Ellas House Bumhugger Nappy

Ellas house 'bumhugger' nappies are a reusable nappy made from environmentally friendly hemp/cotton blend fleece. They are fully lined in fleece which keeps babies skin dry and are soft and snuggly.

I came across bumhuggers in my search for a really absorbant nappy that would fit my two power-peeing toddlers! They are 18 months appart in age and very different shapes (the older one is a big chunky boy, and the littler one is a tall, slim girl) and can both pee for England so I needed something a bit special.

Bumhuggers are a shaped nappy, which means that they look and go on very much like a disposible (very user friendly for inept Dads and inexperienced babysitters!). They come in three different sizes, small (birth - 20lbs), large (15 - 40lbs) and extra large (35lbs and over). I have never tried the small size, so I can't comment on the fit of that one. These nappies will need a water proof cover over them.

A word about hemp. Hemp is a relative of the marajuana plant (and confusion between the two is the reason why growing hemp is illegal in some countries) but is not an intoxicant itself. Hemp fibres are a bit of a wonder! They are 10 times stronger than cotton fibres and twice as much is produced per acre compared with cotton plants. Hemp can be grown a variety of climates, rather than just the warm places cotton likes. It also naturally repels weeds, needing far fewer chemicals in its growth, and uses less water. Hemp absorbs more water than cotton, so hemp nappies can be made much slimmer than cotton.

Bumhuggers are a very slim nappy. Thier thickness is more comparable with a disposible than other real nappies! But as they are made with hemp, they absorb as much liquid. They are fully lined with polyester fleece. The liquid passes through the fleece and is absorbed by the hemp. As fleece repels water it stays fairly dry to the touch and keeps wetness away from your babies skin. The other great thing about fleece is all but the stickest poo (sorry, this is a nappy review - it had to come up sometime!) rolls right off it into the toilet. Bumhuggers are available with loads of different colours of fleece to brighten up your nappy wash! There is no problem with washing these with white nappies - none of mine have ever run.

Bumhuggers can be bought in aplix fastening or popper versions. Aplix is a softer, longer lasting version of velcro. The aplix version of the nappy has foldover tabs, which means that they can be fastened down to stop them snagging in the wash. They can also be crossed over to fit over a wider range of sizes. The popper version can also be crossed over, and in my experience fits a bit bigger. My son has out grown our aplix bumhuggers, but still has a bit of growing room in the poppers. This seems to be true of most nappies, so if you have a chunky baby, go for poppers! The other advantage of poppers is that they are harder for toddlers to undo, and don't make that nice loud ripping sound that my daughter loves so much (sigh!).

These nappies have some elastication at the legs, and at the back, which helps to give good containment. That coupled with the fact that this is a two part system (has a seperate water proof wrap) means that even with soft breastfeeding poop, escapes are very rare!

Bumhuggers are very easy to care for. They can be washed at up to 60oC in the washing machine, and can be tumble dried, although this will reduce the lifespan of your nappies. There is no need to soak or sterilise your nappies, modern washing machines wash so well it is unnecessary. Soaking in plain water will prolong the life of your nappies.

One of the big advantages of bumhuggers over other nappies that I have tried, is that they are very slim fitting. Normal sized trousers will fit over them, which has been a problem for me with other brands. Bumhuggers are suprisingly abosrbant for thier size, and will last for several hours on long journeys and naps, even with my two heavy wetters! Extra boosters made of the same hemp and cotton blend are available and can be placed between the nappy and outer wrap increase the aborbancy.

Now the disadvantages! Sadly there is no such thing as the perfect nappy....
Firstly, as hemp is so absobant, it takes a correspondingly long time to dry. This nappy really isn't suitable unless you have a tumble drier or live in a permenantly hot and sunny place! It could take a couple of days to dry on a clothes horse, and by then will be smelling quite musty.
Another potential problem is that hemp can get quite hard and crispy. If you live in a hard water area this could be a big problem. Putting a tablespoon or so of white vinegar in the fabric softner section of your machine can help with this, as can tumble drying. But even with these, cripsyness occurs! I find them to be quite hard around the legs, and they have on occasion left some red marks on my little ones legs.
I like to use wool nappy covers, and with power-peers like mine, a small leak isn't that uncommon. Because the nappy is so slim, and my kids produce such huge pees very quickly, sometimes the water goes through the nappy and hits the wool before the hemp has a chance to absorb it all. This isn't a problem with PUL covers.

Ellas house bumhuggers cost £8.95. They are sold by various cloth nappy retailers and can be bought directly from the manufacturers website. The advantage of buying from the manufacturer is that you can choose any of thier fleeces, but there is a waiting time as they are made to order. It took just over a week for my nappies to arrive when I ordered. They go well with the most popular brand of nappy wraps (motherease air flow) and have fit under all the ones I have tried.

I would definatly recommend these nappies. They were very successful with both my my children, and the excellent adjustability meant that the large size fitted both of them until my son was well over two. The slim fit makes them great for adventurous climbing toddlers, and means more clothes fit for longer! At nearly £9 each they are not cheap, but they have (so far) lasted very well so I feel they are good value for money. Thier absorbancy is great for day time and many parents use them at night (my two need HUGE nappies at night, but these have worked well boosted on occasion for us). This is a good allround nappy for older babies and toddlers. If we ever have a newborn again I will definatly try out the smallest size!

Edited to add:

Couple of things I forgot to add! When bumhuggers come they are a beautifully soft fleece. Sadly they don't stay like this! The fleecy bits come away with washing and drying, and they gradually get less soft and cushy.
Also, like all nappies, they need to be washed a few times before wearing. This makes nappies more absorbant and gets rid of manufacturing chemicals. With cotton nappies they can be used after 2-4 washes and reach thier full absobancy after about 6-8. Hemp takes more! I would recommend washing about 6 times before using them. And it takes around a dozen or more washes before they reach thier potential.