Affordable Canadian Pocket Diapers from Kawartha Cloth {review}

With a new baby coming in March, I want to start cloth diapering again.  I’ve been researching cloth diapers (there are so many great new products on the market since I bought my first set of diapers four years ago!) and recently came across Kawartha Cloth.  I liked the fact that they sell affordable Canadian pocket diapers. They sent me a ladybug-print diaper for Lily to try out.

As soon as Lily saw the diaper, she wanted to try it on—she loved the bright colours.  She even modeled it for me.

These diapers are pocket diapers, meaning there is a waterproof cover and a microfiber insert.  I was super impressed by how fluffy and soft the inserts were.  There’s an opening at the top, back of the cover to slide the insert into the cover.  Even if the baby poops out of the diaper (which for me has happened less in cloth diapers than in disposable diapers), it should be easy to get the liner out of the diaper without getting super dirty.

The fleece liner wicks moisture away from the baby’s bottom.  In my experience, my daughters have asked for diaper changes more often when wearing cloth diapers because they notice when they pee.  Lily wore this diaper for a whole morning, insisting she didn’t need a diaper change.  When I did finally change her, the liner still felt dry—but the insert was sopping, dripping wet!  I was amazed at how well the diaper had kept her dry while holding so much moisture.  I’d have no problems using this diapers for overnight.

I liked how adjustable this diaper was with all of the snaps.  The lower row of snaps folds up to accommodate a younger baby, and the flaps snap over on themselves (picture above).  There are three snaps on the flaps so that you can adjust the fit to your baby’s waist.  However, Lily is two and a half now and has my tall, skinny genes, so I’m not sure this diaper would still fit a chunkier toddler.

Oh, and the snaps made this diaper so much easier in the wash!  I’ve used diapers with velcro closures in the past and the velcro always sticks to everything else in the wash.  This diaper came out of the wash by itself.  I should also mention that Kawartha Cloth have the most affordable Canadian pocket diapers I’ve found.  The initial investment of buying a stash of diapers can be scary, but Kawartha Cloth makes it much more economical.  They also have some pretty cool starter packages.

If you take your toddler swimming frequently, you can even use your cloth diaper as a swim diaper! The Kawartha website says:

Just remove the inserts and use the outer shell as a swim diaper.  Swim diapers, both disposable and cloth, are made to hold the solids in and not the urine.  By taking out the insert your diaper will not absorb the pool water but will keep any solids inside.  We recommend keeping one cloth diaper for swimming only as well as using the regular or print cloth diaper and not the minky cloth diaper as the chlorine is very harsh.  Please note that diapers used for swimming are not covered under the manufacture warranty.

For more information about Kawartha Cloth, check out their website.  They have a great FAQs page answering some common questions about cloth diapers and providing more info about their diapers.  They also sell wet bags, cloth wipes, mama pads, and Eco Sprout laundry products.  To find out about sales and new items, follow Kawartha Cloth on Facebook.

2018 UPDATE: This diaper is still part of my cloth diaper stash, six years after writing this review. When I was expecting my third daughter in 2013, I ordered two dozen Kawartha cloth diapers, as they were still the most affordable Canadian pocket diapers I could find. Those diapers have been used on my third and fourth daughters and are now diapering my son’s bottom. I’ve added a few other diapers to my stash (thanks to other reviews and friend’s giving me their diapers), but the bulk of my current cloth diaper supply is Kawartha Cloth. The “ladybug diaper” is still one of my two-year-old daughter’s favourite diapers.

Are you ready to make the switch to cloth diapers, but feel like you need to use up the last box of disposable diapers you bought? Go ahead and buy those cute cloth diapers, and donate your unused disposable diapers to From the Bottom Up Foundation to help low-income moms in Vancouver!

Where have you found affordable Canadian pocket diapers?

This diaper was provided for review by Kawartha Cloth.  All opinions expressed are my own.