Rankings:
17/20 - Itti Bitti Tutto17/20 - BumGenius Elementals
17/20 - Close Parent Pop-In
REVIEWS
BITTI TUTTO - reviewed by Emma Oakden [me]
I have been wanting to try Bitti Tutto for a long while now - and was lucky enough to have my sister send me/Emersyn one for her birthday this year.
The first thing that caught my attention with the Tutto was the lush minky outer fabric - all I wanted to do was rub it against my face, I wonder who can even think of using disposables, when cloth diapers can be made out of such gorgeous fabric.
The Tutto is a one size fits most, snap in diaper - the absorbent pads are snapped in, meaning that if the 'shell' [ie the cover of the diaper] doesn't get wet or soiled, it can be used again. I did find the Tutto was a little fiddly at first - and I had a little bit of confusion with regard to how to actually use the soakers... I knew they snapped in, but I wasn't sure which soaker went on top or bottom, and which snaps to use to make the soakers suit Emersyn the best. It didn't take that long though, before I worked out the right combination for my little girl - and I really like that they are so adjustable. I think you could quite easily have two in diapers at the same time, and just stick with this diaper - even a boy and a girl, you just need to adjust the absorbent pads. It can take some trial and error to get it right though. I love the internal gusset - which acts as a 'poo fence', I think it's an excellent feature of the diaper, and I wish I had had one to use when Emersyn was a newborn and still in the liquid poop stage of things.
I must say I'm not a huge fan of the fit for MY daughter... being that I have some [large] Bitti D'Lish diapers, and love them - and their fit, I figured the Tutto would be a similar size on the largest setting, however they seemed to be a lot more fitting [ie not as big] around the crotch area, and around the waist they are a lot smaller too. I find that with the D'Lish, the two tabs meet up in the middle, but with the Tutto they were done up on the last two snaps. Admittedly Emersyn does have a chunky build - she is well over the average size for a child her age, so this may have something to do with it. She is also not walking yet, so I wonder if when she does start walking, and trims down - the Tutto may fit better around the waist.
Emersyn wore the diaper for 3.5 hours, and I was very impressed to see that she had no leaks in that time - that was including a nap, which is when ALL of our leaks happen. I often find that minky diapers leak quite easily, but I think because of the sturdy leg elastic and also the internal gusset, leaks would probably be hard to come by in a Tutto, worn under normal circumstances [ie changed regularly].
Another thing that has impressed me with the Tutto is that it washes up really well. Emersyn has put her Tutto to the test with regard to soiling it - there were a few occasions I was sure there would be a stain - but no, we still haven't had even the slightest discolouration after it's been washed. Drying time is something that I expect to be slow when it comes to air drying in winter, but the Tutto soaker pads seems to dry relatively quickly - and in the drier they dry just as fast as the rest of the diapers in with it. The fact the soaker pads come away from the shell of the diaper helps a lot with this - and the long soaker pad dries a lot faster than other inserts or soaker pads that would absorb the same amount of liquid - because of the fact you fold it in half when it is in the diaper, meaning it [the pad] doesn't have to be as bulky.
Sadly the price of the diaper [34.00 USD, 40.00 NZD] means that having a whole stash of these isn't a possibility for me - being on a tight budget my 'allowance' for buying a diaper is more half of that price... but it doesn't mean it isn't a lovely present, or treat every once in a while.... I think the price is worth it though, they're a lovely diaper, made out of beautiful fabric - and they were extremely well made, and they certainly work well... anything that can contain Emersyn's super pee is A grade in my books.
Now for the ratings...
fit - 3/5
leaks - 5/5 [night time use not tested yet...]
ease of use - 4/5 [once I had the soakers worked out it was easy to use]
washing - 5/5
OVERALL RATING - 17/20
BUMGENIUS ELEMENTALS - reviewed by Tam
These make up 98% of my nappy stash!! I LOVE them!!!
They are an organic cotton diaper so do require a bit of prepping before first use. They are SUPER absorbent! I have rarely had leaks in the 12 months I have been using them.. In fact the number of leaks I have had during that time I could count on one hand with.
Price – I rate this nappy 1 star for price... Here in the USA they are $24.95 each but I know in NZ/AU it is A LOT more than that! However I do think it is good value for money and I would (and have) definitely purchase more.
Leaks – 4 stars, I have rarely had leaks, and when I have had leaks it is because I have left my son too long between changes. Most of the leaks occurred when he was itty bitty and would take unexpected long naps. In the 12 months I have been using these nappies I have had 5-6 leaks tops.
Fit – 5 starts for fit. I have never had fit issues with this nappy. My son is on the smaller side, he was born 6lb 15oz and at his 12 month check up he was 17lbs 8oz.
Ease of use – 5 stars what isn’t to love? This is an AIO (all in one) nappy no stuffing required!!
Washing – 3 stars, being it is organic cotton it does stain... But nothing the sun can’t handle. So while the stains DO come out they don’t come out during the wash, they require some sunning to get them all nice and new looking. It washes very easily but it does take a long time to dry (because it is an AIO) I usually pop mine in the dryer for 20-30 minutes on medium heat and then hang them to dry. We live in an apartment so I don’t have access to an outdoor clothes line, when I have visited family who have had an outside line I line dried them every time and they dried in a day in the hot summer sun.
In summary these really are great nappies and I am very happy with my purchase. The only downsides are the long drying time and that over time they do develop small holes on the legs and where the soaker is attached, this does not effect their function it is purely a cosmetic issue. Out of the 24 that I own only 3-4 are developing holes and they are tiny.
Now for the ratings:
fit: 5/5
leaks: 4/5
ease of use: 5/5
washing: 3/5
OVERALL RATING: 17/20
CLOSE PARENT POP-IN DIAPER - reviewed by Casey
reviewed by Casey
If I was stuck on a deserted island (with my baby) and was only allowed to bring 1 type of nappy with me, this would be it. In fact, I have daydreamt on more than one occasion about selling my entire stash of nappies (50+) in order to purchase a full time pack of Pop-Ins!
The Pop-In nappy is a OSFM nappy, with 2 inserts (one larger than the other) that snap into the waterproof shell with aplix tabs. It comes in two types, bamboo and minkee.
Bamboo vs Minkee
Bamboo is more absorbent, so less changes are needed. It is also a natural fabric, so good for sensitive babies. However, it takes quite a while to dry. (you can tumble dry the inserts on a low heat but air drying is preferable.)
Minkee is a microfiber which dries much faster than the bamboo – but is less absorbent. The minkee inserts also have a stay dry suede top sheet wicks moisture away from baby's skin so they feel dry. (I use a cloth liner on my bamboo inserts, so baby doesn’t feel the wet so much).
I like to mix and match my inserts – one bamboo and one minkee.
What I love about the Pop-In:
They have double leg gusset for extra protection against leaks.
They are OSFM with poppers on the front and claim to fit from 3.5kg to 16+ (I only started using these when my son was 6 months, so cannot comment on the fit for newborns...)
The inserts snap in meaning they dry faster, and you can use spare inserts if the cover is still clean, making them better value for money.
They are a great day nappy, and turn into a wonderful night time nappy simply by adding the bamboo booster.
I love the colours - Coconut, Custard, Pumpkin, Pistachio and Duck Egg
What I don’t love:
The only major dislike I have about the Pop-In is that the aplix wash tab is in the back of the nappy, rather than one of each side like some other nappies have. It is soft to the touch but I worry that this extra fabric and stitching will irritate my sons back.
The colours may not be to everyone’s tastes, and there are only 5. However, I believe they are releasing new colours (and features) in a few months time.... (yay!)
This nappy is on the pricy side at NZ$39 – BUT, if you take into account that it is a OSFM – and that it converts into a night nappy by adding the $13 booster, and that you can buy extra inserts for $17 – it is not really that bad.
Now for the ratings:
fit: 4/5
leaks: 5/5
ease of use: 4/5
washing: 4/5
OVERALL RATING: 17/20
