I had looked at Happy Heinys a few times before I finally added one to my basket at funkymonkeypants, I know they are quite big and well-known in the US but I’ve not seen much about them. I choose the Organic over the normal version for no real reason other than the cow print was only available in Organic! It comes in snaps or velcro, the inside is made from organic hemp and cotton and its sold without an insert for £13.50.
There are two kinds of inserts to choose from, I got one of each to compare them but a BG insert or similar would be fine to use if you have plenty of spares and want to save some money. The microfiber terry inserts are made of 3 layers of soft and very absorbent microfiber and are completely chemical free. They come in two sizes small (12 inches) and medium/large (16 inches) and are sold for £4 each, they are basically like the newborn BG insert but thicker and obviously a bit longer in the medium/large size. The other insert they make is a bit special and one I’ve not come across before, it’s called a Stuffin and is made from hemp and is a hourglass shaped insert that has a sort of pouch so you can slip in a smaller oval insert to give extra boosting where you need it. So you can just use the insert on its own or add the oval insert into the pouch and place it at the front of the nappy or turn it around and use it at the back or only slip it slightly into the pouch so it’s in the middle. This one comes in small, medium and large sizes and is £6.50, a word of caution though, they do seem huge when they first arrive but a good few washes shrinks them a bit so dont be alarmed when the medium you ordered seems huge. I love this insert, holds a lot of pee and you can really customise where you need the extra boosting without adding bulk all over the nappy, I am tempted to get a few more and use in other nappies.
So back to the nappy itself, the inside feels lovely and soft and the opening at the back is nice and large, it has a 3 snap rise, so it gives 4 different sizes, it is made on the more generous size and is quite wide fitting in the crotch area, I cant imagine it fitting well on a newborn, even though it has the small newborn rise setting as it is so wide. Will do some comparison pics next to a BG V4 further down. The main thing that stuck me was the waist snaps, rather than 2 snaps on each side to do up, like on a BG, the HH has 4 snaps on each side, so that’s 8 snaps to do up at a change rather than the usual 4 I’m used to! The snaps on one of the wings do have ‘open’ snaps on top so that you can snap the other wing to it in a crossover fashion to give a really tight on smaller babies.
The elastic on the legs and at the back is really good and has a good tight stretch to it, nothing escaped the legs, no leaks and no poop explosions! I did find the fit a little on the loose side, Chloe is about 15lbs now but is quite long and skinny, it didnt give us any leaks at all so it isn’t a problem really and I guess it means it will fit smaller but chunkier babies as well. I wont lie, I do find the extra snaps to do up a little annoying but looking forward to the future I guess maybe it might make it harder for when Chloe starts to show an interest in undoing her nappies! Due to the organic hemp and cotton inner the shell does take longer than most pocket nappies to dry but the microfibre terry insert dries in about the same time as a BG insert. The hemp stuffin insert takes longer as well but being able to remove the oval booster from the main insert helps a lot with drying but I usually leave them to dry overnight on an airer and they are always dry in the morning and ready to go.
Ease of use: As easy as any other pocket out there, except the slight extra hassle of doing up double the snaps as you normally would, the large opening to the pocket is a nice plus though.
Performance: No leaks of any kind and goes 4 hours easy for us, have yet to try it overnight but that is on my list for nights to come! Drying time is a little long but that’s to be expected from an organic hemp nappy. I do think these fit on the large side, Chloe has it on the second rise snap but we need to cross over the wing snaps at the front, which does make it a little thicker at the front, this is definitely a nappy for bigger babies. The fit is no where as good for us as a BG V4.
Design: Cant get the full range over here as yet but there is a huge array of funky prints and colours in the US, girl and boy friendly, hopefully they will be all available to us at some point. I’m still not too taken with the double wing snaps but maybe after more use I’ll not even notice them, will update on that front. Love the big open pocket, wish BG and other pocket nappies were like this, no fold over bits, just an opening nice and close to the back elastic. Due to the inserts being sized, the nappy fits nice and trim, no folded up insert to add bulk and the stuffin insert is a brilliant idea, definitely useful for added absorbency without extra bulk and brilliant that it can be placed wherever your baby needs it.
Overall: At £17.50 for the nappy with the basic insert and £20 for the nappy with the stuffin insert (which I do recommend trying out, even just getting on its own to try in a pocket you already have) it is on the slightly higher end of the market, even for an organic nappy. Having said that, it is a good nappy, with plenty of room for growth, especially with chunkier babies and it does look and feel really well made, so will last a good few babies . If you’re looking for an organic nappy with a difference and can persuade a UK seller to order in some of the other prints/colours and get the fab stuffin inserts then I think you’ll be very happy. I am probably more impressed with the stuffin insert then I am blown away by the nappy as a whole but that’s probably because it is on the expensive side and I would rather have the standard 2 snaps a wing then 4. Also with Chloe being quite slim, it is a little roomy, not bulky but just loose, but I’m sure if I had a chunky baby I’d be really pleased with its roominess! So unless Chloe has a massive growth spurt and this fits her a bit better, I probably will trade this in for something else, but as I said, if you have a larger baby and are looking for a funky organic nappy then this is for you, I will be keeping the stuffin insert though!
Michelle xx
Update 26th October 2010
Okay so I’ve continued to use the HH everytime it is in the basket, but I’m still not over the moon with it. Fitting wise, it’s still big and I cant quite find the right waist fit, I think if it had stretchy wings it might help, we have to crossover the wings but it still isnt quite right and does make it a little bulky at the front. Chloe is now about 16lbs but she’s just long and skinny and this nappy just doesnt really suit her. Having said that, there hasnt been any leaks but I dont like the way that the inner of the nappy holds onto wetness, we use fleece liners but the inside of the wings and front of the nappy are always damp when I take it off, which doesnt happen with other pockets that have fleece like inners. Drying time is longer then average but that’s what’s to be expected from an organic insert and nappy, I generally leave it in the airing cupboard over night to dry. For chunkier babies this would be great or for someone who wants a funky looking organic nappy but it isnt for us and I will be finding it a new home and bum to love shortly.
Michelle xx
I bought the nappy mentioned in this post and did this review because I wanted to, no compensation was received for doing it.
Fluffy Mummy 
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