RearZ "Eco-Kit" Fitted Diaper review

Due to our little Fuzzibunz PUL fiasco (which we finally heard back about...Fuzzibunz has agreed to replace them) we were in need of some new dipes, quickly, for a relatively good price.  So when a package of five overnight fitted diapers (with cover) popped up on EcoBabyBuys.com for half off ($44.55 including shipping, to be precise), I consulted the hubby and punched in the credit card number.

The diaper package was the "Eco-Kit" from RearZ, a Canadian company which manufacturers both at home and in Pakistan (covers in Canada, diapers in Pakistan). The company also specializes in adult diapers and other personal care products.  They appear to be a small company with a growing following.  The diapers we bought are unbleached cotton velour with a waterproof layer inside (not sure what that layer is made of...it doesn't feel like there is any plastic inside), and fastened with aplix (hook and loop).  We bought them in size large (I believe 24 lbs and up) since Jem will be getting too big for anything smaller in the coming months.

I had never used fitted diapers before, so I admit some trepidation when placing the order...fitteds are thicker and, I presumed, take much longer to dry than my beloved pockets.

I also had somewhat mixed feelings upon opening the package.  The diapers were fuzzy and colorful with rainbow trim, and very soft, but some of the stitching on the aplix was coming slightly undone on a couple of the dipes.  I also wondered if the diapers were TOO fuzzy. It is summer, after all! I didn't want Jem to be hot.

Upon washing and drying the diapers I found a couple of things to be true: first, they DO take forever to dry.  After three times in the dryer I gave up and hung them to finish drying. I have remedied this problem quite simply, however: since they are nighttime dipes and only meant to be used once per day, that means I only end up washing two of them at a time with my other diapers. So I throw them into the dryer once with the others and then let them take their time air drying, since I have three others!

The other things I found while washing them were that the laundry tabs on them are... well, a bit of an afterthought, really.  It's as if they just threw some laundry tabs on there because that's the thing to do with aplix diapers, but didn't really think about how best to do this.  They are too close together, literally right next to one another with almost no space in between, and since the diapers are so thick it's a miracle if any of them stay properly fastened...they all pop right open in the machine.  So if you get REALLY annoyed by aplix chains in your laundry these might not be the diapers for you. Also, the edges of the dipes get a bit frayed in the wash...not horribly so, but enough to be a bit unsightly.  Though again, since they're a nighttime diaper and meant to be covered, this doesn't bother me so much. They don't seem to bother Jem at all!

Now let's get to the positives: so far, these diapers work GREAT!  I especially love the cover.  It's just a plain white PUL cover (with pockets on either end inside if you want to use them with prefolds), but it fits over the bulky diapers perfectly, and we haven't had one leak! After being in them all night, Jem does usually manage to wet through the diapers themselves a bit, but this cover holds it all in...no wet jammies. Considering he's still several pounds shy of the weight specification (30 lbs+) for this size cover, I think that's especially impressive!  The dipes are bulky, that is, they're very thick, but that's a good thing for nights, and they actually look rather trim on Jem. So far the aplix on all the diapers has held up fine, and if the stitching becomes looser I'll just attack them with a needle and thread.



I actually love using these as our go-to nighttime dipes right now, which frees us up to use our previous nighttime diapers, BumGenius 4.0, during the day!

I'd love to give you all a link to buy these, unfortunately they appear to have been discontinued, since I cannot find them on the RearZ website or at any of their retailers' sites. (This would explain why they were listed at such a great price, and also the somewhat shoddy stitching on the aplix...clearance!)  They do have a new model though, the RearZ Smitten diaper, which appears to be an improved version...it has a pocket (always a plus for me!) and is supposed to be faster drying.  I would be very interested to try this new diaper in the future!

All in all, aside from a few annoyances, I really like these diapers and would recommend Rearz for your nighttime dipes!