As we prepared to celebrate Jibber’s second birthday a few weeks back, I started thinking about what this next year would hold. His rapidly-expanding vocabulary and newfound abilities– shooting hoops, pedaling a tricycle– why, wouldn’t he be potty-training soon?
Actually, Jibbers has been exhibiting many of the readiness signs: he delights in waving bye-bye to the toilet’s contents, flushing the potty, and often brings it to my attention when he has pooped. He can say potty, diaper, poop, pee, stinky… and we’ve even had a few successes here and there, letting him run naked and loading him up with fluids. So although I love my cloth diaper stash, I knew it was time to start thinking about trainers, even if he wasn’t quite ready for them just yet. We had tried underwear, but Jibs is just too early in the game for that method, and the cleaning involved with a child that still doesn’t totally understand their body’s signals is rather tiring.
I scoured the internet for reviews of trainers, looked at the pics, the YouTube videos, the prices… Unlike cloth diapers, there actually isn’t that many options out there in trainers. Even fewer with an AI2 option. All-in-twos certainly fit my lifestyle better– the convenience and cost just suit us, not to mention the time savings and ick factor (stuffing/unstuffing pockets). After reading some reasonably good reviews of Diaperpin, I opted to buy some Fashionably Green Baby AI2 trainers for Jibbers. Here’s how they rated:
Feel & Construction: *****
Soft and stretchy. These have three side snaps, and snaps for the inserts on the interior. These are handmade by a WAHM momma, and the stitching all looks great and as professionally-done as anything I’ve ever bought from a major retailer. The interior is PUL material, and the outer is composed of a cottony knit that is rather soft. Several cute prints are available, and they are very trim through the crotch and sides. These have never left red marks, and all the snaps are well-hidden. Somehow they seem more breathable than many of my other diapers, which is definitely a plus.
There is nothing to hold moisture on the interior of the cover, so when wet, we just wipe and re-use the cover until soiled. Somehow, #2 always manages to get on the cover’s interior, but it all stays inside and I have had this experience with every diaper I own, so I don’t deduct any stars for that.
Sizing & Fit: ****
They are also sized, S/M/L, but since they are custom-made, you may be able to request custom sizing if necessary. Jibbers is technically a large, but could have gone with a medium. I knew he was borderline (he has such a large rise), but opted for the large, as I wanted to get the most use out of it. Sizing chart seems to be true-to-size and these also
s-t-r-e-t-c-h, so I would guess these may fit Jibbers for as much as another year if needed. I would prefer if there was a way to adjust the waist setting a bit, but they are also comfortable as is.
Absorbency: ***
I bought the “Night Pack,” which includes two outer covers and two different types of inserts– thinner, one-piece cotton inserts for day, and three layer, velour-topped inserts for night. The day inserts are extremely thin (like, underwear-thin), but held up for one Jibbers pee without leaks. Ostensibly, the child would begin to wet, and realize the need for the bathroom, finishing the job in there. That concept is still a bit beyond Jibbers yet, so I have not found myself using the day inserts much as of yet.
The night inserts feature considerably more in the way of absorbency, but not a ton more in bulk. Still thinner than or equal to most of the other brand inserts I own. These held up overnight and during longer day stretches well, with the exception of one episode that I can probably attribute to the more generous sizing and Daddy diapering (let’s face it ladies, we generally do it better).
These are both okay, but daytime inserts are certainly intended for a child in the later stages of potty training. They are not my most absorbent or my favorite, but we continue to use both types occasionally. The trim crotch does not allow for interchangeability with my other inserts or disposable gDiaper inserts.
Laundering: ****
Easy peasy. Inserts dry remarkably fast, and I line-dry all the covers with the rest of my stash. I do not notice any shrinkage after several washes. The interior PUL on my trainers is white, and does show signs of staining on the interior (but none on the exterior), although I do rinse all solids off fairly quickly. This doesn’t really bother me, but is a consideration for some, I know.
User-friendliness: ****
These are easy for Daddy, and Jibbers can usually pull them down by himself without too much assistance. However, when he tries to pull them up again, he has managed to unsnap the insert in the rear on a few occasions. The snaps make it easy to do standing changes too, which practicalmomma finds uber-convenient when you are at places like the mall or the beach, where public restroom changing tables are extremely small and require a careful balancing act.
Overall: ****
Solid 4+ star rating (of 5). Perhaps when Jibbers is slightly more potty-ready, I will like them even better. For some occasions (hot weather, baby that resists lying changes), these may garner additional stars for some users. I would recommend them, but take into consideration that the daytime inserts are not really meant to go more than just a wee tinkle. We will keep these in our stash and in our circulation, and when Jibbers becomes more *interested* in the potty, I will append this review if necessary, after additional use.
You can purchase Fashionably Green Baby trainers, diapers, and other diapering accessories from their website: http://fashionablygreenboutique.com/ or you can find their storefront via Hyena Cart http://hyenacart.com/fashionablygreenbaby/
practicalmomma 
