It’s great that you’ve decided to use cloth nappies!
It can be daunting to start using reusable nappies, whether you’re trying to reduce waste, you’ve been disappointed by disposables too often, or you can’t resist a baby’s big, fluffy bum. It’s straightforward once you learn how! This is our guide for beginners to reusable nappies.
Try a few different types of cloth nappies. Each has its advantages that suit your child and family. The drying time of your nappies can also affect your decision. You can learn more about the different types of nappies in our guide to cloth nappy jargon.
You will need the following to spend a whole day in cloth:
About 5-10 diapers (for a toddler and 10 for a newborn).
Use a wet bag or bucket to collect damp and dirty diapers.
Liners can be used but are not mandatory. They help catch poo.
A cute baby (*supplied to you by you).
If you want to switch to cloth nappies full-time, you’ll need between 15 and 25 nappies. (24 nappies will allow you to wash two days’ worth of nappies and still have enough clean and dry for another day.) This depends on how frequently your baby wees and poos. If you want to start with a few nappies or your budget does not allow you to make the initial investment, you can add to your stock as you go. Each reusable nappy is one less nappy in a landfill.
Prewash your reusable nappies
All nappies should be prewashed. Nappies of bamboo or hemp (such as Tots Bots Bamboozle) may require up to five washes to reach maximum absorbency. You can wash the nappy and immediately rewash it, or change your baby’s nappy more often until it goes maximum absorbency.
Place your selected liner in the cloth nappy. Make sure that all of the liner has been tucked inside. Then, fasten the nappy to your baby. Cloth nappies are slightly different from disposables. Begin by placing the nappy lower at the back to cover their bottoms and higher at the front. Here are some tips to help you get the right fit:
How often should I change my cloth bum?
Cloth nappies should be changed every 3 to 4 hours. The amount of time it takes to change a nappy depends on the size and type of nappy that you use. You can find super absorbent night nappies, such as Tots Bots Bazles and Petit Lulu Maxi.
What is poo?!
The most intimidating aspect of using reusable diapers is that you are a novice. Oh, yes! Babies love to poo. Breastfed or formula-fed babies will have soft poo you can wash in the toilet. However, it is usually acceptable to put straight into the washing machine. When babies eat solids and do ‘proper poos,’ you can fling the poo from the paper or fleece liners into the toilet. Nappy buckets are handy for quickly swishing those excellent teething nappies. Here is our Guide to Nappy Washing.
Where do nappies go to?
Once you have emptied your nappy bucket or wet bag, place your soiled nappies in the wet bag. You should remove all paper liners and put them in the trash. Also, fold any aplix tabs. You should only leave nappies for up to three days. You can wash them using a cold rinse or a long hot wash. Then, you can line-dry, tumble dry, fold/stuff, and start over! You can wash the wet bags with the nappies.
Cloth nappies for the go
Cloth nappies are just as convenient as disposables when you’re on the go. If you also decide to use these, you will need a small/medium bag to store the used nappies and cloth wipes. Make sure to have enough cloth diapers for the duration of your trip. Add the wet bag to your bag when the baby needs to be changed. (If you have a toilet nearby, remove the poo). It’s so much easier to use this bag than find a bin. You can change your baby anywhere: in the car boot, on the beach, or even at work!
Beginners guide to reusable nappies – Top tip: Give it a try!
It’s essential to give it a try! You’ll be amazed at how quickly you get into a routine. Everyone is different. If you use 3 cloth nappies daily for 2.5 years, even doing it part-time could help save 2700 nappies from going to landfill. Cloth nappy users are eager to assist you in finding the right nappy for your child and routine. We’re also happy to talk about cloth nappies whenever you want!
This reusable nappies guide is intended to give you confidence in using cloth nappies. If you still need encouragement, don’t hesitate to contact us through Customer Services or join our Babipur hangout Facebook page to find other cloth nappies fans.