Using cloth nappies isn’t that hard (honest)

When you suggest to someone that they might use cloth nappies instead of disposables the general comment is “oh its so much hard work” to which I answer “how much hard work can it be I have 8 children and run my own business!”

The other comments are “oh they are hard to use” “They are smelly in buckets” “all that faff” “they leak” so why don’t I dispel some myths about cloth nappies?

First one is they are easy to use, the advent of poppers, Velcro and not forgetting the wonderful Nappi Nippa make fastening cloth nappies a doddle. Cloth nappies are mostly shaped like disposables so all you need to do is put them on – after all it’s not difficult to put on a disposable is it?

They are smelly? Have you smelt a bin full of a week’s worth of rotting, poo’d in disposables? This has to be one of the worst things I can think of. At least with cloth you get rid of the poo immediately, and the water is changed daily so that the nappies aren’t sitting in stinky water.

All that faff? Well the poppers and Velcro mean they are quick to fasten, the washing machine only needs to be on once or twice extra a week, and today’s detergents often come with a stain removal guarantee. We have radiators and tumble driers, which often weren’t available in our parents and grand parents days. We have it easy!

They leak! Yes some do, some don’t and some days the ones that didn’t do and vice versa. But then again I’ve been to many mums and tots sessions and heard lots of complaints about single use nappies. This just means that nothing is fool proof, just a matter of re-thinking what you are doing, with cloth nappies you can go online or ring your supplier for advice, I haven’t heard of anyone doing that with disposables.

Are you still considering cloth? Do you want to know how many you need? Or how to wash and care for them? Well let me help a little, obviously I can only give the basic information because I'm not talking to you directly, I don’t know your individual circumstances like budget, child care arrangements, washing facilities etc. so I can only give a guide line for now. But if you want more personalised help then feel free to call me, I might be fighting my small son off because he wants to watch the Tweenies or some sweeties but if you bear with me I will do my best to match you and your baby to cloth.

The first question is usually how many do I need? We recommend a minimum of 18, however being realistic you will need about 24 for the early days, a new born baby can be changed as often as 9 times a day! This will level out to about 6 changes as your baby’s wetting becomes more concentrated. The number will also depend on how many times you will wash, the more you have the less times you need to wash. Generally speaking though most parents aim for washing on the second or third day.

How many wraps you need will depend on your washing habits, but you can use one wrap for a number of nappy changes, most parents will wipe the inside with a baby wipe to remove any wee and reuse the wrap two or three times, if the wrap is poo’d on then you will need to use a clean one.

How do I store the dirty nappies? You will need a nappy bucket – it can be any good sized bucket with a fitted lid, many hardware stores and home brew shops will sell a 30-40 litre bucket for a few pounds, you can of course buy matching sets from baby shops but they wont hold many nappies.

Do I soak my nappies? There are no hard and fast rules about this, some people like to soak them in water with nappy detergents or essential oils, some dry pail, only sluicing the dirtiest nappies when required. A nappy net is a useful item to have because it means that rather than handling dirty nappies you just need to put the net complete with nappies straight into your machine. Most nappies will be clean with a 40-60c wash and only the very mucky nappies will need more. It’s important to read the washing instructions.

Can I tumble dry them? Yes most nappies can be tumble dried, it’s important to check the manufacturers instructions though. Too much heat can damage the Velcro and elastic. Sunshine is natures very own stain remover so drying them outside is cheap and efficient on warm days – also there isn’t anything more satisfying than seeing a line full of lovely fluffy nappies on the line.

What else will you need? Not much else, a nice roomy changing bag because cloth are bulkier than disposables, a dirty nappy sac to put solid nappies in when you are out. Perhaps a little restraint when you discover a new nappy or like that cute print for the summer.

And lastly a huge smile, for people who ask what you are using and you tell them proudly “cloth, don’t you?”

Kerry Newton
Snazzypants.co.uk
01522 778440