Nappy covers - Wool Longies by Little Pants

I've been meaning to publish this review for ages. Wool covers have been used for cloth nappies for ages before PUL came along. I won a review competition May 2014 on The Cloth Nappy Tree and my prize was a pair of Wool Longies. I've always fancied trying wool and was going to knit my own but after researching it and discovering it sounded to complicated. Well after a message from Ali the owner of Little Pants after receiving my prize I felt confident and took the bull by the horns.

Manufacturer:little pants
Nappy Name: Alpaca Longies
Type of Nappy: n/a
Fastener: cord
Material:Alpca wool
Size: small

Reliability: 10/10
Absorbency: n/a
Cuteness: 10/10
Drying Speed: 7/10
Slimness: n/a
Value for money: 10/10
Use: nappy wrap

Overall Comment:
Fabulous!

Detailed Comments:
Oh my god wool is amazing. I was a bit worried how this would work but dd didn't leak and her legs were nice and warm. The fit is lovely and the colours are great. I was concerned it would stink in the morning but I was surprise to find it didn't stink. Wool really is magic, I expected it to feel damp but it doesn't. I can see me needing more wool wraps.

To wash them you simply do it by hand using a wool wash after a weeks use as you can let them air during the day. Once washed fill a bowl with warm water add one sachet of Lanolin allow to dissolve then submerge wool Longies in and leave over night in the morning remove from water and roll Longies in a towel to remove excess water then dry flat.

Tots Bots Easyfit V4

Manufacturer:Tots Bots
Nappy Name:Easyfit V4
Type of Nappy: AIO
Fastener: hook and loop
Material: Minky, cotton and bamboo
Size:BTP

Reliability: 8/10
Absorbency: 8/10
Cuteness: 10/10
Drying Speed: 6/10
Slimness: 7/10
Value for money: 7/10

Overall Comment:
Highly recommended

Tots Bots Easyfits V4 are super easy to fit as they fit like a disposable, which makes it easy for other family members to use. Easy nappy comes with a booster that attaches with poppers to the nappy then can be folded if necessary (for a boy) then stuffed into the nappy. Tots Bots have a wide range of prints in Easyfits they also team up with Frugi ( my favourite clothing brand) and bring out 4 nappies twice a year in around April and October time. They have an adjustable rise on the front which helps them to fit from Birth to potty training.

The main disadvantages  with this nappy is that with the booster in it makes dd's bum look huge and they take quiet a long time to dry in the winter.

Tots Bots Bamboozle

 Manufacturer: Tots Bots
Nappy Name : Bamboozle Stretch
Type of Nappy:shaped
Fastener: Velcro
Material: stretchy bamboo
Size: size 1 (6-18lbs) and size 2 (9-35lbs BTP)

Reliability: 10/10
Absorbancy:  10/10
Cuteness:  7/10
Drying Speed:  8/10
Slimness: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10

Bamboozles are a two part system the consist of the nappy and a waterproof wrap. Bamboozles are very soft and absorbent and fit like a disposable nappy. They last a night with the addition of the clip in extra booster. They are slim fitting and have a slight stretch which makes them fit perfectly every time. They are available in two sizes; size 1 (6-18lbs) and size 2 (9lbs -35lbs BTP).

The red is the Flexi wrap and the blue is the Bamboozle.

The inside of the bamboozles showing the booster.

We have 5 of the bright colours bamboozles and a flexi wrap which is the old style cover. When you first get them they take up to 10 washes to reach full absorbency. My only real criticism is that you have to watch that the colours don't run on your other nappies. The red one had a warning label attached to it when I purchased it. These nappies take quiet a while to dry in the winter. These work really well and easily last a whole night. These nappies are good as the rise is adjustable at the front with snaps.

Reusable nappy week 2015 Competitions

Reusable nappy week 2015 starts on Monday the 20th April 2015, with competitions and special offers to try to get people converted to cloth nappies. With social media competitions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There are also two main competitions; the reusable nappy associations Reusable Pursuit, where you need to solve cryptic clues to find the special logo and The Great British Nappy Hunt where you have to find a cute baby called Billy and his friends. The prizes up for grabs are really great.  The Clean Green Nappy Machine are also running a trading card game every day for three weeks during reusable nappy week with a daily prize and a grand prize of £125 to spend in their shop.

In the run up to reusable nappy week I entered the reusable nappy associations Meme competition and was lucky enough to win 5 nappies. (I'll update this post when I know what they are) Here is my winning entry.

Close Parent Popins new generation v1 & v2

Manufacturer: Close Parent
Nappy Name: Pop-in bamboo
Type of Nappy: AI2
Fastener: Velcro
Material: Bamboo core with
Size: BTP (7lbs-35+ lbs)

Reliability: 10/10
Absorbency: 10/10
Cuteness: 8/10
Drying Speed: 5/10
Slimness: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10

Overall Comment:
Fabulous!

Close Pop-ins are AI2 nappies which have a popper in booster and soaker and a waterproof outer shell with Velcro closers. They have a double leg gusset which I really like. At night they can be used with the nighttime booster which makes them leak proof but bulky . We currently have 6 of these nappies, 2 pink turtle, 2 pink owl, 1 yellow monkey, 1 Russian doll v2 & 1 Robots v2. They range in price from £15.50-£16.99.

V1 Outer shell, booster and soaker and night time (grey).

What I really love about pop-ins is that they have a handy weight guide to adjust the poppers. Size chartWhich enables parents to adjust them to fit. Close parent are quiet clear that the maximum waist size is 56-57cm and the warn that you may be on the largest setting by 8 months. However once mobile babies shape will change and you might be able to go down again. My daughter had chunky thighs pre walking but never got up to the largest setting. Popins come in either Minkee or bamboo, we choose Bamboo as it's more absorbent but does take longer to dry.

Size comparison monkey stage 1, turtle stage 2, owl on left stage 3 and owl on right stage 4. 

Bamboo V2
The main differences are the rear laundry tab has been replaced with a hidden laundry tab, the back elastic being removed to speed up drying and the poppers have been replaced with a tab popper like how the booster attaches. V2 on a whole are much softer in the outer shell and the soaker and booster seem softer.

V2 outer shell and soaker with booster attached.

Pop-ins are very absorbent and last a long time. With the night booster we have got 12 hours without an issue at all.  My only really criticism of them is if your little one has liquid paracetamol the insides of popins does get a bleach type stain. Close Popins tend to be my nappy of choice if we are going on a car journey when I know she will be having a nap. I love their trim fit which means she doesn't have such a huge cloth bum. The only down side is with them being bamboo in the winter they take over a day to dry. I personally find the fit of the V2 Pop-in much better than the V1 as the outer shell is softer and more flexible.