Review of Petite Crown Trima Nappy

The cloth nappy market has grown hugely in recent years, and it seems like every week brings a new nappy brand, from home or abroad. Recently I’ve been reviewing the range of nappies made by US brand Petite Crown, and today I’m bringing you my review of their Trima nappy.

I’ve been testing this with my 8 month old baby girl. As usual, if my opinions change over time I’ll update this post to let you know!

You can find all my reusable nappy reviews here.

Overall view

A beautiful quality nappy that is almost entirely natural, so excellent if you are looking for a non-synthetic option. Considering how natural the nappy is, it also has a reasonable drying time, so is a great balance of natural, quick drying and absorbent. I also love that Petite Crown undertake a significant amount of social action and manufacture their nappies ethically.

Summary

Type: Popper and pocket
Absorbent material: Hemp, bamboo and cotton
Reliability: Very good
Slimness: Reasonably slim
Size: Average size for a birth-to-potty nappy
Drying time: Average
Natural? Yes. No synthetic materials except the waterproof TPU outer.
Ethically made? Yes. Only work with suppliers who operate in accordance with the Fair Labor Association Workplace Code of Conduct.

The facts

Petite Crown make a whole range of reusable nappies, including all-in-ones, pockets, covers, flat nappies and swim nappies. The Petite Crown Trima is a birth-to-potty nappy with inserts that can either be snapped in or stuffed into a pocket. Petite Crown call the Trima an all-in-one, even though the inserts can be detached from the main part of the nappy, making it more like an all-in-two.

The nappy has a TPU waterproof outer with a bamboo-cotton lining and comes with two inserts, each made of one layer of bamboo-cotton fabric and two layers of hemp-cotton fabric . The nappy fits from approximately 8-35 lbs.

The nappy retails for £21.99 or $22.95 if you're in the US.

There is also a 'plus' version of the nappy which fits 17-55 lbs.

Petite Crown recommend washing the Trima at 55°C. The inserts can be tumble dried, though like all nappies tumble drying too regularly may shorten their life (and isn’t great for the environment!).

Because the inserts are made of natural fibres, they may need a few pre-washes to reach full absorbency, but I put them through one wash and then change more often until they reach full absorbency (I’m too impatient!)

What I love

Natural materials: The Trima is a very natural nappy, being made almost entirely of natural fibres. While most pocket nappies have a polyester lining next to baby's bottom, the Trima has a natural bamboo-cotton lining that forms part of the absorbency. This is great if you want a pocket option without the polyester. The inserts are a mix of cotton, hemp and bamboo, which seems to be unique to Petite Crown though doesn't seem to me to provide any particular benefits when compared to a nappy made of just one of these fibres.

Drying time: Many natural fibre nappies tend to have a long drying time, but the ability to snap out the inserts helps to speed up the process when compared to a hemp all-in-one. In fact this is one of my quickest drying natural fibre nappies. The drying time is still slower than a synthetic nappy, which is to be expected.

Absorbency: The absorbency of this nappy is really excellent. I find one insert is plenty for us during the day, though I do have relatively light wetting babies so that may just be us. We even find that two inserts will often last us the night (though I always boost it with an extra booster just in case!) I like that there are two inserts so that you can choose to use one if you have a light wetter. This is a definite benefit over an all-in-one. Both of my children are relatively light wetters so being able to reduce the absorbency and have a slimmer nappy is always a plus for us.

Ethical manufacture and donation programme: Petite Crown donate one nappy to a family in need for every product they sell. I absolutely love that they are committed to helping families in need, especially by providing a cloth nappy which can last a family many years. Although they're manufactured in China, they only work with suppliers who operate in accordance with the Fair Labor Association Workplace Code of Conduct.

Versatility: Usually I'm not a fan of nappies where the inserts can either be snapped in or stuffed in the pocket, because I find that you sometimes end up with the worst of both worlds. However in this case, I find that it is a real benefit. I have been able to use the nappy as a pocket nappy during weaning, making for much easier cleaning, while pre-weaning I preferred to use it with the inserts snapped in so that I didn't have to stuff the inserts after washing. I like that I've been able to use the nappy in different ways at different ages.

What I didn’t love

Fit: Whether a nappy fits well will usually depend on your baby, so bear in mind that this may only be a problem for me. I find this a very difficult nappy to get the fit right. The tabs are very deep and have a tendency to dig in across the top of Margot's legs. Usually this would be improved by staggering the poppers so that the lower row is looser than the top row, but it's difficult to get the tabs to sit well with the poppers staggered. One solution we have found is to slightly tuck the tabs under so that they sit a little higher, though this isn't a permanent solution.