Customer Reviews

Thirsties Duo Diaper, Orchid, Size One (6-18 lbs)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It may not get any better than this cloth diaper! Here's why:

Pros:

We LOVE the fit! These diapers are amazingly adjustable. My little man is tall and slender. I love that I am able to unsnap the rise to get a higher fit and still keep a snug fit around his waist. With other diapers, he tends to gap at the legs after a few minutes of toddling along, but the leg gussets provide a snug fit that stays snug even on his not-so-chunky legs. I know some people prefer snaps, but I am a velcro-girl all the way! Velcro closures are so much quicker and easier at the changing table and are a must if I want Dad to help change diapers.

We've never had a leak! Between the great adjustable fit and the great absorbency, we've achieved leak-free status - even at night! I do have to say, on occasion the trim on the gussets will feel dampish when we've got a overly saturated insert. But the moisture has never wicked out onto his clothing or bed sheets.

The sizing is perfect! I started using this diaper in size 2 at about 25lbs. We have at least another year before potty-learning. His 'one-size' diapers (other brand) have been on the largest setting for several months and already the rise is becoming too low. In the Duo Diaper, we still have one more rise step to grow into. I am confident we will get good use out of this one - all the way through the next year and beyond, if need be.

Cleaning is a snap! The sleeved design makes this pocket cloth diaper so much easier to stuff with the insert and to clean. Thirsties claims you do NOT have to remove the insert from the diaper before laundering - that it agitates out in the wash by itself. I was skeptical. But reluctantly gave it a try - and it really works - every time! With these, I don't have to reach into poopy pocket openings to remove a soiled insert. What a bonus! Hubby approves, as well!

Cons:

I should mention that some people may end up having to add an extra insert at night. We get through just fine with the insert that comes with the diaper, but it is pretty fully saturated by am. If you have a heavy wetter, you may need to double-up on absorbency at night.

I would like it even more (is that possible!?!) if it were a tad less costly per diaper. There are more affordable diapers out there. But if you compare apples to apples, Thirsties Duo Diaper does give you more for your money. Plus, they are MADE IN THE USA! So I am willing to splurge a few extra cents on that note.

I wish I had these from day one.

I rate this diaper a firm 5 out of 5!

Immediately after purchase:
I normally use prefolds and covers (including Thirsties Duo Wrap). This is the first pocket diaper I purchased, and I love it! The insert really does come out in the wash, and cleans well even when snapped together. The inserts can then be unsnapped when placing in the dryer (I line-dry my covers). This diaper will come in handy for babysitters, grandmothers, etc. I am still using disposables at daycare, but these might even be easy enough for them! I will post another review in a couple months as far as durability, as I have only been using this diaper for about a week or two.

Updated review 6/11/10:
I have now been using this diaper for a few months. I lowered the rating to 4 stars for a few reasons:

1) The snaps on the hemp portion of the insert broke after about a month. However, I must add that the company was very good about replacing that insert for me promptly when I contacted them.
2) The hemp insert takes a long time to dry, sometimes longer than my prefolds
3) Velcro seems like it won't hold up great, but time will tell...

Things I still like about this diaper:
1) Leg gussets
2) Velcro is easier than snaps for a squirming baby
3) Very easy to stuff
4) I like not having to pull out the insert prior to washing

We are now CDing full-time, using a combination of BumGenius, Fuzzibunz, and Thirsties Duo Diapers for daycare, grandmas and on the go (and prefolds at home). I like the all for different reasons. I like having the Thirsties Duo Diapers as part of my stash.

Updated review 8/28/10

I am again upgrading this review to 5 stars for a few reasons:

1) This is the only diaper that my daughter can wear at naptime without leaking all over the place. There is slight wicking sometimes, but nothing like when she just wears a Fuzzibunz with one microfiber insert for naptime.
2) She is still on the second rise, whereas her BG 3.0s are totally unsnapped. The BG 4.0s (I have 1 so far) are more generous as far as sizing, but they only come with a microfiber insert for the same price.
3) The price is great for what you get. The Knickernappies with the loopydo inserts cost $6.50 more per diaper.

I absolutely love my Thristies Duo Pocket Diapers. The inserts are very absorbent, working extremely well for my 10 lb, 2.5 month old heavy wetting daughter. We have gone 6 hrs without changing the diaper, and it still feels dry, thanks to the fleece covering. I'm buying these to replace some XS fitteds that my daughter is slowly outgrowing. At this cost, I have decided it is cheaper to spend the money on these pocket AIO, than to buy a fitted that is about $5 more expensive, and would still need a cover! We use these primarily for her daycare. I highly recommend these diapers!!

Updated Aug 24, 2010
Apparently my daughter has both a high rise and quite explosive poo, because she outgrew this diaper once she hit about 14lbs. We were constantly getting blow-outs. She would need her clothes changed about 2 times a day at daycare because of this problem. I ordered a Size 2, but it was WAY too big. It was so big in fact, that one day the poo leaked down her leg, inducing an impromptu bath at daycare. Now that she is 16lbs and eating solid food, the Size 2s are working out better. They are still big on her. But, with the solid food, I am not worried about poo leaking out anymore.

The absorbency is still excellent. I have never had a pee leak with these diapers, regardless of the size. I do highly recommend these. But, depending upon your child, there may be a period where they are in between both the size 1 and size 2, like my daughter.

After reading such good reviews I decided to purchase these to use when we are out and about because I figured they would be easier to use than prefold with a cover. To my suprise I was wrong.

Cons:
1 Almost every time I have used these they have leaked both pee and poo
2)They always seem to be lumpy no matter how long I spend trying to straighten out the inserts
3) The hemp inserts take FOREVER to dry in the dryer

Pros:
1) They come in cute colors (but so do the regular covers)
2) They are relatively simple to use as it is all in one piece when you put in on and take it off

Overall, I will not be purchasing them again because the ease of use does not outweigh the many cons. Yes you may save a minute or two putting these on and off compared to using prefolds and a cover, but then you waste even more time than you save having to change baby's clothes when the pee and poo leak through. I recommend using Thirsties duo wraps with either prefolds or Thirsties fab fitted diapers!

I have tried Bumgenius and FuzziBunz, 2 of the highest selling diapers on the market. Thirsties duos are my favorite.

I like that they fit a smaller baby. Fuzzibunz one size and the BG 3.0 are both silly big on a sub-10 lb baby. I'm fine buying 2 sets of diapers if they will really fit the spectrum of sizes that a baby will be from birth to potty.

Colors are adorable. And normally you'd have to buy hemp inserts for an extra $5+ so getting one along with microfiber is a big bonus. Hemp dries slowly b/c it's SO absorbent so if you don't like how long they take, use them only when you need super protection.

Best feature: that inserts agitate out in the wash. With Bumgenius you have to pull them out when the dipe is dirty. Yuck. Incidentally with FuzziBunz they agitate out as well though FB doesn't advertise that they do.

The velcro has come loose a couple times. Might be my husband not pressing it down hard enough. That has been the only leak we've had - when velcro came undone.

We love these diapers for our granddaughter! The gussets make them much less likely to leak. I love that they're all-in-one.

I bought one of these to test out when we were about ready to buy bigger sizes for out 3 month old. I had previously use Thirsties older x-small fitteds and covers and really loved them. I also bought a Thirsties Fab Fitted, a Wrap Snap cover, BumGenius 4.0, some prefolds and a FuzziBunz one size.
I was very disappointed with this diaper. It has leaked nearly every time that I've used it. I thought that this would be a good middle ground diaper for my husband and myself--he likes Aplix, doesn't really like pocket diapers, I like the option of one or two inserts. Once, the diaper leaked about 15 minutes after I put it on. I'm sure that I get a snug fit with the adjustable rise and aplix waist. I really like Thirsties covers but this somehow seems different to me. I've also found that the hemp insert has shrunk so much that, when snapped to the microfiber insert, they no longer line up properly and are a little lumpy. It seems like a really clever design/variation on the pocket diaper. I really like that it comes with both a hemp and microfiber insert. The pocket opening in the front and the back seems like it would be great for spraying out diapers. It just doesn't hold the liquid in for out little guy.

I thought that I had completed my diaper stash when I bought a ton of BumGenius size large all in ones. Then I ended up with a 30 pound one year old and had to figure something else out when they stopped fitting and started leaking even with a second insert. Enter the Thirsties Duo! I had used Thirsties wraps with prefolds for months before I got into pocket diapers and really loved them, so I was excited to try these. I've already bought like 10 and plan to just phase out all of my other diapers once I accumulate enough of these. Here are my thoughts:

1. You definitely don't have to remove or separate the inserts during washing. I use a front loading machine and have never had an issue.
2. When I do want to remove the insert before washing (usually to spray off the diaper) it is WONDERFUL to be able to remove it from the front. If you think about it, it really doesn't make sense to have diaper pockets open in the back, because that's usually where the poop is and you have to reach right through the mess to pull out the inserts.
3. The fleece is very soft and breathable and easy to spray or shake off. I feel like the fleece material in the BG holds onto poo and just doesn't breathe as well. This is more similar to Happy Heinys' material which I prefer.
4. The size two is fantastic for toddlers on up. I have size twos for my 14 month old and they also actually fit my 3 year old when he wears a diaper for nap.
5. The inserts can totally contain the liquid volume needs of a 3 year old. I don't know what kind of crazy person thinks that a single microfleece insert will be enough for a 30+ pound child who can down like 16 ounces of apple juice in one sitting. The fleece+hemp combo really works and is really necessary for older/bigger kids with bigger bladders.
6. I was psyched about this diaper because I loved the leg gussets in the Thirsties wrap. They're still great, but aren't as important now as they were when he was in his exclusively breastfed blow-out phase. Regardless, I've never had a leg leak.


The only cons I have are really small:
1. The inserts are rectangular shaped rather than contoured, even though the pocket is contoured near the gussets. This means that the inserts bunch a bit in the gusset area, but nothing that really creates a problem for absorbency or fit. It would just make them even more perfect and slightly trimmer if the inserts were contoured.
2. I've always had some trouble with all of my Thirsties products getting just the right velcro fit in front. I wish that the belly panel area was extended out around the sides a bit (like BG diapers) to keep them front from bunching up and drooping down. Or if they even just left the elastic out of the front it might help. There were a few times where I put the diaper on a little too loose and had some leaking out the front top because the diaper bunched and drooped. Now I am just careful to really pull the top flat and secure the velcro tabs in as close together as possible.

As I said, this diaper is as close to perfect as it gets out there, especially for those of you cloth diapering into the second year and beyond. I really do believe now that this will be my last cloth diaper!

We purchased three of the Thirsties Duo Diapers in order to see if cloth diapering was something we wanted to pursue. My husband and I both work outside the home and have limited free time, and wanted to try a pocket diaper that made the laundering and diapering process as easy as possible on us. No offense to the cloth diaper fans out there, but I just don't have the time or inclination to care for wool soakers or to stalk Hyena Cart. We just wanted cloth diapers that were REALLY easy to use and reasonably priced, and we have found them!

We have a 5.5 month old daughter who is right around the 50th percentile (average) for height and weight. We typically use Luvs brand disposables for daycare and cloth diapering is a part-time endeavor, mainly for environmental reasons. We wash the Thirsties using Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper and Laundry Detergent (Classic Rock, Bare Naked Babies).

Likes:
~ The double gusset really contains the diaper contents (even for an exclusively breastfed baby); we have not had leaks.
~ Washing really is very easy - just fold over the laundering tabs and chuck 'em into the washer. There is no need to reach into the pocket to remove a wet/dirty insert since they agitate out in the wash (although they stay snapped, so I unsnap them on the way into the dryer).
~ The colors we got (Meadow, Honeydew, Mango) are vibrant and would be great for either a boy or a girl.
~ Putting the diaper on and removing it is basically the same as changing a disposable thanks to the hook-and-loop closures. These would be very babysitter-friendly.
~ The diaper inserts are easy to snap together and stuff into the diaper.
~ They are manufactured in the USA and the manufacturing quality is excellent.
~ The fit is reasonably trim thanks to the two-size system; with the exception of jeans, our baby can wear clothing in her normal size. I have an acquaintance who uses a one-size diapering system for her baby and because of the bulk of the diapers she has to size up all of his pants.


Dislikes:
~ I think the sizing is a little off. We got the Thirsties when our daughter was about 4 months old and the Size 1 has been unsnapped and on the largest rise from the beginning. She is 5.5 months and 15.5 lbs now and they still fit but I just don't see how these could fit to approx. 9 months of age/18 lbs. Our child is a very average-sized baby and in the next month or so we're going to have to buy Size 2 diapers.
~ The hemp insert usually needs a little air-drying at the end of the dry cycle.
~ The white trim on the inner leg gusset is easily stained. Sunning the diapers takes care of this but requires me to use the clothes line outside - I work outside the home full time so it can be hard to get them in the sun.
~ There is some pilling of the material after repeated washings. However it doesn't affect how the diapers function; it's just cosmetic.


ETA: She outgrew the Size 1 at 6 months and ~15 pounds, which put her right around the 50th percentile on the growth charts. It was disappointing since we had expected to get her to 8-9 months in size 1.

We purchased a package of a half dozen Thirsties Duo Diapers in size 2. She is now 9 months old/17.5 lbs/27" long and is on the smallest rise setting of the size 2 diapers. I expect that she will be able to wear these until potty training unless the hook-and-loop wears out. We are still using disposables at daycare but she is cloth diapered the rest of the time. For daytime we prefer the Flip Diaper System due to the fact that it's an AI2 system and clean inserts for the Flip take up less space in the diaper bag than do pocket diapers. However the Flip will not work overnight for our baby and she is always in Thirsties Duo Diapers overnight - she has never had a leak!

Our little one will be growing out of size one probably within the month (seven months old). They have held up wonderfully and are virtually leak proof. We went on a weekend vacation and used disposables... leaked all the time! Reinforced my love for cloth diapering and Thirsties.

The colors are also super cute. In the summer time your little one looks "dressed" just with a prefold and thirsty on.

We'll be ordering size two soon!