Review: Smartipants Reusable Cloth Nappy

Have you ever considered reusable nappies? Not sure if it's the way forward. Smartipants contacted us and offered us the chance to try out their one-size cloth nappy. Our thoughts? Read onward!

We had considered the reusable way of nappy life before having a baby but time flew by and we didn't really know what nappy to buy as there are so many out there you can buy, we just settled in the end with Pampers nappies and left it at that. Smartipants are £13.50 each and as it's one size you don't have to worry about getting bigger sizes as your baby grows! The snap fastenings are simple to clip and firm so they won't pop off as your little one wriggles around. There is a removable sleeve insert with the nappy which fits fairly snug into the nappy. And when the nappy has been used and you're not too keen on removing the sleeve then don't! The sleeve can easily come out during the wash cycle. What's more important is cloth nappies are VAT free in the UK, disposable nappies are considered to be a luxury so you could be saving yourself more money by going reusable.

We were use to the super absorbent powers that are in disposable nappy and I had been told that cloth nappies do not last as long due to lacking the chemicals used to make the disposables last so long and absorb so much. Upon first try it lasted about two hours before he had a little accident. Maybe I put it on wrong, perhaps it was too loose, so we wash it and try again. Washing is was easy, the cloth insert came out during the wash and was able to dry it out within 3 hours. The next test included a smellier and dirtier problem... poo! I wasn't sure exactly what to do as I have never used cloth nappies before! In the end I removed the solid bits, dipped it in some warm water for a bit and then put it on a warm wash. hours passed and the cycle ended to give me... a perfectly clean nappy that smelt fresh! I was amazed that there was no sign of any soiling and not a single stain could be found upon inspection.

Using reusable nappies such as the Smartipants nappy could save you as much as £1,300 per child over the course of just a few years. Smartipants are considered to be the most advanced reusable nappy on the market today and are also affordable too. You can help the environment too by going reusable. Every year 200,000 trees are cut down and 80,000 lbs of plastic are used to make disposables. That's a lot of dirty nappies going to landfills! Smartipants nappies are built to last and guarentee high quality snaps for as long as two years.

We do have some issues with this nappy we'd like to bring up. We found the nappy would last about two hours, three if lucky. This would mean we'd need a lot of cloth nappies just for one day and also would probably mean accidents would happen at night time, something we haven't had problems with since he was a newborn. I also thought "what if he needs changing when we're out?" and the thought of having to carry a poo-filled nappy around until we got home didn't sound like a great idea, compared to disposable ones which you simply put in the bin provided.

Pros
- Eco-friendly and saves you money in the long run.
- Cloth nappies are nicer to your baby's bottom compared to disposables.
- Great choice of colours.
- Cheap!
- Easy to put on.
- Don't have to buy a size up after a few months.

Cons
- Don't last very long.
- Tricky when out and about.
- Need several to last a whole day.

 So what do our judges think of the Smartipants cloth nappy? Let's find out!

Baby Al's Rating: 8/10
Petit Mom's Rating: 8/10

Oh an interesting result! Baby Al likes the refreshing feel of cloth nappies on his sensitive bum. Petit Mom does think they are a good investment, but wishes they'd last just at least four hours.

So have we converted you from disposable nappy life and made you a greener mummy? If you're interested in this nappy then check out Fill Your Pants and look at the "One Size" section.