A Beginners Guide to Cloth Nappies

Interested in cloth nappies but have no idea where to start? Here's my brief run down of what you need to know....


Why go washable?
Advantages:

• Cost - £200-300 vs £3000
• Less waste - when they've finished their life they can go to fabric recycling. 
• Better for the environment - especially if you don’t tumble dry the energy and environmental impact is much lower 
• Fewer leaks - much less poo up the back! 
• Natural fibres - less chemicals (recent French study on chemicals in disposable nappies)
• Breathable - better for skin? Most anecdotal evidence claims less nappy rash. Studies limited but definitely support it being no worse than disposables. 

Disadvantages?

• More washing? Only 1 load every 2 days and you’re washing LOADS anyway!
• Messier? Not really. Changing a disposable poo can get everywhere. With washables you’re organised and everything goes in the loo / bin / washing machine without needing to be handled any more than a disposable. 
• Smelly? Actually less smelly. Washables seal in the poo smell much better and are natural fibres so cause less of a smell. If nappies do get smelly you can solve this with strip washing.
• Holidays / long days out? You don’t need to use cloth all the time if it’s not practical. Every little bit helps!
• Time consuming? Maybe a little depending on what type you go for but not excessively. 

*If you’re starting out you don’t need to go full time*

• Hands and face wipes - can get washed with main load.
• Try a swim nappy - so easy! 
• Long day out? Have 2-3 washables in your nappy bag and a few backup disposables. 
• Take disposables on holiday (except your swim nappy - seriously disposable swim nappies are a total waste of time and money!) 
• Use a disposable at night? Saves buying specific night nappies at first and might make the move to cloth nappies feel more manageable.

How does it work?

All nappies have a waterproof layer, an absorbent layer and a liner of some type. You can use boosters to add extra absorbency to any nappy. There are LOADS of different brands and types which can be confusing but basically they fall into four categories which I'll run through below.

Most people use a liner, either bamboo or fleece which catches the poo. Any solid material can be bagged and binned or ideally, flushed down the toilet. The rest of the nappy then just goes into your nappy bucket then into the wash.    

Sizes:

• Birth to potty - only buy once. Can be bulky on a newborn. A big baby might grow out of them or go through periods of a bad fit. Different brands have different ‘fit’. Can get very worn after 2+ years of a child’s use.
• Shaped / sized nappies - You buy 2-3 sets moving up the sizes as your baby grows. This disadvantage is this is more to buy but you do get a better fit at the time and can sell on or use for siblings. Because each size is used for a shorter period you’ll get much better multi-child use. 

Different types of nappies:

All-in-ones 

• Generally birth to potty. Most fit from 10lbs to 2+ years
• Easiest to use - on, off, straight in wash
• Looks and works most like a disposable. 
• Quick - no assembly
• Good for nursery / childcare /reluctant partner.
• Toddlers and newborn can use at the same time. Toddlers and newborn can use at the same time. 
• Sometimes bulky on newborns and bigger toddlers might grow out. 
• Can take awhile to dry (24hrs+) depending on material type.
• Only 1 layer - more prone to leaks, esp if elastic wears. Might leak wee more when full. Still very good at preventing poo leaks.  
• Popular brands - BumGenius, TotBots, MioSolo

All-in-two

• Like an all-in-one but has layers that pop out for drying 
• Quicker to dry than a straight all-in-one but more time-consuming assembling the nappy.
• Popular brands - Close Pop-ins, Wizard Duo 

Pocket nappies 

• A waterproof shell which you stuff with required absorbency.
• Easy to use
• Can easily adjust absorbency level
• Can be least bulky
• Can be a good option as a night nappy as you can add a lot of boosters
• Dry quicker 
• You have to stuff / unstuff. A little more time consuming. 
• Popular brands - BumGenius, Charlie Banana 

Two part system 

• Can be a shaped absorbing inner nappy + outer waterproof layer or a flat, pad and prefold fastened with nappy nipper + waterproof outer layer. 
• You have 3-5 outer layers and a selection of 12-20 inner nappies. When changing a dirty nappy you only put the inner nappy in the wash and use the same outer layer all day. 
• Usually ‘sized’ so get a good fit
• Very leak resistant
• Can buy good night nappies and combine with a all-in-one for daytime
• Quicker drying - separate waterproof layer dries very quickly. Inner nappy drying times depend on fabric choice. 
• Good for newborn / slim fit 
• Instead of buying once you may need to 2-3 different sets as your child grows, however because they're used for a shorter period of time they hand down to siblings or sell on in much better condition. 
• More time consuming to put on - 2 layers to fasten
• Can be bulky
• Popular brands - Gnappies, Motherease + Sandy’s, Little Lambs 

What do you need?

• Nappies - 12-20 depending on how often you want to wash, your child and the type you use. Also if you want to do night time or long days out.
• A nappy bucket - Any bucket with a lid will do. e.g. Bambino Mio comes with a mesh bag for easy washing. 
• Liners - most people start with a flushable bamboo liner for catching poo. Fleece are excellent if you want zero waste and less messy than you might think. 
• A wet bag for dirty nappies when out and about. 
• Wipes - cheeky wipes are v good. 

Poppers Vs Velcro

• Most people assume velcro gets a better fit but…
• We’ve all found poppers give good flexible fit 
• Babies learn to undo velcro quicker 
• Velcro less secure 
• Velcro wears A LOT less well 
• Poppers are easier to do up on a wriggly / standing up baby 
• Poppers are easier to replace if they break than Velcro once it loses its stick. Also harder to break! 

Washing nappies

• Lots of different ways of doing it.
• Some people pre-soak but not necessary. Soaking in napisan can help persistent stains. Rinsing poo off before putting in a dry bucket can help prevent stains setting. 
• Use liners / toilet paper to remove any solids. 
• Put everything together in machine 
• Cold rinse to reduce stains - no detergent 
• Hot (40 or 60’) wash with extra water if you can. NB washing at 60 will reduce the life expectancy of the waterproof layer in your nappies. 
• Don’t use too much detergent and it causes build up and you’re load is probably much smaller than usual. Add a little sanitiser, e.g. napisan. No fabric conditioner (reduces absorbency of nappies). 
• Some nappies may be better tumble dried (e.g. towel material). Most can hang dry. 

Where to start?

• www.thenappylady.com has loads of information, videos and reviews and an amazing questionnaire you can fill in to find out what type of nappy would suit you best.
• Consider buying a few second hand to try out. There are several second-hand nappy selling FB sites e.g. https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheNappyLadySellingPage/
• Pop along to any TCP social meeting to have a look at our collection and ask any questions you might have!