Cloth nappy trial - come and help me decide what to buy

[Swaliswan]

I'm trialling a load of reusables on DD2 at the moment having been really silly and just bought what looked good on the internet for DD1. So, the following is what we have been trying out:

Shaped Two Part Nappies:

1 x Motherease one size bamboo
1 x Motherease Sandys large bamboo
1 x Bambinex bamboo size two with popper fastening
1 x Swaddlebees one size organic velour
1 x Swaddlebees medium organic velour
1 x Swaddlebees medium organic velour pocket nappy

Wraps:

1 x Nature Babies classic wrap medium
1 x Motherease Airflow wrap medium
1 x Motherease Rikki wrap medium

Pocket nappies:

1 x Fuzzi Bunz one size
1 x Fuzzi Bunz 'Perfect Size' medium
1 x Wonderoo nappy
1 x Nature Babies stuffable lite medium
1 x Standard Minki Pocket nappy medium
1 x Real Easy size medium

And here are the results so far...

Motherease onesize - looks uncomfortable/poor fit.

Motherease Sandy's - Good fit and performed well but extremely slow to dry.

Bambinex - love it! A bit slow to dry but it is high in the rise, beautifully soft and a good fit. It's not bulky anywhere but still has growing space.

Swaddlebees onesize COV - no matter how hard I tried, I could not get a comfortable fit for DD without there being some bulk somewhere.

Swaddlebees sized COV - seemed a bit small for the size range that it's supposed to cover but it did give a VERY trim fit and there was no bulk around DD's tummy.

Swaddlebees pocketted COV - again little growing room but it is an amazingly quick nappy to dry. The hemp booster was brilliant and I was tempted despite how expensive it is because of the quick drying... until it's second road test (with microterry booster this time) and a complete failure to contain explosive poo.

Naturebabies classic wrap - excellent. Bomb proof, extremely adjustable so good for DD's chunky thighs and slim waist. Nicely stretchy so can manage boosted nappies but then returns to being a nice slim fit on slimmer nappies. No marks left on her legs/waist but still contained the explosive poo that the Swaddlebees pocketted COV didn't manage to tackle. High in the rise, but has adjustable rise so there is still some growing room even for DD who is very long. Also performed beautifully over the bambinex.

Motherease Airflow - I must be the only person in the world who doesn't like these. I ended up with a flappy bit of PUL because DD needed to leg poppers looser than the waist ones if that makes any sense. It looked terrible under her clothes.

Motherease Rikki - Very easy to put on but it didn't really allow for DD's chunky leg/slim waist combo.

Fuzzibunz one size/perfect size and wonderoos - none of them gave a comfortable fit on DD so I wasn't willing to risk an explosive poo with a poor fitting nappy and they didn't get a fair road test for how 'thirsty' they are.

Nature Babies stuffable lite - fit DD beautifully and managed to contain an explosive poo but the nappy had only just been put on her about 10 mins before. Some poo didn't wash out perfectly from the elasticated area of the fleece lining which was a shame. The second road test was disappointing but I think that may be more due to the insert than the pocket nappy. I'd rather use a two part system for reliability.

Minki Pocket - didn't even get road tested due to how bulky the nappy is. I didn't want to try the slimmer version as it is lower in the rise and DD is so long.

Real Easy Nappy - Surprisingly amazing! I need to road test it some more to find out how reliable it really is but I love it at the moment. It is extremely slim but does have room to grow. As you would expect it is very easy to put on and because of the poppers it was good for independent leg/waist adjustment. DD was accidently left in it for 5 hours (Long story!) but it coped perfectly. She was still completely dry and comfortable and there was no wicking. I'm still waiting to find out how quickly it will dry but I'm very tempted.

Well done if you're still reading! Any thoughts on what else I should be considering before parting with £££s?

We like nature babies wraps!!!

Err.... cannot help but notice you've not tried bog standard terry squares? Has lasted us well!!!

I have been sent a gorgeous bamboo terry square as an insert for the stuffable lite. It's not big enough for DD but I am extremely tempted to buy some bigger ones and use them inside the nature babies wraps. It has dried a lot quicker than the bambinex but I think it is made by Geobel so it's the same gorgeous bamboo terry that the bambinex is made from. Do people really still use terry squares much? Do you think that my CM would mind using them? I'm guessing that I would just use a fleece liner over a folded terry and maybe add a booster or two at night?

Just read that back and realise that my 'do people really still use terry squares much' makes me sound like an ignorant brat. What I meant was that if there is such a huge industry based on shaped nappies, does this mean that terry squares are a bit rubbish or does it just reflect our laziness?

Lollipop sells bamboo terries and they are lovely - I'm not a nature babies fan - would go for motherease covers.

You seem to have had a great kit to try - who was it from?

Hello again Octo!

What have you got against Naturebabies wraps? They seem to be the best fit for DD's weird shape - far better than the motherease ones. I'm off to check out the lollipop bamboo terries now. I chose the nappies for the kit from Babykind. I'm really pleased with their service and although it's going to cost the best part of £30, that's a lot cheaper than buying a whole load of nappies and then finding out that they don't fit your baby and losing money when you sell them on

Thats a good kit for £30 - in wiltshire we run free ones which is why I asked.

I don't like the double layer thing - I know lots do but have some in our trial kits and stuffables and just think there are better covers - but they do good patterns and must be popoular for a reason! If you have tried the kit and they work for you - you should buy the nature babies as all babies are different.

For some reason, I can't find any free kits in Southampton/Hampshire. I don't know why and get really annoyed that other people in the UK can get money from their council for buying cloth nappies when we get nothing

I should add that it's only a two week hire kit, not one to keep!

We give £30 cashback which works well. Shame your county does nothing.

I bought some nappy nippas today and had a go at using a bamboo terry square. It was a revelation! It ticked all of the boxes on list for a good reusable nappy:

Slimline
Good absorbancy
Fast drying
Good fit
Cheap

Now I need to convince my family and CM that they are a good idea! I was really hoping to find some cheap second hand ones that someone has hardly used but I can't find any Ah well, at least brand new ones are cheap anyway

Check out ecoearth in bristol - they are a manufacturer but have a shop too. I get stuff from them as so close.

Got an email today saying they have a sale on bamboo

Sadly not the stuff I want but I've found it cheap at nappy needs. I'm considering the bamboo terries and some Real Easy nappies for the CM.