Modern Cloth Nappies

Get yourself a cup of tea.  Maybe a piece of cake, too.  Sit down.  This is going to be a big post.

Modern cloth nappies, also known as MCNs. Cloth Diapering, or CD, for the Americans.  They are incredibly cost effective (saving the average user at least $1,500 compared with disposible nappies) and are brilliant for the environment (an estimated 2.1 billion disposible nappies go into landfil in Australia each year, shudder, leaking human waste into the groundwater).  Most people love them because they are cute, coming in a range of colours and prints, and I personally find them fun to use.  They are so soft, squishy and pretty that I look forward to nappy changes!

The main difference, apart from ease of use, between MCNs and old fashioned 'flats', is that most MCNs have a stay-dry inner liner, meaning that the moisture is sucked away into the middle of the nappy, leaving the lining dry against your baby's skin.  Generally, a nappy feels completely dry to touch, however is thoroughly soaked through the absorbent middle layers.  So you can use MCNs and still keep your baby comfortable and dry.

When Tabitha was born, I was recommended the Itti Bitti d'Lish All-in-One nappies.  I tried them, they worked well, I bought a 'full set' of 16, and I used them every day for most of her time in nappies.  My choice was made without too much research, and I never spent much time looking into options, as the first one we tried worked well for us.  We used these nappies almost full time, and I was happy with them, although I must say that now that I've tried several more brands, I wouldn't rate the Itti Bitti AIOs as one of my favourites.

When Zach arrived, I discovered that these particular nappies were not great on him.  The medium ones (which had worked on Tabitha from age 4 months to around 2 years) seemed a little small on him, even as a baby, and seemed to leak from the front and the legs.  The low-cut style, which I had loved on Tabitha, seemed to cut into his hips, and cause leakage out the front of the waistband.  I was disappointed initially, but then I realised I could go and have fun exploring the wide world of MCNs!

So my strategy has been to try a whole bunch of different types, styles and brands, and see what works.  If anything doesn't work for us, it can get passed on to a friend or resold (yes, there is a booming second hand nappy market out there!).  If something works really well, I can buy extras of that particular type.

As part of this research, I recently had the lovely and incredibly knowledgeable Fiona from Darlings Downunder over to my house, to chat MCNs with myself and a bunch of my mummy friends.  Darlings Downunder is a pioneer company for MCN in Australia.  They are currently celebrating their 10th birthday, and are partially responsible for introducing Modern Cloth to Australian mums.  Run by two sisters, the company takes great pride in only stocking top-quality products.  When a nappy says it's organic, you can be sure the women have done the appropriate checks to ensure the organic certification.  If anything goes wrong with a product, they are on hand to help out with warranties, advice and information.

Most of the products I mention are available through Darlings Downunder.  When I first came across the website, I spent a few hours clicking around!  It's worth a visit.  This is not a sponsored post, but I like supporting ethical Australian companies, so please do check out their website.  I've linked to their website a few times in this post, but I've also tried to link to the parent companies of most products I mention, where you can find lots of information.  Other great Aussie MCN retailers include Piggy Tails, Apikali and Fluffy Tails.  I recommend following them all, including Darlings Downunder, on facebook - these retailers all frequently often great offers, giveaways and sales.

In this blog post, I've tried to cover the main differences between the various styles of cloth nappy, as well as some information on cloth wipes and care requirements for MCNs.  I will write another post soon, reviewing some specific MCNs in greater detail (Baby Beehinds, Itti Bitti, Bubblebubs Candies, Rumparooz, Pikapu, BumGenius, Designer Bums, and any others I manage to get my hands on to try!) If anyone has questions about a specific nappy you're interested in, I might even try and grab one to try and review, so let me know.  I'm also keen to try out some Blueberries, GroVia, Close and Oui Bebe.

As a general rule, once you are past the initial newborn phase (the first two months, roughly, when babies seem to poop non-stop) you will only need 6 or so nappies a day (and a night nappy, if you use cloth overnight).  So if you wash every day or two, you would get away with 12 - 18 nappies.  I had about 16 with Tabitha, which worked well.

If you want to use cloth with a newborn, you can go with a cheap system such as Prefolds, which are sort of like an advanced, modern version of the old 'terry flat' nappies.  They are basically a square nappy, with extra padding / absorbency sewn into the needed parts, which fits onto the baby without needing to fold them up (like the old school ones).  They clip on with a Snappi, and then you need a waterproof cover, either PUL or fleece or wool.  They are easy, cheap, and dry quickly.  The perfect option for a newborn, for many people.  Start with these for the first couple of months, then move into a one-size-fits-most MCN, which will take most kids right through to toilet training.  The main disadvantage of Prefolds is that the wet absorbent fabric is against the skin - there isn't a stay-dry lining layer in most.  But this isn't generally a big problem, as newborns have their nappy changed every couple of hours anyway, so they aren't sitting in a wet nappy.

For newborns, you can also get a 'sized' newborn nappy.  Many MCNs come in various sizes (newborn and / or small, then medium, large and sometimes extra large).  This is opposed to the incredibly, and increasingly, popular one-size-fits-most (OSFM or OSFA) nappies, which easily adjust to fit babies right from birth or a little older (3kg, usually) through to toilet training (15 - 18kg depending on the build of the child, and the nappy).

If you go the sized route, you would generally start with a Small, then go onto a Medium.  Some children (slim ones) will toilet train out of the Medium size, meaning you would never need a Large.  If you use disposables (or prefolds) for the first couple of months, you might get lucky and be able to use Mediums for the entirety of your baby's nappy wearing days (like we did with Tabitha).

It is my personal opinion that buying Small sized nappies is a bit of a waste.  They get used for such a short amount of time (Zach would barely have fitted into them for the first few weeks), and most babies can go into mediums from a few months old anyway (or into OSFM from a couple of months).  But if you are expecting a tiny baby, perhaps they will be more useful for you!

So should you buy sized nappies, or OSFM?  With Tabitha, we bought Mediums, and she fitted in them until 2.  I think we got lucky.  Certainly, Zach had grown out of the Medium Itti Bitti d'Lish style by the time he was only a couple of months old.  OSFM are generally seen as the most cost-effective option, since they will likely be the only ones you need to buy.  I am also told by Fiona, co-owner of Darlings Downunder, that OSFM nappies are by far the most popular, and are continuing even to gain in popularity.  I think she mentioned they outsell sized nappies at a ratio of around 5:1.

Now that I've had experience with both the sized nappies and the OSFM, I would recommend the OSFM, and that is certainly now what makes up the bulk of my nappy 'stash'.  I do like to have a couple of sized nappies, though, as they can be a little less bulky (though this isn't an absolute - depends on brand and style).  Of my current stash of 20 nappies, only 5 are sized (3 mediums, and 2 larges which are put away for later).

How do OSFM nappies work?  You simply use press-studs (known as 'snaps' in the MCN world) to shorten the front of the nappy (the 'rise'), depending on the size of your baby.  Most nappies have around 3 rows of snaps, roughly correlating to a small, medium, large and extra large size (with extra large being left unsnapped).  Because some of the fabric is gathered up at the front when using OSFM nappies on small babies, these nappies can be quite bulky on little babes (which is why some people prefer sized nappies on newborns), however by the time the child is on the Medium setting or higher, they aren't very bulky at all.

Now, we have talked about Prefolds.  We have talked about Sized nappies vs OSFM.  What is next?  The other three main questions you need to ask yourself are:

• Do I want Velcro or Snaps?
• Do I want All-in-One nappies, Pocket nappies, or All-in-Two nappies (also called Snap-Ins)?
• What brand do I want?

MCNs fasten around the waist using either velcro or 1-2 rows of snaps.  Velcro is easier (and arguably more user-friendly, particularly for grandparents, childcare workers, maybe even partners who don't change the baby as frequently as the main carer).  It is more similar to disposable nappies in the way it goes on and off.  It is also more adjustable, meaning you can get a perfect fit around the waist, whereas with snaps, you might find your child's waist is between two snap sizes, meaning it is slightly too loose or too tight (we are only talking 1cm, tops).

The main disadvantages to velcro are that they wear out a little quicker (although they can be replaced fairly easily by anyone who can sew, whereas snaps are hard to replace by yourself).  They should still last at least the life of the nappy for one child, though.  They can also be undone by some sneaky toddlers (although so can disposables, and some toddlers can open snaps).  The snaps are also a bit nicer looking, although this is really subjective.

I personally prefer velcro for 'everyday' nappies, and find them quick and easy to get a perfect fit, even on a very wriggly baby (I've had two of these, now!).  I prefer snaps on 'pretty' nappies - that is, patterned or fancier ones, which I sometimes use as 'pants', without any pants over the top, in warm weather.

Apparently, women tend to prefer snaps, and men tend to prefer velcro.  I like my mix!

What is an All-in-One nappy?  How about a Pocket nappy, or a All-in-Two?  Without going too deeply into the nitty gritty details, an AIO is a nappy where all the parts (the waterproof outer, the absorbent layers, and the stay-dry lining layer) are all sewn together.  They are incredibly simple (fool-proof) to use.  The main disadvantage is that they take a little longer to dry, since all the parts are layered together.  This isn't really a big problem if you have a nice large stash, and / or good drying conditions.  Most AIO nappies have a 'flap', where the top layer of absorbent materials, and the stay-dry layer, are sewn together into a flap which sits out from the main nappy when drying, improving drying times.  This also means you can lay a small 'booster' pad of absorbent material underneath this flap, if your baby or toddler is a particularly heavy wetter.

A Pocket nappy is a waterproof outer shell, with a stay-dry lining sewn with a 'pocket' in between the lining and the shell.  Into this pocket, you stuff 1-4 absorbent pads / boosters, depending on how heavy a wetter your baby or child is (I find a single booster to be ample for Zach, lasting a good 3-4 hours easily).  The advantage of the Pocket system is that a) you can adjust the absorbency level easily, depending on how much you stuff the pocket and b) you can dry the pieces separately - the shells generally dry in just an hour or two, while the boosters / pads can be dried in the drier, or you can buy extra boosters to use, with the shells, while some of the boosters are drying.

Finally, a AI2 (Snap-in-One) nappy is a waterproof outer shell, with the absorbent layers and the stay-dry lining as separate pieces, which snap together into the shell.  The main advantage of these is that when the baby wets the nappy, you can, in theory, remove the 'snap in' layers, and put in fresh ones, while still using the same shell (which is generally unsoiled).  In theory, this means less nappy to carry around with you, and a cost-effective option, as you can buy fewer shells, and simply more sets of the inners ('booster sets' or 'soaker sets').  Again, as with the Pocket nappies, the shells dry much quicker without all the boosters stitched in (AIOs).

The absorbent layers of a MCN (whether it is sewn inside, like an AIO, stuffed inside, like a Pocket nappy, or snapped in place, like an AI2) can be made of a variety of highly absorbent materials (or a combination).  Bamboo, cotton, hemp and microfibre are the most common.  Each have their advantages and disadvantages.  Bamboo is incredibly absorbent, yet can take a long time to dry (up to a couple of days).  Microfibre dries so quickly (some nappies, like the Pikapus, will dry in 4 hours!), however it doesn't hold quite as much liquid, and it doesn't 'hold' the liquid quite as well, meaning it can suffer from 'compression leaks', for example, if a child is sitting in the car on a long trip with a full nappy, the weight of the child may squeeze liquid back out of the microfibre.  This is something of a theoretical risk - I find, personally, as long as you change the nappies regularly, this shouldn't be a problem.

I like a combination, myself.  For example, in a quick-drying Pikapu, made of mostly microfibre, I will lay down a bamboo 'booster' (an absorbent pad) under the stay-dry layer, which provides additional absorbency, yet you can dry it separately from the main nappy (in the drier on warm, even).  You can buy separate boosters, made of whatever material you prefer, from most of the major brands.  You do not need to use the 'matching' brand of booster in your nappy.

So...

You have decided you will use disposables (or prefolds and covers) for the first couple of months.   You then plan on moving to OSFM.  You want velcro (or snaps, or a combination).  You think you might try a couple of AIOs, and a couple of Pocket nappies (and maybe a couple of AI2s / SIOs).

Great!  Sounds good!  So why don't you go out and buy a mixture of these?  Try them out.  See what you like to use, what fits your baby well.  Whatever you don't like, you can easily sell (through a facebook group such as Buy and Sell Your MCNs), or pass on to a friend.  Whatever you love, buy a couple more of.  If you want to ease yourself into it, start by just using MCNs for 2-3 nappies each day.  But if you are like most people I know, you'll be using them full time (or full time during the day) in no time.

Maybe try a couple of quick-drying, chic-looking Pikapus, some super cute and trim-fitting BumGenius, some squishy soft Baby Beehinds (the sized Magic-Alls AIO with velcro or snaps are nice), some Rumparooz (famous for being completely leak-proof for even the runniest poos).  How about some clever Bubblebubs Candies (which are a nifty OSFM nappy which does not need to be adjusted at the front)?

If you really want to tread gently, I recommend buying one BumGenius AIO, one Pikapu AIO, one Bubblebubs Candies AI2 and one Rumparooz Pocket nappy.  I promise you will love at least one, if not all, of those.

It is important to remember - while all this might seem overwhelming, most nappies will suit most babies just fine!  If you grab a OSFM AIO or Pocket nappy, with velcro or snaps, it will probably be just great on your baby (once they have outgrown the skinny legs newborn stage).  So grab a few, dive in, and go from there!  Don't let the wide range and fear of making the 'wrong choice' paralyse you to the point you avoid MCNs altogether!  Just buy a couple, try them.  Buy a couple more.  You'll love them, you'll find the perfect ones for you!

How do you wash your nappies?  With a mild clothes detergent (e.g. a natural one, anything that is grey-water safe, nothing with optical brighteners, something like Earth Choice), on cold or warm (30-40 degrees is recommended, the odd 60 degree wash is fine, and if you use cold water, you will probably need more detergent).  Never use bleach or Napisan, and avoid vinegar, as it can damage the elastics and / or outer waterproof PUL layer.  Most people like to do an extra 1-2 rinse cycles, to ensure the detergent is thoroughly rinsed out.  Some people like to wash their nappies without detergent, just using warm water and a few extra rinse cycles (I've done this for some time, it worked brilliantly, my nappies were always perfectly clean and never smelt).

You can also buy MCN-specific detergents, such as Rockin' Green, though I personally haven't loved them.

You don't need to soak the nappies.  It is recommended to 'dry pail' the nappies - that is, store them in a dry bucket or wetbag for 1-2 days, until you are ready to wash them.  If you have a poo nappy, or a very acidic wee (sometimes wees can be more acidic during teething, hence the teething nappy rash some children get), you can give the nappy a quick rinse in cold water before dry pailing it.  Try to wash every 1-2, or 3 at most, days, as urine can damage the nappies if left to soak into them for too long.

What about poo?  Breastmilk poo is so runny and mild that it can be treated as a liquid - that is, just put the nappies straight into the washing machine, or rinse briefly then dry pail if you're not planning on washing that day.  Once the poos start to get more solid, it is easiest to use a flushable nappy liner.  These are generally made of bamboo, and are biodegradable.  You just remove them from the nappy, containing the poo, and flush them down the toilet.  Note - you are not supposed to put poo into the bin.  Not even in a disposable nappy.  If you use disposable nappies, you are still supposed to remove the solid poo and flush it down the toilet.  It tells you this on the box, normally!  If you don't want to use a liner, you can get a high-powered hose thingy that attaches to your toilet, for spraying the poos into your toilet.  This sounds a bit messy to me.  I like a liner!  At any rate, you don't need to worry until your baby is older, and the poos are harder.  And even then, often they just plop off the nappy into the toilet, even without a liner.

It is generally recommended to line-dry nappies in the sunshine as often as possible.  UV helps remove any stains (truly, it works), and to keep things nice and sanitary.  Next best is drying indoors on an airing rack.  Finally, you can dry nappies in the dryer on low heat - it will mean a slightly shorter lifespan on the elastics, apparently, but in America and cold countries, many people use the drier for all their nappies, with no ill effects.  Using the drier also keeps the nappies soft and fluffy.  I personally love using the drier (on low) for my nappies, mostly for the way it keeps them soft and cosy.

Finally, with washing, it is recommended that you do a 'strip wash' a couple of times a year or so, to get rid of any detergent buildup.  To do this, do a hot wash (60 degrees) with no clothes detergent, but with a teaspoon of plain (cheap and cheerful, no moisturisers) dishwashing liquid.  Add a few extra rinse cycles (until the water runs clear, no bubbles).

Let's have a chat about accessories.  I should mention that you are not supposed to use barrier-style nappy creams with MCNs.  Creams like Zinc, Sudocream and the like are greasy, and can coat the fabric fibres of the MCN, damaging absorbency and repelling liquid.  Instead, you can buy MCN-safe nappy creams, such as CJ's Butter (I love this product!) or GroVia Magic Sticks.

While we're on the topic of creams, and I've already written about flushable liners, I might mention other MCN accessories - wetbags and cloth wipes.  Wetbags are zipping, waterproof bags - they typically fit about 3-4 nappies inside, and are used for transporting used nappies when out and about.  They can also be used at home as your 'dry pail' system - that is, for storing nappies waiting to be washed - and you can certainly buy larger sized ones which are perfect for this.  You can get wet/dry bags, which include two separate zipped compartments - one for clean nappies, one for dirty.  I have one of these.  Most people (including myself) using cloth nappies full time or part time use at least two wet bags, and possibly more.  I tend to wash wetbags at least once a week - it's easy to just toss them in with the nappies you are washing.

Many people who use MCNs use disposable wipes, however this can be a pain as you have to go and put the wipes in the bin anyway - it can be easier to just pop the wipes into the dry pail or wet bag with your dirty nappy.  There are even some great systems out there (like the Cheeky Wipes All-In-One Kit) which make using cloth wipes virtually mess-free - the used wipes go straight into a sealed box, inside a mesh bag, and the bag then goes straight into the wash.  So you don't need to touch the soiled wipes at all!  Cloth wipes are really lovely to use - much softer on baby's bottom, and thicker and 'gripper' which means you can get a really good clean with just water (or water with added essential oils or wipes solutions to keep them smelling lovely - you can google to find some nice homemade recipes).  Water does a perfect job of cleaning up even messy nappies - there really is no need for the chemicals in baby wipes, for daily nappy changes.  I find it alarming that even our 'sensitive skin' baby wipes can remove texta from handbags - there must be some strong chemicals in them!

You can either wet a wipe (or two) each time you change a nappy - easy enough if your changing area is near a sink - or you can store the wipes wet (for example, in the systems mentioned above, or just in an old Huggies wipes container, with enough water or wipes solution to keep them moist).  Some people even just use a small spray bottle of plain water (or cooled chamomile tea!), spraying the baby's bottom well, then using a dry wipe.  This is handy for when you're out and about.

You can buy brilliant cloth wipes, though they are incredibly simple to make.  All you need to do is cut up a few old thin towels, or flannel sheets, into squares (or you can buy some flannel or terry fabric).  If possible, then join two wipes together and overlock the edges to prevent them from fraying - though you can go without this step, it just means that your wipes won't last as long.

If you feel squeamish about the really poopy wipes going into the wash, you could use disposable wipes for the really dirty nappies, and use cloth for the rest of the changes.  I found that we went through so many disposable wipes when Tabitha was a baby, and at $20 or so for a box, you will find it much cheaper to go with a stash of soft cloth wipes instead.

Finally - I should point out, there are other types of MCN.  There are fitted nappies, which are like AIOs, except that they do not have a waterproof outer layer, and require a separate fleece, wool or PUL cover (like the Prefolds).  These are commonly used for night nappies, though some people use them during the day.  I don't know a lot about them, and I don't know anyone who uses them.  I might try and grab one to review?

I wanted to mention, too, that some local councils around Australia have MCNs available to borrow through their local libraries (or other networks), in a bid to encourage their residents to use MCNs instead of disposable nappies.  There are other non-government nappy lending options in Australia, too, so it's worth having a google if you're interested in trying some out before purchasing.  Many companies (including retailers like Darlings Downunder) also offer mixed trial packs to purchase at a reduced cost.

So - did you stick it out to the end?  Are you still here?  Do you have any questions, or requests for reviews?

Happy Birthday Tabitha!

Tabitha turned three on Sunday.  She is a Really Big Girl now.  We had a fairy party with all of her little friends and their parents - from her ballet class, ABA, mothers group, my little sister, and a few other friends.  In total, 20 toddlers and around 30 or so parents.

Because The Daddy has been overseas for a few weeks, and only got home a few days before the party, I kept things pretty simple.  I have a new philosophy for children's party food - work out how much food you need, then halve it.  This actually worked brilliantly for this party, we had just about the right amount, with a few cupcakes and sausage rolls leftover for munching on the next day.

On the menu were:

Homemade sausage rolls with lots of grated veggies
Poached chicken and chive sandwiches
Vanilla cupcakes with buttercream
Mini raspberry pavlovas
Fairy bread
Fruit salad
Honey joys
'Fairy and toadstool meringues'

We also had lots of mini San Pellegrino flavoured mineral waters in a large champagne bucket of ice for the adults, which made it easy for people to grab their own drinks, and raspberry cordial in bottles for the kids. 

We had a few of these tiered plates.  I have a few sets of them, they are terribly useful for parties!

We sent each fairy home with a toffee apple.  I made them with Granny Smith apples and green toffee - I like the contrast of the very sharp flavoured, and crunchy Granny Smith with the sweet toffee.  Toffee apples are outrageously easy to make if you have a candy thermometer (or a brilliant Thermapen).

Prepare your apples by washing and rubbing dry 10 medium sized apples, then spearing each apple with a thick skewer or paddle pop stick (available from craft shops).

In a heavy-based, large saucepan, combine 6 cups of sugar, 1.5 cups of water, 150g glucose syrup and 1.5 teaspoons of green food colouring (or red, if you prefer, though use red apples in that case).  Heat over medium heat, stirring without boiling, until the sugar is dissolved.  Then bring to a boil, without stirring, and allow to boil, undisturbed, until the toffee reaches 155 degrees celsius (or the 'hard crack' stage, where a small amount of mixture poured into a glass of cold water makes a sharp cracking noise, and forms a solid ball of toffee which crunches when bitten into).

Remove the saucepan from the heat, and into a baking dish filled with warm water.  Leave for a minute, until the bubbles subside, then tip the saucepan to the side, pooling the toffee, and dip each apple, twirling as you remove it, over the pan, allowing any excess toffee to drip off, then place each apple down onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving to cool.

Toffee apples are best made within two days of serving, and should be stored at cool room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in cellophane, away from heat or sunlight.

For decor, I made a 'curtain' of pink and green ribbons, hanging along the window behind the food table:

I also made 20 tissue paper pom poms, hung from the ceiling:

We also had some nice pink baby roses around the house in vases, some pink and green vintage floral bunting, and a little pink 'fairy door' attached to the front door, for the 'real fairies' to come into the party.

Sorry, too busy chatting to snap many photos of the decor!

We bought Tabitha a balance bike for her birthday, with a cute heart-print helmet from Nutcase.  I also bought a cute icy pole playfood set from Le Toy Van, which she loves.

For breakfast on her birthday, I made a strawberry jelly mould.  She found it inconceivably thrilling ("This is the best birthday I've ever seen!"), and it was actually a fairly healthy treat.  I simply packed a small jelly mould (this glass Tala one) full of sliced strawberries, then made up some jelly mixture with flavourless jelly crystals and juice, and poured it into the mould.  So it was roughly 3/4 chopped fruit, 1/4 fruit juice jelly.  Not bad!  I think this will become a regular birthday breakfast in this house.

For the cake, I baked a 4-layer chocolate cake using THIS recipe, doubled (the same one I have used for every one of Tabitha's birthday cakes so far, it is her favourite cake), covered in chocolate buttercream with pistachio and rose macarons to decorate.  I bought these from La Belle Miette - no time to bake macarons, and besides, theirs are far superior to anything I could produce.

I found a tiny pair of blue and silver fairy wings, meant for a doll, and attached longer blue elastic to turn them into baby fairy wings for Zachary.  He made the most adorable baby fairy!

  
Tabitha wore a pale yellow tutu from Tutu Du Monde - this one, Giselle - with gold fairy wings, a matching wand, and a delicate headband featuring small pearls and diamontes.  Bare feet - Tabitha says that fairies don't wear shoes.

Zachary used his puppy-dog eyes to beg for a taste of the birthday cake.  I let him have a little nibble.  He wasn't that sold on the taste, actually!

After the party, one of Tabitha's little fairy friends stayed behind, and they flopped onto the couch to watch Alice in Wonderland.  Note the two pairs of discarded fairy wings on the back of the couch!  They also shared out the remaining honey joys between themselves:

By late afternoon, all of the beautiful gifts were unwrapped and put away, the house was cleaned and mopped, and I was able to put my feet up with a cup of tea and some leftover sweet bits:

A Tale of Two Highchairs

We have two of the most popular high chairs in this house - the Stokke Trip Trapp, and the Ikea Antilop.  Tabitha still uses her Stokke (sometimes - though mostly she sits at a 'grown up' chair), and Zach is currently loving his Ikea chair.

Top two are Tabitha in the Stokke, bottom three are Zach in the Ikea.  Hard to get a photo of Zach smiling in his chair - he has only been eating food for a couple of weeks, and he takes this eating business Very Seriously!

Stokke Trip Trapp.  Sleek lines, lifetime-or-longer durability and style.  Perfectly designed to offer the perfect seating and dining positions for babies and toddlers.  Design that enhances the decor, rather than cries "colourful baby product".  More than $300.

Ikea Antilop.  Sleek lines, understated, incredibly durable.  Easy to store, relatively portable.  Easiest possible chair to clean - take it outside and hose it down, put the tray on the top shelf in the dishwasher.  Quite pretty in a modern way with a fabric cushion.  Less than $30.

Both highchairs have pros and cons.  But each has a long list of pros, and only a couple of cons.

What is fantastic about the Stokke Trip Trapp?  Obviously, it's great looking.  It's sturdy enough to withstand years of use, even from multiple children.  It can even handle adult weight - I've used it as a stepladder in a pinch many times!  It comes in a range of colours, from bright pop colours to a range of neutral wood tones to match existing furniture (we have walnut).  You can adjust the seat height as the child ages, ensuring a perfect height for eating from the main dining table (elbows to the tabletop is the correct height), and you can also separately adjust the footrest to make sure the child has the perfect 90 degree knee bend, again for ultimate comfort and posture.  The smooth finish, and lack of buckles, sliding parts or built-in cushions mean it is a breeze to clean (I just use an Enjo glove and hot water, or sometimes some water/vinegar mixture).  You can get an add-on baby seat, which you need to start with (we removed ours quite early, a little over 14 months, because T was climbing out over the baby seat, so it ended up safer to remove it and she could just climb on and off as she wished).  You can also use webbed straps to keep your child in place - however I don't love the design of them.  They join low on the back, so always slipped off the shoulders.  The main feature of the Stokke that people seem to love is that the child sits right up at the table with the family, eating alongside everyone, without the physical and mental separation of a big tray.  I absolutely agree that this was brilliant, however for the early days of baby-led weaning, when life is very messy, I don't mind a bit of a tray, which you can remove and wash properly.  Even with the small tray of the Ikea chair, Zach is only half a foot back from the table - he certainly feels like part of things!  We sit him at the head of the table, so he has an excellent view of everyone eating.

What is bad about the Stokke Trip Trapp?  The cost is high - prohibitively high for some.  Its solid structure (which is great in most ways) means that it is far from portable.  You wouldn't want to take it to a friend's place for dinner.  The design means your baby or toddler eats right at the table with the family - not on a separate tray - however this means that your table generally becomes thoroughly coated in food.  This isn't always a problem (nothing a sponge won't fix, right?) however our table is made of reclaimed timber sleepers and has lots of uneven gaps, textures etc which makes it a bit of a nightmare to constantly goopy, hardened clean food off.  Aesthetically, while the Stokke is quite lovely, it is incredibly bulky, and visually 'heavy', particularly in the darker colours.  It takes up a lot of visual space.

What is fantastic about the Ikea Antilop?  Less than $30.  For that sort of money, it's worth grabbing one even just to give it a try!  If it's not exactly what you want, pass it on to someone else.  It is also incredibly minimalist in the design, so even though it's moulded plastic and plain metal, it isn't exactly unattractive.  Ikea sells cushions for it, but I wasn't fond of their range.  We bought a gorgeous cushion from Galoomp, and if you can sew (or know someone who does), there are loads of tutorials for fantastic cushions online, including ones which pad the bottom area, ones with a pocket at the back for storing bibs and cloths etc.  Actually, I tend to use the cushion as a decorative touch, and rarely leave it in place while Zach is eating, since it gets dirty, and I honestly don't think it needs a cushion.  The chair seat is very comfortable, with a nice high back, smooth lines, a deep seat and a low, practical lap-sash belt.  It is pretty tricky to climb out of one of these chairs - and I've seen many babies try!  The legs are nicely wide-set, which makes tipping very unlikely.  The sleek lines and design - like the Stokke - make cleaning an absolute breeze, with the added advantage of being able to easily remove the tray, and you can put it through the dishwasher!  Just sit it over the cups on the top rack.  You can even take the whole thing outside and hose it down.  The legs click off really easily, making storage a breeze.  It's also so light - easy to move upstairs, from room to room, or take to a friend's place when visiting for dinner.  You'll probably also find - at least in Australia - that 9 out of 10 cafes and restaurants have these as their highchair.  So your child will be familiar with it, if you use one when out to dinner.

What is bad about the Ikea Antilop?  It's not particularly pretty - though I personally do not find it unattractive, particularly with the addition of a nice cushion.  Lacking a footrest, it is not as comfortable for a baby, as they tend to slump forward in it, and I think that this discomfort can mean babies get fed up with sitting down to eat quicker - Tabitha, aged 6 months, would happily sit for 20 minutes in her Stokke, but would get upset after 10 minutes or so in the Ikea.  The fixed height of the chair means that it cannot be used 'pulled up' to all dining tables.  It is a little too short to use against our table.  This means it either needs to be used with its tray (which is small, so the baby is still almost up at the table) or can be sat up on something secure (probably not recommended from a safety point of view!)

Ultimately, I think the Ikea is fairly useless as an everyday, comfortable highchair beyond the first 10 or so months. Once a child is sitting down to reasonably long meals, I think they really feel much happier in something with a footrest.  It is also fairly small, and wouldn't hold a larger toddler.  Sure, we've popped Tabitha in one out at a restaurant when she was 2, but it's not the chair I would choose for home at that age.

Basically, if you were only going to buy one highchair, to get you through the first food days, through to the toddler years and even beyond, the Stokke Trip Trapp is certainly my recommendation.  But if you are going to shell out $300 or so, I'd really recommend grabbing an Ikea Antilop as well.  For the same price as a cheerful bottle of wine, it will be a useful piece of equipment for the first months of baby led weaning.  After it's past its most useful period, simply pop off its legs, and stow it in a cupboard or set it up at the grandparents' house!

NOTE - the Ikea Antilop costs less than the baby chair attachment for the Stokke.  So I think it's completely justifiable to use the Ikea one for the first 6 months or so, then move onto the Stokke, if that appeals to you.

But, what about all the other high chairs?  Yeah, there are lots.  Some are expensive to the point of absurdity (though of course, if you love it, can afford it, and it meets your needs, knock yourself out!).  Some are so padded and tricked-out that they give me eye twitches when I think about cleaning them.  Some are so unattractive that I would feel sad having them in my house for two or more years.  Some are just plain badly designed, with backs that cannot sit completely upright, or other such flaws.

There are some other great ones out there too!  But based on my experience, and that of my many mummy friends, these are the two main contenders.  If you don't want to buy a Stokke (and consider them second hand - they hold their value well, but you can still pick up a bargain), then grab an Ikea chair and then a booster seat later on when your child outgrows it.  Will still set you back far less than $80 in total.

Are there any other baby products you would like a review of?

Sponge Drops and Winter Garden

Sponge Drops.  Somewhere between a scone and a sponge cake.  A sort of cupcake-sized sponge cake arrangement.  As easy as anything, and a perfectly delicious sweet treat on a dreary Winter day, with a cup of tea.  Tabitha calls them 'dot cakes', and can eat a vast quantity in once sitting.

Sponge Drops

From How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

2 large eggs

75g caster sugar (I use my vanilla-infused)

50g self raising flour

25g cornflour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

150ml thickened cream whipped

Excellent jam

Berries, optional

Lightly whisk the eggs, then add sugar and whisk until pale and voluminous - thick ribbon stage.  Sieve in the combined flours and baking powder, then fold through with a large metal spoon.

Drop scant dessertspoonfuls of mixture onto baking sheets lined with baking paper, allowing room for spreading.

Bake at 200 degrees for 5 minutes, then remove them onto a wire rack to cool.  Sometimes, it's easier to yank the piece of baking paper, puffs and all, off the hot tray and onto the wire rack, then to gently peel them off the paper once they are cool.

To serve, sandwich with plenty of cream, some jam, and crushed berries if you have them to hand.  Nigella recommends blackberry jam with crushed blackberries and this is an absolute winner.  But today, raspberry jam!

Apart from sitting eating sponge drops and drinking tea, I have also been getting out in the garden.  Each season seems to bring its own special mood to the garden, and I appreciate them all.

The Spring garden is moist and pretty, colourful and sweet-smelling, with mild blue skies and bulbs competing for space.  The Summer garden is relentlessly hot, carrying the smell of tomatoes and basil, crunchy mulch helpfully blanketing the cool, moist soil from the harsh sun.  The Autumn garden is my least favourite - leggy, overgrown relics of Summer begging to be tidied up, cool-weather plants in but not yet growing.

But Winter, what a glorious garden you bring.  Everything covered in delicate dew drops, green bulb tips poking through the soil already, and beautifully rich green plants growing robustly.  Plenty of colour thanks to marigolds and potted plants, and the pea straw keeps bring up self-seeded, pretty purple pea shoots and flowers in forgotten corners.

In the mornings, the sun comes up over the gum trees that fill the park behind our house.  Here is a hanging basket of dward sweetpeas.  I planted them months ago, and they did absolutely nothing - I thought they'd died - but have suddenly sprung to life.  The cooler weather seems to agree with them.

So many self-seeded peas from the pea straw.  I pull out most of the shoots (and toss them to the grateful, clucking chooks), but I provided a climbing frame for a few that grew next to the decking.

Love the flowers.  So chic.

Tabitha's little fairy garden sits nestled in between spring onions and carrots.  We actually had some real mushrooms spring up amongst these ones, the other morning - perhaps some fairy magic?

We have a couple of small pots of flowers, different colours of pansies, which keep things looking cheerful at this time of year.  They seem to thrive as long as they get lots of sunshine.

The Daddy build large cages over the raised veggie beds, to keep the chooks out.  They are cheeky ladies, and will devour entire plants in minutes if given the opportunity.  The cages are not particularly glamorous, but they are incredibly effective.  The sides come off for access.  At the moment, in the caged beds, we have Brussels sprouts, bok choi, carrots, lettuce, coriander, leeks, rainbow chard, chilies, and some nasturtiums, sweet alyssum and marigolds.

Garlic cloves - from my aunt's beautiful biodynamic hobby farm in Tasmania - were flung out on a chair, and promptly forgotten about.  They sent out green shoots to remind me they needed planting.  So I've popped them in.  Never grown garlic, fingers crossed!

Truly, there is something magical about the tiny beads of dew that cover the garden in the mornings.  Even the neighbours' ancient Hills Hoist looks gorgeous, like a gigantic dew-covered spiders web.