Cloth Nappies - the low down!

Nope. I do 2 washes a week of just nappies, wraps and wipes. (Wednesday and Sunday), you don’t have to do anything more complicated that a normal wash… just put them in! (No-one is asking you to sit on the bank of a river up to your knees in suds!)

More and more nurseries are accepting cloth nappies, if you point out to them that it will save the nursery money as their disposal costs will be lower. Paul from Munchkins told me a few weeks ago that there were more babies in cloth nappies than disposables in their baby room. As long as you show the nursery which nappy you are using, how it works and provide them with a washable wet bag to take the nappies home they are only too pleased to use cloth.

Neither have I, I’ve got a washing line, 2 airers, a peggy and a house! If you use a tumble drier it has an impact on the environment and massively adds to your costs. Drying outside is the best! The sun bleaches any stubborn marks and they look great flapping about!

This is true but worth it, you’ve bought a pushchair and a car seat why not a bundle of nappies? There’s always ‘freecycle’ or ‘Gumtree’ or see what they’ve got at proper job www.proper-job.org , finally ebay have changed their nappy policy to allow used nappies to be traded . I’m always at the baby market with preloved nappies so come and grab a bargain. ERNI can give you £20 off if you trial through him!

You’ll need some biodegradable/flushable wipes and a waterproof bag. If the nappy is just wet, dump the liner in the loo or the nappy bin. If it’s dirty you’ve got two options depending on the facilities to hand, if there is a loo, great, flush it as you would do at home, if not – wrap it all up really well, (don’t put it in your change bag, just in case!) and deal with it when you get home.

We’ve had the odd accident, hasn’t everyone? Even the most absorbent disposable nappy can’t cope with the worst case “explosion in the curry factory” poo, sending it shooting up baby’s back! And actually with a good outer wrap over a cloth nappy you get a second safety barrier against the most wayward poo’s! So ‘no’ I recon they are better than disposables.

Here is my price list for you to download… Brochure Price List Feb 17

So opt for a shaped nappy with velcro. If you’re using flat terries they can be tricky at first, but if my husband can do it and all the girls at Munchkins Day Nursery can do it! Then so can you! Here’s a page on how to do the most basic folds. You don’t need to worry about pins either; the Nappy Nippa is the best thing since sliced bread! It grips the nappy and holds it together.

Download these helpful Nappy Folding Instructions!

Actually it doesn’t; the odd drop of tea tree oil on the back of the lid keeps it really fresh. In our house the posh white bucket (with lid) sits tidily next to the loo so that solids are dropped straight into the loo. Baby poo and wee is not as strong as an adults.

So don’t bother! Our modern washing machines and detergents remove the need for soaking. If you want to give them a quick sluice  if you’ve given your baby a bath why not rinse the nappies in the baby bathwater before you pull the plug? Modern cloth nappies don’t require soaking as this can limit the life expectancy of the waterproof outers – it’s up to you Dry pail / Wet pail – you choose.