Smaller than a disposable? (Kitty Kins Itti Bitti D'lish Snap in One)

Member Name: arleek

Product:	Kitty Kins Itti Bitti D'lish Snap in One
Date:	01/07/09 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots, too many to list

Disadvantages: Take a long time to dry

Well, just when I thought my obsession with reusable nappies was over, I came across these, and the obsession quite quickly turned into an addiction because I just could not stop myself from purchasing a couple!!

As usual I came upon them on the Kittykins website, they had some limited edition prints in red, blue or pink spotty and I just couldn't resist them. At £14 each they are not cheap but it's a small price to pay for how cute they look on my daughter. They are also not cheap because they are not a 'one-size' nappy, they come in small (8-16lb), medium (14-25lb) and large (23-37lb), so if you were to use these from birth to potty you would potentially have to buy 3 times as many nappies as you would with a one-size. But if you're like me, you'll probably end up buying every nappy that takes your fancy anyway...

They are classed as an All In One (AIO) but they come apart with poppers (easier to wash and drying time is reduced), but once constructed they are 'all in one'. These ones are actually an Australian nappy and consist of:

A furry soft waterproof outer cover (minkee fabric I think) which come in a range of 15 bright colours, and now some limited edition prints.

A suede cloth inner which is meant to help prevent wicking.

Two snap in inserts made from organic cotton and bamboo. They are both quite thin and I was quite dubious as to how absorbent and reliable this nappy was going to be. The first insert you snap in is square and folds into 3 to form a thick layer. The second insert is hourglass shaped and snaps in on top of the folded booster. Both of these have colour coded poppers so there is no doubt where they go within the outer layer.

When I first received the nappy and snapped these into position, I was a bit worried because both inserts appeared longer than the outer cover and I couldn't understand how this whole system was meant to work....then I read the instructions. Because the nappy is elasticated around the legs, you have to stretch the nappy out and then the inserts just sit snugly within the outer to form a cute little nappy ready to go on your baby. You can also use a liner with these which makes disposing of solids easier.

So once the nappy was constructed I was actually really surprised at how small this was; I had bought the medium because my daughter was about 16lb at the time so it was the perfect size. The nappy seemed smaller than a disposable which I just couldn't quite believe, but then disposables tend to have a lot of excess papery bits around the legs and waist. But this was a very neat looking nappy and once it was on my daughter (fastened with a row of poppers around the waist), it looked tiny!

I really couldn't believe that it would be successful because the inserts only just seemed to fit within outer layer and I was convinced that she would have leakages around the legs. It was very low cut around the waist as well so it really was just covering her bottom area (very strange in the reusable world because many washable nappies come up quite high on the waist and cover a lot more ground that just the bum area!) So I was also very worried about any poo episodes that we might have whilst wearing this nappy, I was quite sure that this nappy would not be able to contain her bottom explosions.

So, after having many many doubts about the reliability of this nappy, I was pleasantly surprised and really impressed that someone has managed to design such an absorbent nappy which has such a snug fit. These have now become my favourite nappy; with the Close Parent Pop In coming a close second (see earlier review). My daughter can wear this nappy for 4 hours at least without any leakages, and the fact that they are so trim means that she has no issues with moving around (she's just getting to grips with crawling and these don't hinder her movement at all).

Do they contain her poo? Yes they do, but this is because she is on proper food now so her poo is also proper...not sloppy like newborn poo can be. So we have had no poo leakages, but if she was a newborn, I think this part of my review may have been a little bit different. Both of my daughters had very explosive bottoms when they were newborns (breastfed) and I really would not trust this nappy to contain their explosions, there just simply isn't enough nappy available to catch it all in my opinion. But as I have not tried them on a newborn I cannot really say for sure, but my gut feeling is that they would leak poo and I would not buy them in small if I was to have another child.

So how do they wash? You can wash them at any temperature up to 60 degrees. I usually wash them at 40 and do a 60 degree wash every so often. I take the whole nappy apart before I wash them so I feel like they are getting a better wash that way. Then I just peg them out on the line to dry. The outer later dries in no time at all, but the inserts take rather a long time. In this heat that we are experiencing at the moment, they take a full day, and on a cooler summer day they take a full day and night. So drying time is a bit disappointing but I suppose this is because they are so trim and a lot of absorbency is packed into those inserts so they obviously soak up a lot of moisture which then takes a long time to dry out!

The quality of the nappy has not deteriorated at all after several washes and I am really impressed with this, the outer later has remained lovely and soft, like new. It really is a good quality nappy, but I suppose this is reflected in the price.

I really recommend this nappy for those of you who worry about bulkiness of reusables, there truly is no bulk at all. Something else which makes this a good choice is that they don't take up much room in your changing bag if you are one of those busy mums who are out and about all the time. Lugging big fat reusables around with you is not really favourable, but you wouldn't notice the extra weight with a few of these in your bag. They are also really reliable so you wouldn't have the additional worry of leakages while you are out.

They are simply brilliant.

Summary: Just get one.