Well I'd love to say that I am not a complete newbie when it comes to cloth nappies now but recently I had the revelation that I have been a bit of a twit!

Miss Fizz had had quite a lot of leaky night time nappies recently and after having a moan then contacting Jolene we decided that it was probably about time I strip washed the nappies. Now this made complete sense, the nappies did feel different and this was probably the build up of detergent. The nappies felt much nicer after following the advice on Nicola's article about how to look after your cloth nappies.

After strip washing we still had a few leakage problems and it finally twigged! Me being me I had kept Fizz in the nappies as I had always been using them, poppers used, Flip liners a certain way. Switching the flip liner around and adjusting the poppers to accomodate a toddler rather than a baby felt like an easy solution and it was.

Why hadn't I spotted that earlier? Well I suppose it's because I still feel Fizz is a baby, that there is no rush for her to grow up.

In cloth terms though a baby is very different to a toddler. Walking around causes more bunching in material and more give is needed for comfort.

So with this in mind I am going to ensure I strip wash every 3 months and also not put Fizz's nappy together until she is ready to wear it. This way I can take into account her growth and movement needs.

We've also stopped using velcro nappies - this little monkey can undo them herself now

So how have you grown with cloth, how do you deal with heavy wetting at night? and how is your journey going?

The bumGenius Flip is a 'One-Size' 'Hybrid' nappy system.

As a 'one' sized system the nappy wraps are adjustable as your baby grows. The hybrid element of the system is the variety of different insert options that can be used.

The Demonstration videos have been split into four; allowing you to quickly access the part that interests you.

The Flip Wrap

The Flip wrap can be used with flip inserts or as a wrap for a fitted nappy. It is adjustable it fit babies from birth through to potty training. The popper fastening makes for a hard wearing a long lasting cover, velcro has a lifespan and starts to loose strength especially with repeated washing and wearing that you get with washable nappies. There are plenty of stretchy elasticated bits around the leg gusset and the back for a nice trim and tidy fit on your baby. The idea is you re-use the outer wrap and replace the inserts after each use. You will need to change the wrap once or twice each day more if the wrap gets soiled.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Birth to potty or One size Wrap so you don't need to buy different sizes
Can be used for Fitteds & Prefolds

Cons

Fit might not be so good on smaller babies
Come in popper fastening only

The Organic Insert

The Organic insert is a natural, high absorbency, 100% Oeko-Tex certified natural organic cotton. It is a tri-fold insert which can be left unfolded to enable faster drying. The large square pad of organic cotton fabric measuring roughly 38cm (15 in) square (expect shrinkage when washing). The material has two stitched lines running in two directions dividing the nappy into 9 squares, you fold the fabric in thirds along these lines to make to make a rectangle and place the fabric inside the flip cover. This is a great choice for people wanting natural fibres next to their babies skin while still being able to use the versatility of the flip nappy.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Super Absorbent
Organic & Natural fibres

Cons

Requires several pre-washes to develop absorbency
Can look bulky
Can take a while to dry

The Stay Dry Insert

The Stay dry insert is a 'No Fuss', simple soaker pad ideal for the changing bag, super absorbent and quick drying! The stay dry layer on the top of the insert locks wetness away from your babies skin. There are two stitched lines at one end where you fold the material to fit different size babies, this gives you 3 size options and words are stitched into the material, small, medium and large. . .simple really. The flip stay dry insert is a popular choice for normal daytime use.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Easy to use
Slim fitting
Stay dry ability keeps moisture from babies skin
Quick drying

Cons

Not as absorbent

The Disposable Insert

The convenience factor of being able to use an Eco-disposable soaker pad means if your away or out for the day you can still use your flips and dispose of the pad after use.

This is the only disposable nappy to achieve Oeko-Tex certification which means it has been independently tested for harmful substances and has been found to pose no risk to health whatsoever. The flip disposable insert is incredibly soft, it doesn't feel like a disposable nappy at all and that's probably down to the bamboo viscose outer material.

The flip disposable can be composted or put with your green garden to be recycled, check with your council recycling department. The flip disposable insert is made from the following natural materials; 5g of non-woven bamboo viscose, 14-15g of wood pulp (this is the absorbent part), 3g of SAP and 1g of starch based glue. All this is natural material that biodegrades but from what we've heard the european certification is likely to state the disposable insert is up to 97% biodegradable due to the starch based glue. Still the best disposable nappy option by a million miles on our opinion.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Fab for holidays & days out
Provide convenience

Cons

Doesn't prevent landfill
Still small amount of chemicals against baby's skin

Washing the Flip

When buying any nappy we always recommend washing at least once before using. The Organic Insert is a natural material and benefits from several pre-washes before it reaches optimum absorbency. So a wash and limited time wear will allow you to build up several washes before using for and extended period (ie overnight), doing a short wear also means you are not repeatedly washing clean nappies.

The Flip wrap and Inserts (with the exception of the disposable insert) can be stored in a dry pail until ready for washing. The max. recommended wash temperature is 60. The Wrap should be air dried but the inserts can be tumble dried on low.

Buy bumGenius Nappies Here

Please feel free to add your own comments, reviews & experiences with the Flip nappy system.

We welcome the Ecobubs - a recent addition to the Babipur cloth nappy collection!
The nappy demonstration video above is filmed using a medium sized Ecobub.

The Ecobubs is a sized, side snap, pocket nappy. It comes in three sizes and a range of lovely stripy designs.

Small 3.5 - 7Kg (7 - 15lbs) Rise 34cm
Medium 5 - 12Kg (11 - 26lbs) Rise 46cm
Large 11Kg + (24lbs +) Rise 50cm

This nappy comes with it's own fast drying micro-fibre insert (two are required for overnight) which is placed into the "pocket" in-between the Wool/PUL and the micro fleece layer.

The wool outer is breathable and really soft and there's a thin layer of pul to keep the moisture in, the insert is made of microfibre and unfolds to allow quick and easy drying. The wool mix is very breathable and is great for regulating your baby's temperature - keeps baby warm in the winter and cool in the summer!

Caring for the Ecobub

It is surprisingly easy to care for this nappy, there is no need to lanolize the the wool - in fact the nappy just goes into the washing machine and can even be tumble dried!

I found it dries in as little as 30 minutes (outside in the sunshine) which means you get a very fast turnaround of nappies and don't need to buy as many.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Really fast drying (meaning you need fewer nappies)
Great fit for each size as your baby grows
Easy to use
Great for night-time
Great resale value

Cons

Need to buy the next size up as your baby grows

It's a really easy to use nappy. You basically wash, dry, stuff and go! Buy Ecobubs

Please feel free to add your own comments, reviews & experiences with the Ecobub.

The thought of millions of used disposable nappies sitting in landfill for hundreds of years, refusing to biodegrade, is pretty disgusting. But what's the alternative? Huge, baby-swamping terry nappies that need to be boiled for hours and then dried for days on the line? In fact, washable nappies have evolved so much in recent years that terry nappies will soon be a distant memory...

Washable nappies aren't what they used to be. Until a relatively short time ago, 'washable nappies' meant enormous terry squares which swamped the baby; it meant fiddling with giant safety pins, and boiling tin buckets of soiled nappies on the stove every day to get them clean.

If that's your childhood recollection of Mum using washable nappies on your little brother or sister, and it's put you off the idea of using washables on your own baby, that's understandable. In today's fast-paced world we look for convenience in every aspect of our lives, and when it comes to nappies there's no exception; who needs all that extra work and expense, when disposable nappies are so cheap and easy to use?

The reality is that just as the disposable nappy has made technological leaps and bounds in recent years, so has the washable nappy; today's washable nappy is convenient, fully adjustable, hygienic and cheaper than disposables. And with all of us striving to leave behind a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations, switching from disposables to washable nappies is one simple - yet high-impact - step we can all make, with a minimum of effort and expense.

Not convinced? Here are a few facts and figures worth bearing in mind.

Environmental impact

Nearly 8 million nappies are thrown away in the UK every day, and we don't know how long the plastics in them take to decompose.  Your baby will get through around seven nappies a day, from birth until two and a half years of age. That's an average of 6,384 nappies per child, which will stay in landfill for literally hundreds of years.

Even the most eco-friendly fully disposable nappy is only 70-80% biodegradable. Yet the latest disposable inserts used with washable nappies are so natural, you can even dispose of them in your compost bin.

Disposable nappies also are made of superabsorbent chemicals, including a chemical called tributyl which is known to disrupt sex hormones. These chemicals sit close to baby's skin 24 hours a day, and once the used nappies are in landfill, they'll poison the ground and threaten wildlife.

Washing and drying

You might think that washing and drying a day's supply of washable nappies would be hard work, and just as harmful to the environment as disposables. Washing machine set to 'boil', tumble dryer constantly running, or central heating left on for long periods to help your washable nappies dry - right?

In fact, many washable nappies are made from highly absorbent and fast-drying microfiber fleece, and come out of the washing machine almost dry, ready to be reused within a couple of hours.

Convenience

The latest technological developments have produced a washable nappy that is set to turn the world of nappies on its head; you can now combine washable nappies with a disposable - and fully biodegradable - insert. The insert is the same price as a branded disposable nappy and is just as convenient to use when you're out and about - without the environmental consequences.

This washable/disposable combination - the bumGenius Flip Nappy - sports adjustable poppers so it will fit a baby from birth to potty training; the outer part is fully washable, and you can choose to kit it out with washable inserts when you're at home, or convenient disposable inserts when you're not.

Cost

If you use disposable nappies on your child from birth to potty training - again, based on using an average of seven nappies per day - even if you can always find disposable nappies on special offer, conservatively you're going to spend £800 per child (in reality, it's going to be closer to £1,200).

However, if you use washable nappies instead, with complete nappy kits costing from £100-£300 the savings are obvious - even when you include the running costs of your washing machine. And, of course, your washable nappies can be used by your next child, and the next... so depending on how many children you have, you could literally save thousands of pounds by switching from disposables to washable nappies.

What's more, most local authorities in the UK now offer cash incentives to parents who want to use washable nappies instead of disposables - so making the switch from disposables to washable nappies is even more affordable!

Pop in Nappy reviewed

The Pop in nappy by Close Parent

Close Parent is a company run by mums and the Pop in nappy has been designed by mums so this is a great start!  They are an ethical company who operate a fair trade policy with their suppliers.

The Pop-in nappycomes in five attractive unisex colours.  It looks good and feels lovely and soft.  The nappy is put on just like a disposable and fastenes with stretchy aplix tabs (similar to velcro) which helps give a lovely snug fit.    There is  no need for a seperate wrap with this nappy. 

The nappy seperates into  three parts for washing to ensure quicker drying time.  First you have the outer shell which which is made from a soft brushed polyester which is coated with a waterproof yet breathable material called TPU (there is no spandex or PVC)  Then inside there's a slim bamboo soaker and slim bamboo booster - these are shaped  so that only enough material is used to provide the absorbion required without the unnecessary bulk. The soaker is attached to the outer shell with poppers and the booster is attached to the soaker with poppers too.

The outer shell of the pop in has poppers to adjust the size of the so that it fits from newborn to potty trained. This makes this nappy excellent value for money as there  is only one size to buy. The soaker and booster can be tumble dried however the outer shell cannot. 

The 'Dri Night' Booster - This is a square piece of bamboo fabric which is folded in three.  It folds to a rectangle shape and pops into place inside the nappy.  The 'Dri Night' booster is to be used at night or on very long journeys.  This booster would rarely be used on younger babies as the other parts of the nappy should be absorbent enough even for night time use.  The 'Dri Night' booster however proved a godsend for us as our 'baby' is nearly 2!  It can be used as a pre-fold for newborns (we have not tested it in this way)

We found the bamboo fabric in this nappy is very absorbent.   We've had no leaks whatsoever and because it comes apart it dries quicker than most bamboo nappies. The outer shell  did pile a little after a few washes (I'm probably nitpicking here because it doesn't make any difference and they still look nice)  The nightime booster when used with all the other parts seems very bulky but this makes for a leak free night and no great rush to get the nappy changed first thing in the morning.

In conclusion this nappy looks good, works extremely well and is good value. Buy a Pop-in Test Kit.