Let me tell you how:
- The size runs larger on this one. This is their OSFA (One Size Fits All) and even on its smallest setting it was quite large. Bio Baba have since added another row of snaps in the front and I think this would make a HUGE difference! Don't you just love a company that listens to mothers needs and alters their products to suit them, awesome!
- The outer fabric is much more durable now! This is our "go outside, play in the mud, bum shuffle around the dirt and be a curious baby nappy!" You know those pics you always see with the puppy chasing the baby and grabbing it's disposable? Well I think this nappy would survive that!
So what's stayed the same as the original:
- It's still made of hemp and therefore super absorbent and soft. Cotton on occasion can become hard when wet but hemp doesn't have those properties.
- It still has velcro tabs with strips to attach them too when you take nappy off and wash
- It only has natural fibres near your baby's bum so no synthetics rubbing up against them and making them hot!
- It's still a versatile nappy in that if you remove the inner pad it can be used as a swim nappy too.
- They are locally made and use small underprivileged companies in Lotus River, Mitchell's Plain and Athlone for manufacturing and this is all within 10 kms of Bio-Babas head office therefore not having a large carbon footprint.
All in all I like this nappy and have used them on all my babies, the only thing I would perhaps add is to roll the seams in at the leg and top stitch it. I occasionally found that the pants was slightly damp on the inside of the leg (having said that I found this to only happen with Miss Sunshine who was a heavy wetter and not with Little Man and Sweetpea).
You can check their site out here for a pictorial on fitting instructions where they show the different ways to use their booster pad to cloth a boy or girl.
They also make a great Organic Soak with all natural ingredients that I love to use on my flats when I do occasionally soak. It's great to disinfect and smells wonderful!
You can check them out at:
Strange. The only hemp in the entire nappy is one thin layer in the booster. I cut the whole thing open to check. The rest is cotton flannel and one layer of microfiber. I found the fit horrendous especially with there being no back elastic and we often had poo up the back. The extra row of snaps made zero difference and by far in my 5 years of diapering I found this to be the worst designed and worst performing nappy ever, and I have tried all the local brands as well as 27 international brands. The customer service is awful (think I spoke to vicki) and every problem is made to be user error. Several friends have complained as well. I am really astounded at the positive review this is getting as every forum I have been on everyone else is in agreement about how shoddy this nappy really is.
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous! Mmmm now Im tempted to cut up mine to check as I was lead to believe that it was hemp! Like I stated above this one was different to the original I bought 5 years ago as this one runs larger, we didnt have leaks with sweetpea but she id ECing so uses the toilet more than the average baby . The original leaked in the legs with Miss Sunshine as I mentioned but we didnt have poop leaks up the back with her as she has pyloric stenosis which sometimes constipation is a problem so no poop up the back either. I too have used international and most local brands excluding Hippie Safari and this isn't my go to nappy but the original did work for us! I'm now going to cut my booster and will let you know my findings. Could you email me please at sktheunissen@gmail.com I would lime to take this up with Biobaba and hear what they say, I want my reviews to be honest and give them a chance to reply.
ReplyDeleteOh you obviously had one of the recent ones as this one doesn't have the extra row of snaps so I can't say if the fit would be better.
ReplyDeleteCertainly wish that they would make the effort to get better velcro and if they can't do that then they should consider taking the velcro away and offering a snap closure option. The Biobaba's I had for my son, besides being terrible fit and absorbancy lost their velcro "stick" within only a few months rendering them useless. Of course I was blamed for not caring for them properly. Funny thing though I have other velcro nappies from other brands cared for the same that are still sticking after 4 years.
ReplyDeleteHi Mama Going Green! Thank you for your lovely honest review of the Bio-Baba OSFA all nappy! It appears to have attracted a violent response from 'Miss Anonymous!' Unfortunately, since the influx of (mostly Chinese) imported synthetic nappies onto the SA market, Bio-Baba has received a bit of 'brand bashing' from anonymous posters, who, under closer investigation appear to be affiliated with other brands in one way or another! This is obviously highly unethical. Since Bio-Baba started production in 2004 (after 2 years of R & D), we have pioneered the use of cloth nappies in the South African market; it was never our intention to 'corner the market' or 'make a quick buck', but rather we are lead be a very firm belief that cloth nappies really should be included in a diapering routine in order to ameliorate the effect of the billions of disposables dumped each year; the health ramifications of using disposables 24/7 and of course cost. To this end we believe that there is a place for numerous brands on the SA market as they allow for different budgets and preferences as, lets face it, all babies are different! There is now thankfully something for everyone and we think this is brilliant since it gives more momentum to the ' SA cloth nappy movement' - making more and more mums aware. Blatant brand bashing should have no part in this.
ReplyDeleteThe cut of our nappy is larger than most for 2 reasons: firstly so that it is able to fit even larger babies all the way to potty training and secondly in order to provide proper hip support...which if researched you will find is not given by either disposables or flimsy cloth nappies. The higher cut means that there is no need for back elastic if the nappy is fitted correctly.
Hemp does most of the hard work (absorbing) in a Bio-Baba as there are 3 layers of high quality hemp/fleece fabric in our removable booster pads. This means that you can use this pad where your baby needs it the most, depending on whether it is a boy or a girl. Our nappies also use 100% cotton flannel against babies skin as we feel it is important to avoid synthetics against baby as well as the fact that flannel is easier to clean than toweling; in addition there are 2 layers of microfibre sewn into the nappy as this is highly absorbent as well as quick drying. So no, afraid 'Miss Anonymous' has it wrong there.
I am EXTREMELY surprised by the velcro comments since we use the most expensive and durable velcro on the market called weldable velcro.There was a point however where we were incorrectly supplied 'normal' velcro and have replaced this for free where we have been made award that velcro has deteriorated. It must also be pointed out that, as far as we are aware, Bio-Baba nappies are the only nappy that has 'smart-fit' tabs in order to protect velcro during washing; our current durability record is held by a client in Australia who used our nappies on her own 2 children, lent to a friend for 2 children and then still used on her third 'little surprise!'
I hope we have answered all the allegations raised by this Anonymous commenter; as you pointed out in your review, we do listen to our customers and are constantly responding to their needs - a great thing for us to be able to do, being a local company. The fact that we have been around for 10 years is a testament to our product, customer service and commitment to continue to provide a nappy that gets the job done.
Um... My Bam+Boo Baby has tabs for when you wash the nappy, so best stick to unbiased facts...
ReplyDeleteAnd also bumgenius also available here
DeleteYes Bam Boo Baby does definitely have smart tabs for washing and so does the Mio Solo which we will be posting about in 2 weeks. The Mio Solo is also available in SA.
ReplyDeleteIve just seen a pic of a cut open booster and theres only 2 layers of microscopically thin hemp and 1 layer of polyester fleece
ReplyDeleteGreat! Does make a difference to longevity...Sorry - not so up to speed on various different features (which is why I said 'as far as I am aware'); thanks for update. XX
ReplyDelete