Wrap it all in (Mother-ease Airflow Wrap)

Member Name: kiwiii85

Product:	Mother-ease Airflow Wrap
Date:	29/11/08 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Holds everything, flexible, hard for babies to pull off

Disadvantages: Can't think of any!

As i've just reviewed the motherease one size nappy i thought it would be appropriate to review the wraps that i used with them. We used these for 6 months but they are so simple to use that i know everything about them.

******The wrap******

There were two choices of wraps to use that we were aware of with the motherease all in one. There was the rikki wrap or the Airflow wrap - we chose the latter. The reason for choosing this one was the popper fastening over the velcro fastening.

The airflow wrap uses poppers both around the waist and around the legs in order to get the best fit for your baby. There are six poppers on each so they are very adjustable when your little one puts on that little bit of extra weight. These are great if the legs are chubbier than the waist too or if the waist is chubbier than the legs.

A definite advantage of these over a velcro wrap is that little fingers should find it a lot harder to open these so they remain waterproof! On the small wraps the poppers are usually towards the front - for easy access if you ask me - with the larger wraps having poppers at the back.

How do they work? Well the poppers allow air in and out of the nappies to let them breathe, in other words, the air circulates just like the air conditioning in a car.

******Material******

These wraps are made from polyurethane laminate which is renowned for being breathable and great for the skin. These are waterproof so they keep in every little bit of moisture which is just what you need with a cloth nappy. It has a kind of soft fabric feel and my daughter was never bothered by the feel of the wrap. These wraps are very light (quick drying) and they are quite baggy because of the poppers.

******Compatibility******

These wraps aren't just compatible with the motherease one size nappy but with others too. I've used them with the sandy's size one nappies successfully and i know they can be used with traditional terries nappies.

They can be used with other popular brands such as tots bots but it would be impossible to list every nappy you can use them with as the list is vast.

One nappy you might stuggle to use them with is a prefolded nappy as the fit wouldn't be right and leaks would probably occur on a regular basis.

******Sizes******

There are a variety of sizes in order to ensure the best fit for your baby. There are the usual three main sizes which are small, medium and large along with extra "in between" sizes. The sizes have a guide of weight on them, but like i've said this is only a guide and not everything can be measured by weight. The weight did work out extremely well for us though.

As a rough guide the sizes go as follows:

XSmall 2.75-5.5kg/ 6-12lb
Small 2.75-5.5kg/ 6-12lb
Medium 4.5-9kg/ 10-20lb
Medium/Large 9-12kg/ 20-27lb
Large 9-16kg/ 20-35lb
XLarge 16-20kg/ 35-45lb

The extra small and the small have the same weight recommendation but the extra small wraps have a slimmer style cut to fit around the smaller legs.

As we stopped using the cloth nappies at around 6 months we only used the small and medium sized wraps. Both of these were a great fit for our daughter and despite the occasional leak (where i'm sure we just hadn't put it all around the nappy properly) they worked exactly how they're meant to.

******Eco-Theme Patterns******

The wraps are just as you'd expect from an eco friendly product and come in five different themes, or just plain blocks of colours if you'd rather.

The styles available are Asia, Ocean, Savana, Rainforest and The wetlands. They are also available in a block of colour - White, Blue or Yellow.

I found these themed nappies to be very cute and they kept their colours extremely well. We had just plain white wraps at the small size and i found them to go a little bit beige after a few uses, although i'm still not sure why. (i'm sure there's a very good reason for it as my sisters wraps did exactly the same)

******Laundry******

These are extremely easy to wash and dry and are definately recommended to anyone, tumble dryer or not. The recommendation is to wash them no higher than 60 degrees but i found a 40 degree wash was fine and a 60 degree wash once every couple of weeks.

Drying them is extremely quick and i tended to just hang them on an airer or outside rather than use them in the tumble dryer to maximise their life. There is nothing wrong with putting them in your tumble though if you're in a hurry as long as they are on a low heat setting.

Unlike with the motherease nappies going a little hard if you dried them outside, i found these were always soft no matter what drying method was used.

******Prices******

Prices for wraps can vary greatly depending on where you buy them from and whether you want them new or second hand. The motherease website itself (www.earthlets.co.uk if you're in the UK) sells the wraps for between £8.50 to £9.50 depending on the size of wrap you need. The white style is also 25p cheaper than the themed or coloured nappies but this is to be expected. We got our wraps second hand are were very lucky with the condition as the medium wraps had only been used once and the large wraps were still brand new.

I do have to say that the resale value for these wraps don't seem to be as high as the resale value on nappies, but then i don't think the expected lifespan is as good. The nappies should comfortably last you more than 3 children whereas i'd say replace the wraps after your second child (depending on how often you use and wash them) to ensure they are waterproof.

4 or 5 of these wraps in each size will be plenty as you don't need to change the wrap every time you change a nappy - wiping the inside of the wrap is sufficient.

******Verdict******

These are fantastic wraps and it is definately worth buying a nappy that is compatible with these. They are virtually leak free providing you fit them correctly and ensure the nappy is completely inside the wrap.

They can definately be used for more than one child if you take care of them and are a great investment. The wraps may not have a good resale value but think of the money you're saving by not buying disposables every week.

Summary: A must buy for anyone that wants to use a cloth nappy.