I think the diapers that people are the most curious about are these MIC (Made in China) diapers that you’ll find all over eBay, such as here, here, and here.
Although they are presumably made by different companies, they are extremely similar and I suspect may even be made from the same materials and patterns. The only difference appears to be the label on the side. There’s a distinct lack of reviews on these types of diapers, probably because not many people are willing to purchase what is obviously a cheap MIC knockoff. But, guess what?! I’m willing to do it for you guys. 😉 Just kidding, I am poor enough that I purchased one of these to try out all on my own. The fact that I bought four more after that should tell you in what direction this review is headed!
I bought one MIC and used it for a little while to see if it was worth the $3.50 I paid for it (including an insert AND shipping from China), before deciding to go ahead and get a couple more colors.
This is a one-size pocket diaper. Like most one-size diapers, it is adjustable in the rise to three different heights. It is also adjustable in the waist by ten snaps and may also be tightened to a crossover in the front.
Things that surprised me:
The first thing I noticed about the diaper, as soon as I opened the package, was the cheap fabric. It didn’t seem possible that this thing was actually waterproof, despite it being made of PUL (polyurethane laminate, same as most cloth diapers), and the fleece on the inside definitely didn’t seem like it was going to stay dry. But somehow, it did. I was also struck by the stitching – it looked like it was going to come apart completely in only one heavy-duty diaper wash. But, it didn’t. It’s stuck around for a month now, and still looks like it did when I got it.
Things that did not surprise me:
The insert that came with this diaper is rubbish. The material is fine, in fact it’s very similar to bumGenius’ microfiber inserts with their 4.0s, but it doesn’t snap for sizing and it is much thinner. I have to use an extra bumGenius infant insert/doubler on top of the MIC insert and it works alright. These diapers need to be changed more often than other cloth diapers, but that is to be expected for the price paid. When I say “more often,” I mean every 1.5-2 hours for us. My son wears a typical cloth diaper (BG 4.0, flip, or prefold + cover) for 3-4 hours except in the case of a #2. So that means, for us, the MIC diapers need to be changed twice as often.
If you buy one with an insert included, you'll need to add some absorbancy to their microfiber insert. It's just too thin.
This diaper is also missing the “lip” that many cloth diapers from popular companies have. I’m talking about right inside the front cover, across the top, the waterproof PUL fabric is extended a bit into the inside of the diaper to help “stop” the insert. It keeps it from poking out the front of the cover and keeps the inner fleece fabric from wicking onto the clothes. Because this “lip” (sorry, I don’t know the technical term for it. Please comment and tell me what it is if you know) is absent in this diaper, it is imperative that you double check to make sure that the insert and the fleece is entirely tucked and contained beneath the PUL cover after it is snapped on to the baby. It took us a few changes to make this a habit, but once we did, we haven’t had any more leaks or wicking.
This is where the insert sort of pokes up out of the cover. Make sure to tuck it in after fastening down the diaper, since there's no waterproof PUL lip to hold it in.
Other thoughts:
I would comment on the stain resistance, but my son doesn’t do #2’s often, and it has not happened that one has landed in a MIC diaper. I don’t imagine that it will contain his once-every-couple-of-days-poo-SPLOSION! as we refer to them, but I also did not think the diaper was going to be waterproof in the first place, so who knows? I can only speculate. I guess I’ll have to update accordingly, if Baby J ever does a #2 in one of them.
Final judgement:
Despite the cheap materials and the inferior craftsmanship… this diaper works. Somehow, it does not leak (if you tuck the insert & fleece properly). It doesn’t rub my baby’s chunky thighs until they are raw like some of the major brands do. It is suspiciously cheap ($3.50 for the diaper, insert, and shipping in my case, but the sales are through eBay so it will vary). It has to be changed twice as often as other pocket diapers. But, y’all, this thing is so cheap. It may not last through two or three children like my other dipes will, but at the price I paid, I would buy new ones again for my next baby.
Bottom line: Unless you are super into buying only American made (or at least American assembled) items, then I definitely recommend that you try this diaper. Just buy one, try it, and if it works for you and your baby, buy some more! The price alone is worth giving it a chance.
The Constant Diaperer 
Okay, you know that when I have a baby (hopefully in the next year or so) you are totally going to teach me about cloth diapering, right?
Yes! One thing I noticed early on about cloth diapering is that the women who do it, LOVE TO TALK ABOUT IT. So yeah, we’ll put together a little cloth diaper fashion show and I’ll show you all the different types!
Im just curious Idk if I understand so excuse my ignorance lol. Where the liner pokes out at the top… Does your diaper not have the little lip in between the part that touches baby, and the PUL? That is suppose to go over the liner, so it doesn’t slip out, Idk if that was what you were talking about tho lol, so let meknow, we are VERY new to the cloth thing so… 🙂
No worries! It’s a little difficult to explain in words anyway, so I’ll show you. I think this is the “lip” you are talking about (and I don’t know what the technical term for any of this is, either) and it’s what I think of in my head as more of a flap. That’s the flap that holds the insert inside of the pocket diaper, between the fleece layer that actually touches your baby’s bum, and the outer, waterproof PUL layer.
This is the “lip” that I’m talking about that’s present on a bumGenius 4.0. It works sort of like a stopper for when the insert scoots too far toward the front (here’s another angle). On the Babyland/Baby City pocket diapers, if the insert scooches too far up, that lip/stopper isn’t there to keep it in place, so if you don’t tuck the fleece back inside the PUL cover after you’ve fastened the diaper, the fleece will “wick” onto your baby’s clothes once it gets wet. Here’s what it looks like when it scoots up.
Does it make better sense with pictures? I tend to talk with my hands a lot, so sometimes it’s hard to translate into words. 🙂
Ok that makes sense. Luckily for me the babylands/baby city are the only cloth diapers we have ever used (going on 3 days as fulltime fluffers lol) so I have nothing to compare it to, lol. Makes you love it so much easier I think when you are ignorant of the better brands lol.
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Thanks for this review. I bought 5 diaper covers from “baby city/ninelineus” to use over prefolds and so far so good! I was suspicious at first too because they are so super cheap compared to all the other diaper covers out there, and they’re coming from China and all. But then I realized that most all of my baby stuff, especially clothes are all made in China anyway- my Carters clothes, “high end” stuff like Anais and Aden blankets, my nursing cover, most everything!
I use those same kind but for some reason mine leak off the sides when the rest of the diaper is dry. any reason why this is happening?
The first thing you should check is for proper fit. When your baby is laying down after you’ve put on a fresh diaper, lift your baby’s legs. Do you see any “air” or gaps around the leg openings of the diaper? If you do, try snapping the diaper down to a shorter rise, and tightening the flaps, too. I always like to pull Jackson’s diapers as tight as I think it will go, and then pull it even a little tighter before snapping!