered up another diaper for me to giveaway to one of my loyal blog readers!! Here's how to enter:

Mandatory Entry: Visit Smarti Pants and tell me what color diaper you like most or give me an interesting fact you learned about Smarti Pants from reading their site. Leave your email address with your comment at the bottom of this post!

Extra Entries (as many as you would like):

1. Follow me or subscribe to my feed - leave me a comment letting me know you did (or already do).

2. Blog about this giveaway - leave the address of where it is (in the comment section of this blog).

3. Comment on any other post on my blog - then come back to this post and tell me you did (any post new or old and you can do it with as many posts as you like).

4. Leave your own personal cloth diaper tip on any post (only 1 per day)

5. Leave any questions you might have on cloth diapering or on this specific blog post!

The winner will be picked randomly via www.random.org. Contest closes in 2 weeks (8/12/09 at 11:59pm EST). Winner will be notified via email, so if I don’t have your email address, another winner will be chosen. Looking forward to hearing people’s thoughts and comments!! Make sure to pass on the website to your friends so they can enter as well!

BEST OF LUCK!!!