What will Tots Bots' changes bring? Better, brighter, beautiful things!

Once upon a time, I discovered a diaper.

I was intrigued by its design, attracted by its ease. When we finally met in person, this cloth diaper and I, I swooned at its silky softness and its trim fit. There was no other diaper like it, and there was no disputing that. This one had become the love of my cloth diapering life. If my cloth diaper romances were a TLC reality show, this one would have been the one with the cool British accent that all the other sister-wife diapers were jealous of. This one, this UK-made Tots Bots Easy Fit, was, for sure, my happily ever after. (I know I've said that before, but this one really was the one.)

Alas, the seasons changed, and the manufacturer sent its herald out into the woods (populated by the Facebook-using fan base, of course) to deliver a proclamation.

They were changing the design.

My little heart broke in two; what Big, Bad Wolf was this, blowing down my dreams of building an all-Tots Bots stash for my next baby? I had just started using them around Christmas (that Rudolph print got me!). eLeMeNO-Pee had just brought them on. Our reps had just received training on them. And now the manufacturer was redesigning? Boo-hoo-hoo, y'all. Boo-hoo-hoo!

After grieving for a few minutes, I began reading about these changes, my skeptical spectacles (this is a British company, right?) on tight. Then I looked at the photos. My skeptical specs fell to the floor, shattering. I'm sold. My love is not leaving me. And we'll leave the metaphor there to get down to the real business: the changes.

So the biggest change that my fellow diaper aficionados seem to fear is the move away from a rayon of bamboo interior.

I think bamboo has gotten a reputation for being a natural fiber. That's not necessarily true. While there are organic bamboos in the textile marketplace, the Easy Fit's insert (and many other bamboo cloth diaper inserts) is made from rayon of bamboo. Rayon of bamboo is a high-quality, absorbent fiber derived from a natural substance (the bamboo plant), but that bamboo is blended with synthetics and treated with chemicals to become the thin, tight-loop, soft terry-like stretch of fabric that you see topping the tongue-style insert of the current Easy Fit. That insert is backed by a layer of microfiber.

The testers recruited by Tots Bots to try out the new design reported a 20% increase in absorbency, making the new Easy Fit a perfect candidate for an out-and-about diaper because of its ease of use as an AIO and its holding power for situations where diaper changes are inconvenient. The old Easy Fit was never considered a great diaper for heavy-wetters. The new one promises much-improved performance!

So what's behind that amazing new absorbency? Minky!

I've blogged about the wonders of absorbent minky before. I should also mention that minky is super quick-drying, making it a superb choice for an AIO, since drying time is every cloth diapering mom's biggest gripe about AIOs. Minky is also more durable than rayon--it will stand up to more wear and tear in a high-agitation washing machine. It can't pill! It's also luxuriously soft on the hands, making it less of a chore to stuff the tongue-style insert into the pocket of your clean, dry Easy Fits.

Don't get me wrong. I like bamboo, and I know it's been all the rage for a while. But as easy-to-deep-down-clean and as quick-drying as my FuzziBunz minky inserts have been, I'm calling it now: minky is the new, softer bamboo.

Luxurious minky, dyed to match the diaper's exterior. Check out the matching Aplix, too!

What else is new, and what's the same?

Well, the new design boasts:

1) A choice between snap or Aplix closures!

2) Gorgeous new unisex, fairytale-themed prints.

3) Color-coordinated snaps and Aplix, meaning these couldn't be any cuter or easier to show off!

The new design will retain the ultra-silky outer layer, the super-strong Aplix, the vibrant solid color palette, the trim cut that provides great coverage across the bum, and the always-fantastic customer support from Bummis!

Still disappointed by the loss of that rayon of bamboo? The Stretch Bamboozle fitted will never lose it, and the Bamboozle is cut just like the Easy Fit. Paired with a wrap-style cover, you've got a great two-step option, and you don't have to miss that bamboo!

I gotta tell you, our innovative cloth diaper (or "nappy!") friends over in the UK have really nailed it this time. If you're thinking of selling your cow for the beans to invest in some of the New Easy Fits, you won't be left disappointed. There's something, well, magical about finding such a great fit, such a soft feel, such a convenient design, and such a gorgeous array of prints and colors in one affordable diaper.

This is the tale of a special cloth diaper from across the sea and how it woo'ed my friends and me!