REVIEW: AMP One-size Duo Cloth Diaper (pocket)

Boy, do I love sharing my love for cloth diapering! It’s gotten to the point that I really need to set up a display in the studio…because half the time I’m giving demonstrations and explaining how easy it is to the mamas that come in! One of our favourite products is the AMP one-size pocket diaper (or “duo diaper”). We’ve used this diaper since birth, and it’s still going strong after a year – and it’s definitely my husband’s and the grandparents’ favourite, too!

It’s about time I gave our review…here goes!

The AMP OS Duo Pocket Diaper is a one-size pocket diaper with a microfleece inner that you can use in two ways: stuff with the insert of your choice, or lay that insert on top of the fleece. We stuff. 🙂  Rise snaps allow you to shrink the length of the diaper or extend it as baby grows. Double waist snaps allow a custom fit for your baby’s tummy and legs. Ruffled elastics keep ALL messes inside the diaper – at the legs, tummy, and back! One-size means that most users will be able to use this diaper from newborn to potty training. The pocket opening is at the front of the diaper, so you can reach your finger past the waist band to do a wetness check. Easy!  You can stuff this diaper with an AMP insert, an Applecheeks insert, or the insert of your choice.

About $20 for the diaper alone. This does not include an insert. I recommend the AMP or Applecheeks bamboo inserts, which you fold into three and stuff inside (about $7-11 apiece).

AMP diapers (“Annie Marie Padorie”) is a Canadian-made cloth diaper company based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The company’s founder and namesake, Annie, has six children of her own and designed the original diapers to suit her own children. Her youngest  is often found as a model on their website and Facebook page! AMP offers several diaper styles, but their most popular, and the kind I’m reviewing here, is the AMP Duo Pocket Cloth Diaper.

WEBSITE
FACEBOOK

 

 

REALLY WELL-MADE
Impeccable. You will notice though (if you have old, retired colours) that the newer style OS DUO pocket diapers have stiffer PUL (the waterproof outer) and much softer inner fleece. REALLY soft fleece. The stiffer pul gets stretchier with use, but won’t stretch-out like the older style, I’ve been told. This company has very pleasant customer service and a good warranty on their products.

MADE IN CANADA
This is locally-made, owned-and-operated business. Annie is sweet, super helpful, and this company is still small enough that you’ll talk to the founder if you phone their number! Especially with the weak dollar right now, you’ll get the most bang for your…loonie… if you shop inside Canada!

 

RUFFLED LEG ELASTICS
Gentle ruffled leg elastics don’t leave red marks on our baby’s sensitive skin, but keep messes in, and not on our baby, us, or the furniture!

ONE-SIZE
It’s one-size. That means we only have to buy one set (24-36 for a full stash) for our baby, not one set for every size!
It’s one-size. This also means that if we have two children in diapers at the same time, we can adjust the diapers quickly to suit the baby being changed. Snap snap! On the newborn! Unsnap! On the toddler!
Pocket diapers that use adjustable elastics inside (like Fuzzi Bunz or Charlie Banana) would not be transferable in this way. You’d have to get a set per child.

We  (ie my baby) started using these diapers two days after birth. My daughter was getting horrible rashes from the disposables (Pampers newborn sensitive! ha!), so I brought out the cloth diapers early. Next time I’ll use them in the hospital, and skip the rash! Her first cloth diaper was an AMP size small in bubblegum pink!

We tried Applecheeks size one (almost identical brand that came after AMP), but couldn’t get a good fit. Their hard elastics left terrible marks on my newborn’s legs, and if I did them up more loosely, they leaked…so I tried out the AMP one-size and loved them!

Some more pictures of my daughter as a newborn wearing the AMP one-size. She was born just under ten pounds, so she would have been between 10-11lbs in these images.

ADJUSTABLE ABSORBENCY
Because these are pocket diapers, you can stuff them with whatever insert you like. This allows you to customize the absorbency – as well as choose the insert that best fits with your preferences and/or budget. We use Applecheeks two ply bamboo inserts (longer and softer than the AMP ones) and AMP 2 ply hemp boosters (now that she’s a toddler) in ours, or a Nuggles 3 ply bamboo insert (size one).

TRIM + CUTE
These diapers look so cute on babies…that winter kinda sucks…because then baby has to wear clothes again and not show off that fluffy bum! Seriously though. SO CUTE. (And boys can wear these too, as the ruffles spread out as the elastic wraps around the legs)
LOTS OF COLOURS
AMP offers a VERY large selection of beautiful solid colours. If you like matching your baby’s diaper to their outfit – this is the brand for you. 🙂 As a pre-cursor to Applecheeks, you will find many matching colours. This is great if you also like Applecheeks cloth diapers, but don’t want to pay excessive amounts ($60-$500) for a single retired colour – you can find them new at AMP for regular price!  (Picture above was of my starting “amplecheeks” stash – both AMP and Applecheeks diapers).

 

SIZED OR ONE-SIZED OPTIONS
If you would prefer the trimmer fit of a “sized” diaper (ie buy one set of small diapers, one set of large diapers, instead of one set of one-size adjustable diapers), AMP offers that as well. The one-size matches the large or small sized diapers exactly when you snap or unsnap, but also gives you a “medium” setting. Many mamas who despair over the gigantic size gap between Applecheeks size one and two diapers end up trying and adoring AMP one-size pocket diapers for this reason!

 

 

 

There is very little that I dislike about AMP, but if I had to choose….

ALL IN TWO OPTION

Theoretically (ie this is advertised), you are able to use the one-size pocket in two ways – by stuffing an insert inside the pocket, or by laying an insert on top. For our baby, she would fuss (read scream and cry) if we tried laying the insert on top because she was so sensitive to wetness, and unlike a wipeable cover, the fleece often gets wet when you try to lay the insert on top, so you can’t reuse it anyway. If you wanted a wipeable cover, save your money. If you want a pocket diaper, you’re in the right place!

EXPENSIVE

These are on the higher end of the cloth diapering scale. It works out to be about $30 for a diaper and insert. But then again, I’ve tried dozens of brands on my two children…and you get what you pay for. I would have spent less by getting all AMP the first time around – and I’d be able to use them on my subsequent children! You also can stuff this diaper with any insert you like, really, so you can save costs that way.  You can also buy seconds quality (minor cosmetic flaws) diapers for often half price at the online AMP store. For a full-time stash (24 diapers), you’d spend around $760 ($30 a diaper with insert)…which is still far less than the $2000-$3000+ you’d spend on disposables for ONE child. You can’t reuse ‘sposies on a second child…and you definitely can’t resell them, either! 🙂

 

Would I recommend these to others?

Absolutely!!!

Would I recommend someone to make a whole stash of just these?
Do it. Just do it. I’ve converted more than a few mamas to AMP. 🙂
If you want a simple, one-step cloth diapering solution, a superb quality product, great customer service, and a fantastic colour selection, try out AMP cloth diapers!

 

 

 

My favourite places to buy:

Lagoon Baby (BC):  http://www.lagoonbaby.com/AMP-Diapers_bymfg_16-1-1.html
Bear Bums (Ontario): http://www.bearbums.ca/category_s/230.htm
AMP Store: http://www.ampdiaperstore.com/catalog.php?category=77

 

 

WANT TO LEARN MORE?  CHECK OUT OUR OTHER POSTS HERE!