Flip Cloth Diaper Review

After the gdiaper failure, I went back to the store and asked for advice on purchasing other AI2 diapers. The girl working recommended the Flip AI2s. I purchased a kit containing two covers and 6 Stay-dry inserts.  Here is the website description of the Flip system.

Description

The Flip™ Diaper System is a flexible, hybrid cloth diapering system that provides options for every occasion. The one-size cover and three choices in absorbent inserts make diapering your baby less expensive, easy and perfect for where-ever, when-ever.

FLIP™ IS AS EASY AS 1, 2, 3

1. TOSS the used insert in your diaper pail

2. CHOOSE the best insert for the occasion: Stay-Dry, Organic or Disposable

3. REUSE the cover

FLIP WITH STAY-DRY INSERT

A Flip diaper cover used with a Stay-Dry Insert is perfect for overnight & anytime use. Made of 3 ultra-absorbent layers of microfiber and a smooth stay-dry suede cloth that wicks moisture from your baby’s bum. Flip Stay-Dry Inserts work to keep your baby drier, longer.

Here is my review.

The Flip Stay-Dry inserts are by far my favorite inserts (pictured below.) They are a great length for front to back coverage and they are one size, so you don't have to buy new ones every time your baby grows. They have pre-sewn lines so you know where to fold them for each size. The inserts work with every waterproof cover I tried. They are trim and very absorbent! The disposable inserts are cheaper than the gdiaper ones, but other than that are exactly the same.

The covers come in a small variety of colors and are one size for 8-35lbs. Definitely a money saver. They are quick drying so you can wash them off and they are dry before the next change. You can also wipe them out with a wipe during each change in order to remove any urine that is inside and they are dry within a minute or two. 

My only issue with the Flip Diaper is the flaps that you tuck the inserts under. Since they are on top of the insert they tend to get soiled quickly. If your child has a BM, it will definitely get on the back flap and the front flap gets wet with urine. Since the material is the same as the outer material it is more absorbent and therefore keeps the moisture against the babies skin. I just didn't tuck the inserts under the flaps to eliminate the problem, and found the diapers also fit better that way.

For overnight coverage, I use a Stay-Dry insert and a disposable insert. The Stay-dry absorbs anything that gets through the disposable and we haven't had any leaks. 

8lbs

20lbs

Stay-dry insert

Gdiaper review

When I originally decided to cloth diaper I chose the gdiaper system because I loved the idea of a diaper that could use cloth as well as a biodegradable insert. I also wanted a cover that could be reused so I didn't have to purchase as many diapers. This was the only AI2 diaper I had heard of. I started with two small covers, 4 snap in liners, 6 cloth inserts, and two packs of the biodegradable inserts. The diapers are very cute and trim, but I couldn't get them to stop leaking.
The biodegradable inserts are flat and thin. The breastmilk poop just slides right off and onto the snap in liner and typically out of the liner onto the cover. This meant I had to change the cover each time, which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place. They were very absorbent, but not enough for overnight coverage.
The cloth inserts are much shorter than other brands and didn't give the front to back coverage needed. My son was of average height and a little below in weight, so it wasn't an issue of a large baby. I even tried using the medium/large inserts and they still leaked. They were not very absorbent even after going through all the prep work. The liners and snaps also left marks on my sons skin. You could see the imprints from the snaps and red puckered skin from the elastic around the liner.
I spoke with some other users and retailers for support and they said they had the same problems with the diapers. The retailer also informed me that he has heard the same from several other customers.
I do have to say that the gdiaper company has great customer service. They encourage their customers to contact them with any questions or concerns and have a great facebook community to discuss your gdiapers.

Cloth Diaper Terminology

I am currently working on a cloth diaper review and thought it would be a good idea to first offer up a rundown of the different types of diapers and how they work.

AIO-All in One. These basically work like a disposable diaper without the waste. It has all the absorbent material built in and a waterproof outer shell. You just put a diaper on, then when it is soiled, you take the whole thing off and put a new one on. The whole diaper goes in the diaper pail to be washed later. You will want to dump any BM (bowel movement) waste in the toilet before placing the diaper in the pail. You will need enough of these to get through all your diaper changes as most of them are line dry only and need plenty of time to dry. You will want to wash the first half of the days changes in the afternoon so they are ready for the next day.

AI2/Hybrid-All in 2. These diapers consist of a shell (outer cover) and an insert. You can use them with cloth or with a biodegradable/flushable/compostable insert. The disposable inserts are very handy for when you are on the go and don't want to carry around dirty cloth diapers with you. Which ever you choose, you place the insert inside the shell and put it on your baby like a regular diaper. Most cloth diaper covers have snaps or velcro for closure.

Pocket Diapers-These look like the AIOs, but they have a pocket between the cover and liner where you can stuff inserts to increase their absorbency. You need to remove the insert before washing.

Cover/Shell-A waterproof outer shell that covers the absorbent cloth. There is no absorbent material sewn in.

Insert-A rectangular piece of cloth that lays inside the cover or is placed in the pocket.

Disposable insert-These diapers can be thrown away and will break down in a landfill (if they find their way out of the plastic bag they were thrown in :) They can be flushed if you have good plumbing. You do have to tear them open, dump the insides into the toilet, break it up with something, flush it, and then do the same for the outer part. Or they can be thrown into your compost bin if they are only wet with urine.

Tri-fold-Like the cloth diapers of old. These are what most people call burp cloths these days. You fold them into thirds, fan out the back corner, and place it under baby's bottom. Fold the rest up over the front of your baby and fan out the front corners. Place the back corners over the front ones and secure with diaper pins or a Snapi. A Snapi is a closure device that is a rubber T with teeth at each end. You place the top of the T across the corners and then the bottom of the T down the front. This securely holds the diaper closed without any pokey pins. After the diaper is secured you will place a cover over the top. You can also just tri-fold these diapers and lay them flat inside a cover like an insert, but this makes for a bulkier diaper.

Bioliners-These are a must! You will save so much time, energy, and detergent if you use these!!! Bioliners are what I like to call "poop catchers." They look like a big dryer sheet. You just lay them on top of the insert or diaper so they are between your baby's bottom and the cloth. When your child has a BM (works better for more solid ones) the majority of it stays on this liner. When you change your baby you just take the bioliner to the bathroom and dump the BM in the toilet then throw the liner away. I rarely have to rinse my diapers before washing thanks to these amazing little guys.

There are other types of cloth diapers and a few different materials. This post will give you an idea of the types of diapers that are in my upcoming review. Let me know if you have any questions or if any of this is confusing.