When I was first introduced to the concept of cloth nappies my immediate reaction was, 'how on earth will I ever have the time to wash all of those dirty nappies?' Being completely put off by ideas of towel wraps, pins and never ending washing, I put that idea aside and naively carried on using disposables.
A few years on and I'm pregnant again with baby number four. By this time cloth nappies had started to become more mainstream and filled with a pang of guilt when thinking about our carbon footprint I decided to give it some real consideration. After speaking to a few cloth bum mums and gathering as much info as I could, I made the decision that this time we were going to give it a go. Fortunately with my birthday pending, and knowing my desire to invest in cloth, my mum kindly bought me my first supply of nappies.
I am writing this blog today because while I was considering cloth nappies, I waded through pages and pages of information desperately trying to find an easy beginners guide. With this in mind, I felt it may be useful to share my experience.
Brands
Bambino Mio (find here)
I started with a set of 6 all-in-ones Bambino Mio nappies. These felt less daunting as they were all ready to go, just add a liner and done! Plus they had cute jungle designs ideal for a boy or girl (I have a little girl) and we loved the prints! I also ordered disposable liners, washing powers and reusable wipes within the same delivery.
After a few days they arrived. Now before using the nappies they must first be pre-washed. This is to increase the absorbency of the nappies. It is also important to note that you need to have an almost full machine, so throw in a couple of towel because that helps to weigh down the drum (or it won't spin as efficiently) . It is also important to note that you DO NOT use fabric softener as this can also effect how they absorb liquid!
Once the pre-wash was done, I hung them out on the washing line and patiently waited for them to dry. The Bambino Mio nappies were one size to fit all with adjustable poppers on the front. This meant that once dry, I could start straight with my then three week old daughter.
What no one warns you about when starting with cloth nappies is that finding and buying new designs can get a little addictive! So after a week of testing out these nappies I was ready to investigate other brands. After joining a variety of different cloth nappy Facebook pages, I was directed to other types, brands and styles.
Little Lambs (find here)
My next nappies to arrive were Little Lambs which came hugely recommended. These all came with two bamboo boosters each (I had five nappies arrive). One thing I love about these nappies is they seem to fit my little girl very well, again they come with poppers on the front to adjust the size. In contrast to the Bambino Mios, the inserts are not attached to the nappy so you can choose how many boosters you put in depending on whether you have a heavy wetter or not. I have also recently purchased their fleece liners which I have to admit are my absolute favourite as they are so soft, as opposed to the disposable liners we have been using.
Alva's (find here)
I next came across Alva nappies. These were considerably cheaper than the previous nappies and they come with a huge variety of designs, ranging from floral to dinosaurs to cars and even Pokemon! So we ordered some pretty designs to give these a try!
Initially, I loved the Alva's. Each nappy came with adjustable poppers and a microfibre booster. These were great while my daughter was small, however, as she grew the boosters became less effective as microfibre is a less absorbent material. I overcame this by ordering bamboo boosters to replace the microfiber ones. This means I got to keep the great designs but also have a good absorbent nappies. So if you have a heavy wetter it would be worth investing in some hemp boosters.
In the beginning, I used cloth during the day and disposables at night to allow us time to adjust and get use to the process and fit. This also gave me time to build my stash so that I had enough to go full time. My stash is currently at 25 nappies and I find this is enough to rotate every two days or so between washes.
Baba and Boo (find here )
More recently I decided to give Baba and Boo a try after they were recommended as a good night time nappy so I order two nappies to try out. I love the fit of these and as advised they have made great night time nappies for us.
Washing:
The next thing I often get asked is about washing them. Well, I have a breastfed baby which makes the process slightly easier. Breast milk is water soluble and therefore it’s perfectly fine to put the nappies straight into the machine. With formula fed babies or babies who have been weaned it gets a little more complicated, as the content of the nappy needs to be emptied into a toilet first. I have seen other mums advise to rinse the liner in the flush. We are however not at this point in our journey and therefore my advice is limited.
Cost:
Finally, one concern I often hear is that the initial cost in high. With regards to this, I would advise you check out your local cloth nappy library or buy and sell sites. People often de-stash their collections and you can find some real bargains.
Hopefully you have found this useful and have a better idea of where to start. I will link in different sites I have found useful or if you need added advice, the Nappy Lady (here) offers an abundance of knowledge on all things cloth.
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