Green Sprout Baby Review and Giveaway

April 8th, 2011
4:14pm
Green Sprout Baby is a home-based cloth diaper company run by Rena and her mom, Lyn. Like many mom-trepreneurs, Rena couldn't find a cloth diaper that fit all of her cloth diapering needs. Using her skills as a fashion designer, she started making her own diapers. Green Sprout Baby has been offering fitted cloth diapers and fleece and wool covers since 2007.

The Green Sprout Baby line of diapers includes 5 size options to find the optimum fit for your baby (see chart below). The EVO and the ML (Medium Long) are essentially the same, but the EVO has some great added features. The EVO can accommodate smaller babies (6 lbs and up) as it has a snap down rise. It also has 3 hip snaps to prevent wing droopage. The EVO can work like a one size diaper for most babies. The EVO also offers a snap flap for the third snap when baby doesn't need it any longer. The flap makes it so the male end of the snap does not dig into babies skin when wearing.

The Review:

I received the EVO in Zen Garden for review. This fitted diaper is equipped with a total of 11 optional layers of bamboo. The diaper is comprised of an outer shell with a knit print, a hidden layer of bamboo and another layer of organic bamboo on top. There are two snap-in inserts, one with three layers of bamboo topped in organic bamboo velour. The other insert snaps into the first insert on the bottom so no snaps touch baby and has four layers of bamboo (somehow the doubler I received has three layers instead of four).

The EVO has three snaps on each tab. Since the EVO can fit babies 6-35lbs, it has a Snap Flap that protects you baby from the male end of the snap when they no longer need the third snap. Since I received my diaper for review, Rena has updated the Snap Flap design. The diaper I have has a flap that folds down instead of to the side. I found these to add bulk to the front, especially for smaller babies.

Ease of Use: If you dislike snaps, this diaper is not for you! There are a total of six snaps that need to be done. Plus you will need a cover since these are fitted diapers. After using the diaper the first few times to figure out what snap your baby is on, it's not bad. I prefer snaps to velcro, so it doesn't bother me.

Fit: I'm really sorry to say that this diaper doesn't fit Charlotte anymore. She wore it for a little less than a month and a half. Being the EVO, this diaper is suppose to fit babies 6-35lbs. I have no doubt this diaper would fit a newborn; straight out of the womb even. I don't know if it would fit a larger baby. Charlotte is chunky and has a high rise (17.5lbs at 4 months and a 17.5" rise) but that is well within the diaper's limits. I measured the diaper and it has shrunk significantly. The rise is now that of a newborn diaper (14") and the snap down rise setting looks like a premie diaper (11.5"). I washed it per care instructions. To me it looks as if the knit has shrunk and the bamboo velour inner has not. When I stretch the diaper, the cotton is taught but the velour looks like it still has more room to stretch. Because of the shrinking, the inserts now hang out the top of the diaper.

That being said, I really like this diaper when it fit. It was snug around the legs, yet gentle and left no marks. Great for my chunky baby. It was slightly bulky around the snap flaps but those have been re-designed. Surprisingly trim with 10 absorbent layers.

Performance: I loved this diaper for overnight! Charlotte is an above average wetter and this held up nicely! Paired with a wool cover it was bullet proof. We didn't have leaks until she started to outgrow the rise (her booty crack is literally hanging out of the diaper like a little baby plumber). I really enjoyed this diaper and am sad that the knit shrunk. There is some slight pilling on the knit print. I also experienced a hole in the knit near the leg elastic. It appears as if the elastic was rubbing on the print and made a slight hole. (See photo below) This might also have happened because of the uneven amount of tension on the cotton and the velour due to the shrinking.

Care: I chose to unsnap the doublers from the diaper when i threw it into the washer. It washed up nice and fluffy. The diaper dried fairly quickly but the doublers sometimes took longer than one cycle. I often just hung them to dry if they were damp.

Materials: Cotton knit outer, hidden organic bamboo fleece, organic bamboo velour on top. Soakers are made from organic bamboo fleece and may be topped with organic bamboo velour.

Cost: From $19.50. There are many options you can add such as an extra doubler for heavy wetters or organic outer knit. Click here to purchase.

Overall Opinion: I think I got a lemon! After talking with Rena, it seems like the problem was the shrinking cotton outer. She did do a pre-wash before sewing but had not done many diapers with this print. All fabrics shrink at different rates and I can see that with this diaper. I really loved the performance of this diaper and the style. I would like to try another diaper from Green Sprout Baby like her Sapling Sprouts which is made of all bamboo. It's the same as the print diapers, just minus the outer print layer. Hopefully this would prevent the issues that I had with the diaper.

****UPDATE****
My husband, the problem solver, was trying to figure out a way to still use this diaper. He started stretching and pulling at it for about 10 minutes. He wasn't doing this gently! He said he was trying to stretch back out the cotton knit. Well, guess what!?! It worked! He stretched it out enough that Charlotte was able to wear it to bed last night with no problems! It's in the wash right now so let's see how it keeps. I can't tell you how excited I am to have this diaper back in rotation!

Picture of the hole near leg elastic.

Love how trim it is between the legs.

The Giveaway:

Rena has offered a Busy Little Bee fitted diaper!

Mandatory Entry:

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If you have questions, don't hesitate to email me.

Giveaway will run from Thursday April 8th, 2011 at 12:15pm (CST) until April 21st, 2011 at 11:59pm CST. Winner will be chosen using random.org's true random number generator upon the close of the contest. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hrs to respond or a new winner will be chosen. I was given a product to review and my opinions on the product are my own. Must be 18 year old to enter. Open to US and Canadian residents only. Subject to changes.

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