I received these items at no cost to facilitate my review. All opinions remain my own. (For more info on the snap pocket diaper, scroll down for some updates on the design!)
Big news hit the cloth diaper industry earlier this year when two of Quebec’s leading cloth diaper brands announced a merger. Bummis, a pioneer in the business since the early 80s, joined forces with the more modern Mini Kiwi, recent winner on Quebec’s version of The Dragon’s Den (aka Shark Tank) this summer.
Mini Kiwi’s products had been, until the merger, manufactured in Mexico. Bummis has always manufactured much closer to home, mainly in Quebec. Perhaps the happiest consequence of the Mini Kiwi/Bummis merger is that Mini Kiwi’s products will now also be made in Canada.
One of the first products to be launched under the new Bummis Mini Kiwi banner is the redesigned Mini Kiwi Pocket Diaper. You can have a look at our review of its predecessor here.
Design:
Available in hook & loop and snap closures, this one-size pocket is designed to fit from 8-35 pounds. I’ve used a lot of pocket diapers in my time as a cloth diaper aficionado, and the pocket is by far my favourite diaper style. Let’s check out what the Bummis Mini Kiwi Pocket Diaper has to offer: 
One of the major differences between this model and the previous one is the removal of the internal double gussets (most likely to avoid issues in the United States due to the Kangacare patent). Personally, internal double gussets aren’t a gamechanger for me, so I don’t mind that they’re gone. The inner material is a stay-dry, super soft microsuede. The back pocket opening (the best place for a pocket opening, in my opinion) is elasticized:
This helps keep the insert in place, and also ensures that no microfibre becomes exposed and irritates baby’s bum.
The hook & loop version of this diaper features a thick strip of very strong velcro and square tabs, while the snaps version has a double row of parallel snaps:
You’ll notice two interesting things about the snaps: the contrast-colour umbilical snap down, and the fact that there is one row of female KAM snaps and one row of male KAM snaps. As far as I can tell, this is simply a question of using snaps efficiently, since they are sold in pairs. The umbilical snap down is surprising considering the weight minimum is 8 lbs, and most newborns are slightly smaller than that at birth.
I believe this is the first one-size diaper we’ve ever received that has an umbilical snap down!
As a general rule, I am not a huge fan of diaper that use square tabs for the hook & loop closure. (I prefer the rounded, hook-and-loop-only tabs typical of Tots Bots.) I find that the squared tabs like Mini Kiwi uses tend to curl. Great news: out of the wash a few times and the curl is so far minor.
Another difference in this latest Mini Kiwi pocket is the sizing, which is much more generous. Our previous model did not have such a high rise, and sat uncomfortably low on Cub’s bum by the time he was over 2 years old.
I was a huge fan of Mini Kiwi’s insert the first time around, and they’ve kept everything I love about it and gotten rid of the issue with “baconing.” The booster no longer gets curly at the edges after washing!
What’s so great about the Mini Kiwi insert is that it sets you up for cloth diapering success right from the start: the insert is made partially of microfibre and mainly of a bamboo cotton blend. The microfibre portion goes on top, absorbing urine quickly. The bamboo portion is folded and snapped behind (there are three levels of snaps, depending on which rise you have the diaper on), and serves to contain liquid without being susceptible to compression leaks.
Since I generally stuff Cub’s pocket diapers with one microfibre booster on top of a natural fibre insert, the Mini Kiwi is exactly what I do, just in one piece!
If you wanted to use your Mini Kiwi as an AI2, you could simply use the insert with the bamboo portion facing up, against baby’s skin, and lay the insert on top of the pocket.
Fit on a 3-month-old and a 3-year-old:
In terms of fit, Little Miss Cub is about 12 lbs, and the hook & loop model suits her perfectly.
The snaps model is a good fit too, but I find I’m preferring the precise adjustment of the velcro closure on her best at this point.
I have a feeling that I will come to prefer the snaps model as she becomes more mobile!
In both cases, the fit around the leg is very nice:
Though he is mainly wearing trainers now, here is the fit of the snaps pocket on 35 lb, 40 in. tall Cub.
Performance:
If you want to get a sense of just how absorbent the Mini Kiwi insert is, consider that Little Miss Cub can wear it (without the booster) for nearly 12 hours, over the course of which she nurse 2-3 times, and wake up dry. So for use during the day, of course it’s working great!
What I love about the redesigned Bummis Mini Kiwi Pocket Diaper:
- High enough rise and enough snaps at the waist to fit even on the preschooler;
- The most absorbent pocket-diaper insert in our stash, even without adding the booster;
- The combination of microfibre and bamboo in the insert could only be beaten if it were hemp instead of bamboo;
- Elasticized pocket opening;
- Umbilical snap-down on the snaps model, which I’m eager to see in action on an 8-lb newborn;
- Super strong and sturdy (and non-curling) velcro closure;
- MADE IN CANADA!!!!!
What I love less about the redesigned Bummis Mini Kiwi Pocket Diaper:
- I’d like to see a strip of PUL at the front waist to prevent wicking and waist leaks;
- I don’t love square tabs for the hook & loop closure.
A comment on pricing:
I truly do think that the Bummis Mini Kiwi is worth the price of $28.95. Yes, nearly $30 is a lot for one diaper, however, consider the following:
- No need to buy boosters or use different inserts (I hate using 100% microfibre, so I always switch out the inserts in Rumparooz and BumGenius pockets);
- The rise and waist adjustments are generous enough to truly fit til potty learning (Cub is too tall for our Rumparooz and TotsBots);
- The diaper is MADE IN CANADA (Rumparooz are the same price, and are made in China).
Update, July 2016
Since this review, Bummis has upgraded the snaps on their pocket diaper. The waist snaps are still a top row of female snaps and a bottom row of male snaps, but there is no longer a specific umbilical snap. You could, in theory, still snap the waist down. The new snaps are the more robust, larger KAM smaps which are on Bummis’ other diaper covers and their AIO. One snap on my original (astronaut print) diaper broke off on the wing, so it was replaced by Bummis.
It’s also worth noting, to avoid confusion, that following the merger of Bummis and Mini Kiwi, the branding will now be exclusively “Bummis.”
Future versions of this pocket diaper will feature the Bummis label, but it will be the same amazing, made-in-Canada diaper!
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