Tots Bots a mistake?

[NessieD]

Hi all, my DS is 7 weeks old and before he was born determined to use reusable nappies I invested in 15 Tots Bots Bamboozles (aplix) plus fleece liners. I have tried to use the nappies a few times as at first they were way too big for my DS who was 7lb at birth, he now weighs 10lb 7 oz so should be able to fit into them easily, however they are still way too bulky and when he lies down his feet are suspended in the air!!! however the main problem is that the nappies get absolutely soaked when he has a wee ( which is A LOT!)he HATES having a wet nappy and will cry and cry the moment he soils it until I change it, but as he wees on average once an hour it's a nightmare!!

Should the nappies be that soaked next to his skin? the fleece liners don't seem to do anything, am I expecting too much and is this just the way that it is if you want to use this type of nappy?

Interestingly yesterday I bought a trial pack of the new Mothercare Smart Nappy system and he had a wee but the top of the pad stayed dry next to his skin so it didn't seem to bother him at all.

I HATE the impact that disposables have on the environment and so desperately want to find a reusable that works. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Hi

There are plenty of more knowledgable people on here than me,

But I really think it depends on the brand / make of nappy some are better suited to particular problems than others.

What did you use when your LO was newborne.

HTH or that someone else comes along to help.

Which liners are you using?

Fleece should keep his skin dry

Also how many times have you washed the bamboozles? bamboo nappies can take up to 15 washes to get to a good absorbecy. You could try thr motherease stay dry liner, they are very slim and may work a bit better than the fleece for your DS

What size are your nappies? They might just be too big (that's why they're so bulky). Would also agree with curlywurly, maybe they haven't been washed enough times yet to absorb properly.

With a fleece liner DD's skin was always pretty dry - maybe just a little clammy if the nappy was absolutely soaked.

Hope you work it out - Tots Bots are very good and should work fine.

i never got on with my bamboozle.. it just seemed to soak through so fast and was bulky - really was always the last one i'd use in the pile.
bambinex are good, bumbles are supposed to be great, i used bimbles when he was a newborn and loved them.

Your main problem may be having invested in lots of one type of nappy to begin with -- often better to try a few as some will suit each baby better than others.

In general, though...

-- using fleece liners next to his skin (as you are doing) should wick the moisture away and keep him more comfortable, but...
-- are you boosting the nappies at all? We always boosted DS's Tots or Bamboozles when he was small and weeing a lot
-- nippa nappies tend to be more adjustable than the aplix ones. You might be able to use an aplix nappy with nippas, come to think of it, to give you more flexibility
-- "too bulky" is often a judgment influenced by being used to seeing babies in disposables. There's some evidence that cloth nappies are actually better in terms of supporting the hip joints, so disposables may be "not bulky enough". And although DS was in Tots Bots from birth (and hence looking rather like a stranded Weeble) he managed to be crawling by 5 months and walking at 9 so they didn't actually hinder his mobility appreciably, they just looked awkward.

You might do better using something like a small Fuzzi Bunz (quite slim-fitting) stuffed with microfibre inserts for absorbancy -- could be worth trying, at least. I've always wondered how well they cope with newborn bf poo but plenty of friends have used them from birth with no problems.

I would agree that it is quite a strong possibility that your bamboo isn't up to full absorbancy yet, if it was the liners would be working far better at wicking away the wetness and at the most, his skin would be a bit clammy(as derah said).

I'm assuming you aren't using fabric softener when you wash them (or a two in one powder with softener in it)?

If you have foud something else you prefer panic not! Bamboozles have an excellent resale value .

I made the same mistake when I started using cloth and bought 20 x fluffles. I found them to be way too bulky and I ended up selling them on. I now tend to buy second hand (where possible) to keep costs down and even though I have bought a sold a lot I am still better off finacncially than I would have been using disposables.

Have you tried to find a local cloth nappy advisor? They can show you all the types available and maybe lend you a few to trial. We have the cornwall real nappy project down here which is great and gives impartial advice (others are linked to one particular company so bear that in mind)

Thanks for all that advice, I have the size 1 which are for his size, however they are down to his knees!!! I have only washed the nappies twice (only in powder not conditioner) so will try washing one or two several times again and see if that makes a difference, I have used the Tots Bots fleece liners and I take it I don't need to wash these first?

I will also try the motherease liners and see if these help

Hmmm.. think that might be your problem, not pre-washed enough. I think for standard terry nappies 2 prewashes is hardly enough so with bamboo you might find you need more like 6 prewashes before they are usable. They will continue to increase in absorbancy every time you wash them for a long time so things can only get better really.

Ideally you should prewash the fleece liners at least once just to get the coating off them.

I'm sure you'll find the bamboozles more useful (And a better fit ) when he is older. I think the general concensus of opinion is that bimbles are the best fitting newborn nappy but, being small, they will be outgrown quickly (15lbs max I think). Have you considering trying simple terry squares until he is a bit bigger?

hth, good luck

Hi, I have invested in tots bots bamboozles and the info i got with them recommends washing them 10 times for optimum absorbancy.
I'm hoping they work out ok for us as I have read some really good reviews on them but I think we're going mix them up with eco-degradable nappies when out and about and away but if they end up not suiting us I guess we'll try selling them on ebay like everyone else!
Hope after a few more washes they improve for you.

Having looked at the nappies again I don't think that they are Bamboozles, I think that they are just the plain cotton Aplix ones, does that make a difference?

Well, it makes a bit more sense in some ways Bamboozles are slimmer-fitting and more absorbant than the regular Tots Bots, so I was surprised to hear you say that they were bulky and got soaked very easily if they are regular Tots then that makes more sense.

I think regular Tots you are supposed to prewash three times, so another couple of washes may help. Also you probably will need to boost a Tots in the early days if you have a heavy wetter.

Nessie, I have used aplix totsbots size 1 on my 3mo ds2 from birth (he was 8lb 2oz at birth) and I washed them a couple of times before I used them. The absorbancy does increase over time, honestly! The fleece should also wick away virtually all moisture from his skin leaving him just a little clammy, as others have said.

I used size 2 non aplix on ds1 from birth and agree with the weeble comment - however it has not impeded his development at all! My GP commented on how good they are for hips as well.

Do persevere with them for a bit longer to allow their absorbancy to increase before trying other things (but then I would say that, I lurve my totsbots!)

Thanks all - I will wash them a few more times and try again, if no joy then hopefully I can sell them on e-bay!!! I have come across a site that does trial packs where they send you a selection on hire for two weeks to see which ones you prefer so may go down that route - I promise I will persevere!

I have a weer extraordinaire who is now 8 weeks - i am trialing a variety including the totsbots and i am lucky in that my LO doesn't care about what he sits in and for how long but he can drench anything including all his clothes within 10 mins of having the wrong nappy on. I have found fuzzibuns and bumgenius work brilliantly - bum genius is incredibly absorbent. The totsbots are working and getting better with each wash but for the long term i shall be getting more pocket nappies as they seem to contain him as well as some horrible parabens ridden disposable. So see if you can trial some pocket ones and see if they work better for you. But trial and error is a must across a variety.