The Skinny on Skinny AppleCheeks

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Have you ever heard of a “skinny AppleCheeks” diaper and wondered what the heck that is? I have. It’s a term I’ve seen thrown around in AppleCheeks buy/sell/trade groups, and for a long time I had no idea what it actually meant. It turns out it’s a way to reference a vintage AppleCheeks diaper, but not just any vintage AppleCheeks, a skinny apple AppleCheeks. Have I lost you yet? I’m going to get into the skinny on skinny AppleCheeks. What does it mean, what is it, and why does it matter? I know you’re dying to know, so let’s get right into it. 

There are skinny and there are fat apple AppleCheeks. What doest that mean? It’s a reference to the size of the AppleCheeks logo on the tag on the back of the diaper. More specifically, it refers to the thickness of the apple used for the letter “C” in the AppleCheeks logo. You see, the AppleCheeks logo tag has gone through various incarnations since the first AppleCheeks diaper was launched in 2008. You can read more about the progression of the logo and tags HERE. To demonstrate the skinny and the fat apple, I’ve got an example of each. The skinny apple is a size 1 Raspberry Sorbet, and the fat apple is a size 1 Ocean Playground.

Now that you know what skinny or fat apple refers to in the AppleCheeks world, does it actually matter? I mean, it’s just a tag, right? As with all things AppleCheeks it’s never “just” anything. Of course AppleCheeks collectors often want to acquire all the variations of a diaper (including all the different tags), so in that way it matters to them. But it also matters in terms of cut and fit. Surprised? I was too. Once you have a skinny apple and a fat apple AppleCheeks diaper side by side or even on the bum, it’s hard not to notice the difference. I’m talking about a difference in the cut and size of the diaper in the same size. My only skinny apple AppleCheeks is a size 1, so I will be comparing a skinny apple size 1 to a fat apple size 1. I can only assume that the difference is similar in size 2.

Let’s start with the cut of the diaper. Just hold a skinny and a fat apple size 1 diaper side by side, and you’ll immediately see a difference. To me, that difference is not minor. Laying a size 1 skinny apple over a size 1 fat apple, you can see that the skinny apple is both shorter and narrower than the fat apple. The skinny apple is one full inch shorter from top to bottom than the fat apple. Across the back of the diaper, the skinny apple is about half an inch narrower than the fat apple, and it’s almost a full inch narrower at the front of the diaper. The cut is different across the crotch too. The skinny apple’s crotch is one inch narrower than the fat apple’s crotch. That’s a pretty substantial difference if you ask me. So what does that mean when it comes to fit?

The easiest way to explain the fit difference is to show you. Size 1 AppleCheeks fit from 7-20lbs. Of course, depending on the shape and build of your baby, they may not fit at the bottom or top ends of that weight range, but it’s just a guideline to give you a starting point. What I can say is that I had Petit Prince in both the skinny and fat apple size 1 pretty well from birth (less than a week old anyway), and one fit easily while the other seemed a bit big on him. He was 7lbs 15oz at birth and was around that weight at 6 days old. The skinny apple size 1 was a perfect fit, no fussing required to make the leg openings small enough for newborn thighs. I loved it. The fat apple size 1, on the other hand, was a bit big. To get the legs snug enough over his newborn thighs, I had to pull the wings of the diaper up high so they stuck up and out at the waist. Even doing that, I found the fit a bit bulky at around 8lbs with the fat apple size 1.

How about the fit now? Petit Prince is about 17 lbs now at 6 months old. Though it is cut quite a bit smaller than the fat apple, the skinny apple size 1 still fits. As you can see from the photos, Petit Prince’s thighs are not what I would call small… Despite his thickness, the skinny apple size 1 diaper does still fit. There’s even one set of snaps to grow into. I will say that he has really almost outgrown the skinny apple size 1. Despite having room to grow into the last set of snaps on the diaper, the cut of the diaper makes it a very tight fit. There’s not a lot of bum coverage left, and the rise is fairly low. For Petit Prince, this isn’t a huge issue, but for babies with a longer torso I could see the skinny apple size 1 being outgrown by now.

The fat apple size 1, on the other hand, fits like a dream at 17 lbs. I usually have the diaper done up one set of snaps away from centre on the lower snap, and two sets of snaps away from centre on the upper snap. I’m quite particular about getting the leg elastics right up into the underwear lines with all the thigh meat pulled out of the diaper, so I can get the legs quite snug (without them being too tight). By doing the upper snap up one snap farther out than the lower snap, I leave lots of room for Petit Prince’s tummy. This is important at this stage as he is starting to be in a seated position more often, so he needs a bit more space at the tummy. The coverage of the fat apple size 1 across the bum is great. The rise is that whole inch longer giving Petit Prince plenty of room to grow into. I can definitely see the fat apple size 1 fitting right to 20lbs, and possibly beyond. The skinny apple size 1 won’t make it to 20lbs on Petit Prince due to the narrower cut.

The narrower cut of the skinny apple size 1 is great for fitting a newborn and a skinny baby. This narrower cut also means it will be outgrown more quickly than the fat apple size 1. On the flip side, the generous fit of the fat apple size 1 makes it fit for a good long time. The only downside being that it might be a bit big on a smaller newborn. How can you get your hands on a skinny apple AppleCheeks diaper? Well, that’s a tough one. If you want a skinny apple, you have to luck out in the buy/sell/trade groups as they are no longer being made. They’re not impossible to find, though, so if you have a really skinny baby, they’re definitely out there! Want to get your hands on a fat apple AppleCheeks diaper? They’re available at Bumbini Cloth Diaper Company in Canada and Nicki’s Diapers in the USA.

Have you tried a skinny apple AppleCheeks diaper? What did you think of the fit?