Product Review: Thirsties Duo Wraps Diaper Covers

9:34 AM | Labels: Cloth Diaper Reviews, Cloth Diapers

Type of Diaper:

For use with Pre-fold and Fitted diapers

Average Unit Cost:

$13.00 each (can get several uses out of each between washes)

Suggested Best Uses:

Two adjustable sizes provides for longer wear, This cover is great for daytime, and also can be used at night for lighter wetters

Availability:

Common item carried in many specialty diaper shops

How it works

Thirsties diaper covers fit over any fold or prefold style diaper, as well as fitted diapers (eg. Kissaluvs, Mother-Ease). This cover is essentially an adjustable version of the original Thirsties Diaper Cover, except that it has adjustable snaps for the "rise" (length from crotch to waist) size of your baby. There are two sizes to choose from:

Size one: 6-18 lbs (0-9 months)
Size two: 18-40 lbs (9-36 months)

The two size approach has made for trimmer fits for babies of all sizes, versus a one-size fit which tends to be too big on newborns and too snug on toddlers. I've noticed that there is a crossover period between the two sizes when both work just fine (the cusp between both sizes). When your baby approaches the 14 pound mark, it's a good idea to upgrade to size two. You'll still be able to use the size ones for a while, but don't hold out too long... too-snug or ill-fitting covers will mean leaks!

Adjust the "rise" snaps to fit your baby so that the prefold/fitted diaper is covered completely and no cloth is poking above the waist (so you don't have any top-leaking). As your baby grows, you can adjust the snaps to give you more length. You can choose from a velcro (Aplix) or snap closure. Velcro is certainly faster to close than the snaps and a bit more convenient, but velcro can be a nuisance in the laundry when not secured properly and many clever older babies figure out how to undo them (making for some terrible messes)! Snaps take a bit longer to close, but much more difficult for babies to undo. The choice is yours, for little babies I like the velcro but as my little guy gets older I will be making sure all of my diapers use snaps for closing.

Best Features

The adjustable sizes of these covers is great for fast-growing babies. My favorite thing about these covers is that when I have them on my bub properly I've never had a problem with leaks. The only time I did have a leak was when I left part of a cloth diaper poking out over the top, and I realized my little bub had grown and I had to let the snaps out in the rise. The legs have a double gusset that makes it very difficult for messes to escape through the leg holes. I have had some very serious 'Pooplosions' and one major 'Poopageddon' while using prefolds and fitted with these covers and have been amazed at how well they contained messes that blew out and around the diaper underneath them and never out onto my little guy's clothes.

They are also very trim-fitting and comfortable-feeling... no crackling or scratching on my son's skin.

What Could Be Better About This Product

While the colour choices and styles are nice, I'd like to see more variety and patterns outside the standard colours and patterns you see for babies. I'm a modern parent that doesn't always want to stick to just the same old blues, pinks and pastels. While very hard to find, (and I've had to make some of my own things), I like to dress my baby in khakis, blacks and bold colours, patterns and themes. For example, let's see some animal skin, bold purple polka-dots on black or some pirate prints... or how about some completely solid colours without white trim? How about adding some neutrals colours or the incredibly rare-to-find black!