Mini Kiwi Pocket Diaper Review

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I received this item at no cost to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

The Canadian cloth diaper community is a pretty small and close knit one. When there’s news about a Canadian cloth diaper brand it travels, and it travels FAST! There was some pretty big news back in the summer of 2015 about two very popular cloth diaper brands based in Quebec. What was that news? It was a merger! Still not sure what I’m talking about? I’m talking about the Bummis and Mini Kiwi merger! This was a pretty big deal in the cloth diapering community, and for good reason. Bummis is a mainstay in the Canadian cloth diapering world. They’ve always aimed for the highest quality locally sourced materials and manufacture their diapers in Canada. Mini Kiwi is a brand with which those living outside of Quebec may not have been familiar, but they are no less worthy of your undivided attention! When Mini Kiwi and Bummis merged together, you could hear the Canadian cloth diaper community rejoice. Since the merger, Mini Kiwi has launched an all new one size pocket diaper, and I have heard nothing but fabulous things about this diaper. When Natalie of Go Green Baby asked me if I would like to review the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper, I was so thrilled! I was finally going to see what Mini Kiwi was all about after hearing whispers of their brilliance for years. Go Green Baby is a Canadian retailer based out of Kingston, Ontario. It’s family owned and operated, and is focused on providing customers with only the best natural products for their families. So it should come as no surprise that they’ve started carrying Mini Kiwi and Bummis cloth diapers! You’re probably just itching to know more about the Mini Kiwi one size pocket diaper, and I’m itching to tell you about it, so let’s get to it! 

The Details:

The Mini Kiwi pocket diaper is a one size diaper that comes with a pocket shell and two inserts. The pocket diaper shell is made with a waterproof PUL outer layer and a stay-dry microsuede inner material. The Mini Kiwi pocket diaper shell fits from 8-35lbs. It accommodates that range of sizing with a 3×4 rise snap adjustment. The front closure of the diaper is a hook & loop (velcro) closure. There’s a nice wide strip of hook & loop across the front of the diaper, and wide hook & loop on each of the tabs. The hook & loop used by Mini Kiwi is sturdy and sticky. The tabs of the diaper are squared, and can be crossed over to accommodate a small baby. The waist of the diaper gets very small when the tabs are crossed over as there is a generous strip of hook & loop on the outside of one tab.

Inside the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper the stay-dry microsuede inner has a back pocket opening. The back flap of the pocket opening overlaps and the edges of the pocket opening have elastic sewn in. This makes the pocket opening nice and stretchy, but also helps to keep it closed and flat once the insert is stuffed in the shell. As the microsuede inner is a stay-dry material, baby will feel more dry while wearing the diaper which is great for babies that are sensitive to wetness, but also great for baby’s comfort. On the inside of each tab there are two pieces of hook & loop. The outermost pieces are for securing the closure of the diaper, and the innermost pieces are laundry tabs. Laundry tabs allow you to fold back the sticky part of the hook & loop so that it doesn’t catch on other items in the wash.

The Mini Kiwi pocket diaper comes with two inserts. The first insert is a newborn insert consisting of three layers of bamboo. This insert can be used alone for small babies, or can be used as a booster for overnight use or for very heavy wetters. The larger insert is a one size snake style insert. This insert consists of two layers of bamboo on one end and two layers of microfibre on the other end. There are two different snap settings to allow you to fold and snap the insert to fit at the various rise settings. You can also fold the insert in different ways to customize the number of layers and the placement for absorbency in just the right area. Microfibre absorbs very quickly, so you’ll typically want to fold the insert so the microfibre is on top and then stuff the insert into the pocket. The elastic edged pocket opening of the shell prevents any microfibre from coming in contact with baby’s skin.

How it works:

I’ve used the Mini Kiwi one size pocket diaper with Petit Prince while he was around 19-19.5lbs. I’ve got to say something about the one size insert that comes with the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper. It’s pretty unique in terms of insert style. With microfibre sewn right onto the bamboo in a long snake style, it combines the best of both worlds: microfibre for fast absorption and bamboo for more absorbency and fewer compression leaks. It’s actually a combination I use often around here, except normally I’m combining inserts from two different brands of cloth diapers to create a combination that prevents compression leaks, but still absorbs super fast. The Mini Kiwi one size insert does that for me. It’s already built the way that creates optimal absorbency for us here, and that’s awesome. The convenience of having that combo built into one insert is great, but even better is that it’s actually quite trim. When I combine inserts from two different brands, I’m often sacrificing trimness for speed and absorbency (both of which are needed when baby wearing in particular due to the pressure on the diaper when Petit Prince is being worn). With the Mini Kiwi one size insert, I don’t have to sacrifice trimness to achieve this optimal combination. Another advantage to the Mini Kiwi one size snake style insert is that it dries quickly. Since the bamboo is done in one very long double layer, it dries much more quickly than if it were four or six layers of bamboo all sewn together.

Since I’m talking about the insert, let’s cut right to the chase. Absorbency. How does it fare? It does quite well. The three layer bamboo newborn insert is no longer enough absorbency on its own for Petit Prince, but the one size snake style insert does great. I can get a good four hours out of that insert without experiencing leaks. I like to snap it and fold it so that there’s 6 layers of bamboo under the microfibre up front instead of the usual 4 layers. If you have a girl and need more absorbency in the wet zone, you can fold it so there’s 6 layers under the microfibre at the back. If your baby or toddler is a super soaker, you can use the newborn three layer bamboo insert as a booster and tuck it underneath the one size snake style insert. What about overnight? Totally possible with the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper just as it comes. You can have a leak free night when using the newborn bamboo insert as a booster along with the one size snake style insert.

What about the fit? As I mentioned before, the way the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper’s one size insert is constructed, it is actually quite trim. In other words, I don’t need to size up in pants to get them over the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper. I have Petit Prince on the second to smallest rise setting and he will be at that rise for quite some time to come. I find that the cut of the diaper is generous in size, so I can see it truly fitting through potty training, even if that is happening around age 3. Although the waist does get small enough for a newborn with the hook & loop crossover tabs, I find that the body of the diaper is likely too big for a newborn. The rise is quite high, even on the smallest setting, so I just don’t see it fitting well right from 8lbs. As with many one size diapers, I’d say that it should fit from around 10lbs, though it would depend on the shape of your baby.

I have to admit that hook & loop isn’t my favourite style of closure for a diaper. Nevertheless, I don’t mind the hook & loop on the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper. I find that it is very sticky and clingy, and it’s nice and wide so it feels quite secure when the diaper is done up. I do find that in order to get the diaper snug enough around the leg openings, that I have to go a bit tighter around the waist than I would like. This is just the nature of hook & loop closures as you can’t stagger the closure the way you can with a double row of snaps at the waist. On the one hand, hook & loop is great because you can really customize the fit in a way you can’t with snaps, but on the other hand it can be a bit more challenging to accommodate chunky thighs with a small tummy or slim thighs with a chubby tummy. If you’re going to go hook & loop, laundry tabs are a MUST, and Mini Kiwi’s laundry tabs are excellent. I don’t find it difficult to line up the laundry tabs so that all the rough part of the hook & loop is covered, so there’s really no chance of the tabs catching on other things in the laundry.

The Mini Kiwi pocket diaper with hook & loop closure has square tabs. I tend to prefer rounded tabs as square ones can be prone to folding or curling out over time. So far, this hasn’t been a huge problem with the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper, but I have noticed it happening a little bit when the diaper is on. The tabs don’t remain curled back once they are washed, so I don’t think it’s going to affect the diaper’s closure over continued use.

By now you know that I love a Canadian made diaper, so I was thrilled with the Mini Kiwi/Bummis merger. I was keen to see if the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper is now made in Canada, and was pleased to see that the pocket shell is in fact Canadian made. The inserts, however, are made overseas.

Pros:

• Pocket shell is made in Canada
• Combination of microfibre & bamboo absorbs quickly without compression leaks
• Includes a newborn insert/booster
• Can be used as an overnight diaper without purchasing additional boosters
• Microsuede inner is very soft
• Elastic on pocket opening keeps it flat and keeps insert tucked away
• Will fit through potty training
• One size snake style insert dries quickly
• Snake style insert can be folded in different ways to customize absorbency
• Hook & loop is very clingy
• Laundry tabs are large and easy to use
• Available with hook & loop closure OR snap closure

Cons:

• May not actually fit right from 8lbs due to the high rise
• Square tabs are more prone to folding/curling out
• Hook & loop closure doesn’t allow for a staggered fit for chunky or skinny thighs

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I quite liked the Mini Kiwi one size pocket diaper. With the microfibre/bamboo combination insert, I think Mini Kiwi really understands what cloth diapering parents want and need in their cloth diapers. It’s great not to have to sacrifice on a trim fitting diaper to get fast absorbency without compression leaks. It doesn’t happen often, but I love it when a cloth diaper can be used for daytime AND overnight without requiring boosters that are sold separately. Bonus points to Mini Kiwi for succeeding on that front! The Mini Kiwi pocket diaper is going to last through potty training, and that’s awesome. It can be frustrating to find your child has outgrown their “one size” diapers long before they’re ready to potty train, but that won’t be a problem with the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper. The hook & loop closure is nice and strong on the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper, and it allows for a customized fit with no “in between settings” in the sizing as can happen with snap closures. Now that Mini Kiwi has merged with Bummis, the pocket shell of the Mini Kiwi pocket diaper is made in Canada!

How would you like the chance to WIN a Mini Kiwi one size pocket diaper with hook & loop closure from Go Green Baby? One lucky reader will win one Mini Kiwi one size pocket diaper with hook & loop closure in the in stock colour of their choice from Go Green Baby. Just scroll down to the giveaway and get your entries in for a chance to win. This giveaway is open to Canadian residents, 18+, and closes on May 10th, 2016. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment. Don’t forget to follow the giveaway “hop” and enter the other awesome giveaways linked up below!

Can’t wait for the giveaway to end? You can order a Mini Kiwi one size pocket diaper with hook & loop closure now from Go Green Baby RIGHT HERE!

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