Review of Petit Lulu Fitted Nappies
When it comes to fitted nappies for nighttime, there are a couple of solid favourites out there and very few new nappies have been able to challenge them. Nearly everyone who uses cloth uses either the Tots Bots Bamboozle or Little Lamb Fitted Nappy (with a few Motherease Sandy’s users), and generally, they are very loyal to the brand they’ve chosen! There’s a good reason for that. As you’ll remember from my post on nighttime nappies, figuring out the combination that works for you can take some time, so when you land on something that’s reliable, it will take a lot to switch from it.
And I was exactly the same. We love Bamboozles. We’ve never had a leak (aside from where a wrap has been put on rather shoddily…!) and our secondhand stash has held up well to some heavy use over the last couple of years. So when I heard about Petit Lulu fitted nappies, I was reluctant to try something new. That was until I saw the flurry of positive comments from other nappy gurus and cloth lovers, and finally decided to branch out. Here’s how we got on.
I’ve been testing the Fluffy Organic Maxi Night version of this nappy on my 23 month old boy over the past few months. If my opinions change over time I’ll update this post to let you know. The pictures here were taken after the nappy had been washed a couple of times so you can see how it looks after washing.
The facts
Petit Lulu makes a couple of slight variations of its fitted nappies, One Size and Maxi Night, and each comes in two different compositions, either Standard or Fluffy Organic. There is also a newborn size.
Both variations come with a snap in soaker and additional booster, and both are available with either snap or hook and loop closures. The compositions are as follows:
Fluffy Organic
Outer layer: 95% Cotton & 5% Elastane
Fill & Inner Layer: 60% Bamboo & 40% Organic Cotton
Booster: 60% Bamboo & 40% Cotton
Standard
Outer layer: 95% Cotton & 9% Elastane
Fill: 80% Cotton & 20% Polyester
Inner: 60% Bamboo & 40% Organic Cotton
Booster: Face & Underside 60% Bamboo & 40% Organic Cotton - Fill 80% Cotton & 20%
The One Size Fitted Nappy is marketed as a birth-to-potty nappy to fit from 9 - 35 lbs (4 - 16 kg) and has a single row of rise snaps. This nappy was previously sold with a fleece liner, but this has now been discontinued.
The Maxi Night is intended for larger babies and/or for nighttime use. As such it is designed to fit from 15 - 35 lbs (7 - 16 kg). However, my experience and that of other cloth nappy users has been that this nappy tends to last beyond 35 lbs, and often until little one is dry at night. The newborn is intended for 5-13lbs, and has an extra popper to make space for the umbilical cord.
As these are fitted nappies, they need to be used with a waterproof cover - our favourites are the Motherease Airflow or Petit Lulu’s own Pull Up Cover.
The nappies retail at the following prices:
One Size Standard: £16.95
One Size Fluffy Organic: £17.50
Maxi Night Standard and Fluffy Organic: £19.95
You can get 10% off these prices if you buy at The Nappy Gurus and use the code ‘ABODERIE’.
Petit Lulu recommend washing at 60°, though 40° is probably also adequate for those who prefer that. The nappies can be tumble dried, though like all nappies tumble drying too regularly may shorten their life.
What I love
Given the popularity of Tots Bots Bamboozle Fitted Nappies, I’ll be comparing the Petit Lulu nappies to Bamboozles where it’s helpful. I still love Bamboozles, so although I’ll be drawing out some of their negatives here for comparative purposes, I wouldn’t want you to exclude them on the basis of this review!
Stretchy and soft: It’s very common for bamboo nappies to become quite hard and dense over time, which can result in them feeling stiff and harder to fit comfortably. Compared to our other bamboo fitted nappies, our Petit Lulus are staying much softer. What’s more, the elastane in the outer layer gives these nappies an excellent amount of stretch, which helps with achieving a good fit and prevents them from feeling too stiff. Time will tell whether years of use also turn these hard - I’ll let you know - but so far they are holding up beautifully.
Added to this, a small detail that I love is the way the elastic is encased around the legs. The elastic is very easy to tuck right into the groin to achieve a comfortable fit. By comparison, the elastic on Bamboozles can become bulky and difficult to nestle right into the knicker line.
Super absorbent: Like all fitted nappies, these are super absorbent and will easily last the night, but these nappies come with an extra layer of absorbency when compared to other fitted nappies like the Bamboozle. This is excellent, because the many people will add a second booster to a Bamboozle anyway, which would need to be bought separately.
Natural fibres: It can be quite difficult to find modern cloth nappies that don’t include some form of polyester (whether microfibre, fleece or some other form), so it is nice that the Fluffy Organic versions of these nappies are almost entirely natural or semi-synthetic (being made mostly of bamboo rayon and organic cotton). For comparison, the Bamboozle is made of bamboo rayon with a microfibre core.
Sizing: It is excellent that there is a specific Maxi Night version for even more absorbency. To me it makes complete sense to have a version that runs from 15 lbs to nighttime training as the Maxi Night does. Most babies under 15 lbs won’t sleep long enough at night to warrant a fitted nappy, but generally toddlers do need to wear a night nappy long beyond their second birthday. That means that buying the Maxi Night rather than the One Size may be the more sensible choice for most people, as it will mean only buying one size to last right the way through to nighttime training. That being said, if you are looking into fitted nappies for a reason other than nighttime use (for example, for containment at the newborn stage) then you may still want to consider the One Size.
And if you’re interested in how the sizing compares to a Bamboozle - the Bamboozle size 2 is comparable to the Petit Lulu One Size (approx 9 - 35 lbs). Clem is approaching 30 lbs and nearly grown out of his Bamboozles, while the Maxi Night will probably last several more months.
Closures: This is a minor one, but I love that these nappies are available with either snap or velcro closures. Personally I prefer snaps as they’re easier for washing, and both Bamboozles and Little Lamb fitted nappies are velcro closure nappies, so this provides an option for those who would rather have snaps.
our Petit Lulus are staying much softer than our other fitted nappies
What I don’t love
Drying time: The extra absorbency of these nappies (and particularly the Maxi Night) mean that these are slightly slower drying than other fitted nappies in our collection. We’ve found they take a few hours longer to dry than a Bamboozle. As with most fitted nappies, these can be tumble dried, though it’s worth limiting tumble drying if you can as it can wear nappies faster and isn’t great for the environment.
Cost: These are quite a bit more expensive than other popular fitted nappies. With the Maxi Night coming in just shy of £20, it's nearly double the price of a Bamboozle (£12.95) and more than double that of a Little Lamb (£8.50). The Petit Lulu nappies do come with an extra booster, though bamboo or hemp boosters such as those made by Little Lamb or Baba + Boo can be bought separately for a couple of pounds, so overall the Petit Lulu nappies will still work out more expensive.
In summary
These are excellent fitted nappies that have some considerable benefits when compared to other fitted nappies, namely the softness, the sizing and the fact that the Fluffy Organic is polyester-free. However, these benefits do come at a cost, and with these being significantly more expensive than Bamboozles and Little Lamb fitted nappies, they may be ruled out for you. As ever, my advice would be too give them a go and work out if it’s worth it to you!
Where to buy
I bought my nappies from The Nappy Gurus. You can get 10% off if you use the code ‘ABODERIE’.
I have an ongoing relationship with The Nappy Gurus, but this nappy was purchased with my own money and the article is not sponsored. This page contains affiliate links, which earn me a little bit of commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
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