 All About Washable Nappies
Real Nappies
Choosing 'em, Using 'em & Washing 'em!
Why Use Cloth Nappies? There are several reasons for choosing cloth nappies instead of disposables. Better for baby - Parents are increasingly concerned about the unregulated chemicals used in disposables. Most disposable nappies contain artificial chemical absorbents such as sodium polyacrylate. These chemical granules are used to increase absorbency and form a gel that can end up on your baby as well as in the soil. Independent US research has also shown that the chemicals in non-cloth disposables can trigger asthma like reactions in normal laboratory animals (US Archives of Environemntal Health), October 1999).
Better for the environment - Waste - Nearly 3 billion nappies are thrown away in the UK every year and the vast majority of these (90%) end up in landfill. Around 8 million nappies are thrown away every day in the UK! We do not know how long it takes for the plastics in disposable nappies to decompose but it could take hundreds of years. If one parent, changing 4 times a day and once at night for 3 years, stopped using disposable nappies, it would save 5 nappies per day, 35 per week, 1,820 per year, 5,460 in all being put in landfill. No wonder more and more parents are choosing cloth nappies!
Better for your pocket - Average spend on disposable nappies: £700 and that is for 2.5 years This does not take into consideration that a lot of children stay in nappies for a lot longer, some, at night, ‘til 7/8 years old.
But the thing most parents want to know is...... How much work is involved? - Not as much as you might think and Mothers who use washable nappies find it extremely satisfying and (dare I say it) - enjoyable (yes, really!).
We have chosen a wide selection for different shaped babies, different tastes and different budgets - organic cotton, cotton, cotton terry, hemp, wool, PUL (polyurethane laminate) and fleece (cotton and polyester). Though PUL and Polyester fleece are not natural fibres, (being manmade), they are very popular with nappy users and they work extremely well, both fabrics being breathable and hardwearing. The PUL wraps are lighter in weight and generally cheaper than the wool wraps, so they make good day wraps (usually 4/5 are required) with a wool or fleece (waterproof) wrap at night. With pocket nappies, fleece is worn next to Baby's skin. Moisture disappears away from the skin, through on to the pad in the nappy, leaving baby’s bottom incredibly dry. It doesn't stain easily when soiled. The Swaddlebees Pocket nappy system now comes with organic cotton fleece next to the skin, as well as a layer of polyester fleece behind, that acts as the stay-dry liner.
The main priority, for us, in choosing the different brands, has been comfort for Baby. We have used nearly all of them, so we know exactly how they fit, how they wash, how they dry etc, etc. Do contact me if you have any queries - info@naturalchild.co.uk or 01242-620988
There four main types of nappies - 1. All in ones – One part to wash & wear
2. Pocket nappies – 2 parts to wash & one to wear
3. Fitted nappies - that need a waterproof layer (ie a wrap or cover)
4. Flat nappies - that need folding & a wrap
AIO’s – Great for easy changing – slightly more expensive, can take longer to dry.
Fitted Nappies – Worn with a wrap. Easy to wash, dry and wear. The most popular choice.
Pocket Nappies – The absorbent part is stuffed in to wear and is removed for washing. A very economical system, easy to wash, dry and wear.
Flat Nappies – Still very popular. Most economical, but can be fiddly, especially if you have a wriggly Baby. Choices Available - Fastenings – Nappies come with either Velcro or Applix (which is patented Velcro), poppers or without any, for use with pins or Nappi Nippers (generally called a 'Nippa' version). Materials – Available in cotton (terry or flannel), hemp, cotton or polyester fleece, microfleece, polycotton, or polyester; waterproof fabrics are wool, polyester fleece, PUL (polyurethane); they come in organic unbleached, unbleached, white, pastel or funky colours; plain or patterned. Sizes – Nappies tend to come in 4 sizes – S, M, L & XL. Some companies try to save you money by making their designs fit a wider age range, eg. Size 1,2 & 3. Some are ‘two sizes’ some ‘one sizes’ (multifit/ultrafit) – excellent value, but you do compromise on fit (bulky to start with and can be grown out of and can need a lot of boosting later.) Only a few companies do well fitting newborn sizes. Choices for Newborns - Muslins and 40x40cm terries have traditionally been used as newborn nappies and work well pad folded (between the legs) or folded and fastened with pins. As I have just said, only a few companies do well fitting newborn sizes. The Popolini 2 size (unbleached and organic unbleached) in XSmall, fits small babies well, as does the Motherease Sandy's, the Kissaluvs, Swaddlebees Organic Velour. The nippa Tots Bots nappies fit from about7/8lbs (the applix version is bulky on a small newborn). How Many will I Need? - First you need to decide how often you intend to wash. Most people wash every two days, but it does mean twice the amount of nappies. If you put other items in the machine with the nappies, washing every day works well. The next thing is whether you have a tumble drier. If you intend air drying, then you will need extra nappies to cover you, whilst they are drying. Flannel and terry do go quite hard in hard water areas (see Drying Nappies below, for tips on keeping nappies soft).
Newborns need changing much more often, between 8 and 12 times per day. As they get older and as you get craftier and do not change through the night (more on this later) 6-8 changes by day and one nappy for the night.
Newborns Washing Every Day Washing Every 2 Days - 18-24 nappies
- 4/5 day wraps
- 3/4 night wraps
- Liners
- 3 x buckets
- Spare - 3/4 prefolds or terries + 2 value pants
Wraps - PUL, polyester, nylon make good day wraps – lightweight, easy to wipe clean, dry quickly. Fleece and wool are ideal night wraps and they are waterproof – fleece dries very quickly, wool is thicker so takes longer to dry but very breathable. Sometimes slightly damp to touch as moisture is evaporating, there is no leakage and there's no need to change through the night. Just breastfeed and drift back to sleep.. Liners - Paper (Flushable) Ultra (Cellulose or Vegetable Fibre based) (Flushable) Polyester Fleece (Washable & Stay Dry) Polyester (Washable) Silk (Healing & Washable)
Nappy Liners (usually made of paper or some sort of vegetable material) have a slight stay-dry effect and are good for picking up solids to flush away (rub them together to soften) and can be washed a few times and re-used, if just wet. Bio-degradable and flushable 1 at a time. Cellulose or Ultra Liners are thicker than paper liners, have less of a stay-dry effect but are thicker and slightly absorbent, so are good for runny poos. Bio-degradable (not flushable). Fleece Liners (polyester) keeps Baby’s skin incredibly dry. Moisture is drawn through the liner onto the nappy behind, leaving Baby's bottom dry. Washable and last for years. Polyester Liners are made of woven polyester and have a stay dry effect. Washable and last for years. Silk Liners are perfect for sensitive skins, prone to nappy rash/eczema. Handwash only, won't last as long as fleece or polyester.
Buckets - Choose them with tight fitting lids and have 1/2 for dry pailing (ie. no water) and one for wet soaking soiled nappies (prevents staining). Washing Nappies - Nappies are generally worn with either a paper or a fleece liner. If there are any solids, the paper one is biodegradable so you just pick up the corners of the liner, lift and dispose of both the liner and the solids in the loo. If using a fleece liner, solids tend to peel off fleece really easily (and for some reason, it doesn't stain easily). Runny ones might need a rinse as well. Always use cold water. A lot of nappy users do not soak their nappies, they store them dry, in buckets with tight fitting lids, until washing. These can be found at your local DIY store or we stock 16L value buckets. If soaking, you can add a few drops of tea tree and/or lavender oil or a few mls of white vinegar or a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. You can use a nappy sanitizer, follow directions on the box. 'Pooey' nappies need to soak in some cold water, nappies that are just wet can just go into an empty bucket (wee is sterile).
Some Mothers put the nappies on a cold rinse first, which is better to get stains out, but others just wash at 40C degrees straight away - RNA (Real Nappy Association) and WEN (Women's Environmental Network) now recommend washing nappies at 40C only. Modern washing machines are so efficient that 40C degrees is hot enough, or sometimes 50. The important thing is that the cycle is long enough. It is very important to rinse the nappies thoroughly. Sluice off the nappy in the loo first, then rinse and scrub nappy in the washbasin with cold water. Wring out and pop into a bucket, with cold water in it. This way, you don't need to put on a cold rinse first. If you wash the solids off straight away, they do not stain. Do Not Use Fabric Conditioner Always use non-bio detergent or use our Eco-Balls or Indian Soapnuts to ensure chemical free, baby friendly and planet-friendly nappies! Washing Wraps - Wraps need washing at a lower temperature (including pocket nappies - minus the padding). 30 degrees is perfect for a wrap. Wash them in the machine at 30/40 degrees, on a gentle cycle, but not with the nappies. If you are gentle with your wraps, they will last much longer.
Drying Nappies - You can tumble dry almost every nappy on low, but it does shorten the life somewhat. If you are finding your drying bill scary, try tumble drying for 1/2 hr, then hanging out to dry - they then keep their softness - or ironing (especially terry - they used to do this in the 1950's & 60's), or try adding a tablespoon of distilled vinegar to the conditioner dept. - this keeps nappies softer (or if they become REALLY hard, soak in cold water and a large sploosh of white vinegar overnight). To cut down on drying time, you can also add a dry towel for the first 15 mins and then removing it, as it will have absorbed an awful lot of moisture by then. Those customers who live in soft water areas also often do not need to tumble dry. For those of us in hard water areas (on clay), it's the limescale that builds up on the fibres of the nappies that makes them go hard. See also, our Dryer Balls™ and our Magno Balls in the Laundry Department, to keep your nappies soft. The Tots Bots Bamboozle nappy is so soft that customers are reporting there's no need to use the dryer at all.
For more nappy hints and further information on different nappies, go to to our links page, see the nappy page.
Please 'phone me with any queries on 01242 - 620988
Nappy Rash - If you are experiencing problems with nappy rash, please note the following suggestions - - have loads of nappy free time
- change your baby's nappy much more often (every hour if need's be)
- change over to cloth nappies
- have a terry or a towel close at hand when changing and dry baby's bottom thoroughly before putting on the next nappy
- wash baby's bottom every morning and night until it gets better (dry thoroughly afterwards)
- use washable wipes with a solution that you can adapt to your baby's needs
If your baby has persistant or severe nappy rash, it could be thrush. See our Natural First Aid Dept for home remedies and consult your Homeopath or Natural Medical Practitioner for advice. . www.naturalchild.co.uk
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