Tots Bots Bamboozles - Cloth Nappy Review

So, back to the cloth nappies! I had a previous post on the brand of cloth nappies we mainly use but I have started to branch out a bit to other brands.

The holy grail of cloth nappy wearing seems to be how to keep your little baba dry all night. I have to say, we haven't found it too hard, although from speaking with other cloth nappy mums it might prove more difficult as he gets older. There was one night were I foolishly put a brand new cloth nappy on him without washing it at all first. You need to wash cloth nappies a few times before you use them to make sure they are absorbant. I think, in my sleep deprived state, I read the instructions that arrived with the nappy and promptly chose not to follow any of it - because who needs to do that? I've totally got this cloth nappy thing. It was a disaster. J wet through the nappy as if he wasn't wearing one at all, necessitating a frustrating night time change of all of his clothes and the sheets of the crib while myself and Mr HNW blamed each other for not putting the nappy on correctly. Luckily it hadn't reached the mattress and harmony was restored to the HNW household soon after.

At the moment, our night-time nappy of choice are Totsbots Bamboozles. They are a two part system (as opposed to the Baba and Boo nappies which are pocket nappies). So, how do they work?

The Bamboozles themselves are very thick and stretchy and are made of a kind of towelling material. They need to be paired with a waterproof wrap. They really are very hard wearing, we have never had a leak once in them and even though it is a two part system, they are very easy to use. We have a few different brands of wraps (they are great to wear over disposables or other cloth nappies for extra protection) and the Blueberry wrap is definitely our preferred option. It has a bit more give in it. The totsbots ones are sized and the one we have only goes up to 20lbs, the blueberry wrap is btp (birth to potty).

The Totsbots website advertises them as good for heavy wetters and describes them as "slim fitting". I'm not sure how big the people in Totsbots HQ are but slim fitting does not come to mind when he's in them. They give him an absolutely massive arse. Like he's in the video for Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot (and yes, I may sing that to him on occasion when he's in them) As for heavy wetters, I wouldn't fancy them for daytime use at all. Bulkiness is fine at night when he is just lying down (well, in theory that's what babies do at night, J does not always subscribe to that concept) but during the day I think it would restrict his movements too much and would also make a lot of his clothes very tight on the bum region.

Here is my willing (and gorgeous) model, demonstrating them with and without the wrap.

We boost these nappies, meaning we add extra inserts to make them last a bit longer at night (We use these baba and boo bamboo ones). This only makes his arse bigger. In the photos here, the nappies are unboosted.

The other con, for me, is the smell. Compared to other nappies and particularly disposables the smell of ammonia off these in the morning is eye watering, even if you are washing them correctly. The outer wrap is quite thin (although it is waterproof) and underneath it's just like a big towel soaked in baby pee, a towel that is lying in your bed right next to your nose. Using these at night means he needs to be changed the second he gets up or else I start to gag - not the best way to start the morning.

All in all, they are a great option for night time. They keep him dry for almost 12 hours and he seems happy enough in them. We boost them with one insert which suffices for us but I know it could be boosted more, if required. They are a popular choice for night-times and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to someone looking for a safe night-time option.

N
xxx