Updated on April 6, 2017
Occupied Mind Creations: Maxaloones & AI2 Diaper Review
I received this item at no cost to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.
Have you ever shopped from a work at home mom (WAHM)? You should. There are so many amazing products being made by WAHMs out there, and the quality can be amazing! One of the things I especially like about WAHM products is the ability to customize your order. How would you like to have a pair of Maxaloones in the perfect fabric print to suit your child’s wardrobe? Or a cloth diaper made with a colour combination that you picked out? Pretty great, right? This is exactly the type of options that Occupied Mind Creations (O.M.C.) offers her customers. O.M.C. is a shop run by Alicia, a WAHM of three boys in Ontario (near London). She makes a variety of products for moms and babies from nursing pads and cloth menstrual pads to cloth diapers and children’s clothing. I had the pleasure of trying out a pair of O.M.C. Maxaloones and an AI2 cloth diaper on Petit Prince, and I was impressed with the quality and the function. Want to know more about O.M.C. and how it worked for us? Here’s what I think!
O.M.C. Maxaloones “Grow With Me” Pants
I’m going to start by talking about O.M.C.’s Maxaloones. If you’re unfamiliar with what Maxaloones are, let me explain. Maxaloones are a type of “grow with me” pant that are sewn specifically to accommodate a fluffy cloth diapered bum. O.M.C. is an authorized seller of this style of pant that is made from the Max & Meena Maxaloone pattern. What makes these pants “grow with me” pants is that the cuffs at the ankle and the waist band are designed to fold over. This allows the pants to be very small when the cuffs and waist are folded and then nice and long when the cuffs and waist are all unfolded. O.M.C.’s Maxaloones fit from approximately age 1 to age 3. O.M.C. also makes “grow with me” pants in three other sizes: Squishaloones fit from newborn to 6 months, Miniloones fit from 6 months to 12 months, and Monsterloones fit from age 2 to age 5. Since Petit Prince was right around 6 months old when I was going to be trying them out, I opted for Miniloones for him.
This is the first pair of Maxaloones style pants that I’ve had for either of my boys, and all I can say is that I don’t know how I went without them for The Heir. Not only are there tons of colour combinations to choose from through O.M.C., but they are nice and stretchy making them easy to get on and off a fluffy bum. I don’t know about you, but I tried to get a pair of jeans on Petit Prince the other day, and I could not get them over his knees. His KNEES! Who decided babies should wear jeans anyway? Maxaloones are a much better option. As a cloth diapering mom, I also need to be careful of pants that are particularly tight over the waist. Sometimes this can cause some compression leaking around the waist, but with Maxaloones it is not a problem. You see, the pressure of the snug waist is much more spread out with the fold over waist band of Maxaloones, so compression leaks at the waist are eliminated. Fantastic! Another great thing about Maxaloones is that the fold over cuffs at the ankles mean you can lengthen the pants as needed to cover ankles when baby wearing. You know when you get baby into the carrier and inevitably their ankles are exposed to the elements? With Maxaloones this is not a problem. Exposed ankles? Just unroll that cuff a little and baby’s ankles are sure to stay warm (or protected from the sun if it’s summer time).
When I received Petit Prince’s Miniloones, I was immediately struck with the quality of the sewing. Now I’m no seamstress, but the edges of the fabric were all cut perfectly, and the stitches were straight and even. In consulting with O.M.C. about the print and design of the Miniloones, Alicia was always available and meticulous with her work. When she realized the dye lot of the print I’d chosen was slightly more of a taupe grey than the last batch she had, she contacted me immediately to suggest contrast colours for the bum panel, cuffs, and waist band that would work better than what we’d originally planned. I’m thrilled with how they look and find the colour combination to be perfect! One thing that surprised me about them was that the material was a little thinner than I’d imagined. This is something that likely varies from print to print, but it’s something I wanted to mention. If you’re looking for a heavier weight fabric for Maxaloones, I’m sure Alicia would be happy to guide you in your print selection so you can choose a fabric weight that meets your needs.
Let’s talk about the fit. As you know by now, Petit Prince has got some thighs. Sweet, chunky, thick baby thighs. I love them dearly. The first time I put the Miniloones on him, they seemed quite snug and I was a little concerned that maybe I should have gone for the Maxaloones size (for age 1-3). I’m happy to report that after a few wears and washes I’m finding the fit to be perfect on him and don’t feel like they are too snug. I know that once he becomes mobile he’s likely to slim down a bit, so I appreciate that the Miniloones won’t end up baggy on him when that happens.
I’ve had the O.M.C. Miniloones on Petit Prince quite a few times since I received them and they’ve been washed lots too. They wash up really well and show no signs of wear at all. I even throw them in the dryer (on low) sometimes and they are holding up just perfectly. I think this is really key with any item of baby clothing that is meant to last for six months or even two years. If it doesn’t wash and wear well, then it isn’t worth the investment. These, however, are absolutely worth the investment. This brings me to my next point about O.M.C.’s Maxaloones. I find them to be affordably priced starting at $22 for Squishaloones, $27 for Miniloones, $30 for Maxaloones, and $33 for Monsterloones. Considering just how long these pants are going to fit (and last), I think the cost is really worth it.
Pros:
- Made in Canada by a WAHM!
- Fits for at least six months or up to three years depending on the size you choose.
- Custom design: you choose your print and contrasting fabric.
- High quality sewing.
- Hold up well to washing and wearing.
- Fits well over fluffy cloth diapered bums.
- Length can be adjusted on the go as needed.
Cons:
- Print fabric a little more lightweight than expected, but this would depend on the print you choose.
To summarize my thoughts on the Miniloones that I received from O.M.C., I really like them! I can’t believe I haven’t owned Maxaloones style pants for the kids before now and I know this won’t be my last pair! If you’re interested in ordering your own custom Maxaloones from O.M.C., you can get started by clicking HERE.
O.M.C. AI2 Cloth Diaper
I always love trying out new cloth diapers, so when I saw that O.M.C. made AI2 diapers, I just knew I had to try one! As with the Maxaloones, the AI2 diaper is fully customizable. You can choose from a variety of PUL prints, velour colours for the inner, and even snap colours! I decided to just let Alicia surprise me with whatever print she wanted to send. She sent me a super cute winter inspired diaper and I thought it was perfect for the season! Let’s get right into my thoughts on the O.M.C. AI2 diaper!
Details:
The O.M.C. AI2 diaper is an All In 2 diaper meaning that the soaker (absorbent part) lays in the shell and the shell can be reused by removing the soaker and snapping a fresh one in. The diaper consists of a waterproof PUL outer layer with a cotton velour inner. It fits from approximately 12lbs up to 40lbs and the rise has four size adjustments. The rise is a snap down rise with three rows of two snaps on the front of the diaper. The front of the diaper has a single row of snaps for closing the diaper, and the tabs each have three snaps to secure them to the front of the diaper. The tabs can also cross over to provide a small waist for a younger baby. Inside the diaper, the soaker is attached to the shell with two snaps at the back of the diaper. The soaker is a petal style soaker, meaning it is made of two layers sewn together only at the back. The soaker consists of one layer of cotton velour on top, and three layers of cotton fleece.
How It Works:
O.M.C. AI2 diapers come fully prepped and ready to go on the bum. Yes, you read that right. FULLY PREPPED. That means there’s no need to wash it 3-5 times to get it to reach maximum absorbency before using it. It is ready to go right away! I love that! It’s always so anticlimactic when you buy new fluff and are all excited for it to arrive only to spend a week getting it all prepped for use (as is the case with natural fibres). This is not the case with O.M.C. AI2 diapers!
I really liked how I could fold the petal style soaker to fit Petit Prince’s needs. As a petal style soaker, you can fold the layers of the soaker to put more absorbency where you need it for your child. For Petit Prince, I fold both layers of the soaker back part way so there’s more absorbency at the front of the diaper. For a girl, you could fold just the bottom layer of the soaker all the way back increasing the absorbency through the middle and back of the diaper. When snap in soakers have the snaps in the front, I have to choose between folding the soaker for maximum absorbency up front and snapping it in (since it’s usually impossible to do both). With the O.M.C. AI2 diaper, I can still use the diaper as intended (ie. with the soaker snapped in) AND fold the soaker for Petit Prince’s up front absorbency requirements. This may not be a big deal if you don’t have boys, but as a mom of boys this is a big deal!
Although the O.M.C. AI2 is technically an AI2 diaper in that the soakers can be snapped out and switched at diaper changes, it’s something I probably wouldn’t actually do. The reason for this is that the cotton velour inner is usually quite damp when I changed Petit Prince. I wouldn’t want to put a damp shell back on him, so I’d be more inclined to just wash the shell and soaker after only one use. If you didn’t mind hanging the shell to dry for a couple of hours, you could reuse it, so it can function as an AI2.
In terms of absorbency, I was quite pleased with it. I’ll be honest. At first when I saw the soaker I didn’t think it would be absorbent enough on its own as Petit Prince can be a fairly heavy wetter. I tested this diaper to the limits! It lasted for around 3 hours and even lasted through a long nap (one that went much longer than I had expected). Any diaper that survives an unexpectedly long nap is going to get my stamp of approval!
Let’s talk about the fit. Petit Prince was around 16.5-17lbs when I had him in this diaper. It did not need to be as tight as it could go, so I’m confident that it would fit from 12lbs as it claims. I did have it on the lowest rise setting, and had the tab crossed over to one of the two overlapping snaps. I liked the amount of bum coverage that the diaper provided, and did not find the front rise to be too low on the smallest rise setting. One thing I did notice was that the front tabs have a tendency to fold up a bit around the snap closure. I think this is because the tabs are quite wide and there’s only one row of snaps for the closure. I feel like the tab is wide enough to warrant two rows of snaps and think that this would resolve the tab curling issue I was having. Despite that curling of the tabs, I didn’t find that it resulted in any leaking or wicking.
Pros:
- Made in Canada by a WAHM!
- Customer can choose PUL print, cotton velour colour, and snap colour for a fully custom look.
- Arrives FULLY PREPPED.
- Petal style soaker can be snapped in AND still folded to maximize absorbency where it’s needed for boys and girls.
- Cotton velour inner and top of the soaker is super soft.
Cons:
- Cotton velour inner gets damp so the shell needs to hang dry in between uses to be used as a true AI2.
- Single row of snaps at the waist makes the tabs prone to curling.
All in all I think the O.M.C. AI2 diaper is a really nice WAHM diaper. It has a nice soft inner, a good fit, and an absorbent soaker. If you’re interested in ordering one, you can get started on your custom creation by clicking HERE.
What’s your favourite feature of the O.M.C. AI2 diaper and the O.M.C. Maxaloones?
Do you want a chance to try an O.M.C. AI2 diaper OR a pair of O.M.C. Maxaloones? You’re in luck! One lucky reader is going to WIN their choice of an AI2 diaper OR a pair of Maxaloones of their very own! How great would that be? Just hop on over to my Facebook page HERE and enter the giveaway! GOOD LUCK! The giveaway is open from 7am MST January 8th 2016 and closes at 2pm MST January 15th 2016. Open to US & Canada 18+.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
Those maxaloones look amazing! And I love the adorable names for the sizes. They would be great for any little one but I think especially for those of us using cloth diapers!
Oh these diapers look so smooth and soft.
They are both beautifully made. I love the way the maxaloones grow with the child!
The maxaloones look great! My little girl is, well, little. She is 6months, still wearing 3 month clothes, but the pants are so tight through the bum! How nice is it that someone solved that problem!!!!
Thank you for the awesome review! We didn’t cloth diaper with my daughter but we are expecting a little boy in April and I am excited to discover new cloth diaper products that I can use for him. I really love that the A12 diaper comes fully prepped and the ability to adjust the soaker where needed! The maxaloones look super cute and versatile! I love that they would grow with my little!! Thanks again for sharing! I love discovering new WAHM shops!
Those maxaloons are too cute! I love how they grow with baby so they will last a long time. I also love all the customization options there for the diapers, it makes it easy to get exactly what we want.
I wrote on Facebook that I would choose the maxaloones but now I don’t know! They both look so well made and awesome! I love the buck print and colors you got for your miniloones. The diaper looks so soft & I love the custom prints!
I love that she offers several size options for the loones! You could have adorable pants for baby from 6 months plus! I also love that the diapers come fully prepped. That is awesome.
I love how the WAHM contacted you to figure out the best color combo. Its always nice when someone runs their business with the customers in mind.
Thank you for such an awesome giveaway! Those maxaloones pants are really cute and I’ve been dying to try a pair!
This ai2 looks so soft and fun! I’ve never had the privilege of trying a diaper with cotton velour so that seems so soft. The maxiloones will also be on my list! 🙂 Pants that fit for more than a month?? Yes please!!!
I love that her AI2 diapers are so customizable, that they fit big babies/kids and that they hold so much. My little is a super heavy wetter so it would be amazing to find a diaper (besides wool) that could be cute and keep him dry for 3-ish hours. Lately we have to stuff with a hemp or bamboo prefold and microfiber insert to get those kinds of results!
I really want to try some maxaloones! I struggle with jeans but love dressing him in outfits, I’d just like some more variety. I’d be curious to see how they actually grow with the baby and fit different busy types as I’ve never tried this style of pant before.
I love Occupied Mind Creations! We have several OMC items and they always exceed my expectations. I have an older style of her AI2 diaper but not the newer version (I think she revised the cut a little last spring) so I found this review helpful. I need to beef up my stash for when baby #3 comes in a few months. Thank you!
I love Maxaloones and I have been meaning to make some for my granddaughter, but with work and life, there just does not seem to be enough time!
I’ve always adored the maxaloone style pants! Perfect for fluffy bums!
I love, love, love supporting WAHM! We have so many great diapers already but I’ve never tried a maxaloones! We have struggles with a lot of the pants we have now because of the cloth diapers and I feel this could help! I love businesses that do great giveaways like these so thank you 🙂
I think the only thing that made me nervous about trying maxiloones was the fear of compression leaks. Good to know it didn’t happen for you! These are my “must need” list for my squish. Definitely gonna check out this WAHM!
I love your diapers, they look amazing! My swee Sadie Marie loves cloth much more than the garbage ones!
Thank you for such a detailed review of two of the products that I am just learning about as we wait for the arrival of our first grandchild in February. My daughter has been talking about both of these items and I can absolutely understand her desire to include them in her little one’s wardrobe. I really like the ability to cover your baby’s legs when baby wearing. Definitely an unthought of advantage. Also, love finding new Canadian vendors!
both of the items look amazing. the diaper looks so absorbent and the maxiloons are soo cute
So the Maxaloones unroll at the top and the bottom? That’s so cool! I imagine that makes them have a better fit for the period of time they’re used for. They sound super neat!
I have a pair of the maxaloons as well, and I love them!! The material is so soft and they still look so new after a couple washes and wear. My daughter can wear cloth with them or disposable and either way the pants fit well, she has free movement as she is almost 11 months and still mostly crawling. I have nothing but raves on these pants!!
I love that these are adorable, functional products made here Canada! I always lean towards buying locally and ethically made items and it’s always great supporting fellow moms!
I commented on FB that I would choose to win a diaper, but after reading this I want to try Maxaloones. I can’t believe I never thought how useful they’d be for babywearing.
I love the print you picked for the diaper and grow with me pants. It’s nice to see them on a baby to be able to determine sizing.
These maxaloones look cute and well made!
The pants, oh my goodness the pants! So need a pair of those for my kiddo.
I love maxaloones and diapers that I have gotten from other WAHMs and would love to try these. I have found that I like WAHM products more than others. They seem more dedicated to customer service.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this giveaway!
as a CDing, babywearing momma I heartily agree with your review of maxaloons as a clothing choice. they really are the best!
I’d love to try O.M.C maxaloons as they look wonderful.
the Ai2 dipes look fabulous as well!
Initially I would say I would pick the diaper because I am a cloth diaper addict but after reading the review I definitely would pick the pants, I love that they are made for cloth diapered bums!
The velour interior looks so comfy, and the pants are absolutely adorable!
I really love the idea of a ‘Grow with me’ pant! Maxaloons are the perfect solution. LO’s got back!! with her fluffy butt 😉 Thank you for reviewing.
Those pants are so stinkin’ cute. I have a baby with pretty chunky legs too and I worry about putting him in anything tight, but I like that your little man still looks quite comfortable and mobile in his pants. I’m definitely going to check O.M.C. out.
Hey everyone – I’m the WAHM behind OMC and I love all the comments!! I hope you all learned a lot from Monarch Mommy’s review and enjoy the giveaway <3
Those pants are just TOO CUTE! I love the print on them!
Both products are amazing, right now for us the AI2 would be higher on our necessity list.
I absolutely love that they are MADE IN CANADA!
Thank you for this wonderful review, and opportunity.
The prints on the Maxaloones and diaper shown here are so cute!!! I have seen “pants” similar to these before, but didn’t realize they were made specifically to allow for some extra fluffy tush room!! How awesome!! I love the velour inner on the diaper…. looks like it would be extra soft for baby!
I think Maxaloones are about the cutest things ever!
The maxaloones look awesome! Plus, they are perfect to fit over cloth diapered bums!
I would love the Maxaloones! I have one pair and love them to bits, works so well for a fluff bum. Never even thought about the tip with baby wearing, genious!
Would love to win the grow with me pants , I’ve seen them Many times before and never bought them with my daughter but now with the second babie on the way I will for sure be getting some!
Maxaloones make the most sense for fluffy bum, fast growing babes; growing along with them. The fact that they’re well constructed by a WAHM makes it that much more of an attraction for me, as I try to support the hard work and personal touches given by WAHMs.
I love that it arrives fully prepped! The petal soaker folded the way you suggested, is a great idea! We’re about to have a little boy, so this would be awesome! 🙂 The diaper looks so soft and comfortable. I was thinking it might leak when I saw the soakers, but I am happy to hear that it did not. 🙂 I, as you said, probably wouldn’t use it after wet or soiled as a AI2, but it makes a cute Snap-in-One. 🙂
I really appreciate the honesty with the diaper review – lots of times it seems insincere when reviews when every review, everything is THE BEST! Although the pants definitely look like THE BEST!
Thank you for the review and giveaway! As a cloth diapering, baby wearing mom, I have struggles with both getting pants over the adorable fluffy bum and keeping his legs covered in a carrier. I hadn’t heard of the Maxaloones before you posted the giveaway but I am hoping these would solve both issues.
I love supporting WAHM companies!! Boy those maxaloones are adorable!! I love that they grow with your kiddo so can last through a few sizes!! That diaper is adorable!! Its a shame it gets damp between uses!!