How We Stuff our AppleCheeks from 1-2-3!

With Little Miss Cub at around 13 lbs and Big Brother Cub at 35 lbs, all three sizes of AppleCheeks Envelope Covers (and their Learning Pants) are in rotation at our house. I thought you might like to know just how we stuff each size.

AppleCheeks Size 1

Little Miss wore her first AppleCheeks shortly after birth, when she was under 7 lbs. She continues to wear size 1s on the daily.

I primarily use Bummis Infant Prefolds (the ones that are 7-20 lbs), Öko Creations hemp trifolds or Greenline Big Soakers (bamboo cotton terry flats). I have a few AppleCheeks 2-ply bamboo inserts, but I find them to be the least absorbent.

In my photos, I’ve placed the folded insert on top to show how it fits, but I primarily use my AppleCheeks as pockets.

AppleCheeks Bamboo 2-ply:

This is by far the trimmest option, but is only good for two hours at the very most.

Greenline Big Soaker:

Definitely a thicker option, but a long-lasting solution for outings that never leaks!

Bummis Prefold:

I’m pretty sure this would work out to be the most economical option. Totally absorbent, and I love prefolds!

Öko Creations Hemp Trifold:

Note that I put the folded-down part at the back for my girl, but you’d want it at the front for a boy. This is my usual stuffing option, not only because the vast majority of our inserts stash is Öko, but because hemp is my favourite diapering fabric!

Little Miss is now closer to 13 lbs, and still rocking out in her Size 1s!

AppleCheeks Size 2

Cub never wore Size 1s because we didn’t discover AppleCheeks until he was ready for Size 2s. Now that he is over 3 years old, 35 lbs and 40 inches tall, they’re pretty much the only diapers we use when he’s not in his trainers.

He initially wore them with just an Öko trifold, and by around 18 months, I was adding a microfiber booster directly below the pocket. (We happened to have BumGenius boosters, but any one will do. The microfiber absorbs quickly to catch those big toddler pees, and the hemp holds the liquid in.)

If you need even more absorbency, you can even use a full-size microfiber insert rather than just a booster.

This is the best picture I could find of little Cub in his Size 2s, since getting him to pose now is just one of those battles I choose not to fight! He’s about 18 months old here:

AppleCheeks Size 3

Our Size 3 covers are all that Cub has been wearing to bed since he was about 2.5 years old. I put a Bummis Baby prefold (their largest size) inside, folded like so:

The folded part goes at the front for a boy, but if you have a back-sleeper or a little girl, you can put it at the back. On top of the pocket, I used to put both a GroVia Organic Cotton booster and a hemp booster. Now that he isn’t peeing much at night, if at all, I skip the cotton booster. This is the combo that got us through the heaviest of overnight toddler pees without leaks, so you should probably pin it for reference:

Here’s Cub when he was about 2.5 years old in his overnight diaper:

What are the pros & cons of choosing AppleCheeks:

I’m not about to sit here and lie by telling you that AppleCheeks are all I use. Hey, I’m a cloth diaper blogger, I use tons of brands! That said, AppleCheeks is the brand that makes up the largest proportion of my stash, and pretty much the only diaper I’m now using on big-boy-who’s-never-gonna-potty-train Cub. The fact that their diapers are sized does entail a higher cost, however, you are pretty much guaranteed a good fit right from birth. I know that some users have found there’s a bit of a gap between when their Size 1s stop fitting and when their child fits in Size 2s, so I will report back on that. Most definitely, not all children will require a Size 3, and in our case, we only need four so we’re covered at night.

AppleCheeks are made in Canada and have probably the best resale value (even on a diaper with shot elastics) around, so that may be another reason to consider paying a bit more. The ruffles aren’t for everyone, but I personally adore them! Like any pocket diaper, the possibilities of customizing absorbency are pretty much endless.