I just wanna say...

... Woollens are better for cloth nappies, I find.

Hi Helen,

Just wanted to say that I am delighted with the products and the service! Lovely to have happy toasty boys in this cold damp weather.

I also wanted to let you know that I am finding the woollens much more compatible with cloth nappies. Unlike cloth vests which often tuck into the nappy on the inside of the leg, the woollen vests don't wick moisture from the nappy so we've much less problems with leaking.

It's much nicer to be washing woollen vests and pants carefully once or twice a week than washing cotton vests and pants every day or even more often! So not only are the boys more comfortable, we've significantly cut back on laundry. Hurray!

Olwen Rowe
Galway, Ireland
November 2009.

... Disana sleeping bag is beautiful.

Hi Helen,

I have just received the merino wool sleeping bag I ordered for my little Lily-Bea (who has just turned 1) and I have to say that it is so very pretty and looks so wonderfully warm and cosy and I want one for myself!

You should stock these is adult sizes!!!

The quality of the wool is excellent and the knitting is beautiful, I think Lily-Bea will be having many, many restful nights of sleep with this bag.

Thank you very much for having so many wonderful and beautiful products.

Best wishes

Tammy Robinson
Dundee, Scotland.

... Disana sleeping bag works very well.

Hi Helen

Thank you for being so prompt. What a pleasure to receive an order the following day.

Charlotte sleeps so well indeed now. Her cotton sleeping bag just didn't work, as she needed more freedom, and would always uncover herself when sleeping with a duvet. The woolen bag is so stretchy and warm enough.

Have a lovely weekend.
VG in Switzerland.
May 2009

... snugglesuit and thermal vest

Hi, just wanted to say thanks very much for all our beautiful things x

The snugglesuit is nice and generous and Tara loves it, and my thermal vest is really warm.

Thanks again!
Rachel Pearson, Barrow in Furness
February 2009

... about the scratch mitts

Thank you - the scratch mittens arrived the next day - very quick. They fit perfectly and I am very pleased not to have socks on my baby's hands. I am sure he is relieved as well as the mitts must be a lot cooller and less itchy.

They also stay on better so, he is already looking less scratched.

Thank you from a very grateful Mum.

Jenny Richardson, Hove
added February 2009

... sheepskin helps baby Libby relax

Hi Helen

I have just recieved the sheepskin and it is so gorgeous i felt i had to write to tell you. Libby (4 mths) loves it she is so relaxed when laying on it and really likes to feel it with her hands.

She fell asleep on it the first day which has never happened before as she usualy likes to be held and carried in a sling when sleeping during the day.

I am going to order the carseat/pram sheepskin very soon.

Thanks for sourcing such great products - everything i have bought from you has been fabulous.

Nancy

Nancy Rollinson, London
Added January 2009

... thanks from North America!

Thanks for all the wonderful items, we received everything.
A. A., California

Order arrived today. Absolutely Adorable on the twins!
Thank you so much!!!
P.C, Alberta, Canada

Hi Helen,

I've been meaning to reply but always seem to get behind in email, especially during cold season...

I want to thank you for graciously offering the leggins. I appreciate not having to make a special trip to the post office to return them - and they will be superbly useful here!

The vest arrived and is much appreciated by a warm little girl. :)

Thanks for the great customer service. I look forward to placing orders for cozy winter items in the future.

Sue, North Carolina, USA
February 2009

... giggles for Merino PJs!

Hi there,

The ruby pj's are a perfect fit, Alice giggled with delight when I took them out the packet & refused to take them off for the rest of the day...

Thanks a lot!
Victoria

Victoria Clark, London
2008

... giggles again!

Hi Helen,

We got the ruby suit on our return from glasgow & Alice had exactly the same response as last time, lots of giggling & she wore it the rest of the day, very happy!

Thanks for your help
All the best Victoria
February 2009

... excellent quality bodysuits.

Helen, I am just dropping you a line to say thank you very much for your excellent service. The silk/wool bodysuit came the next day, was excellent quality and kept the baby warm the whole day.
I was very impressed with the product and will be ordering more.
Many thanks
Keri

Keri Porch
Newport
Added January 2009

... my daughter is delighted!

Dear Helen,

My daughter has received the clothes I ordered for Lily from you. She is absolutely delighted with everything! Thank you.

We love your natural fibres. They have contributed to Lily's calm and happy nature.

By the way, there's another baby due in March so you will be hearing from me again soon,

Susan Reynolds, Bracknell

Will in his Engel Special Edition wool/silk clothing with an Engel silk/cotton body underneath.
Click here to view details.

... these clothes made my baby happy!

Hi Helen,

I received the parcel this morning and it couldn't have arrived at a better time. Will has come down with a terrible cold (as have I!) and we had a terrible night last night.

Anyway, he immediately cheered up after trying on his new clothes (he has one of the Engel silk/cotton bodies on underneath) and is looking a lot brighter as you can see. I had to roll up the trousers a bit as they are a little long, but I'm so glad I ordered some before they sold out!

Estelle, Edinburgh

... that the Soft Merino Fleece Bonnet are small but wonderful.

These bonnets were wonderful for our February baby. They're nice and soft and warm, and keep little baby ears warm and cosy.

Compared to the typical newborn hats you get here they stay on because you can tie them under baby's chin (or alternatively cross the long ties on his chest and tie on his back). (Helen adds: the ties are also reassuringly elastic.)

I found they come quite small, though. The smallest size, 0-3m, only fit our son for about 2-3 weeks (it fits perfectly on a baby born doll) - but we're a family of bigheads ;-) M. Brockmann, Cambridge

...the Disana Fleece Booties stay on really well.

I love these booties! They stay on really well because of the adjustable velcro which makes them perfect for being out and about. My daughter didn't manage to get them off like other booties we had.

They also bear up quite well. I bought them ages ago and they served two babies well - it's only now that the third baby is wearing them that one has finally a hole on top (which could be mended).

...that I wish we'd discovered wool/silk before.

Hi Helen,

We've got one short-sleeved baby-body for our son and one sleeveless vest for my 2-year-old daughter and they're both wearing them almost all the time. I really wish I had discovered earlier how fabulous the wool-silk knit fabric is - it's such a shame my daughter didn't get to wear wool-silk as a baby.

One of the great things is that the body and vest don't get smelly (not even when the nappy leaked) so fortunately you needn't wash them very often!

The body accidentally got in the normal wash (luckily I decided that day to wash the nappies at 40° and not at 60°), but it came out ok and unshrunk. It was only a bit felted, but still nice and stretchy.

Some feedback for cloth nappy users: for using cloth nappies the baby body is a bit on the small side but if you take it a size bigger, it fits very well.

I will definitely buy more of this stuff!

M. Brockmann, Cambridge

...that the silk & wool bodies are worth it.

Hi Helen,

When I wrote yesterday, I hadn't actually tried the bodies on Will and I just wanted to give you a bit more feedback.

I did wonder what was so special about these bodies to merit the price. Now I've tried them for myself, I have to say they are worth every penny and I'm just sad I didn't get some sooner.

They are incredibly soft and although I sized up, the material is so fine it really doesn't matter they're a little big. I've just tried them on under quite a slim fitting T-shirt and you can't even tell Will is wearing an extra layer.

It's a real shame to hide them away though. The honey colour is gorgeous and so much nicer than the harsh bleached white of regular bodies.

I shall be recommending them to all my friends and although they are quite expensive, I would rather have a couple and wash them frequently, than have drawers full of cheaper ones.

Kind regards,
Estelle Rae, Edinburgh

Helen adds: Estelle also added that she sized up for her 7-month-old baby to 12-24m. This was the right size for cloth nappies, and in normal nappies it didn't matter that there was a little extra fabric -because the fabric is so fine, it still sits well on the body and under other clothes.

I-just-wanna-ask...
is cloth nappy clothing a gimmick?

These roomy dungarees are "normal" clothes that do fit well over cloth nappies.
Click here to view details.

Helen writes:

We were converted to cloth nappies when Eleanor (our eldest) was around four months. We were lucky to get a trial "nappy bucket" for free from the local Real Nappy Network, but found that simple terry squares were the best leak-proof option! And though we also use disposables from time to time, seeing a washing line full of terry squares blowing in the wind and drying in the sun gives me much pleasure.

Weird? Maybe. But this sentiment is also shared by a writer in our local NCT magazine, who wrote one of the best articles on using cloth nappies that I've seen. (I'm hoping to be able to get a link to point you to it.) However, she says about clothes for babies in cloth nappies that "surprise, surprise: it turned out to be someone's creation of a retail niche".

Personal experience...

The few companies that make these clothes, and I only know of two, have done so because they personally found that it can be hard getting clothing to fit. And I can testify to this problem myself!

To get it long enough in the back and wide enough round the bottom, you have to size up which means things end up too broad round the shoulders, baggy round the neck and too long in the leg. Indeed, that is why we started our clothes-for-cloth-nappies section (which, incidentally, you can get 11% off of if you order before 28th May using the code "realnappyweek").

If you have ever sat next to a cloth nappy evangelist, you will know that they can be dedicated to the cause. I know that the people who make these clothes are driven to provide a decent, roomy, comfy fit for babies in cloth nappies - which is generally NOT achieved by today's "normal" baby clothes.

These leggins and all our tights are also great over a cloth nappy.
Click here and scroll down to see them.

...and dedication!

The tremendous amount of work and investment that goes in to a small, family business designing and making clothes and getting them to market is a labour of love. Here we just want to root for them. Thanks for our cloth nappy clothing!

At Cambridge Baby, we have put together a section of clothes for babies in real nappies, some of which are especially designed, and some of which are "normal" clothes which we have found work well. All of them have been chosen for their quality and performance, and to fit with our ethical stance of socially and environmentally responsible clothing. You can get 11% off any of these if you order before 28th May 2008 - just enter the code "realnappyweek" to do so!

Notes and links

Do you Just-wanna-say-something too?