14 July , 20166 August , 2017 - Sarah 1 Comment

Review: Tots Bots Joules EasyFit Star

When Tots Bots launched their redesigned all in one nappy back in March we were lucky enough to try out the new EasyFit Star. We loved the nappy then and it is still working brilliantly for us – especially on Toby. It still copes admirably with his massive toddler wees and we haven’t had any leaks, even after four or five hours of wear.

When the EasyFit Star was launched it was available in block colours and three prints (Twinkle, Tweet and Treasure). Shortly after the new Rhyme Time prints were added to the range.

And this week Tots Bots are bringing you a fantastic new collaboration with top British brand Joules! There are two new prints available and we were sent the ‘Farmer Joules‘ to try. I’m really looking forward to seeing the other print ‘Annabella Floral‘ too – I reckon my boys could rock a bit of flower print too!

The new Joules prints don’t change the amazing performance of the EasyFit Star – seriously I cannot tell you how much I rate this nappy (and I promise I’m not being paid to say that!) – but they do add to the cuteness factor.

The Farmer Joules print features tractors, hay trailers, cows, ducks, sheep and chickens – Toby loved pointing out all the things you would see on the farm. The velcro, poppers and stitching are red and really complement the design.

Toby and Gabe both seemed very comfortable in their EasyFit Stars – I think they look super cute with their matching bums!

**Disclosure: I was sent the featured products in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

18 April , 20165 August , 2017 - Sarah 1 Comment

Review: Tots Bots Happy Mat

You might have seen that we recently got chance to try out the new Tots Bots EasyFit Star, well for Real Nappy Week (which is this week if you didn’t know) Tots Bots have another new release – the Tots Bots Happy Mat.

This changing mat is made from waterproof PUL on one side and super soft absorbent minky on the other. The mat is called the Happy Mat because it takes the tears out of changing time – no more lying on cold, sticky PVC! It also has ties so it can be easily rolled and stored or popped in your changing bag.

We were sent a Happy Mat in the new Red Riding Hood print which is backed with brown minky. The mat is also available in the other newly released Rhyme Time prints and has an RRP of £14.99. The mat is a great size – Gabe can lie on it completely and it’s still big enough to change Toby too.

We have only really been using the Happy Mat at home. We have a standard changing mat upstairs but for the moment most of our nappy changes happen on the living room floor, because otherwise I would be constantly up and down the stairs! It’s great to have a changing mat that can just be rolled or folded and popped out of the way when we’re not using it. Before we got our new Tots Bots mat we were just using a thin plastic mat, which I think came in the Bounty pack when Toby was born so we were definitely due a replacement!

Although I think the mat is designed to be used with the minky side up so it absorbs any wee incidents we’ve actually been using it with the PUL side on top. Neither of my boys tends to wee when they have their nappy off any more (Toby was terrible for it when he was a baby and on one memorable occasion managed to wee in his own eye!) and so it’s more useful to be able to wipe off anything untoward which if it got onto the minky side would probably necessitate a full wash. On that note though, the Happy Mat is machine washable and it’s super easy for me because I can just chuck it in with our nappy wash.

I love our new changing mat and I’m sure the boys appreciate having somewhere nice and soft and warm to lie when they have having their nappies changed!

**Disclosure: I was sent the featured product in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

24 March , 201625 July , 2017 - Sarah 7 Comments

Review: Tots Bots EasyFit Star

Tots Bots are probably one of the most well known brands in the cloth nappy world. They are based in Glasgow and all their nappies are made in their factory there too. Today Tots Bots are launching their newest nappy; the EasyFit Star, and we were lucky enough to be sent some to try on Toby and Gabe before the launch.

We’ve been big fans of Tots Bots ever since Toby started wearing cloth nappies at seven weeks old. Both boys have always worn Tots Bots Bamboozles overnight and we really liked PeeNut when we tested them before their launch last year.

Tots Bots have had an all-in-one birth-to-potty nappy called the EasyFit for a long time. It has had several incarnations from the V1 through to the V4. We have had a couple of EasyFits – a V3 in one of their Frugi prints which was very cute but we found the minky fabric wasn’t very absorbent causing leaks after a few hours. We also had a V4 and I loved the dinosaur print. The V4 is made of ‘binky’ a mixture of minky and bamboo – it is more absorbent than the V3 but very bulky especially with the additional booster and was still prone to leaks around the legs.

When Tots Bots got in touch to say they were bringing out a new EasyFit I was super-keen to give it a thorough testing! And here it is….the new EasyFit Star!

For those of you familiar with previous versions of the EasyFit there have been quite a few changes this time, not just the material of the absorbent core.

So what has changed then? Here are some of the new features according to Tots Bots:

- ‘No Escape’ Bamboo Buffer Zone – great performance, fewer changes
- Clever stitch-free seams for maximum performance and no leaks

- Slim-fitting

- Ultra-soft bamboo core – the same fabric used in the Bamboozle Stretch

Waterproof tummy zone – keeps wetness in the core of the nappy

The design of the EasyFit Star is essentially the same as previous EasyFits though – the nappy is all in one piece, you simply tuck the tail of the core into the pocket of the nappy. It also uses the same hook and loop fastening as all Tots Bots nappies and is a one size fits most nappy (from around 8-35lb).

Having used EasyFits before I was really hoping that Tots Bots had managed to fix some of the leaking and absorbency issues of previous versions. And do you know what? They have!

I am so impressed with these nappies. Tots Bots have obviously realised that the fabric they already use in their Bamboozles and the PeeNut pads is fantastic for absorbency so using it in the EasyFit Star makes total sense. The new design around the legs seems to really work to stop leaks too.

We have been using the EasyFit Star on both Toby and Gabe for a few weeks now. Toby is now around 33lb so towards the upper end of the weight range but he’s super skinny so they still fit him well. At two and a half Toby is capable of doing some massive toddler wees and a nappy can go from being dry one minute to totally saturated, and often leaking, the next but we had no trouble with the EasyFit Star. One day I left it on him for about four and a half hours as a bit of an experiment. When I took it off the nappy was incredibly full but with a fleece liner Toby’s bottom was dry and we didn’t have any leaks! I told you I was impressed.

The super absorbent bamboo core does mean a slightly longer drying time than you might get from say a microfibre all-in-one – the EasyFit Star dried in about 18 hours on an airer in the kitchen. It takes longer to dry in the tumble drier than our microfibre nappies too, but not as long as the fully bamboo Bamboozle. I would be happy to sacrifice a fast drying time though, in return for the brilliant results we have had from this new EasyFit.

The EasyFit Star has performed just as well on Gabe as it did on his brother. He currently weighs nearly 18lb but is also quite long and skinny. I tend to change Gabe more often than Toby anyway because he tends to poo more but again on one occasion I left the EasyFit Star on for over four hours and although the nappy was saturated Gabe had a dry bottom and there were no leaks. I don’t know if this is perhaps a bit too much information but both my boys do pretty solid poos most of the time so I can’t really comment on how the EasyFit Star would cope with a poo-splosion!

The only downside I have found with this new offering from Tots Bots is something that I actually find affects all their nappies to some extent; the Velcro fastenings are quite wide and sit close to the top of the nappy. It is great Velcro and even after lots of washing (over two years worth on some of our Tots Bots) it holds its shape and stays sticky. However, I’ve found there is a window of a couple of months when babies are in that stage where they can sit unsupported but tend to lean forward quite a lot, where the Velcro can dig in or rub their tummies, as you can see in this picture of Gabe.

This isn’t a massive problem – it doesn’t affect little babies who are still lying down all the time, and it goes away once they can sit a bit better and have stronger core muscles so they can sit up straighter, but unfortunately Gabe is right at the stage where it’s a bit of a issue. Having said that, you can minimise the problem in the way you fit the nappy – pulling it higher at the front seems to help. And it totally wouldn’t put me off buying the EasyFit Star.

Overall I think this new Tots Bots nappy is fantastic. After four previous versions I think they have finally nailed it with the EasyFit Star – a super-absorbent, leak-free all-in-one nappy!

The Tots Bots EasyFit Star is available now from Tots Bots direct and from their usual stockists.

**Disclosure: I was sent the featured products in return for this review. All opinions are my own.

**This post contains affiliate links

7 September , 201527 July , 2017 - Sarah 4 Comments

Review: Tots Bots PeeNut

Regular readers among you will know I am a massive fan of cloth nappies. Toby has been wearing cloth since he was about seven weeks old and Gabe was just three days old when he wore his first reusable nappy! We have a few brands of nappies that we use regularly – after a bit of trial and error in the early days we found what worked for us and have pretty much stuck to it ever since. Tots Bots Bamboozles have been our go to night nappies since we started with cloth so when we were given the opportunity to try a brand new nappy system from Tots Bots (and before it was even available to the public!) I was eager to give it a try.

So what exactly have we been trying out? The new PeeNut from Tots Bots is a birth-to-potty, day-to-night nappy system. It is made up of a waterproof cover with pop-in inserts. The wraps and inserts will be available to buy separately or as a set (I will include some pricing info at the end of this post). The wraps come in two sizes; size 1 fits from 6-18lb and size 2 from 9-35lb. Both sizes have Velcro fastening and poppers on the front which allow you to adjust the rise to fit smaller babies.

The day-to-night inserts are a set of two bamboo boosters with poppers at one end. One insert is bigger than the other and this clever system allows you to use either of the inserts on their own or popper them together and use both, depending on the age of your baby and how heavy a wetter they are. The wraps have flaps at each end to keep the inserts in place and a wipe clean inside, so if the nappy is only wet you can change the inserts and reuse the cover – meaning less washing to be done!

With two boys in cloth nappies we were sent two size 1 covers, four size 2 covers and eight day-to-night insert sets to try, along with a pack of fleece liners and a roll of disposable liners. Although the size 1 cover is suitable from 6lb it is still too big for my very skinny-legged boy so we haven’t been able to try the PeeNut out with Gabe just yet.

We have been using the PeeNut nappy system with Toby for a couple of weeks now though and so far I’m very impressed. Toby weighs 30lb at the moment so is towards the top end of the range for the size 2 covers but they are a great fit and probably will be for a good while yet. For daytime we have been using both inserts together and they have easily lasted three or four hours with no leaks. The real test for us though was night time. Toby usually sleeps for about 13 hours so his nappy really needs to be able to cope with that. As I mentioned before our usual night time nappy is a Tots Bots Bamboozle using the included bamboo booster and a hemp booster, covered with a Tots Bots Stretchy Wrap or a Blueberry Coverall. By morning the nappy and boosters are usually soaked and we quite often have small leaks from around the legs. I was slightly skeptical then that the PeeNut would be able to cope overnight with Toby’s toddler wees. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I used both inserts, with the top one folded in half towards the front and our usual hemp booster underneath and we haven’t had any leaks at all! All the inserts have been soaked by morning but we haven’t even had a slight damp patch. Toby seems very comfortable too – the PeeNut is very slim fitting, even with an extra booster, so I would imagine it is more comfortable for Toby to sleep with than his normal bulky night time nappy.

Although the PeeNut system is designed so you can just change the inserts and reuse the cover, I have to admit I have changed the whole nappy every time. However, this is just personal preference and because we have plenty of nappies so I don’t really need to reuse the cover. If you are planning on doing so though I would recommend you have a new cover with the inserts already popped in ready to go and then give your used cover a wipe and leave it to air a bit before using it at the next nappy change. The PeeNut wraps and inserts have washed well with the rest of our nappies – the inserts can be tumble dried on low (and I have to admit most of our nappies have been going in the drier lately, a combination of Scottish summer weather and a newborn means there hasn’t been much chance to get them on the line!). I did dry some inserts on the airer inside to see how long they would take and they were dry in under 24 hours which is what I would expect from bamboo – it’s super absorbent but that does mean it takes a while to dry.

Overall I have been really impressed with the Tots Bots PeeNut nappy system. Most importantly we have been able to use it both day and night without any leaks, but it is also a great slim fit. Because you don’t need as many covers as you do inserts the PeeNut is also a really cost effective way of using cloth nappies.

The PeeNut nappy system has an RRP of £15.99 (plain) or £17.99 (print) for a wrap and day-to-night insert set. Wraps are available separately with and RRP of £10.99 (plain) or £12.99 (print). Extra inserts are £6.99. There is also a mini pack which includes 2 wraps and 4 sets of inserts (RRP £42.99) and a complete birth-to-potty kit which includes 8 wraps, 16 insert sets, a laundry bucket and mesh liner, a wet bag, Tots Bots Potion detergent and a roll of disposable liners (RRP £195.99)

**Disclosure: I was sent the featured products in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

31 October , 201323 April , 2017 - Sarah 6 Comments

Starting out with cloth nappies

I had thought about using cloth nappies while I was still pregnant and I did some research. What I found out is that there seems to be a limitless amount of options available in the world of cloth nappies. There are two part nappies, pocket nappies, all in ones, sized nappies, birth to potty nappies not to mention wraps, disposable liners, reusable liners, wet bags, reusable wipes… To be honest, the only scary part about using cloth nappies is making a decision about what kind of nappies to use. Other than that it seemed like a no brainer – cloth nappies are cheaper than using disposables (although there is an initial financial outlay needed), they are better for the environment (even when you take into account production and washing/drying cloth) and they are better for your baby (keeping all the nasty chemicals found in disposables away from your precious little one’s bum!).

I did decide that having my first baby and dealing with all the new challenges that would bring would be enough to cope with in the first few weeks so we would leave cloth nappies for the first month or so. A lot of the advice I read also suggested trying a few different types of nappies on your baby to see what kind of system works for you before committing to buy a full set of nappies. Obviously this isn’t going to be possible until your baby is actually here! The other thing that put me off starting with cloth nappies was the cost. Cloth is definitely cheaper than disposables in the long run and I was pretty sure I wanted to maximise this cost saving by choosing a birth-to potty nappy. This is a nappy which uses a series of poppers and sometimes velcro to adjust the nappy to fit your baby. However, these nappies are usually very bulky on a small newborn baby. Toby was only 6lb 10oz when he was born and we would probably have had to invest in some specific newborn nappies to use them straight away. However, if I wasn’t already convinced, the amount of nappies that went in our landfill bin in those first few weeks certainly cemented the decision to use cloth nappies in my mind.

So, when Toby was about five weeks old I got some personalised recommendations from The Nappy Lady and ordered two different nappies to try out. There are lots of cloth nappy retailers that will provide you with free, impartial advice to help you choose which nappies to use. Some also offer trial schemes, or you might be able to find a nappy library in your area. Anyway, after trying the nappies during the day for a few days I was really happy with them. I chose my favourites (the Bumgenius Freetime – an all in one nappy for day time, and the Tots Bots Bamboozle Stretch with a separate wrap for night time), took the plunge and ordered some more. Toby went into cloth nappies full time at about seven weeks old and it actually makes me very proud to say he hasn’t worn a disposable since. I added a few more nappies to my collection over the next few weeks and now with fourteen day nappies and four night time nappies I have enough to wash every 2-3 days and dry them on the line (if it ever stops raining long enough!) or more usually, hung in the airing cupboard.

I absolutely love our cloth nappies and sing their praises to anyone who will listen! Toby has never had nappy rash, we’ve only ever had two leaks and that was only a tiny damp patch on his trousers because he’d been in the car seat for too long without a nappy change. I love seeing his colourful little bum in his nappies every day and most of all I love that we are not sending hundreds of nappies to landfill every month. We use reusable wipes (the brilliant Cheeky Wipes that I have mentioned before) and washable fleece liners too so everything from Toby’s nappy changes is just washed and is ready to be used again and again and again.

Cloth nappies do seem to be gaining in popularity. I’ve seen quite a few babies wearing them at the various baby groups we go to and there’s been quite a bit of interest from other mums when they see Toby in his. Lots of the blogs I read and people I follow on Twitter are cloth nappy users too (although that could well be due to the fact I tend to find other people who are similar to me when deciding what to read). Judging by the number of nappy retailers you can find online, cloth nappies are certainly big business and as we become more aware of our environment I can only see that they will become even more popular.

There will be more posts to follow about the ins and outs of having a cloth bummed baby (including the all important ‘what do I do with the poo??’) as well as my opinions of the nappies that we have chosen to use. I’m still pretty new to cloth but if you have any questions about using cloth nappies then I will do my best to help. Do you use cloth nappies on your baby? Which are your favourites? Are you considering cloth or could you not even entertain the thought? I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Toby Goes Bananas

A family lifestyle blog

Tots Bots

Review: Tots Bots Joules EasyFit Star

Review: Tots Bots Happy Mat

Review: Tots Bots EasyFit Star

Review: Tots Bots PeeNut

Starting out with cloth nappies