My in depth cloth & reusable nappy reviews [feel free to add yours!]

[marley2580]

Oh, I forgot to say that I also use fleece liners. They are great as they keep the pee away from the skin and if they do a poo but the nappy's not all that wet you can just change the liner and put a new one in and the nappy will last another hour or so.

 

[carries]

Ohhh I wish this post was here when Oscar was first born! Can we make it a sticky mods??

Ok I will review the ones I have used some of which have already been reviewed but each experience is different.

Mothercare smart nappy

I Bought these when Oscar was first born and they worked really well from about 2 weeks. They werent so good as he got bigger though

absorbency

When he was first born I found these nappies to be really absorbent. However as he got to about 13 lb they started to leak...nearly every time. It may have been that he was getting to the max weight bracket though.

Ease of use

They were very easy to use. They are a two piece nappy with a plasticy outer and a terry inner. YOu simply slip the inner in and a liner and you are ready to go. They dont have much give in the sides though so sometimes hard to get a snug fit.

value

Cant remember exactly how much these were but Mothercare often run a buy 2 get the 3rd free type offers on them so worked out relatively cheap.

design

I didnt like the outer as they were a bit dull (plain white) but thats just a personal taste thing. They were easy to use and for a while the design served well.

Tots bots banboozles

Again I really loved these when i first bought them but as Oscar got bigger they werent so effective. I also didnt like the way that the wetness stayed next to his skin so he could get clammy if not changed quickly enough. This is true for all terry nappies though.

absorbency

for the most part these were really absorbent. I didnt have any leaks until Oscar got close to the weight range but I did find that he was out growing them at least 3lb short of the recommended range.

Ease of use

Again very easy to use. Two part system with a prefolded inner (velcro or nippa) and a waterproof outer (which come in fab bright designs!) Anyone can use these nappies. I found most people bought the velcro thinking that nippas are hard to use but I use them with terry squares all the time and they are so easy. Plus the nippa nappies generally have a bit more give inthe sides so you can get a better fit to your baby.

value

Honestly, I think they are expensive for what they are. You are paying for the fact that they are prefolded as I dont think they did any better than normal terry squares. They are great if you cant be bothered with the folding though.

Design

The biggest problem I had with them was the lack of give as with the mothercare ones. Sometimes hard to get a good fit and so leaks followed.

bumgenius

Off the bat I have to say I love these nappies. They are a little more expensive but they are birth to potty so these should see us through from day one to toilet training. This does make a big difference as although tots bots are about £8 you would then need an outer which is about £6. You would then need to buy all of that again when baby was up to the next weight bracket.

absorbency

The only time i have had a leak in these is when Oscar was ready to go up a size (by that i mean undo a popper to increase the length) After doing that I have had no more leaks. The biggest plus for me with these nappies is that they wick the moisture away from baby's skin. This was the biggest problem for me with other nappies so was pleased to find that even after he has been in these for 3 hours the surface is still touch dry.

ease of use

They are very easy to use. They are all in ones so no need for a seperate outer. YOu do have to stuff the inner inside the outer however just to give you to option of adding boosters if needed later on. The main plus in these nappies is that tey have stretchy tabs like a disposable so you can get a really snug fit.

Value

They are about 14 pound each but are birth to potty so you wont need to buy a bigger size.

design

as I have said the tabs are stretchy to get a good fit which is fab. You can also get them in a variety of colours.

old fashioned terry square

I bought these with every intention of using them early on but found it all a bit overwhelming! After the initial weeks passed though I gave them a go and now use them when I am washing bumgenius or sometimes just for a change.

absorbency

These do have to be changed more often as the moisture sits next to his skin but have never had a leak with these nappies. How absorbent they are depends on which fold you use as there are many options.

ease of use

Once you get the hang of the folding they are very easy to use. I use nappy nippa's instead of pins and they too are very easy to use,

value

Cant remember exactly then but think they were about £10 for 10 so very good value. YOu do need to buy wraps though but I have been using the ones I had with the tots bots.

ease of use

I use the origami fold which sounds complicated but really isnt. There are loads of ways from the most basic (fold into a triangle and wrap around) to more complicated folds. Despite the preconceptions though I find them really easy at at least a good back up for when you have run out of the others.

Oh just a note, I have 7 bumgenius which lasts at least one day ( he has a disposable at night) and 10 terrys and I do a wash every other day.

Good luck to all and feel free to ask any questions!

 

[thelilbump]

Carries; the bumgenius, do you find they leak through to clothes as they don't have the wrap? how often do you find yourself doing changes? the woman on nappylady.com recommended these and bambinex so was just wondering

 

[carries]

No i have found them to be pretty leak proof as long as you fit them well. The outer of the nappy is a waterproof wrap in itself so it does the same job. You can buy them singularly on softbots (free p & p as well) so you could always try one and see?

 

[PeanutBean]

Carries; the bumgenius, do you find they leak through to clothes as they don't have the wrap? how often do you find yourself doing changes? the woman on nappylady.com recommended these and bambinex so was just wondering

I also use Bumgenius and find them to be fab. We sometimes get leaks through but only when I forget to change him frequently enough because I still expect him to poo all day long but now he only poos twice a day. He wees a lot in the morning so I need to change about every 3 hours, give or take, but we use one overnight with the newborn insert as a booster and that lasts fine. He is in the nighttime one from about 8pm until about 7am.

 

[joeyjo]

Hi,

Just after some advice as to number of cloth nappies to get. I live in a flat and the washing machine is in the basement & shared between 6 households but there are no other kids just couples/singles in the building. I usually get it one full day a week for bedding etc but can easily but a single load thru at other times - usually late evening. I would really want to have enough nappies for washing every 3rd day though just in case.

Current plan is to get Little lamb starter pack (20 nappies, 10 wraps, reusable liners etc)
I have 3 shaped flannel nappies a friend has gotten me from Sears Canada.
I have 1 all-in-one nappy (not sure of brand its at my mum's in the uk)
I also have 3 2nd hand bambino-mio wraps

I was planning to maybe get a pack of terry squares as back up and a few more all in ones. I also wondered how people find the shaped terries - they don't look that absorbent to me and my feeling is the squares will be better as they become multi-layered wiith folding etc.

 

[jenstar]

Hi,

Just after some advice as to number of cloth nappies to get. I live in a flat and the washing machine is in the basement & shared between 6 households but there are no other kids just couples/singles in the building. I usually get it one full day a week for bedding etc but can easily but a single load thru at other times - usually late evening. I would really want to have enough nappies for washing every 3rd day though just in case.

Current plan is to get Little lamb starter pack (20 nappies, 10 wraps, reusable liners etc)
I have 3 shaped flannel nappies a friend has gotten me from Sears Canada.
I have 1 all-in-one nappy (not sure of brand its at my mum's in the uk)
I also have 3 2nd hand bambino-mio wraps

I was planning to maybe get a pack of terry squares as back up and a few more all in ones. I also wondered how people find the shaped terries - they don't look that absorbent to me and my feeling is the squares will be better as they become multi-layered wiith folding etc.

I've never used terry squares so can't compare but I haven't had any probs with shaped nappies (tots bots and one little lamb.) On the ones I have there is a tongue on the nappies, some are sewn in and some are on poppers to take in and out, so you fold this over a few times and it gives you more layers where you need it. Front for a boy and middle for a girl.

Also 10 wraps for 20 nappies sounds a lot. I have a lot of wraps but that's because I keep buying nice patterned ones, I only need about 5 or 6 I reckon!