wraps - separate or included gussets?

[nappyaddict]

up until now all the wraps i have had had separate gussets. i just found someone who makes some lovely wraps and she can do separate or included gussets. which is best?

What do you mean by seperate or included?

like you know how rikki wraps have them separate.sort of an extra bit outside the wrap. i'm not explaining it very well am i! i can't think of any that have them included. cotton bottoms might be one i think?

oh no thinking about it cotton bottoms don't have them at all.

also is it better to have binding around the wrap or not?

here is a link to the person i am buying the wraps off.

Ah I see - when its got a fleece outer then I think gussets as well would make it bulky, and the no-binding makes it very soft against their legs (sort of like a minki I think but in a wrap.

So I think I would go without gussets or binding.

Yes I think I would also go with no gussets or binding

The gusset creates a tighter fit around the legs and is expecially suited to the heavier wetter who may need a tighter seal as the nappy fills up.

No gussets are just fine, provided that there is a close enough fit around the legs. So, for instance the old style tots wraps without the gusset didn't always seal around the legs so sometimes leaked (as well as sometimes via the binding), whereas the new style ones have the gusset and they're really good.

Whereas Mother-ease Airflows don't have a gusset, but they should fit neatly around the legs because they can be poppered to the right size, therefore creating a good seal.

Non-PUL fleece wraps work differently to PUL wraps, and shouldn't have a gusset. The one you're looking at (lovely fabric!) is PUL with a fleece cover which appears just to be decorative, and I would agree with Flame that it's going to make it too bulky with a gusset, and provided that the PUL inner fits well enough around the leg it should be fine. The only thing that would worry me is that wee may wick out if the fleece touches the inside, if that makes sense. However, the lady making these sounds like she's experienced with making non-leaking wraps so hopefully it will be fine.

It looks like a lovely wrap - I'd love to hear how you get on as I have a customer looking for someone to make wraps to size and this looks like a good option.

Emma

so might the wee wick out because it is fleece AND pul or does fleece alone wick in general?

what about wacky wraps as they have something similar to pul in them don't they?

No, sorry, let me clarify.

Let's say you have a fleece-only wrap (eg Tots Bots). They don't have the waterproof PUL liner. They work by slowly allowing wee to evaporate out of the wrap, therefore keeping the nappy drier. They are an easy-care version of wool which works in a similar way. They don't suit everyone and if the nappy is SOAKED then they will start to transfer through to clothes, but otherwise they're very good.

Now, if you have a nappy wrap with a fleece outer and a PUL inner, and if the fleece tucks in to within the nappy, if this gets wet it can wick to the outside. This can also be seen with pocket nappies which have a fleece inner sown to a fleece outer.

However, you can get types of fleece which are anti-wick and many such nappies use this now. Worth just asking. Also, provided that the fleece outer can't get wet or touch the wet nappy, it's fine too.

Yes, Wacky Wraps are similar in design with PUL and fleece but I've never heard of them wicking like this. They may do - but I've never heard it and I've heard a lot of good things about them. I've never used them myself though.

Does this clarify?

Emma

yes so just to check 100% fleece wraps don't wick, fleece/pul wraps might wick if the fleece touches the pul.

now what do you think she means by included gussets cos i am thinking of getting some normal cotton ones too.

I guess she means the PUL bum panel is bigger, giving the same amount of material as with gussets but no seam, while the fleece is a bit smaller. Not convinced myself.

Re gussets though, depends on your nappies. If you ever use prefolds or padfolded terries then you want seamed gussets like a Rikki to hold the nappy in place. That's why the old Cotton Bottom ones are rubbish and Bambino Mio much better. But if you use shaped nappies only or origami terries, the Airflow style is fine.

"yes so just to check 100% fleece wraps don't wick, fleece/pul wraps might wick if the fleece touches the pul. "

Nearly . 100% fleece wraps should be made from non-wick fleece. However, they can transfer THROUGH the wrap if the nappy is soaked. Basically, if you're looking at fleece ONLY wraps, best get further advice at that time as to whether they're suitable.

Fleece/pul wraps MAY wick if the fleece is tucked too far inside the wrap. It has to touch the PUL to be sown to it. What I meant is if the fleece touches the nappy inside.

I've only come across this with two nappies. The first was the old style Swaddlebees pockets which was kind of the reverse - where the fleece liner came OUT of the nappy too much and wicked onto clothes. The new style doesn't do this. The other one was a pocket nappy made from a fleece inner and outer which wicked between the two. Both of these are different to the style you're looking at, but the concept of the wicking is the same.

right i've got ya!! so even if the fleece is anti-wick it can still technically wick through.

and re the gussets, basically she just uses the same amount of material as if there were gussets, but there isn't actually any.

oh and binding is another thing that could make a wrap wick??

one other thing ... the tots bots wraps you mention before they were the pul ones werent they not the fleece ones.

"right i've got ya!! so even if the fleece is anti-wick it can still technically wick through."

It doesn't wick as such, it just pushes through - a fabric technicality but the difference is that a bit of wee doesn't travel to the front of the wrap (and onto clothes) via the legs - it leaches through the fabric of the wrap eventually. It takes longer, whereas a wicking wrap can fail at the first wee.

"and re the gussets, basically she just uses the same amount of material as if there were gussets, but there isn't actually any."

There may be the tiniest bit for fabric with gussets, but mostly it's a change of style of fit over the legs!

"oh and binding is another thing that could make a wrap wick??"

Every wrap has some kind of binding or edge finish. The Tots PUL wraps have a lovely soft binding which did sometimes wick with the old style. Not yet seen it with the new style, so maybe they've changed it, or maybe the new design just stops the wee getting to it. Again, it only happened when the nappy was really wet.

"one other thing ... the tots bots wraps you mention before they were the pul ones werent they not the fleece ones. "

Um, I mentioned both But when I'm talking about the gussets or the old/new style ones, yes it's the PUL ones.

Emma

i guess aswell with the fleece/pul ones, if the wrap is big enough to cover the nappy the fleece shouldn't touch the nappy, and if it did that would mean you need a bigger wrap?

Weeeell, always go for the right sized wrap. It's really a design thing.

TBH I wouldn't panic too much. The seller should be able to reassure you about her design.

Emma

sorry what's a design thing [confused face]

as you can see i am very much a nappy addict and not a wrap addict!

The wraps look lovely, but you can have toooo much information can't you. [equally confused face]
Could you get her to send you phtotos of both types?
I have found that gusseted wraps often 'look' trimmer between the legs, but when the clothes are over the top, it rarely matters. I agree the main thing is that it is high enough in the rise and roomy enough to accommodate the nappies you use and that it is the correct weight range for your baby - that's would I would think at least.
Having used both types successfully I would say go with whichever you like the look of - very scientific approach.
Or the type most like the one that you use normally - slightly more scientific approach

"The wraps look lovely, but you can have toooo much information can't you. [equally confused face]"

yeah, sorry, I kinda felt I shouldn't have started that!!!

Sorry if I made things worse!!

nope you've helped thankyou. am a bit dubious about her claims that the extra seam needed for gussets make it more prone to leaking ... of course i could be completely wrong here.

MAChange - I didn't mean that you have given too much information.
Sorry.
I thought the seller had confused nappy addicte with all the options.

I mean 'addict' not 'addicte' - that's the olde English version of addict.

giggle

Glad I didn't make things too much worse!!!

Emma