Save cash and planet in that order. (Mother-ease One Size)

Member Name: chucklingMonkey

Product:	Mother-ease One Size
Date:	18/05/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One size means these will last for lifetime of baby.

Disadvantages: One size means they look big on a newborn and small clothes may not fit.

Our first born is four weeks old at time of writing, and we had decided to trial out a selection of reusable nappies for reasons which I go into at the end of this review. We bought from ebay a 'selection pack' of around seven different types of nappies, the particular nappy I'm reviewing today is the cotton Motherease One Size nappy.

The main differentiating feature for this nappy is that there is only one size required from birth. The nappy is fastened with plastic poppers and on a new born you fold the front flap back on itself to expose poppers which reduce the height of the nappy. There are vertical arrays of side poppers which ensure it wraps snugly around baby.

Once on the nappy looks very bulky with baby's legs barely poking out the bottom. One a wrap is placed on top none of our newborn clothes would fit which is worth being aware of. The nappy itself is soft and containment wise it does it's job (although I'm basing this on a newborn).

You wash at 70 degrees, and line drying is an option, as there is no built in booster pad it doesnt take ages like some other reusables. Personally I find the convenience of the tumble drier too good to resist.

Finally there seems to be an argument raging over whether when you factor in energy used from washing and drying reusable nappies they truly are better for the environment. This shouldn't stop anyone from trying them however as the other advantages are big ones. Rather that arguing with your disposable loving chums, focus on the personal benefits:

1) Cost. A one off hit of around 100 pounds will get you enough nappies and wraps to last the child for life.

2) Reduction in amount of rubbish. For me this is as important as cost. We have a fortnightly waste collection here and prior to having our first baby we were pretty much filling the household waste bin. Disposable nappies easily add another two bin bags full of waste. With rumours of councils charging for the weight of rubbish householders produce this could become even more important.

Summary: If cost is a big issue that go for these unless you have invested a lot of money in newborn clothes.