#CharlieBanana One Size #ClothDiaper Review #TWCMgifts

I’d heard so much about Charlie Banana since their launch in 2010, but I’d never had the chance to try them. Until now that is! I’ve been in love with all the prints in Charlie Banana’s Fashion Collection for a long time, and I had a terrible time choosing just one of the prints for review. I mean, they have a maple leaf diaper – big love from this Canadian girl! After going back and forth several times, I finally settled on Robot Girl. Keira loves the bright fuchsia colour covered in fun, little boxy robots.

Anatomy of a Charlie Banana One Size Diaper

The Charlie Banana OS reusable cloth diaper is designed to fit babies from 6-35 pounds and comes in snaps only. Each diaper comes with two microfiber inserts. The outside shell is waterproof PUL, and the inside is stay dry microfleece. The pocket opening is located at the front of the diaper with a wide flap over the opening.

This diaper has two rows of eight snaps across the front to adjust the waist and leg holes. The inner bottom snaps are slightly offset to help with fit on skinny babies. The wings have two waist and a hip snap on each, plus crossover snaps. A wide band of elastic at the back helps stop pooplosions up the back.

Charlie Banana uses a patented internal elastic sizing system that adjusts like a bra strap instead of the usual snap down rise system.

The markings run from XS to L and the elastics are continuously adjustable to give you the exact size you want.

Diaper Fit & Performance

The eco-friendly Charlie Banana One Size diaper can be used as a pocket diaper or as an AI2 (all-in-2) disposable/reusable hybrid diaper. Each diaper comes complete with two microfiber inserts for stuffing – one smaller and one regular length.

Charlie Banana also sells disposable inserts that go on top of the microfleece lining and tuck under the front pocket flap to keep them in place, but I haven’t personally tried these. For those who prefer to use 100% cloth like me, Charlie Banana sells reusable hemp as well as microfiber inserts.

Now let’s look at the patented buckle rise adjustment system. Size markings along the elastic act as a guide to help you to adjust it to the size needed and get both sides even. Once adjusted, the buckles stay in place so you won’t need to readjust until it’s time to move up a size. I received an older version of this, here’s a diagram of the new triple bar buckle.

With the typical rise adjustment, you fold and snap down the front. But with this internal adjustable elastic, the front looks nice and neat, just like a sized diaper. There is a drawback though, particularly for families with more than one baby in diapers. It takes significantly more time to pull the elastic through the casing and adjust each side, which would make it quite inconvenient to switch sizes between babies.

Keira is 27 months old and 29 pounds. The diaper is adjusted to the second to last marking, and we still have about three quarters of an inch of elastic left to go up. The wide elastics at the legs and the back do a good job containing leaks and keeping everything dry.

I use one insert during the day and two for naps. With one insert, it’s quite trim, and even with both inserts it still looks pretty good. I did find the PUL at the front seemed a bit baggy with only one insert inside. This wasn’t an issue with two inserts stuffed.

The crotch on this diaper is on the skinnier side which I imagine would help get a better fit on smaller babies. It wasn’t too narrow to fit properly on Keira though, so Charlie Banana seems to have found a nice compromise. However, the majority of my other inserts were too wide to fit in the pocket properly. Each diaper comes with two inserts so you won’t have an issue buying inserts to fit, but it does mean searching through the pile of cloth diaper laundry to find the “right” insert to match. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of.

I don’t have a newborn to try on this diaper, but the leg holes looked quite small when I pulled the elastic all the way down. It seems like it would fit pretty close to newborn.

Charlie Banana Tote Bag

We also received a matching waterproof tote bag in the super cute Robot Girl print. The bag is made from one layer of stretchy PUL so it folds up quite small when not in use. It’s a nice size for going out for the afternoon and holds four diapers with room to spare. No leaks or problems to report.

The wide handle can hang over door handles or hooks, but it would be nice if the strap unsnapped for more versatility in where it could be hung.

Once Keira’s out of cloth diapers, I’ll still use this to store wet clothes, toiletries, or to separate items that might spill in my suitcase.

Final Thoughts

Charlie Banana diapers stand out for their adjustable elastics that allow you to adjust the diaper to fit your baby perfectly (no in between sizes!). I like the trimness and the flat front, but this system does take more time to adjust than the typical snap rise adjustment. Based on measurements and look, this diaper seems like it would actually fit from newborn (or pretty close) up to potty training. They’re also reasonably priced, and I really appreciate that each one comes with two inserts. Bonus for how many colours and cute prints Charlie Banana offers!

Connect

Connect with Charlie Banana on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the latest news, promotions, giveaways, and adorable babies in cute fluff!

Gift It!

I asked cloth diapering mamas on Facebook if they’d like to receive diapers for Christmas, and the answer was a resounding YES! Purchase diapers directly from Charlie Banana or at Amazon.com. Tote bags retail for $16.88, and Charlie Banana OS diapers retail for $20.88 (solids) – $21.88 (prints). Diapers are also available in cute 3 and 6-pack boxes, perfect for under the tree!

Want to Win?

Charlie Banana is generously sponsoring a 3-pack of their OS diapers in the Merry Fluffy Christmas Event. Sign up for my emails to make sure you don’t miss this giveaway or any of my other posts.

Disclosure: I received sample items for review purposes. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ. This post contains affiliate links. This West Coast Mommy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.