Ever tried a fleece diaper cover? The ones you find at Little Bear Bums are a little bit different. You can choose from two different kinds of covers – microfleece (which start at $10) and Windpro (which start at $16). They are sized for a more custom fit and are available in preemie, newborn, small, medium and large. Besides white, like we reviewed, there is also a limited selection of colors like chocolate, red, periwinkle and baby blue.
What makes Little Bear Bums different from other fleece covers? First of all, they are made with 2 layers of microfleece, instead of the typical 1 layer of polar fleece. This gives you good wetness protection but with a slightly more trim fit. Microfleece is a bit finer and softer, plus easier to rinse out and clean than thick polar fleece.
As a bonus, Little Bear Bums covers close with snaps and wrap around your baby; this is SO much more practical to me than the typical “fleece soaker” style that you have to pull up and down like underwear.
Because this is a sized cover, there is only 1 row of snaps, and those are for fastening the waste. There are crossover snaps for very skinny babies.
The Little Bear Bums cover has enough “give” to that you can use it over many types of diapers, including fitteds and flats and prefolds. Fully opened, the size medium stretches to about 16 inches long, which is perfect for medium to large trifolded diapers and padfolded flats. I’ve used also used the cover with bamboo pocket diaper inserts.
The elastics at the back and around the legs are so soft and gentle, one of my favorite things about these covers.
I think this soft little diaper cover looks so sweet and cozy on Ingrid. As you might already know, fleece performs similarly to wool in some ways, but it’s extremely easy to care for. Launder along with your other cloth diapers, and to improve the water-repelling ability, throw in the dryer with a dryer sheet every once in a while.
Here’s a picture of the Little Bear Bums microfleece diaper cover in the newborn size, which I used when my babies first arrived:
You might be curious about fleece as a diaper cover material. As with anything, there are pros and cons. It’s soft, fairly breathable and water repellent. However, it is not water resistant like PUL. Fleece does not feel wet and cold like a PUL cover does when the diaper inside is saturated. For chunky legs and sensitive skin, fleece is very gentle. Fleece is a great alternative if you have a baby who is allergic or hyper-sensitive to natural wool or PUL. It also dries super fast.
With a fleece cover you’ll need to be careful about compression leaks; that’s when the wet diaper underneath begins to wick moisture onto the fleece. What happens when moisture hits the fleece? It goes right through! That’s what fleece is designed to do. So make sure you have a very absorbent diaper under your fleece cover. Also, it may not be the best choice if you have a tummy sleeper that puts a lot of pressure on the front of the diaper while sleeping. Another thing to be mindful of: fleece is synthetic and may start to hold onto odors over time. A good stripping can help with that, as can a “splash” of bleach in the hot wash cycle every couple of months.
You can read more about the advantages and disadvantages of fleece diaper covers in this post.
Shop for Little Bear Bums fleece diaper covers at the Hyena Cart shop, and follow on Facebook for news and stocking updates.
I don’t want to wrap this up without mentioning another product I love at Little Bear Bums – her washable mama cloth! I have tried many MANY different brands and styles of pads over the years, and these are hands-down some of my favorites. They are even nighttime and postpartum worthy. They may not be flashy, but they work. Little Bear Bums pads feature a synthetic core and a stay-dry microfleece top with channels sewn in to help lock away moisture. The backing is waterproof PUL in a variety of colors. There are two snaps on the wings to help you get the best fit.
Granted, cotton would be my top pick for the fabric, but experience has taught me it does not whisk away liquid quickly enough. My first few cycle days are heavy and fast; this is honestly one of the few pads that has fully protected me from overflow and leaks. This is the only brand of pad I’ve come back for a second and third time to buy. Did I mention they are easy to clean and rarely, if ever, stain?
Interested in adding some of these reusable (and money-saving) pads to your routine? Send Little Bear Bums a message on Facebook. Price varies according to size, but they are super reasonable. My nighttime/postpartum pads were only $8.00 each! Most of the bigger pads on the market are at least ten apiece.
What do you think about fleece diaper covers? If you have any questions or comments, please use the reply form below!
I used to have a pull up style fleece cover back when I was cloth diapering my now 7 year old. Sadly, I don’t remember much about it and didn’t get to use it much as cloth didn’t work out for him. I think I sold it, but I wonder if I still have it lol. I’m really loving wool. I only have one soaker so far but plan to get a few more after coming to realize how easy they really are to care for. The only thing that bothers me about fleece, besides being synthetic is the odor issue. The only thing that works for our wash routine seems to be natural fibers.
Ps. Love the pics of little chunky Ingrid!
I agree odor can be an issue, and find that the microfleece is a bit easier to clean since it’s a finer gauge. We love wool here as well, Kristina! ~Anne