Need a trimmer option? Charlie Banana might just be the answer!

Charlie Banana One-Size Pocket Diaper

     Every cloth diapering mama knows the challenge of finding an outfit to fit perfectly over a fluffy bottom!  When Ben was a baby, I could dress him in any outfit from any store and it would always be a great fit.  Ben wore disposables.  Now with Eli in cloth, I find myself putting pant after pant back on the rack because they just don't look like they'll ever get over that diaper unless I go up 2 sizes and roll the pant legs 4 times over!  If we're just at home, it makes no difference to me how big his bottom is because he's usually in a sleeper. In the spring, he can sport his cute cloth bum with a top and baby legs when it's warm enough.  In the summer, I imagine he'll be in just a diaper and t-shirt, or just a diaper if it's hot enough, so again it doesn't matter too much!  Still, there are those times you just NEED that adorable pair of jeans and so you need a trimmer diaper. 

The trimmest pocket diapers in my stash are by far my Charlie Banana one-size diapers (www.charliebanana.com/).  They are my go-to diaper when we're doing family photos and I don't want Eli looking like an oompa loompa (as my husband calls his fluffy bottom).  If you haven't heard of these yet, they're from a great company called Winc Design Ltd which is based out of Hong Kong.  They also make training pants, swimming diapers, feminine products and other items.

I'll be comparing some features of these diapers to a one-size Bumgenius (BG) 4.0 and a medium Fuzzibunz (FB) to see the Charlie Banana features relative to other similar and popular pocket diapers on the market.  Charlie Banana pockets diapers come in sized options as well as one-size options (I've only ever tried the one-size).  They're your typical pocket diaper, with a microfleece interior for a stay dry lining.  They have adjustable waist snaps as well as adjustable leg snaps, making it easy to get a good fit.  The pocket opening is at the front of the diaper instead of the back, making poopy diaper insert removal less of a mess for your hands!  Still, I find it a bit inconvenient with having a boy since the front is always much more soaked than the back of the insert.  I figure though, either way I'm touching a wet insert so it doesn't really make much difference!  They have a larger 'flap' at the opening which is the size it is because this is a hybrid system, meaning you can buy disposable, biodegradable inserts that tuck under that flap to hold them in place!  Great idea if you need the convenience of being able to throw away the liner of the diaper and reuse the shell. Sometimes when my covers are dry but the inserts are still wet after washing, I'll tuck a prefold either into the pocket or under the flap to reuse the cover like a regular diaper cover.  


     As you can see from the pics, the CB diaper doesn't have snaps in the front to change the rise the way that the BG does.  CB diapers are adjusted by tightening or loosening the leg elastics.  The position you adjust it to is held in place by a button, and then the slack is tucked neatly away!  The adjustment holes are numbered as well, making it a really easy process!  This all also equals a custom fit for your little one!  They come with 2 microfibre inserts; a shorter one for the smaller settings and a longer one for the larger settings.  The very absorbent inserts are much thinner and the large insert is shorter than the FB and the BG.  This makes them very trim between the legs, but the lack of length in the large insert tells me it's not going to last as long as the BG (probably not even as long as the FB).  Still, I've put them on Ben (31lbs) and they did the job in a pinch but the fit was like a small brief (I guess again that's great if you're going for trim on your cloth diapered toddler!).  

(Left: Fuzzibunz, Middle: Bumgenius, Right: Charlie Banana)

    In general, these diapers are smaller than the other 2, as you can tell in the picture comparison above, so they end up being trimmer and you can fit more into your diaper bag at a time which is why I reach for them first when loading my bag.  I guess bigger doesn't have to mean better because I can always trust these diapers to not leak (as long as I change them every 2 hours, or 3 hrs with a doubler).  

   Overall, I'm happy with my Charlie Banana one-size diapers.  Although they might not last as long on my little monkey, they're holding a special role in my stash as my 'need trim' go-to that I couldn't do without!  

   If someone has a favourite 'trim' diaper I'd LOVE to hear about it!