Cloth training pants review: Baba + Boo Potty Training Pants from Bouncing Sprouts

Brand/business:

Baba+Boo stocked at Bouncing Sprouts
 
Business info:

Kate from Bouncing Sprouts discovered Baba+Boo nappies whilst pregnant, working and living in Europe. She was instantly hooked and knew she wanted to use modern cloth nappies (MCNs) with her daughter but didn't want to pay a fortune for a product which she knew very little about and had no experience with. She
ordered 10 nappies and discovered how affordable, economical, absorbent & stylish Baba+Boo nappies actually are and fell in love with Baba+Boo's nappies. When she moved back to Australia and she set out on a mission to bring Baba+Boo to you!

"At Bouncing Sprouts we aim to bring you the best quality European products at affordable prices. We are passionate about cloth nappies, the environment & all things baby. My team and I are always on hand to offer advice about nappies, just give us a call, email us or join us on Facebook. Thanks for stopping by & I look forward to getting to know you...
Dr. Kate Kollar
Founder of Bouncing Sprouts"

Nappy reviewed:

Pirate Potty Training Pants

Where you can find it:

WEB : http://www.bouncingsprouts.com/index.htm
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/BouncingSprouts?fref=ts

Price (RRP at time of review):

$12.95

Size:

Two sizes:

18-24m
Waist: 43cm
Legs: 26cm 2-3y
Waist: 47cm
Legs: 29cm

Pie is wearing the 18-24m size

Style:

Bamboo lined training pants, no PUL

Baby's details:

Gender: Female
Age: 23mo
Height: 89cm 
Weight: 12kg 
Build: tall, chubbier thighs than ever before

Jodi's review:

Initial thoughts:

The training pants are well presented on a recycled cardboard hanger which has lots of information on it for use. The fabric is soft and well sewn and the bamboo fleece lining is soft and lush. The training pants look like they will sit to the tummy so suitable if you or your toddler don't like a low riding training pant. They aren't water proof but are lined in bamboo - allowing the toddler to feel wet but helping soak up some or all of the wee so you don't have such a massive puddle to deal with.

After use:

They sit quite high on Piper but are a good fit - her thighs are quite chunky at the moment (must be where she is storing for her next growth spurt) but the elastic isn't too tight. She seems nice and comfortable in them and wears them 3 times without a wet accident.
When she doesn have a wee in them the bamboo is very absorbent and holds most of the wee in the training pants which is very helpful! She really likes the picture on the bum and says "rock on!" when she sees them lol. Although these cost more than the terry cotton traditional training pants you can pick up at best and less the quality is definately there. Cheapy training pants and lined with foam (literally foam - with all the fabulous absorbent materials on the market you would think they would change that by now) and generally have ribbing on the legs and sometimes tummy or underwear elastic on the tummy. These have cased elastic on legs and thighs for a better and more comfortable fit - also easier to replace if you put them to use for different children over a eriod of time and the elastic starts to get a little slack. The fabric is strong and won't run like cotton terry. Also these look like undies.

Photos:

The little things - well presented products always get a smile :-)

The back view of the pants before use

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhh!"

Instructions for use

Back view - still plenty of room for her to grow

Front view worn low on her hips

Side view and a stray piece of cotton which I will go trim off
now as I hadn't spotted it until now LOL

Cloth pull up review: WomButts

Brand/business:
WomButts
 
Business info:

WomButts is a Victorian based Modern Cloth Nappy (MCN) business specialising in cloth pull-up style nappies.

Nappy reviewed:
Medium sized pull-up nappy

Where you can find it:
WomButts is very new and only on facebook right now or via email
http://www.facebook.com/WomButts
wombutts@hotmail.com.au

Price (RRP at time of review):

Ranging from $18-$22 (sm-Xl)

During February members of MCN Lovers R Us can pick up their very own WombButts pull up nappy for $25 inlcuding post - great was to try them out :-)

Size:
Sm, M, L, XL - we tried out a M

Style:
WAHM made pull up style, sized MCN, available in a range of standard colours or made using custom fabrics for additional cost.

Baby's details:
Gender: Female
Age: 23mo
Height: 90cm 
Weight: 12kg
Build: slim, tall

Jodi's review:

Initial thoughts:

Well made nappy that appears easy to use, elastic sides are fairly stretchy to make pulling up or down easier.

After use:
These nappies are a generous sized nappy - the medium fit Piper well on the tighter setting and the rise was quite high (which is usually where we have troubles with nappy sizing as she is tall). There were super simple to use and basically consist of a long pocket with elastic wings on the sides. You fold up the insert to meet ur requirements, stuff it in and snap the sides on so its ready to go. Piper generally is happy to lay flat for changes but there were good when she wanted to sit on the potty as I'd just pull them down without any adjustments and as the don't have a front wing there was no wing droopage when trying to pull them back up. They would be great for wriggly bubs who just don't want to lay still for changes and of course for beginning to toilet train.
The absorbency is good, 1 rectangular double layered bamboo insert is provided and you can fold it long or short ways - 3 or 4 times to get the absorbency where you require it. We've had it in circulation for a few weeks and haven't had any leaks.

Photos:

Our red WomButt

Inside view with arms folded over - back and front elastic,
leg elastic right to the arms which are elasticated too.

Side view and the label

The insert is thick and generously sized

Little Miss wriggling around on the change mat

Side view of the fit

Side view on the WomButts model

Butt view - nice trim fit (picture from WomButts)

Front view on the WomButts
model

Cloth Nappy Review: EzyPeezies Pull-up MCN

Cloth Nappy Review

Brand/business:
  EzyPeezies MCNs

Business info:

A Brisbane based company set up by a mother of 2. Ezypeezies aim to take the confusion out of cloth nappies for parents. They have one product, one size that genuinely fits your child right from birth to toilet training and a rainbow of gorgeous colours.

Nappy reviewed:
EzyPeezies pull-up mcn

Where you can find it:
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/EzyPeezies
Website : http://www.ezypeezies.com.au/pages/ezypeezies_v2

Price (RRP at time of review):

$25 but they are currently on sale for $19.95 if you get in quick (buys you 1 shell and 2 charcoal bamboo and microfibre blend inserts packaged in a small reuseable wetbag.)

Size:
OSFM

Style:
Pull-up pocket nappy

Baby's details:
Gender: Female
Age: 21mo
Height: 85cm 
Weight: 10kg 
Build: slim, tall

Jodi's review:

Initial thoughts:
Check out my previous blog post here for my initial thoughts and information on the new V2 fit and design.

After use:
I'm not going to lie to you -  we had troubles! There was even a time when I thought "I'm just not going to be able to review this nappy!" but I contacted the owner of EzyPeezies and let her know the trouble I was having and she made some really great suggestions. I tried them out and finally, we were in action.
So my mistake was - we do not own a single nappy that we snap down in rise - Piper is tall, a lot of her OSFM nappies that fit with plenty of spare snaps around the waist are almost too short in the rise now. She isn't me, she is like me stretched out ;-) So knowing this I didn't even bother trying the rise down low, we went straight with the fully unsnapped rise. My problem then was that we couldn't get the waist tight enough to tighten the leg holes whilst still pulling the nappy up and down. Once I snapped the rise down one (in fact half way through her wearing it I snapped it down another snap and found the fit even better!) it made such a huge difference. Snapped down one level the waist was still not tight enough until i snapped the arms in shorter - we almost needed to cross the fully extended arms over and so couldn't get them to work. Snapped down 2 the fit was even better and the arms met in the middle and weren't too low in the rise for her (just meant the arms fit at her hips and the nappy was more snug that way.) So if you try the fit you think will work and the pull-up just isn't fitting right try a few different rise and waist combo's - the fit we got in the end was perfect!

Photos:

Side squat - no gapes

With the arms snapped over we were still able to pull it up
and down easily enough but the fit still wasn't quite right on her...

Bum view

I asked her to show me her belly (hence
pulling her belly button) so I could get a
good pic - front view.

Arms unsnapped was but one arm was tighter than the
other so one leg had a bit too much room.

snapped down another rise setting - arms evenly snapped
perfect fit for piper :-)

From the EzyPeezies website - better description of the fit than my photos gave :-)

MCN Review - trying out the new look EzyPeezies

Not my usual model and in my opinion one of the ugliest dolls
that live in our house but Miss Pie certainly adores her (as you
can see by the state of her!) Luckily tho - this model is not as
wriggly as my normal one and much easier to photograph ;)

In December just before Xmas a parcel landed on my doorstep (and it wasn't the present I'd ordered my brother and was desperately waiting for - big sister fail!) BUT it was a pretty awesome little parcel all the same. I put it to one side so after xmas I could take some pics and put it to use and tell you all how I found it.

What came in my parcel :

One EzyPeezie nappy shell

With matching nappy bag (note the
handle has a snap on it - perfect for
clipping on a pram, in a bag or on
a change table etc.)

2 x charcoal bamboo blended inserts
specially shaped to fit the EzyPeezie MCN.

Now I know its not that big of a deal how the nappy arrives but I do love it when a nappy comes in its own little wet bag :-) I'm a cloth lady myself so I generally steal the little bags for my own use but there is just something so cute about anything smaller than normal AND I love that the packaging has a purpose and it re-useable just like the product. Another handy use for these will be when toilet training takes full swing and we have to venture out into the big bad world nappy free with spare undies tucked away in my handbag. Also great way to transport wet cloth wipes. Or you could just use it the way its intended - to fit the nappy in when it has been used :-)

 Alright now, I won't lie to you - when I opened the nappy and saw all the snaps I got a little bit overwhelmed for about 30 seconds - husband however is still overwhelmed by it (but 2 yrs of cloth nappying and he still manages to put the inserts all int he wrong shells whenever he folds the washing - and yes I know how lucky I am to have a husband who helps with the washing :-) so I thought I would take some happy snaps and show you all how the version 2 EzyPeezies MCNs work. These are particularly good fro trying to explain to nanny's or daycarers or daddys just how to fit an EzyPeezies - feel free to print them out if need be ;)

Front view - lots of snaps :-)

Arm view - also lots of snaps :-)

BUT lets break it down....

Front view
- when you know what all the snaps are doing there really aren't that many and they aren't any more complicated than other OSFM with snap closures and snap rise settings :-)

Arm view
The extra snaps make these nappies so much more functional AND help eliminate front wing droopage by adding the extra length to the arms :-)

Fitting your baby:

Lay your baby on the nappy

Bring the front between their
legs and use the snaps to
adjust the rise to suit the bub.

Bring the arms around the
tummy and snap into place
for a firm but comfortable fit.

 For a little tummy the arms will need to be shortened - simply snap the white studs to the pink sockets and use the pink studs to attach the arms to the nappy to fit your bub.

Cos my bub is so squishy I did this nappy
up on the tightest setting, crossing one
arm over the other - baby dolly is all set.

 And of course lets not forget the pocket and the specially shaped inserts that go into it.

Pocket opening at the back - generous size so husband
can do the folding for you.

This is how the inserts lay within the nappy - trimmer at
the front and wider at the back - just like the nappy :-)

 And to give you and idea of the size of this OSFM:

Snapped up to the newborn size:

Little leg holes to fit those gorgeous skinny newborn legs

teeny tiny tummy fitting on the newborn setting.

Size comparison to a size 1 pair of training pants - as you can see
the nappy has lots of room to fit toilet training toddlers (those
arms are snapped to their short length still for the purpose of this pic -
there is still a lot of growing room here!)

So much more space for chubby tummies to grow!

Cloth Nappy Review: Itty Bitty Bums Designer Pockets

Cloth Nappy Review

Brand/business:
Itty Bitty Bums

Business info:
A Victorian based WAHM owned business, all IBB nappies are currently sewn by the business owner to her own patterns.

Nappy reviewed:
IBB cotton outer pocket nappies (Designer Pocket Nappies)

Where you can find it:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ittybittybums.com.au?fref=ts
Website: http://www.ittybittybums.com.au/

Price (RRP at time of review):

$29.00

Size:
OSFM

Style:
Designer Pocket Nappy


Baby's details:
Gender: Female
Age: 18mo
Height: 85cm 
Weight: 10kg 
Build: slim, tall

Jodi's review:

Initial thoughts:

I love IBBs, I was lucky and selected as one of the testers for these nappies while IBBs perfected their pocket pattern. Today I have a super cute bright blue care bears print pocket in my hands. The cotton used is a good quality fabric, feels thick and strong, PUL appears to be strong too, nice and thick, not crunchy and visibly well laminated. The inside microchamois is very soft and snowy white. Nappy has 4 rise settings in the front and is front snapping with 3 snaps to avoid wing droopage. The snaps are colour co-ordinated to the cotton print, mine are blue . Inside the pocket nappies have a bamboo doubler and a microfire trifold booster. The pocket opening is at the back.

After use:

Now let’s start by saying – I have not encountered many cotton outter nappies that we haven’t had a wicking problem with (wicking is when liquid (wee) travels across the fibres of a fabric – basically the outside of the nappy ends up wet) and the first few times Pie wore this nappy the outside got wet which I was so disapointed by cos I just love it BUT I was finding the absorbent layers were completely soaked (dripping) when I took it off so I put on my thinking cap and thought “Hmm, maybe these nappies are getting flooded rather than it being a wicking problem.” So I added an extra booster and low and behold – crisis averted.

Now don’t let that scare you off – Miss 18mo has to have an extra layer of absorbency in all her nappies these days – her b*cheeks have a bamboo or microfiber 3 layer insert squished in with the double fold bamboo insert, we use 2 long fold over inserts with snapped in boosters in her itti bittis and her CCs have a thick 3 layer microfibre insert (or 2!) plus 3-4 layers of bamboo minimum in them (and I’m not talking those microfleece inner bamboo outer inserts, these are heavy duty, 3 or 4 layers of bamboo, take 2 days to dry, ready to handle the 20 yr floods type inserts.) Luckily, my daughter was not ‘blessed’ with my giant booty and her slim frame can handle the extra junk in her MCN trunk. But like I said, she isn’t a normal wetter these days (but if your child is a bit like Pie then you can pick up heavy wetter inserts at Itty Bitty Bums too – just click here)

So anyway, once we got the right level of absorbency for princess piddle pants (she will kill me if she ever reads this blog!) we were in action. That’s when we got our next prolem – apparently the soft fluffy feel on microchamois against Pie’s cute little tushie sends a trigger straight to her bowels and I don’t need to tell you what comes next! It’s making it rather hard to get some really decent photos of her running around in this nappy for you all to see it in action. But I do have a few and will add some more if she is ever in it long enough to allow me to get the camera out ;)

The fit is really nice and would fit most newborns (unlike a lot of OSFM) – it says 3-20kg on their website and I think that sounds about right. Miss 10kg wears it on the large rise setting and the medium to large (depending how big her lunch was ;) tummy settings so there is plenty of room to grow for her and would fit a much bigger toddler. When it’s snapped to its smallest settings it makes my uterus skip a beat (similar to the affect tiny baby hats and booties and 00000 onesies have on a girl ;) The leg and waist elastic are a good fit too so we never have any thigh fall outs. The multiple rise adjustments make it really easy to get a good fit for just about any bubba's shape.

Photos:

A side view

A quick back view as my model escapes into her castle!

Visiting Zink MacRabbit

Adorable care bear butt!

I will add more photo's
(and better ones!)
when I can keep her in the nappy
and poop free for long enough!

Back view!

Side view of the fit (you can see her
cute little 'bum knees' too)