EN | £ TotsBots Dad Finlay on Cloth Nappies
Real Dads views and advice on using Cloth Nappies
We met Finlay and his beautiful little girl Coral last month when they came in to show off their love of TotsBots cloth nappies. We had a proper chat (and a bit of a giggle) about all things cloth, especially when we got to talking Poonamis.
One of the worst nappy situations new parents can find themselves in is the ‘Poonami disaster’. It starts off with alarming rumble from the nappy region only to discover baby has done the most unimaginable poo. Soon to follow is a tell tale yellow stain seeping through baby’s clothing and slowly creeping up his/her back. With cloth nappies, the reassuring reality is that poonami’s just can’t escape! Unlike a disposable nappy, cloth nappies have very well made elasticated back waists which ensure a snug fit for baby, and they keep everything in!
''As a typical dad, I'm not great at changing full outfits so I'm very appreciative of how reliable they are and I love that the prints are unisex so choosing one is easier they are all great.''
Finlay, we are with you on this one, why would you want to add to your workload as a parent, with more clothing changes and poo everywhere!
With advertising having the ability to make anything look fabulous it is sometimes hard to find out the facts when you want to know what’s behind the brand.
‘'I didn't know about all the chemicals in disposables beforehand, I'd never really looked into it.''
Finlay just presumed through all the adverts that all disposables were fine, a common theme we find when we speak to many new mums and dads. A government study in France of 23 disposable nappy brands, found glycophosphate a known carcinogen in some of them! But with TotsBots what you see is what you get, no hidden chemical gels, glycophosphates, volatile organic compounds or aromatic hydrocarbons. In fact, our cloth nappies are the only reusable nappies to be completely Oekotex 100 certified – meaning absolutely no harmful chemicals in our nappies or next to your baby’s skin.
What many don’t realise is that these chemicals could be the cause of your baby’s nappy rash, and this is exactly what Finlay found when he switched back to disposables on Coral whilst his wife was unwell.
'‘I thought it would be easier and it wasn't, I tried 2 types and poor Coral got a nappy rash with both!''
We started out making cloth nappies for our own babies and we are so excited 18 years down the line that we continue to make cloth nappies for yours. It is great for us to see you making cloth nappies a part of your child’s routine, but it’s so special when we hear stories that your little ones would also choose a TotsBots nappy over a disposable.
''Coral prefers them which is great. Given the choice she will always pick one of the colourful cloth nappies over a disposable, I can't believe 4000 nappies per baby go into landfill.''
This is a staggering fact and by switching to cloth nappies even just one a day you are quickly reducing your single-use plastic.
We asked Finlay if he found them easy to get the hang of and if he had ever put them on back to front and he laughed, ‘Hahaha, yes all the time. I go to fasten them and think, wait this isn't right there's no Velcro to stick to.’ At 14 months we bet Coral is quick to tell you what you have done wrong Daddy!
Here’s Finlay’s tip for Dads who are not sure about cloth nappies.
''I originally was hesitant; I thought what difference is it actually going to make? I gave them a try and as soon as we did I instantly thought oh this is way better! I’d tell everyone to just try them, it works out better for you, and is worth the investment in the long run.''
Happy Nappying!
Finlay & Coral x
If Finlay and Coral have inspired you to make the switch to cloth nappies head over to our shop and pick up a trial kit to get you started.