Cloth Diapering

My Long Awaited Ella Bella Bum Design Your Own Pocket Diaper Review

Note: Ella Bella Bum is now Bella Luna Diapers. I’ve left this review almost entirely as it was written in April 2015, but I have updated links to point to the new website.

Ella Bella Bum

True story. This review was supposed to be posted back in February when favourite Canadian cloth diaper company Ella Bella Bum (now rebranded to Bella Luna) and I partnered for a giveaway of one of their Design Your Own Ella’ssential Pocket Diapers. But we hit a bump in the road when I found a tiny hole in the PUL next to one of the ruffle snaps on the back. I tell you this because accidents and flaws happen with every brand of diaper, but what really matters is how the company handles it.

I sent a quick note describing the problem and received a prompt reply with an apology and detailed instructions on how to package the diaper up and send it back. Have you ever tried to do a return or exchange, and you were made to feel like you did something wrong? Not Ella Bella Bum. No third degree, no quibbling, and the cost of return shipping was sent to my PayPal account right away. I was so impressed with the well-oiled machine that is Ella Bella Bum customer service. This is how you do it!

But wouldn’t you know it, somehow I messed up the address because three weeks later the original diaper came right back to me marked “No such address”. D’oh! I fixed the address, sent it back again, and here we are now, finally getting to do a review of this super trim and cute diaper. Yay!

This is the Design Your Own Custom Ella’ssential pocket diaper that Ella Bella Bum sent us (twice) in seaspray PUL, lavender athletic wicking jersey, and violet/aqua/black snaps. The detachable ruffle panel is made with white, seaspray, aqua, and navy PUL for a beautiful ombre effect.

Ruffles on the bum

Anatomy of an Ella Bella Bum Pocket Diaper

Ella Bella Bum diapers are made in Canada by a team of local seamstresses in Welland, Ontario. This one size fits most pocket diaper is estimated to fit babies between 15-35 pounds. The outside is waterproof polyester PUL, and the inside is stay dry athletic wicking jersey (think running gear or a soccer shirt).

Ella Bella Bum Ella’ssential Design Your Own diapers are an economical way to create a custom diaper – pick from 36 colours of PUL, 19 colours of athletic wicking jersey, and 20 coordinating snap colours. You can even add a set of adorable detachable ruffles for an additional charge.

The pocket opening is located at the back of the diaper and comes with a built-in flap to tuck the insert under. The square wings have two snaps apiece, but no crossover snaps. Two rows of ten snaps across the front adjust the waist and leg holes. EBB diapers come in snaps only. You can see in this picture how the crotch of the diaper tapers in at the front which helps to keep the bulk down.

Anatomy of an Ella Bella Bum Ella'ssential pocket diaper
  Three rows of rise snaps allow you to adjust the sizing to small, medium, and large.

Ella Bella Bum Ella'ssentials size comparison

EBB diapers are typically sold without an insert, allowing you to save some money by using your own inserts. You can purchase inserts and boosters separately on the website if you so desire. I received an insert and booster combo set with this review diaper. The double-length insert can be adjusted in length using 1 of 3 snaps. It’s made with three layers of heavy weight bamboo fleece and a layer of highly absorbent Zorb material sewn into the main part. When you double it up, you end up with six layers of bamboo and one layer of Zorb. The secondary booster is made with two layers of heavy weight bamboo fleece and one layer of Zorb. 

Ella Bella Bum insert and booster

The inserts come prewashed, but like any natural fiber fabrics, both the insert and the booster need to be washed multiple times to reach full absorbency. You can start using it after a few washes, but EBB recommends 8-10 washes until it reaches maximum absorbency.

Diaper Fit & Performance

Athletic wicking jersey (AWJ) is an uncommon fabric for cloth diapers, but why use boring old white microfleece when you can use pretty, coloured jersey instead? If you’re not familiar with AWJ yet, it’s lightweight, a bit silky, and very stretchy. It isn’t “fuzzy” like the more typical microfleece or microsuede, and its thinness helps keep the diaper trim. AWJ does a really good job at keeping baby’s bum feeling dry, and so far seems to be quite resistant to stains and pilling.

Here’s Kay in her EBB pocket diaper. She’s 32 months old and around 30 pounds. She’s on the highest rise, but there is still room to grow a little more if she doesn’t potty train soon. While it’s true the ruffles aren’t practical for wearing with pants, they’re so adorable under a sundress and they’re perfect for photos. Since they easily snap on and off, it’s easy to have the best of both worlds.

Ella Bella Bum Design Your Own Ella'ssential pocket diaper review

The pocket opening is plenty wide enough for daddy hands, and even though this diaper is slightly narrower in the crotch width than some of my other diapers, the stretchy PUL and AWJ make it surprisingly easy to stuff. There’s more room than you’d think for adding extra inserts or boosters without gaping at the legs. The pocket opening is located at the back of the diaper and comes with a built-in flap to tuck the insert under. This feature is especially useful if you use microfiber inserts so you can avoid any contact between the microfiber and your baby’s skin.

Our Ella Bella Bum Ella’ssential pocket diaper has a very trim fit. I love this diaper (without the ruffle of course) for under her skinnier fitting jeans. The wide, encased leg elastics fit well around her legs and keep everything in. Older toddlers like Kay tend to hold their pee for longer and longer periods of time (that’s one way you can tell they’re ready for potty training), so when they finally do let it go, look out! I wasn’t sure how well AWJ would absorb the flood, but it was able to wick everything down into the insert fast enough to avoid any leaking. Kay took a rare (and very welcome) nap the other day, and I’m pleased to report no leaks then either. Once fully prepped, the EBB inserts really do absorb a ton.

Final Thoughts

The Ella Bella Design Your Own diaper boasts a nice, trim fit, and I really like the extra stretchiness that the AWJ gives to this diaper. I especially love EBB’s Design Your Own process, and I think the price point is pretty reasonable for the quality and custom nature of these diapers. The customer service I received was fantastic. I would absolutely recommend these diapers to anyone.

Connect

Follow Bella Luna Diapers on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for updates, stockings, sale notifications, cute fluffy bums, and giveaways!

Shop

Shop Bella Luna for Design Your Own diapers starting at $19.00. Insert and booster combos retail for $12.75, and all orders over $75 ship for free!

EBB also offers a limited selection of diapers stocking on Thursdays, and preorder embroidered or wraparound diapers on Fridays. Ella Bella Bum diapers are in high demand and the competition is fierce, so you’ll need to be quick to snag one of these limited edition diapers! If your heart is truly set on one of those limited edition diapers, check out this how to score an EBB tutorial over at Maman Loup’s Den.

Disclosure: I received a sample item for review purposes. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ.

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4 Comments

  • I only have one EBB but it is one of my favorites. I agree that the athletic jersey is completely unique and I love how it feels.
    Little dude is a boy, so no ruffles but totally love the the snap on!

  • I love Ella bella bum, when I first cloth diapersed I wasnt sure what to buy but once I found EBB its been only EBB from then on. They’re the best and even have a custom diaper group on fb that you can design your own wraparound diapers.