*New* Imagine Stretchy Bamboo Flat Diapers

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Imagine Baby is constantly innovating, and the happy result of that is a brand new product for 2018 – stretchy bamboo flat diapers! You can find them right now at Nicki’s with free shipping.

These new stretchy flats are made with the same 100% bamboo viscose as the Imagine 2.0 bamboo AIO diaper. One side is smooth and the other is a fine bamboo loop terry. They are available right now in one size, which is roughly 27 inches square.

Here are some of the questions I had about the Imagine stretchy flats that we purchased, and what I learned after testing:

Do they shrink? Before washing, the Imagine flats were about 27 inches square, with one side being slightly longer. After washing and drying once, there was almost no shrinkage (maybe an 1/8 of a inch or so).

Do they work with diaper fasteners? I tested with Boingo’s and Snappi’s, and both grip just fine, but they can create tiny little snags if you’re not super careful. I want to keep mine looking as nice as possible for a long time, so I’ve been mostly padfolding.

How stretchy are they? Although the fabric does not have any spandex in it, there is some natural stretch since it is one thin layer of bamboo. Pull one way and you get a little stretch; pull another and you get a lot more (i.e. two-way stretch).

What size baby will they fit best? Most stretchy bamboo flats are available in different sizes. A typical infant size might be 24″ square, while for a toddler you would buy 28″ square. Imagine stretchy bamboo flats are available right now in one size – 27×27 (approximately) – which is a kind of middle ground. When padfolded, they are 14×5 inches, putting them in the medium to large size range. So they will work best for older infants and toddlers.

If you prefer to fold and pin your flats, the fold might be slightly off on one side since these diapers are not perfectly square. When I did Happy Anteater for Mary Kate, the wing on the left was slightly longer, but it doesn’t matter after the diaper is all pinned up and tucked under a cover.

You can fold the Imagine stretchy flats to a smaller size, but they get really bulky. Here’s a regular pad fold next to my original “Mini Pad Fold.” I would be so grateful if Imagine would make a small or newborn size stretchy flat available! Wouldn’t they be lovely pinned on a little newborn??

My Mini Pad Fold tutorial for flat diapers works great for newborns and very small infants.

Do they hold their shape? Yes! The edges stay pretty flat, too, but not as flat as a high-end luxury diaper.

Do they stain easily? Not as much as a cotton flat, so that’s good.

Are they better than regular flats? In order of absorbency, I would say first comes the 100% cotton flat. Then a bamboo/cotton flat. And then these. Imagine stretchy flats have a huge edge in absorbency compared to a plain cotton flat diaper.

Additionally, the two-way stretch gives you a better and more comfortable fit when pinning or fastening around your baby. The fabric is also much softer than cotton, or bamboo/cotton blend.

Are they a good value? As far as “stretchy flats” go, absolutely! Granted, stretchy flat diapers are a sort of cloth diapering paradox in that flats are traditionally a low-cost option, but the stretchy bamboo WAHM versions are definitely not cheap. An old school cotton flat might be just one or two dollars; luxury flat diapers may cost $10 each. However, Imagine Baby Products has bridged the gap by creating a stretchy flat diaper with some of the “luxury” features, yet with a median price tag of $6.65 each.

How do they compare to other stretchy flats? I’ve tried the “Sweet Iris type” flats before and Nicki’s share some of the same characteristics: they are one stretchy layer, they are serged at the edges, they have a smooth side and a terry side, and so on. Some additional features you might find in a “luxury” flat would be more high-end thread, the addition of organic cotton for more softness, the addition of spandex which gives 4-way stretch, corners that lie flatter, and that they are tagless.

Suggested improvements? As mentioned above, I would like for Imagine to make these tagless! If Imagine added any more luxury features (mentioned above) then the price would go up, which would sort of defeat the purpose of what they are trying to accomplish with this middle-range flat. I’d also love to see a small/newborn size in the future.

Any other thoughts? Imagine stretchy bamboo flats can also double as a soft and silky little blanket, burp cloth, or a nursing cover.

Buy a 3-pack of Imagine Stretchy Bamboo Flats at Nicki’s
for $19.95, plus FREE shipping!