Best fastener on tots bots? general real nappy advice?

[maveta]

Hello All!
I am pregnant with our first and really interested in using real nappies. I have been following a few discussions on here and checked out a few pages and really like the look of the tots bots. I have also written to the nappy lady but not heard back yet.
Many people seem to recommend tots bots with a motherease wrap, why is that? The motherease wraps look quite a bit bulkier, are they? and can babies still wear clothes with poppers at the bottom or will they not fit? What?s wrong, or not as good about, the tots bots? wraps? Also wondering what you have found to be the difference between the different types of fastener offered? Bamboozles look like the best but are they good for day and night or would you use them mostly at night and cotton ones in the day?
Sorry for so many questions but am very confused by the conflicting information and don?t know where to start!
any other general info or advice you can offer would be great
Thanks, M

for days, i would use tots bamboozles, and for night tots bamboozles. BUT as the bamboozles are now aplix, you cant fold the front down smaller, so you have to buy more of them (someone correct if wrong. so i'd get some non-aplix (nappinippa) pastel tots bots for day time, and a couple of bamaboozles for night time.

i prefer mother ease airflows as the poppers mean its more adjustable round the legs and wasit than the velcros wraps. also they seem to be better at containing explosive b/f baby poo lol.

Nature Babies wraps are good too - you can get new and used ones on ebay.

ME wraps aren't at all bulky IMO. The baby can still wear popper bottom clothes, but you might go up a size (3-6m when 0-3m for example). Certain clothes won't fit as well, for example jeans. I prefer nippa nappies to applix/velcro, which I fasten with a nappi nippa. I find them more adjustable on size. However, I've got both, and the velcro are great for if somebody else is doing the change! I've been using the velcro ME wraps as I also used terry squares at the start, and I think I get more up the back leaks with the velcro wraps than with popper wraps as there is less adjustability. However, they can be used with prefolds or terry squares for emergencies when you run out of nappies, so that makes them worth using IMO.

Glad you started this thread Maveta, I was looking for some info too.
I'm pregnant with dd3. I used cotton bottoms with dd1 as I went back to work ft when she was 6 months. I reused my stocks and bought extra with dd2,but am now SAHM and was wondering whatt else was out there.

I use motherease wraps over all my nappies and I think they are really good as they are big enough to fit round with a large booster but look fine around my ultra slim wambamboos.

They are really breathable too as they are split at the sides so even more air can circulate but no moisture leaks onto their clothes. They are also very adjustable so if you have a baby with fat thighs and thin tummy or vice versa then they can fit really well.

I dont like the wraps with velcro as they always seem really stiff across the tummy(but then that goes for velcro on nappies too).

If you have decided on the tots, then it is worth a look at these on nappymania as they are the cheapest I could find them when I was looking recently other than second hand. They also do free delivery.

Hope that helps xxx

Nappy nippas seem to be so much more adjustable.
ME with poppers are fab, they just seem to fit better than velcro

Thanks for all the opinions and advice, obviously people really are keen on Motherease for a reason! I´m happy to take your word(s) on it so thank you, that´s helped make up my mind.

I am a bit apprehensive about using real nappies but am convinced it´s the way to go so also think we have to start using them right from birth so that even if it´s hard at first, we won´t know any different!

Dragonhart, thanks for the link, I have saved it to favourites, looks like it has lots of good stuff.

Misdee, I amm a bit confused though, I checked the totsbots page and they DO still offer bamboozles with poppers or aplix..in which case would you buy ALL bamboozles or would you still get some rainbow ones?

Another quick question for you all - I was speaking to my Mum about this and explaining how they work now and she said I would probably find I didn´t need to always use wraps during the day if I was at home. I guess she is basing this on what she did with Terry´s, is this true or do you always put the wraps on?

x x

They've only just brought out the popper bamboozles. WBB haven't had the same nippa issues (so far) as the bamboozles did, so they are great for daytime and nighttime if you want the btp option.

I don't have any problems with poppered clothes with WBB during the day - they can be slightly snug by the time there is an extra booster at night though so often the next size up vest is handy then.

Agree with airflows too - great sizing (especially now they have brought out a teeny newborn size) and breathability

Aaargh Flamesparrow! What are WBBs?? and btp?

Sorry, I am pretty new to this board and everytime I master abbreviations I find more that I can´t figure out!

btp - birth to potty, so only need to buy one size.

I'm puzzled by the WBB too!

Guessing WBB is Wam-Bamboos???

Yes. Wambamboos are lovely. Really slim, really absorbant and very adjustable. Long tabs fit my hefty 15 month old but I am sure they are slim enough to fit our new baby due in Jan. The booster is separate (rather than being sewn in like tots) so you can fold it to where ever you want it eg at the front for a boy but leave it out for a newborn or smaller baby and just fold the front down. I have the nippa type, you can get velcro but I dont think they would be as adjustable and you would have to get the smaller size as well as the bigger so would work out more expensive.

They do take quite a long time to dry but I am sure no longer than bamboozles.

I would def recomend them, sure Flame will give you any more info you need (she is the WBB expert on here!!

This is the cheapest I could find WBBs at makes a change but worht a look at the Geobel website who make them too as you might be able to get some help from your local authority (most do some kind of scheme). here

Another comment re the clothing issue - stick to dungarees/dresses and tights rather than trousers as they tend to be more roomy. Waistbands and washables are not a good combo, especially when they are v. small! You can get special clothes (eg from Cut4Cloth I think) but they are very pricey and I've found high-street ones ok - Woolies dungarees in particular are good on my ds.

I bought TotsBots size 2 non-aplix and used them from birth with the front bit folded down (tells you about it on thenappylady). Ds was 8lb and it worked fine.

You will need a wrap on all the time IME.

Sorry, yup wbb is wambamboo... Its frightening that I now slip into nappy speak without noticing

Drying is about the same for bamboozles and wbb.

Thank you thank you all!
Lots of good info here, am getting closer to my final decision. Wambamboos look good too but after so much looking and whittling down to Bamboozles am reluctant to start changing my mind again (seeing as even arriving at one decision is a traumatic process for me anyway!).
Unfortunately I won´t get any local council help as I am in Spain, sounds like a great help if you can get it though.
I think in the end I will buy bamboozles, some rainbow tots, ME wraps and some flat terries as backups/ if I feel brave!
Thanks for the clothes advice too x

I definately wouldn't buy all of one type initially. I was sure I knew what type I wanted to use before the wriggler was born, and had done loads of research, but I still changed my mind, and I'm just about to try out a different type now.

Have you considered buying 2nd hand ones as a trial? I think you can also get special 'trial packs' from places which sound a good idea.

I definately wouldn't buy all of one type initially. I was sure I knew what type I wanted to use before the wriggler was born, and had done loads of research, but I still changed my mind, and I'm just about to try out a different type now.

Have you considered buying 2nd hand ones as a trial? I think you can also get special 'trial packs' from places which sound a good idea.

I definately wouldn't buy all of one type initially. I was sure I knew what type I wanted to use before the wriggler was born, and had done loads of research, but I still changed my mind, and I'm just about to try out a different type now.

Have you considered buying 2nd hand ones as a trial? I think you can also get special 'trial packs' from places which sound a good idea.

I definately wouldn't buy all of one type initially. I was sure I knew what type I wanted to use before the wriggler was born, and had done loads of research, but I still changed my mind, and I'm just about to try out a different type now.

Have you considered buying 2nd hand ones as a trial? I think you can also get special 'trial packs' from places which sound a good idea.

i have just started trialing cloth nappies. I used bambino mio first but ds very quickly got nappy rash as a few wees seemed about all they could take and the paper liner didnt keep her dry. saying that have bought some fleece liners to see if that helps and will also try a booster. The bambino mio wraps are quite stiff where the velcro is but are otherwise good.

I have just tried a totsbots original in white with a totsbots wrap (that have an attached fleece liner (forgot to wash them first) ds did great big poo before leaving the change table so cant really comment other than they did absorb it as it showed on the outside of the nappy and i touched the fleece which felt dry. the wrap looked quite big and she did look bulkier than normal overall. i bought this as a trial pack new from ebay for about a fiver. so will was and try again but have ordered some bamboozles which are said to be slimmer fitting. will keep u updated.

does anyone know how to wash them? do i do the velcro up or leave it open? and does 60 degrees get the yellow bf poo out better than 40 degrees?

ds is 7 weeks and breastfed btw

I know a few people have said you have to try different brands to find which ones suit your baby best but while I will have disposables on standby I really want to make a proper go of using cloth from the start or I feel like we will just fall into using disposables and all good intentions will go out the window.
I don´t want to throw the money away but then how do I make sure I have enough nappies when the baby arrives??? And if I buy 2 of this kind, 2 of that kind etc etc will that not be just as much a waste of money if they aren´t suitable?
I really want to do this but boy is it confusing, it seems there are conflicting opinions all over the place!
Hayles, I´ll be staying posted for more news re. the bamboozles!

maveta,

U have good intentions as we all do but if your intent enough on using cloth then using disp's for a few weeks wont hurt. In my experience with a newborn (ds is now 7 weeks today) they poo little and often and as its best to change them as soon as they have - I found I was getting through tons of nappies in the early weeks. SO it might not be practical to start of using resuables. depends on how often u or partner are gonna be able to wash in early days and what your drying conditions are like.

What im doing is figuring out which ones i like the sounds of after research and then i am finding them on ebay and buying one of each. eg I have a totsbots original and wrap, bambino mio, bamboozles are on the way and im looking to buy a few mother-ease as well. The totbots wrap has no leg cuffs and seems quite big although fits well so i can see why many people prefer mother-ease.

I think I have decided against the bambino mio prefolded but it is a cheaper alternative to shaped nappies so will go down well with some people but IMO needs a booster and fleece liner and not paper.

Ebay really is the best place to try before you buy. Like i said i bought an original totsbots nappy and wrap for just less than a fiver and it was brand new. The good thing is there are lots of NEW and hardly used ones on there because people give up or dont have the time to bother trialing them.

So, after all my nonsense rambling here is what I would do:

• buy some totsbots, motherease and maybe a few other brands ready to try once your baby settles down a little bit (from about 4 weeks IME) once u decided whats best u can sell what u dont want and these brands usually sell well second hand especially if they are not used too much.

will stop there as its looking a bit long and rambly.

ps decided against bambinmo mio as just tried a couple with liner but a few wees later and she really needs changing so no good for us.

maveta, I found this after I had bought my nappies and wished I had found it before. It offers a trial of alsorts of nappies for 2 weeks so you can find exactly what works for you and you baby. Havent tried it myself but I think it is a great idea that could save you loads. trial scheme

I got some nappies form my local authority at a really good price before DS was born but never got around to using them as once I started using disp and got used to them, everything else seemed so new and hard to get used to. I didnt get around to using them until DS was 13 months, and with another on the way the prospect of having to pay for two lots of nappies was more than we could afford.

Having done it thought, I really wished we had done it before as it really is easy when you get used to it. Just another routine and when you are doing so many loads of washing already, it doesnt seem like many more!

I am planning on using disp while in hospital, then switching to washable when I get back. Nothing wrong with having disp as a standby at the start, I think as every time you use the washables it is better for your pocket and for the environment.

Hope that helps. x

Thanks girls, that does help a lot and make me feel less panicky about how to figure it all out!! I guess it is a good idea to start with disposables..although I am seriously tempted to buy a couple of Dinky Diapers as they are just SO CUTE.. and gently ease us into trying real nappys. I just know how easy it would be for good intentions to go out the window if we see how easy disposables are and then find real nappies relatively difficult.
I will try and see if I can find any trial schemes but as I live in Spain I doubt they would send out so far. I'll look into it though. Out here it's a pretty radical idea so I doubt there is any help to getting you started.
Luckily, I have you lot!
Thanks x x