Review: Kissaluvs Marvels All-In-One Diaper*
Product Name: Marvels All-In-One
Company: Kissaluvs
Country of Origin: USA
Materials: Outer: 100% Polyester Urethane Laminate (PUL); Inner: 100% Polyester; Soaker: 100% Polyester
Diaper Type: One-Size (OS) All-In-One (AIO)
Weight Range: 7-35 lbs
Height of front rise at each setting (approx.): Small -- 16.5cm (6.5"); Medium -- 18cm (7"); Large -- 19cm (7.5")
Dry weight: 107g
Saturated weight**: 323g
Absorbency: 216g
Cost: MSRP $22.95USD
The Marvels AIO is a one-size diaper with an attached inner soaker. It is designed so that the attached soaker agitates out when washed, allowing everything to be well-rinsed and eliminating the need to stuff the diaper. After it is washed and dried, a simple tug pulls the diaper right-side out and at the same time pulls the soaker back inside the pocket. The closure at the waist is a single row of snaps and the rise is adjusted with a series of vertical snaps on the diaper front. The waterproof exterior is PUL, the interior is polyester fleece, and the attached soaker is absorbent polyester micro-terry.
Of the first five times through my front-loading washing machine, the insert only managed to agitate out once. I actually didn't mind this -- I figure that with the open pocket at the back of the diaper, everything was still being more thoroughly-washed than with a traditional AIO diaper. The absorbency of the diaper was adequate for daytime use for us ( I added a booster to the pocket for overnight). The fleece lining worked to keep the little guy's bum dry, but did seem to be of different quality than other pocket-style diapers on the market.
What I liked about this diaper was that it's made in North America (USA). I also liked the trim fit and that it is a stuffable AIO -- being able to add extra absorbency the the inner pocket is really great when you have a heavy wetter.
What I really disliked about this diaper was the design of the snap closure on the front. The very first time we put it on, in fact, we ran into a 'snap overlap" problem where the only closure options had the diaper far too tight around the waist or far too loose. A design change altering snap placement on the tabs or lengthening the tabs could avoid this.
Another problem with the front closure is that the width is too great for the placement of the tab snaps. If set on the smaller settings, where the tabs are snapped fairly close to the center-front of the diaper, the front corners of the diaper slide out through the leg holes. I tried a few different ways of snapping to try and eliminate this problem, but they caused bunching in the front of the diaper -- it solved the problem, but created a new one. Again, this "wing droop" could be easily fixed by the addition of a couple extra snaps or by altering the snap placement on the tabs -- I intend to have a couple snaps added to the tabs, actually, to avoid this. I also found that the single row of snaps across the front make it a less stable closure than that of diapers using two horizontal rows of snaps, or using separate leg/waist snaps -- I find that even when snug at the waist, this diaper gapes a bit at the legs, something a leg snap would eliminate.
All of that aside, people who like the fit of the Marvels fitted diaper will like this -- the cut and fit are very similar and the added convenience of the built-in cover and soaker make this a good choice for a diaper bag.
My verdict:
While I didn't hate this diaper, I also didn't love it. It's a decent addition to a diaper stash and certainly easy to use for people apprehensive about using cloth. I can see how not needing to fumble for a soaker to stuff inside the diaper would be useful and could simplify the diapering process. It isn't quite up to par with my exacting standards for fit, though, and good fit at the waist and legs is crucial to successful cloth diapering! I wouldn't go out of my way to buy this product, but it isn't a bad diaper.
The baby and I give it 2.5 thumbs up.
*Disclosure: This diaper was provided free-of-charge for review.
** Clean, dry diaper thoroughly soaked in water and then allowed to hang for 15min, until no more water dripped from fabric.