Cloth Nappies: Our Good and Bad Experience

If cloth nappies are something you’re thinking about, then you’re in the right place! I knew before I became pregnant that I would be using cloth nappies. Unfortunately, I did not know anyone who had used cloth nappies, but I knew it was becoming more popular. There is a large amount of produce out there for different cloth nappy preferences. There are so many wonderful designs and choices out there to suit any cloth nappy need. In this post I will discuss how I started, what I learnt, how I improved, and where I am at now. At the end1, you will find a list of links to the items I mention in this post.

1. First use and what I learnt

When I began, I made a lot of mistakes. The first mistake was that I did not study how to use cloth nappies. There was a lot of leaking at the start from ill fitting nappies (my fault). The first pack I ordered was from Amazon, it had pocket nappies (one size) with bamboo liners and a bag. These one size nappies are great as I should be able to use them until she no longer needs them. They came with instructions on which poppers to use for the appropriate age of the baby.

I chose to place the liner outside the pocket, just resting on the inside of the nappy, as it means I could use the wrap a few times before changing to a new one. My baby is now 7 months old now, and they still fit very well.

What I learnt…

The start was a bit of a mess… literally. What I didn’t know was that the liners and nappies become more absorbent the more they are washed. I did was them, but I needed to had washed them about 4 times or more before I used them. So, I really do recommend washing the nappies a few times before using them as they will likely leak. I also learnt that when you place the liner in the nappy, rather than the pocket, you need to make sure nothing is coming out the nappy wrap. Now, each time I put the nappy on I double check that everything is neatly tucked in by pocking around the legs and waist.

Air drying the muslin squares.

2. First wash and what I learnt

I want to start by saying that the machine does not smell after washing the nappies, but you can regularly clean your machine with white vinegar to disinfect it, which is what I do. I use the ‘drum wash’ option on my machine when I do this.

Before washing the cloth nappies, I read the instructions so many times as I really did not want to ruin the quality of the absorbancy of the nappy. It was recommended to place the soiled nappies in the wet bag provided. I did this at first, but I didn’t like the smell so I moved to a bucket with a lid.

On wash day, I would blast the nappies with water until it ran clean before placing in the machine. This was not as bad as we thought it would be, especially at the start when the baby isn’t passing solids. However, this was time consuming and we struggled to wash and dry in time before we ran out. At this point, our water pressure was very weak and I found cleaning the nappy took a long time.

Once in the machine, I followed the instructions and used a non-bio detergent and no softener or bleach. I set the temperature to the desired number, and chose a longer was to ensure they were clean. The nappies always came out without any stains, clean, and the machine did not smell either. I then hung them outside to dry (this was summer).

What I learnt…

I learnt that the bamboo liners take a very long time to air dry, even though we were in a heatwave. Instead, I found out that many cloth nappy users use muslin cloth squares as they clean and dry very quick. I prefer this option, and I wish I knew this at the start, as you can use these cloths for burping, covering up, wiping down baby, and even repurpose them after the baby no longer needs them. Also, the stronger your water pressure is, the faster you can blast the nappies clean.

Also, I started using a silicone hand washing brush and rubber gloves to speed up the process. Once we changed this, it only took about five minutes to wash them ready for the machine! Now, we have a much faster cleaning process and liners that dry within a day! If only I knew this at the start!

Seven months and still going strong

Here is a list of what we use now:

  • 10 Pocket nappy wraps
  • 20 muslin squares
  • 1 roll of biodegradable nappy liners (purchased again when empty)
  • 3 night nappies
  • A Bucket with a lid to put nappies in
  • Baby non bio washing up liquid

Our cloth nappies journey continues to change. From bamboo liners to now using The Jo Fold to make my liners with the muslin cloths. Now, our baby is weaning and the nappies are wetter and dirtier than before. Her naps are longer and she can sleep up to four hours. The night time nappies work wonderfully for the longer stretches. So far, they have not leaked or caused any rashes. They do take a long time to dry, but this is better then a whole outfit and bed change at 2am! We hope that you have learnt from our mistakes and start your nappy journey smoother than we did.

Air drying all of the nappy wraps.

Links to nappy items

  1. ↩︎
TiL