Hot Tots (Totsbots)

Member Name: shroud

Product:	Totsbots
Date:	15/04/07 (222 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reusable, super absorbent, last overnight even with super wee'er

Disadvantages: long drying time, exspensive, super bulky, not available on high street

What they are:

Tot's bots are a very popular cloth nappy system. The nappies are available in unbleached or white, as well as a limited amount of colours, known as Rainbow Tots. hey are made of some of the softest, fluffiest terry towelling I have ever come across, and I have to say they were so soft and cuddly, I fell deeply in love. They are a shaped nappy, so no folding, and you have a choice of getting the sort that fastens with aplix or the sort you can fasten with pins or the modern nappy nippa that has msotly replaced pins! For those not in the know, aplix is like velcro, but stronger, harder wearing, and much softer. So no scratched up ickle tums! Also, the legs and back of the waist have really stretchy and soft inside elastication, meaning excellent containment of unwanted leaks and mess.


Sizing and fit:

They come in three sizes. The small size fits from birth to about 18 pounds, but as it doess ay from 8 pounds, you might wish to wait a couple weeks before using as some smaller newborns will get lost inside the nappy! I have to say, my DS was a big newborn, but the nappy was so big, he not only was swimming in it, but looked rather like an upturned turtle. I had to laugh as he simply had an enormous "bubble bum". It was really cute though, Mummy hormones aside :) The medium fits from 18-40 lbs, , and lasts most until potty training. Size 3, or extra large, is for children over 40 pounds, so fabulous for children who are late being dry at night. The bulk does mean that mopst high street clothes will not fit over your child's bum and forget about even trying to fit a baby grow on over it!


Water resistant outers:

These nappies do require a wrap, and Tots Bots make their own brand. The Tots wrap is a polyurethane coated breatheable ployester aplix fastening wrap, with plenty of room for a huge Tots Bots as you would expect, or any other cloth fitted nappy or prefold you might wish to use it with. Tots Bots also makes the famous Red Wrap, which is a red fleece aplix fastening wrap.

The fleece wraps are meant for use mostly at night, as the fleece allows optimal air circulation and allows the water and ammonia content that is soaked into the nappy to evaporate, cooling the skin and allowing the nappy to hold more urine and keep skin happy. I use my Red Wraps with fitted nappies and prefolds at night, so it is very versatile. Both types of wraps have the same sizing as the nappies, so it is very easy to know which size you need to order.Cross over tabs mean you can get as snug a fit as you need too, making both types of wrap ultra adjustable. The PUL wrap also has a fourth size, a size 0, which is even tidgier for smaller newborns.


Other bonus features:

Another bonus point for this system is the fact that a Scottish mother designed these nappies, and they are made right here in the UK. I personally thnk this is a bonus point, as I like to encourage British industry and innovation when I can. Yet another bonus is, many councils offer rebates and incentives if buying cloth nappies, including this make.


Care
Simply flush any poo down the loo (I used flushable liners in mine to make this dead easy), and pop into an airtight lidded bucket. being as these do not unfold, bacteria can get trapped inbetween the layers of fabric on the nappies, and they can suddenly begin to smell once worn. To prevent this, a long wash cycle at 60 should be used on the nappies and be sure to not fill the machine past the halfway mark. Wraps should be placed in the bucket as well without soaking as it wrecks the PUL laminate waterproofing. The night wraps are made of fleece and can be washed with the PUL wraps, as both should be washed at 40. The nappies are best tumble dried due to the thickness, and take about an hour or so to dry. Airdrying takes far longer, with cool spring days and indoor airers taking up to three days, and hot sunny days taking 6-8 hours.

Value for money:

Now for the downsides. I adored these nappies, but had to sell them on after very little use. Why? They were so thick, I could not get them to dry soon enough, even with the fold out booster. Alas, I do not have three days to wait for nappies to air dry :( and at £7.25 a pop new, and a used price in excess of £5 plus shipping, I could not afford to buy enough to go without washing for three days as that would have been an outlay of over £200 in nappies. Having said that, it IS cheaper than just buying disposables, but I simply could not afford to put that out all in one go. So I sold my Tots on and bought some Nappy Nation No Fold terries instead. So unless you have a tumble dyer, I would not advise these.


The wraps are excellent value for money as you can use them over any fitted nappy. I do prefer my Cotton Bottoms Superwhisper wraps, but that is just a personal preference ove the feel of the fabric. My all time favourite night wrap has to be the fleece Red Wrap though, sheer durability, fit, and performance wise, it wins hands down.

As the PUL day wraps do not have to be changed each time unless badly dirtied from stray poo or badly soaked, the price tag of £6.99 - £7.50 asking price very reasonable by similar comparisons. The Red Wrap does have to be washed and dried after each use, so you need 2-3 depending on how often you wash, and at the same price, it does work out a bit more exspensive as you have to wash each and not just reuse. But as it is a night wrap, it is still very economical. I use my Red Wrap over various shaped nappies, as well as prefolds, and have never ever had a leak. Marvellous!


My over all thoughts:

So, all in all, a truly great system, and I probably would have gone completely over to Tots Bots nappies and wraps, had it not been the unfortunate fact of no tumbledrier, and lack of space for one. Boo hoo.


Where to look for them:

You can obtain new Tots Bots products from their website, totsBots.co.uk, from Twinkle on the Web, Plushpants, the Buzzness, and many other online nappy retailers. For second hand, you do get the rare Ebay find, or at NCT nearly new sales as well as the UK parents nappy buy and sell forum.

Summary: Thirsty reusable nappies and quality wraps