Review: Charlie Banana Swim Nappy

Before Christmas, I posted about how we had been taking Isabelle to a few swimming lessons in order to give us all a little more confidence in the water. We have been taking Isabelle swimming since she was 13 weeks, and go at least twice a month - usually more. We like to go during the week as it's quieter, so if Simon is at work Isabelle and I usually go with her Grandad and Jacob instead. We're heading off on a family holiday to Portugal in a few weeks time, and our villa has it's own pool, so Isabelle will be spending lots of time splashing around.

Of course, when we go swimming Isabelle has to wear a swim nappy. We actually use a swimsuit for her which has a nappy built in, but she is about to outgrow this, and I am very reluctant to buy disposable swim nappies. I don't use regular disposable nappies, and disposable swim nappies seem like such a waste - they don't absorb anything, they are just there as a barrier against solids after all. I don't like the idea of throwing out one of these nappies after just one use, when it probably hasn't even done anything!
Luckily, I was contacted by the lovely people over at Fill Your Nursery who offered to send me a Charlie Banana swim nappy to try out. I had posted about my use of Charlie Banana cloth nappies before, and although they weren't for us, I was really eager to try out a swim nappy as I've heard wonderful things about them.
The premise is exactly the same as a disposable swim nappy - the nappy is there as a barrier to contain any solids should the worst happen while you are swimming. The only difference is that, instead of throwing this nappy away, it gets chucked into the wash with the rest of our swimming things when we get home.
The Charlie Banana swim nappies come in a gorgeous range of prints, as do their normal cloth nappies.  I had no trouble picking out a print to try - the "Goodbye disposable, hello cloth!" print is one I have loved since I saw it, although some of the gorgeous girly prints were in close contention! Solid colours and boys prints are available, and they all look really great. Simon said "It doesn't matter what it looks like as nobody sees it." Men do not understand some things at all!
There is soft elastic round the legs, and the waist is adjustable to get the perfect fit on your little one, and make sure anything that needs contained does stay contained. The inside of the nappy is made from organic cotton, and is so soft - much nicer to put next to Isabelle bum than a plastic feeling disposable. Isabelle seemed really comfy in the nappy, and although we luckily didn't have to put it's containment to the test, it was a great fit around her legs and waist so I have no doubt it would do that job wonderfully.
The nappy actually doubles as training pants, so does have a slightly absorbent inner core. I would personally prefer this to be totally remove able as, when using it as just a swim nappy, there is no need for the absorbency and it made the nappy heavy and slightly slower to dry.
To top it all off, when you buy one of these gorgeous nappies - which cost £8.50 at Fill Your Nursery - you get the added bonus of knowing that some of that money you spend is going to support Operation Smile.
Our Charlie Banana swim nappy will definitely be one of the first things packed when we head off to Portugal after Isabelle's birthday, and it will feel great to know that we won't be leaving a pile of disposables behind after a week of splashing around in the pool all day.