Review: Kiwi Pie Bamboo Fitted Diaper*
Product Name: Kiwi Pie
Company:The Natural Baby Company
Country of Origin: Handmade in the USA
Materials: Diaper: 100% cotton exterior (print), 75% bamboo / 25% spandex interior; Soakers: 75% bamboo / 25% spandex
Diaper Type: One-Size (OS), Fitted
Width of Gusset: 14cm (5.5″)
Weight Range: 8-35+ lbs ("One Size Fits Most" on the label)
Height of front rise at each setting (approx.): Small — 15cm (6 ″); Large — 18cm (7″)
Dry weight: 103g (without soakers); 180g (with soakers)
Saturated weight**: 268g (without soakers); 485g (with soakers)
Absorbency: 165g (without soakers); 305g (with soakers)
Retail Price: $25.00 (+tax)
The Kiwi Pie is a one-size (OS) bamboo fitted diaper with a fun exterior print. It comes with 2 snap-together lay-in soakers -- one small and one large -- that can be used separately or together, as needed. I like to use this diaper with both soakers, even at the smallest setting, as it means we can often go without a cover over top of the diaper.
This diaper is intended to fit from 8lbs-35+lbs, but as always this is a suggested weight range from the manufacturer and primarily depends on the build of your child. I feel reasonably secure in saying this would fit most babies from 8lbs-30lbs, based on size comparisons with other diapers I have used in the past.
Being made from bamboo/Spandex fabric, the Kiwi Pie provides a lot of absorbency without a lot of added bulk. The diaper contains two layers of thirsty bamboo/Spandex fabric, and the soakers each contain four layers. When both soakers are used at the same time, you get a really absorbent snug-fitting diaper. Once the diaper has been fully prepped (3-5 washes, as per manufacturer's directions), it can be paired with a wool soaker or other cover to create a practically bullet-proof night-time solution for heavy wetters. I found the diaper was much more absorbent after 10 washes, though -- possibly a side-effect of having a front-loading washing machine.
Because the bamboo is so absorbent, this diaper does take a fair amount of time to dry. This can be a bit of a pain if you're waiting for it to line-dry.
The front of the diaper has one set of snaps, allowing it to be snapped down small enough to fit an 8lb baby. To make the diaper larger, just unsnap these and extend the diaper to its full length. I found that this diaper, even when snapped down to its smallest size, is a bit big on an 8lb baby. I needed to add both soakers to fill out the extra space and get a nice snug fit. I wouldn't have had this problem with my older boys who had a much chunkier build at this age.
The Spandex in the fabric does give nice stretch once the bum fills it out a bit more, though, and the sewn-in elastic has great spring to it! There are two snaps on each wing and one has an over-snap, allowing for snug fit at the waist on tiny babies. The front panel has 12 snaps at the waist making the fit very adjustable. I had no problems with "wing droop" even at the smallest size with this diaper. The snaps are inserted so that none of backs are exposed inside of the diaper -- nothing but fabric touches the baby's skin.
This diaper has no outer waterproof layer, so it does require a cover. The bulk of the diaper when it contains both inserts can be a bit tricky to fit into some covers. Without the soakers, or with just one of them, it fits easily into most covers. I really like that this diaper does not have a stay-dry interior or fleece-topped soakers. I add a piece of fleece if I am using it overnight, but prefer to have Boy#3 feel wet during the day.
If I could suggest changes to this diaper, I would add one more level of snaps to the front to allow it to snap-down even tinier -- I would have liked to use this from the very beginning and I could have if the rise had been a little shorter. I may even make this modification myself if I decide to have another baby. I would also change how the elastic is sewn into the diaper to make it easier to replace and therefore easily use on more than one child.
Quality control may be a bit of an issue with this diaper in relation to the snaps. I had a snap that needed to be replaced after the diaper was washed once (never worn) and know of a few other diapers that also required snap replacement. In my case, it looked as though the snap had been pressed too hard -- effectively cutting a hole through the outer fabric with the edge of the snap. It was easy enough to repair with some rudimentary sewing and replacement of the snap, but it would have been nice to not have to do this. I liked the print, so I chose to repair the diaper instead of contact the company about a replacement. ;)
Overall, Boy#3 and I give this diaper 4 thumbs up.
*Disclosure: I purchased this product at The Extraordinary Baby Shoppe for personal use and have not been compensated for this review in any way. I like this diaper so much that I own five! ;)
** Clean, dry diaper thoroughly soaked in water and then allowed to hang for 15min, until no more water dripped from fabric.