Kooshies Nappies > Reviews (24)

In my ongoing efforts to pottytrain my third child I`ve decided to stop buying disposablenappies and invest in kooshies reusable nappies. Although this is more environmentally friendly, this is not my reason for using these nappies. Because my daughter is now potty trained in the house day and night I don`t need any nappies for use at home. She is not however quite ready for journeys outside the house without a nappy. Twice a day we have to travel to the school and back with my other two children so she needs to wear a nappy for those journeys, as soon as we are home though she removes them to use the potty. This has caused a great waste of disposables and cotton trainer pants aren`t absorbable enough. This is why I thought Kooshies would be a more viable option.

Now I must admit these aren`t the cheapest of nappies, and I got the shakes when handing over my £9.50 for just one in Tescos, but in the long run this will save me money as she`ll most probably need to use it for short trips for at least a couple of months and maybe a bit longer for all day outings.

The Kooshies Ultra which is the one I bought is only available in two sizes but this is enough as they are very adaptable. The size I bought was to fit a child fromm 22-45 lbs, I didn`t see the other size but I assume they are newborn-22 lbs.

From the outside these look very similar to disposable nappies apart from the fact that they are a bit bulkier. The outer layer is made from a thick waterproof material to keep your childs clothes dry so you shouldn`t need any extra waterproof pants. They are also very colourful on the outside, mine is covered with clowns and stars and you can buy several different designs.

The inner part of the nappy is made up of 8 layers of cotton flannelette which is lovely and soft and very good for your child`s skin. Eight layers sounds as though these should look like a mattress, but they are quite slim and not as bulky as some I`ve seen.

Attached to the back of the waistband there is also a flap of cotton which is the length of the whole nappy. This nappy can be adjusted according to whether your child is a boy or a girl for maximum protection. If you have a boy you pull it right to the front and fold it over a bit at the end, if you have a girl you fold the end over so it is doubled in the centre of the nappy.

This centre flap is brilliant because it is made of a double layer of cotton and is very absorbable. I`ve found that when my daughter has just had one little accident when we`ve been out, it`s only affected the flap and not the rest of the nappy, this means I can just wash the flap part of the nappy, hang it on the line, and it`s dry in half an hour ready for another venture out of the house.

The way you fasten these is also pretty good. They have a fairly long velcro tab on each side and attach to the applix strip on the front of the nappy. The handy part though is that the applix strip is 2" thick, so if your child is pretty skinny you can cross over the velcro tabs for a snugger fit instead of the tabs just meeting in the middle.

The leg cuffs a very elasticated, so even when fastened around the waist at the loosest point they are still quite snug around the top of the legs, but also when you fasten it tightly it doesn`t strangle the leg and mark it like some disposables do.

My daughter has worn this quite a few times over the past couple of weeks now and it hasn`t leaked so far. It also quite surprisingly keeps her skin pretty dry, unless we`ve been out for quite a few hours and she`s soaked, but even then she`s only slightly sticky. It does look a bit bulkier than a disposable but not so much that it affects how her clothes fit over the top.

If you are using these for a younger child then of course you`ll need several, in which case you can buy packs of five for around £38 which saves you a bit on individual purchases.