Although I am a huge fan of all-in-two cloth diapers, I have recently ventured into the world of all-in-ones. About a month ago, Smart Bottoms offered some seconds sales on the Smart One 3.0 and Smart One 3.1 all-in-one cloth diapers. I purchased a 3.0 in Spicy Tuna (teal green with orange snaps and a 3.1 in Superhero (red with blue snaps) to compare and review.
Both the Smart One 3.0 and the Smart One 3.1 offer similar, if not identical, features. The 3.1 is the updated version of the discontinued 3.0. The 3.1 currently retails for $25 per diaper while the 3.0 is no longer available new from Smart Bottoms. The retail price of the 3.0 was also $25, but the company now sells only seconds of the 3.0 at a current price of $18.
On the outside of the diapers, the Smart One 3.0 and the Smart One 3.1 both feature four rows of three torso snaps that allow the diaper to adjust in size between small, medium, large, and extra large. Both diapers fit babies between 8 and 35 pounds. My toddler daughter, who is 27 pounds, currently wears both on the large setting. The main exterior difference between the two versions of the diaper appears in the waist and hip snaps. The waist of the 3.0 is smaller than the 3.1, meaning that the diaper will not fit larger toddlers. The 3.0 also features two rows of only eight snaps while the 3.1 offers two rows of ten snaps. The 3.0 does offer hip snaps to prevent wing droop while the 3.1 does not.
Inside the all-in-one diaper, both the Smart One 3.0 and the Smart One 3.1 consist of 100% organic cotton for a trimmer, more absorbent diaper. The attached insert folds to provide up to ten layers of customizable absorbency. The tongue-style insert also means that both all-in-ones dry faster than other styles of all-in-one diapers with natural fibers. The insert on the 3.0 is slightly shorter than the insert on the 3.1.
Upon comparing the Smart One 3.0 and the Smart One 3.1 from Smart Bottoms, the only major difference is the sizing. With the added width around the waist and the additional snaps, the 3.1 will fit older toddlers for longer than the 3.0. I do, however, wish that the 3.1 also offer the hip snap of the 3.0. The slightly longer insert in the 3.1 also provides a little bit more absorbency than the 3.0.
In general, both the Smart One 3.0 and the Smart One 3.1 perform almost identically. Because the fibers inside the diaper are natural, the diaper requires six to eight washings and drying to reach full absorbency. If you do not want to prep your diaper more than once before use, you will need to change your child more frequently until reaching a total of six to eight washes and dries. For my own daughter, I prepped both all-in-ones with an initial wash and dry. Both leaked fairly quickly. However, after repeatedly washing and drying both styles, the diapers increased in absorbency, reducing the leaking issues. In other words, you can skip the recommended prep of six to eight washings and dryings, but you will probably have to deal with some leaks until the natural cotton fibers reach full absorbency.
One feature of the Smart Bottoms all-in-one diapers with which I initially struggled was the non-encased leg elastic. All of my other diapers feature encased leg elastic. Despite repeated washes and dries, both the Smart One 3.0 and the Smart One 3.1 continued to leak. However, once I figured out to roll the leg elastic under, the leaking issue stopped. Getting used to the non-encased leg elastic took me some time, but now I have no problem with the style.
My older toddler currently weighs 27 pounds. Both the Smart One 3.0 and the Smart One 3.1 fit her perfectly. She wears both diapers on the large rise setting. She wears the 3.0 on the second waist snap setting in, meaning that she still has one set of snaps to go on both sides for a total of two extra sets of snaps. She wears the 3.1 on the second and third settings in, meaning that she still has one set of snaps on one side and two sets of snaps on the other side for a total of three extra sets of snaps. I am confident that both diapers will last her through potty training. Chunkier toddlers, however, may find that the 3.0 does not fit as long.
I personally like the 3.0 a little bit better than the 3.1, largely because of the inclusion of the hip snap. Because my toddler wears both diapers on larger settings around the waist, I find myself fighting some wing droop on the 3.1. I do not have the same problem with the 3.0 because of the hip snap. For future versions of the Smart One, I would love to see Smart Bottoms include the hip snap again.
Final Verdict: Although I had some problems with the style at first, I have come to really like both the Smart One 3.0 and the Smart One 3.1 all-in-one cloth diapers from Smart Bottoms. The 3.1 is an updated version of the 3.0. The biggest difference between the two diapers is that the 3.1 offers a wide waist than the 3.0. I do wish the 3.1 also included the hip snap of the 3.0, but the slight wing droop that occurs on the newer version is minor. If you are shopping for an all-in-one cloth diaper with natural fibers inside, I recommend both the Smart One 3.0 and the Smart One 3.1 from Smart Bottoms.
For more information or to make a purchase, visit the Smart Bottoms website. Smart Bottoms cloth diapers are also available at Nicki’s Diapers and Pink Lemonade Shop via my affiliate links.
Image Credits
Front of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 and Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Back of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 and Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Front of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Back of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Front of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Back of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Comparing Snaps of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 and Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Hip Snaps of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 and Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Interior of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Insert of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Interior of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Insert of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Comparing Interior of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 and Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Comparing Inserts of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 and Superhero Smart One 3.1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Front of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 on Toddler 1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Front of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 on Toddler 1 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Leg of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 on Toddler © 2014 Heather Johnson
Leg of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 on Toddler © 2014 Heather Johnson
Bottom of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 on Toddler © 2014 Heather Johnson
Bottom of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 on Toddler © 2014 Heather Johnson
Back of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 on Toddler © 2014 Heather Johnson
Back of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 on Toddler © 2014 Heather Johnson
Side of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 on Toddler © 2014 Heather Johnson
Side of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 on Toddler © 2014 Heather Johnson
Front of Smart Bottoms Spicy Tuna Smart One 3.0 on Toddler 2 © 2014 Heather Johnson
Front of Smart Bottoms Superhero Smart One 3.1 on Toddler 2 © 2014 Heather Johnson
