Cloth nappy wishlist

I’m really happy with the cloth nappies that we’ve chosen for our current stash but there are so many other types of nappy out there though and I’d really like to try a few just to see what they are like, all in the interest of blog research of course…

So, each month I’m going to buy a nappy or wrap, use it for a bit and write about it here. Might need to buy a new nappy box first though since the existing two are already full to bursting…

My current fluffy wishlist is (links are to the manufacturer’s website or to retailers that I’ve used and been happy with in the past):

• Blueberry coverall wrap – they do one in the same pattern as Eli’s sling, I am powerless to resist.
• Bumgenius Freetime
• Tots Bots Flexitots – Tilly used the original version as a baby, I’d like to have a go with the latest design
• Motherease Wizard Duo 
• Little Lamb Microfibre and Bamboo
• Itti Bitti Bitti Boo
• Itti Bitti D’lish All in One
• Bambino Mio Mio Solo
• Thirsties Duo All in One
• Ones & Twos All in One
• Close Parent Pop-In New Generation
• Blueberry One Size Bamboo
• Flip Organic
• Bumgenius v4
• Charlie Banana One Size

With one a month this could take a while to get through but I’m going to try as many as I can before Eli potty trains.

Our nappies – Tots Bots Easyfits

The first ever cloth nappy I bought was a Tots Bots, a blue Tots Bots Cotton Tot, a shaped nappy made from terry cotton. When Tilly was in cloth she was in Tots Bots Flexitots a two part system. Needless to say I love Tots Bots nappies and they’ve moved on massively since my first cotton tot – when I discovered the Easyfit whilst choosing nappies for Eli I promptly bought a few to try. I then bought quite a few more as they were great and when they brought out the version 3 we then bought even more!

Pros

• can last for ages without leaking
• lots of colours and prints to choose from (I love the limited edition London nappy best)
• one-size and generally easy to find a good fit
• not the slimmest fitting nappy we have but still not too bulky
• easy to put on – if my Mum needs to change Eli’s nappy (not often) this is the type of nappy she will always choose
• they’re designed and made in Britain (Scotland to be exact)

Cons

• can leak around the waistband if trousers are too tight fitting

The vital statistics for our Easyfits:

How many do we have?

• 13 Easyfit v2
• 7 Easyfit v3

Which sizes do we have?

They are one-size nappies so will fit from newborn to toddler – there are two levels of poppers on the front to make the nappy smaller.

How long would we be able to use just this part of our stash?

About 3-4 days, I could (if I didn’t love some of my other nappies so much) only use these and still not have to do much washing.

How often do these nappies need to be changed?

These nappies can easily last 3+ hours – the version 3s especially are brilliant at not leaking even after 4 hours.

How easy are these nappies to wash?

We wash all our nappies together and don’t need to do anything special for these. I do take the tongue out of the version 3s because, unlike the version 2s, I find that they don’t tend to come out in the wash.

How long do they take to dry?

• I tumble or air-dry the version 2s and they don’t take too long to dry via either method.
• I air-dry the version 3s and they’ll generally be dry by the following day if I hang them inside and within a few hours if outside.

Related articles

• Our nappies – Tots Bots Bamboozle Stretch
• Our nappies – Tots Bots Flexiwraps and Motherease Airflow wraps

Our nappies – Tots Bots Flexiwraps and Motherease Airflow wraps

As we use two part nappies for night times (this reduces the chances of a leak) we need to use a wrap along with the nappy itself. Our night nappies are Tots Bots Bamboozle Stretches and our night wraps are Tots Bots Flexiwraps and Motherease Airflow wraps. I’m happy to use either wrap but am currently preferring the airflows as they seem to provide a slightly better fit as Eli heads towards the top of the size range for both.

Since I can’t think of cons for either wrap (for night time use the only real criteria is that they don’t leak) a brief list of the pros for each:

Pros

• Tots Bots Flexitots
  • very soft flexible fabric;
  • good choice of colours and patterns;
  • trim fitting – not so much a consideration for a night nappy but useful if they are needed for days.
• Motherease Airflow
  • poppers on waist and legs to get the best fit;
  • choice of plain white or a handful of other prints (recently updated);
  • make his bum look massive which I find really cute.

The airflows are a bit bulky when used with a day nappy but it doesn’t matter for me at night.

The vital statistics for our wraps:

How many do we have?

Currently in use I have 5 – two flexiwraps and three airflows. When Eli outgrows these I have the same again plus a few more for him to use.

Which sizes do we have?

We have size 1 and 2 flexiwraps and medium and large airflows. Eli is currently using size 1 and medium (both go up to 20lb).

How long would we be able to use just this part of our stash?

I have enough for our night nappies in our current sizes but will have a few spare when he moves up.

How often do these wraps need to be changed?

They last for 12+ hours overnight and I don’t tend to get any wicking unless I leave the night nappy on too long in the morning.

How easy are these wraps to wash?

We wash all our nappies and wraps together and don’t need to do anything special for these. I just need to make sure that the aplix is done up on the flexiwraps.

How long do they take to dry?

Both types of wraps air dry very quickly either indoors or out.

Our nappies – Tots Bots Bamboozle Stretch

When we first started using cloth nappies at night we used a combination of Tots Bots Cotton Tots and Easy Peasy Bumbles. This worked for a while and then the leaks started. Eli was wetting heavily at night and we were regularly getting big leaks that soaked his clothes, sleeping bag and our bed. I doubted that we would have much more luck with a disposable overnight as we moved to cloth at night because of leaks using disposables! I wanted a more absorbent nappy and I knew that bamboo tended to be better than terry so bought a bamboozle stretch as a trial. It worked brilliantly and so I bought 4 more and ditched the other night nappies (except for emergencies).

We don’t use the bamboozle stretch as a day nappy (although I think it would work really well as one I’ve got too many other nappies to need to use it that way!) and so this review is wholly based on its use as a night nappy.

Pros

• bamboo is softer and less scratchy than terry cotton;
• trim fitting, which is a bit more comfy for Eli at night I think;
• one-size so will last until he’s dry at night;
• available in natural (which is what we have) or a variety of other colours to match other Tots Bots nappies and wraps.

Cons

• none that I can think of.

As with most night nappies these do need to be boosted to give extra absorbency – we use a Tots Bots bamboo booster as it’s quite slim and doesn’t add too much more bulk to the nappy. These are two part nappies and need a waterproof wrap over them – we use Tots Bots Flexiwraps and Motherease Airflow wraps.

The vital statistics for our Tots Bots Bamboozle Stretches:

How many do we have?

5

Velcro/Aplix or Poppers?

Aplix

Which sizes do we have?

They are one-size nappies so will fit from newborn to toddler – there are two levels of poppers on the front to make the nappy smaller.

How long would we be able to use just this part of our stash?

5 days assuming no need for an overnight nappy change (which is a very rare occurrence).

How often do these nappies need to be changed?

These last 12+ hours overnight.

How easy are these nappies to wash?

We wash all our nappies together and don’t need to do anything special for these. I do unpopper the inserts before washing.

How long do they take to dry?

They are bamboo so not the quickest at drying but dry in the tumble drier on my usual cycle or on the line after 4-5 hours.

Nappy stash

Our current daytime stash:

• 6 patterned Tots Bots easyfits
• 7 rainbow Tots Bots easyfits
• 3 Itti Bitti tuttos
• 6 gNappies (12 gCloth and gPouches)

Not pictured (but included in the count above):

• 1 game day (red and navy striped) gPant
• 1 green gPant

Night nappy stash:

• 3 bumbles
• 6 rainbow Tots Bots cotton tots
• 2 Tots Bots flexiwraps
• 4 Motherease airflow wraps

Not pictured:

• yellow cotton tot
• pink cotton tot
• orange flexiwrap

We currently have enough nappies to mean I only have to wash every third or fourth day. We may have enough (but they are so lovely and I might be ever so slightly addicted).