Nappies!
Love them or hate them, there’s no getting away from the fact that for the first two and a half years of your little ones’ life – you’re going to need a lot of them!
During the last century, cloth nappies were the best way to handle those accidents by baby until disposables were introduced. Other plastic coverings for cloth diapers were introduced before this, but a real disposable nappy was not available until the 1940s, and even then, they were a luxury that few could afford.
Nowadays there is so much choice out there that it’s really hard to know which is best for your baby.
Going green is something we should all do, but the thought that it may be inconvinient puts many parents off. However, today’s reusable nappy is so much more high tech than those of the past, and can be very cost effective!
Here at Childcare is fun, we’ve asked our top nappy testers to see what they think of the nappies available today. Our little testers have braved the rough and the smooth nappies to reveal to you their top nappy!
Our nappy experts!
Our lovely CCIF Testers are Matthew, Ben and Betsy aged between 10 months and 2 years old.
Here’s what they thought…
Top brand nappies
Huggies…
‘We liked using the Huggies nappies because they fit well and kept us dry in the day and give us a good nights sleep’
Our testers Betsy & Ben use huggies regularly (according to their mummy’s) because of the ‘reliability and cost.’
Fi explains ‘ Many supermarkets do the large boxes of nappies, which works out really cheap when buying a top brand nappy. I’ve used Huggies since Betsy was born because I used them in my career as a professional nanny and thought they were great.’
For a large box of 87 Huggies super Dry size 4 (Tesco) they are only £11.48 that’s only 13p a nappy!
Pampers…
‘ Pampers fit nicely, keep us dry and let us move about with ease!’
Our testers Matty is a regular pampers user according to his mummy ‘because of habit (used them since birth), reliability and price!’
A pack of 88 Maxi Dry Jumbo (Tesco) is £10 a box- that’s an amazing 11p per nappy!
Sarah explained why she liked Pampers. ‘I’ve just always used them and they’ve been great so I’ve never needed or wanted to change brands.’
‘Betsy has eczema, so her skin is very sensitive, especially her delicate little bottom!’ explains Fi, ‘I’m really happy with these!’
Economy brands…
Tesco…
‘We were suprised by how comfy and dry an economy brand kept us!’
Mummies:
Sarah: ‘Suprised! I’d consider buying them now I’ve tried them!’
Dawn: ‘ Not bad for a supermarket brand.’
Fi: ‘I was suprised how great these were for an economy brand. They kept Betsy very dry- even at night, and the fit was great! Definatley the best economy brand available!’
Wilkos…
‘Great for the day (for an economy brand) but a mini-disaster at night-time! They did badly with larger accidents, and poor Matty had quite a nasty leak!’
Mummies:
Sarah: ‘These were not that great at all, poor Matty got quite sore and the night nappy leaked everywhere!’
Dawn: ‘Ben filled his nappy and it was not contained and the nappy didn’t absorb any of it. I needed to change his clothes following this. Also his bottom was sore and I had to apply sudo cream even in this short time frame.
I didn’t find the nappy to be absorbent, it was bulky and not as comfortable as other brand nappies I use. I would not like to use this nappy overnight or for any long periods of time. In Price comparison to my normal nappy the Wilko’s Value Nappy is £10.4p and Huggies Value Nappy – £10.7p, so from my experience and due to the little price difference I would not use this nappy I’ll stick to Huggies!’
Fi: ‘I’m not overly impressed with them, they made Betsy quite sore and they didn’t keep her dry. The price suprisingly isn’t that different to a top brand, so not really worth buying.’
Reusable Nappies
Nappy makers Lovewee…
Designed with drying in mind the Nappy Makers Lovewee™ offers the absorbency and slim fit of bamboo terry but without taking forever to dry.
Their soft and comfy (according to chief re-usable nappy tester, Betsy) and dry quickly..
With nippa fastening the Lovewee™ is a one size fits all nappy that can be adjusted to give an excellent poo containing fit from birth.
Without the detachable booster, the nappies simply fold down at the front to cater for all shapes and sizes of newborn.
Add back in the booster and the same nappy works as equally well on your older toddler. Nappies come in white (but they are easier to photograph in yellow- hence the yellow nappy picture) and will require a separate wrap or cover on top.
Baby tester Betsy:
‘I liked the feel of the softness. Although it was a bit bulky, but it didn’t stop me from crawling and coasting. It kept me dry and mummy says it was easy to wash and dry.’
Mummy:
Fi: ‘I’ve always wanted to try re-usable nappies for a number of reasons, but mainly because of environmental issues. I must say, I was sceptical, I thought it would leak, but it was really good!
With another baby on the way, re-usable nappies are something I’m really thinking about changing to!’
Nappy cloth reviews from Helen White, Real Nappy Advisor at Burton real nappies.
Tots Bots Stretch:
We’ve always held Tots Bots nappies in high regard and they never fail as a reliable night nappy on any of our children. The new stretch Tots Bots is a welcome new addition to our nappy stash. Extendable in size the Size 2 nappy will work as a Birth to Potty option on a 9lb+ baby saving you money on buying two sizes. The bamboo is ultra soft with addition of the stretch and has washed better here for us than the original Tots Bots Bamboozle, staying soft after weeks of use. The fit around the legs is snug; leaks are non-existent! Trim around the bottom this nappy doesn’t give too much bulk to the bottom area. Overall if you’re looking for a hard wearing, highly absorbent 2-part nappy a Tots Bots should be one you consider.
Lollipop Micro:
We chose the Lollipop Micro for our daughter as she was very slight in frame and the other makes of 2 part nappy just made her look huge around the bottom. The Micro nappy is slim fitting, light weight, extremely fast drying (on a blowy day they’re dry in 1/2 hour!) and trim around the bottom. The legs fit well and we’ve had no leaks and they are now passed on to our youngest and still going strong. Our only comment would be because they are so lightweight they aren’t the most absorbent nappy and they will need a bit extra boosting during night-time use which is easily done using a bamboo booster.
Fuzzi Bunz (Perfect Fit):
As far as All in One nappies go we love the Fuzzi Bunz! Lightweight, great fit, quick to dry and a pocket style so we can stuff boosters inside to suit the time and use. These have worked well for us whilst potty training as they pull up and down fast like ‘pants’ and our daughter was able to go to the toilet herself with minimum help which she loved when we first started.
The new colour ranges are bright and eye catching as are the Daisy prints, definitely one to flash in the summer months.
Bumgenius Flip:
At last a nappy we can go camping with when there aren’t washing facilities! The Flip systems comes with either a fast drying insert or an organic prefold for use when at home and then a disposable pad for out and about; or as we use it – camping! The fit of the Birth to Potty wrap is great, especially on our chunky toddler and the bright colours are eye catching. I’m not such a fan of the wrap fabric compared to the softer makes like Motherease but they work well, contain most of what our youngest can throw at them and more importantly they don’t cost much so for those on a budget they’re great. Worth having a few in your nappy stash!
Lollipop Pocket Pop n Gro:
Many years ago Lollipop did a Rainbow fleece pocket nappy (discontinued but there are still some available out there) and it was our favourite pocket nappy. We’ve used them as a night nappy on our youngest daughter for years and they’ve never failed us so we were sceptical the new Pop n Gro pocket could be as good. It was! A super side pocket opening (for Dads big hands to stuff with ease) lovely soft fabric outer, extendable poppers for a more tailored fit and now a great patterned fabric too. These are a relatively new nappy but we like them lots. Definitely worth a try.
Motherease Wraps:
These are for us the Ultimate wrap. The Airflow is our favourite. Super lightweight, highly dependable fabric in lovely patterns with – importantly for us – poppers that even the most determined toddler can’t fathom! They stay lovely and dry and the airflow makes the nappy area stay nice and airy. Combined with any 2-part nappy this would be a complete bombproof combination! Sometimes they can be a bit ‘baggy’ when moving up to a new size and not the trimmest of fitting but in our opinion a small price to pay for complete reliability.
