Totsbots Easyfit Star
I was super excited about this one arriving - its a very popular brand, and the star in particular seems to be successful from where I've been nosing around. I have V3, V4 and stars, and it's taken me a bit of googling to get my head around which is which, so I did a comparison blog post that you can have a look at.
I bought this second hand, but have since bought one that is brand spanking new, so I can say that they hold up fairly well, but I'll discuss that more in a bit. They sell for £18, but well worth it! Here's the first one:
So this is another all in one, birth to potty nappy. It is similar in many ways to the Mio Solo, but made of bamboo rather than microfibre. That should give it greater absorbency, but with the payoff of a slower drying time. We have enough nappies and enough space to leave our nappies drying for a couple of days, so this isn't generally a problem for us, but it may become trickier as the weather gets colder. If a family had less space than us or wanted a more compact stash, this wouldn't be a great choice for a main nappy.
I couldn't resist the Joules version, so my guts pics are of that one!
It has 2 sets of poppers to adjust the rise, giving you 3 size settings. We've found that these come up a little smaller than other size settings, so where Flower is still needing the smallest setting for most nappies, she seems to need the middle setting for the Easyfit.
Here you can see the insert, attached at one end. It is very soft bamboo, so is both highly absorbent and very gentle on Flower's bum. Since both sides are equally soft, I have sometimes folded the insert over, rather than tucking it inside. This makes it quick and easy (no stuffing), but I don't know if it might cause problems. We haven't had any issues, but it isn't designed to be used that way.
Here is it stuffed inside. You can see how bunched the elastic looks... All the tots bots have their elastic sort of built into the leg seam, so it looks much smoother when on, in comparison to other brands. I'm afraid that this is really tricky to show, but I was initially a little bit doubtful about the containment, but it is absolutely fine. None of the Easyfits have leaked on me from weak elastics or poor fit. I also haven't had any issues with leaving horrible red marks.
That big flap at the back of the nappy (bottom of the picture) helps to keep the insert in place, but also helps with escapoos, trapping them INSIDE the nappy.
The laundry tabs are great and easy to use, but I've noticed that on the much older Easyfits that I have, they've started to degrade in the fold. I popped into The Cotton Nappy Company when we were visiting Leamington Spa last week and the (very helpful) lady in there said that some people don't use the laundry tabs in order to prevent this. My attitude is always that I'm going to use them whatever way suits me best and not worry about it!
These aren't *quite* as easy to stuff as the Mio Solos, as they don't have that genius handle on the insert, but the pocket part does bag out enormously, so you have lots of room to manouvre. Once in, it lays flat really easily.
Issues
We really haven't had any major issues with the Star. My main complaint would be the slow drying time. In the last week or so, the weather has turned much more autumnal and one of these nappies took THREE DAYS to dry. And that's with me turning it over every day.
Overall
Pros:
Easy to use
Great absorbency
Super cute prints (I can't put my finger on it, but these appeal to me more than the Mio Solo prints)
Excellent fit - those elastics are excellent.
Cons:
Drying time
Laundry tabs degrade in the fold over time
There's not much more to say, except that this is a great nappy. Very nursery/childcare friendly (as the MioSolo), but a bit more absorbent. I know lots of people use exclusively Easyfits, and I can see why. Perhaps if you had limited funds and/or limited drying space these wouldn't be a good option, as you'd need a big enough stash to allow each washload a few days to dry. (Quick calc... 7 nappies per day and 2 washes per week=at least 28 nappies?)
As part of a larger, mixed stash like mine, these are a well used and well loved workhorse - I put them on her as soon as they're back through the wash!
I bought this second hand, but have since bought one that is brand spanking new, so I can say that they hold up fairly well, but I'll discuss that more in a bit. They sell for £18, but well worth it! Here's the first one:
 |
| Cute, huh? And greeeeat fit! |
I couldn't resist the Joules version, so my guts pics are of that one!
 |
| Soooo preeeettttyyyyy! |
Here you can see the insert, attached at one end. It is very soft bamboo, so is both highly absorbent and very gentle on Flower's bum. Since both sides are equally soft, I have sometimes folded the insert over, rather than tucking it inside. This makes it quick and easy (no stuffing), but I don't know if it might cause problems. We haven't had any issues, but it isn't designed to be used that way.
Here is it stuffed inside. You can see how bunched the elastic looks... All the tots bots have their elastic sort of built into the leg seam, so it looks much smoother when on, in comparison to other brands. I'm afraid that this is really tricky to show, but I was initially a little bit doubtful about the containment, but it is absolutely fine. None of the Easyfits have leaked on me from weak elastics or poor fit. I also haven't had any issues with leaving horrible red marks.
That big flap at the back of the nappy (bottom of the picture) helps to keep the insert in place, but also helps with escapoos, trapping them INSIDE the nappy.
The laundry tabs are great and easy to use, but I've noticed that on the much older Easyfits that I have, they've started to degrade in the fold. I popped into The Cotton Nappy Company when we were visiting Leamington Spa last week and the (very helpful) lady in there said that some people don't use the laundry tabs in order to prevent this. My attitude is always that I'm going to use them whatever way suits me best and not worry about it!
These aren't *quite* as easy to stuff as the Mio Solos, as they don't have that genius handle on the insert, but the pocket part does bag out enormously, so you have lots of room to manouvre. Once in, it lays flat really easily.
Issues
We really haven't had any major issues with the Star. My main complaint would be the slow drying time. In the last week or so, the weather has turned much more autumnal and one of these nappies took THREE DAYS to dry. And that's with me turning it over every day.
Overall
Pros:
Easy to use
Great absorbency
Super cute prints (I can't put my finger on it, but these appeal to me more than the Mio Solo prints)
Excellent fit - those elastics are excellent.
Cons:
Drying time
Laundry tabs degrade in the fold over time
There's not much more to say, except that this is a great nappy. Very nursery/childcare friendly (as the MioSolo), but a bit more absorbent. I know lots of people use exclusively Easyfits, and I can see why. Perhaps if you had limited funds and/or limited drying space these wouldn't be a good option, as you'd need a big enough stash to allow each washload a few days to dry. (Quick calc... 7 nappies per day and 2 washes per week=at least 28 nappies?)
As part of a larger, mixed stash like mine, these are a well used and well loved workhorse - I put them on her as soon as they're back through the wash!
Comments
Post a Comment