When I first started cloth diapering, I only wanted velcro diapers. Snaps seemed way too complicated, and I wanted everything about having a newborn to be as easy as possible. I have now come to appreciate snap-closure diapers for a variety of reasons, but I don’t hate velcro by any means!
Firstly, it’s important to note that “Velcro” is a patented name. You will see brands describing their diapers as having “hook & loop” or “aplix” closure, but that just means velcro. This confused me greatly when I first started reading about cloth diapers!
Drawbacks of velcro-closure diapers:
- Velcro picks up threads and lint and fluff and hair;
- You need to remember to close the laundry tabs before tossing in the wash;
- Some babies start taking off their diapers at some point, and velcro makes this easier;
- Velcro can snag other items in the wash;
- Velcro can eventually lose its stickiness.
That’s a hefty list of cons, and some Mamas shun velcro for any or all of the above reasons. I keep quite a few velcro-closure diapers in our stash because they are the only ones Papa Wolf will use. Prior to moving to Calgary, I also sent velcro-closure diapers to day care for Cub.
Benefits of velcro-closure diapers:
- Super user-friendly (I only ever sent velcro diapers to day care);
- Easy to get perfect adjustment at the waist.
The four brands of velcro-closure diapers that we use and love are Mini Kiwi, BumGenius, Thirsties and TotsBots. Note that BumGenius no longer makes velcro-closure diapers, so you’ll likely only find these second hand.
As you can see, each brand has “laundry tabs,” where you fold the velcro over when washing to avoid it getting stuck on other items in the wash. Some brands, including older versions of the BumGenius pocket, have laundry tabs that very quickly lose their stickiness. This causes major frustration, since the diapers come out of the wash stuck together in a chain. If you notice your closure tabs don’t stay stuck to the laundry tabs, I recommend securing the closure tabs to the landing strip and washing the diaper inside out.
BumGenius 4.0
I don’t have a specific review of the BumGenius 4.0, but if you’re curious about BumGenius pockets in general, you can read my 5.0 review. You can also read my post about sending cloth diapers to day care, because I always sent our BumGenius 4.0s! When BumGenius relaunched their pocket diaper, they stopped making the velcro version. You’ll have to score these babies second hand.
The BumGenius pocket with velcro closure is my favourite diaper to leave with a caregiver who is unfamiliar with cloth. Cub wore them all the way up until last summer (just before turning 3) when he went to his babysitter. I busted out our velcro 4.0s to use on Little Miss Cub with this blog post in mind. I find it’s just easy to get a decent fit with this diaper, even if you’re totally new to cloth.
The downfall of the BumGenius pocket is that I don’t like using the included microfiber insert. I use an Öko Creations hemp trifold, and for longer stretches, I add the BumGenius newborn insert directly below the pocket. In terms of the resiliency of the velcro, the tabs on the BumGenius are definitely the flimsiest in my stash.
Tots Bots V4 & TotsBots PeeNut
The TotsBots PeeNut is my favourite all-in-two cloth diaper system. It’s all I pack in my diaper bag. I love how easy the sturdy velcro makes it to change a squirmy girl on a precarious bathroom change table, and I love how absorbent the snap-in inserts are. You can read my PeeNut review here.
I recently wrote about how much I love the TotsBots V4 in my Most Absorbent AIO Diapers post. The V4 is a one-piece diaper, and it uses the same super thick and robust velcro as the PeeNut. We have some V4s that have been in heavy rotation for nearly two years, and aside from picking out fluff once in a while, they are still going strong.
The downside of the TotsBots V4 is the low rise (Cub had outgrown them long before potty training). The PeeNut, in size 2 (which fits from about 8-10 lbs til at least 35 or 40 lbs) has a much taller rise, and still fit Cub when I tried it on him over Christmas. The PeeNut is my absolute favourite all-in-two diaper system. Using both inserts together gets us easily four or five hours of absorbency. The stretchy shell is also awesome to pair with my overnight insert combo.
Shop for TotsBots V4 & PeeNut via my affiliate link to Nickis (US)
Shop for TotsBots V4via my affiliate link to Lagoon Baby (CA)
Shop for the TotsBots V4 via my affiliate link to Bumbini (CA)
Shop for TotsBots products at Maman Loup sponsor, Lollypop Kids
Thirsties Pocket
Thirsties’ One-Size Pocket Diaper has been a revelation for me! I never tried this USA-made brand with Cub, but their covers were my favourite on newborn Little Miss Cub, and their pocket diaper features velcro to rival that of my beloved TotsBots! (Plus, the benefit of a taller rise!)
What I particularly appreciate about the Thirsties pocket diaper is that it comes with a hemp/cotton blend insert and a microfiber insert that can be snapped together, or used separately. Remember how I mentioned that I swap out my BumGenius inserts for hemp trifolds? Well, you can get a Thirsties pocket at the same price point, also made in the US, but with a hemp/cotton insert included! (Not to mention that the Thirsties Pocket is still readily available with a velcro closure, while you’ll only find the BumGenius 4.0 second hand.) You can read my full Thirsties review here.
Shop for Thirsties Pocket Diapers using my affiliate link to Nicki’s Diapers
Bummis Mini Kiwi Pocket
The newly redesigned Bummis Mini Kiwi Pocket Diaper comes with my favourite pocket diaper insert on the market. You can read my full review of this Canadian-made diaper here.
What’s so great about the insert? Well, like Thirsties, it is both microfiber and natural fiber. However, it has even more layers of absorbency,plus comes with an additional booster.
While the sturdiness of the velcro on the Mini Kiwi Pocket is good, the one thing that I dislike about the design is the square tabs. As you can see in the picture above, the tabs have started to curl out. Is this something that reduces performance? No. Is it kind of annoying? Yes.
Do you need velcro in your stash?
Well, it totally depends! If you are particularly picky about perfection, perhaps pass. (I WIN THE ALLITERATION OLYMPICS!) Velcro can snag the PUL on diapers, it collects fluff, it is not eternal.
However, if you are more into function and ease of use, you might love some velcro options. Caregivers who are reluctant about using cloth on your child may be swayed by the “it’s just like a ‘sposie” aspect of velcro closures. You might like a couple PeeNuts just for out and about: a velcro diaper option might be your best friend when you’re in baby-unfriendly territory.
Which is your favourite velcro-closure diaper?
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