Kissing Blake Nappy
With cloth nappies in adult sizes still being something of a rarity, one way to find a product that suits your needs is to find individuals and companies that are branching out from baby/child nappies to adult sizes or are happy to make custom sizing that is larger. Kissing Blake (KB) is a store on Etsy that is run by the wonderful Leah. When I first contacted Leah to see what options there might be for an adult-sized product, she was very helpful and not long after had added an adult cloth nappy to the store in response to enquiries she had received from me and others. In terms of managing expectations, this is a small enterprise (based in the US) and you aren’t going to place your order today and have your customer-made nappy within 48 hours! Leah takes time to discuss and confirm the options, make the item and have it shipped (thousands of miles for me!) so this is not a quick fix. However, you will get a custom product to suit your needs and the quality is excellent. This is the only product of this kind on the market.
Hybrid design
The main body of the nappy is made from an outer layer of poly fleece; the inner layer is cotton velour and sandwiched between is a hidden layer of Polartec fleece to provide an element of water resistance. It is smportant to note that this is not a fully waterproof layer and will not resist a full bladder wetting or loads of compression, but it does give a very breathable option in times and places where you might be caught short, but have ready access to change as needed to ensure you avoid leakage.
There are 2 rows of snaps and these are customisable in terms of having whatever you want as long as Leah has it! The idea of the 2 rows is that it can be folded down to reduce the waistband and provide more customisability. I do wonder whether it would make sense to have a second row for securing the nappy at the waist instead and I did suggest this after receiving my order and Leah seemed receptive to the feedback, so hopefully this will be an option in future.
Inserts
The nappy comes with 3 inserts for absorbency. One is made from 3 layers of hemp and snaps onto the outer shell of the nappy. A further insert is composed of 2 layers of bamboo fleece with a minky topper designed to lay against the skin and snaps to the insert that is snapped into the nappy. This layer is super soft and has feel dry properties when the other inserts are wet, so that you don’t feel too damp. The final insert is 3 layers of bamboo fleece which can lay between the other two for extra absorbency where needed. Personally for any length of time I find this is definitely necessary and rarely use it without it. I occasionally add in a zorb booster or two to increase capacity if it is being used for a prolonged period.
Overall
This is one of my favourite nappies for using during the daytime. It is nice and trim and pretty discreet. The absorbency is great and I have a wide range of covers which I can use with it. As with all covers I tend to find that ones with gussets work best at preventing leaks, but the hybrid nature does a good job of deterring these in the first place. These are a wonderful handmade and custom option that is an incredibly useful addition to my supplies. They are never going to be a cheap option, but you are supporting a small business rather than lining the pockets of a CEO and you get to have a working relationship with the manufacturer who will customise to your needs.
I can’t recommend the service enough. Not fast because of the nature of the product, but well-made with care and within the realistic timescales that are advertised. I wish that she were on this side of the pond so that delivery wasn’t quite as pricey!
Incontinence Cloth 