Sunday, April 25, 2010

Thirsties Diaper Cover Review


SAP's Story

Before SAP was born and I choose to use fitteds for her first couple months of life, I soon realized I would also need a reliable diaper cover! My main focus when choosing a diaper cover was that it would not leak (of course!) even from those breastmilk poops, it was decent quality yet affordable since I was on a budget, and I needed one with a "scoop" in the center meant for newborns so the umbilical cord would not get irritated by the diaper cover. The result of my search let me to Thirsties Diaper Covers! These diaper covers were very affordable, brightly colored and appealing, and rumored to be the best out there for leak protection at any age! I decided these were our diaper covers for SAP!

These covers were awesome! We rarely got any leaks even with breastmilk poop! With 18 fitted diapers we had 4 Thirsties covers and rarely went through all of them before wash (which was every day and a half at that point). The covers were easily wipe-offable on the inside for between diaper changes, all the same we usually would wipe it off and let it dry and use a different cover before coming back to that one, just personal preference I think! We always hung-dry the covers and never put them in the dryer, although they are able to be dried on low I know letting them air dry preserves the elastic, and the elastic did wonderful and didn't wear out the entire time we used them and them re-sold them! They would dry really fast and were usable soon after being washed incase you are running late and need a cover right away, no worries! We had two red, a sky blue, and a melon (orange) color that was my favorite! None of the colors were overly girly or boyish, and were easy to resell afterward, especially with the great reputation that they had with being leak proof!
SAP less than 1 month old in an XS cover.


When SAP grew into her BumGenius One Sized Diapers and out of her BumGenius Bamboo Fitteds and Thirsties XS sized newborn covers, we still used Thirsties as our main cover! SAP learned to roll over, and thus started sleeping on her side or tummy, and leading to leaks from her BumGenius One Sized diaper! Our bullet proof solution to not having to change the sheets every night was newborn sized Indian Prefolds and Thirsties sized small covers! No more leaks! No more sheets needing chaged, no more baby waking up through out the night needing clothes all changed, no more extra loads of laundry! Happy all around! This continued to be our night time solution for a long time. We only purchased two of these covers in periwinkle and aqua colors for 6 newborn prefolds and had no problems running out of covers.
When SAP outgrew her newborn prefolds and we went to Premium Indian Prefolds we moved up to the Medium sized Thirsties covers without any leak problems at all. We purchased the Rasberry and the Lavender (can you tell I started getting more girly colors? lol) and the bright colors were so nice for summer time and brought a smile to my face still in the winter! SAP is at 14 months old now and she still uses these covers! We have used them over prefolds as well as over hemp babies bigger weeds and they fit great over any sized prefold, fitted, etc.! With the velcro tabs we could get a perfect fit each time even though her body shape has went form chubby to skinny and back! These are our number one go-to cover and I don't think I could have a diaper stash without them!

Descripti
on
  • Type of Diaper Cover: Velcro cover
  • Sizes and Weight Recommendations: XS 6-12lbs, S 12-18lbs, M 18-28 lbs, L 28-40lbs
  • How diaper works/features: This is a diaper cover, and so is used to cover any type of cloth diaper that is not waterproof (prefolds, flats, contours, fitteds, etc.). You put the diaper part on the baby first, then the cover goes over the diaper. This cover has velcro tabs and so can secure to any waist size for a perfect fit each time. The tabs are also double sided and can be over-lapped for skinnier or younger babies. There are laundry tabs available to secure the tabs for laundry time so they will no catch and pill your other diapers. All parts of the diaper must be tucked inside the diaper cover to ensure it is leak-proof. This diaper cover features unique double gussets that aid in the leak-proof process. This diaper cover can be used with more than one diaper change and can be wiped off on the inside between changes. If any poop gets on the cover it is recommended to wash it.
    Style and Material
  • Material Feel: Although this cover is able to be wiped off on the inside, it is not at all like "plastic pants". The cover is a soft and very flexible material on the outside and the inside is very smooth and able to be wiped off.
  • Materials Used: Made in the USA 100% polyester with urethane coating, free of PVC, phthalates, lead and latex! I LOVE this about Thirsties! A wipe off, water-proof cover that is free of any toxins, and USA made! Great job Thirsties!
  • Colors/Aesthetics: These diaper covers have no extra snaps or anything on them besidesthe velcro and the water proof material itself. The leg gussets seem to add a little more aesthetic appleal. These diaper covers come in a wide range of bright and happy colors, including aqua, baby blue, butter, candy pink, celery, lavender, melon, ocean, periwinkle, raspberry, red, sky blue, and white! Girly, boyish, and neutral colors that will match anyone's personality or outfit for the day! They do not however offer prints in these covers

    SAP a monh and a half old in my favorite color Thirsties Cover, the melon!


    Ease of Use

  • Closures: The closures offered for this diaper cover are only velcro. The velcro is highly durable and crates a perfect fit every time. Laundry tabs are available to prevent pilling during wash. The closures are also double sided and can over-lap each other for a trimmer fit. The tabs are rounded and do not irritate baby's skin.
  • Similarity to Disposables: This is a diaper cover, and in and of itself is not a diaper. However, by itself it is very much like a disposable in how it is put on and is easily understood by people without instruction. However, because it has to be paired with a diaper and so is a two-step diapering system it is not the most similar to a disposable one can get with the cloth diapering system.

    SAP about 1 month old getting a diaper change from Daddy, BumGenius Bamboo Fitted is being used under the Thirsties cover.

    Fit
  • Trimness: This cover is made of a single layer of fabric and of very thin polyester laminate and so does not cause any bulk at all, and in fact seems to make the diaper as trim as possible for what it is covering.
  • How Size and fit are adjusted: This diaper cover is a single-sized cover and cannot be adjusted for size. If you need a new size you need to go to the next sized cover. This diaper's fit is adjustable in the waist via the use of velcro for a closure, ensuring a perfect fit each time. Leg adjustability is done by the leg gussets that are unique to Thirsties diapers, but are not able to be individually adjusted.


    SAP 2-3 months old, wearing her XS Thirsties Cover over a prefold!


    Performance and Functionality
  • Leaks: We had a few leaks with the XS covers covering the BumGenius Bamboo Fitteds and only when SAP had really bad blow outs. This was rare. We have not had any leaks since then! These are our number one night time cover and I use them all the time for prefolds now without any problems!
  • Leg Gussets: Thirsties diapers and diaper covers have unique double leg gussets! These make these covers very leak proof, preventing anything from coming out! The gussets did sometimes make marks on SAP's theighs because they'd become tight at times, but that can easily be adjusted with a change in the velcro tab closures and it did not bother SAP at all.
  • Nap/Bedtime use: These are our number one nap and bedtime covers! These far surpassed any night time diaper we have tried and I prefer to use these over anything else! For SAP being a side-sleeper she can sleep on her side and have no leaks from this diaper because of the great design of the leg gussets!


    SAP at 3-4 months old wearing her size S aqua colored Thirsties over a prefold with a fleece liner in it!
  • If Fit is True: We have used XS, S, and M sizes in this cover for SAP, and we have experienced that the recommended size/weight range for these covers is accurate. When it was time to up-size to the next sized cover we did not experience any leaking as we have when it was time to up-size other diapers and covers, it just became more difficult to velcro on her and the tabs were quite far apart and seemed really snug. We have had no chance to try the large size and with the weight range it is most likely that the large size would only be needed for large babies or older toddlers that are not potty trained yet. A newborn might be able to use a size Small instead of the XS if no umbilical scoop is needed. It is quite possible only two sizes would be needed for cloth diapering, although the newborn XS size was excellent to use and I'd very much recommend all sizes in this cover.
  • Wear and Tear: The most wear and tear we got from these covers was when we were using them as our main diaper system when SAP was just born. These diaper covers would be washed every day and a half and hung dried. The wear and tear I experienced on these covers was some pilling in the velcro but nothing that would decrease the use of the velcro. I also experienced some elasticity loss around the leg gussets, but it did not decrease performance of these covers at all and they remained well usable for a long time. Over all wear and tear was pretty minimal and for the short amount of time most covers are used before baby outgrows them there should be no worry about wear and tear on these covers.
    SAP in her aqua Thirsties size S at 4-5 months old!
    Quality/Cash Analysis
  • These diaper covers average $11.50 each, but I have seen them cheaper than that at certain diaper stores. For a wipe-clean diaper cover this is an average price. Other velcro wipe clean covers may be a dollar or so more, or a dollar or so less depending on brand. If comparing to other types of covers like one-sized covers, envelope covers, or pull on covers, it is more expensive than a pull-on plastic pants cover, less expensive than a one-size cover, envelope cover, or fleece wrap or any other type of cover. The quality of these covers is very well known and the durability and performance is excellent and well worth the price, I even say the price is lower than I would be willing to pay for this cover! If you are looking for a leak proof solution to nap time, bed time, or during the day, for a side-sleeper or belly-sleeper, a wipe off cover that will last a long time and fit without leaks even when baby is outgrowing it, this is your cover!

3 comments:

SAPsMaMa said...

Sorry about the empty space at the end I have no idea how to get rid of it, I am working on it!

Kristen said...

Hi! I am over from FF. I am looking forward to reading all your reviews on cloth diapers, since my little one is due next month.
Thanks!

SAPsMaMa said...

Glad I could help Kristen! Stay tuned, I'm trying out a ton of diapers lately!