Eureka! Air-Rika (Mother-ease Air-Rika)

Member Name: gryphon

Product:	Mother-ease Air-Rika
Date:	23/06/01 (247 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: efficient, effective, attractive

Disadvantages: cost

Why write about a nappy wrap?

What is a nappy wrap?

Starting at the bottom [as is usual with nappies], a nappy wrap is the last line of defence between your baby’s foul exudates in their terry nappy, and their clothing [or in the summer, you and your clothes].

At its most basic a wrap could be an emergency plastic carrier bag: corners cut off for the legs, and knotted round the waist [this has been known to happen when out, and our offspring has overwhelmed all our carefully prepared reserves!]. The wraps range from pull over plastic pants, to shaped plastics with tie sides, to poppered nylon covers, velcro fastening wraps, and finally the Air -Rika, all of which go over your little darling’s terry nappy.

Wraps beat pull over pants every time when it comes to changing- lay baby down, undo wrap, undo nappy, nappy stays on wrap. Baby [held by ankles with left hand]is lifted clear and cleaned, wrap contains nappy and contents, used wipe etc, ready for dealing with. Baby, suitably clean, dry and creamed is now ready for fresh nappy. Normally this means that a change mat rarely gets dirty, unlike with over pants- they have to slide down legs, [leaving a trail if full] and the nappy then rests directly on the change mat.

The Air-Rika is a wrap par [ and ma ] excellence, well thought out, practical, and presentable. It is made by the canadian company Motherease, and comes in three sizes, each with an adjustable fit, so as to cover your little darling as they grow. The base white fabric is printed in three different colourways- blue and green whales, green and pink pastel paw prints, or yellow and purple paw prints.

These are all quite presentable, and combined with the lovely soft feel of the wrap, help you to just say ‘no’ when tempted to put a pair of frilly knickers over your poor defenceless baby’s behind to hide shiny plastic wraps.

The polyester material has a soft touch,
with a waterproof polyurethane layer permanently bonded inside, and can be repeatedly washed at 60 degrees without degradation- the print may fade slightly over time, but the wrap will come back smiling for more. They can be tumble dried on low, but there isn’t really any need as they dry very quickly- in extremis, a vigourous rub with a dry towel/spare nappy, and they’re ready for action almost immediately.

I prefer the popper fastening variant, as velcro, although marginally quicker, has the habit of catching other stuff in the wash and clogging. The air-rika has elasticated cuffs and waist, and three rows of fasteners, so there is no problem getting a snug, eruption proof fit. The poppers also win because even the most determined little escapologist [apparently we're meant to call them 'auto undressers'] can’t undo them.

The design and material means that they ‘breathe’, which is a lot better for baby’s behind, yet don’t leak- we’ve had very little sore bot trouble except during teething, when they can get a little red, but the sudocreme soon sorts that out, along with a little fresh air therapy.

Out of all the wraps we’ve tried with three kids over the years, these are definitely the top of the pile [don’t ask ‘pile of what?’], as they are easy to use, durable, attractive and effective. I wish we’d found them for child one ten years ago-
The air-rika out performs all the other options comfortably, and answers all these problems:
plastic pants are not user friendly,
plastic/nylon wraps tear over time,
plastic feels nasty and sweaty
velcro fastening wraps can snag and are self removable

They may seem a little pricey, but they last and last and last- there is a thriving market in second hand wraps, especially air-rikas on some chat boards, so you can recoup some of your investment, if you're not planning on any m
ore kids. [just like us until 10 months ago :-} ].



it’s a wrap

Summary: