We have a guest blogger this week, Amy! Amy White is on a mission to help Australian parents succeed with their cloth nappy goals. She is Mum to two boys and the owner of Clean Cloth Nappy Hire, supplying pristine packages of quality nappies across Australia.
There are many ways to cloth nappy a newborn and Bubblebubs have most of them covered! With a range including traditional flats and prefolds, bamboo fitted nappies and newborn All-In-Ones, there is a nappy to suit every family, every budget and every baby.
Here at Clean Cloth Nappy Hire, our customers tell us that they prefer really easy to use newborn nappies with a minimum of folding and stuffing required, and they have two clear favourites: Bubblebubs Bambams and Bubblebubs Pebbles. These nappies have distinct differences, but share great functional features. We will explain the differences between the two and the advantages of each herein.
Nappy Style and Ease of Use
Bambams are a ‘fitted’ style nappy. A fitted nappy is the modern cloth version of a traditional terry towelling flat. It is shaped to fit baby with no prior folding required, the leg and back areas are elasticised for an excellent fit and it requires pins or a Snappi to secure it closed, though some parents have success using the cover to keep the Bambam secured without a Snappi. A fitted nappy is made entirely from absorbent fabric and so it requires a water-resistant (PUL) coverto keep clothing dry, making the Bambams a two-piece system.
Pebbles are an ‘All In One’ (AIO) nappy and this means that the absorbent layers and the waterproof cover are built into one easy-to-fit design. An AIO is the modern cloth equivalent to a disposable nappy. With Velcro closure, it’s easy to use with no Snappis, snaps or covers required. Pebbles have a long, fold-out soaker that can be folded in different ways to customise the absorbency. Pebbles are a true one-piece system.
Fabrics
Bambams are made from the softest bamboo terry fabric. It retains its softness after laundering and is a beautiful natural choice for newborn babies. Bambams don’t contain any synthetic stay-dry layers, so the whole nappy does feel wet to the touch. Some babies object to this and others aren’t bothered in the slightest. It’s easy to add a reusable microfleece liner for a stay dry layer against baby’s skin.
Pebbles are made from a combination of synthetic and natural fibres. The absorbent layers in Pebbles are made from smooth bamboo fleece, the stay dry layers are soft minky and the outer layer is water-resistant Polyurethane Laminate (PUL). The fold-out insert can be folded in either direction to have the stay-dry minky or natural bamboo fleece against baby’s skin.
Size and Fit
Pebbles are the smaller of the two and will fit babies from about 2kg to around 5.5kg, while Bambams will fit a much larger range from 1.2kg to around 8kg. To adjust the size of Bambams for a smaller newborn, simply fold down the front and fit as usual.
Absorbency
As the entire nappy is absorbent, Bambams offer slightly greater absorbency than Pebbles, making them a better choice for heavy wetting babies. In recent absorbency tests, Bambams held 152mL of liquid compared to 143mL of the Pebbles.
Bambams come with a trifold booster as standard and extra boosters are available to purchase, simply place between the nappy and cover. There is no specific booster available for Pebbles but there is room to add a custom absorbency hack by a regular cotton face washer into thirds and slipping it under the insert for longer-duration wear.
Range of Prints
Most cloth parents love all things cute and colourful and Pebbles are definitely the winner when it comes to the range of prints. At the time of writing, Pebbles were available in 21 different prints and colours! In contrast, Bambams come in creamy white, but you can add a colour pop when you use a PUL cover in solid colours or limited edition prints.
Washing
Bambams and Pebbles are easy to wash and relatively quick to dry. You can follow the same wash routine for all of your nappies- check out Bubblebubs simple wash instructions for a beautiful clean every wash.
Overall
Whether you choose Bambams, Pebbles or a mixture of both, you’re sure to love Bubblebubs quality newborn offerings. If ease of use is your priority, you’re likely to find Pebbles the superior offering, but if absorbency and longevity of use is your thing, Bambams are the nappy for you!
Amy White is on a mission to help Australian parents succeed with their cloth nappy goals. She is Mum to two boys and the owner of Clean Cloth Nappy Hire, supplying pristine packages of quality nappies across Australia.