Smart Bottoms AIO Review
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I’ve had my eye on Smart Bottoms diapers for a while now so I was excited when I got the chance to try one out. I was sent the Smart One 3.1 All-in-One in Finch for review, which is my absolute favorite color combo for my son.
It has four rise settings and with a 100% organic cotton inner. The soaker is attached only at the back to allow the user to fold it up in whatever way works best for the baby. For the Philosopher, I just folded it in half so the insert was two layers thick. It fits babies from 10-35 lbs.
My initial thought was that the diaper looked BIG. It is on the bigger side, but not nearly as big as I thought. My son is around 23 lbs and is right on the line between the 3rd and 4th setting for the rise when with most other brands he’s been on the largest setting for a few months. This diaper would be good for a taller kid who could use a higher rise.
This diaper is not bulky at all. It’s very narrow through the legs, which is great for mommas like me who like trimmer diapers. Additionally, the attached soaker is surprisingly thin. The first time we used it I wanted to let it get really soaked to see how much it would hold. I started to take it off twice before it was really filled because the soaker looked so thin. The 3.1 holds an average amount, but that’s pretty impressive from the trim soaker.
What really impressed me was the drying time. We like a good All-in-One for ease of use, but the dry time with them kind of annoys me, especially because I don’t like to toss anything with PUL in the dryer. I put away all my clean and dry All-in-twos and am left wondering where I should leave the damp AIOs, so I was super happy to find my Smart One was dry as soon as my All-In-2 inserts! This is seriously impressive since some of my AIOs take about an extra day to dry. I credit this also to the super thin soaker.
I was happy to see how soft the inner stayed after drying. The softness was one of the first qualities I noticed about the diaper. It is snuggly soft. As I mentioned before, I don’t like to use the dryer for AIOs so I told my husband to check out how soft it was before I prepped it because I assumed it would dry stiff and hard like all my other natural fiber diapers. After fully prepping and using the Smart One I can happily say it has fully retained its softness.
The last thing I want to point out is the rolled elastic. This is to prevent red marks on babies’ legs and to feel more comfortable. The Philosopher has never had issues with red marks so I can’t attest to the effectiveness of this elastic, but I can say this: I was a little intimidated by it. There can be issues with wicking since the inner has the opportunity to roll out and touch clothing. I knew if this was much of an issue, my husband would not be a fan of the diaper. So I checked the legs every time we put this on, but there haven’t been any issues. I don’t think I’ve needed to tuck the inner in and we haven’t had a single wicking issue with our Smart Bottoms AIO. This type of elastic does result in a less tidy look, which might bother some users, but it was way less intimidating than it sounds.
Where to buy:
You can purchase the Smart Bottoms AIO from many of your favorite cloth diaper retailers such as Diaper Junction, Nicki’s Diapers, and Kelly’s Closet.
Post written by blog contributor, Kara S.
I’ve been wanting to try Smart Bottoms for a while now but I haven’t taken the plunge. I wish there was a store local to me that sells them because I’d like to see it first to understand the rolled elastic.
I have absolutely fallen in love with Smart Bottoms diapers. I haven’t had any issues with the elastics.
I hear most people love rolled elastic, but I thought I would be a lot of work. Silly me. With every diaper, I do a quick leg check to make sure that I’ve tightened it properly and that nothing is hanging out. Checking this type of elastic requires the exact same effort!
I’ve never tried SmartBottems but I like how these are! I also don’t dry PUL items in the dryer (now, I learned my lesson recently on why not to dry your PUL items in the dryer all the time) so fast drying time is a must! Also those are so trim!
SBs have been our favorite diapers for 3 years now. I love how trim they are and easy to use. I wish I had found them sooner
I’ve never tried Smart Bottoms. They’re super cute diapers & I love the rolled elastic feature. From what I’ve seen, though, they seem kind of pricey. :-/
Yes, natural fiber diapers usually are more expensive than synthetic ones 🙂
I love that these have rolled elastic. I’ve been wanting to try Smart Bottoms and it’s funny because it’s their exclusive prints that I love so much.
This diaper is the only diaper we’ve found that can fit under appropriate size clothing. Everything else we have to size up. I do wish they were a smidge cheaper though.
Wow, that is a really trim AIO!
All the AIO’s I have tried dry stiff, so I am excited that this diaper still feel soft after air drying! I love that the snaps are not-white and are a different color than the diaper! 🙂
After a few more dries, it can now get SLIGHTLY crunchy, but nothing like a lot of our other diapers.
I love that it would work great for thinner kiddos!! My son is so lanky that it’s been hard to get a good tight fit!! Yay for quick drying and staying soft 🙂 Sounds like a great diaper!!
Smart bottoms are one of my favorite brands. I love that they are organic and made in the US. I only air dry but I love the soaker because it folds out and makes it quicker to dry than some of my other diapers. And the rolled elastic hasn’t bothered me.
This is a brand that I’ve heard such good things about. It’s nice to know that it’s narrow through the legs since diapers that fit like this are some of my favourites that are currently in my rotation.
I think that’s the reason so many people say it’s a good brand for fitting under regular clothes. I really really like that about it.
I only have 1 smart Bottom diaper right now, but it is definitely my favorite all in one. I love that they only use cotton for the absorbent layers, and I like you you can fold the insert any way you want to get the absorbency where you need it. I’ve heard they last a long time as well. I really hope we can get a few more before baby #1 arrives!
This looks like a super trim fitting diaper, I’m going to have to add this to my list of diapers to try. Thanks for the review!
It is SO trim. You can’t tell by these pictures, but he’s actually quite skinny so we have trouble with bigger diapers. He has to wear shorts that are short in length so they fit in the waist, and it can end up looking silly short if he’s wearing a big, fluffy diaper. We’ve been using this one a lot lately.
I really like Smart Bottoms. Wish I had discovered them sooner. I have a few but would love to have more. I haven’t had a problem with the elastic and it’s easy enough to double check to make sure it’s rolled in.
Yup that elastic is no big deal. I definitely shouldn’t have been scared of it.
I for sure would love to try these!!