I like to think of myself as something of a nappy expert. I have three sons, and I've changed literally THOUSANDS of sh*tty bums. I'm normally a reuseable addict, but my washing machine has finally decided to give up, so we have been using disposables again.

But Nanny bought these for baby Zak. Now Zak could do with a review all of his own (and it'd be titled something like "Use Condoms", but thats another story) as there isn't a blasted thing he can't reach/break/eat/pass through his digestive system seemingly unharmed. Its true what they say, when baby No1 swallows a penny you panic and head for Casualty. When No2 does it you keep an eye open for signs of malaise and with No3 you deduct it from their pocket money and carry on as usual. But I digress.

I had looked at these in Tescos. On offer - two packs of twenty for £10. Forty nappies total in size 5. Thats not cheap. Sorry, with Tescos own brand further up the aisle, that wasn't even competitive. And I hate having to lug smaller packs about.
So I didn't buy them, but as I said, Beloved Grandma did, so we are road testing them at the moment.

I think these have been made with the *learning to dress themselves* market in mind, as they seem to concentrate on that in the adverts. Handy for us too though, as Zak hates to slow down long enough for anything, and he really enjoyed stepping into them (and getting clapped and cheered for it) I must admit.

Appearance.
They feel on the outside pretty much like any other nappy - but noticeably more padded in front, and this made me wonder if they weren't going to be better suited to little boys than little girls? But we palmed one off on a visiting niece and her Mummy says it was fine when they got home and she looked. Another of my theories that hasn't born out in practise! Actually, they're quite sweet with elephants front and back. There is a disposal sticky tape on the back (I put this nappy on wrong way round first time) and they dont have the fuzzy area in front where the tabs do up. Coz there's no tabs. Which if like me you're in the process of complaining to Huggies that their tapes are nasty, hard, sharp things that drew blood on the littlest one is a great bonus! The sides are elasticated, and if you stretch them hard, you can see there is a LOT of elasticky stuff in there. This waistband is nice and soft with bits you can rip up the sides for quick removal.

Performance.
They kept my little horror very dry! But they seemed to be full much faster than other nappies we have tried. I have the same argument with Pampers Active Fits though, so if you use those you wont notice much difference. While wearing one of these he can climb on the windowsill, fall out of said window, escape up the road (legs pumping, giggling loudly), chase the dogs, sneak up the stairs, wallop baby brother with Teddy Pervert (PLEASE don't ask how teddies get named in this house) and do a big soggy poop without it leaking or getting squidged out the leg holes (sorry - were you eating?)

Removal/disposal.
I'm not sure about these tear away sides. To do it while toddler stands up would need you to pull hard enough to pull him over so it's a two hand job - and that means Zak has escaped again. And to do it while they lay down sort of defeats the object doesn't it? Unless poopy of course! But to lie them down and then have to stand them straight up again to put on new ones seems a little odd. Though Zak did smile when he saw the new pull-up and even tried to help pull it up. I think Pampers have road tested these quite well - I was wondering what the disposal tab was for - of course, no convenient little side tabs to seal rolled up soiled nappy with. And the lack of did stop one of Zak's less endearing habits which is to undo his nappy when soiled and deposit it in your lap saying "Ewwwwwww!"

Just the usual rider about nappies. It is illegal to put human waste in the rubbish bin for landfill. It should be scraped off and flushed down the loo or disposed of as clinical waste. But of course, we all do that don't we! ;-)

Extras.
Like all the Pampers range, these have a breathable outer cover and lotion on the liner.

Overall.
I must say, we did like them. But at that price they certainly will not be a regular buy. Though at www.pampers.com you can sign up for £4 worth of coupons currently which might make it slightly less painful. It wont help Zak though who still needs to pass that penny.

Jane's Rant For The Day.
Now it wouldn't be me without a little rant now would it? Pull up a chair and prepare for the world according to Jane. A word to the wary. Disposable nappies. The chemicals that make them absorbant are not required to pass any Govt or independent tests. Sodium polyacrylate was removed from tampons due to it's association with TSS, yet is still used in disposable nappies. No research has been done on its effects to fertility or otherwise. I must also say I have no idea if this is one of the chemicals used in Pampers as I am (still) waiting to hear back after emailing them to ask. (As it was over a week ago, I'm not holding my breath) Disposable nappies make up 4% of household waste in the UK and the British taxpayers spend over £40m per year disposing of them. Do you remember the outcry because of the 10,000 trees being cut down for the Newbury bypass? In the UK alone we use twice that many trees worth of disposables PER DAY. Thats (If Zak hasn't sabotaged my calculator) 7,300,000 a year.

So, if I've managed to persuade you to give *proper* nappies a go, then for more info try www.realnappy.com or
send a large SAE for an information pack to
The Real Nappy Association
PO Box 3704
London
SE26 4RX
And if you are still a disposable user, then these are pretty good. Pricey, but good. Available just about everywhere - I've even seen them in our local corner shop, and with that bright red packaging instead of the usual pastel offerings, you aren't going to miss them. Me? Until I can get a new washing machine, I will have to keep disposing, but there is also a website dedicated to nappy services http://www.changeanappy.co.uk/. With nappies this pricey that hold less than cheapies, it might work out easier.