Cloth Nappies FAQ
When we first decided to use cloth nappies we got a lot of questions – Aren’t they a hassle? Don’t they create more work? Why would you bother when disposables are so easy? Don’t they cost a lot of money? Thankfully, cloth nappies have come a long way since the days of terry squares and safety pins!
Q// Why do you cloth nappy?
Two main reasons – to help the environment and to save money. Every day in the UK alone, almost 8 million disposable nappies are thrown away. With each nappy taking between 200-500 years to breakdown, that’s an awful lot of waste to sit in landfill. Plus disposable nappies are made of super-absorbent chemicals, paper pulp, plastics and adhesives, while real nappies are mostly made of natural fabrics. I know which I’d rather put on my baby’s skin!
Over the two and a half years the average child is in nappies, it’s estimated you would spend around £900 on disposable nappies, and around £400 on cloth nappies {though I’m guessing that’s if you bought brand new for each child}. Cloth nappies will easily do two or more children, increasing the savings even more. You can also purchase second hand to keep the costs down.
Q// Isn’t it a lot more work?
Not really, once you get in the swing of cloth nappying, it’s essentially only an extra load of laundry every couple of days.
Q// What kind of cloth nappies do you use?
Personally, we mainly use Tots Bots. We’ve tried many different brands/styles of nappies, and found that these work best for us. We’ve found that they fit great and don’t leak. We have a few Motherease in our stash too as well as some Little Lambs. The style of nappy that we use are two part – a cloth nappy and a waterproof wrap that goes over the top. The nappies can be boosted with a liner for extra absorbency. My most favourite of all cloth nappies are the Flufles – which have been discontinued but can still be picked up on second hand nappy sites. They’re really soft, fluffy and absorbent – and kinda look like bubba has a cloud on their bottom! I also prefer to buy the sized nappies as opposed to birth to potty.
Q// Do you cloth nappy exclusively?
Nope. I usually have my newborn in an eco-disposable for the first week or two. Those first few days you really don’t want to be worrying about running out of nappies if you’ve forgotten to throw them in the wash, so we use a disposable while I recover from the birth and we get settled into some kind of normal. I’d also use eco-disposables when we were travelling or away from home for a few or more days. However, I know many hard-core cloth nappy users who even use cloth whilst camping!
Q// How many cloth nappies do you need?
I have around 30 size 1 nappies, which fit up to around 18lbs {anywhere between 5 and 12 months depending on your baby!}. This allows me to wash every other day without running out – a newborn generally goes through 8-12 nappies in a 24 hour period. I have around 6 wraps, as these don’t need to be changed with every nappy change – unless we have a ‘poo-splosion’ I’ll normally only use 1 or 2 wraps a day.
In size 2 we have around 24 – by the time mine are into size two’s, I find that we’re changing them a little less often and we’re settled in a good routine, so 24 is usually enough.
Q// Do they leak?
Cloth nappies shouldn’t leak. If they do, it’s usually because they haven’t been put on correctly, or you need to boost them with another liner so they can absorb more liquid. If you’ve bought brand new nappies, they will need pre-washing a few times first to bring them to their full absorbency.
Q// What else will I need?
Liners
Nappy Bucket
Bucket Liner
Wet Bag
Boosters
Coconut Oil
Washable wipes
Nappy Nippas
We usually use a disposable paper liner, placed inside of the cloth nappy, if baby has pooed it can just be thrown away – meaning no scraping poo of the nappy! We also have a load of fleece liners that do need the poo scraping off and washing.
A nappy bucket is an essential for holding all those nappies waiting to be washed. We use it with a mesh laundry bag, so on wash day we can simply put the whole bag full in the machine rather than having to pick up dirty nappies one by one.
If we’re just popping out for for the day, then I keep them in cloth nappies. I have a wet bag in my change bag all the time to put soiled nappies in until we get home.
Most nappy rash creams are not recommended for use with cloth nappies. Thankfully, most babies in cloth nappies seem to suffer from less nappy rash than those in disposables. I find that plenty of nappy free time usually keeps baby’s bum happy – if they are looking a little sore I use pure coconut oil.
We also use washable wipes – I have a giant pile of baby sized washcloths that I bought specifically for bottom cleaning. I actually use chamomile tea to wash their bum! I have a Tupperware pot with a lid that I keep just for ‘botty wash’ and make up a fresh solution each day. Simply make up a mug of chamomile tea, I leave to brew for five minutes, then pour it into my Tupperware pot and top up with cold water. If they have a sore bottom, I add a drop of tea tree oil and two of lavender essential oil.
Depending on the kind of nappy you choose to use, you may need a Nappy Nippa – a modern day alternative to a safety pin!
Q// How do you wash your nappies?
Wash/spray off any poo that may be on the nappy, then into the nappy bucket until wash day. I put the laundry bag full of nappies into the washing machine. I put them on a 60 degree wash with an extra rinse. I’ve used many different detergents, though to be honest I just usually use the eco-friendly one we use for eveything else. Although I love the sounds of this Tots Bots Potion – Palma Violet scented nappies?! I usually line dry my nappies – a good dose of sunshine does wonders for getting rid of stains and keeping them white! However, living where we do means that sometimes I do have to tumble dry them {a large family’s laundry PLUS nappies when you’ve had day after day of rain gets hard to dry inside!}. If they do go in the dryer, I put them on cool and never dry the wraps in there! Oh – and don’t use a fabric conditioner with your nappies – it will affect their absorbency.
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Hannah
October 29, 2014 at 10:14Oh, very informative post Polly – thanks for sharing!
I’m doing all this again after a 14 year break. I wanted to use cloth nappies back then but just didn’t have the money for the initial outlay. This time I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the choices so I’m thinking maybe I need to start with one/few of everything and see how I get on.
I love the coconut oil tip – thanks for that, and also the cammomile tea for wipes – what a great idea.
Good luck to everyone who enters :)
Sarah
October 29, 2014 at 12:28Tot Bots are actually a brand of cloth we haven’t tried, we’ve used a range of pocket diapers and GMD workhorse fitteds with covers but I’d love to try these out!
Alexa Cohen
October 29, 2014 at 12:40i want to try cause we have a baby on the way!
Eleanor (The Bristol Parent)
October 29, 2014 at 13:43That is one hell of a useful tutorial, I’m going to share it on my FB page this week. My favourite part about cloth nappies is the big bums they give babies – the cutest thing ever!
Taryn
October 29, 2014 at 17:31I’d love to try these, we have just converted to cloth. Such a useful read, thanks x
Sammyjo Fletcher
October 29, 2014 at 17:43Would love to try these. We don’t use cloth at night as don’t own any night time nappies
Fran
October 29, 2014 at 18:02Very useful info her thanks :)
Been using terry nappies with blueberry wraps since my now 7 week old was born and LOVE them. Would like to try these too.
Thanks again
James
October 29, 2014 at 18:22great information, would love to try reusable nappies. Hope to get some tots bots in the near future
Kate @ Family Fever
October 29, 2014 at 18:32We already use cloth nappies but would love a few more for our stash!
Clare Coucill
October 29, 2014 at 18:36We have a boy bump on the way and would love to bulk our stash up a little. These would be well loved :-)
laura redburn
October 29, 2014 at 19:03if i was to ever have a baby, i would deffo use cloth nappies. this post is very useful for anyone it’s relevant to!
Jenni Kerrone
October 29, 2014 at 19:36I have a few pocket nappies but would love to try some wraps. Currently cloth napping almost part time. No tumble dryer and the cooler weather makes drying time a lot longer. Great info. I like the camomile tea idea.
sarah Fisher
October 29, 2014 at 20:04Great article! I want to try cloth as I am currently pregnant and bringing a child into the world has made me think about the footprint I am leaving on our planet and what I can do to reduce this.
Margaret Nash
October 29, 2014 at 20:09We would love to try cloth nappies when baby arrives, to be kind to the skin and the environment
Sierra
October 29, 2014 at 20:29We are expecting our second little boy in March, and are planning to cloth diaper this little one. Thanks for the tips!
Fiona
October 29, 2014 at 20:56Great post, we used cloth nappies and I loved them. We had the BumGenius ones which were great and rarely leaked, but the velcro fell to bits after one year. I bought replacement velcro but never quite got round to sorting them, so we got E out of nappies pretty sharpish! x
Samantha R
October 29, 2014 at 22:10baby number 3 is due in April, I have never tried cloth nappies and would love to give them a go
Kirsty S
October 29, 2014 at 22:38Excellent post, we’re just starting out with our cloth with my first baby (he’s just turned 11 wks) the only thing I would add to this post is they don’t go on the same as disposable nappies. This is the main problem I had with my TotsBots, I was trying to fit them the same as disposables and just finding they looked awful (and leaked!) then I seen a link to a video on how to fit them properly and we’ve been getting on much better since :)
Laura
October 30, 2014 at 06:59We used cloth nappies quite a lot from around 1-7 months although he did often leak in them (daily) so I am sure we just didn’t have the right fitted ones and would love to try then out again. Fingers and toes crossed for the giveaway
Laura x
Valeria
October 30, 2014 at 16:01I love this brand because easy to use. <3
Jess @ Along Came Cherry
October 30, 2014 at 17:34I really wanted to try them with Tiger but I just don’t know why but never went for it. The extra washing is something that really puts me off mainly because I hate laundry and am never on top of what we do have let alone extra. I do feel awful about the amount of nappies we have sent to refill though.. maybe if there’s a next time ;) x
helen ubderwood
October 31, 2014 at 14:15I’m due first baby in Jan and would love to try would cloth. its so much better for environment, cheaper in long run and them big fluffy nappies are so cute :)
Fritha
October 31, 2014 at 14:49we loved Tots Bots! I started out with Bum Genius as the Tots Bots ones initially seemed quite big but as he got older they were much more reliable. We only stopped using them when W started nursery as it seemed to big an ask to get the nursery to do them x
Jennifer Nutter
October 31, 2014 at 20:02Is this open internationally? would love to try these! We currently use the bamboozles and i absolutely love it. i would love to try a wrap made for it! what a great selection to get the feet wet. I would love to see how the v4 holds up also :)
maxine m partridge
November 1, 2014 at 15:47id like them for my sis. shes expecting and i know shed really appreciate them
Globalmouse
November 1, 2014 at 19:31I would love to pass this set on to my cousin who is having her first baby!
Jess Howliston
November 1, 2014 at 21:13Because I see so many cute designs that I really want to buy lol!! + disposable nappies never seem to fit my little lady right. xx
Jenna Parrington
November 1, 2014 at 21:34I love how they are more eco friendly, are gorgeous to look at and save you money too!
Ella Williamson
November 2, 2014 at 13:13I love how Eco friendly they are (and also the money saving side always helps)
Tanzi
November 2, 2014 at 18:41I love cloth a friend is doing it with twins so if she can do that then anyone can
Lia
November 5, 2014 at 14:06Great tips! I used totsbots for #2 and bum genius for #3. Loved tots bots, just had got rid of them all because #3 was a complete surprise, lol! I miss my cloth days!
Rachel @ Parenthood Highs and Lows
November 6, 2014 at 14:38I use cloth nappies already (and love tots bots) but would love to give them to a friend due her baby very soon as she is interested but nervous about cloth!
Daily Giveaways | giveawaysrus
November 7, 2014 at 14:47[…] 16/11 Tots Bots Cloth Nappy Trial Kit […]
laura stewart
November 7, 2014 at 16:16ive always used cloth because thy are cheaper
Amanda A
November 7, 2014 at 16:29Would love to try them for the financial and eco aspect!
Pam Francis Gregory
November 7, 2014 at 16:37Better for the environment
Sandra Lane
November 7, 2014 at 18:47My niece who is pregnant has been looking at websites to discover how she can be as green as possible when choosing products for the baby so I think she would love these.
leigh boyle
November 7, 2014 at 19:53we use cloth already but a mix of aios and cheap pockets we havent tried tot bots x
gemma clark
November 7, 2014 at 23:12I have always wanted to give cloth nappies a go so this would be a way to ‘take the plunge’ x
Angie Griffiss-Williams
November 8, 2014 at 00:05I’d love to win this set for my sister who is pregnant and due in December
Lisa Day
November 8, 2014 at 04:41It would be more eco friendly than the disposables and cheaper too :)
Helen Porter
November 8, 2014 at 20:02I would love to try cloth as my baby is due after Christmas and I have no idea where to start with buying cloth so Im hoping this would help!
aideen patel
November 8, 2014 at 20:50As i hate the level of waste & my bins r constantly full
Hekna
November 8, 2014 at 22:06I do like to be green but still a little unsure about using cloth nappies. Would be good to give some a try.
Mummy Fever
November 9, 2014 at 07:47Because after 4 children I really should have tried them already!
Lara Davis
November 9, 2014 at 08:36Would love to try them as in long run saves money and helps the planet
Melissa Breckon
November 9, 2014 at 17:15We use cloth so always appreciate some more :)
richard hill
November 10, 2014 at 17:56my cousin is due to have a bay early next year so i would like to be able to give her these
donna l jones
November 10, 2014 at 18:15would be nice to try this brand
Sue McCarthy
November 11, 2014 at 18:44I don’t have any children but would love to win this prize to donate to charity, to go to Romania.
sarah vdb
November 12, 2014 at 15:22would love to try these
Louise overington
November 12, 2014 at 15:53My baby is due 23rd of November and I am hoping to try and reduce the amount of nappies I used. I have a little boy already and did not use them in him as six years ago there did not seem to be the same active promotion of them!
Kirsty Greer
November 13, 2014 at 13:45Great way to save money x
Karen martin
November 13, 2014 at 15:47I would like to give them a try as I already have 2 young children and now another due in June and its going to end up costing so much in nappies.
Susan Hunt
November 13, 2014 at 19:55Great for my friends first child.
Denielle Nicol
November 14, 2014 at 10:52Environmently sound
Paul Meulen
November 14, 2014 at 13:18love trying new products.
ELISHA
November 14, 2014 at 13:40environmental friendly, cheaper and most important of all, much better on babies skin
Kirsty Harrington
November 14, 2014 at 16:26We are due in February and are very keen to use reusable nappies, our main reason is so out outlay comes while we are still working, opposed to buying disposable nappies once on maternity pay. Also they dont have the chemicals in that disposable ones do, so better for baby. x
kathryn
November 14, 2014 at 21:18To save money :-)
Kate Sharman
November 14, 2014 at 22:40would like to try reusable nappies as recommended by friends
Laura Kachale
November 14, 2014 at 23:03I would love to try a trial kit as I am expecting my first baby in February, shortly after that we are moving to Malawi where it seems absurb to use disposables but we could sure use a helping hand to get us started.
Elizabeth Williams
November 15, 2014 at 15:24As they are better for the environment.
Viv C
November 15, 2014 at 17:00Great for the environment and great for babies bottom – they look cute too.
Margaret
November 15, 2014 at 17:13I’d love a trial set for my grandaughter’s first baby due on 3rd December! They look so good and better for the enviroment
Elaine B
November 15, 2014 at 23:50They look awesome
Erica field
November 16, 2014 at 08:19Ive got a new baby due in 8 weeks and have only used disposable with my first two x
Harley
November 16, 2014 at 08:58We are trying to be more green xx
Colin Gault
November 16, 2014 at 12:30My mother says there the best
lia sturman
November 16, 2014 at 18:07id love to win them for my friends daughter
Kim Styles
November 16, 2014 at 20:32I believe the natural way is best- I am not adversed to soaking washing and reusing nappies-I believe in a eco life, We are to much of a disposable society and are killing our enviroment.
LEE HARDY
November 16, 2014 at 20:36Love to give to work colleague who is expecting.
Blog Highlights of 2014 - Enchanted Pixie
January 6, 2015 at 08:01[…] And talked about why we use cloth nappies […]
Bambino Mio Giveaway - Enchanted Pixie
February 13, 2015 at 10:01[…] have a great giveaway for you today! I posted before Vega was born about Cloth Nappies – why we use them and some of our tips. Beastie’s been rocking out some great cloth […]