(Seen here in the Cow Print with Grobaby and Baby Kanga cloth diapers.)
Note: Review made at the time was without the use of diaper creams and only pee-time. Poop-based reviews were made in another post here.
The Happy Heinys Reusable Cloth Diaper is produced by Happy Heinys, a division of MLB Industries Inc but despite its big name, it is still a company made up of mothers and families. Apart from its one sized diaper, Happy Heinys also manufactures mini one size, pocket, fitted, trainers and diaper covers as well as accessories like wetbags, wipes, bum spray/wash and get this, cloth diaper advocacy keychains! It is one of the few brands out there which allows you to adjust your diapers to four different sizes and thus is suitable for newborns all the way up to toddlers.
Each diaper comes with one (1) one size insert and one (1) newborn insert so you have an option of using either one during the day or both for night time use. For more on the design, features and look of the diaper, do refer to Happy Heinys’ website here.
Style
One size pocket and comes in either aplix (velcro) or snaps
Cost
I bought this in M’sia as part of a package so it was cheaper but otherwise, it retails for around RM82 to 85 depending on if it’s solid or printed. In Singapore, it costs around $35.
Accessories & additionals
Their inserts comes in the usual microterry or hemp for heavy wetters called hemp Stuffins™ which is an insert with a variation to the design whereby there is a pocket for you to slide in the small oval inserts. This is to remove excess bulk while giving you that extra absorbency factor.
Care info
All Happy Heinys diapers and inserts must be washed at least TWICE before the first use with 1/2 to 1/4 of the recommended amount of additive free detergent (no enzymes, phosphates, softeners, bleach and optical whitening agents). The amount depends on the load of your wash. After each use, knock off poo solids into the toilet, remove the inserts, fasten the laundry tabs and place in a wet/dry pail (depends on your system) until washing day.
Although Happy Heinys recommends a pre-cold rinse cycle before the actual wash, I have washed the diapers with a normal wash cycle and on regular water temperature. (Here in the tropics, we are not able to choose the temperature of the water for most washing machines so worry not.) Hang out in the sun to dry (fleece-side up for the diaper shells) – this is important as the heat from the sun will not only dry your inserts and diapers faster but it will “bleach” away stains too.
Note that Happy Heinys suggests washing hemp products separately from fleece products as hemp contains natural oils which may coat your fleece diapers and affect their absorbency performance.
Verdict
General
This is a diaper that is meant for big sized babies as the cutting is very generous. Yet, despite that, it fits Eva quite well – she doesn’t look like she’s drowning in the diaper. Also, if you were to take the colour choices into consideration, this is one brand with A LOT of colour options, not to mention prints. Still, in terms of prints, I’d stick with the ones that look cute – cow and cheetah spots are nice. Note that Happy Heinys suggests solid coloured diapers for night time use and prints for day time as their print diapers are made from cotton fabric and some people may experience wicking (slight leaks) when inserts are full.
The sizing snaps were easier to adjust – they come in four sizes from x-small which is perfect for newborns up to large which is more for toddlers or bigger babies. Eva settles nicely in the medium setting and I love how good she looks in them – not too bulky but still quite trim and fitted.
Application (stuffing/removal, use, fit and bulk)
The main thing with bigger diapers is getting the fit right. Even after stuffing the pocket with its one size insert put to small/medium setting, it fits Eva nicely around the thighs – she has a 9″ thigh measurement – without being too tight and around the waist without her looking as if she is swimming in it (a sign that it’s too loose).
I found it quite easy to stuff the pockets and remove them without worrying about spillage or leaks. In fact, my entire hand could fit into the pocket, allowing me to adjust the inserts and lay them flat as bunched up inserts can affect absorption. I felt that it was easier to slide the inserts in and out despite rubbing up against the PUL.
It’s not too difficult to put on Eva – I just snapped the diaper to the medium setting and put it on her. Of course the insert is already in as I usually stuff the pockets right after they are done drying. Removal is easy as well; just remove the velcro and slide it from under her. I changed her diaper after four hours and discovered that her bottom was dry while the insert was slightly damp. The inner fleece fabric was slightly dry to the touch as well so that’s definitely a plus point. Pretty good absorption if you ask me since all cloth diapers reach full absorption after six washes!
Washing & drying
The aplix version comes with laundry tabs so I just fasten them, remove the inserts and dumped them in a dry pail until wash time.
It takes a night for them to dry and in the sun, less than a day! Talk about super fast drying!
What’s next?
This is definitely on my “To order more” list! In fact, I just ordered another three pieces!!!
