This week (19 – 25 April 2021) is Reusable Nappy Week so I thought I’d tell you a bit about our cloth nappy journey.
We started using re-useable nappies around Christmas time when my little girl was 3 months old, so I am by no means an expert in any sense, but have had my bestie on call who has cloth bummed both her children for help and advice!
This time round I was determined to give them a go as it makes me so sad to think of the amount of disposable nappies I put in my rubbish bin with our first. I was reluctant to use cloth with our little boy as his poo was always loose (diagnosed dairy intolerant at 9 months old) and I thought it would be hard work.
What exactly is a cloth nappy?
My Mum used cloth nappies on me – a big piece of terry cotton and a large safety pin! So the idea is not new, but they have now changed to lots of different styles with the concept of them being re-useable by washing them after they have been used.
Essentially they are made up of a waterproof outer membrane and then cloth inserts (there are so many different types of materials used) to soak up the wee. You can have specific sized ones, ones that can change size using poppers for instance, pocket nappies or all in ones. There are quite a few types!! My advice would be to speak to a Nappy Library to get some information and possibly try a few different styles out..
What we use
We use Birth to Potty pocket nappies and I have 21 of them:
Wakefield Council are keen to reduce nappy waste and have introduced the real nappy trial. In the pack I received 5 x One Size Little Lamb nappies including bamboo boosters & liners – click here for more info
5 x Little Lambs each with 2 bamboo boosters
3 x Baba & Boo each with 2 bamboo inserts
8 x Dotty Bots each with 1 charcoal & bamboo booster
Waterproof nappy bag for storing used nappies until they are washed
Re-useable liners
Cost wise I’ve probably spent around £100 as I got the Dotty Bot ones as a gift
What’s it like
Honestly its easier than I thought and I wish I had done it with our first! With the type I use, it is so similar to putting on a disposable nappy
We have never had a leaky poo nappy (we got them all the time with disposables) and we only get a wee leak if the nappy has been on a bit too long (I try to change every 3 hours).
We wash the nappies every 3 days and usually chuck some towels in to make a full load.
We do still use disposables at night but I am happy we are still reducing our nappy waste stream so I feel comfortable with this
When out and about we take a smaller waterproof bag with us to zip the used nappy in
Poo … we’ve only recently started with smelly food poo but so far its been fine, literally just take them off and pop them in the waterproof nappy bag. Any solid mass I just plop into the loo from the liner. You can use disposable liners too, personally I don’t like them
I also use re-useable wipes and the water I store these in is fragranced with essential oils. These also go in the nappy bag and the smell from the essential oils stops the nappy bag from smelling.
My favourite combination is the Little Lamb nappy using the Baba & Boo insert! I like the fit of the Little Lambs (obviously all children are shaped differently) and the absorbency of the Baba & Boo insert! The Baba & Boo nappies have some really gorgeous prints though, they are just a little more expensive.
Overall, I love cloth nappying and wish I had given them a go with our eldest child!
Leeds Cloth Nappy Library can offer you help, support and tips, as well as loaning out nappies for you to try.
