Review: The ULTIMATE Cloth Diaper Cover Comparison!

Ahh, cloth diapering. I love it so. It seems crazy, but I really do enjoy using fluff to diaper my daughter. It’s fun, simple, and is saving us boatloads.

Out of the various types of cloth, our favorite combo is the prefold and cover. (If you’d like a rundown of various options, I did an intro to CD you can read here). But just like everything else, different brands have given us varying experiences! Here’s a sampling of the diaper covers out there, with my honest unbiased opinion of each (and of course, photos!).

I do have affiliate links in this article, so you can purchase them from my affiliate shop on Amazon if you like. I have bought all of these products myself and stand by my recommendations!

As a reference point: as of the publish date of this post (September 2016), my daughter is 11 months old and weighs 15 pounds. (Yes you read that right: there’s a reason her nickname is “Tiny”!). I also only use snap covers as I hate Velcro with the fire of a thousand suns. Velcro closure diaper covers, as well as solid colors bs patterns, will usually be a dollar or two cheaper.

Flip Covers

Ok so this concept is cool. Flip makes washable covers like this, which you can use with a prefold or with one of their disposable liners. Love the idea!

flip cover – nice and wide

They do seem to fit a bit small compared to the other brands I’ve listed. However, they were also a few bucks cheaper than the other brands at my local cloth retailer. And they do have all the adjustability you’d come to expect from a cloth cover, so you can be sure it’ll fit your little one for a while. Plus, you can see by the photo that it’s by far the widest across the crotch/under the bum.

I do plan on getting more of these in the future. I appreciate the lower price point, that they fit well on my petite daughter, and that they’re made to be flexible (cloth or disposable). They do, however, only have a single leg gusset.

Thirsties

Thirsties are my standard in covers, honestly. They’re by far my favorite.

classic thirsties w double gussets

They do have the adjustments without being cumbersome or overdone, and the sizing works out really well on my baby. They have the beloved double gusset (look on the side where Baby’s thighs would be; that double layer there really helps prevent leaks). I love the colors and patterns too! About half of my cover stash is Thirsties just because they work so well.

I do have a teeny complaint with the white gussets. It looks really nice to have the white trim with a pop of color, but it’s hard to get the trim clean. Even out in the sun, I’ve had trouble getting that white to look fresh again.

They also don’t have a double row of snaps on the wraparound, but personally I’ve never had an issue with them sliding around my daughter, so for me it’s been a non-issue. And these will be a bit more expensive, especially the patterned ones.

Blueberry Coveralls

This Blueberry Coverall is one of the newer brands I’ve tried. I’ll admit, I just caved and bought it because I adore this pattern. Gorgeous!

coveralls

As you can see, this cover has double gussets and all the adjustability you’d come to expect from a cover. I normally have it adjusted to the smallest possible, and it still “balloons” on my daughter. The seal around her legs is good though so I’ll still use it in a pinch.

This cover was also quite pricy at my local cloth shop.

Bumkins

I’ll cut to the chase here and just say that this cover makes me insane. I like it the second-least of my whole stash. It has so much adjustability and so many damn snaps that it’s a huge effort to get my daughter suited up. I seriously feel like I’m preparing her to go on a deep sea dive or into outer space or something. I do appreciate what they tried to do with all the double-rowed snaps on the wraparound part, but it’s so many that I only do half of them.

bumkins in all its excessiveness

Plus, if you notice on the back, the elastic literally curves. It feels like the proportions are way off on this thing.

This would be a great cover for long-term use, since it’s adjustability would allow it to grow with your child. But for me, all the excess makes it more cumbersome than useful.

Bambino Mio

This Bambino Mio was a brand I found bychance on Amazon, and I loved the pattern so I took a chance. This is the only hook-and-loop (aka Velcro) cover that I own, and it’s a bit deceptive.

The elastic on this thing is out of control! When I opened the package, I was afraid it was going to be too small. You can see in the photo that it springs into a much smaller shape.

However, once you’re actually putting it onto your babe, the stretch of the elastic is impressive! It’s almost too big on my 17-pound daughter, so I’ll have it around for a while. We have a Size 1. This diaper also features the adjustable buttons for crotch/height.

The waterproof fabric on this cover feels more like a waterproof material than the other covers; it’s hard to explain. I guess I would call it more plasticy? It is soft but feels like it has a different texture than the other covers. I honestly like the feel of this one.

I will say that the hook-and-loop concept in general is annoying to me. As you can see in the photo, you need to make sure that you make the ends stick to themselves, so that they don’t pull everything else in the washer. This adhesive is very strong, too.

I personally didn’t experience this yet with my daughter, but some of the reviews on Amazon said that the hook-and-loop strip is so wide, that it folds under and can rub on their child. I bet that would be really uncomfortable! So just be sure that you order the right size, and have it adjusted properly.

For the price, I do like this cover a lot. If I ever need to order more covers, I’ll probably go for this one just because it’s cheaper and I know it will fit my child for a long time!

Best Bottom

This bestbottom cover reminded me of my Thirsties when I first saw one in my cloth diaper shop. I decided to pick one and have had no issues with it.

bestbottom – like thirsties, just not quite as good

Essentially it feels like a slightly-bigger Thirsties cover. It was a bit more expensive so I’ll probably not buy more of them, but they fit great. I appreciate the double leg gussets and I love the white trim, but I hate that the wraparound closure (the part at the top of the photo, which you bring around to snap in the front) only has a single row of snaps. That means that the diaper can get crooked on your baby, especially once they are mobile.

Bububibi

I don’t know where this brand came from… I think my friend Jackie threw this in the pocket diaper stash she so selflessly donated to me. There was this random cover which I started playing with, so that I could learn how to use prefolds.

bububibi cover

While all of these covers are waterproof, this one is by far the one which feels the thinnest/flimsiest. I haven’t had leaks with it, but it just makes me a bit uneasy. The snap in the back (first photo, under the tag) is to hold in specific inserts so that they don’t move.

It also runs very large, size-wise. And it has the same issues that I complained about with the Bumkins: too snap-happy. I love the concept of the double rows on the wraparound, to keep that diaper from getting crooked or slipping around my baby’s thighs; however, until my baby gets much larger (like, well over 20 pounds), it’s just overkill. This one is with my Bumkins in an “emergency only” diaper drawer.

If you’ve got Amazon Prime and a larger baby (or you’re ok with the “one size” adjustability), these seem to be the most affordable on this list.

Other Tips

If at all possible, go check out your local cloth diapering store. Ask questions, take a free class, and get some of these diapers in your hands. Just picking them up and feeling the fabric can sometimes help you make a decision. (It can also make you want to buy all of the cute ones, so be warned).

Feel free to add cloth diaper components and your baby registry. However, I would be very specific: people who have not cloth diapered are usually very leery about buying this sort of thing. You can be explicit and polite at the same time, and that way you can get wxacrly what you want!

If you are looking to buy cloth diapers, you can also check places like craigslist and local Facebook groups. Sometimes you can get a stash for next to nothing – just make sure that you strip them before you use them on your own child! Here is a link to my Pinterest clock diapering board, where I have various pins that teach you how to strip diapers. It’s basically like a deep cleaning/reset to ensure that they’re completely clean.