2 Low Cost AliExpress Pocket Diapers: Ananbaby & OhBabyKa

A while back, I purchased a small stash of cloth diapers direct from AliExpress and Wish. I wanted to better understand the cheap diapers being sought out direct from China. I wanted to know the competition to better create content and support families. So many of the DM’s that I receive is troubleshooting these lower cost direct diapers that I had never tired.

This blog post is going to review two pocket diapers: Ananbaby, OhBabyKa

One of the biggest challenges with ordering these diapers direct from China is waiting for the product to arrive. Many times it can take 6-8 weeks and your wondering if it’s lost.

OhBabyKa

This pocket cloth diaper is available on Amazon Canada (3 for $27.99 CAD about $9.33 each with one insert), Amazon USA, and direct on AliExpress for $8.77 (or sometimes on sale for $5.26)

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Description of the OhBabyKa

This diaper is marketed as a fitting babies 3-15kg, 6.5-32lbs.

The OhBabyKa pocket diaper is made with a waterproof printed PUL and a soft suede inner. his diaper has a 3×3 rise snaps, that small cluster of triple waist snaps and a back open pocket

Wash routine recommendations under 30C, along with the encouragement to wash diaper cover and inserts separately. I don’t love when wholesalers don’t have realistic wash routine advice. Synthetics are difficult to clean. They may need bleach. I want to know that my diaper can be washed in warm to hot water without breaking down.

Review of the OhBabyKa Diaper

Another classic low-cost pocket diaper. The PUL on this particular brand is quite thin. When we are dealing with PUL we have different textures and thickness and grades. Some grades are able to withstand a lot of wear and tear, and some are not. The thinner PUL on this in indicative of it’s lower price point, and you might expect not to have the same longevity out of the product. But it could surprise you. That’s the thing with PUL, we really don’t know and every product is a unique experience. It’s quite easy for a whole batch of PUL to go bad for any cloth diaper brand

They all look the same after a while and they all have the same struggles.

1. Having a fully suede inner means this diaper is more likely to wick and leak as the moisture travels to the edge of the diaper. You might find you need to change frequently if your absorbency is not quick enough to keep it from the PUL.
2. small back opening reduces the opportunity for inserts to wash out in the machine, and you will need to remove them for laundry.
3. The triple snap waist snap is finicky for better fit on the waist and often leaves to curling and moisture zones, like shown below.
4. Elastics are not even

AnAnBaby Pocket Diaper

This pocket diaper is available on AliExpress for $6.59USD with no insert, or $10USD with an insert.

Description of the AnAnBaby Pocket Diaper

This is listed as a one size diaper for babies 3-15kg, 6.6-33lb. It is made of a waterproof breathable PUL and an innerseude cloth. The diaper features a 3×3 rise setting and a triple snap.

Wash instructions encourage you to wash in cool water with mild detergent, no bleach. This is unrealistic wash instructions for a smell-free wash routine. Warm water is needed and synthetics will hold onto smell without it. These gentle wash instructions are common with direct from wholesale brands. It is possible that if you washed this as per more mainstream wash instructions the diaper would break down quickly including wear on the PUL.

Review of the AnAnBaby Pocket Diaper

This style of diaper is one that I constantly receive complaints about because its poor design doesn’t allow for a trim leak free fit. The fit of the diaper, the trimness of a diaper, is one part the material you put inside and one part the design of the product. This close together triple waist snap often results in sagging wings – this means the leg elastics begin to droop during the day and cause leaks. You can try to mitigate this by pulling the wing upwards, but the addition of a hip snap a little further along the wing would help prevent this.

Narrow back opening means you do need to remove the inserts before washing. This style of pocket diaper will not wash out in the wash. Removing the inserts will prevent the inserts from getting rolled up in the bottom and not thoroughly washing. You can use your hands, or a Diaper Dawg Mit.

Narrow Crotch limits what you can stuff into this diaper. The width of a diaper crotch facilitates how much absorbency can be added before the diaper begins to bulge from baby. It is likely that one microfibre insert and one natural fibre insert might be the max. If you find the diaper is leaking and not laying nice between the body, it’s just poor design across the midsection of the diaper.

Without being worn, this diaper already is lopsided. One elastic is tighter than the other. It’s not common for diapers to have this sort of malfunction – but it’s usually caught before being sent to the consumer.

The suede inner is a great choice for those looking for stay dry, but it is a little irrupting on the skin due to quality. Because the label stitched directly into the pocket diaper, if you experience leaking on any the seams you might benefit from tossing it in the wash.

Low Cost Pocket Diaper Recommendations

You really can’t beat these prices when you shop with a North American retailer.

The one thing I did learn in buying a variety of low cost pocket diapers direct is that once the diaper is under $5, stay away. The cheapest of the diapers out there really do have poor design, poor quality, and complete embarrassment in production. A nice sweet spot is this $7-10 range where you get a simple diaper that will work. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles but you could get by.

Cloth diapering is easy when you have the right products for success. This means I most often recommend cloth diapers with quality fit, responsible suppliers, and warranties. It’s important to know that if you purchase a diaper from AliExpress that there might be a few bad diapers in the box, and there might not be the same warranty and customer support. It’s important to know that the materials might break down with wash and wear.

The features in these products solve a lot of problems with the above pocket diapers. But each of these additions comes with a cost. Adding a PUL belly panel in the front of the diaper reduces wicking and leaks at the front of the diaper. Adding a gusset design helps reduce leg crease leaks and allow for bulking for nights. Wider custom pocket openings support better wash to ensure you’re not frustrated on laundry day.

$14.50 – Pocket Diaper from Little Fanny Pants (better snap design and cut for an improved fit on baby). Ships from the United States.

$15.99 – Pocket Diaper from La Petite Ourse USA (better snaps, two bamboo inserts, and a two year warranty). Ships from the United States, available in Canada and globally.